Ch. 22 "Standoff"

I attempted to wrap my head around what I was about to do. I couldn't tell if it was the alcohol or the heat coming off his body that was making me dizzy. He held my hand over his, rubbing circles into the soft skin on the back of my hand with his free fingers. There was something so inviting, so amicable, so warm about his aura. I almost couldn't contain my energy around him. He brought out something deep within me that I didn't have a name for. I glanced up at him, his eyes boring holes into my face. A wicked smile spread across his scarred lips. He picked up his pace, almost dancing me down the hall now. He used his foot to push open the large doors back into the main hall. My attention shifted from his face to the two female attendants, now standing on either side of us. He lifted my hand into the air and spun me in a circle.

The boys caught up to us and the attendants moved from our sides to theirs before they could make a scene. They gestured to some of the stairs leading to his little pagoda he had set up in the plateau of the room. There were pillows and cups set up staggered along the pyramid. Chase and Gray walked up to me, Gray decidedly putting an arm around my waist. Arlan was led by the hand by one of the girls to a seat. Gray met his eyes, and he bowed and kissed my hand before releasing it to Gray's care. 

"He will not be easily won over", Gray whispered to me. Chase nodded. I shrugged.

"He won't be keen to end my life though, whether he bests me or not, right…?", I asked, careful of my volume. Gray smiled lopsidedly. 

"He thinks a little too highly of you and your power and lineage to erase you. Besides, an old friend is still a friend, right?  All you have to lose here is having him on our side. Fight carefully and diligently. He only aims for places you are obviously trying to guard. Keep an open stance and when he goes for a strike, aim high. Give nothing away. You'll be fine", Gray ended flatly, sensing the man's patience wearing thin. He kissed my forehead, making me blush. I winced at the public display of affection. I did my best to put it out of my mind. I'm sure it was for his own benefit, not mine. 

"You don't intend to fight me in all those robes do you?", he asked. He shrugged his cloak off, tossing it into the arms of a retainer that had reappeared. He wore nothing but billowing black pants, metal wrist guards and shin guards. I glanced down at my outfit. The pants, the shirt, my boots… they didn't seem like they'd hinder me at all. I shrugged. 

"Why does it matter?" I asked pointedly. 

"I just don't want to be held responsible if they are ruined, is all", he said rather uninterestedly, now articulately flipping a knife over his knuckles and between his fingers. I sighed.

"Is there something better that you'd rather see me in?"I asked, seductively. I had a feeling that was his downfall. His eyebrows raised in surprise. Bingo. I piqued his interest. 

"Why of course!", he exclaimed. I heard a plethora of groans and mumbles from Gray and Chase from across the large marble room. Arlan sat quiet in confusion. Figures. He snapped his fingers and the two female attendants escorted me to a corner with a folding room divider. They threw me items haphazardly but they all seemed to match. After I had secured the 'armor', I stepped out from behind the divider. 

The room seemed to become brighter from my white aura. The boys looked on in disgust in what they saw he intended for me to fight in. My hair tied up in a similar knot to his, very basic gold arm guards and breast plates, and very skimpy on the leg protection. Nothing but a thin white gauze wrapped around my waist and draped across my thighs and gold shin guards. What a taste in fashion, I thought to myself. One of the female retainers brought me a case of weapons, showing off the collection as much as it was an offer for me to choose. 

I glanced at the man again, raising an eyebrow. He shrugged.

"If you'd rather fight hand to hand, I will be happily obliged", he said. He tossed the knife directly into a pillow where it stuck. He walked towards me. I figured his fire against my fire would most likely be an even fight.

One of the male retainers walked to the center design of the floor, having us meet in the middle. I touched my fist against his, feeling our energy ebb and flow between our skin. It was go-time.

We squared off and I immediately retreated two large steps back. I started to feel my body act of its own accord. I felt electricity in my limbs again, just like in the field with Gray. I could almost pre-meditate his actions before he knew what his moves were. A huge advantage. I kept my legs wide and my arms up and out as Gray had suggested. This seemed to frustrate my opponent. I easily dodged his first two blows. I landed my fingers between his ribs, twirling right out of his next swing. I was starting to understand that I needed to be in constant motion. The way I was going to win was to tire him out. 

We danced for what seemed like minutes. I glanced to the stairs. Gray leaned back on his pillows, drink in hand, enjoying my ability to evade and understand this behemoth's movements. Chase, on the edge of the stair, hands folded under his chin, pensive. Arlan was biting at his nail, nervous. I turned my attention back to my opponent… who was now gone. Not to the left, or the right. Only one place left.  I ducked to the ground and swung my leg in a large circular motion behind me, knocking him off of his feet. The sound of his body armor hitting the marble floor echoed through the hall. Chase whooped and Gray laughed. I twisted myself into a backbend, placing my hands on either side of his neck. His eyes wide with shock, but now they held fear as well. I winked, pulling him towards my face. His eyes closed half expectantly, a small smile crossed his lips. I pulled his torso up off the ground while pulling my leg up towards his face. My knee connected with his nose, and I let myself fall off to his side, assuming a crouched position a fair enough distance to be out of arm's reach. His head bounced off the marble and a shrill laugh ripped through the air. 

My attention turned to the large doors. A woman who appeared middle aged flew through them almost faster than my eyes could follow. She knelt beside the now unconscious man. Her cloaks settled long after she had stopped moving, matching the red marble of the floor perfectly as they came to a rest. Her hand fluttered over his bleeding face. She turned to me.

"You must be Jasmine", her voice smooth and calm. She gave me a wide and wild smile. The same smile of excitement the man had given me. As I looked closer, she seemed to be a mortal, although something was… off. 

"I am, and you're Matilda", I said. I knew the answer. She gave me a sharp nod, her smile widening further. We both stood simultaneously. She sighed, looking at the man who still had not come to. The male attendants were attempting to revive him. She stepped to me, winding an arm in mine.

"He's always had a weakness for strong women, that son of mine", she said, lackadaisical. I felt my face change to awe, my mouth dropping open. She chuckled. I had so many questions. She patted my hand. 

"Aptly named Romeo, I did have a flair for the dramatic back in the day", she said, getting lost in her memories momentarily. She shook her head.

"I'm sure he'll join us once he's feeling… more up and at 'em", she assured me.

"But I must ask, what brings the DayDreamer here, to my humble residence?" Before I could respond, Gray was at our side. Chase and Arlan quickly followed. 

"We wanted to know if you would be able to help hone her skills", Gray said, gently taking her hand and kissing it. She smiled warmly. She gestured to a room off the other side of the main hall. She snapped her fingers and the retainers ran to grab our things. 

. . . . . . . .

We sat in a circle around another table. Matilda and Gray talked, the rest of us listened. She regaled us with tales of times past, but not so long ago that there wasn't still a biological response to my presence in the surrounding worlds. Gray asked questions I didn't know had been burning his mind. How is this possible? How was a female chosen? Who was the intended victim? How can we revert her after this battle is won? Things even I hadn't considered. My mind wandered at the possibilities. An arm around my shoulder broke my concentration. I looked immediately to my left, and was met with pectorals and not a face. Ahh. Romeo. The giant of a man. Good to know I hadn't accidentally killed him. I sighed and placed a hand under my chin, leaning forward with an elbow on the table. I tried to seem as disinterested in him as possible, so as to not give him false hopes. I only wanted to win, really, to ensure a diverse group of soldiers. Although, flirting with him was fun.  I tuned back into Matilda's stories and thoughts.

The whole situation seemed ridiculous. A finger slid between my hand and my chin, turning my head to face him. I looked up at his face. 

"OH!" I gasped, a hand flying to my throat. His nose was slightly crooked and black bruising surrounded the immediate area. His eyes seemed swollen, too. I immediately felt regret. As I opened my mouth to apologize, he laughed.

"Now, I was not expecting that out of someone so small", he said, bellowing. Gray joined him.

"She may be small, but she is mighty. She's nothing to be sniffed at", Gray finished. He pulled his sleeves up and showed off the new cracks in his skin. I gasped at that too. He hadn't shown me the aftermath of our trial run in the field. 

"She is the one", Matilda said, closing her eyes and nodding.

"We'll take her on", Romeo said, squeezing my shoulders tighter. It was decided.