The Purple Eyed Girl

34. Vulnerability

A whole squat rack flew through the mirror wall of the training ground, shattering the mirrors to bits and destroying most of the wall. Tables, dumbbells and knives soon followed, breaking everything in their path. Nothing was safe from the wrath set to annihilate everything it came across. Frustrated battle cries echoed through the hallways of the palace, scaring everyone who could hear them, and I wondered which poor, unfortunate soul behind the doors was going to try and calm me down this time around.

"I've never seen her so angry." Foxglove observed.

"It's been worse." Haimon shrugged, making Valerio and my father nod in agreement.

"Can you blame her, Nuin? You guys treat her like garbage." My father retorted, raising his eyebrow. "Now who's going in?"

All eyes fell on Valerio, understandable since he would be able to take the most damage if something did fly his way. 

He rolled his eyes. "I think we should send Hemlock." 

My father and Haimon laughed, but Foxglove frowned. "Why? She'll kill him." 

"Good riddance." The other men shrugged.

Valerio pointed at Foxglove amused. "She's your fighter, you'll go in there."

"Can we make it a team effort?" He pleaded to the other men who, after exchanging some looks, reluctantly agreed.

The door slowly opened while my eyes roamed around the destruction I had caused. There was no way I was going to let Mr. Anders clean up this mess without my help. I grabbed a fallen 90 lbs. dumbbell and lifted it up like it was a feather when the men walked in and closed the door. Their eyes widened at the sight.

"Don't worry I'm not going to hurt you, to prevent that I take my anger out on other things. But before you speak, let me make something crystal clear." I sighed frustratedly as I put the dumbbell back in its place, before turning around to glare at the men.

"My whole life, I've put up with a lot of bullshit from a lot of people. I've handled all of it, the bullying, the loneliness, the idiocy, the constant misogyny and objectifying. Not to mention the horrific events in your kingdoms you like to call ruling. But here. This. This is where I draw the line. I don't care how many other mandatory activities are scheduled, I'm not going to participate in a single fucking thing if I don't want to. First of all because I'm not obligated to, since I didn't sign shit as I didn't volunteer. Second of all because if I have to deal with any more shit from the three of you, so help me earth I will bring this whole place down. I will bring this whole fucking diseased, corrupt excuse of a palace down on your heads. You know it's kind of funny, sometimes I even forget that I'm talking to the most powerful men in the kingdoms, because if I'm honest your reign is a fucking joke. So you want me to fight in your little conquest? Fine, I'll fight and I'll do it well. But don't expect me to do anything else for you, because you don't deserve it."

The men stayed silent, and I turned my back on them to continue cleaning up. My father motioned them to leave, knowing I wanted some alone time to truly calm down again. 

"Oh and Foxglove?" I stated when he was about to walk through the door, making him turn around with raised eyebrows. "You might want to prepare your generals and teach them some manners, because in five weeks they'll be dealing with a queen on the throne."

In that moment, I realized that for a split second, my doubts had disappeared, and I knew I would be able to do it if my anger got to me.

I knew I would be able to kill.

Behind the doors, I heard my father giving the other men, mostly Foxglove and Haimon, a warning. "Normally I don't intervene, because I know Iola wants to handle her own battles, but this time I have to say that she's right. Most of you have been acting like pricks and the things from you that she has witnessed and had to deal with are horrific. You're lucky she's still able to keep it together because you guys are pushing her over the edge, and when you do you're not going to like the Iola who rises up from the ground. Actions have consequences, and she'll remind you of them."