Gardener

Chapter 12

Worth A Thousand

"What in the Gods' name happened to you?" Kalini asked the following morning as we stood on the Training Field waiting for someone to announce the final stage of the first part of the Queen's Tournament. I took a drink of my favorite tea, near black in color, but anyone who'd ever made it would say it was crimson, so dark a red as to almost be black. I sipped my tea red like the petals of the succubus flower, illegal unless used to make tea and you could only be found with the petals not the full grown plant itself.

I breathed deeply, "I'd lie and say I fell if I for even a moment thought you would believe me." Amida snorted turning to cover his amusement at my nonchalance about my battered appearance while Kalini glared at his turned back.

"Who dared to harm my Goddess?" Bae asked completely serious, and all the more adorable because of it.

"She's not a Goddess..." Amida countered.

"She's an idiot." Kalini supplied fuming.

I took another sip of my tea, throat aching slightly with each swallow. Though I'd healed the bruises that had blossomed on my face I still retained the cut above my brow now stitched closed and the bite mark on my neck startling in how obvious it was. I could count every tooth mark. "Why am I an idiot?" I asked calmly brow raised curiously.

"You let someone do this to you!" Kalini exclaimed waving at my face and neck.

"Trust me," I countered. "I fought every step of the way...except the bite. That took me completely by surprise..." I rubbed my neck. "I wasn't expecting her to bite me." I murmured softly.

"I did not know you were into violence," Amida sounded betrayed as if I should come to him first with such a thing, which I would have if I were.

"I'm not..."

"The vicious bite mark on your neck says otherwise." Ryu countered before I could even finish speaking.

I gave him a stern look causing him to raise his hands in surrender. "I'm not into violence," I turned to Amida. "I do not enjoy pain. I am still very unbroken..."

"Goodness Lyssa, you bedded someone and they didn't get the opportunity to even touch you intimately."

"I bedded no one." I growled. "I got into an altercation, she hit me repeatedly in the face, split my brow open and bit me."

"What did you do to her? Surely she looks the worse for wear?" Bae questioned curiously.

I took another drink from my cup watching Princess Kiran conversing with her sister, "Hmm, I'd never harm a lady without probable cause." Was all I said on the matter. Kalini, Amida and Ryu shared looks between them. While Bae looked on with a furrowed brow, Jaiyaan stood a little off to the side watching the other suitors.

"Does that mean you los..."

Before Bae could finish her sentence her Majesty took the stand announcing those that we had lost the day prior, only three. A surprise in itself, I suppose we weren't the only ones that thought to aid each other. I glanced at Princes Jin and the smug look on his face, I had never hated anyone in my life, not even now, but he did make me feel close to such a point.

We were down to seventeen an odd number but it was no matter, one lucky suitor would get to spar twice. My lips twitched at that announcement, two times the chance to lose. I hoped it wasn't one of use. There would be nine matches, one person would spar twice, the winner of each individual match would proceed to the next phase of the Queen's Tournament, the rules were very simple. For this challenge you had to incapacitate your opponent, in this you would show how you would defend the Heir if trouble ever arose. The suitor who chose to spar twice, would be rewarded if and only if they won their second match as well as the first. They would be able to exclude them self from another part of the coming Tournament. If they lost said challenge, they would of course lose the reward, as well as their previously won spot, it was a double edged sword and the choice of course was yours. That person would not be chosen until eight matched were fought and won. We all had time to think.