Alexia
"Always keep one of these" Mariah took off the brooch revealing its thin metal tip, she took off the second one showing a thinner one "And one of these is also useful"
I looked at her in surprise.
"What?" She asked, looking me in the eye.
"I'm wondering how many things you went through before coming up with these ideas."
"Unimaginable things" she said with a smile on her lips "I've also learned a bit of fighting, fencing and target practice from Lorenzo in the six months we've been married"
I looked at Lorenzo at the base, he seemed to be concentrating on the final adjustments to the new armor.
"He loves you very much," I said, Mariah trusting Lorenzo enough to expose him and ask him something that I didn't have the courage to ask Estevan.
After all, women weren't made for war, that's what they said, yet my life was a constant battlefield and I was in the middle of it, it wasn't up to me to defend Olimper, that was bigger than me, bigger than Estevan and bigger than anyone else, I would be in front of Estevan.
"I've been learning like you, but in hiding," I grabbed his brooch, thinking it was a great idea. "In the afternoon, now we're an hour short of Estevan's return."
"You should tell him, I'm sure he wouldn't object."
"Wives aren't made for the battlefield and neither are princesses," I said, putting a smile on my face.
" That's your prejudice in the form of fear talking. You know you're different from any princess, your origins and everything you've achieved, all the damage you've done. Do you really think you can be compared?" She looked into my eyes, waiting for an answer.
"Kings would never accept it."
"And since when do you care what Soraya and Acácio say?" She asked incredulously with a laugh. "I love Soraya, but do you think she likes it when I'm around you? Or when I say I'm coming to see you? I don't need to hide anything Alexia, my transparency, my desires and actions frighten this age, but if power ensures that we can be a little freer, why not exploit that?"
Mariah's words hovered in my mind.
"Can I steal a bit from you, Mariah?" asked Estevan as he approached.
"Give it back before midnight," she said ironically, and Estevan laughed.
I stood up and walked towards her, Estevan turned and started walking towards the tent, he opened it for me to enter.
"What's going on?" I asked as I entered the tent, Estevan walked to the center where there was a black cape, he pulled it off revealing a female mannequin where the clothes were made of dragon hide.
My smile crumbled at the sight of it, completely petrified in my seat and unable to take my eyes off it, I didn't know what to say.
"I know it's not what you wanted, but I think you should wear it too, you're the one who's going to be most exposed to fire when you're dealing with a dragon," he said, moving to a corner and throwing the cloak off anyway. "The clothes were very well thought out and couldn't be skirts or dresses, although they're made for a female body, the ideal would be pants for movement and so as not to run any risks."
I looked at Estevan and shook my head.
"Alexia"
"I'm not wearing that, you've gone mad!" I turned my back on him, walked out with firm steps and walked towards the castle, leaving the tents.
I crossed the corridors and feeling too weak, I slipped over the wall, a guard came towards me and held me.
"I'm fine," I lied.
"Let her go," said Soraya as she approached, and I fell forward with my hands.
"Soraya, if you've come to try and annoy me, you're too late, so just let me go" I said.
"I can't, you're my daughter-in-law" She held up her hand, I looked at her uncomprehendingly "I accepted my hand, I haven't got all day! The tea will get cold"
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Charlotte
It was still very early, yet I was already up.
My head was spinning, no matter how much water I drank I was still unwell, but at seven o'clock at the latest, medicine and pills I didn't know about were brought in by a maid.
"What's that?" I asked her.
"Medicine for your hangover."
"I won't take anything sent by King Octavian" I said, pushing the tray away angrily "Send it back!"
I threw the tray on the floor and watched her pick up the pills in silence, automatically the memory of Alexia came to mind like a punch in the stomach.
I was tempted to hurt her like I did Alexia, but instead I just wanted her to disappear from my sight.
"Get out" I said.
"The medicine"
"I said get out!" I shouted and she took off at a fast pace.
Octavian's countenance was everything I didn't want to see in the morning, the maid bowed to him and walked away, I looked at the window where I was sitting, at George's dragon.
"If you don't take your medicine, you'll keep getting sick"
"I don't want anything from you, I'm going back to Torrem"
"Is that what you want?" I heard his footsteps and felt his presence close to me, as well as the smell of his perfume.
I turned to him and he put the medicine in my mouth. I looked at him angrily, but took the glass of water from his hand.
"George has gone"
"He hasn't, his dragon is still out there" said Octavian, breaking my argument "You know he hasn't gone"
I stared at him seriously and he sat down in front of me on the edge of the window where the cushions were, the light reflecting off his face and the strange desire to get closer.
"He must be in the courtyard, will you apologize for having fun with me?" Octavian's eyes seemed to sparkle, as did the smile on his face.
"Don't make fun of the situation, he knows what we did yesterday."
"Sex?" Otavio raised an eyebrow.
I looked ahead at the dragon.
"I want him" I pointed with my head, clear and objective "Alexia got a dragon, I can't stand feeling inferior to her!"
The words came out with weight, it was as if my shoulders were lighter now.
"I've met her and I share the same anger as you," he said.
"Impossible!" I said firmly and looked him in the eye "I want to kill her as much as I want to avenge my parents, she's lived too long, she's used my name too much, she can't become the queen!"
I looked out again.
"George's dragon is bigger and he almost died last time, but only because he had already fought and been injured by Prince Estevan's water dragon, but now they only have one dragon and it's smaller than George's, I'm sure I'll kill her this time."
"Are you going to kill her or her husband?" Otávio asked, "You've told me a lot of things, but do you have the courage to do them?"
I knew that what he meant was that I had to take what belonged to my husband, but the night before I had feared that George would do something or that he would turn against me and what if his anger was so great that he killed me? He still had a dragon, I needed his strength.
"I told you, Octavian, I want George's dragon, I don't care if I have to use dark magic to get it!"
"Are you willing to do anything for revenge and power?"
I could feel my blood rushing through my veins, my heart was pounding, it was all I wanted, what drove me on.
"I'm willing!"
"Even if it costs your husband's life?" His question took me by surprise, my heart raced and hundreds of memories came to mind.
I shook my head yes and felt the touch of his hand on mine.
"Trust me, Charlotte, and we'll take over the world."
He raised his hand, it felt like I was about to make a pact with the devil himself, but there was a strange firmness and tranquillity in the way he spoke that made me sure that we had achieved everything, I wasn't sure of much just that Otávio and I wanted the same thing and were willing to do anything to get what we wanted.