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CHAPTER EIGHT (A)
*I think I love him. I love Archer. How ludicrous is that. But when he kissed me, I felt like the world had stood still and it was just us breathing in that heartbeat. I felt like my body would melt in his embrace. He held me so close I could hear his heart beating.
The funny thing is my mother will not believe me if I expressed these feelings to her. She’s so used to me having a sword in my hand, dressed in armor and so focused on the fight to believe that I suddenly turned romantic. Randi will definitely make fun of me. I will never hear the end of it.But then there is Xander, as soon as they come for the wedding I will have to tell him that I can’t marry him, that I am marrying Archer. It’s going to be hard for him but this is how things are supposed to be. This is how I want it to be.There is no turning back.Adalia*She had only been away from Archer for the night, but she felt this yearning to be close to him. Although Adalia had toBab terkait
BRED FOR DUTY CHAPTER EIGHT (B)
He rose to his feet when she returned a few minutes later. Her eyes searched the room for Xander. The guilt still burning fresh in her chest. Archer shook his head, his way of telling her that Xander wasn’t with them. Distraught she went beside him and took his hand. She was too busy feeling guilty to realize their mother’s giggling and pointing at the both of them.“So when is the covenant taking place?” Liora asked.“Maybe, a week from now,” Adalia answered. Her mind and her lips were in two different places. She was trying to figure out where Xander could have gone to and at the same time she was trying to keep up with the conversation.She sat in silence with the ladies as the men left for the throne room. They were busy admiring Novia’s dress. Adalia snuck out at the first chance she got. She expected Xander to be with the other soldiers. She found Conan at the palace doors, his rock expression not accommodating.&ld
BRED FOR DUTY CHAPTER EIGHT (C)
Archer took the threat as it was served, cold and loaded. He sat in a pocket of silence as he tried to figure out a way to get rid of Xander without hurting Adalia. But that wasn’t going to be easy.The next morning he was woken up by the noises of people running around, and silver platters dropping on the floor with loud clangs. He didn’t need reminding which day it was; Novia did her best not to let anyone forget. He could hear his sister singing from her room three doors down, and every part of him wanted the day to be done. Although at the end of it, Novia would have to leave for the South with Randi. He was going to lose his sister but he had Adalia to keep him company.Archer got dressed into his ceremonial suit, complete with his sword and his crown. He made his way to his sister’s room, where he found his mother hovering over her. Novia caught sight of her brother in the mirror; she stood up and twirled her white, beaded ball dress around for him
BRED FOR DUTY CHAPTER NINE
“Yes, your highness,” Xander bowed and growled through clenched teeth. He winked at Adalia before turning around and walking away.He met one of his men on his way out to the carriage. He needed everything to go smoothly, if possible perfectly. He tightened his grip around the hilt of his sword as he replayed the romantic moment between Adalia and Archer in his head. It wasn’t fair but he had a plan to correct everything that had happened.“Is everything ready?” He asked.“Just as you had requested,” the soldier fell back into line.Xander couldn’t help but think back to the point where everything had to change:-“Princess?”Xander could remember when he was just fifteen years old. He had escorted his father to the palace. His father, Crone, was Gabrielle’s right hand man; that was before he died and Conan came along. Adalia had a wooden sword in her hand, and she was fighting an immobile
BRED FOR DUTY CHAPTER NINE (B)
“You don’t have to worry about that, I don’t need protecting. I can take care of myself,” Xander’s eyes mocked with laughter. He had seen her fighting skills years before and hoped they had improved. Because even though they had finally pushed the rebels back the enemy lines, the Princess still needed protecting. “If you don’t mind-,”“Don’t mind what Princess?” Xander smiled bashfully at her.“You are holding up the line. I would like to get the meet and greet done before I turn ninety.”Xander couldn’t believe she had dismissed him like that. He stood at a corner in the room and watched how she interacted with the other men at the party. She was just as dismissive with them as she was with him, if not more. Xander was glad that he wasn’t the only recipient of her icy cold demeanor. It was obvious she didn’t want to be there. Even more obvious when she snuck out of the par
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“Don’t do that,” Archer was slowly getting irritated by Adalia’s guilty expression each time they crossed paths with Xander. It made him feel like she didn’t think what they were doing was right. However, to him it felt perfect.“Do what?” She squeezed back tears.“I don’t like it when you make that expression,” he pressed his palms against her cheeks. “Like what we are doing is wrong?”She pulled his hands down. “What we are doing isn’t wrong. But what I did was. I shouldn’t have told him I would marry him without being sure first.”“Are you sure now?”“Yes,” she kissed into both his palms.He felt a whoosh of tense air exhale from his lungs. “It’s going to be fine.”***Once they were far enough from the North Kingdom, Xander turned his horse and geared it towards the forest. He was going to hide and watch
BRED FOR DUTY CHAPTER TEN (B)
Adalia’s heart broke when he kissed her. She felt his fear, his doubt and also his will to stay alive. Her fingers smoothed over her lips. She wanted to say I love you back but he hadn’t given a chance to. She watched as he fought and knew that she had to do her part. She had to find his sister and her brother.“Your highness.”She heard someone say behind her. They were waiting for instructions. She had always wanted to be a warrior in her father’s army. But now as they stood in the thick of things, stepping into pools of blood and over lifeless bodies, she suddenly realized her idea of war wasn’t as poetic.“We are going into the forest. Find the prince and princess,” she barked out and led them.Adalia bit down on her trembling jaw. She couldn’t show fear, not to her men. She held her sword in front of her as she tiptoed around the leafy forest. But when she heard the sound of a branch break underneath some
BRED FOR DUTY CHAPTER ELEVEN
He felt his body being pulled, but he didn’t know where to. He felt like he was in a daze and not completely in touch with his body. Archer opened his eyes and the sudden bright light was blinding, but all he could see were green leaves.His eyes weren’t doing him that much good, so Archer relied on his ears. He couldn’t hear any voice that he recognized. But what made him even more scared was that he couldn’t hear Adalia’s voice. The last thing he heard was her begging him to breathe and at the time he couldn’t. But now he seemed to be able to. He didn’t understand. Was he dead?It would explain the bright lights, the leafy green trees around him. But this couldn’t be heaven, his heaven was with Adalia. Archer tried to sit up but a hand forced him down. He saw something like a cloth cover his face. He tried to fight against it, but the darkness claimed him once more.***Adalia stood at her bedroom window. She hadn
BRED FOR DUTY CHAPTER ELEVEN (B)
Kicking, he had woken up from his insistent nightmare. He was back at the field fighting for him life. But the dream didn’t end with him being stabbed but Adalia. The dream always ended the same way, with him standing over Adalia’s withering body helpless. His heart was pounding as he shook and drowned in sweat. The dark terror of the dream writhed in his belly. Archer felt a dull ache in his side, followed by a sharp pain. His body was still weak but at least he could feel something. He lifted his body up on his elbows and looked around the room. There was nothing inside that hut that he recognized. Nothing in there looked like a place he would frequent. It looked like a poor man’s home. His bed was made out of straw and the ground was of pure dirt. He could smell everything from there, the dirt the different scents of flowers and food. A low grumble from his stomach affirmed it, he could smell food.He tried to sit up but the pain in his side was too m
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