The different shades of blue complimented the princess's fair, radiant skin, accentuating the artistic curves of her body, like the velvety fabric of her dress itself, enjoyed the feel of skimming against her soft skin. Her long translucent drape, cascading down her back, adorned with countless green gem-like stones, grazed the trimmed grass lawn as her feet padded lightly over them.

The pride of empire looked no less than the colorful exotic flowers that bloomed in the imperial garden she decided to grace with her presence. Unlike other harem ladies, she was only accompanied by her maid and attendant, leave for the guards standing several feet apart near the corridors, savoring the tinkling sound of her trinkets.

Inara had decided to take a stroll along the south of the imperial palace because she needed a breath of fresh air and just because she had not shown her face to others for long. The same excuse of bad health was not going to work all time and she knew it.

The day was bright, cheery, and to anyone else, she'd have looked like the princess who finally decided to come out of her chambers to enjoy the weather. But Inara had something else running in her mind.

She crouched down to peer at the roses, full in their bloom. Like everybody else, she used to love roses. They used to remind her of the extravagant walls of the music hall, of the rouge that ladies apply to beautify their lips, and of the deep red ruby studded in her mother's ring. But now, it only reminded her of blood. Blood and devastation she witnessed before dying in her last life.

Thinking of blood, the awareness of her upcoming night training with the commander snapped her out from the daze. If she was going to learn fighting, she was surely going to bleed or bruise__ and any bruise or scar would create harmful suspicions for her.

She cupped a rose in her hand, dipping down her head to sniff it. From her position, she then turned her head slightly to peer at Alina, flashing a bright smile in the process. Alina had not uttered a proper word to her since their last quarrel and she had to soon pacify her before things went down between them.

Meanwhile, Alina trailed the princess's every movement silently, trying her best not to let the content appear on her face. It's been so long since Inara had acted like a normal princess. Perhaps her nagging did affect Inara and she finally decided to go out on strolls like old times.

Inara turned around her head and gave her a radiant smile. Alina couldn't help but glance at her kohl-lined eyes as the princess blinked excitedly at her. It's been so long since her friend had allowed applying kohl on her eyes, trying to play sick for days. It made her feel as if she was back in those good old days.

"For the love of God, the roses smell heavenly!" her friend sighed in a blissful expression.

"Hmm__" was Alina's response.

"Make sure to get a bouquet of those in my chamber, will you?"

"Hmm"

A rabbit hopped out of the bushes, straight towards the princess's feet. Alina remembered the empress brought a dozen of them from the foreign merchant for royal princes and princess's amusement.

Inara picked up the rabbit from its ear, bringing it into her arms and cooing at its small face. "Such soft fur," petting at the back of its head with her thumb, she planted a quick peck at the rabbit's head.

"Come, pet it, Alina. I'm sure you'll love it."

Alina frowned, if that's her way to make me talk then I'm not__

"Come, come," the princess prodded.

Resisting a huff, Alina slid closer, taking the rabbit from Inara's arms into her own. She let her hand stroke the soft white back of it softly. No surprise that Inara loves it, she has always loved soft things, Alina mused.

"Are you still upset?" Inara asked in a low voice.

"No,"

"Good. I want to ask you for a favor."

Alina's hand halted as she lifted an eyebrow in the princess's direction. If she's asking for another dangerous__

"Can you prepare or__ arrange cosmetics for me that can hide bruises and scars?" the princess's voice was laced with hesitation as she tried to come up with appropriate words.

Alina's eyebrows curled in a frown. "Why? Are you hurt somewhere?"

"No, but I will."

"Why you__

"Please don't ask, Alina. You won't like the answer."

The genuine gleam in her friend's eyes made Alina clamp her mouth shut off any further nagging. She should have very well given me the order. Why bother giving it a fancy name of favor?

After a bit of contemplation, Alina opened her mouth, "I do know to make a cosmetic salve that can hide scars like a second skin. I've learned it from the Turkish maid who used to work for a land lord's wife."

Relief washed over Inara's face, "Thank my stars that you have a certain interest in this sort of things. What would have I done without you?" the princess gave her hand a grateful squeeze.

Taking the rabbit away from Alina's arms, Inara placed it down on the tender grass, letting it loiter freely, again.

"Oh, and do stuff your essential herbal supplies inside my chambers as well because approaching royal kitchen or healers again and again can surely arise nasty suspicions for us." The princess made sure to keep her voice cautiously down as she uttered those words, smiling sweetly for the guards to think that they were having a private-to-ladies conversation.

It took everything inside Alina to not ask aloud the chain of questions erupting in her mind. But she was smart enough not to risk letting out her princess's plans in public.

Inara averted her eyes from Alina's face to the marble corridor that flanked the garden from three sides. From the distance, she could make out the figure of two men treading their way to the court hall. Her eyes hardened as they approached nearer, their silhouettes becoming clearer.

She would never mistake Kir for anyone else. The crown prince, her half-brother, and one of the persons she hated the most.

As if sensing her reluctance to meet him, he seemed to have decided to head straight in her direction. Inara stiffened, she'd had walked away from him if he wasn't the crown prince.

"Shahzadi," he said when he reached a feet's distance away from her, pinning her with his piercing gaze.

"Valiahd," She echoed with equal graveness. Her gaze slid to another man beside him. Danyal. Son of emperor's favorite concubine and also her half-brother. Both of them exchange an acknowledging nod.

She avoided looking into Kir's eyes. Those agate eyes they both shared. Those cruel sadist eyes. She could see all the sins in them, shallow and cold. She will never forget how those eyes danced in brutal amusement when he killed Alina with his own bare hands.

Bile raised the princess's throat.

The thick air between them made Kir's lips tug upwards in a smirk. "You look like a peacock, Inara." He crooned, hinting at her dress.

The princess fumed. They were of the same age and they'd never got along, not one moment since their childhood. So, offending him a little wouldn't harm her much.

"And you look like a snake." She was not entirely wrong as he looked no less than a cobra in his obsidian coat decorated with fine golden embroidery.

The crown prince snickered at her response, saying, "too bad snake's the predator here."

I'll see how much you laugh when I'll make you pay for what you did to Alina, Inara seethed in her mind.

Danyal cleared his throat behind them, "we'll be late for the meeting, Valiahd."

"They won't die waiting a minute or two more for me," Kir raised his tone, a bit. And then his stare slid to Alina in a serpentine grace.

Inara's instincts worked up and she stepped in front of Alina, acting as a shield for her. The crown prince's lips twitched at this action of hers.

"Don't worry, I'll keep my hands away from this one just because she's your special."

The mirth in his voice set the princess nerves on fire, but she chided herself to keep calm for the time being, although that didn't stop her from shooting glares at him.

Kir tipped his head back, laughing, and Inara immediately realized her face must be looking flushed from anger for him to get so much delighted. "So touchy, my sister."

"Let's go, our time for fun's over," he said to Danyal, who stood there like he never heard a word between them.

The princess observed prince Danyal keenly as he fell in step behind the crown prince, now on his way back to the court hall.

Danyal__

As far as I remember, in my past life, Danyal wasn't a bad person__ he wasn't good either. He just kept a low profile. I guess he isn't an ambitious one. And maybe__ he will come of use to me if I somehow convince him on my side. I can only hope___

And then there is Kir__ I can't let him get Alina this time. I have to protect her at all costs.

Inara turned to face her friend, "You avoid Valiahd at all cost, understand?"

Alina frowned slightly but nodded her head nevertheless, not doubting the princess's intent this time.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

By the time Inara reached the middle of the forest, the place where the commander told her to meet last night, she found him already standing there, leaning against a tree. With a sword strapped on his back, he had his muscular arms folded behind his head, eyes closed, the strands of his hair falling in front of his head.

He isn't possibly dozing off in that position, right?

He looked more handsome than the boy she had an infatuation within her early puberty days. The boy had grown into a fine and not to mention attractive young man, she noticed. But that wasn't her point of concern now.

"You're slow." He said, eyes still closed.

And the feelings of passion that surfaced up in her heart died down as fast as they emerged.

Argh, first Kir and then him__ men are totally insufferable.

"Thank you for pointing out, commander. The forest was absolutely a delightful place to venture across."

"Good point." The commander hummed, still not bothering to take a look at her.

She noticed an ax placed against the tree trunk. "Okay so, shall we start now?" she asked.

"Start what?"

Seriously?

"Start what you promised me, commander. Teach me what you know."

"I know many things." The commander drawled. "Sword fighting, archery, battling axes__"

"I want you to make me strong, commander. Do as you see fit." Inara tried to hide the irk in her tone, as she spoke calmly.

"Really?" he was still in the same position.

God help me! Inara was now on the verge of breaking out. "Yes really."

Finally, Ascian opened his eyes, pushing away from the tree lazily. "Let's see what are you capable of," he stated, unsheathing his sword from his back.

Inara cringed at the sharp screech of the metal as she stared at the commander pulling out the beautiful steel and flickering it in the air to warm up his wrists.

What is he going to do?

"Can you hold it?" he asked, sparing a glance at her.

"Of course." With the way he is playing with it, it doesn't seem like a heavy thing___

And then in the next moment, the sword was in the air, flinging towards her, which she somehow managed to catch in her hand. The golden handle of the sword was warm when Inara gripped it. His warmth__

"Raise it."

The princess realized the actual weight of the sword when she tried to drag it up in the air. Oh god___ the tendons in her delicate wrist started becoming visible because of the strain and she had to bring her another hand to draw the sword with all her might.

"Here," she hissed, gripping the sword all too tightly with her hands. It's even more exhausting to keep it up in the air.

Ascian cast an unappreciative glance at her hands. "You can put it down now."

Sighing a breath of relief, the princess handed over the sword to him, her fingers flexing in respite.

"So?" she asked, and Ascian didn't miss the hopeful twinkle in her eyes.

He let out a snort, "so__ we set up our training camp,"

Inara quirked up a brow, "and how are we going to do that?"

"You are going to do that," Ascian smirked, emphasizing the word you. He jerked his chin towards the ax that rested against the tree.

"What?" she opened and closed her mouth like a fish. Surely this is the least dense area in the entire forest and the bushes and trees aren't that thick but___ there's no way I can clear this area alone on my own when I can't even lift a sword.

"But__ you just saw how I held the sword, right? It will probably take forever for me to clear a training ground for us. I'm not even sure if I can pick up the ax."

Ascian cocked his head, "fortunately, my Shahzadi, we have all the time in the world. And I'm sure that you'll learn your way around slowly." He framed the task like it was an easy job.

He can't be serious! She frowned, gravely concerned for own self. "And what are you going to do?" she questioned, her lips trembling with her rising temper.

"Me?" Ascian's smirk grew deeper, "Nothing big. Just going to continue with my night practice, as usual."

Inara gave up, seeing no hope in debating her way out of this with him.

What a bullheaded man! She swore in her mind. "At least give me a demonstration of how it's done."

"Very well." The commander picked up the ax and faster than Inara could predict, he flung it with a swift flick of his hand, making it struck hard on the base of the tree trunk just beside her.

Her heart nearly leaped out of her throat by the impulsiveness of his action. He is definitely trying to scare me out___

She watched him padding close to her, only to pull out the ax free from the stump. The commander gave her a smug look before striking the tree once again in a harsh blow, the sound of which lingered for a good moment inside her ears.

It was then accompanied by another sound. The sound of the tree falling on the ground.

Inara gaped, not sure whether her jaw touched the earth in awe or remained tight shut in dread. There's no way I'm going to do this.

"Get to the work, Shahzadi. Laziness won't do any good to you." The princess swore she heard the commander chuckle at her baffled face.

"This is so unfair__" she started.

"This is your first lesson," Ascian finished.

Inara gulped the lump down her throat, I hope I'll survive out of this brutal task.

And so, praying to all the gods and ancestors she knew, royal princess Inara picked up the ax with a heavy heart.