19: I WILL NEVER LOSE TO YOU

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...19...

I WILL NEVER LOSE TO YOU🌹

His silky voice announced his presence and also his unarguable authority. Every damn person stopped whatever they were doing to acknowledge his presence in the training grounds. The lot bowed to him, paying obeisance except Rose who stared at him, surprised at his arrival. What was he doing here? She was still angry with him for chasing her away from the dining room so that he could secretly be with Hera-Mera. Now he was here again, calling her Mera in that silky smooth seductive voice of his. She humped as he neared her without glancing anywhere.

'What?' she snapped at him. 'Why are you staring at me like that?' she asked him after he only kept looking at her with a silly smirk on his face. Was he here to mock her? Well, it wasn't as if she even gave a damn. He could laugh at her all she cared.

'What a fine spear you have there Mine,' he said to her. 'I can see that you have made a good choice. Well, I actually had that crafted for you for or whenever you were ready to wedge a weapon, especially against me.' Now, that had her attention. She stared at him, a little bit puzzled. He had done that? She stared the spear up and down, doubting his words. She didn't believe him. He was all lies! Definitely all lies!

'Mine?' she asked him.

'Yes,' he nodded as the corners of his lips lifted into a soft slight smile. 'Yes Mine, definitely yours.'

'Hmm,' she nodded as she evaluated the spear once again with her eyes. She looked up at him and noticed the smirk on his face. Then, she instantly realized something. Their brief monosyllabic conversation, she realized what it had meant to him. To everyone and even her, they had been talking about the spear. But to him, he had been referring to the both of them. He had just stylishly affirmed once again that he was hers. He belonged to her.

'Seriously?' she asked him. He realized that she had caught on to his little play of words to mean something else.

'Shall I spar with you then?' he asked her. 'It seems you are bored playing spear with Vura and you really want a new sparring partner.'

'Really?' she asked him in total surprise. He nodded at her question. How had he known that she was fed up of practicing with Vura? That was the real reason that she had wanted to take on Winnie, because she was already so bored with Vura and not because Hera-Mera kept urging her to do so. She smiled softly.

'I am currently free and even if I wasn't I would still say otherwise.' She stared at him, unsure. Was he playing with her? Did he really mean that? But wait, he wanted to spar with her, with weapons? She gave her spear a knowing look and then rested her eyes on him. Then, he surprised her a second time. He laughed heartily, wholeheartedly at her eye gesture. He must have understood. the smart man. But, the handsome sight made her heart do cartwheels, risky ones and her mind went blank for a moment, having only him in it. She started to melt into a smile but caught herself before she could do so.

'Why are you laughing at me?' she managed to force herself to mumble though she knew just why.

'You know why.'

'I know nothing,' she said staring at her spear once again with that previous look that had made him all mirthful.

'Don't worry Mine. You can't do it though you think that you can. I wouldn't let you do so if you could.' She smiled at his answer. He had indeed understood her eye gesture. Well, she really could not kill him anyways during the spar like he had said because his people would have her dead the moment that she harmed him. Also, though she could think to do such, she was sure she could not actually do it. Her heart will cause her to hesitate unlike the time that she had first wanted to be away from him. But oh, he was so sure. It was his confidence that made her want to attempt it. 'So, shall we spar?' he continued. She simply nodded at him without any grievance.

'What weapon do you want? Wait, don't answer that! You will use a spear too since I am using one,' she stated in a matter of fact way. 'Vura shall get you one.'

'Yes My Lady,' Vura answered and went to do so. She was back in a breath and handed the spear to her mistress who in turn offered it to the emperor.

'Well, I do not actually need a weapon. It will only make taking you on three times easier,' he concluded. She nearly hit him then.

'Do not talk trash-' she reprimanded him sternly. Now, her comments surprised most of the spectators gathered round, drawing murmurs from all directions. '-and just take the spear,' she finished.

'Yes My Lady,' he said jocosely with a slight bow. She flushed at the joke, assuming that it was to remind her of his status as the great emperor of Linamine.

'Take the spear then,' she said in a more polite tone. He chuckled softly and took the spear that Vura had brought him. Now, everyone on the large training ground stopped whatever they were doing and the entirety came to watch their Emperor spar with a woman. The question "Who is she?" lingered on in their minds respectively.

'Who shall attack first Warrior Rose?' He asked her. 'Shall I do so?' he asked again. She had just stopped to ponder on the better option when he attacked her. She met his attack swiftly, defending herself properly.

'Cheat!' she sneered as they stepped back, going in circles. 'I was still pondering on your question.'

'I didn't cheat. You just took too long to make a choice,' he simply told her with a small shrug that made his shoulders shake attractively.

'You did it on purpose you liar,' she accused him. He chuckled again. Now, he was quietly infuriating her. She didn't mind because she would most definitely teach him a hard lesson soon enough.

'Shall I attack again Warrior Rose?' he asked her. 'Or shall you-' This time, she took him by surprised and attacked him brutally, not waiting for his attack. He almost didn't see her coming. He dodged and re-attacked. And so the main spar began.

They went on and on for a while, about thirty minutes, attacking and defending, fiercely, unwilling to succumb to the other. They played jam and hit with their spears, concentrating yet enjoying the weapon dialogue. She brought on a slight attack. But, he put on a feint as a defense, momentarily fooling her. But when she realized that, it was a little too late to stop his incoming attack that disarmed her of her spear. But before he could point his weapon at her, she spoke out loud.

'Halt!' she said to him. He raised a brow at her, wondering what was trying to do. She had already been disarmed. She had lost.

'What? Why?' he asked still staring quizzically at her.

'I am tired of using a spear. How about a sword!' He scoffed in surprise then chuckled in a way that suggested that she was unbelievable. She was trying to back out of defeat with that tactic? How shameless of her! Well, he did not mind. He actually wanted to entertain her anyways.

'You are tired?' she nodded. 'A sword and not a spear? Or you just do not want to admit that you have lost Mine?' he asked her.

'I did not lose,' she stressed. 'I only want a change of weapon,' she further enlightened him.

'Cunny woman,' he said to her with a smirk. 'But remember that you are not more cunny than I am.'

'You would not believe it if I told you that you aren't right, so I wouldn't,' she said with a calculating smirk that had him sighing on surrender.

'Bring me my sword Cora!' he ordered his escort. Cora brought it forth.

'No,' she told him.

'No?' he asked.

'Yes. I shall make my pick,' she informed him, 'and yours too,' she added. He nearly chuckled at her words. What was she trying to do now? This cunny woman! He just knew that she was definitely up to no good with that suggestion.

'What on earth are you trying to do now Mine?' he asked her.

'You shall have to wait and see that yourself,' she informed him. 'Vura!' she called.

'Yes My Lady!' Vura answered her, going to her.

'Give me your ears.' Vura leaned into her. She whispered into Vura's ears for a moment. 'Do you understand?' she asked her when she was done whispering suspiciously.

'Yes My Lady, I do understand. I shall return soon,' she told her mistress who nodded. Vura left then.

'And where on earth have you sent your aide to after such suspicious whispering around?' he asked her with raised brows.

'That you shall soon know,' she answered him.

'You are really being too smart here,' he complained to her.

'You think so?'

'No, I know so you crafty being,' he said with cheated eyes. She laughed as he revealed how he felt.

'You were the one who asked to spar with me. I never forced you to do so, did I?' she said with a smirk.

'No you didn't, and that is the reason I am not angry with you at the moment.' Vura returned then with a wooden sword in hand. He knew instantly that the carved sword was to be his from the satisfying smile on her face. Oh sweet Lord! This woman! She was totally something else.

'I assume that the carved weapon is mine, isn't it?' he asked her.

'Yes it is,' she said with a mocking smile, taking the sword from Vura and handing it over to him. He gave his blade to Cora and received the carving from her.

'Now, can I have yours?' she asked him eyeing his sword. She thought that he would not give it to her with the way he was looking at her.

'I bet you don't need to ask that and you are only doing so to try and infuriate me.'

'Oh please!' she squealed as she received the sword from Cora. 'Let's try and have a good spar.'

'Are you satisfied?' he asked her. She nodded. 'How cunny of you,' he grumbled under his breath.

'So, shall I attack?' she asked flaunting his own sword afore him. He smiled at her obvious attempt to piss him off. It was a strategy to make him lose his cool alongside his coordination. That would give her an advantage over him in their spar.

'Yes you can warrior Rose,' he entreated her. She did so, stepping forward and bringing her weapon down towards him. He met her attack instantly, metal meeting wood.

They went on like before, only this time being more serious and coordinated. Metal met wood time and time again as their efforts in the spar quickly doubled. None of them seemed to be losing even a bit of strength. Still, after about five minutes, he found a good opening and succeeded in successfully disarming her. He had her back against his chest and his wooden sword against her neck in an eye's blink.

'Well well Warrior Rose, you seem to have lost so quickly to me,' he said in a triumphant voice.

'I'm so sorry to disappoint you, but not yet,' she retorted as she held unto the wooden sword, wriggling out of his grasp in the speed of lightning. The sword fell to the floor with a clang as she pretended to lose her footing. He caught her before she could reach anywhere near the sandy ground. He drew her up against him with their bodies so close.

'Are you alright?' The look in her eyes told him that he had successfully been fooled by her. He groaned inwardly at the realization.

'I didn't lose,' she told him again with so much pride in her voice.

'Well, you obviously did.'

'There is no weapon in sight, pointed at me.' she told him with a smirk. This coming from her just after she had seen to it that there wouldn't be any by tricking him into rescuing her from a fake fall? Women could be wicked. He knew that, but it wasn't so obvious until this moment.

'I should have just let you fall,' he told her. She laughed loudly at his words, completely amused.

'You would never. I know that you would never. Even if you knew that I was pretending to, you would still most definitely reach for me,' she enlightened him instantly with a very mischievous glint in her lovely green eyes. He sighed again.

'Cheat,' he accused her.

'I didn't cheat.'

'You fell on purpose. You tricked me into dropping my weapon. That is part of cheating.'

'I didn't do nothing. All of the aforementioned was your choice, solely your choice.'

'This is the reason why I don't spar with females. Their wiles are too many,' he complained.

'Are you admitting that you just fell for one of them?' He stared at her unsure of why she was asking that. Then he remembered his earlier comment of being more cunny than her. Well, he would show her.

'And are you admitting to the fact that you just cheated?' he retorted with pride in his voice. She nearly laughed. 'Well, I might as well cheat.' She didn't know what he intended until he kissed her. Then, she felt the unmistakable cold of a blade at the back of her neck, at directly at her nape. God! Was he quick! 'Now, there's a weapon in sight, pointed at you. There should be no excuses lest I have to do the needful.'

'And what is the needful?'

'Declare you to be punished for having deceived the emperor, severally,' he stated.

'Really?' she asked.

'Yes.' She stared at him. 'So do you agree that you lost?' he asked her. She thought for a while.

'Okay, I agree that I lost,' she concurred. He retrieved his blade as the crowd that had gathered over time began to cheer and clap for their Emperor happily. Soon choruses of "Long live the Emperor!" dominated the training grounds.

'That is better,' he said replacing the sword in his sleeve where he had originally brought it from.

'You will lose next time,' she said to him, stepping out of his hands.

'I will never lose to you Mine, wiles or not,' he told her.

'We shall see,' she drawled. He took her hands in his and led her out of the training grounds. Their escorts followed behind them.

'Let's go and have lunch.'

'Alright.' They smiled at each other. Hera-Mera watched them go with all of her evil emotions in her eyes. She hated that lady. She was affianced to the Emperor. He was hers, only hers and hers alone.

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...OmaPhinaPhire🔥