Sessa groaned loudly wondering where the never ending headache he was feeling was coming from. He felt a soft warm form against his arm, he laid motionless at the contact and turned slowly.
Beside him was Nimo, the morning sun seeped through the slightly opened window, its rays radiated on her face attractively. Sessa couldn't help but gaze at her. His headache disappeared magically.
Nimo chose that moment to open her eyes, their eyes met and they stared at each other like molded statues. Sessa got himself first and gave a loud forced cough, Nimo jerked from the bed.
"Your Highness."
Sessa cleared his throat. "What happened yesterday?"
"Um...we drank together and you fell asleep, I decided to bring you back to your room but I didn't imagine I would fall asleep too."
He sighed. "Alright."
"I'll dismiss myself then."
He watched her as she left his room. He held a hand to his face, his headache was back as if it realise that its anti-pill was gone.
Nimo shut her door and leaned against it. How could she have slept off in his room? That should never happen again.
Few days past and the relationship between Sessa and Nimo was as awkward as the waddle of a duck. They barely spoke, they hardly met each other's eyes, and they kept a strictly polite distance between themselves.
Sessa sat down in his favourite palour reading a book but for the first time reading didn't bring comfort to him. He stood up and paced restlessly. He walked out of his room.
He went to Nimo's abode and was about to knock on her door, but before he could do so it bust open revealing the face of Nimo.
They both stared at each other not knowing how to react.
Nimo broke the silence. "Your Highness, do you need my presence?"
"Yes, I need you."
She blinked. "What...?"
"I need you to escort me for a walk."
"Oh...yes. Of course, that is my duty."
At the word duty, Sessa was disappointed but totally ignorant of why he was disappointed.
The afternoon sun made up its mind to smile mildly upon the pitiful souls of the land who were completely at its mercy. Sessa and Nimo walked side by side, Sessa had a rare smile on his face like the one he had that night when he was slightly drunk.
"You seem happy." Nimo stated unable to hold her tongue.
"Yes, I don't get to walk on the streets everyday."
"What changed your mind today?"
"Follow your heart." They exchanged a glance and then a smile. They moved aimlessly for a while, Sessa stopped and watched as a mother bought her young son sweets from a sweetshop. His heart tightened in envy, Nimo caught him looking at them.
After the mother and son moved away, she went to the shop.
"Hello mister." She referred to the shopowner.
"Miss, welcome." The man smiled eagerly, today had been really favourable towards him.
"Give me some sweets."
She exchanged a few silver for the sweets.
She held her hands behind her back as she approached Sessa.
"Sessa."
He turned and his face relaxed. "There you are, I was wondering where you went to."
"Here." She stretched her right hand forward and produced the sweets she had bought earlier.
He looked down on her hands and then her face.
"What...?"
"I saw you watching the child like you were going to kidnap his sweets. Take it." Sessa chuckled and he felt his heart grow warm. He took the sweets, unwrapped one and put it into his mouth, Nimo looked at him expectantly.
Sessa felt a burst of sweet flavour in his mouth, he smiled in wonder. "Mm...very sweet."
"I know, right? That's my favourite flavour."
"Here." He handed her one of the sweets. Together they ate their sweets quietly.
Unexpectedly, a large stack of bricks fell from a high storey building beside Nimo intending to land on her. Nimo sensed something, she pulled Sessa by his wrist away and immediately the bricks hit the ground. It shattered into pieces, some pieces found its way to Nimo's wrist leaving a little injury.
She took no note of the wound but Sessa noticed immediately. He lifted her wrist a tiny steam of red flowed like tears and dropped on the floor.
"You are injured."
She looked at her hand. "Oh it's nothing."
"Let go home and take a look at it."
•°•
"Your Highness." Belio bowed.
"How was it?" The first prince, Tif Tressor inquired. He sat by an opened window playing chess with himself.
"I did a background check on the woman with the Crown Prince. She is the only lady who served under the army, Nimo Selburn, the daughter of the Grand Duke. His Majesty appointed her to guard the Crown Prince."
"Hmm. Did you test out her skills?" Tif was quite impressed with the woman.
"Just now I laid a little accident for her, she has very good ears and reflex. Some of our spies in the army says her internal aura is beyound that of a mere mortal."
"Such talent, its a pity she is by my brother's side."
"Yes, as long as she is around no harm could come to him I'm afraid."
"Do what you must, a woman would not keep me from getting what belongs to me."
"Yes Your Highness."
Belio left and Tif Tressor picked up a grape from the fruit bowl on the table and put it in his mouth, it was his rightful place to take the throne. Anyone who stands in his way will be crushed like the grape between his teeth.
"Sessa it's just a minor injury. Trust me I've had worst." Assured Nimo.
"I know." He lifted the medical box on the bookshelf at the farther corner of his room. He applied the medicine on the wound and tied a white piece of cloth around it.
"There." He rose up and put the box back in place.
"Thank you."
"I wonder if that was a coincidence."
"It could be...but if it isn't, then the person involved intended no harm at that moment."
"Then why would...?"
They glanced at each other.
"To test my abilities."
Nimo stood in her courtyard with Windcut in her right hand, she swung the sword forward in the air. She spinned in an elegant, trained manner as she practiced her sword. She made a curve in the air with Windcut, the wind hissed as the sword cut through it.
Cut through anything, even the wind. That was why the sword was named Windcut. Unnoticeable beads of sweat located themselves at Nimo's forehead.
Within a short time, the sun obeyed the orders of the heavens and made way for the grand entrance of the moon. Night broke out and Nimo picked to stop.
A loud unexpected clap interrupted the whistling of the cricket.
Nimo turned...