THE DESERT ROSE | ONGOING

Rejection

"Why do I have to do these things every day when none of these are related to archery?" she panted shuffling her legs between the ropes Ascian had tied in somewhat of a cross pattern.

Along with practicing with bows and arrows every day, he had been instructing her to do various activities like jumping on the rocks, lifting heavy weights, hopping between the wooden logs, chopping wood, which sometimes exhausted her so much that she thought she wouldn't be able to move properly.

"Well-built muscles and lithe limbs are necessary to become a skilled archer," he repeated like a kid reciting his lessons. After all, he had said the same words every night, answering her questions that recurred with every hardworking session.

"Ah sure, Ascian. You keep on saying that, even though I haven't actually seen it happening in real life," she huffed, ready to fall any moment.

The commander had stopped resisting her addressing him in such a friendly manner for long, and along with it, he had eased much more in her presence, had started smiling much more at her words and relating much more with her problems. She had felt something change in him, the change that made her happy too.

"What are you talking about? You've been improving at an admirable rate," he said with a proud grin.

At his words, she rejoiced more than she should've been. "Really?" As soon as her attention diverted from the ropes, she stumbled down, twisting her ankle in the process.

Ascian jumped up from his place even before a wince of pain could leave her mouth.

"You idiot!" he rushed to her side, helping her to sit somewhere appropriate. He had also started to call her names and scold her a lot more than before.

He crouched down to her level, inspecting her ankle with a deep scowl etched across his face. "Why do you always get hurt, Shahzadi?"

Although he still hadn't agreed to call her by her name.

Inara hissed pressing the red skin around her ankle, "I'm starting to question the same nowadays."

Her injury hadn't even been healed properly since that night and now she gets hurt in the other leg too? What if she wouldn't be able to fake a proper walk this time? She'd definitely get caught.

"What should I do now?"

He must have noticed the panic on her face, for the scowl on his face melted into a soft expression. "Don't worry, I don't think it's that serious. Show it to me."

"What?!" she drew her legs back instantly. "No! You can't touch my legs!"

"Why?" Ascian cocked up an eyebrow, "because I'm a man? Don't you let physicians touch you when you get injured?"

"It's not that," she sighed, "despite the fact I have imperial blood running through my veins, your position is much more respectable and useful to this empire than a useless Shahzadi like me. I feel like it will be an insult to your title if you'd touch my feet."

Touching someone's feet meant accepting defeat in the empire, so, as long as the person wasn't of a lower category, touching their feet was a matter of shame.

Ascian inched just a bit closer, boring his eyes onto hers. "First of all, you're not useless. And second, I don't care about such baseless formalities.

Inara's lips curved into a small, blue smile. Liar... you've always cared about such formalities until now. What is the difference now?

"And..." he continued, "I thought we were past such courtesies,"

She broke out into fits of soft giggles. Where was the stern commander she had known before?

"Alright," she stretched her affected ankle in front of him, allowing him to place it upon his thigh.