What would happen if you were appointed as a bodyguard for the person you were supposed to assassinate?
Adhiveer is a beloved king. Adored by everyone in his kingdom and beyond.
Shiva, a professional assassin, gets easily appointed as his royal gu...
Days had passed and Adhiveer was happy to see that Shiva had adapted to life in the palace. She had set a routine. Every morning before dawn he found her practising in the palace courtyard. He had insisted on practising with her but after she'd refused. They had come to a bargain of watching each other at practice.
In the dim indigo colour of the morning sky, in the flickering light of torches, she moved like the wind. Swift and smooth. The waves of her hair, the straight lines of her hand, and the curve of her waist... A vision... he thought. As much as he liked watching her, he enjoyed her looking at him even more. The way she blushed every time he caught her gaping. He couldn't understand what she was thinking but her eyes lay an array of words.
She was practising with a sword. " I am not able to move it the way I want." She said.
"Is it heavy for you? He asked.
" I am not accustomed to longswords, I have worked with daggers, broad blades and short swords." She said.
" Wait I will show you." He said. He stood behind her. Held her wrist and told her to keep her shoulder as close to him as possible. Then he held her sword hand and manoeuvred the sword in a circular pattern.
" Oh if you move it this way.."
"It doesn't put pressure on your arm. The weight is evenly distributed." He completed. " So, you're not used to longswords?"
She nodded. "Then I am your first." He snickered.
"What?" She flushed pink.
He bit his upper lip. "Teach me to use daggers." He said with a wink.
"Ah," she glowered at him, frowning.
He was fairly good at it. "Your moves are strong but you need to be a bit agile." She walked to him. With a gentle hand on his shoulder, "Loosen up your shoulder and then swing. Now move your wrist and don't hold the hilt too tight. And throw." She said. The dagger hit the target. "See..." She smiled at him.
He got goosebumps all along his body as if lightning passed through him. "Next time warn me if you are going to do something like this. Otherwise, I won't be able to stop."
"Stop?" she asked.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
He turned towards her. His heart was pounding in his chest. Looking right into her eyes, he moved forward. She walked backwards into a wall. Placing his hands on the wall on either side. He wanted the time to stop. He stood there, staring at her, she didn't avert her gaze. His eyes darted to her lips then back to her eyes. "You make it difficult for me. Next time, I won't be able to stop."
He pulled his hands down and stepped back.
A guard entered." My king, sorry to interrupt you. It's a matter of extreme urgency. The western terrain has suffered an earthquake. Two villages have been displaced."
