I lunged forward, swiping my blade through the air. He parried it with ease, the clash of metal ringing out. A jolt ran through my arms at the strength of his blow and I stumbled away with a gasp.
I dove at him again with a yell, but every swing I made hit the edge of his sword. He never slashed back, just parried over and over, holding me off with so much ease that it made me furious.
My blows grew more vicious as I tried to get past his guard. But he never faltered, seeming to know my moves before I thought of them myself.
Dammit!
He soon had me driven back into a corner of the room, sweat sliding down my brow and my cheeks reddened with frustration.
He lowered his sword with a smirk. “Do you surrender?”
“I surrender,” I sighed, shoving my way past him.
“You're a skilled fighter,” he called after me.
“Not good enough,” I snapped, slamming my sword back into the rack on the wall. I marched behind the screen, tearing my clothes off with a huff of fury.
I'd trained my whole life, why wasn't I better than this? Why hadn't I gotten past his defence even once?
“Rapunzel,” Cassian's voice sounded just beyond the screen, sending a tremor through to my core. I could see his shadow falling beyond it, the proximity of him suddenly making my heart stumble as I stood there in my underwear. If he just moved two feet to the left...
“What?” I hissed, dragging on my pants.
“You need to control your temper,” he said and my anger grew even sharper.
“I have a right to be angry,” I insisted, picking up my top and scrunching it in my fist.
“There's no point in getting angry, you're an adept fighter. Why are you so upset?”
“Because I'm not good enough!” I shouted, the words ringing around the room. And I knew they meant more than that. They cut into my soul. Not good enough to rule your country. Because you're female. Gah!
Cassian fell quiet a moment and I pressed my lips together, trying to force back the ball of emotion pushing at my throat.
“You just need to train more.”
I sensed him only a few inches away behind the screen and found myself drifting closer to it and resting my forehead to the wood.
“It's not enough,” I whispered. “I'll never be strong enough to beat you.”
“That's not true,” Cassian growled, his tone full of conviction. “You need more training. There is only so much you can teach yourself. And you forget, I have been moulded into one of the strongest warriors in Osaria for years. Any mistake I made was instantly rectified. You don't want to be trained that way, trust me.”
I thought of the scars on his back and shook my head in horror, my heart screwing up into a tight ball. “They whipped you.”
Cassian didn't answer for several, painfully long seconds. “Yes.”
“I didn't know,” I breathed as if that made it any better. Of course it didn't. How could I rule a whole country if I couldn't even see what was happening to the people who were trained within my own palace walls? The men who diligently protected me, day in, day out, shadowing my every move. Their lives were dedicated to safe-guarding mine. And how were they repaid? With beatings?
Cassian remained silent and I pulled on my shirt, heading out from behind the screen to look him in the face. His jaw was set and his eyes endlessly dark as if the memories of the whippings were close. How could they ever go away? I couldn't imagine the pain he'd been through. And for what? To end up in a dungeon for seeing my face? It was so wrong. Even if he had escaped, that didn't take away the fact that he had been going to die because of such a pathetic rule. After all he'd given to the kingdom, to me...
I reached out, my movements unsteady as I brushed my fingers over the back of his hand. I wasn't sure what I wanted. Or what I was trying to achieve. He didn't move, watching me closely as I tried to take his hand.
He pulled it from my grip, moving a step backwards.
“I'm sorry,” I whispered. “For all of it. If I do become the Empress, I'll stop the beatings in the Royal Guard.”
My eyes drifted across his face, taking in the strong angle of his jaw, the light stubble that clung to his cheeks and the way his eyes seemed to burn in that moment like an undying fire.
He bowed his head and the sight of those eyes were stolen from me. “Thank you.”
“No...thank you for watching over me and my father all these years.”
He lifted his head again, his mouth skewed in a smile that made my belly lift in the strangest way.
He glanced toward the clock on the wall. “I should get back before Aladdin wakes.”
“Yes...maybe it's best we keep this a secret for now,” I said, twisting my fingers together. Aladdin didn't strike me as the jealous type, but perhaps the less people who knew about this the better.
“As you wish,” he said, stepping toward the secret passage.
I took a steadying breath before moving after him.
The mention of Aladdin's name had been a sharp reminder. I had to dine with the final suitors today. Him and Kahn. And after what Aladdin had revealed about himself last night, I was slightly concerned about my prospects. But a thief from the streets becoming Emperor did seem like the best screw you to Gothel I ever could have dreamed up.
I followed Rapunzel’s hand maid, Jacinda through the palace and out into the grounds as she led me towards the private lunch with the Princess.
The fine cream suit Kyra had conjured for me was stifling in the summer heat and I found myself wishing I’d asked her for something simpler, thinner, more breathable.
I unhooked a few more buttons, knowing Cassian would be disgusted with me but unable to summon one shit to give about that. Although as I thought about it, I wondered if he would. He hadn’t made any comments on my appearance in over a day now so maybe he’d finally given up, or better still; realised that I was right all along.
Every time I upped my pace to walk beside Jacinda, she managed to move faster, seeming to think it was improper to interact with me on our journey.
I smirked as I closed in on her again and she was practically forced to run to stay ahead of me. Colour was building in her cheeks as she raced on and I couldn’t help but rise to the challenge of flustering her further.
“I’ve been thinking about my wedding night,” I said as I finally slowed down.
Jacinda had drawn ahead of me and she stumbled as the sound of my voice made her realise she’d left me behind.
“Sorry, sire, I didn’t mean to walk on so far,” she said, bowing her head in apology.
I ignored her and carried on with my game. “I was wondering if you think the Princess would like me to dress up or bring anything with me to liven things up?”
“Liven things up?” she squeaked, her eyes rounding as she glanced at me then quickly looked away again. “I don’t know what you mean.”
“Yeah, you know like riding whips or hot candle wax or manacles-”
“Manacles?” Jacinda breathed. “Why on earth would she want you to bring-”
“Well that’s why I’m asking you,” I pressed, smirking to myself as she squirmed. “You’re her best friend right? You must know what she gets off on. We don’t want her to be disappointed.”
“Disappointed? I’m sure she’d never say such a thing about you, sire, and I’d surely never repeat-”
“Well no of course she wouldn’t be disappointed with me,” I said in the most arrogant tone I could manage which was actually one I knew pretty well from over use. “I mean, have you looked at me? Have you seen what I look like naked?”
“No! Of course I haven’t. I would never-”
“Come on, we both know you took a peek in the bathhouse.” I winked at her as her skin flamed and she stammered denials at me.
We rounded a corner into a secluded space which was cut off from the rest of the gardens by two high walls and a trellis which was covered in vines full of huge, yellow blossoms.
; Rapunzel was standing at the back of the space, sipping on a glass of wine as she waited for us and she looked around in surprise as Jacinda failed to announce my arrival.
“Hello, wife,” I said, dipping into a low bow which I knew pleased her despite the fact she’d never say it. I was only supposed to bow so low to the Emperor himself and she knew that by offering her the same courtesy I was only reminding her of the promise I’d made to leave Osaria’s power firmly in her hands.
Her lips twitched but she didn’t deign to respond, clearly still pissed with me over the lies I’d told.
“Whatever’s the matter, Jacinda?” Rapunzel asked as her maid continued to blush.
“She was just telling me how much she enjoyed seeing me in the bathhouse, weren’t you love?” I teased.
“No mistress! You know I would never-”
“Never? Are you saying I’m not attractive enough for you?” I asked, feigning outrage.
“What? No! I... you’re a suitor for My Lady, you’re far above someone of my stature! You're more than attractive enough for me - too attractive for me!”
“So you did look?” I asked, pointing at her in accusation.
The silence stretched and Rapunzel stared between us, her eyes glimmering with amusement despite the fact that she obviously wanted to hold on to her irritation with me.
“Well... only for a moment!” she admitted, looking like it caused her physical pain to do so. “I know I shouldn’t have but you’re so... and it was right there and I, I, I just-”
I barked a laugh and Rapunzel took pity on her. “It’s okay, Jacinda, Count Nazari is just teasing you. They have a strange sense of humour in Carubai.” She said the word in a way that let me know she was mocking me. She knew exactly where I was from now and I guessed she was realising that my sense of humour came from the streets not some foreign land.
Jacinda took in my amusement and sagged a little with relief, though her cheeks still flamed. “Oh,” she breathed, seemingly unable to think of any further response.
“You can leave us now,” Rapunzel urged.
Jacinda hesitated, glancing between the two of us like she wasn’t sure if she should.
“But surely I should stay to chaperone you?” she asked.
“Do you think I might ravish her in the rose bushes?” I asked, giving Rapunzel a grin that told her I just might.
“My guards are on the other side of this wall,” Rapunzel reminded her maid. “Any ravishing would be quickly overheard and stopped.”
“Well I can be pretty quiet in my advances if that’s what you require?” I asked, moving towards her.
Rapunzel raised an eyebrow irritably. “I can assure you there will be no ravishing of any description.”
“Ouch,” I said, placing a hand on my heart like she’d wounded me.
One of the aforementioned guards cleared his throat from somewhere beyond the wall just to reassure me that he could hear all of this.
Oh but I do love a challenge.
A wrought iron table sat in the centre of the little courtyard and I pulled out a chair for the Princess just like a proper noble would.
She smiled at me indulgently as she dropped into it, giving me a look that said she knew exactly what I was now and could see all the ways in which my act failed. I shrugged my shoulder nonchalantly, unable to say much on the subject with our audience listening in.
Rapunzel turned back to her maid, shooing Jacinda away as she continued to lurk. The maid finally did as she was told and scurried away as I dropped into the chair opposite Rapunzel, leaning back so that I could enjoy the feeling of the sun on my face.
Before we could say anything else to each other, three servants arrived carrying the first course. They busied themselves laying bowls and cutlery on the table between us and I watched them with mild interest as they set about the well practiced routine.
What a way to earn a living. One of those silver spoons could probably pay their wages for a month. Why not just take enough to live off of for a few years and run?
“I hope you like tomato soup,” Rapunzel commented lightly.
“I’m not fussy about what I eat so long as it fills my belly,” I assured her as the servants withdrew.
I picked up my spoon, turning it over in my hand as I resisted the urge to pocket it.
Another servant refilled Rapunzel’s wine glass before turning away and opening a new bottle for me despite the fact that the first wasn’t empty yet. He kept his eyes lowered as he filled my glass to the brim and I reached for it as soon as he was done.
“To marrying the man of your dreams,” I said, holding my glass out to Rapunzel.
“To ruling my own kingdom,” she countered with a smirk before touching her glass to mine.
I held her eye as I brought my drink to my lips before emptying the contents in one swallow. Amusement danced in her eyes at my lack of propriety but I was pretty sure she liked the fact that I wasn’t proper.
The drink hit my stomach and I stilled as a clawing pain raked through my gut. I rocked upright, pressing a hand to my chest as a burning sensation began to flood my veins.
“Aladdin?” Rapunzel breathed, noticing something was wrong. “Are you alright?”
I gripped the edge of the table as I felt the poison trickling further into my body but just as the agony grew fierce enough to elicit a grunt of pain from me, a new sensation began to chase it away. It was like a sliver of ice, seeking out the fire on hungry feet. Kyra’s magic built in me, growing stronger with each second, as it hunted and destroyed every drop of poison.
“Oh dear, are you quite well, Count Nazari?” Gothel asked in alarm as she swept into the hidden garden, her eyes sparkling with knowledge. She’d come here to see me suffer the effects of her tainted wine. She wanted to look into my eyes as I lay dying and make sure I knew exactly who had been responsible.
I slipped from my chair, dropping to my knees before her as I clutched at my heart.
“It hurts,” I breathed, staring up into the eyes of a monster as she fought to keep the smile from her face.
“What’s wrong?” Rapunzel cried, standing so quickly that her chair fell over.
The Princess’s guards swept around the corner at the hint of something amiss. They fell in around her, staring down at me as I knelt on the floor before all of them.
“It’s my heart,” I whispered. “It aches... for my love.” I turned my eyes to Rapunzel and threw her a wink.
“What?” Gothel demanded in shock.
“You scared me half to death!” Rapunzel cried, shooing her guards away again as she released a breath of laughter.
“There’s only one cure,” I persisted, pulling myself upright and using the table for support. I almost knocked into Gothel and she was forced to step back. “I need a kiss,” I begged, drawing closer to the Princess.
Rapunzel laughed. “You’ll have to work harder than that for one,” she announced, righting her chair and dropping back into it.
I sighed in disappointment before scooping up the poisoned bottle of wine which the servant had left in an ice bucket beside my food.
I turned to Gothel with a wide smile as I lifted it to my lips, drinking deeply straight from the neck as I looked her right in the eye.
Her lips parted, betraying her surprise as I dared her to say anything about what she’d just tried to do. She opted for outraged silence and I dropped back into my seat as I finished the bottle without so much as another flicker of pain. I owed Kyra big time for that particular wish and I’d be making sure she knew just how much I was indebted to her now.
“This is supposed to be a private meal,” Rapunzel said icily as Gothel continued to linger.
“Of course,” the Queen said airily. “I only came to offer my congratulations on winning the bout yesterday as I missed it when I left to assist Prince Gurvine. But I’ll leave you in peace now.”
“Actually, I’m glad I bumped into you,” I said before she could escape. “My maid saw you d
rop these yesterday morning but you were in too much of a hurry for her to catch up to you and return them. I was worried they might be rather important.” I fished the bottle of Kahn’s pills from my pocket and handed it to her.
Gothel’s eyes widened with realisation as she accepted them from me. “Oh thank you, Count Nazari, I have been searching high and low for these. My poor boy suffers terribly with losing his temper when he misses just one pill, can you imagine how bad he’d be if he’d missed three? And you wouldn’t believe just how hard these are to come by. In fact, if anything were to happen to this batch, I have no idea how long it might be before I could get my hands on any more of them. And it would be awful if he had another episode in the bout with you as he did with poor Prince Gurvine.”
“My thoughts exactly,” I agreed.
“Well, I hope you enjoy your meal. Please don’t let me disturb you any longer.” Gothel turned and walked away from us and I let the victory of our altercation wash over me as I leaned forward to start my food.
Before I could take the first spoonful, the sound of breaking glass reached my ears and I froze as I looked around at Gothel.
“Oh no!” she gasped as she lifted her foot from the ground, revealing shards of broken blue glass and the dusty remains of Kahn’s pills. “What have I done? I’m so clumsy!”
Rapunzel got to her feet, hurrying forward to try and see if any of them could be recovered but I knew what she was going to find.
“They’re all gone,” the Princess breathed in horror.
“I’m so sorry, Count Nazari,” Gothel said, turning her gaze to me as a wicked smile cursed her lips. “It looks as though Kahn won’t be medicated before your bout after all. I do hope he doesn’t have another episode.”
She strode away before I could reply and Rapunzel drew closer to me, her eyes wide with fear.
“What does this mean?” she asked as soon as she was sure her step mother was long gone.
“Nothing,” I replied, refusing to acknowledge the trickle of fear which was sliding down my spine. “I’m easily a match for that potato-faced mountain of muscle. Don’t you worry, love, I’ll officially be your fiancé before the sun rises tomorrow. You have my word.”
Forbidden Fairytales- The Complete Series Page 47