Kaia was in the outer ring, sparring with Lynn. The wheat fields that surrounded them created an atmospheric landscape. The hot sun burned into their skin as they moved back and forth through the wheat parrying, blocking and attacking over and over until their breath ran out and their muscles ached. Kaia collapsed in the field and chuckled to herself.
"What?" Lynn asked, leaning on the hilt of her sword.
Kaia raised her arms above her head and sighed deeply, "I'm not sure. I guess I just didn't think being kidnapped and forced to work for another guild as an assassin rather than a bartender would be like this."
Lynn chuckled, "You're more of a glorified guard, Kaia."
Kaia kicked out a leg towards Lynn in protest, causing them both to burst out into laughter.
"Hey! Hey, you guys! Stop squashing my crops!" Kaia stood up so quickly she felt dizzy. A man was running towards them, yelling out.
Kaia was suddenly grabbed by the ar
Rhae stood outside her house in the nobles district, where Aynyra was invited to stay a few days earlier to escape the castle and grieve the loss of her mother. Rhae had been avoiding the house since she had stayed there the first night with Aynyra. On one of those nights, she had gotten intoxicated to the point where she decided to fight Icran. He inevitably won when she fell on her face. Somehow, once again, she had ended up in someone else's bed. That's what was making her so nervous about going into the house and visiting Aynyra—confronting her after days of avoiding her and the fact that she was about to drag Aynyra back to the castle pretending to be someone else. She was already dressed in the Amiran guild uniform, ready to take on her new identity. Rhae took a deep breath and stepped inside the building, listening out for any movement from Aynyra. Rhae heard some dishes rattling in the direction of the kitchen, so she followed the noise, staying s
Aynyra stood in her dressing room, waiting as one of her servants stitched together a dress that fitted her. It was a special occasion, after all. Her father, the King, was convinced to hold a commemoration ball for the late Queen. Who was he convinced by? None other than Rhaenyx Maltalor, who had disguised herself as a member of Amiran guild named Nira, who serves the King as a specialised group of warriors.After Rhaenyx had taken Aynyra into her home, sat with her, comforted her and became what she thought was a friend, Aynyra had been inevitably betrayed and handed over to her father. Now she was stuck in the castle, constantly watched by four castle guards. She couldn't leave her room with direct permission from the King. Even worse, on the day of the ball, she would be forced to marry a man of her father's choosing. Not only was her mother's funeral turned into a celebration, but she was also being forced into marriage, and her older brother would take over her fa
Aynyra sunk her back into her throne, bored as all hell. Without someone to direct her anger to, she felt flat. With Rhae, or "Nira" as she is going by, she feels pretty lonely. She would rather be in her room reading her books or messing with the guards. Except, she was angry with herself for being lonely, and that made her frustrated. She heard her father grumble from beside her, "Aynyra, sit up straight. You're a princess for God's sake." Aynyra sighed and straightened her back and shoulders. She stared into the crystal chandelier hanging from the top of the ballroom dreaming about that night Rhae took her into her home. The night they shared a bed and laughed together. Her brother interrupted her thoughts again by this time, who cleared his throat loud enough for her to hear. She looked forward and found a man bowing to her, expectantly. She stood up out of her throne and quickly curtsied before sitting down again. The man standing before her awkwardly smiled before turning away
Icran was watching Rhaenyx through their link. He had been trying to push past her defences so he could see through her eyes. Icran sat at his desk for hours while Rhae was at the ball, listening to her thoughts and emotions. Suddenly, he was whisked away into her vision, watching Princess Aynyra storm out of the room. He felt a tug in his chest before turning to the King. He saw and handled everything from Rhae, all in real-time. The bond appeared to be firm but not strong enough as Icran still couldn't break down Rhae's walls. He felt her immediate emotions before they quickly disappeared within her. He watched closely as the King fell under her spell, falling onto one knee before proposing Rhae. Icran felt disgust wash over Rhae quickly and suddenly, replaced by a solemn feeling and her walls rising higher and higher. Icran wondered about the Princess. He could feel a tug in Rhae's mind that tried to call her out those large doors. If Rhae was falling for the Prince
Rhaenyx felt a stirring in her stomach for the second time that night. The first time was when Aynyra stormed out of the ballroom after slicing the cheek of someone who dared touch the Princess. That reaction was to be expected. What Rhae didn't expect, was to see Aynyra storming into her chambers with that same knife, still stained with the blood of the man from the ball. Aynyra was dripping with disdain as she muttered, "Hello, Nira." Rhae sat up and slowly raised her hands, "please don't try anything Aynyra. I don't want to hurt you." Rhae tried to be as calm as possible, slowing her breathing to avoid feeling any type of fear towards the situation. She really, really didn't want to hurt Aynyra. Aynyra took one small step at a time, her entire body was shaking with rage so much that she thought she could lose control of her body and fall at any second. She gripped the knife so tight that her knuckles were white and she could no longer feel the
Weeks flew by, Icran made no further moves to connect the link between Rhae and himself. Rhae and Aynyra never spoke or looked at each other, even at the King's breakfasts, the wedding planning, or at the royal dinners in the evening. Aynyra thought it was Rhae trying to shut her out. Even though it hurt her, she knew it was the right thing to do. However, Rhae barely even noticed the princess, so overcome with her grief. Though Kaia and herself had hardly seen each other of late, their bond was strong. They had been friends since they were young, both raised inside the guild. Although they took different professions, they both enjoyed a drink together after their jobs were done. Rhae felt incredibly guilty. She hadn't even thought about trying to visit her friend. Her life had been overwhelming as of late, filled with many changes. That shouldn't have stopped her from visiting her lifelong friend or even checking to see if she was ok.Rhae felt guilty. She was so overc
Aynyra awoke in Rhaenyx's bed. Rhae was snoring softly, her body still and relaxed. Aynyra watched as Rhae's chest slowly moved up and down, with no tension in her face. Aynyra looked to the ceiling, before sighing softly. Somehow, she felt pity in the depths of her subconscious. It's what caused her to stay the night. She had no knowledge of why she was so comfortable with the murderer lying beside her. That murderer was now her mother. When she made that realisation, Aynyra sat up and slipped out of bed, hurrying to the bookcase where she had left the potions book the night before. She hurried out of the room, softly opening the door, without realising that Rhae's chest had stopped rising and falling.~*~*~Rhae slowly opened her eyes, catching a glimpse of Aynyra softly scurrying out of the room holding the book. She sat up, taking a deep breath, before sliding off her bed and touching her feet down on the cold tiles. The icy floors tickled the bottoms of her feet as she walked fro
Rhae was still sitting in the chair, she could barely move. Her muscles were tensed, her adrenaline pumping, but her motivation was lacking. Icran's control over her was much stronger than she thought; no matter how hard she fought to keep her walls up, he could break them down instantly. With this new revelation, she knew that she had to break their bond before she could avenge Kaia. That was impossible. Which meant she would have to kill Aynyra and the rest of her family, including her brother, Prince Valor, who was due to return from his voyage outside the walls any day now. Hopefully, he died out there so that Rhae wouldn't be forced to do it herself. If Rhae went after the Akihyra fruit and survived, she would have to kill Aynyra. If she stayed here, then she would die, a useless death without avenging Kaia. It was a lose-lose. If she survived this encounter, she would follow through with her plan, altering the steps slightly. She hadn't meant to stab Icran tonight, she only w