HER DAUGHTER'S REJECTED MATE
"I buried two sons of the guard this week—men killed by those who listened to Arion's whispers. If I let you go unchallenged, I'll bury twenty more by dawn."
"You always were the Queen's hound," Emeric sneered.
"And you," Xavier said, drawing his blade with a ring of finality, "were my friend."
The swordplay was brief, but brutal—a flurry of trained instinct. Sparks flew as steel clashed, boots skidding over marble. Blood dripped where Emeric's blade nicked Xavier's shoulder, but Xavier's next move was decisive.
A twist. A lunge.
Steel met flesh.
Emeric fell to his knees, eyes wide in shock, breath hitching. "I… would've followed you anywhere, once."
Sikat na Kabanata