Keep Your Enemies Closer

A Plan of Karma and Will

Beauty is but a vain and doubtful good; A shining gloss that fadeth suddenly; A flower that dies when first it 'gins to bud, A brittle glass that's broken presently. - Shakespeare 

Reyna trained with Fabian every day after that first time. It helped her to release tension, release stress, to focus on something else. Juniper had been wary about it at first but after watching her one day she had relaxed. Everly had laughed when Reyna had told her. "That's interesting. Didn't take you for a fighter." She had said. Reyna knew Everly had been joking but all the same it had stung. If Everly fought, why wouldn't Reyna be able to fight as well?  If anything, it had made Reyna more determined to prove herself, that she wasn't weak or frail. She'd seen Donovan in passing, often on other dates when she would offer him a smile and push down the panic rising in her chest. That his eyes were wandering away from her and towards other girls.

She'd gotten to know them some more the past few days. There was Julie and Mimoza, two wealthy girls who's parents were wealthy and well connected to the King. Julie was sweet and kind, hair a lovely curly blonde and eyes turquoise. Her intentions towards Donovan were so pure, it made more guilt rise up in Reyna. Mimoza was energetic and good humoured, skin the colour of cocoa and hair a tangle down to her shoulders. She was a good time and Reyna could see why Donovan had also taken a liking to them both. She had been avoiding Tegan best she could although it had proved difficult. She had tried to act as normal as she could but the girl would eye her suspiciously at times or wrinkle her nose. Donovan had been spending time with her too, as well as Gladys. Reyna liked Gladys and had enjoyed talking to her when they were both hanging out in Everly's bedroom, trading gossip. The Princess still disliked Tegan, despite Tegan's best efforts to get back in her good books - which wasn't happening anytime soon. 

When a note had come through the door early morning stating Donovan was to meet her for lunch, she and Juniper had shared a delighted unprincess like hug in their excitement. It hade made a surge of relief rush through her. She wasn't out of the competition. Not yet and she played to do - to accept nothing but win.

Reyna felt so much more confident, so much more free than she had when first coming here. Like a bird out of its cage, trying to savour the fresh air, life, as much as it could. Someone had torn one of Tegan's silver, curve hugging dresses. According to her, someone must have snuck in at night and ripped the gown to sheds, leaving her to find it in the morning in a pile of ribbons and broken dreams. Who could it have been? The same had happened to Tegan's fine jewellery. The whole box of valuables, gone. All the girls rooms had been searched but nothing had been found causing the girl to fume. Reyna had watched the whole facade in delight. Was it wrong of her to be so insanely happy at the downfall of the girl who had mocked her so cruelly? Okay. Maybe it had been wrong of her to destroy Tegan's gown with relish and take her jewellery box. They way Reyna saw it, she was just returning the favour of dozens of misdeeds. It wasn't pure, cold unprecedented malice - no, it was justified revenge. Karma. 

Reyna had spent the morning as she had the last few days training with Fabian. He had been making her do a number of exercises to build up her fitness. Doing laps around the yard or completing obstacle courses, both leaving her flushed and sweaty. Practising her punch aim and strength and she'd only improved from her first attempt. She'd just finished completing ten laps around the yard and stopped before Fabian who was leaning against the wall to the barracks watching her with an amused smile. "One more?"

"One more?" Reyna put her hands on her knees, stretching before taking an ice cold swig of water from the glass Fabian offered her. It felt like heaven as swallowed, the dryness leaving her throat. She downed the drink in an instant before taking a deep breath. "I'd like to see you run rings around the yard and report back to me."