The Spada otherwise known as the standing army were the special forces that were used to the imperial throne specifically. Known for their intricate and vast connections all over the empire, the Spada was one of the most important reasons behind the previous emperors' victories over internal and external conflicts. Therefore, they prove themselves to be a great asset to the emperor. But for some unknown reasons, their bond with the imperial throne was broken and the Spada later became a network of independent mercenaries of their own.

Even though they didn't play an important role in the empire's devastating turn of events in Inara's last life, she had planned to take advantage of them this time. Now, as famous as the Spada were, for their satisfying services, it seemed that they liked to play mysterious for people didn't know much about their way of working.

So, there was the princess, disguised as a female slave, trying to gather some information in a local tavern.

"You want to join Spada, hmm?"

She took in the face of the owner of that charming voice as the man pushed away from the wall, taking slow, leisured steps towards them. The dim light from the lantern fell upon his slick, midnight hair that reached up to his square, clean shaved jawline, revealing his attractively carved features. His dark eyes lined with kohl complimented the golden hue of his skin, adding a cruel aspect to him.

He was tall, his legs so long that he'd almost reach up to Aydin's height. He hadn't clad in the usual civilian style; leather gloves, a fancy jacket, perfectly tailored pants that flaunted his fine legs__ no, he wasn't a commoner. And perhaps someone she should stay away from.

Inara's senses rang an alert inside her mind. A wise person should know when to retreat. She squeezed Aydin's shoulder hard in a warning. But before Aydin could get up from his place, the man slid a chair and took a seat beside him, placing his hand on the table. Every action of his was smooth as that of a professional magician.

"Hey Kais, you alone today?" someone asked.

Oh! He seems like he is well known around here.

With a lazy grin, he propped the side of his head on his fist and replied, "am I alone not enough?" while his eyes scrutinized Aydin and Inara with interest.

The men around the table barked laughter. Meanwhile, Kais slid three gold coins on the table. "Let me pay for you, visitor." He crooned to Aydin but she was sure his eyes skimmed through her for a moment. Inara subconsciously checked whether her mask was placed properly.

Aydin stared back at Kais, making sure not to express an ounce of gratitude from his lips. Nothing comes free in this world, Inara remembered one of her maid's words.

Dipping her head, she whispered into Aydin's ears, "I think we're done here. Let's go."

To her relief, her bodyguard alias her master heeded her words. He finished washing his hands, getting ready to get up, when Kais placed a hand at his shoulder.

"What's the rush, brother?"

Brushing off Kais' hand off his shoulder, Aydin growled, "I'm done here."

"Why do you want to join Spada?" Kais asked with a smirk playing on his lips.

"I don't need to tell you that."

"Don't be rude man," someone yelled from beside.

Inara realized that she shouldn't barge into their conversation. At this moment, she should avoid drawing any attention to her. So, she hid a bit behind Aydin's large frame.

"Do you think you can get recruited?" Kais asked with a challenging smirk this time.

"Yes!" Aydin seemed like he was in no mood to back away which put Inara's nerves on edge.

No__he's trying to provoke Aydin for some reason.

"And what makes you so confident?"

Just as Inara tried to stop Aydin from spouting nonsense, a loud crash resonated inside the tavern. Everyone's head turned towards two men who started brawling and cursing vulgar words.

An opening.

Inara gripped Aydin's sturdy arm, attempting to drag him away. The bodyguard let himself dragged by his master, shielding her back with his free hand. Meanwhile, the entire tavern burst into brash noises providing a good escape for them.

Another clash of breaking glass bottles resonated, making everyone else hurry away from their places.

Great! Let's get out of here as fa__

And amidst the chaos, she felt a man slipping something through her silver waistband.

Who dares__

"Give it to your master." A man whispered in her ear.

No, not any man. It's him!! That suspicious man, Kais!!

She turned her head abruptly to look for him, but she found him already making his way towards the center of the brawl.

"Malika?" Aydin inquired, pushing away the crowd to make way for her.

"Uh, yes?" she looked at him in a daze, "yes, yes_let's get out of here."

He was__ she peeked at Kais' direction once again.__fast!!

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

"You're not going to say anything?" the princess asked, peering at him while he wrapped a strip of red linen around her palm.

"Do I get to ask any question?" Ascian spoke, not bothering to look up at her with their proximity.

"No, you don't," came a half-hearted reply from her.

That's right. He shouldn't poke into her business and stay within his damn limits.

"Why are you tying that around my palms, anyway?" she asked fluttering her other palm that was now covered red with linen.

"This_" he tied a knot, making sure it wasn't tight enough to stifle her palm, "__is to prevent bruises and injuries."

"Oh,"

He felt her eyes staring intently at him and it took every bit of him to restrain himself gazing back at those beautiful agate orbs.

After a moment of awkward silence, the princess spoke, "I like you, Commander."

He was not sure if he heard her right, but his chest tightened at her words, hot blood gushing in his veins. It felt like one of his wildest fantasies he never knew existed before, came true and he couldn't do anything about it. He couldn't let go of her hands that were now in his grasp, couldn't stop himself from wanting more.

"I like you." She continued in a small voice. "I know that you act tough and strict to maintain your influence and that intimidating position you worked so hard to obtain, but I also know that you care. You're a kind and caring man despite what others think of you."

And his heart, that damned sinful heart of his was beating so hard__ The distress in his thoughts__for what? As much as it killed to admit him, he couldn't deny that he was anticipating something else. But she just understood him, understood his pressure and tensions, and maybe she pitied him for it?

A strange sense of relief and disappointment washed over him. She withdrew her hands off his grasp, leaving him cold and isolated. She must have felt uncomfortable that I held her hand for so long, he thought.

"I just want you to know that I get you. As strange as it sounds, but trust me that I understand you very well. I know everything you said at the barracks was out of concern and I'm sorry for always putting you in such difficult positions and making you risk so much for my selfish cause. I hope that I'll be able to repay you someday."

Ascian never knew that he needed to hear those words until she spoke them. He was sorry too, repentant that he never treated her like a princess but he couldn't bring him to say that, like the pathetic coward he was. He didn't even mind doing these things for her. He somewhat looks forwards to it every night. But he couldn't utter that out loud too__

Moreover, why was she being so nostalgic? Did his little act of caring to touch her that much? It's almost as if__ as if she had never experienced kindness before. No, what was he even thinking! She is the princess of the empire, and God knows she is well known by everyone.

He knew that his concern for her wasn't just a concern he'd have for someone he simply trains__ it was something else, something he didn't want to name. And whatever this feeling was__ this feeling that he's developing for her won't end up doing any good to neither him nor her.

It'd be wise to detach himself from her. He suddenly wished that she'd finish her training soon but it was wishful thinking given her painfully slow progress. To be honest, she was nowhere near progress. But he can't blame and can't go hard on her either.

She was so delicate. Heck! He had slept with a few girls before but had never touched someone as delicate as her. If anything, he found it admirable that she still keeps trying. It's like something always drove her to go beyond her limits.

"I hope we can be friends." Her voice broke his train of thoughts and when he looked up, he found her two feet apart from him, stretching out her legs as he'd taught her. Did he space out for long?

"What do you say?" she asked, humming some unknown tone.

"We can't," he got up from his knees and walked up to the place where he'd kept the supplies.

"Why not?" her sweet voice struck his ears like a taunt.

Friends? Any kind of relationship with her would be dangerous let alone friends. Being friends with her would be a bigger risk than sneaking up every night to train her.

"You are my disciple and I'm your teacher. That's why." He reasoned.

"You can drop that mature act around me, commander. You are like__ just five years older than me."

Ascian looked away, chuckling. So, she knows his age__

"Catch this," he spoke, throwing a bow at her. Although it was another thing that she failed to catch it.

The princess picked up the bow from the ground. "A bow? I thought you will teach me how to wield a sword."

He brushed his hair back. "No doubt a sword is an effective and deadly weapon, but so are the others. Every weapon is powerful only if you know how to use them in a precise way. However, __" he ran his gaze over her, "__, not all weapons are made for everyone."

"Of course, you can practice hard and become an expert in wielding them, but some will compliment your body like no other weapon. And I think that bows and arrows will suit you better than swords."

"Really?" The princess quirked up a brow and stared at the bow with hesitation.

"Yes."

"But where is the target? Don't we use some circular plank to practice?"

"You'll learn how to hold it properly for the beginning."

"I see_" her voice trailed as she took her time to feel the bow under her fingertips. "By the way__"

"Hmm?"

"Can we call each other by name? It's uncomfortable to use honorifics every time."

"No way!" his voice came out louder than expected. The commander was taken aback by her sudden proposal. This girl I swear__

"You can keep calling me Shahzadi if you want, "she shrugged, "__But I'm calling you by name from now on."

If he'd be honest with himself, he would actually like to hear how his name would sound from her lips but__

"Is that alright, Ascian?"

And when he finally heard it, he felt the breath knocked out of his chest. Ascian swore he had never liked his name more than he did at the moment.

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

Inara twisted between her sheets, stretching her body like a lazy cat. With her long hair spread all over the pillows, she remembered that they'd probably grown up to her waist. She took a handful of her hair strands and inhaled the alluring scent of the jasmine oil that Alina put on them before sleep. Ah, she'd need a haircut sooner or later, because these long hairs would get in the way of her future endeavors.

She had thought she'd be asleep as soon as hit the bed after such a long, tiring day, but here she was, awoke at the midnight and planning a haircut. Although she was sure that she'd wake up late the next morning when everyone else would be already on their way to their work.

That won't be a new thing. Tossing and turning at nights and struggling for a wink of sleep at days had become a habit of her. Even the others at the palace had come to know of her unusual routine. It was just that she couldn't fight the chain of thoughts that kept evading her sleep every night and even if she got some of it, the weird and horrifying nightmares won't let her doze off in peace.

She didn't need to turn around to look if Aydin was sitting by the window. This was also one of the new habits she had got accustomed to these days. But they never talked during these nights. She'd just lay silent, with her back facing him while he'd just sit by the window, guarding her to his heart's content.

Inara thought about all the things she had done and everything she had changed after she had found herself reborn inside her hammam. She mused about the things she had done until now and about the things she would be doing after this night.

Her goal seems near to impossible if she'd analyze it from her current situation. She was practically alone except for Aydin by her side. No one else actually believed her, not even Alina. Would she be able to execute her plan at this rate? What if she just sat by idly as she did in her past life? Would the things have changed or would they have remained the same?

She recollected the secret she had eavesdropped in the library yesterday. Kir's bodyguard had disclosed that he's been betraying their father for a long. Did he betray the emperor in her last life too? Moreover, she found it difficult to believe that her father who was well known for his cunning and shrewd mind got betrayed by his son. How many more secrets were yet to be revealed? There were so many insecurities to scare her away from her path, so many flaws to hinder her growth.

But, at the end of the day, she was proud that she was not as helpless as she was before. She was glad that she'd got to see the world she had never seen before, got to meet people she had never known before. And even if it's just a single boy, she now had someone who'd be by her side and protect at every cost.

With a serene smile on her lips, the princess pulled her blanket closer to her chest, pledging to herself that she'd build an army and raise hell in the life of every single person who had caused agony in her and her loved one's life.

A/N- Okay! I'm up with another question. What is your fav couple trope?

a) Dominating male x shy/timid female aka bad boy x good girl
b) Dominating female x shy/ blushing male
c) Dominating male x dominating female aka power couple
d) serious, cold male x chirpy, bright female
e) cold female x smooth, flirty male
Or you can tell about your fav couple combo that's not mentioned above.