Old Habits Die Hard

Yuka stared at Hazel as she embraced him. She seemed to be completely oblivious to the fact that he was shirtless. But then, he felt her crying, her tears dampening his skin. It bothered him a lot. He knew that she was probably going through so much and was barely adjusting to life as the future queen of Silvera. He felt sorry for her.

"Yuka?" She whispered, her head still resting on his chest. "I really don't want to make you uncomfortable, but you're so warm and you smell so good" she said and raised her head from his chest to look at him.

"You know that, right?" She asked with a smile on her face, despite the tears in her eyes. "Of course, I know. It's my body, isn't it?"

She grinned and embraced him again. Suddenly a bubble of laughter escaped her lips.

"I have no idea why I'm enjoying this. I really wish..."

She stopped herself, but Yuka knew what she was going to say. She wasn't going to say that she wished that he wasn't Caden's brother.

Neither was she going to say that she wished that they hadn't met. But, she was going to say that she wished that he was the crown prince. Maybe, she could've really fallen in love with him and things would have been easier for her. Hazel couldn't tell, but when her thoughts were loud, he could hear them clearly. Every other person in the palace knew that he could read the mind of anyone he comes across. So, they'd all casted protection spells on themselves to prevent him from reading their minds.

Yuka knew they hated him. He didn't need a soothsayer to tell him that. They could as well plot to kill him, he was sure they were capable of doing so.

"Yuka?"

"Hmm?"

"I want to sleep now" Hazel said, sleepily. She was already too tired to keep her eyes open. So, her head lolled against his chest. He wrapped his arms around her to steady her and as he gazed at her, he appreciated her beauty.

"Hazel, you're really beautiful and if you didn't have brown hair or brown eyes, I wouldn't have believed that you're a Rubian. I know you feel comfortable around me, but you really shouldn't. I am dangerous and I can't make you choose between my brother and I. I can't put you in such a dilemma. You have to stay away from me. Please" he whispered and scooped her into his arms.

Unknown to him, Hazel had heard him and because her mind was hazy as a result of her sleepiness, he couldn't hear her thoughts.

'Too bad, Romeo. No wait, I didn't just say Romeo, did I? Whatever, but you should know me by now. The more you tell me to stay away, the more I linger around you. Old habits die hard, like they say. Goodnight, Romeo'

She fell asleep in his arms as he moved down the palace halls in his shadow form. The guards on duty couldn't see him because he blended well with the darkness, even with Hazel in his arms. When he got to her room, he didn't bother to open the door. He walked right through the door and laid her down on her bed. Then, he took off her boots and cape. Without sparing her another glance, he left.

***

Morning came and Hazel lay on her bed, feeling exhausted and as she stared at the ceiling, a thought came to her mind.

'I had a dream last night. A very weird dream. I embraced Yuka and told him that he was so warm and he smelled good. Then, he carried me in his arms because I-'

Her eyes widened and she sat up immediately.

"That wasn't a dream, was it?" She said. She noticed the cape she'd worn in her dream lying on her bed, beside her. She let out a gasp and picked it up. Then, she sniffed it.

'Lavender. It smells like....Yuka' she thought.

"Stupid Hazel!" She scolded herself and got out of bed with a sour look on her face.

***

"Morning, Hazel. How did you sleep?" Caden asked his fiancee who gave him a blinding smile that made his heart flutter in his chest.

'She's so beautiful' he thought.

"I slept like a baby" she said and he grinned.

"That's good, because you will need the energy today"

She raised a brow.

"For?"

"As the future queen of Silvera, you are expected to be trained in combat" he said and Hazel snorted.

"Really? It's no big deal"

Caden smiled to himself. He liked how brave she was.

"You're going to be training with Tyr, Silvera's champion and warrior"

"Alright, then. Let's go"

Caden took her hand and led her to the training court. There was no one present yet, so she frowned.

"Where is everybody?" She asked. "You have to get changed first. You can't exactly fight with that dress" he said and she nodded. Caden watched her as she slipped on a pair of leather pants that had an elastic quality. Then, she turned away from him and took off her dress, revealing the camisole she was wearing underneath. He leaned against the wall, admiring her womanly curves. She wasn't fat, neither was she slim. She was somewhere in between the balance and she moved with fluid ease. When she turned around to face him, she had pulled back her hair into a neat bun with her hands covered with fingerless leather gloves.

Hazel was excited to do what she used to do with her triplet brothers. Sparring was something she enjoyed doing. "They're here" Caden suddenly declared and she quickly turned around. Her eyes went wide when she saw the three women who were approaching her. She could recognize one of them.

"Charlotte!" Hazel said and her friend grinned.

"Hazel! It's so good to see you!" Charlotte said, embracing her.

"What's going on? Are you training me-"

Charlotte laughed.

"No, I'm training to be in the army. I met Violet two days ago, she has joined Silveran's royal healers. You can go visit her someday"

"You must be Hazel" the first woman said, gazing at her. She was tall and athletical looking. This woman towered above Caden. She seemed to be around seven feet tall. Hazel felt like an ant compared to her.

She had high cheekbones, almond shaped silver eyes, with a scar trailing down from her left temple to her jaw.

"Yes, I am" Hazel stated and the woman gave her a chilly smile. "I am Tyr. Silveran's champion" she said, clasping her hands together. Then, she bowed to Hazel in greeting. "I will be training you in the art and act of combat" she said and Hazel nodded. Tyr turned to Caden and bowed to him.

"Greetings, your majesty"

"Tyr, be gentle on her. She's a red blood and your future queen"

Tyr looked at Hazel with an unreadable expression on her face. "As you wish, your majesty".

A guard walked up to Caden and bowed in respect.

"Your majesty, your father has called for you"

Sighing, Caden turned to look at Hazel.

"Will you be alright?"

"I'll be fine"

He followed the guard and left Hazel with the three women. "First of all, I'm going to test your determination and the skills you probably possess. You will spar with Charlotte who is a red blood like you. Then, you will spare with Nazu, she's a full blooded Silveran. You tap out once you feel like you can't go on any longer, do you understand?"

"I understand"

Nazu's gaze met Hazel's and at once, Hazel knew that this woman was a nasty threat. She was just as tall as Hazel and she was perfectly toned. Her silver eyes were menacing and she wasn't smiling. Nazu was beautiful, just like all Silverans were, but there was just something about her that was off.

Charlotte and Hazel soon stepped into the sparring arena. "Fight" Tyr ordered, her voice cold and unforgiving. Charlotte made the first attack, her fist missing Hazel's jaw by a few inches. Then, Hazel struck next. A single kick to the side of Charlotte's head knocked her out immeadietly. Surprise crossed Tyr's features. A guard standing by, took Charlotte away from the sparring arena. Then, Nazu stepped in.

"That was easy. Let's see how well you can fight" Nazu said to Hazel who clenched her fist and straightened her spine.

"Nazu, you must fight fair and square. No magic required!" Tyr said and Nazu nodded.

The fight began. They were both skillful in the defense area. Most of the time, Hazel dodged Nazu's relentless attack and Nazu did the same. Tyr was impressed. She had trained Nazu since she was a child and she'd never seen anyone block Nazu's attack so effortlessly, especially not a red blood. Thirty minutes soon bound by and Nazu was seeing red. Charlotte had awoken and was watching the fight with wide eyes. Hazel didn't look like she could pack a punch but Charlotte guessed she was wrong.

Suddenly, Nazu punched Hazel in the stomach, knocking the air out of her lungs. Taking advantage of the fact that Hazel was winded, she channeled her magic into her fist and punched her in the face. Tyr hadn't noticed the fact that Nazu had used her magic and she also wasn't aware that hidden among the shadows, stood prince Yuka. He watched Nazu with a look of anger on his face.

Nazu struck again and again, her fists brutally connecting with Hazel's ribs and stomach.

Hazel fell to the ground, unconscious and Nazi smirked. Despite the fact that Hazel had been knocked out, Tyr was impressed. Perhaps, Caden had chosen the right queen.

***

"What did you think you were doing?" Yuka demanded, his eyes burning with fury. Nazu rolled her eyes. "I don't know what you're talking about"

"You know what I'm talking about, Nazu. I know that you have no dignity, but how could you stoop so low? You used magic on a red-blood!"

"She deserved it. She took Caden away from me" she hissed.

"Let's face it. You don't deserve to be queen. Someone as hateful and murderous as you are, does not deserve to rule a kingdom. The fact that you're of a noble lineage does not make you noble"

Nazu clenched her fist in anger. "What's it to you anyway?"

"If you use your magic on Hazel again, I'll-"

"You'll what? Kill me like you killed Lyraine?"

Yuka's eyes went cold.

"Maybe"

***

Hazel lay on her bed, her left eye swollen. She was pissed. Of all the injuries in the world, she detested having a black eye. She'd been so close to knocking out Nazu. Hazel hated defeat. She felt both angry at herself and Nazu. She heard a knock on the door and sat up with a wince, holding a hand to her injured ribs. "Come in" she said and the door swung open. Caden walked in with a worried look on his face.

"That looks like it hurts like a bitch" he said as he sat down by her bedside and took her hand in his. "It doesn't hurt that much" she said and he sighed. "My beautiful Hazel, always trying to act all tough even when she's hurting badly" he said and embraced her. "I'm going to send a Sapphiran to you, shortly" he said and she nodded slowly. He pressed a kiss to her head and left her chamber. Shortly after he left, Hazel noticed the adorable white cat staring at her from her window. She frowned, noticing the cat's violet eyes. Her eyes widened when she realized that it was...

"Yuka!" She said, her voice tinged with excitement.

"Come over here!" She whispered and he jumped down from the window and came to her side.

"You're so cute!" She gushed as he crawled onto her bed and curled up on her lap. She grinned and stroked his fur with a smile on her face.

"Were you worried about me, Romeo?" She asked and he looked at her as if to say, 'Romeo?'

"Yes, Romeo. It's your nickname now" she said and he closed his eyes as she continued to stroke his fur.

"You don't have to worry about me, Yuka. I'm okay" she breathed and he purred.

"How can you be so adorable?" She cooed.

There was a knock on the door. "Your highness? Can I come in?"