Nero jumped up from his chair near Mia and quickly had the prince by his shirt, his feet off the floor. Immediately his own knights held their swords to him, yelling to let the prince go. Oro silenced them with a wave, his calm composure infuriating Nero even more.
"Leave us," Nero growled at his men, who looked to the prince for approval. Oro granted them leave with a slight nod, difficult as it was to do so when suspended by his shirt collar. Mia panicked, trying to get out of bed to grab Nero, but she stumbled and fell to the floor as her legs were weak from not being used.
Nero dropped the prince on his ass and scrambled to pick up Mia.
"Ro, please, don't hurt the prince." Oro felt a sting in his heart realizing he was now "the prince" again.
"Why do you care what happens to that bastard?" He demanded, gingerly putting her down back onto the bed.
"If you harm him, you will not be safe," she whispered, laying her hand on his haggard face, "and he is still your friend." Nero almost spit at the word friend referring to him. He had betrayed his trust, acting as a coward when it comes to his father, despite what it means for his supposed friends. Nero knew he would do it again, putting his duties ahead of everything else. It sickened him.
"Thank you, Mia," Oro interrupted with a slightly hoarse voice.
"Call her lady, you are no friend, and you do not deserve to breathe her name," Nero said coolly, nearly grinding his teeth to dust with the rage filling him inside.
"Apologies, my lady," Oro corrected, the pain in his voice evident. Amina wanted to say it was alright, but she felt it was best to simply nod.
"The King ordered us to investigate with the Holy Knight Commander. Unfortunately that command included you, Am—my lady." Mia felt herself stiffen, fear settling in her chest. She could still feel the echos of the pain she'd felt that day. Part of her never wanted to go back.
"I understand. I take your order, Your Highness," Mia mumbled, gripping the edge of the bed as she felt she might fall over again.
"I am sorry, my lady. Commander." Oro bowed his head before leaving quietly.
"I won't allow this to happen. They're out of their minds asking you to do this. You're not your parents." Nero's last words stung as she realized how true they were. She was not her parents. She was not strong or mighty, she didn't even know how to properly use her powers or a sword. She felt she was only a burden.
"I'll take you to your room and call Ruby to attend to you." Nero gently slid his arms around her small frame and carried her to her room where Ruby was waiting with tears in her eyes, telling her how grateful she was Amina was alive, how much she worried and missed her. Amina smiled at the young maid and thanked her. Nero gently put her down on her bed, kissed her forehead and told her he would be back after having a word with the King. Amina nodded, thinking it best not to intervene when the seething anger was clear on his face as he turned away from her.
Ruby blushed and giggled, commenting on Nero's treatment of her. Amina blushed and requested she help her bathe and change, avoiding the subject and her beating heart completely.
Amina had just finished donning her nightgown when there was a knock at the door. Assuming it was Nero Ruby smirked and rushed to answer the door but was met with a different large frame instead. Ruby's face warmed as she looked at the handsome knight, his bright blond hair and eyes stood out against his tan skin and strong jaw.
"Pardon me, my lady. Is Miss Amina available? I would like to have a word with her if she is willing and feeling well enough."
Ruby glanced at Amina for approval before rushing to her her a robe to cover the curves beneath her gown and preserve her modesty. Amina welcomed the guest and led him to the lounge before sitting across him as Ruby hurriedly prepared tea before whispering she would be outside and to call her if needed. Amina nodded and watched her leave, gently closing the door behind her, before she focused her attention on the man before her.
"I apologize for the abrupt visit, especially since you have just recovered. I am the Commander of the Holy Knights, Caspian." The man said with a bow.
"No need to apologize, Commander, I am feeling alright, it's lovely to meet you."
"Caspian is fine, milady. I was hoping to give you a blessing if you would permit me touching you. I have heard of your mysterious ailment and thought it may help, especially since I have heard of your heritage. My father always spoke greatly of your parents, I am so sorry for your loss."
"Thank you, Sir Caspian. I appreciate your words. If you are willing, I would gladly accept your blessing. I have heard your Holy Power is quite strong." Caspian smiled as he kneeled before her, holding out his hand for hers. Amina laid her hand in his, slightly nervous to be touching a man other than Nero. It made her slightly uncomfortable but she thought the blessing was worth the discomfort. Caspian recited something in the holy language before bowing his head and kissing her hand. A bright, white light surrounded her as a warmth spread throughout her body, making her feel lighter and healthier.
Caspian's eyes widened as he saw Amina's eyes shift from blue to white, the surrounding light growing so bright around her it was almost blinding. He had never seen this much holy power emit from a person from an almost insignificant blessing. Caspian had barely used any holy power. Amina must have even more holy power than him, a candadite for the next pope. His power had not been seen in hundreds of years but hers…hers had never been seen before. Caspian was agape, his hand trembling as it held hers.
"My lady…your power is immense. I have never seen this before. Would you permit me to—"
"What in the hell is going on here? Get your hands off of her," Nero ordered brusquely, quickly stalking across the room to grab his hand and pull it off her, quickly cutting off the light emanating from Amina.
"Excuse me, Sir Nero, I was merely giving Miss Amina a blessing to aid her healing."
"Right, I'm sure you had no other intentions."
"I don't think I like what you are implying, sir."
"I don't think you'll like what I'll do if you touch her again," Nero replied with a smirk, baring his teeth.
"Ro, it's alright. He meant me no harm, I actually feel much better now," Amina intervened.
"I am glad I could be of service, my lady. I hope we meet again soon," Caspian replied with a bow before letting himself out. Nero wanted to chase him down but he felt Mia's small hand grasping the hem of his shirt so he stayed obediently.
"Be careful of that man, Mia. He's not as pure as he would have you believe."
"I gather you do not like him?"
"You gathered correctly. How are you feeling? Did the blessing really help?" He was hoping she would say no but he noticed she looked like herself again, if not better than before the incident.
"It did, I feel like myself again. No, better than that, even."
"I guess I should thank him, then."
"You should ask him to bless you, you look so tired." She stroked his face, noticing the dark bags beneath his eyes and unshaven face.
The thought made him shudder. "I'm alright, sweetheart. You want to have a meal together? Neither of us have eaten in days and I would like to see you eat something before you lay down."
"Ro, you didn't eat? You didn't sleep, either, did you? You need to take better care of yourself!"
"I've been worse, no need to worry. Though if you are, I promise to eat and sleep once you do."
"Ruby?" Amina called.
"Yes, Miss?" Ruby answered, poking her head through the door.
"Can you bring us some food, please? A lot of it, if possible."
"Of course, Miss. I'll be back."
"Thank you, Ruby." Nero sighed in relief as the maid rushed to serve her, thankful she agreed to eat. She was thin as it was but not eating while she slept made her so thin he was afraid to touch her and break her. He lightly grabbed her hand, intertwining their fingers and smiled when he saw her cheeks warm at his touch. He stroked the back of her hand with his thumb as he stretched out next to her, their thighs brushing together. Nero used his other hand to grasp her chin and move her to look at him but when she did he was shocked to see her eyes.
"Mia, your eyes. Well, your right eye. It's white. When did this..? How?" He asked.
"What do you mean? My right eye is white?"
"Yes, let me show you," Nero hurriedly grabbed the mirror on her vanity and held it up to her. She gasped when she saw it, not believing what she was clearly seeing reflected before her. Her right eye was a bright white with a thin line of gold encircling her iris.
Nero knew this meant something dangerous. It had to be connected to her power, which would pull her further into political issues, chained down to the throne or the papacy and its holy land. She had to hide this.
"Mia, I think you should hide this for the time being. Don't tell or show anyone, not even Ruby. Stay here and don't move, close that eye for now and pretend you woke up with it damaged and want to hide it out of embarrassment. Can you do that for me, sweetheart?"
Still in shock, Mia nodded, closing her right eye and obeying his request. She knew Nero would only ever do what was best for her. She trusts him.
"Good girl," he whispered, giving her a feathery kiss on her forehead, cheek, then lips before quickly leaving to see the seamstress. Nero quickly came back with a lace eyepatch, enough to hide it but still sheer enough for her to see out of. He slipped it over her eye, adjusting her around it for her.
"Is it comfortable enough? Can you see well enough?"
"It's perfect, thank you, Ro."
"Good, get ready, Ruby is on her way back with the food, I hear her steps down the hall."
"How do you know it's her?"
"I'm very perceptive," he said with a childish grin, laughing when Amina rolled her eyes. Sure enough, Ruby rapped on the door seconds later with their food.
"My lady! What happened to your eye? It was fine just a moment ago!"
"She injured it falling from the bed this morning, it's just now starting to bruise, she's embarrassed about it and how it looks so I had the seamstress prepare this for her."
"Sorry, Ruby, but it's ghastly enough the makeup wouldn't even cover it," Amina added, helping convince the young maid to pay no heed to it.
"Please be more careful, my lady! Especially with your beautiful face that Sir Nero loves to stare at," she teased, resulting in blushed ears and cheeks from Amina and a dismissal from Nero, leaving the two alone again. Amina became sleepy after the amount of food she ate, her head bobbing and finally resting on Nero's shoulder.
"Tired already? Come here, sweetheart, let's go to bed," Nero whispered, gingerly bringing her to his chest and lifting her to carry her to bed. He laid her down beneath the covers before laying beside her. He couldn't take his eyes off her, the anxiety in his heart wouldn't leave after seeing her shut her eyes once more. He was afraid she wouldn't wake up again and needed to feel her warmth beside him, hear her hear beating, and listen to her quiet little snores.
He felt himself drifting to sleep as the days of deprivation caught up with him.
Amina was back in the forest, her feet bare and her nightgown dirtied as she walked alone in the moonlight. She called for Nero until she was breathless. Panting, she continued to follow the path back to the castle, her feet becoming numb from the cold of night.
"You should have died that night."
"What? Hello? Who's there!" Amina yelled to the deep voice she heard echoing in the trees.
"How did you wake? How did you survive me twice? Godforsaken wench," the voice pestered, penetrating her thoughts and causing her to run. Amina ran as fast as she could before falling at the edge of the forest. She could feel the pain again, her anguished screams pouring from her lips as her tears blinded her. She saw a grotesque figure approaching her from the blackness swallowing the forest whole.
Amina awoke to tears streaming down her face, panicked as she searched for safety around her when she felt two strong arms cradling her, heard the heartbeat beneath her ear as she laid against Nero's chest.
"You're alright. It's alright. I'm here. I'm here, Mia. You're safe. Can you hear me now? Look at me, sweetheart," he whispered, gently caressing the sweaty hair away from her face. Amina tried to focus her eyes on his face as the images of the forest haunted her.
"Can you see me now, darlin? Hear me?" Amina nodded her head, her eyes still struggling to focus in the lowlight.
"Good. Focus on my voice and keep your eyes open. You see me? Feel me? Focus on me and breathe deeper. There ya go, keep going baby, you got it. You're alright. Safe in my arms. I've got you," he whispered, caressing her face, wiping her tears, feathering small touches to bring her back to reality in her bed as the sun rose.
"I'm okay. I'm sorry, Ro. I'm okay. I just had this… this awful nightmare. I can still hear his voice."
"Whose voice, sweetheart?"
"I don't know. I couldn't see him and I don't recognize the voice. But he seemed familiar somewhere in the deep recesses of my mind."
"Don't dwell on it now, it'll come to you if it's important. Though I hope it doesn't with how ya reacted. Your screams were… haunting. Brought me back to the forest when you…" h trailed off, not wanting to remember or make her recall the pain of that day.
"Let's get up, sweetheart, we've got somewhere to be."
"Where?"
"Training grounds. Get up, eat, get dressed, then go get checked by that witch doctor and get her approval to train. I'll sneak out the balcony and meet you down there once I've changed. Wear your armor so you get used to the weight. Oh and no need for the eye patch, your eye's back to normal."
Amina watched him leap from her balcony before scurrying off to ready herself for training, thankful yet confused on her shifting eye color. Amina hurriedly dressed in pants and a tunic before donning her fitted leather armor. She needed to move her body, get stronger, and stop thinking so deeply of the nightmare still stirring within her, the voice still echoing in her ears.
She rushed downstairs after receiving approval from the royal doctor to find Nero on the training grounds with his knights leading drills and running circles around even his strongest men.
"Wait there, Mia, I'll be right with you," Nero called, causing all eyes to quickly find her small form and gawk, their eyes wide and bouncing between her and Nero.
"EYES ON THE GROUND BEFORE I RIP EM OUT," Nero bellowed, causing the men to quickly look at their commander and away from her. Amina blushed, apologizing for interrupting before finding a bench to sit, watch and wait.
Amina sat entranced watching the men spar as Nero prowled through the pairs to correct even the slightest misstep. She wanted to see him spar; watching the men was almost dizzying with the speed and agility they embodied, their swords moving so quickly her eyes struggled to keep up. It was a terrifying dance she couldn't take her eyes off of. Amina's eyes focused on the two ranked right beneath Nero, according to the symbols on their tunics. Amina had learned the ranks as she listened to the town gossip, wishing to know which ones to avoid even more as she wandered through her village.
The men were panting, sweating from the exertion and began to peel off their soaked shirts, their enormous muscles glistening in the morning light. Amina blushed alongside her maid, Ruby, who had insisted on escorting her. Both maidens were embarrassed by the sight but couldn't look away as the men continued to fight fiercely.
Nero glanced back at Amina, seeing her eyes glued to his second and third in command as they fought shirtless. A searing rage boiled over as he barked at the men to remain clothed.
"Commander, have mercy, it's hot and the ladies seem to be enjoying the show anyway," his second in command quipped, smirking as the ladies quickly averted their eyes.
"Kaylus, shut your blasted trap and put it on. That's an order."
"Someone's jealous," Kaylus muttered, purposefully flexing his muscles as he slipped his tunic over his head.
"Three laps around the castle for all of you. Five for you, Kaylus," Nero boomed, striding toward Amina as he gave the order and leaving the men to groan on his absence as they began to run.
"You tyrant! You didn't even introduce us!" Kaylus protested, digging himself a larger hole.
"Kaylus, leave before he throttles you," Fabian, third in command of the Black Knights, chided. Kaylus brushed him off, quickly jogging up to the women, avoiding Nero's quick reach to grab him before he came near Amina and her maid.
"My lady, it's nice to finally meet you. I am Knight Major Kaylus, second in command of the Black Knights after the slave driver who is currently seething behind me," the man explained, kneeling before Amina and grasping her hand to kiss it before he was quickly snatched off his feet by Nero.
"Ro! He was just being nice. I would like to meet your knights sometime, I've always been curious. It's nice to meet you, Sir Kaylus," Amina said with a small smile, hoping Nero would put the man down unharmed. She had never seen his face so twisted with annoyance. It was actually quite amusing, but she felt she shouldn't giggle and risk the man's life currently hanging in the balance quite literally.
"Trust me, they're not worthy of your presence. A bunch of wild beasts without manners or brains in this case," Nero snapped as Kaylus chortled watching the two.
"Ro, you should really put him down. He must be quite heavy and taxing. No offense, Sir Kaylus," Amina explained. Kaylus burst out laughing, nearly crying as he watched his commander's face. He had never seen the man's stoic facade crack even fighting dragons, orcs, even the god damn demon king, yet this tiny woman has him in her palm.
Nero tossed the cackling Kaylus to the ground, glaring, before grinding out his last command before he killed him, "Kaylus Acheron. Five laps. Now."
Kaylus, sensing the murderous intent, quickly bowed to the women before scurrying off to complete the command before he was thoroughly crushed, albeit without his shirt still.
Nero turned to wrap his arm around Amina's shoulders, leading her toward the training grounds and dismissing Ruby. Nero slid his arm away before tilting her head up to face him so he could examine her, make sure she was alright before continuing. Amina gave him a reassuring smile, feeling his anxiety.
"The doctor reassured me I'm astonishingly in great health."
"I know, she sent me a report before you arrived. But I still worry. Are you sure you're alright after this morning?" He asked, stroking her cheek with his thumb.
"I'm okay. Promise."
"Alright. Let's get started then. Just promise you won't hate me after training." Amina giggled, crossing over her heart and swearing she would never hate him.
However, this man became the devil within a few minutes after the drills, sparring, lifting, and running she endured under his tutelage. Amina was suffering, swearing, sweating, desperate for air. This man was surely going to kill her with these drills. What happened to the lovely training that ended with her kissing and climaxing?
Gods help her, she was enduring a living hell.