Align Ourselves Page 7

  She positioned her feet like he'd showed her to, transferring most of her weight to her left side, her stronger side.

  He swung his right arm, but this time she was expecting it, leaning back far enough for it to go right past her. Use your opponent's weight against them, he'd said, so she did. She placed both hands on his exposed shoulder, pushing him hard enough that he stumbled but didn't fall.

  "Good," he said, "Maybe we'll make a warrior out of you yet."

  She trained with him for another hour before heading to the bathroom to wash up before dinner.

  A few days ago, she'd decided to begin training with the rest of her friends, figuring she needed to get her strength back.

  After her bath, she made her way to the throne room and ate dinner with the others. She'd lost track of how many days they'd been there. But that morning, a few guests had arrived for the wedding.

  Lex had moved a few of her people out of the palace and into the village just below them. They were given jobs, most at the palace, and all of them were allowed to come back for dinner each night. It made Aria feel hopeful, seeing her people making their way into the community.

  They were all looking remarkably better. Stronger, healthier.

  She had gained some of her weight back. Her face was rounder, her eyes no longer had purple bags underneath them.

  Everyone seemed to be enjoying their time here—everyone besides Ben, who somehow found something to complain about every night.

  "Oh, shut the hell up already," Martinez exclaimed that very night. Most of them had grown tired of Ben's complaints. "We couldn't have dreamed of a better place. We're eating. We actually have jobs, we're making our way into their society-"

  "And no one's trying to kill us. That's my favorite part," Peter added. Brent and Isla nodded in agreement.

  "Okay, but-" Ben began.

  "But nothing," Martinez said, "We all know you're just upset about the fact that Aria has to marry the king. And since she's not complaining about it, I don't see why you are," he spat out.

  Aria blushed. No, she wasn't complaining about it. Yeah, she still didn't want to marry him. But Martinez was right; they couldn't have hoped for a better place. Though everything comes at a cost. And her hand in marriage didn't seem like a terrible one, so.

  Ben's cheeks flamed. "Shut the hell up, Martinez. I'm sorry if I'm the only one who hasn't let their guard down. I'm sorry if I'm the only one who hasn't forgotten what the Terra told us!"

  "Well, if that's how you feel, then maybe you should join them," Martinez said, raising an eyebrow.

  No one else spoke up. Ben shook his head in disgust and looked at Aria like he hoped she would take his side. She just shrugged.

  He got up and left the room without another word.

  Part of her felt guilty. Part of her felt like she should follow and try to console him. But she didn't. She hoped that some time alone would relax him and clear his mind.

  "He really needs to stop that," Brent said. He'd been talking more and more lately, getting back to who he was before getting captured. "What if Lex- or worse, Grace- hears him?"

  The others looked to Aria. She shrugged again.

  She'd already tried talking to Ben a few times, but he was still suspicious. She wasn't sure what she could say to make him stop. It seemed like the closer they got to the wedding, the worse Ben got. Which was utterly ridiculous to Aria. If anyone should be freaking out, it was her.

  But surprisingly, she had been able to keep her fear at bay. She thought it was mostly because she'd already accepted that this had to happen. Being married to Lex was a small price to pay for all of the good things that would come from their marriage.

  They hadn't spoken much since the night he returned, since the night he'd given her the present. But so far, he didn't seem that bad. Yeah, he annoyed her. Yeah, that stupid fucking smirk made her want to claw his eyes out. But he'd been reasonable, he'd been....decent....so really, it could have been a lot worse. She could've had to marry the king she’d heard about, not the one she found here.

  She decided to go to her room, hoping for some solitude so that she could finish the poem she'd started the day after she got her journal. But on her way out, Lex joined her.

  "So, I've heard that you took my advice and began training," he said, looking over at her.

  She rolled her eyes. "Actually, I hadn't even thought about your advice when I decided, for myself, to start training. I just figured I should since everyone else is. And besides, I don't know what I'll have to face at any given moment."

  "A wise decision, I'd say," he said, walking by her side. "So, want to show me what you've got?"

  "Excuse me," she said, stopping in the middle of the hall.

  "Your fighting skills, Aria. Unless you've got something else in mind?" And again, that stupid smirk made its way onto his face.

  "No, thank you," she said, rolling her eyes, blushing. "I'm surprised you even know how to fight. Being king and all. Don't you have your guards there to protect you?"

  "Well, I wasn't always the king. And I'll have you know, I'm the best fighter here."

  "I thought you said that was Grace?"

  "Actually, I said she was second best. I'm probably the only person that can beat her," he said, smiling.

  "Somehow, I really doubt that," Aria said, recalling how she'd seen Grace take on (and beat) Martinez and Adrian the day before.

  "Then let me show you," he said, "Unless you're frightened?"

  Well, that did it.

  "Lead the way," she said, her voice cold.

  He fought another smile as they silently made their way to the training area.

  "Leave us," Lex said as soon as they arrived outside.

  The four guards left without another word. Part of Aria felt a little insulted. The other part was glad that no one would witness her attempt at fighting. She'd been training for a few days, but she was still pretty bad.

  Lex took off the jacket-like piece he'd been wearing, leaving him in a simple black shirt, black pants, and black boots as he made his way to the center of the area.

  "You want to pick a weapon," he asked, "I'll let you, to even the playing field a little."

  "That's insulting," she said, following him.

  "Well, don't say I didn't offer," he said, smiling.

  She was pissed off enough to go for the first hit. He dodged it.

  He dodged the second and the third as well.

  They circled each other for a few moments before she tried again. Again, he dodged it.

  She sighed in frustration.

  "Stop dodging," she yelled.

  He let out a laugh, "Well, what do you expect? For your opponent to stand there until you can manage to hit them?"

  She narrowed her eyes. His mocking tone only made her angrier.

  She tried again. Again, she missed.

  "If your plan is to wear me out long enough for me to stop, then congratulations," she said after missing yet again.

  "You're not thinking about it the way you're supposed to. You're just trying to get a hit in when you really should be thinking about my position once I've dodged it. You should be looking for open spots. If you continue trying to connect your fist and my face, you'll lose. Even if your opponent isn't nearly as skilled as I am," he said.

  She thought about what he said. If she went for it, he'd move to the right, just as he'd been doing. That'd be the best moment to strike again.

  So she did. And this time, when he dodged her hand and moved to the right, her right foot shot out, and she kicked him. Not strong enough to do any damage, but enough for him to narrow his eyes at her.

  She smiled, feeling a lot better now that she'd finally hit him.

  "Ah, so you do listen," he said.

  They went on like that for a while. Lex didn't try to strike back; mostly, he focused on defense, allowing her to practice her attack strategy. She grew sweaty and restless, kind of wishing he'd try to hit her back so she would feel like she
was in an actual fight. If she ever had to fight anyone, she was pretty sure they'd be fighting right back.

  "Stop that! I'm never going to learn how to protect myself if you just keep dodging me. Fight back," she yelled.

  "Trust me, you're nowhere near ready for that," he said, smirking at her.

  "Oh, really? Or maybe you're just all talk? Because based on what I've seen, Grace could beat you in minutes," she yelled, going for another hit. Mostly because she wanted to slap the hell out of him.

  But after she missed, he grabbed her hand, twisting it behind her back, and came up behind her. He brought his other hand down to her heart like he was holding a knife.

  "Dead," he whispered from behind her.

  She could feel his chest against her back, her hand still stuck between the two of them. A chill ran down her spine. Goosebumps rose on her skin. But she wasn’t afraid. She was aroused, much to her annoyance.

  She yanked her arm free and turned to face him, her anger propelling her forward. She kicked at him, but he grabbed her foot and pulled it forward, making her lose her balance and land on her ass with a loud thud.

  He laughed.

  She clenched her hands and got up, embarrassed. The asshole was actually laughing at her.

  "Have I upset you," he asked, his voice sounding innocent.

  He dodged the punch she threw at him and grabbed her by the shoulder. He pushed her, and she lost her footing but remained upright.

  At the last second, he came up behind her again.

  This time one hand went to her jaw, tilting it up. The other hand went to her neck, his thumb making a line across it like he was slitting it.

  "Dead," he whispered again, his breath tickling her ear.

  This time, she could feel his entire body pressed up against hers. She was tempted to lean back into it, but he pushed her away a second later.

  "I think that's enough for tonight," he said, grabbing his jacket from off the ground. "If it's any consolation, you're not nearly as bad as I thought you'd be. Perhaps with a few more weeks of practice, you could beat one of the 10-year-olds we have training," he said, fighting a smile.

  "Screw you, Lex," she said, rolling her eyes. Angry at him for mocking her.

  "One more thing," he said, walking towards her. She stood by the doors with her arms crossed. He came to her side, and before she knew it, swept his right leg under her calves. She felt her legs being knocked out from under her. She let out a little gasp and prepared to land on her ass again when he caught her by the arms at the last second. "Never let your guard down," he whispered, pulling her back up.

  She was so angry she didn't even think about what she was doing when she stomped her right foot down on his toes.

  "Ah," he yelled, pulling his foot out from under hers.

  "I thought you said to never let your guard down," she asked, raising an eyebrow.

  His eyes widened a little, and she swore that for a second, they dropped to her lips. But she turned and walked out, going towards her room.

  She could feel his eyes on her, watching her walk away.

  Chapter 10

  Her tailbone felt a little sore the next day, but the look on his face after she'd stomped on his foot the night before made it worth it.

  She made her way down to the throne room for breakfast in good spirits.

  After eating, she noticed Grace walking towards her.

  "Are you ready to go," she asked, looking at Mara.

  "Yeah," Mara said, getting up. "We're gonna go into town for a bit, wanna join," she asked, looking at Aria.

  "Sure," Aria said.

  Once they got to the village, they walked around for a bit. Grace bought a few things from some of the vendors.

  Everyone was so friendly and welcoming. One woman offered them some food, and they each took a little. Aria felt terrible; she didn't have any money or anything to give the woman in return. But she saw Grace handing her coins.

  Eventually, they made it to a vendor who sold various toiletries and what looked like perfume. They were tiny glass bottles full of clear liquid. Some smelled floral, others were woodsy scents. Aria was reminded vaguely of the king.

  "Pick one," Grace said. "Both of you. And don't give me shit about not needing anything."

  Aria picked one that smelled like amber and vanilla. It was ridiculous, but she felt a little giddy just to have something so lovely.

  After a couple of hours, they made their way back to the palace, chatting along the way.

  "Are you and Lex...are you like, full brother and sister," Mara asked.

  Aria was glad Mara asked. It was something that Aria had wondered about but had been too afraid to ask herself. Grace and Lex had similar features. But there were subtle differences that made Aria curious.

  "We had different fathers," Grace said. "My father was the king. Lex was a bastard."

  Aria stopped short. But if he was a bastard, if his father wasn't the king...how'd he get the position?

  She asked Grace.

  "That's a long story. And probably one you should ask Lex," Grace said.

  Mara asked her what they did for fun, and Grace talked about that for a while. Swimming, fishing, hunting, hiking, drinking. She told them stories from her childhood.

  When they got back to the palace, Aria noticed a few people hanging up decorations. She'd been doing a good job avoiding thoughts about the wedding. But seeing them preparing the palace made her anxious.

  She wasn't sure what kind of ceremony they'd have, what their traditions were. She thought about the wedding night and felt her stomach clench.

  So far...Lex had been respectful. But she wasn't sure what his expectations would be once they got married. He had said that she would move into his quarters. As for what else he expected them to share....she wasn't sure.

  That night, Lex stormed into the throne room halfway through dinner, looking angrier than she'd ever seen him.

  Dread coursed through her veins. She exchanged a look with Mara, worry plastered on the other girl's face.

  He made his way to his table and argued with Grace for a few minutes before looking up, his eyes automatically finding Aria's.

  "Aria," he yelled, "Come here."

  She got up and walked towards their table, stopping just below it.

  "Y-yes," she asked, her nerves at an all-time high.

  "My guards have just informed me that a dagger has gone missing from the training area. Would you happen to know anything about that?"

  "What? No. Of course not. Maybe-maybe it's been misplaced," she said, her voice coming out a little desperate. She could not believe this was happening again.

  "Misplaced? Do you think I'm that stupid," he asked, getting up. His voice had an edge to it. It was almost cruel.

  "No, but-"

  "But nothing. I told you what would happen if your people did this again. I thought I made it clear that-"

  "Lex, please, don't-"

  "Be quiet," he said, glaring at her. "And don't interrupt me. I've obviously been too lenient with you." He was standing above her now.

  His tone and his cruel words hurt her. She looked away.

  "Everyone out," he yelled, "Everyone except for Aria and her people."

  Aria ran a hand through her hair. Her heart was beating so fast and so hard. Her body had turned cold, but beads of sweat gathered on her forehead and coated her palms. She turned to look at her friends. They looked just as worried, just as scared as she felt.

  Silently, everyone else left the room. The others remained sitting. As soon as the doors closed behind those who had left, Lex spoke up.

  "I've let you into my home. I've provided for you. I've treated you all with respect," he spits out, shaking his head. "I brought you here and gave you the option to leave, to do as you pleased, and you dare defy me and my orders? Who took the dagger," he asked, looking at the group.

  A few people looked around in confusion; most of them just looked frightened, though.

  "This
is the last time I'm going to ask. Who. Took. The. Dagger."

  No one spoke up.

  He finally turned to look at Aria for a few seconds. His eyes were unusually cold, angry. He turned back to look at Grace. "They don't leave this room until I get back."

  Grace nodded, and he left.

  Aria walked back to her table. Her hands were shaking so bad, but she didn't care. She didn't care if they saw how afraid, how nervous she was. They should all be frightened.

  "Whoever took the damn dagger needs to fess up," Martinez yelled, "Otherwise, we're all fucking dead."

  No one had anything to add.

  She didn't know how long they sat there. It felt like hours.

  At some point, Mara had grabbed her hand under the table. She was grateful for it. It stopped the shaking, at least.

  Grace's face remained stern, angry.

  Eventually, there was a knock on the door. One of the guards opened it, and Lex walked through, holding a dagger. He was followed by a few guards. One of the guards went around and pointed to a few people, including Aria and Mara.

  "Those four, Your Grace. Those are the ones that reside in that room."

  Oh no.

  She, Mara, and the two other girls they shared a room with stood up.

  "Who sleeps in the bed to the right," Lex asked, his voice cold.

  Aria and one of the other girls came forward.

  "And which of you sleeps on the right side, closest to the wall?"

  Aria felt like she'd been punched in the chest. All of the air left her lungs.

  The other girl looked at Aria.

  "I-I do," she said, speaking over the lump that had formed in her throat.

  His eyes widened a little, surprised. And then, for a second, Aria thought she saw a flicker of real pain behind them. But seconds later, the look was replaced by something she could only describe as hate.

  "Is that so," he asked, walking towards her. He stopped when he was only a few inches away from her. "We found this under your pillow."

  "What? No! You know I didn't-"

  "Be quiet," he yelled. "Does anyone else have anything to say? Anyone want to fess up? Or did your leader do this?"