CHAPTER 16
The afternoon sun was warm, but the outfit I was wearing was surprisingly cool.
Zendryk and Ulric were waiting by the sparring ring for me and were engrossed in a conversation, so I stood at the edge of the circular patch of dirt, not wanting to interrupt them.
The sparring ring was a large, wide circle with wooden fence poles surrounding it, joined together by ropes that swayed between them.
A servant, one I did not recognize, stood on the opposite side of the ring by a small table set up with fresh jugs of water and towels.
Their conversation was wrapping up, and I heard Ulric say, “She’s here. ”
Zendryk looked my way, momentarily speechless, his jaw slackened as he took me in.
The heat immediately rushed to my face as I matched his gaze.
Everything around us disappeared; it was just us, well, that was until Ulric walked over to Zendryk and slapped him on his back, bringing us both back to the world around us.
“Don’t go easy on her.” He said and walked towards the servant, taking a seat in one of the iron chairs at the table.
The servant automatically poured him a drink and handed it to him.
Zendryk approached me; he was wearing black pants like mine, but not as form-fitting. His shirt was a dark grey tunic with drawstrings laced through rivets near the neck.
“Hello, Sweetheart.” He said when he got close enough to me.
“You’ve really got to stop calling me that. People are going to get the wrong idea.” I readjusted one of the cuffs on my wrist.
“And what’s wrong with that?” Lifting an eyebrow as he asked.
Idiot. I didn’t even respond and walked by, hitting him with my shoulder as I passed.
“So sassy, Sweetheart. You should at least wait until we’re in the ring.”
Ignoring him again, I made my way to the middle of the ring.
“We’re going to start with the basics to build up your strength.” He held his hands up, “I want you to hit me as hard as you can on the palms of my hands.”
I looked up at him, with a smirk and fire in my eyes, as confusion crossed his face, and before he knew what was happening, I swept my leg out low and knocked him on his ass.
Ulric burst out laughing from the water table, as Zendryk sat up, leaning back on his palms. “Is there something you haven’t told me? ”
“I don’t think so?” Blinking rapidly, I answered, putting on a mask of innocence.
He jumped up in one fluid motion, pushing his hands off the ground, and landed on his feet.
“Well then, let’s see what you know, Sweetheart.” He grinned wickedly, and his teasing gaze lingered.
Little did he know that in the village of Vryndhal, we had fighting rings, and all the men and women from my village learned to fight from a young age.
Food was a luxury there, and fighting over it became a form of entertainment.
If you needed to eat, you would do anything to win that fight.
I trained day and night to make sure my mother and I had enough food to survive, and even then, it wasn’t enough.
The more affluent villagers would place bets on us; if we won the fight, they would sometimes toss a coin or two in our direction as thanks.
He had proper battlefield training, no doubt, but me?
I had to fight to survive. Nothing drives you more than having food in your belly and escaping hunger's grip.
He took a step closer, watching my every movement.
“Are you just going to stare at each other all day, or are you going to do something?” Ulric yelled from across the ring.
I took the slight distraction as my cue, motioning like I was going to sweep out his legs again, and as he went to block the move, I spun instead and elbowed him in the stomach.
He let out a loud oof and stumbled back, as Ulric’s laugh roared across the ring. “Careful, Zen, it seems you might have met your match.”
“Enough commentary, Ulric!” He snapped back but didn’t take his eyes off me.
Perfect, he was getting frustrated. I let him make the next move. He ran forward, aiming for my arm, but I quickly sidestepped out of the way. He may be stronger, but I was way faster.
He stared me down with the same smirk on his face. Wait, was he frustrated, or was he enjoying this?
He charged at me again, and I let him think he was knocking me to the ground, but as soon as his arms anchored around my waist, I braced for the impact of the ground below us, and swung one leg up and around his waist, rolling us as we landed on the ground.
I was on top of him, pinning the sides of his chest with my thighs.
“Give up yet?” We were both breathing heavy, as the wind had just been knocked out of us with the maneuver I had just performed.
“Never.” It happened so fast, one moment I was on top of him and the next I was pinned to the ground by his body.
His hands were pinning mine above my head, and I could feel him breathing against my stomach.
His hair, which was much more disheveled than when we started, was hanging over his forehead as he looked down at me, casting shadows across his face.
The heat began to build between my thighs, and I pressed them tighter together, willing it to go away. Fuck Avyn, not now.
“Lesson one, never let your enemy know your strengths.”
I glared up at him. He had both my legs pinned between his, and I was rendered useless.
The only movement I could make was my short, quick breaths against his chest. He held me there for a moment before letting my hands go and pushing off me.
I took a couple of breaths before standing.
He let me knock him down to see what I could do, when he knew full well he could overpower me.
What an asshole. I finished catching my breath and turned towards him to tell him off, but the words flew right out of my brain at the sight of him pulling his tunic over his head.
His tanned body glistened in the afternoon sun, rippling off every curve and muscle.
Words failed me. It really was not fair that someone so annoying was also so annoyingly beautiful.
He took a glass of water from the servant and poured it over his head, running his hand through the wet strands of hair.
Droplets cascaded over his defined muscles, traveling along each curve, following the V-shaped lines that led towards his hips.
I didn’t even notice that Ulric had gotten up and was walking towards me.
“You seem to have dropped something.”
“Huh?” Confused at what he just said.
“Your jaw.” And he walked away.