ONLY INSTINCTS

I am not a queen because I rule, I rule because I am THE QUEEN.

Birthed in my heart. Alive in my veins…

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The war – game - began with a popular one known as Taws.

A servant outlined a circle on the ground and thirteen marbles were placed within.

Zorgan and Nadezhda are given one marble each and the game begins with Nadezhda trying to flick one of the marbles inside the circle, with hers outside.

She readily lowers her knees without hesitation and flicks her marble toward the farthest one in the circle. Collision is made and one of the marbles in the circle rolls out.

She succeeds at the first trial.

The servants around clap for her and her chambermaids applaud the hardest.

Nadezhda straightened up after retrieving the marble that had rolled out, sending a smirk-filled look in Zorgan’s direction. Zorgan rolled his eyes in response before squatting down. He eyes a marble for a second before he flicks his at it. He succeeds and flashes his signature grin at Nadezhda.

The servants applaud while the palms of Astrid, Camille, and Aida barely meet each other, their faces not so radiant.

Nadezhda takes her place next…

In the game of Taws, none of them loses for consecutive five turns, but in the sixth, Nadezhda’s marble doesn’t hit another within the circle.

Zorgan wins this game of taw.

It is played two more times and Nadezhda wins both times.

The next game is Sardines, a reverse version of Seek and Find. Dorian, Nadezhda’s chambermaids, some members of the kitchen staff, and a few guards are included.

Zorgan hides, and every other is meant to seek him within the period of a countdown, but the most notable rule is that Nadezhda must seek him first, or else she loses this round.

The game begins and Nadezhda tries to score through every room in the minor Palace rapidly. Alas, she runs out of time and loses because Dorian finds Zorgan first.

During Nadezhda’s turn, she returns to Zorgan’s study.

No one finds her within the countdown because no one expects that she would choose the same place Zorgan had hidden.

Many more games are played, and more losses are procured.

The last game played is Barrel Drench. A wooden barrel of water was filled with water and small stones were given to Nadezhda and Zorgan. They are to throw the stones from a certain distance and when it’s a person’s turn, the person gets to throw three times. If the person’s throws don’t miss, the person’s head is saved from being dunked into the water. But if the stones that don’t go in are more than those that go in, the opponent dunks the person’s head into the barrel of water.

Zorgan starts.

Only his second toss enters into the water. Nadezhda guffaws.

He leans close to the water and she presses his head into it. She places her hands behind his neck to hold his head in place and she does this longer than necessary.

The maidservants and male servants watch as she keeps smiling as she forces his head to remain in the water and some of them become concerned.

Inside the water, Zorgan smiles when he notices she isn’t ready to release him, but after a while, he lifts his head out, a question dancing in his eyes.

‘‘When you were under, I almost didn’t recognize you. You looked good’’ Nadezhda said.

She turned around and Zorgan watched her take her stand in readiness for her turn.

‘‘Cunning witch’’ He muttered under his breath before he moved aside.

Nadezhda’s first throw sank into the water and her chambermaids clapped hard for her.

She smiled at them and kept smiling until she wasn’t so lucky with the others.

‘‘Wrong. Hopelessly wrong. I used to be so good at this-

I guess I’ll proceed’’ She said when she saw Zorgan’s arrogant smirk. She ground her teeth as she marched up to him.

Zorgan guided her head into the water, one of his hands at the back of her neck. Her eyes were drawn to the stones in the water, his and hers that had made it and her mind focused on them alone.

After an expected moment, he braced for a fight from her, a struggle – anything. But she did nothing, didn’t even move.

Alarm flared in his chest. He wrenched her up, water and ochre pouring down her face.

‘‘Are you trying to die?’’ he barked, voice cracking.

She gasped, coughed, hit her chest twice, then glared at him.

‘‘You were the one trying to drown me,’’ she shot back, eyes burning.

‘‘Only because you tried to kill me first – and looked thrilled about it,’’ he said, chest heaving.

Guilt stabbed him and warred with anger as he stepped closer, reached out like in a daze and began to wipe ochre and water from her face.

Her face was cradled in his hands, and he went on with his task, saying, ‘‘I should have known… You’d rather die than back down.

You can be so annoying, so reckless, so-”

Her cheeks warmed under his touch.

As he continued to chide her, the world thinned to the huge man who could probably squash her head in his palms.

‘‘Cease your fretting,’’ she called her voice tight.

It hit him then – how close he was, how close he held her. He let go immediately, jaw tight, he turned around – and caught sight of the gathered servants and maids, grinning with open glee.

‘‘It’s not what it seems,’’ he growled hastily. Too fast. Too defensive.

He cleared his throat and rested his hands on his hips.

‘‘Who claims the victory?’’ he asked quickly replacing the ambience.

‘‘You did, My Lord,’’ Dorian replied promptly. Zorgan and Nadezhda glanced at Aida for confirmation and the girl nodded.

Zorgan wore a conqueror’s grin.

‘‘Better get ready, Rebel,’’ he said, throwing a look over his shoulder as he walked off.

‘‘Tomorrow you might wish you had drowned me,’’ he added, leaving her standing there, open-mouthed and speechless.

Retreating to his quarters, he let his mind settle like a heavy fog.

‘‘What was that? What- why did that happen?

Do I need a Physician? Why did I react like that? Why did I feel that pang at the probability of something happening to her?

Why did the possibility strike such fear within me?’

He pulled his hair in regret.

‘Yes, surely, it’s just my natural aversion to women in danger. They aren’t meant for harm or death. Yes, that has to be it.

And if I had hurt her… No, she’s safe.

It was instinct and I am not losing my mind.

All right, I am losing my mind.’