A Throne of Fire and Blood

Chapter 8

Today was the first test. Tianna wasn't ready, her body wasn't ready. She had trained every day but she was still weak. Luckily she had started to put on weight, but very little of her strength had returned. She was ready and waiting for Nathan to collect her and take her to the test. Tianna spent the morning thinking about her lesson with Calissia later, she had no idea how she would teach her an entire language. How was she supposed to teach her while hiding who she was?
Nathan arrived while Tianna was lost in thought. He stood knocking several times before getting fed up and just walking in. She was sat on her bed, staring into nothingness.
"Tianna?" He called. She looked up at him but looked confused, "We need to go,"
"Right, of course," She hadn't noticed the Captains arrival. She was thinking about Calissia. Tianna couldn't stop thinking about her. She doesn't know why, she spent the morning thinking about her, her hair as dark as the shadows but her smile as bright as the sun. Tianna got up from her bed and followed Nathan out of her room.
"Do you know anything about the test?" Tianna kept asking him.
"For the last time, no, I don't. I have asked but I haven't been told anything." He sounded frustrated now from her constant nagging.  She didn't mention it anymore of it.
They arrived at the training hall. Most of the other champions have already arrived. Tianna kept her head down and walked over and stood beside Farai.
"Any ideas on what the test will be?" Tianna asked him in a hushed voice.
"No clue, but it would be nice if they gave us some idea on what the test is going to be," he told her.
"That would require kindness, Farai, and the King knows none of it." He didn't say anything after that, as the final champion arrived and the King rose from his iron throne.
"Today's test will be a test on stamina. You will all have a 10 mile run and however finishes last will return to where ever they came from." The King explained in his deep but raspy voice. No. Not a run. Tianna could easily do a 10 mile run of she was in a better condition. Her body isn't strong enough to run for that long. But she would have to do it, she wouldn't go back to the mines, not like this.
     The Prince walked with her and the Captain to the gardens where they would start the run. They would have to run around the Castle grounds twice. Tianna wans't looking forward to this run.
      They got to the starting line of the run. All the champions stood together in a line, waiting for the command to start. She looked along the line of Champions and noticed one was missing. Tianna didn't think anything of it, all it meant was one less person to beat.
      The King called for them to start. Most of them started at a slow pace but Harkon and Emmet sprinted off to get a head start and the rest of them stayed in a group. The King, Prince and Captain rode beside them on horses with about 25 armed guards. Harkon was about 10 yards ahead us all. How could he be so fast?
       They had only ran about a mile before Tianna's muscles began to ache and fill with pain. The sounds of crunching leaves and Tianna's heavy breathing filled the warm autumn air. She tried to keep her focus on Farai in front of her. She had to keep breathing. Breathe in, breathe out, breathe in, breathe out.
She hadn't dared look behind to see if anyone had fallen back. She could feel Nathan's eyes on her as she ran, reminding her to keep in the middle.
The trees parted, revealing the field that lay behind the stables. The end of the path. Her head spun and she would have cursed at the stitch in her side if she had the breath to do so.
Harkon cleared the trees and raised his arms above his head in victory as he slowed down his pace to come to a stop. Tianna had to keep her feet moving. She only had a few yards left. The light of the open field grew brighter and brighter as she approached. Stars flashed in her eyes, swarming her vision. She had to keep moving. Years of training with the Master of Assassins taught her the dangers of giving up too easily.
Tianna was through the trees and the open fields surrounded her in an explosion of grass and blue skies. The men in front of her slowed to a stop. She had to keep walking to stop her from sinking to her knees. She took breathe after breathe as the stars still clouded her vision.
"Good," Aaron said, "Get some water, your not done for the day."
Through the spots in her vision, Tianna saw Nathan stop his horse. She walked towards him, then past him back into the forest.
"Where are you going?" He asked
"I dropped my ring back there." She lied. Without waiting for his approval, she entered the trees to the sneers and snickers of other Champions who had overheard. From approaching crashing noises, she knew anothe Champion was on his way out. She stepped into the cover of the bushes, stumbling as her barely fell to the floor before she began to vomit. Everything she had eaten this past week came bursting out.
       When her stomach had been emptied, she staggered to her feet and saw Nathan on his black stallion across the path. Tianna wiped her mouth on the back and said nothing as she walked back to the rest of the group.
      It wasn't until lunchtime when Aaron released them for the day. They had to do more training after the run but Tianna had no energy left. All the Champions were allowed to eat in the great hall together with their sponsors, but Tianna had to sit with the Captain, as the Prince had other things to attend to.
About half way through the meal, The Prince came in and walked over to Tianna.
"I've put the books on the desk in your room, 7 of me favourites." He whispered in her ear
"Thank you, your highness." She said with gratitude. He walked back out the way he came in.
"Does this mean the Lady Evalyn has to leave to attend to other matters?" Harkon asked slyly. She stood up and rested her tense hands on the table.
"The next time you say something about me and the Prince, I'll force my hand down your throat and rip your heart out." She warned him through gritted teeth.
"Stand down, Evalyn." Nathan demanded. Tianna looked back at him then back and Harkon. She hesitated first bur sat back in her seat. That was a big change for her. She had never stood down from a fight, stood down from killing. Tianna lifted her fork to carry on eating but put it down straight away.
"I've done eating." She told the Captain and walked out of the room and Nathan followed. As soon as they left Nathan grabbed her arm and pinned her against the wall.
"What was that about?" Nathan asked her. He sounded fuming, "What was the Prince talking about?"
"I requested books recommend by him, I've read everything from the public library." She explained.
"You don't have the right to ask anything from his highness!" The Captain shouted at her
"I don't have the right? I am a lady in his highness' court, I can ask him what I want, and he can respond however he likes!" Tianna shouted back at him.
"People might think you are a Lady in his court, but we know that your just a worthless criminal." He released her from the wall. "Don't do it again." He warned her. Tianna gave him a murderous look as she walked into him when she started walking back to her room. Of course he followed her.
"How come you like reading so much anyway, what use could it do?" Nathan asked curiously.
"A mind needs books as a swords needs a whether if it is to keep its edge." She told him. Tianna took in a deep breath. "I read to forget, I use it as an escape from this world. It's when I can go into another and feel like a different person, feel like my life now hasn't really happened." He didn't answer her. They walked the rest of the way in silence. Tianna didn't want to talk to him. Nathan didn't want to talk to her.
      Tianna dismissed Nathan when they got to her room, he was more then happy to finally get a break from her. Tianna greeted the guards at her door and walked into her chambers. Tianna stood in shock as she saw Calissia sat at her table, with her books by her side. Tianna completely forgot about teaching Calissia her language.