Five Kingdoms

Chapter 7

I strip off my dress and take a quick 3-minute shower, seeing blood change the color of the water while going down the drain. I step out and wrap a huge black towel around me, pausing every few moments to take a deep breath. My mind replays my weakness, my lack of control as my sister hugged me, I shouldn't have kept the dagger on me. Did I tempt her by having it so close to her? How was I naive enough not to notice her take it? The weight would have left me, and yet I let myself get wrapped up in my emotions, and my senses were dulled. I should have done more, I shouldn't have let Mother find her, I should have been there more, and I shouldn't have left my daggers just lying around, I shouldn't have kept it on me, and I shouldn't have allowed myself to get distracted by my emotions. I failed her. My mind sees her fall to the ground as her blood is spilled. My hands shake as I wipe off the mirror, seeing the cut on my throat still bleed. It's not fair that I endured that cut and she didn't.

"You did this," My mother cries," You killed her."

How was I so foolish? My arms lean against the counter as I hear the door jiggle and turn to face it.

"Evelyn, why is the door locked?"

"Im...I'm naked obviously."I say

"I've been calling your name for minutes now with no response."

"I'm perfectly capable of changing without dying."

"If you say so." He says walking away from the door

I grab and change into the clothes Cara gave me and look into the mirror to see the black long-sleeve top I wear with a silver chainmail skirt that has a thigh-high slit where I display the sword Ryder gave me. I hide the two daggers under my clothes, at my waist, and walk out of the bathroom. His back is to me as he practices sword-fighting stances in a mirror, he's swift and nick-picky with small things. He doesn't hear me come out of the bathroom, as he is entirely focused on the weight of the sword.

"What did you see?" I ask as he jumps and turns around, pointing the sword at my neck, "During the test, I mean."

His eyes are filled with shock as he continues to hold the sword to my neck.

"Didn't realize you were so jumpy, Winstone."

"We both know you would respond the same, and don't call me by my last name, it's weird."

I lift my fingers to the sword, resting them there.

"Not any weirder than my nicknames, but if you prefer sweet checks I suppose I wouldn't be opposed to that," I say with a grin

"No, no, no, don't do that."

"Then Winston, it is." He looks at my neck, to the sword that rests against it.

"You still bleeding."

"You never answered my question, what did you see?"

He finally lowers the sword and looks me up and down, eventually landing back on my eyes.

"What are you wearing?" He asks

"Clothes?"

"Oh really, couldn't tell." He pauses, "You're not fighting in that are you?"

"Why?" I ask annoyed

"You're asking for someone to cut open your leg, sweetheart."

"Ya, well, I didn't exactly pick this outfit. This is what the Yarrow kingdom left for me to wear."

"Then they are trying to make you look like a fool."

"Maybe, but when I win, at least I'll do it in a killer outfit and show that nothing can slow me down."