Hey guys! Sorry I haven't uploaded in so long. I've been busy. Hope you enjoy this chapter though it's really short.
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Azalea's POV:
Two weeks have passed since King Jonathon departed and for the sake of his kingdom, Christopher showed no weakness and continued his rule over Cardinia. He shed no more tears since the tragic day and changed for the good of his kingdom. He did not fool around, became more responsible and it might just be me, but I felt like he treated me differently. Normally when he saw me alone, he would stop and tease me a little or ruffle my hair, but now, he just smiled and walked on. I felt like a child, disappointed from not having any attention. Is this our relationship now? I thought we would have gotten closer from the bonding of that tragic day, but nothing. I started to feel frustrated and confused and after changing into the appropriate attire, departed for the training grounds and took out my aggravation while no one was there.
I practiced my sword stances and lunges, working up some sweat when I heard footsteps. I quickly turned around; ready to explain myself to whoever was there, but it was only Christopher.
“I didn’t know you knew how to work a sword.” He simply stated.
“There are lots of things you don’t know about me. Here’s another: I’m better at working a bow than a sword.”
“Why don’t we have a small duel?”
I pointed at him then back at my own face.
“You against me?”
“Sure, I’m done with all my work for today; let’s have fun.” He smirked.
He grabbed a sword and took his stance, facing me. I gave him my own little smirk and took my own stance.
He quickly thrust his sword towards me as I parried his attack and as I attempted to strike him, he sidestepped and blocked my attack. We volleyed for a while and I could tell he was skilled. I constantly looked for openings but he didn’t show any yet. He was really good at defense and would barely take the initiative to strike me. I felt the heat of the sun on my face, engendering beads of sweat to roll down my forehead. I knew that this was a sign that this duel was lasting for too long and I had to find some way to counterattack him before my strength stagnated. After our swords collided against each other, I instigated my plan. I quickly knocked the forte of his sword to the right, causing the weight of his sword to lean a little, creating an opening for me. When the opening materialized, I took the chance to completely knock the sword out of his hand, ran up to him so our faces were only about three inches far from each other and held my sword up to his neck.
“Game, set, and match.” I spoke confidently.
I pulled away and picked up his sword. I held the sword out for him and as he accepted it, his hands brushed against mine, making me feel tingly. I threw out the feeling and looked him in the eye.
“I have to admit that you’re good, just not good enough to beat me.”
“Maybe you can give me a training lesson sometime then.” He smiled.
“If you can manage to take some time out of your busy schedule, then I might be able to rearrange something.”
His face darkened and he turned away from me.
“The truth is I came here to tell you something important.”
He took a deep sigh.
“May I know what this ‘important’ message is?”
“I know it’s sudden, but next week is my coronation to become king and since you’re my wife, you have to accept your position as queen of Cardinia during the coronation.”
“It’s not that much of a surprise since the…”
“I’m not finished. Three days before the coronation, we have a foreign visitor coming to the castle.”
“Who might this visitor be?”
“Our visitor is Prince Lysander, your brother.”