Asher

Ahara burst through the doors, her hair stuck to her face with sweat and her sword strapped to her back like always. 

“What is it?” I put on my shirt then went to face her.

“Why did you throw out my belongings and lock me out of my room? I thought I was your bodyguard!” Ahara’s tone was sharper and disrespectful but I brushed past it. 

 “You are, that's why you are sleeping here.” I gestured to a small room that had been used for storage in the corner of the living room.

“You’ve got to be kidding me” snarled Ahara

“All your stuff is already inside. You don’t need to thank me” I smiled, “Oh one more thing, I have a meeting with the press at 4 a.m. to discuss the outer ring matter, so be up at 3:30 a.m.”

It looked like the vein on Ahara’s forehead was going to explode as she used all her energy to glare at me. I shuddered and then walked to my room, closing the door behind me to escape the intensity of Ahara. That girl is always on edge. 

My eyes fluttered open to the sound of my alarm sounding and a slight frigid breeze from my open window. The skies were still dark and the air was thick with sleep and the thick smell of the salty sea not far from the palace. I looked over at my clock to make sure that I had not slept in, 3:27 a.m. it read. I lifted the covers from my legs and shuffled them into my slippers. The cold air against my legs sent a tingly sensation throughout my body as I got up. My maids entered my room, rolling in a cart with my breakfast and freshly steamed clothes. One of the maids helped me dress and the other tidied my bed. I then finished my breakfast and brushed my teeth. Adjusting my cuff as I walked out of the room, the slightly opened Aharas room caught my eye, is she not up yet? I guess if I want something done right I have to do it myself. “What are you staring at?” said a voice, startling me. 

“GOOD LORD! Must you walk like a cat?” I jumped, then patted my suit down to get rid of any creases. 

“So, when do we leave?”

“Right now,” I looked Ahara up and down, examining her dirty armour, “And for god’s sake, clean your armour.”

The two of us walked down the busy halls in silence, making our way to the royal courthouse. Ahara was walking in front of me which gave me some time to properly take a look at her. I don’t mean that weirdly, but to examine her actions for anything odd. Ahara had a man's physique, brutal yet elegant. Her hands were callused and rough, probably from intense training as a child. And her emerald eyes were like nothing I’ve ever seen before, deep and glistening, mysterious and warm, yet bloodthirsty and frightening. Ahara had not done anything suspicious or worrisome yet, I was sure that she would have made her move the night I ordered her to take her rest in a room in my chambers, but no, still, she has yet to do anything. She still gives me a worried feeling. I won’t let my guard down, not until I discover what she is trying to hide so desperately.

The maids at the doorway of the courthouse adjusted my suit and then opened the doors to the room practically overflowing with press and high-ranking people. The guards already in the room helped clear a path so that Ahara and I could walk to the podium. Mother sat on the balcony of the second floor watching me as I took my place and tested the mic. “Hello, this announcement is regarding the situation of the Outer Rim of Aantari,” I said with a stern voice. I could feel all the curious thirsty eyes and cameras towering over me, I turned to Ahara and she met my gaze and locked eyes for a quick second. I guess Ahara could read the worried expression placed on my face because she turned her head once again and gave me a little nod of encouragement. My eyes trailed back to the flashing cameras and murmuring crowd, “The soldiers and I will be distributing emergency food, water, and blankets to the ones in need. The elderly and children will be first to receive supplies, the others will form a line behind them. We apologize for the lack of acknowledgement recently due to the current war preparations, but from now on we will pay more attention to our people in the Outer Rim.”

The crowd cheered and applauded while I left the podium with Ahara following behind.

The sun had already reached the peak of the sky as Ahara and I made our way down to the archery fields. “I thought you hated archery,” blurted Ahara. 

“As a prince, it’s mandatory for me to learn things like this” I responded, trying to stretch in the most princely manner I could. Ahara slightly nodded, focusing back on the birds in the trees as I picked up my bow and an arrow. The instructor arrived a short while after. “Hello Sir, beautiful day out, no?” he said,

“Yes, the garden has been well cared for, I see.”

The instructor picked up his bow and an arrow then drew it back for a demonstration, he paused to aim, closing one eye before releasing the arrow, letting it slice through the air hitting the target exactly in the middle. “Don’t dry fire the bow, it would be terrible for you to injure yourself” He instructed.

The instructor took out another arrow and attached it to the bowstring with the following two clicks. He then handed me the bow and gestured to the target. I let out a huff of air and lift the bow, drawing the string with my right arm. I closed my left eye and aligned the string with the arrowhead and released the arrow, only to watch it disappear into the woods. The instructor looked confused at how I could have possibly shot that far away from the target and Ahara just scoffed and muttered something under her breath.

 “Ahara, is there something you want to say?” I asked bluntly.

“How can someone suck this much? You're shooting from such a short distance!” she spat while pointing at the target.

The instructor backed away, surprised at the attitude that I had been given.

“Excuse me?” I said. “Well if you think you're so much better at this, maybe you should try then.” I held out the bow and watched as a tint of revelry arose in her eyes. Ahara quickly snatched the bow from my grip and an arrow from the instructor’s hand. I moved aside, letting Ahara take my place. The chances of her being better than me were very high, especially since I sucked. She gracefully connected the arrow with the bowstring and drew back into a different position than what I was taught.

“You shouldn’t-”

“Shh!” She snapped back at the instructor.

Within just seconds she released the arrow and it fixed perfectly with the center of the target, splitting the first arrow in half. My archery teacher stood there in shock. Not a word escaped his mouth. Ahara turned back to me and handed back the bow.

“Try again,” she demanded.

“Who are you to be giving orders to me?” I rolled my eyes. 

“Try again.” She repeated, baring her teeth.

Taking the bow I drew another arrow, Ahara tilted my extended arm further upward and levelled my right arm against my cheek.

“Aline your string and arrow, so that it’s straight this time.”

I did as she instructed and this time moved the arrow downwards a little. My fingers let go of the arrow and it struck the rim of the target with a thump, “Ahara I did it!” I threw my arms in the air to celebrate and turned to look at Ahara’s expression. But to no surprise, she still looked like a giant boulder with no response whatsoever. I coughed to clear a little bit of tension sitting thick in the air and then I went back to practicing.