"First off, I was trained. Second, I'm very intelligent, especially with the knowledge that first impressions are important and you're doing quite a shitty job, Ra-Pha-El. And third, I'm only rude because you are. My mother taught me that respect is earned, and you're doing a poor job at gaining mine," I exclaimed.
"Who trained you?"
"Al–" I began but Alyse cut me off.
"I trained her, Raphael. I was not going easy on her, and for your lack of knowledge, she's only been training for two weeks. She went from a girl who couldn't even dodge to what you just witnessed. I'm very impressed. She's a fast learner," Alyse praised, causing me to smile in awe. I wish Mother would have been able to see it.
"Well, she did a horrible job. There were so many times you could have stopped her, Alyse. Too many openings and from what I witnessed, you could have won when you knocked her sword," Raphael accused.
"If you think I did such a horrible job, why don't you stop talking the talk and walk the walk? Fight me," I declared.
I could hear gasps around me, the villagers were clearly shocked by my announcement. Raphael narrowed his eyes at me, giving me a good up and down look. He grinned, sighing dramatically before he took a step forward, his tall frame hovering over me.
I wasn't going to be intimidated by his height, glaring up at him in defiance as I stood my ground.
"You could get hurt, pretty girl," he whispered low enough, so only I could heed his warning.
"I don't care. Sometimes you need to prove your worth to be seen as an ally rather than a burden," I whispered back.
I tried to ignore the soft fragrance that hit my nose and ignore his handsome face.
I bet all the women swooned over him, and even though I wouldn't tell him to his face, he was attractive and doing his share of making my body tingle in want.
Maybe it was the weird connection I was trying to ignore—a force begging for us to be closer…to be one? Wait a minute. Did he just call me pretty?
He grinned, and for a second I saw pride flicker through his purple eyes that lingered on my lips before he stepped away.
"Alright. Let's see what you're made of, A-B-Gail."
"It's Abigail," I pointed out, but followed him to the oversized space.
My eyes looked around to notice the increased crowd; most of the villagers had gathered to witness our fight.
I ignored the nerves that wanted to take over. I wouldn't show weakness. This was my only safe haven, and I'd finally started to feel like I belonged and had a purpose. I wouldn't let this Raphael push me away.
He lunged before I even saw him move. My training had prepared me for a surprise attack, so I was easily able to dodge him.
We circled each other, our swords hung loosely, and I decided to go on the offensive. I doubted many girls he’d come across would have attacked first.
I was right. My sudden lunge and quick spin behind him, caught him off guard enough that I was able to slice through the leg of his pants leaving a small bit of blood shining on my sword. I smiled, then held it up for the gathered crowd to see and met his challenging eyes. “I told you I was not easy prey.”
“We shall see,” he said before throwing himself toward me with speed like I’d never before seen.
I did my best, dodging his attacks and striking back when I could. I don’t know how long the fight went on before Alyse stepped in.
“ENOUGH!” she boomed when we went to keep going around her.
We both stalled, not willing to risk Alyse’s wrath. I let my sword hang at my side as did Raphael, but his eyes burned with a fire that told me this was not over.
“You both did remarkable. Now, your punishment for acting like such children! You each have to clean up each other’s wounds.”
I opened my mouth to object at the same time Raphael did, but Alyse speared us with her gaze. “No arguments.”
The tone in her voice made it clear, her word was final. We both holstered our weapons and trudged out of the area. The villagers parted for Raphael as I followed him, and I took pride in the fact he had more than a few cuts on him.
He got me just as many times as I got him. I could only hope that I had earned his respect.
We ended up at his tent, and I followed him inside. His was marginally bigger than mine and contained three separate sleeping areas with wooden dividers to offer privacy.
He threw his sword down on a pile of furs at the back and turned to me. “How do you want to do this?”
“Well, I’ll do you first,” I responded before I carefully lowered my sword to the ground, followed quickly by the top layer of armor.
It wasn’t until the silence became thick that I realized what I had said.
“Crap, I didn’t mean I’ll ‘do you.’ I meant I’ll clean your wounds first,” I explained as my face became flushed.
He smirked at me, his eyes full of mirth. “Sure, that’s what you meant.”
I ignored his little jab, knowing I had to take the high road, or we’d end up in an argument again. He did the same, and stripped down to only his pants, and I could see the full effect from our fight.
“I am so sorry.”
He had a long angry cut from nipple to hip, a cut just under his ribs, and a small cut on the side of his face. His back had little nicks here and there, but nothing too bad.
I grabbed a bowl of water, and a piece of cloth from the little table beside his sleeping area and instructed him to sit. He did so begrudgingly, but lowered himself to ground level.
The cuts refused to stop bleeding after I had cleaned them off, so I had to grab the healing salve from my tent to apply to him. He hissed when I applied it to the gash on his chest, and I paused uncertain if I should continue.
His eyes lifted to meet mine, and something passed between us. Something, I hadn’t felt before. I went back to my task and applied bandages on the larger of the cuts. Once I was done with him, he turned a wicked grin my way. “Your turn.”
I frowned at the way his tone sounded more predatory than nurturing, but still revealed the worst of the cuts to him for cleaning.
He was surprisingly gentle with me, and when it came to a cut on my shoulder, we both froze. His touch sent tingles through me, and all I wanted was...more.
I held my breath while he bandaged it, and breathed a sigh of relief when he was done, finally able to let my shirt fall back into place.
The bowls of blood-stained water glared at me, so I grabbed them and washed them out before refilling and placing them back in the tent. I doubted Raphael would have.
I turned to leave and head to my own tent before I went about my other duties when Raphael’s voice caused me to turn back.
“What did you say?” I asked, sure I must have misheard him.
He grinned knowing he had won me. “I said, ‘tomorrow, be here at dawn. I will train you’.”
After I went back to my tent, I found myself curious about Raphael. I couldn’t focus on my usual tasks and almost over watered the vegetables.
Harold sent me back to my tent to get some rest, but sleep eluded me. All I could think about was the mysterious connection between Raphael and I.
I sat in my tent until the sun started to set, before I went to the campfire to get answers from Alyse.
“What’s his deal? Why is he such an ass?” I asked, as we sat by the fire near the edge of the woods.
Raphael prowled the edge of our encampment which left Alyse and I an opportunity to sit down and really talk.
As a stand-in for his absence, she was responsible for guarding the camp. I finally got my time with her to get as many details as I could.
“Hmm, let’s see. I don’t think it’s really my story to tell, but I will tell you as much as I can,” she explained, stoking the fire.
The heat of it warmed me, and I snuggled into my furs as Raphael walked past us and into the forest.
I turned my attention to Alyse and watched as she gathered her thoughts before speaking. “Raphael was not a
normal child in his clan. Did you see the color of his eyes?” she asked.
I nodded, knowing I would never forget eyes that vibrant shade of purple.
“Well, the Purple clan don’t have purple eyes. The children are born with purple flecks in their eyes and the more flecks they have, the stronger they will likely be. When he was born, his eyes were fully purple. At first, the clan rejoiced at a strong male being born. However, as years passed, and his strength surpassed those of his clan, whispers started to spread among his people.”
She bowed her head, a teary look in her eyes before she continued. “After a few years of letting the insults get to him, he hardened his heart and left. I found him in the woods when he was fourteen years of age. I knew by his eyes he was different, but that didn’t mean he deserved to be treated like an outsider. I took him in and raised him, but he keeps himself locked away, never letting anyone close enough to hurt him.”
“But, what about his parents?” I asked, not much of her story making sense.
She shrugged her shoulders, looking lost. It made my heart hurt to see her so affected by this story. It also explained why he treated me the way he did.
He protected himself from everyone around him, so he would never hurt again.
“I’m not sure. He never really told me, and I didn’t ask.”
I sat there shocked that he went through that alone. I couldn’t even imagine what his clan did to him if mine treated me the way they did, then his could have been just as vicious.
I looked into the flames, my mind mulling it all over. We sat in quiet before I murmured, “He’s going to train me.”
Her gaze snapped around, and a slow grin formed. “I see.”
I pushed her arm playfully. “Oh, please! It’s just training. Besides, guys are not even on my radar, yet. I have too much on my mind to let a man into my heart.”
She smirked at me, her eyes sparkling in the firelight. “Oh, of course. Because Raphael volunteers to train every new warrior to come into our camp,” she pointed out, a touch of sarcasm in her tone. “And, trust me, Abby, every woman needs a little love in her life. Even if it is a quick fling.” She winked just as Raphael came out of the forest and straight toward us, his eyes bright and burning.
“You need to come with me,” he demanded.
I watched as Alyse sighed getting to her feet, but he shook his head a small smile playing on his lips.
“Not you, Alyse.” His gaze snapped to me, and my eyes widened in shock. “Since you trusted Little Abby enough to train her, I want her to learn the guard routine and procedures.”
To say I was surprised was an understatement.
Raphael didn't seem the type to volunteer to help anyone unless he had to. Not to mention the gleam in his eyes which sent a chill up my spine. But, what choice did I have? He was the leader, I had to get along with him.
I got to my feet, and tried to show him a calm façade. The last thing I wanted was to end up pissing him off and being out in the middle of the forest on my own.
I had found my own place here, and I wasn't quite ready to leave yet. There was still so much for me to learn.
Raphael would not be the reason I left. No, I would only leave when I was well and truly ready to go.
His heavy footsteps echoed as we walked toward the forest, and I tried to keep my interest hidden. The last thing I wanted was to find myself becoming attracted to someone who would hold my future here in his hands.
As we walked, the nightlife buzzed among the woods leaving me to take a moment and close my eyes. I breathed in the night life, glad to be free from the King's rule.
Some days I would lay awake, my mother’s death burning into my mind. I couldn't help but mourn her loss. She was everything. The only one who didn't belittle me for my role in the world. I knew without her in this world, I would try to do what I could to make her proud, but the King would be dead and gone before any of that.
The heartless bastard deserved a painful death. I knew I might not be strong enough to face him if he shifted to dragon form, but at least, I would die knowing I avenged my mother.
My father, however, part of me wished I knew just exactly where he was. I would have punched him in his pathetic face for leaving me because I wasn't what he thought I would be.
The older I got, I finally started to understand that self-worth wasn't based on who your parents were, it was what you made of yourself.
There I was, in a rogue clan of dragons, and ready to take on the King.
"You okay?" Raphael's voice broke me out of my vendetta-tainted thoughts, and I offered him a weak smile.
"Sure, fine," I reassured him, wiping away the tears that had leaked out when I was lost in my thoughts.
"Do you want to talk about it?" he asked as we walked through the dark woods.
I was left to wonder how on earth he could see so well when I realized he was a dragon. Their eyesight was absolutely remarkable.
Sure, I could see well enough to guide me through the forest without falling flat on my ass, but not enough for it to feel like daylight which was how it was supposed to be.
The silence between us became deafening, and I couldn't help but speak, "I was thinking about my revenge."
"What revenge?" he asked, surely faking interest out of kindness.
"I'm going to kill the King."
He pulled up short, and I ran straight into his back. He whirled on me, his eyes glowing with something I'd never quite seen before. A mix of hatred and fury.
"Do…not…touch…the…King!" he growled out through clenched teeth, his hands fisting at his side.
I unconsciously took a step back, afraid of the ferociousness in his voice. He seemed to see something in my eyes and closed his own, taking a deep breath.
He turned away.
"Don't talk about the King in my presence," he said, his voice still slightly tainted with anger.
I didn't say anything, wondering if I should turn back, but he started walking as if nothing happened.
"The guards are to walk through the edge of the forest. We are practically in the middle of the woods here, so the only real attack can come from the trees. It's one of the reasons we camped here."
"What about if there is no real area to camp?" I asked, interested to see how he'd handle the situation. I meant it wasn’t like every forest out there had a clearing in the middle of it.
He smiled as he looked around at the trees. "We're Dragons, Abigail. That means we can use our brute strength to knock them down if we have to. Then, we have firewood for the colder months, and if we somehow don't need to use all the wood, we like to give it to the local villages, the ones who have little to no protection from the cold."
My first thought was ‘what a waste,’ but after his explanation, I was proud. They seemed to be doing their best for the other villages. Not many clans cared about anyone except their own.
He continued, "We like to choose places that have some kind of natural clearing already in it, then gradually chop down the few trees we need to make room for our crops. We have a stable with a small amount of cattle, but we usually purchase them from the local villagers. The King, however, likes to breed all his cattle so that he has hundreds of them when it's just not needed."
I nodded my head in agreement not sure what to say because the passion in his voice took me off guard. Not many people knew how much cattle was bred. It was very hard to keep my distance when the passion in his voice was the same way I felt.
But, the hard-ass attitude he had was definitely not attractive.
"Come on, Abigail, this is supposed to be a learning experience not a freaking star-gazing trip!"
Seriously, it was like he could read my mind. One minute nice guy, next moment an ass.
"Fine, just tell me what is the main thing I have to do?"
He laughed, a mix of frustration and annoyance. "Just make sure an army doesn't come through the trees and kill us all in our sleep."
Fucking ass!
/> "Seriously, Abigail, pay attention," Raphael groaned, grabbing my hand to stop me from walking into a tree.
It was all his fault. He distracted me by being a super douche.
"Okay, I’m listening," I said, walking a few steps in front of him, making little notes about the forest in my head.
Trees had been marked with random letters, there seemed to be small animal traps toward the heavier brush. Maybe for rabbits, so they had meat. I knew every couple of nights there would be rabbit stew for dinner, and while it was great, the same person must have cooked it because it was bland. Maybe I could find out who had cooked it and give them my tips on the herbs my mother used to mix in her stews.
Hers were absolutely delicious and made me go back for more. The camp ones have been tasteless and made me wish I could help cook.
"We have four guards on at one time. We have sections marked out for each guard then after an hour, we rotate in a clockwise position. After four rotations, we try to swap out the guards. Everyone who trains as a warrior in the camp must do their part, and this is the next step. Until you are trusted, you will be shadowed...by me," he said with a wicked smile that told me I was going to regret ever meeting him.
We spent the rest of the night walking around, and he showed me the whole rotation area. I admired the fact that he seemed to know each of the men on guard by name. What I didn't appreciate was the way he talked as if I wasn't there.
We started walking back to his rotation after a couple of hours, and I watched as others took on his shift. I guessed I thought he was leaving his area open, but he must have had another person covering his section while he showed me the outskirts.
As we were leaving, he pulled me to the side. "Do you mind sticking with me for a minute? I would like to show you something," he said, the moonlight shining off his eyes.
I nodded, eager to see something new. At least, I hoped it was new.
We wandered further from the camp, and for a moment, I thought he was leading me to my death. It wasn’t until we’d come upon the sound of water that my interest piqued, and my fear washed away.
“Where are we?” I asked, awed at the scene in front of me. A beautiful little spring sat in the middle of the forest, a small waterfall dropped into it off the mountain edge, making it look like a small Garden of Eden.
Shattered Destiny (Reclaiming The Throne Book 1) Page 8