Three Years Later
I stood before two towering, muscle-bound men and allowed a smirk to curve my lips. A crowd had gathered around us, forming a wide ring in the middle of the training grounds. The earth beneath my boots had dried to a fine layer of loose sand from the weeklong drought - an advantage I intended to use.
The men eyed me with disdain, their gazes sweeping up and down the length of my body. "You sure about this, princess?" Paolo, the bald one, chuckled as he ran a hand over his head, rolling his broad shoulders back in a display of confidence.
"Just scream if it gets too much," Marco, the other, taunted with a grin, his voice dripping with arrogance. The crowd let out a few faint chuckles, but most didn't share his amusement. Marco seemed oblivious, though, his eyes lingerin
