Chapter 23

Days pass and it's a few days of princess Arcadia's coronation, from now one she would formally be called Queen Arcadia after the special day, and as usual there would always be schemers who want to take the kingdom from her.
'Pull your form up boy!" Xerxes throws a stone at the young lad and it hits him in the torso, he winces but he still holds up his position, balancing rocks on his arm and being made to stand on a foot,
'You don't have to throw stones at me!" He bites back, his black hair was already sticking to his forehead due to the sweat,
'I would throw more than stones so straighten up!!" He barks and the boy is made to readjust himself according to what his master wants from him, 'now that's better. If you want to be the Queen's best man then you must be prepared for anything and everything, nothing must happen to her while you're still alive." He feels the daggers in his heart, how he wished he would've saved Octavia that day.
But she willingly gave herself for him. He had never seen a more noble woman in his entire life.
'Master I'm ready for….." She trails off as she sees Asher balancing rocks on his slender frame, and he was shirtless too, 'oh….I see you're busy with him….i would just come back later then." She couldn't stop staring at him, he was so beautiful. And to be frank, he liked her eyes on his body.
Hopefully her hands would be around them too.
'You can join him if you please," her father taunts her and she goes tones deeper,
'Father please! Let us not start an argument, I really don't have the strength to argue with you." She pouts before walking away to come back in her training attire, 'so what shall I do today?" She bows to respect her teacher,
'Drop." He orders Asher and he immediately drops all the rocks to heaves a sigh of relief, he bends his back to receive popping sounds,
'I don't know how you survived him for 18 years, I have to say you're phenomenal," he gets on her sweet side with the praises, 'it hasn't even been 8 days and I'm already tired of him." He scowls at his new Master before wiping the sweat of his body; he was tempting the Queen.
'Well you're the one who wanted to become my daughter's best man, so if you want to be that then you have to work hard for it and stop complaining!" He turns to his daughter, 'anyway," he had a proud smirk on, 'am I still regarded as master even to the Queen?"
'A master's position never changes even though a student's can, I still have a lot to learn from you, and probably I can learn from Ash." The nickname makes him smirk a bit.
'I want you two to spar, let me see who would win," he was a master at bringing two people together. Knowing Arcadia, she would want to prove her dominance over him and Asher would want to give it his all.
She draws her fans from her essence, 'very well, I hope you're ready, I am rather fast." She tips him and he strides to pick his Sabre,
'Let's see how fast you can be." He taunts and he gets into a stance, Xerxes loved the way they taunted each other and he wished he had some snacks with him as this battle was about to get interesting.
He charges for her and she quickly evades his body by swerving to the side, she tries to slash him with her blade but he is quick to block it, they circle round each other, staring at each other, gaze unbending before they jump to give themselves space,
'You're fast alright," a smirk tugs at his lips and his flattery is getting the best of her, he throws his blade against hers and she holds it in place, 'are you as strong as they say you are?" He pushes his weight on her and this is bringing her to her knees, she grits her teeth before imposing her strength on him.
'Don't know yet." With a growl she pushes him off her and she throws one of her blades at him, he deflects it with his sword and it comes back to her. She aims a kick at his torso and it connects, he skids backwards holding his side,
'That hurts princess." He makes fun of her and she is flustered, Xerxes enjoyed their fight in silence, they reminded him a lot of when he met Octavia for the first time.
She always made it his pain and her pleasure to show that she was better than him in all aspects, they had a bet; and she was to pin him down for 10 seconds but she was never able to as he was young and resilient.
And the prize? Let's say he was opportune to pin her down.
He laughs as Arcadia is thrown away by his masculine strength, it made her appear so light the way she was thrown,
'Okay that's enough!!" He commands them to stop before anyone got hurt because his daughter was coming at his new student with a new wave of determination, 'you both are good but I think I have to agree with myself that you still need work. You can be training together if you do not mind each other's company."
They stare at him before looking at each other,
'Very well." The chorus and he finds it funny, so he laughs,
'Fantastic, you should go change your clothes, and meet me by the morrow. Arcadia I wish to speak to you about something important. It's best you know now." She nods as he turned serious at the last statement. He bows and so do they before he leaves them alone.
'You fight quite well princess." He turns to her, his silver eyes flashing mischief,
'And so do you, you're not bad at all." She pays him the compliment till she sees a few cuts here and there, 'I must've hurt you during our spar, come, let me help you treat them."
'It's really not an—" he is dragged by the unnatural strength she possessed, she always used it at the wrong time. Maybe she didn't even know how to use it.
She sits him down forcefully and gets a wet cloth and a bowl of water, she dabs it on his body and he hisses from time to time at the touch of the wet cloth,
'Gently," he pleads with her and she takes it easy on his body, his eyes have the chance to wander around her, he had never seen anyone so beautiful and deadly at the same time,
'Is it better now?" She squeezes the stained cloth in the water, 'do I need to apply ointment?" She is getting lost in his orbs, he draws her closer to him by surprise and she gasps slightly,
'Stay with me instead, I think that is enough to heal every wound." His eyes glitter and her lips part slightly to say something but no words come out of her vocal cords, she finally finds her voice,
'What are you doing Asher? What are you asking of me?" Her orbs are shaky with disbelief,
'I love you princess."