It is already mid-morning when we arrive at the Kingdom of Duran. There are a couple of ships on the dock, most are as big as ours, and some are even bigger. Even on the deck, I can already hear the noise and activity of the people below us. From where I am standing, I can see some of the Kingdom’s landscape. The first area, close to the harbor points, are the establishments, close to the port. Behind those are the residential area and as I look beyond, I notice that the number of houses start to decrease, with some houses far from each other. The castle of Duran, on the other hand, is visible as it rises among the houses, miles away from where we are. Then I feel Theo grab my waist and pulls me closer to him. I am about turn my face to him when he kisses the side of my neck. I jerk at the touch and pull back from him. “Let me—” I start, but his arms only tighten around me and he sniffs my hair. I slap his face which confounds him. I use the opportunity to retreat a couple of ste
As we approach the town plaza, the music and raucous laughter are getting louder and louder. The smell of food is also in the air. It’s cooler now, but it is still warm, that a kilometer of walk makes me all sweaty, including my palm that is still tightly held by Theo. He gives me a beverage bought from a vendor with black hair, black eyes but a fair complexion. Then he buys a very irregular-shaped fried potato with spicy sauce at the top. It is also very delicious. Then he pulls me into another booth selling skewered meat that smells like lamb or chicken. It’s cooked over braziers of charcoal. It’s become very hot, that I removed my coat. I am covered with sweat and he grins at the way I look, probably wet and disheveled in the afternoon heat. So, he pulls me into a shaded area, my hand in his left hand, and his right hand holding the skewered meat. He sits on the bench and pulls me with him. “Are you not hot?” I ask, wiping the sweat off my shoulders. “I am,” he answers, then re
It’s already late in the afternoon when crowds gather around the challenge area. Theo stands close to me as if he is the guard instead of the other way around. Ami and the rest are standing a meter from us, probably because they are conscious to have the King standing so close to them. “Now, we are witnessing a new challenger! A female warrior from the Pitchford Kingdom who is stopping over for restocking their supplies!” “Who said that to them?” I whisper to Theo. “Probably someone from the harbor.” “Won’t they know your identity?” I ask. “Their focus is on you, so I am hoping they won’t find out about me.” I nod and shift my attention to the announcer. He looks thrilled and excited. The crowd is also getting thicker which means he will earn a couple from me. There’s no problem with that though, as long as I will earn from this and Ami and I can play around tonight. “Now, Miss Kaiya, if you will come forward so we can start already?” I step towards him, and he turns me around
“Should we really do that?” Ami asks as we run away from Theo and the others. We’d like to play and explore on our own. “You do realize that he is a King?” she adds. “I don’t forget that,” I say, especially when our difference in the status becomes a main sore point in our relationship. “So you know that he can force you to do something, especially when you are a citizen of his country?” I pause and Ami peers at my face. I smile sadly at her and say, “I don’t think he can hurt me more than I’ve been hurt already.” “Oh,” she says and keeps quiet. Then, we buy more snacks and even play some games and activities along the street. When we are drenched with sweat, we buy some Duran clothes and go inside a public bath to wash ourselves before making our way to the Ladies’ club that she is referring to. I am just glad that she didn’t ask more about me and Theo. Once inside the club, I note a couple of tables and chairs. Most of them give a bit of privacy. On our right, I see a hallway.
The surprise place that Klevon is talking about is way past the Town Plaza and on the other side of where the Mountain Challenge is done. After an hour of walking, we finally reach it. It is a four floors building that looks like a castle because of its width. In front of us is a name that says, 'Duran National Library.' “Did you like it?” Klevon asks. I turn towards him and say, “I kinda expected it though.” “If you like it,” he taps his cheeks and says, “Where’s my kiss? It’s a nice surprise, right?” I wince. Instead of doing what he suggested, I slap his cheeks and say, “I also said back then… that it’s only for one time. And besides…” I look around. Everything is quiet–except for Silvino and Ami who are whispering to each other. The library’s doors and windows are also locked. “It’s already their closing hours.” “Insignificant things, such as operating times, never hindered me.” Then, he activates his wind magic and lifts me. “I don’t like what you are planning,” I say and
Klevon and I separate in front of the restaurant inn. It is the same place where I promise Theo to meet him once I return during the night. As expected, the young woman is present and is sweeping the floor when I enter. She makes a small squeal of delight and approaches. “King Theo is on the second floor. Room 8,” she whispers, then hands me a key. “Please reconcile with him. He seems conflicted.” I nod and go to the mentioned room. There is a magic barrier surrounding the room which makes me curious about who is the owner of the inn and who put up the barrier. It even looks safer and more sturdy than the one in Pitchford. Whoever did this, maybe I can learn a thing or two from him if ever I return? Then, I insert the key into the keyhole. I feel the magic shimmers and then an entrance opens on the barrier. It’s surprising. If I don’t know about wind magic, I won’t be able to sense these things. Inside, Theo is on the right side of the bed which is at the center of the room. He is
He is about to agree when suddenly, he rams against me and envelops me in his warmth. He tightly squeezes me and I can’t breathe. He takes uneven breaths and sniffs. When I feel that he is trembling, I realize he is crying. After a few minutes, he lets me go. He is looking down with his hands tightly clutching my shoulders. “How can you easily let me go, Kaiya?” he whispers. “Is this how little I matter to you, even with the mate bond?” “You are about to agree to it. You are the one who—” He presses his lips against me and then lets go after a few seconds. Then he touches his forehead on my shoulders. “I don’t want to let you go, but the way you push me away, I can’t take it anymore…” He stands up from the bed and looks down at me. “From now on, you will be a regular warrior. You will remain to be my personal guard and I will use your life as I see fit. But our relationship will be nothing but that of a protector and the protected–as a warrior and her King.” He pauses for a while
It takes over a week before we see the shore of Orttenburg. It means that finally, I can go up the deck to help the other wind magicians. Theo, Klevon, and most of the people are on the deck as well. It will just take an hour or so before we’ll be successfully anchored to the Orttenburg port. For the past few days, all I did is stay beside Theo. I manage his needs—food, clothes, cleaning up—and once, he even asks me to rub his back while taking a bath. Rather than a personal guard, I feel I am becoming his personal maid instead. Thankfully though, as he promised, he didn’t touch me. He didn’t make any move to pursue me. At least, my heart can relax for a while. “Nice dress,” Elroy praises as he looks me over. “I need to stay beside the King while meeting the Orttenburg royalty.” “Good luck then. I heard the Orttenburg siblings are very prim and proper,” Nadif adds. Then Ami whispers, “The eldest son is rumored to be very handsome. And he is someone as accomplished as King Theo.”