The Queen's Court WATTPAD VERSION [Inter-Universal Protectors: Prelude 2]

5

She forgot. 

Leonidas had been standing - no, waiting for her in the ring his father built for him to train in for ten minutes before he spotted Amneris jumping out the window from her rooms. 

He followed her, unsure if it was out of curiosity of why she forgot or because he was mad at her. He watched as she followed a path beside the main road to the outer section of Roma. It was not long before she reached the city limits, wandering outside the city itself. Leonidas dashed after her. 

He was about to grab her shoulder when she spun, the tip of her dagger suddenly under his chin. The look in her eyes reminded him of the one his sword instructor would give when he had done something wrong. With a huff, Amneris braced her hands on her hips, the tip of the dagger sticking out from her hand like a thorn. "Thought you were someone else. Never sneak up on a girl with a dagger."

"Girls are not supposed to have daggers," he countered, giving her a pointed look.

She tossed her hair over her shoulder as she started walking again, Leonidas at her side. "Where I come from, women are allowed to." Amneris flipped the dagger in her hand. "Besides, this was a gift."

"From who?"

"My adoptive father."

Leonidas blinked in surprise. "You do not know who your parents are?"

The woman laughed as she sheathed the dagger. "No, no. Nothing like that." She continued at his questioning glance. "I knew my parents, but certain events led to my being taken in by someone else."

"Certain events?" he asked.

"Certain personal events." She spoke quickly under her breath in that language again, switching back to Latin moments later. "Why do you care, anyway?"

Leonidas cleared his throat nervously, unsure of how to word his next sentence in a way that would not offend the woman. He found that to be an impossible task. Women were easily offended and this one seemed to be very easily annoyed. "I find you . . . interesting," he said. "And possibly attractive." She raised an eyebrow at him. He felt his eyes widen. "Did I say that -"

"Yes. Yes you did."

He started tugging at his tunic. "Well, um, it is true." What is wrong with me? He needed to find a way to change the topic and fast. "Where are you headed?"

"Now, that's a question."

"I mean, where are you going right now?"

"Oh." She seemed disappointed.  "Nowhere important."

They continued walking until she stopped in the middle of a grassy field. There was nothing that could be seen around them aside from a few trees and hills. The outer section of the city was a shadow in the distance. Leonidas had no idea why she had stopped and, as much as he wanted to, decided not to ask. What was the worst thing that could happen?

A second later, his own question was answered. 

The air in front of them . . . The only thing he could compare it to was the tearing of fabric. 

Leonidas drew his sword from under the cloak he was wearing, preparing to defend himself against the unknown. The woman, on the other hand, seemed completely unconcerned. If anything, she looked more concerned at the sight of his blade than at the air tearing in front of them. It made no sense. He pointed at the tear which was only getting bigger in the sky.

She waved a hand in his direction. "It's nothing to worry about. I'm just being checked on."

A scroll tied up with rope came through the tear, bouncing on the ground. Amneris picked it up, unraveling the rope and scroll. She read over it, a small smile appearing on her lips. She raised her hand and metal appeared along side the smallest cup he had seen. He guessed it was filled with ink. The woman wrote on the papyrus, blew on it so the ink would dry, and threw it back into the tear. The air repaired itself.

Leonidas gaped, too surprised to drop his gladius. "I - I thought that -"

"Well," she started, tossing her unbound hair over a shoulder, "That's what you get for fearing the unknown, my dear Roman." She pointed at him as she turned on her heels. "That's your first lesson for the day. Don't fear what you don't know." She muttered something under her breath in that strange language. He figured it was something against what she had just said, but could not be sure. "You coming?" Once again, he found himself running after the strange woman.