"what would we spar in your highness? given the norm, women are not allowed to hold a weapon" ailith spoke monotonously but her eyes sparkled in amusement.
"why don't we race? i believe lady ailith knows how to ride a horse?" the second prince suggested after contemplating for a while.
nickoli relaxed knowing that the second prince and his sister weren't about to exchange blows directly. if it were some physical exercises or horse riding then he was sure ailith would be safe. he had seen her ride a horse before and women are allowed to ride a horse, hence it won't cause unnessasary trouble.
"indeed i know how to ride a horse. so what would the race be and what would it involve?" ailith asked, just to clear the complete race schedule.
"first we have to run a distance on foot, get a token from the fixed point and then take it back to the finishing line where our horses would be waiting for us. we ride them to the obstacle course and present the token to someone at the finishing line" aziel suggested.
"agreed" ailith nodded then turned towards her brother
"would you accept the role of witness and accept the winning token at the finishing line?" ailith asked.
nickoli was the only person who can take up the role at the moment, the lack of the grand duke's presence and his mother not having enough mentality to see ailith and the second prince spar, left only him, ailith and the war general's aide. and him being of the highest rank he was the most qualified judge, hence he had no other choice than to accept it.
......
nickoli and aziel stood near the horse riding course in zosia estate waiting for ailith to show up.
given she can't ride in a dress, she had to change her clothes to something more comfortable.
"master nickoli, you seem worried regarding your sister" aziel grinned as he observed the nobleboy
"ofcourse, lady ailith is my little sister. her well being is my responsibility. if possible i would take her place in this friendly competition at any moment but her pride won't allow it and take it as a great humiliation." nickoli sighed
"lady ailith is different from other females" aziel spoke after a while
"she has an aura of a warrior but also the elegance of a lady. she is like a sheathed sword ready to strike."
nickoli didn't dare roll his eyes, even though he wanted to at the second prince. ailith's aura was more like an endless ocean and void holding secrets unfathomable even to him, and they lived together under the same roof! at first, nickoli had kept his distance from ailith as well, making their sibling relationship quite awkward, it was only thanks to ailith's stubbornness to cook for him daily and have a meal with him that they still talked and cared about each other as siblings.
regretting his past actions nickoli merely nodded and focused on his sister riding her horse towards them.
"she can be more than a warrior if needed, i would not belittle my sister as such, if i were in your place, your highness" nickoli warned before ailith came near, although he did not want his sister having this spar, he also knew ailith. he knew about her skills and her horse, if the second prince looked down on his sister then it would surely be his loss today.
"i apologize for the wait. let us begin the race now" ailith spoke as she dismounted. her knight and butler following her on their own horses just like the prince knight were.
the second prince ignoring nickoli's warning was staring at his sister intently. nickoli wanted to smack the prince out of his daydream but he was sure ailith's win would do that for him.
"then i will take my position at the finishing line, excuse me" nickoli turned to ailith and nodded at her
"all the best, prioritize your safety instead of winning." with the warning nickoli mounted his own horse and took off leaving the two competitors at the starting line.
"what is the token?" aziel asked curiously finally coming out of his daze at seeing ailith in her riding pants and shirt. he had left the task of selecting the token to ailith.
ailith turned to face him and grinned
"why don't his highness find out himself?" ailith took her position followed by aziel.
"very well, I will win" aziel grinned at the competitive nature of lady ailith and turned towards his attendant
"on the count of three, the race shall begin. one.... two..... three!" the attendant counted and the two immediately took off.
aziel was an army general and had lots of stamina and explosive strength. he was sure he could easily win over lady ailith who seemed frail. but the moment they began the race, his thoughts began crumble as lady ailith managed to keep up with him!
her stamina and agility no less than his own. though her strength was slightly lacking, given she was younger and a lady, still it was impressive and eye opening experience for him.
they ran towards the place where the token was placed and picked up the box wrapped in a silk cloth before reverting back to the starting line towards their horses.
they immediately mounted the steads and the horses took off with a neigh, leaving dust in their path.
aziel was a prince, and war general. his horse was train for various scenarios and had the experience but ailith's horse managed to overtake his own in no time, leaving aziel to stare at her back as she completed the obstacle course effortlessly.
at the finishing line, ailith appeared before nickoli and dismounted holding out the wrapped token and watching as the second prince finished the race with a grin.
"i win your highness" ailith spoke raising her head proudly
"what breed is your stead? it is faster than the war horses in the empire" aziel asked, accepting his defeat
"mani is special stead bred and raised to have high agility and manoeuvrability. she is not the weak stead other ladies use for having a casual stroll. also being snow white mani have special place in the social circle." ailith gave mani her horse a solid pat on her neck to which mani neighed delighted at the praise.
aziel laughed. he lost, he the war general actually lost to a lady! how humiliating but still he didn't get angry. he felt a flame ignite in his heart, a competitive flame that would make him pester lady ailith constantly in the future with various tasks.
"lady ailith wins this race, and as such your highness should keep your word and side of the deal" nicholi spoke holding the token.
"i the second prince of kingdom arsenio will keep my side of deal and word. but also what is in the token?" aziel promised as he unwrapped the cloth and opened the box.
they contained baked sweets!
"i baked them myself for my brother, if his highness doesn't mind then you are free to have that box for yourself" ailith grinned as she wrapped her arm around her brother and gave him a sweet smile which Nickoli returned
"my brother has a sweet tooth after all, as a sister I must keep his interest in mind and cook for him"
aziel laughed. at that moment, ailith won him over in the race and the challenge and his respect as a warrior and an elegant lady. no wonder his brother was infatuated with lady ailith, she is the best!
YOU ARE READING
the kiah
Historical Fictiona girl who lost her mother turns herself into a strong soul to fight for her rights from the shadows. being a perfect daughter, a perfect noble lady, a perfect candidate to become the crown princess but her secrets begin to uncover when she rejects...
