The Boy
Tyr didn't see hide nor hair of his woman for the next three days. The Nylexon king had him taking out political rivals and ensuring the peace of their land back on Nylexon soil. The bodyguard knew what was truly happening though. He was giving him a chance to cool his blood so that he could win his lady. Little Daivya was a nervous thing. She would never come to him of her own free will with his blood so hot. He needed to woo her; not an easy task with her mother being so hard on her and isolating her from everyone like she did. Why the royal family was attempting to hide her true heritage from the Nylexon delegation was anyone's guess; any Nylexon could smell that they were family and that Camille was the odd one out. But that didn't matter to him, only the seduction of his new mate mattered to him.
While all these thoughts swirled through his head, he finished killing the legion of assassins that were planning to murder his father, the king. In a way, he supposed his father was doing the same thing, advertising another man as his son. But it was for self-preservation. A Berserker on the throne made everyone nervous. Up until a few days before Barbarossa met with the Imladris people and came home with his mate's scent on him, the bodyguard had been more animal than man. His instincts were razor-sharp and had saved his life more times than he could properly count. Now here he was, a man in love, attempting to woo a Zarkonen. How his life had changed!
"Pay attention, Battousai! I want you to see my face when I send you to Tartarus!" Tyr merely smirked and snapped his neck. Many called him by that title, attempting to best him. He found it boring frankly. A group of assassins attacked him at once, demanding more of his divided attention. Gods, if only seducing his lady was as easy as fighting assassins!
"Hello, Daivya," he said two days later. Now back on Nylexia, he turned all his attention to putting his mate at ease.
"H-hello," she whispered, already looking for an exit. He smiled charmingly, determined that his first goal should be to get the girl to want to stay in the room with him.
"What are you doing?" he asked curiously. The girl looked up at him from her place scrubbing the floors as if he were crazy, but he was honestly curious. Since when did handmaidens scrub floors?
"My lady is in her etiquette and diplomacy classes this afternoon. Her majesty insists that I not be idle during her lessons."
"You don't take the lessons with her?"
"Of course not! That might make me think I'm above my station."
"Then when do you learn, Daivya?"
"I don't. I don't need to learn anything. My only purpose in life is to serve."
Tyr looked at her in horror as she continued scrubbing the floors. How could she possibly believe that? How could she degrade herself like- It was then that he realized that Daivya Adders didn't know she was a princess. This wasn't some ploy by the family to protect the girl; the girl herself didn't know that she was royalty. Looking at her with compassion, Tyr dropped to his own knees and grabbed a rag.
"What are you doing? This is my task!"
"I'm helping with your task so that you don't have to be down on the floor for so long."
"Her Majesty the Queen would not approve of-"
"I don't care," Tyr said belligerently, sighing when she jumped, almost tipping over the bucket of soapy water. "I like you, Daivya. I would very much like to spend some time with you. If this is the only way to do it, then so be it." The two worked in silence for the next thirty minutes, cleaning all the floors in the castle.
"Why?" she asked seemingly out of the blue.
"Why what?"
"Why do you like me?" the girl asked the floor she was scrubbing, seemingly determined to remove a stubborn stain in the wood. "We've barely spoken a word to each other since meeting and you had to hold me captive to get me to stay in your presence that night. What about me could possibly-"
"You have spirit," he blurted, recognizing that she was trying to talk herself out of his friendship. His heart broke for her; how many times had the poor girl had to talk herself out of friendships because of the edicts of her cruel mother? "No matter how you try to hide it, your spirit shows through. You're an honest soul in a world full of liars. And what little we did talk made me want to know more about you." Stunned silence met this declaration. He let the silence spin out as he cleaned the floors. Gods above, what had this girl reduced him to? She was quiet for so long that they finished the last floor in the castle before she spoke again.
"What do you want to know about me?" she asked quietly and Tyr had to resist the urge to roar with triumph. She was letting him in. She was letting him in and not running away!
"I want to know how you've gotten so good at cleaning."
The girl giggled and stood up from the floor. "I've had years of experience in this area. Believe me, this is nothing. You should have seen the time she made me clean all the chimneys. It took me a week to get the soot out of my hair!"
Tyr chuckled, releasing her locks from the severe bun she had it in. Her braids cascaded down her back in a whisper of sound, creating a breeze as they toppled. The feeling was almost sensual for the girl. She shivered and looked up at the man who'd helped her with her chores today. His chocolate brown eyes were hungry on her.
"I love your hair, Daivya. How long have you been growing it out like this?" He was caressing her back lightly as they talked, soothing her suddenly rattled nerves. The girl shivered again.
"I um… I've been growing it all my life. I've never cut my hair, and I've never worn it in anything but braids. During the day it's up in a bun to stay out of the way. At night, I plait it to keep it out of the way."
"You never just… let it hang?" he asked. He kept his voice soft against her ear as he talked to her, wanting to see her shiver under his power.
"N-no. The queen likes to pull on my hair when she's displeased with me. And it seems she's always finding reasons to be displeased with me." She frowned suddenly. "Maybe you should distance yourself from me. The queen may decide to find reasons to be displeased with you too."
"I'll risk it," Tyr said firmly. "It's time for Prince Adam's sparring session. Would you like to come along?"
"Okay," she said with a blush lodged firmly in her cheeks. Again he had to resist the urge to roar with triumph. She was cooperating with him! Offering his arm, he smiled softly as she took it, a sweetly perplexed look on her face.
"I wouldn't want you to get lost on the way to the training hall," he grinned at her.
"This is my lady's castle. If anything, I should be showing you around," she grinned at him. The conversation unfolded after that, the two relaxed as they talked about inconsequential things. When they reached the training hall Diva tried to disengage from him, finally noticing how close they were to each other. Tyr wouldn't let her, leading her into the crowded room and settling her on the front bench where she would have a good view of him. The men in the room looked her over, curious as to why the handmaiden was in the training hall, but quickly went back to their workouts at the growl emanating from the berserker.
"Hey, you're late, Tyr. I thought I was off the hook this time!" Adam said good-naturedly as he wandered over to the couple. "Nice to see you again, Daivya. Where's your lady?"
Diva jumped up at the question, looking ready to run. Tyr stood in front of her, effectively boxing her in so she couldn't run away. "I have to… Princess Camille will be waiting for me."
"If I hadn't helped you with the floors, would she be expecting you, Daivya?"
"Well, no… But-"
"Stay. Please?" She stared up at him, eyes large and vulnerable, and it took every ounce of his self-control not to scare her by kissing her senseless where she stood. "I like hanging out with you. Please don't go away." She seemed to take years to consider his request, when in fact it was only about a minute. Finally, she nodded and sat back down gingerly on the bench.
"Thank you, Daivya," the prince whispered loudly to her. "He might go a little easier on me now that I haven't chased you away with my thoughtlessness." He gave her a conspirator's wink, to which she giggled, and headed off with the bodyguard to be put through his paces. Tyr automatically started attacking his opponent, giving no quarter. Adam tried to defend himself, but it was clear that the bodyguard was aptly appointed. The bout was fast and furious, and over in a half-hour. Diva was on the edge of her seat, feeling desire low in her belly at his grace and agility. Tyr flowed around his opponents like a jaguar, devastating his prey half with superior skills and half with intimidation. He simply refused to be where he was supposed to be in a fight. The girl was convinced that if the two had been carrying weapons, there would have been more than just bruises on the Nylexon prince. When the bout was over, Prince Adam signaling defeat, Diva had to hold onto her seat to keep from jumping up and running into the bodyguard's arms. She managed it by remembering that he was sweaty and gross. Not that it helped; the Nylexon even sweated attractively.
"That was… that was amazing," the girl said, still gripping the bench while sitting on the edge of her seat.
"Thank you," both twenty-one-year-olds said, not used to such frank praise.
"You're relying on your forearms more than your calves," Barbarossa broke into her energetic praise. "If your boneblades were broken off, you'd have no defense. And Adam! You need to stop letting my- the boy intimidate you into defeat!"
"Yes, sire," both boys bowed respectfully. The monarch looked over at the girl all but creaming her pants at the thought of the boys fighting, or rather, her mate winning, and smiled interiorly. So, Tyr was wising up after all. No reason not to give her a show.
"Again," he barked, winking once he caught Daivya's eye. "You both need the practice." The girl blushed prettily and settled back in her seat. Barbarossa sat down beside her, calling out commands like a drill sergeant. Under his tutelage, they had a much tighter competition with fewer missteps and missed opportunities for hits. By now, more of the soldiers were stopping what they were doing to watch the match.
"Are you enjoying the show, little one?" he grinned knowingly. The girl ducked her head and mumbled something about having to go.
"I asked you a question, little one," he said forcefully.
"It's… It's like a dance," the girl said at last, finally pulling her eyes away from the fierce competition. "It's beautiful and terrifying at the same time."
"That's the way a proper spar should be," Barbarossa nodded. "Were I a younger man, I would be in there with them, making it a three-way battle."
"His majesty has not yet joined the ranks of the older generation, talking of old battles and forgotten strategies," she said, observing his rock-hard abs and fighter's physique.
"You flatter me, little girl," the warrior king said teasingly. "I am at the point in my life where there are more glorious battles behind me than before."
"Surely with a bodyguard like Lattimore and a son like Adam, your days of needing to-"
"Careful girl. You're treading along the edge of a grave insult. Nylexons live for the fight. We train for it, we eat, sleep, and breathe the fight."
"I meant no disrespect, your majesty," she bowed low. Barbarossa caught her arm and smiled at her when she looked up in shock.
"I think I will like you as an addition to my household," the older man grinned at her. She looked at him, confused, and he let it drop, turning back to the fight. Tyr was still winning as befit a berserker. But he wasn't utterly dominating the fight as he had been before. He glanced over at his timid companion and noticed that she was once again moving to the edge of her seat. Smiling at how well his son was doing at seducing the little girl, he made plans to get her off this planet and into his court. Such a timid little thing in the Nylexon court would cause quite a stir.
"What are you doing here, slave?" The almost-glow surrounding Daivya went out instantly. She jumped up out of the seat and stood at attention, but didn't answer the question. "Get back to scrubbing the floors! No one gave you permission to-"
"Your daughter and I finished the floors an hour ago," Tyr stepped in when he saw that his woman was about to go and scrub the already sparkling floors without protest.
"Then she should have come to me for more chores. There are always more for a slave to do!"
"She's not a slave, she's your child!" Tyr growled angrily, letting some of his power loose. There was a marked increase in the fear of the room. The queen herself shuddered, but then tilted her chin defiantly.
"That is no child of mine! I would never birth such a pathetic specimen of Zarkonen."
"Her scent is-"
"It's okay, Tyr," Diva said softly. "Thank you for sticking up for me, but her majesty will never change her opinion of me. It's okay. I know who I am."
"You really don't," he growled, only then realizing that he was holding her shoulders while glaring at the queen. Her mouth was hanging open in shock, but then she recovered and regained the haughty look on her face as she walked away. Her people were starting to whisper though. What had he meant by that?
"You deserve better than this, Daivya," he said for only her ears.
"Diva," the woman said happily.
"Diva?"
"I-it's a nickname I came up with for myself. If I had friends, I would let them call me Diva." She looked down in embarrassment only to have him lift her chin. When she looked up, the tender expression on his face brought tears to her eyes.
"Thank you... Diva," he grinned at her roguishly. The girl blushed prettily.
"Ahem," Barbarossa smirked at the two. "I guess that's enough practice for today. Why don't you take your lady friend out for a tour of the gardens?"
"Of course, sire," Tyr said easily, grabbing her hand and leading her from the room. Diva came along willingly, excited to share anything with her new friend. He told her about the very different world he lived in, coming from Nylexia. The winters were long and harsh and the summers were hot and relentless. Cooling spells were one of their biggest imports from Good Bawain, a world steeped in magic. Diva listened attentively, even though she already knew these facts.
"I'm boring you," Tyr stopped abruptly.
"You're not, actually," Diva said happily. "It's always nice to hear about things from a different perspective. I don't have a lot of experience with people wanting to speak to me. It's nice…"
"I will always want to talk to you," the man told her solemnly. She smiled up at him and he thought it was possibly one of the most dazzling smiles he'd ever seen. It did funny things to his insides.
Seems that Tyr is making headway in his courtship! And what's this about Daivya being the queen's daughter? Please stay tuned to find out more! Review if you feel the urge ^_^
