The Rightful Queen

Twenty-two

Those two trained like there was no tomorrow as if their life depended on that training session. They had me sweating like mad. I had not shed a droplet of sweat like that ever since I came to Vinadra, but it definitely happened back in Elendra.

"Come on, Nuriya. You have had your break," Feras told me. He was incredibly good at fighting with a sword and he was so strong.

I wiped my sweaty palms on my pants and got up. Before coming to the training chamber, Zain gave me something else to wear. Brown pants, a white shirt, and a corset bodice that covered my stomach, but did not reach my breast.

"All right," I sighed, getting up from my place. I liked how they were pushing me, doing their best to make me stronger. It was hard to lie to the two of them. I knew everything they were teaching me, but I had to act oblivious. I had to make them believe that I knew nothing about martial arts when in fact I could hold a sword as good as them.

"We're repeating what we have already shown you. If you feel scared, tired, or even uncomfortable, tell us. We will immediately stop," Zain said and I nodded.

My mind took me to one of the worst training sessions I had with Laith once. It was atrocious!

"Are you going to give up?" Laith growled as I coughed on the ground. I was close to passing out.

"My shoulder is dislocated," I muttered, trying to push myself up, but he kicked me back down. My whole body was in pain.

"So what? Your enemy wouldn't care if you were bleeding to death or if your guts were hanging out of your stomach!" He kneeled and grabbed me by the collar of my shirt and I winced in pain. "Today's lesson is over, but know that if this was a real fight, you'd be dead!" he roughly threw me on the ground, making me yelp in agony.

I didn't remember how I reached my room after that session, but I did remember staying in bed for five days, unable to do anything. It took two weeks for my shoulder to heal. I knew he was doing that for my sake and he wanted me to be strong for the sake of the mission he was raising me for, but I sometimes found myself wishing that he would be more understanding. I wish he would understand that I needed a break from time to time; however, 'having a break' wasn't an expression in his vocabulary.

"Nuriya, are you there?" Zain's voice snapped me out of my thoughts.

"Sorry, I zoned out," I said, shaking my head.

"If you don't feel comfortable, we can stop," he repeated his offer. I loved how considerate he was.

"No, it's fine. We can continue," I smiled at him.

"Okay, we're starting," Zain announced and he moved behind me. I felt him wrap his strong arm around me, just enough to hinder my movement slightly. The cold metal touched my neck, making me aware that he had just placed a knife over my skin.

"It's not sharp and it won't harm you, I promise," he whispered in my ear even though he proved to me that it was a useless knife by moving it along his palm. Still, he felt the need to remind me that I would always be safe with him.

But he would not always be safe with me...

"Remember, if you don't move correctly, you may end up slicing your own throat," Feras reminded me.

Carefully, slowly and steadily, I brought my hands to the arm wrapped around my neck, and pushed it down with a twist to the side.

"Great. We don't stop here, Nuriya. Your next move," Feras said.

I continued twisting Zain's arm with my full force, making sure not to hurt him in the process. We were just practicing. This was Zain, not my uncle. He was not going to play it dirty with me. I had to keep telling myself that.

Once I twisted it enough that I was out of his grip, I hit him in the side with his own arm that held the knife. He brought his other hand to my forehead, trying to push me, so I brought my knee to his stomach as he taught me.

"Don't be shy, woman! Aim for his groin!" Feras encouraged me, making me laugh as I stepped away from Zain.

"I would save such a move for a real enemy," I assured him.

"On to the next move," Zain said as he wrapped both of his arms around my body, hindering the movement of my arms almost completely.

"What would you do?" Feras wondered.

"Slam the back of my head in his face, preferably the nose," I replied, earning a nod of approval from him.

"Great, now do it," he said and my eyes widened.

"I'm not going to hurt him," I immediately replied.

"Do it, but not too hard," Feras told me, but I was still reluctant.

"No," I frowned. I couldn't bring myself to inflict any kind of pain on him, yet I expected myself to slash his throat and dig my knife in his heart. How was I supposed to do that?

"It's not like you're going to hurt him, Nuriya," Feras pushed.

"I said no!" I snapped and at that moment, Zain eased his grip on me.

"Easy there," he said, turning me to look at him. "You don't have to do it," he assured me.

They didn't understand. It was not just about the practice. It was way more than that. In my bubble of anger, Feras resembled my uncle, pushing me to do things I didn't want to do. Feras wanted me to hurt someone I deeply cared about and this was a huge problem.

"I'm sorry," I said, looking at Feras for a moment, before continuing, "Excuse me, I need to go."

I scurried out of the room, not bearing the pressure I was in. I was petrified. Everything was crumbling down. No matter how much I denied it, I was falling for Zain, my enemy, the shaitan I was sent to kill. How was I supposed to kill him when he had shown me nothing but kindness and love?

My heart was trembling in my chest at the thought of seeing him hurt. I would defend this man with my life. Everything was going down the drain and with all the change of feelings I was going through, I didn't know what to do with Laith.    

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Do we get to say that Nuriya is officially falling hard for him?😏

What would she do with Laith?

Vote and comment, please💙💙

Published on August 3rd, 2022

Sara