Chapter 2
ìlú-?ba – The Capital City First Ring, Kingdom of Oru
L’?R?
L’?r? had seen ten first suns when she first walked into Command’s arena.
It had taken many blood moons for Command to agree to train her, and even then, only in secret under cover of night.
Being the daughter of an exiled man, L’?r? shared in his penance – serving time for a crime he’d committed long before she was born.
A crime she’d have committed herself if she’d been in his position.
So while L’?r? loved her father, she hated the name she was forced to carry like a target on her back.
Winning Ogun and joining the royal guard was her only way out.
Upon seeing Command’s figure emerge from the darkness, L’?r? fell to her knees, awaiting her commander’s next words.
‘You disgrace me,’ Command said finally, walking out slowly from behind the pillar.
Alawani prostrated low before her and stepped back. No doubt still very confused about everything but knowing better than to get in between her and Command when the woman was this angry.
L’?r? rose to her feet. ‘I’m sorry, Command, but –’
‘I don’t know what excuse you can give to justify this,’ Command said in a cool even tone that scared L’?r? more than when the woman shouted.
‘You bring thugs to my arena, and you still can’t win a fight against drunkards?
Have I been wasting my time? Is this how you think you’ll win when you get called for Ogun?
You think this is what royal guards are made of? ’
‘Command, I was outnumbered,’ L’?r? said softly.
‘I trained you to defeat two dozen men,’ Command shouted, then glared at Alawani. ‘He won’t always be there to save you.’
L’?r? lowered her gaze, knowing that nothing she could say would help. Command was right. That should’ve been an easy fight.
Command took a step closer, and L’?r? flinched. She stilled then sighed, raising L’?r?’s burnt arm to observe. ‘Turn around. Let me look at you. Are you hurt?’
L’?r? shook her head, knowing that with Command, anything short of bleeding out her guts was not hurt enough to mention.
Command pulled out a small container and rubbed a sticky substance over the burn on her arm.
L’?r? felt the ache dull immediately and let out a deep breath. ‘Thank you.’ She smiled, hoping the woman would return the sentiment, but Command only sighed again, brushing L’?r?’s hair with her fingers as if checking that the roots were still in place.
‘You should never allow your opponent to get close enough to touch you,’ Command said, pulling out blades from beneath her cloak.
‘And for the sake of all that burns, don’t ever run out of blades in a fight.
’ The woman tossed half a dozen blades of different sizes and lengths to L’?r? – two of which she’d pulled out of her greying hair. ‘Wear this.’
L’?r? picked them up and hid them along the belt strapped to her thighs and in her hair.
‘You have nothing to prove to anyone outside these walls. If you want to prove you’re not a coward, do it here during Ogun; do it beneath the sun where even the gods won’t be able to change your name from Victor,’ Command said, her face still stern but her voice a soft whisper.
L’?r? felt a lump form in her throat, and she had to swallow hard to keep from bursting into tears.
In the absence of her mother, Command, in her own very unusual way, had kept L’?r? safe and given her refuge within these walls, even when doing so meant risking her life.
L’?r? blinked the tears away. The only thing worse than losing that fight, worse than even disappointing her commander, would be crying in the arena.
Only blood and sweat were acceptable in the pit of death – never tears.
Command leaned in closer to her. ‘If I didn’t think you could do this, I wouldn’t be wasting my time training you or risking the wrath of the Regent by doing so. I told your father I could make a warrior out of you. Don’t make me a liar.
‘You,’ Command said, pointing to Alawani. ‘My arena is not your playground. You’re paying for this damage.’
‘Yes, Command,’ Alawani said standing to attention.
Command glared at him, then said, ‘If you have to pull the earth apart to win a fight with street thugs then you’re not worthy of being in this space.’
Alawani gave a firm nod, his eyes fixed on the ground.
‘Have I taught you both nothing?’
As L’?r? moved to speak, Command raised her hand, silencing her. ‘Go home, L’?r?. Tomorrow I intend to see the warrior I’ve trained, not this silly dance you did today.’ And with that, Command slid into the shadows.
L’?r? slumped to the ground and buried her face in her hands. She wasn’t ready. Alawani sat beside her on the warm sandy ground and placed his arm over her shoulders, drawing her close.
‘She loves you, you know?’ he said softly, tilting his head in the direction Command had disappeared in.
L’?r? nodded slowly. ‘I know. I just – I just want to be better. Stronger. She’s right, I should’ve won that fight without you.’
‘Tell me what happened.’
‘You saw what happened.’
‘No, tell me from the beginning, Tèmi.’
That name was like a trigger, making her heart skip a beat and filling her with a mixture of emotions. Only he called her that. Tèmi – my own. Her gaze roamed the arena, avoiding his eyes. ‘One of them said it.’
‘Said what?’
She allowed her eyes to rest on him until he understood.
‘You’re the bravest person I know.’ The words left a smile on his face, and she wanted to believe him. But he only said so because he didn’t know her secret. She was a coward. She just didn’t like hearing it.
She shoved his shoulder. ‘Yeah, yeah, I’ve heard. Thanks for helping anyway.’
Alawani laughed so loud his voice echoed through the arena.
‘Why are you laughing?’ L’?r? said, frowning.
‘This is exactly how we met.’
L’?r? looked around the empty arena and the dwindling torches and smiled. ‘I think you’re right.’
‘I am,’ Alawani said, still laughing. ‘You’d just finished training with Command. I was on my way home and heard someone screaming, and you were in here with two boys twice your size fighting like a tiny little soldier.’
‘And winning too,’ L’?r? said, the corner of her lips lifted in a smile.
‘Is that what you call winning? You’re lucky I was here.’
‘I guess,’ L’?r? said. ‘Why did you help though? I mean, it’s not every day the Prince of Oru gets into street fights.’
‘Isn’t it?’ Alawani said, his brows raised.
L’?r? smiled. ‘You know what I mean.’
Alawani shrugged. ‘It wasn’t a fair fight.’ He rose off the ground and stretched his hand to her, ‘And no one deserves to carry the weight of their parent’s crimes.’
‘I guess,’ she said again, taking his hand.
They were both branded by the actions of their parents, and while Alawani would never talk about his father’s reign, he knew exactly how she felt.
The only difference was that his name protected him from being randomly attacked on the streets while she spent every day trying to survive the hostile place she called home.
‘You didn’t have to move all the way from the sixth ring just for me though,’ L’?r? added.
‘I’d have done anything to get away from the Lord General,’ Alawani said. ‘I’m just glad Command allowed me to join in on this secret little thing you both have going on here.’
‘Thanks anyway,’ L’?r? said with a smile. ‘For showing up … and sticking around.’
‘Always,’ he said, his breath visible in the chilly air. ‘You know that.’
She noticed the single bead of sweat that trailed from his neatly carved hairline past his bushy eyebrows to his prominent cheekbones.
‘What?’ He chuckled after a moment of silence. ‘Is there something on my face?’
Only then did she realize she’d been staring at him, watching the sweat bead get lost in his trimmed dark beard. His smile widened, and she saw a glimpse of the dimple on his left cheek. She blinked to pull her mind back to the present.
She shook her head gently, her braids swaying softly.
His eyes crinkled at the edges, and the corners of his lips turned upwards. She loved – no, not loved: liked. She liked his smile. She was staring again. This time, she noticed the full shape of his lips, the soft pink shades that coloured where his lips parted, the –
‘Ouch!’ she cried out, rubbing her arm where he’d playfully punched her.
His charming smile broadened, and a deep laugh erupted from him. His brown eyes sparkled, and she almost got lost in them again.
She turned her smile into a deep frown and moved closer to him, her hands tensed in tight fists.
As expected, his voice deepened with concern, thinking she was upset – perfect.
He carefully reached for her face, and she punched him in the stomach, laughing hysterically.
He bent over, half-laughing and choking.
‘Too slow!’ she said, catching her breath.
When he didn’t stop coughing, she bent low to lift his face, and he lunged at her. He wrapped his hands firmly around her waist and lifted her off the ground.
‘Say sorry!’ he said, grunting under her weight as she wiggled her legs in the air, struggling to get free.
‘Never!’ she laughed.
‘Then you’re never getting down!’
‘I will bite you!’
‘You can try!’
They roared with laughter as she squirmed around in his arms, trying to pry them open. The more she moved, the tighter his grip was. His brawny arms were locked tight, and she could feel his muscles flex as she rubbed against them, trying to get free.
But they were just friends. The best of friends. She always had to remind herself of this every time she caught her thoughts wandering too far. Recently, she’d needed the reminder more often than not. Maybe five or six times a day, but who was counting?
Finally, Alawani dropped her slowly. Her body pressed against his as he eased her feet to the ground.
The moonlight shone above them like a spotlight, dimming everything around them, and for a moment, his face was the only thing she saw.
Her chest moved with his as they both strained for air.
The feel of the ground beneath her snapped her back, and she pulled out of his embrace, pursing her lips together and looking anywhere but at him.
When she dared to glance at him, his eyes shot away from hers, and he cleared his throat.
Her cheeks flushed, and she could feel her heart race much faster than she could breathe.
She looked away again. ‘I’ve got to get home,’ she said, heading for the stairs.
Every step away from him hurt more than every blow she’d endured tonight.
She wanted to stay, to get lost in his arms, in his eyes, under the dark of night.
With him, she was safe. With him, she wasn’t L’?r? the coward’s daughter or L’?r? the exiled one.
But if she tried to break that unspoken rule between them and he didn’t feel the same way, she’d never recover from it.
She just wouldn’t. She glanced back to see him climbing up the stairs after her.
She broke into a run, removing herself from him and the thoughts that lingered, hoping that by the time he caught up with her, she’d have recovered from whatever spell he’d cast on her.
They were nothing more than friends. That was already more than she could have hoped for.