Alexan PoV
I gave a long sigh of frustration that bordered upon becoming an irate groan. I swung my sword in random strokes through the air, trying to rage out my annoyance. It's been a hard fight, and I wasn't winning as much as I would like. It wasn't perfect, it wasn't as one-sided as I was used to it being. Then again, I was versing Fredrik. We were rather evenly matched. But the bouts we've been having recently were no longer the friendly, playful games. He's been fighting me as if he wanted to seriously injure me. Or kill me.
His green eyes were flared with an unfamiliar burning emotion, his mouth was set tightly and his broad figure was taunt like a wild beast readied to hunt its prey. Sweat glistened half as much upon his bared chest than it did on mine. I was much more breathless and fought to brush off the ache of bruising that was forming under my skin. I'll be black and blue tomorrow, if not tonight. As he circled around me, I gave him a dark glare. I shook my head in bewilderment when he wasn't looking. What was wrong with him?
I barely had enough time to gather my thoughts before he fired down a string of rapid blows, I almost stumbled under the hard strikes of steel. He smashed the hilt of his sword across my jaw in a brutal hit that crashed me to stone floor. I spat the pooling blood from my mouth. My head spun, and my eyes wavered, I tried to shake the unsettling feeling off.
"Alex!" A familiar booming voice echoed upon the air, everyone in the courtyard silenced in fear. I tried to focus my gaze upon my sire. On such a sunny, warm day he was unusually dressed casually. Wearing loose fitted tunic and pantaloons in trivially earthly colours that blended well to his golden embellishments of trinkets and his blinding crown. I stumbled in an unbalanced attempt to rise from the ground. I jerked in startlement as I felt gently, but very firm, hands clasped around my arms, pulling me up. The vision of my bride-to-be's furrowed face blurred into my line of vision. Somehow her soft touch massaged my head back into clarity. "Alex!" My father said again. He stormed up to me, I felt withered when my white-haired helper moved from me. "What did I just see?" He demanded.
I lowered my gaze to my booted feet. He's disappointed with me, of course he was. "Fredrik fights like a God today." I explained in a slur. I heard a scoff of disagreement from my betrothed. All three of us turned to glance at her amused features. It might have been the fresh blood rushing to my head but right now, I thought she was the most stunning creature on this planet.
Her long, pale hair hung loose, tiny braids decorated throughout that crinkled mane. Her eyes were a dark shade of blue, almost the black she was named from. They were darkened with black kohl smudge around her eyes. Her ears were glittered with gold, and a tiny ring was in the pierced hole of her nose. Her arms were bare as she wore a brownish crocodile skin bodice that laced at the back and reached her waist. Her cotton, brown skirt began a short distance from where her bodice ended, leaving a slight slither of skin bared to haunt me. A wide belt fastened the waist of her skirt; it was decorated with a traditional looking emblem as a buckle. Even though her skirts hid her feet I knew she wore boots. She muttered something under her breath, and glanced over at Fredrik. He watched like a ramped bull. If he was such a beast, I was sure the evidence of his enchantment with her would show as boldly as any breeding stud.
I walked carefully up to her, nodding in acknowledgement. Her amusement dampened but she greeted me in a soft murmur nonetheless. I noted that she looked rather mildly displeased at my appearance. I lowered my gaze, feeling like I was just a weak sapling. How humiliating to be so down played in front of her. In front of Father. I didn't even want to glance to catch his expression. "I had you a ring made. I'll give it to you on the day perhaps. I put thought into it, so I hope you find in agreeable." I pushed myself to say.
At this she smiled, it was small and a little saddened. "I'm sure I'll like it, my liege." She began pulling her hair back, separating in in sections before strategically braiding each part. Tugging it all in one direction down her back in a decorative crump. Everyone just watched her, it was like her every move was the most impressive, fascinating spectacle ever imagined. "Can I hold your sword for a moment, prince?"
I blinked in surprise, "Of course." I obliged, passing the firm steel into her hands. She cocked a brow as she weighed it; I smirked at her attempts to wave it effortlessly through the air without it pulling her down on its downfall. "Keep working at it like that, and I'll soon have no doubt you'll find in as light as a feather one day to come." She was strong. Her footing and stance was excellent, she moved with confidence and educated precision. It was meticulousness in swordsmanship. Aye, she'll give me good warriors to call my offspring. It made me proud to know that I'll soon be linked to her. She'll be mine, more securely than she already was.
"Alex!" My Father yelled again, shattering me out of my enchantment with the tiny Viking. I looked at him wearily, he looked rightfully displeased. I gestured to Onyxia to keep my sword for the moment; I walked up to my father careful to keep my eyes down. "About time! I've had enough disobedience from you. Do you know what I've heard this morning?" I shook my head, I didn't know, I've been here most of the morning. He huffed in displeasure. "Hmm, so you choose to lie to me after all." I frowned, not understanding. I opened my mouth to state my confession but this angered him. "Don't speak!"
In the corner of my eye I saw my betrothed shift uncomfortably. I grinded my teeth, clenching my jaw. If Father chose to punish me for something he obviously took at disobedience in some way, I was entirely sure that she would refuse to stay. I had met her father once before, before he even came here to force her hand. And I dreaded him as much now as I did then. I couldn't imagine the harm the brute must have done to her. I knew well enough that a woman should be someone you should never harm in anger. Blast me for a hypocrite, but I'd done that exact thing when she cut me in our fight. That's how I won. I had a lot to prove to her because of my foolishness. "Father-"
"I said, don't speak!" He yelled. By instinct, I dropped to my knees. Kneeling on the floor with my head down and one arm raised before me as a gesture to plead for forgiveness from him. He swatted it away. I scanned the cracks in the stones below me in panic. "You're as weak as your brother! Weaker!" I flinched, he continued. "I am woken this morning to such a bewilderment; your uncle, flustered and furied, outside my room. Demanding my presence to the fact that you have done him a grave insult. That you, my usurper, have been trying to corrupt your little cousin." I looked up, sharply, at that. What? That boorish, bloody bastard! I'll have him gutted. I've done no such thing; I've only been trying to protect Shyama from falling into his bruising clutches. "Poor little Shyama. You should know better than that." I clenched my jaw harder. "And then I met your betrothed on my walk, telling of you fighting in the courtyard. As I come, I come to find you losing to your cousin. No doubt whatever fight was started was your fault."
To my shock, Onyx stepped forward to interrupt my Father, I stared at her wide-eyed. "That's not what I said." She snapped, "I was telling my handmaidens that we should go to the training yard to see if your son was training, so that I may speak to him of such things as training." Her tone made it clear that my father was earsdropping upon her conversation rather than being invited into a friendly chat. The huddle of brown-gowned girls standing at the peak of the stairs hummed with acknowledgement to their mistress's words. "Why on earth would I want to stop a match?" She asked, clearly perplexed.
The spectators that circled us murmured in a hubbub of controversy. I watched as my father's face reddened. I only had a seconds notice before I had time to react to his fist crashing into my jaw. My teeth slicing my cheek inside. "For the insult given to your uncle and for the insult of having an unruly son, I shall punish you before allowing your uncle to do so himself!" I looked behind his billowing form to note my slimy relative smirking at me behind my mother's gold-embroidered blue skirts. I barely heard my betrothed mutter something out to her girls in harsh native tongue causing them to come over. My father fisted a hand in my hair to hold my face up, pinning me in place as he swung a ring of hard, thorough blows. I fought to hold his gaze; blood filled my mouth and leaked from my nose. I took it in silence, not willing to argue that such insult to my uncle never happened. That he was still mad that he had to apologise for his treatment of Onyxia. Speaking about my bride-to-be, she looked uncompromising with contempt. When my father was done with me he pulled me forward so I feel headlong to the ground, baring my back. I spat a puddle of my own blood from my mouth to the stone in front of me, watching at my nose dripped rapidly. My ears pumped with the sounds of arguing. I glanced up, dizzily, to see Onyx now in a heated argument with her maidens. Everyone was observing them too, with unconcealed interest. Don't do anything stupid, I begged her in my mind.
My uncle's footsteps came into my vision. My hands fisted on the ground. He dangled a leather strap in front of me; it was wide and knotted at the end. I took a disgusting, deep breath, preparing to embrace the pain to come. It came quickly. He purposefully lashed me as hard as he could. I pressed my forehead rigid into the floor to fight against screaming. It wouldn't cut me, but it'll bruise me harshly. He was careful to pause between each whip to prolong the anticipation to the next hit. They kept coming for what seemed a hellish eternity. But they stopped in a sudden halt. I felt cool hands pressed tenderly on my back.
"You strike me and I'll have you gilded for your indecency!" Her tone was sharper than a knife; it held the authority of a trueborn queen. "What have the insults I've suffered? I think I deserve some compensation for the insult I've suffered at the hands of such a boorish fiend." She gently tugged me up, passing me into softer hands that I recognized as my sister. I looked back at my future wife long enough to see that she stripped off her layer of clothing to reveal the battle outfit she had snakingly worn underneath. Her breasts were tightly bound in fitted hold of securely fastened leather. The black leather matched the breeches she wore; they were semi-fitted to her body. Much like the ones I've seen shieldmaidens wear into battle to prevent obstruction of movement. They covered her from the waist down to her knee length boots. I knew now why she braided her hair, so it didn't fall in front of her face if she was to fight. She glared down her nose at my uncle, "What kind of kingdom have I come to that a monarch is free to be slighted by a commoner?" She turned to my father, "King Haraldur, does this alliance between your household and mine mean nothing to you?" Before my father answered, she looked at me, "Go, my liege. Before you soak the stones further." She sounded so gentle in contrast to her previous severity.
My sister firmly held my waist as she dragged me up the stairway to a small tunnel to be seated. I wanted to refuse, but I could still see the yard from here. I just couldn't hear what they were saying. Whatever it was, it was heated and it was one-side. Father wasn't a fool, he wouldn't risk this truce between King Lucifer and himself by upsetting his daughter when she was technically in the right.
"It was good of her to do that." I glanced around to see my sister's teary face. Her maroon gown flooded around her as she dabbed at my cuts with a cloth I recognized as my shirt. Emery looked so forlorn I wanted to kick her.
"It was nothing. To be punished, I mean." I said with forced casualness. "Her sire is a violent man, I doubt that she was doing anything more than putting a stop to a distressing sight."
Em rolled her eyes, "You're a fool." She muttered. "Do you think she'd take of her clothes in front of those people and challenge Uncle to a bout for no reason to stop the punishment of a man she doesn't really like, who stole her from her home and will someday soon force her to have sex with him just to stop a 'distressing display'?" She scoffed, "You'll be an even bigger simpleton." She caressed my hair, "She fought for you. For your pride. She'll be married to you, and you'll be her husband. Alex, she has to defend you. That's in her laws, her morals. It's what her kind would see as right." She gave a soft smile, "She's going to yours, little brother, but you're going to have to accept that you're going to be hers in return."
I ridiculed, "Don't pester me with gibberish!" There was a loud roar behind us, I looked back to see my fiancé crossing swords with Fredrik. I paused Emery's attempts to mend me with an irritated flick of my hand. I gave a chuckle, stopping at the pain it caused. Whatever clouded my cousin's mood was clearly evaporated, he was trying to fight as carefully as he could against her quite serious and lethal blows. He wasn't allowed to hurt her, she knew it, but that didn't stop her from wanted to injure him to prove herself a skilled warrior. It was a stunning sight, every move, every parry, every slash of her sword; was the most beautiful sight I've ever beheld.
I flinched as Emery placed a cold hand upon my aching back, gently feeling for internal damages. "You two will be a good match, Alexan." She alleged, conversationally. "She's much like you; stubborn and strong minded. I think you like her just for the fact that she fights. And fights well, I have to say." I smiled, yes, she did. Extremely well. "You be nice to her. I mean it." I turned back to meet her hard gaze. "You- Don't....push." I frowned as an unfamiliar troubled look took over her beautiful features. "I don't care if you don't love each other. I don't care if you don't care about being loyal or if this marriage means anything more than politics to you, you take that girl to bed. And you take her to bed as if you love every breath she takes." The teary look in her eyes made me wonder if I hadn't paid enough attention to her late husband to miss something I shouldn't have. "What happens in bed will mean something to her. Don't forget that. Please."
Before I could say anything or ask questions, she had walked off. I sat quietly for a moment, thinking about what she had said. But surely, if you didn't feel anything but lust, and I hope I can achieve that much with the troublemaker, it would be just sex. Wouldn't it? It's not that I would mind if I have to be gentle and if I have to go slow, I will. But if she doesn't say anything, I'll take her however I want to. She's mine to have. Or, rather, will be.
I looked up as someone cleared their throat, said troublemaker had apparently finished her game. One of her maids were lacing up the back of her garment closed, while she wrapped her skirt around her to tie it together again and buckle her belt once more. She looked as she did when I first saw her today. She pulled her hair loose once more and gave a dismissing look to her followers. She looked at me side on, studying me. Bloodied and bruised, I must be quite a sight. "He doesn't fight as well as you." She spoke calmly, quietly.
I blinked in surprise, "No, I suppose he doesn't. But, we must have similar skill, being trained and raised the same way." She walked carefully to me, gazing at me for a moment before kneeling in front of me. "He was likely to let you win." I analysed her features, "He didn't hurt you?"
She shook her head with a shrug, "He couldn't hurt me even if he put any effort into it." I smiled, she sounded so smug. "He doesn't fight like you do. There's no one that fights like you do." For a punishing moment, we just stared at each other. The unwilling praise in her voice creating an unfamiliar roil. Her eyes were fascinating. From all I heard, I was told they were black thusly why she had her name. But they weren't. They changed colour, from different tones of blue, yet that swirl of black still remained. Right now, they were bright with adrenaline. The blue was vivid. Her moistened lips parted on something like a sigh. I bit my own in thought of having her rounded lower lip between my teeth. She lowered her gaze at the motion. "Don't look at me like that." She retorted.
I sighed and looked down at my hands. "Why?" I inquired, "I'm pretty sure I'm going to look at you in all sorts of ways in the days to come." At this she made an irritated sound. "What? Did you forget that we are to be married soon? That I'm going to have in that bed, that I hear you complain so much about, on your back. How do you want me to look at you then?"
"I wouldn't want you to." She snapped between her teeth. "I wouldn't want you to look at me. I don't want kindness from you." She spat out the word like it was poison. "I only help you today because I highly doubt that you had done anything to your uncle." I met her eyes once more, the dark rims around her iris were as opened as widows to her thoughts. "If you think that I'm too stupid to notice, then I'll be marring a damned fool."
"I'm not a fool. I'm not an idiot. I'm not a simpleton." I said, firmly. "I've had enough insults for one day. I'm not going to take anymore from you." Onyxia looked vaguely unimpressed, "Don't pick on people bigger than you. Princess."
She narrowed her eyes, leaning in closer to my face. I tried not to smile, for reasons that were beyond me. "Call me that again, and I'll punch you so hard in your manhood that I'll make you impotent."
I sighed and smiled at her, gauging her annoyance. "I'll bed you just the same." I whispered, "Just as hard and just as often."
She grasped my jaw, pushing her fingers tightly into my face. Causing me to make a growl of pain. She immediately let go. I muttered out an apology, rubbing my jaw gingerly. She rolled her eyes, "You look terrible."
I threw her a flat look, "Thank you." I said sarcastically, "I hadn't noticed my bleeding."
"He's going to try and kill you one day, krigare." The seriousness of her tone caught my attention. She avoided my scrutiny, and distracted herself to aiding in stopping my nose from bleeding. She touch the bridge carefully, "It's not broken." She assured me, softly. "It would bleed a lot more and be agonizing to touch."
I took her chin between my fingers, forcing her to look at me. "I wonder, skjöldur mær..." Onyx tightened her lips to her title, her nose crinkling is dislike ever so slightly. "I wonder, would you care if I did get killed?"
She pursed her lips for a moment, "I wouldn't have anyone if you did." She answered, honestly. "I'd be stuck here with your mother and your family, and your stupid people. No one would let me go home."
I nodded, gently sliding my hand to cup the back of her head. "I won't leave you on your own. You have my word on that." I promised, "Plus, I too will be taken with you, if someone tried to kill me I'm sure you'll rescue me." She gave a tiny smirk, pulling away from my touch. "No, come here." My tone implacable, but she obeyed the order. Sitting on my outstretched legs. "No, skjöldur mær, when I die. I wish to die as my grandfather did." I smiled, "He sleep soundly, too gone from drinking the night before. He drove a cart of screaming people off a cliff. You see, he had tied everyone's horses together and so they all fell when he did. He never woke up during the whole thing. Peaceful until his skull crushed the earth." I laughed at her shocked expression. "He was a bit gone in the head, but we always had fun with him on his visits. My grandmother passed away shortly afterwards. They loved each other dearly you see, she couldn't live without him so she just...withered away, I guess." I furrowed my brow in thought. "Such is life, and it shall always be thus."
I patted her knee, "Come on, get up." She shuffled off me, "You can walk me to my room, I don't think I could walk straight just yet." I stood. As I stared down at her to give her a hand to get up my mind froze. She was still knelt on the floor, looking up at me. It was so bloody appealing that it scrambled my mind for a second to think of her like this naked and waiting to service me. I hardened at the thought. As if reading my thoughts, a deadly mischief darkened her eyes. The witch trailed her tongue over her top lip with tortuous leisure. Running her hands up my legs as she rose. "Minx" I scolded as she stood.
She wrapped an arm tightly around my waist and pulled me into a walk. I took her help gladly. I wanted to go to my room to bathe and recuperate. It's been a demanding day, it's probably best to stay in my room for the rest of it. "Does he do that a lot?"
I didn't pretend to misunderstand. "He's a great man, my father." I defended, "I mean, sure, he was a gruelling disciplinarian. He used to drag me down to the kitchens, so my mother wouldn't know, and belt the shit out of me. But I was a menace, I was always up to disruption and chaos." I smiled gently at her expression. "He hated that I was those type of suffer in silence people. I wouldn't make a sound. He'd get so angry."
"Aye," She answered, "They always hate that." For an instant, it hung in the air what her childhood must have been like. I could imagine her as a youngling. A tiny, little girl. Under the fist of a monster. As we neared the hall that lead us to my room, I had finally gathered the wits to ask her about it. But the subject topic came charging down towards us.
To my immediate shock, she moved in front of me. Right into his path. She stood completely still, he pulled back a hand as if he was to strike her. I stumbled to stop him, noticing my presence his fist paused mid swing. He gave a growl and shoved past his daughter.
I noticed to things in that moment; One, that if Lucifer ever assaulted her in my presence, I'd kill him. Two; is that she didn't even flinch. She didn't move to block a blow or do anything to show that she was scared. She just stood there, unafraid, ready to take the blow. It was monstrous. It was the bravest thing I've ever seen. I was more scared than her, I was terrified. That was past fear. That was past recognition of regularity. She knew what to expect and now she just didn't care if it came. He could lose his temper one day and kill one of his children in his rage. Today his anger was my doing. He was angry at her for defending me. But he was too scared of what might happen if he did hurt her in front of me. My father wasn't the only one to need the alliance our union will bring.
Without saying a word, she opened the door to my room. Not going in, she just nodded to me in departure and walked off. It was when she reached the corner did I note that her twin brother was there to greet her, an understandable look of concern vivid on his face. He hugged her as they reached each other, glancing over her shoulder to throw a look at me. I nodded, I'd keep her safe. For them. For her.
As I fell on my bed to lie gingerly on my back, I made a promise that I will give her the ring tomorrow, so her father could know that he couldn't touch her. That she was now mine. Not his. I stripped down and burrowed under my covers, attempting to lull myself to sleep. My mind raced with thoughts, it took me a while to realise that there was someone else in the room with me. I looked up to find my mistress standing in the corner, wearing a sheer-fabric blue gown. The same colour my mother wore today. She smiled knowingly and slipped the gown off her shoulders. Right now, I couldn't be less interested. She took my remaining cockstand as reward for her appearance but I was still hard imagining that it was Onyx's lips I imagined around my member.