Diamant

Chapter 22 - Confusion

Daimant rocked herself back and forth as she laid coiled up on the floor. She was missing Aaron. Although, she had been able to get him off her mind for a while now but she remembered him. She remembered how he had always helped her and she missed him. Yet her memory of him was always torn by the last time she had saw him.

The time he had tried to r**e her.

Maybe he could explain? Maybe he wasn't himself?

She tried to find excuses for him. She had to go to the meeting again. There was no message or anything suspicious going on. The Master was still quiet, still they had to train.

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"Left! You are so slow." DL said as the sword clashed against each other. "We don't have enough time for slow progress!"

Diamant had been presented with the news about the change of her trainer. With how angry the Dragon Lord was, she didn't know if she should be happy about it.

"Wait! I can't keep up!" Diamant shouted.

"Argh" she shouted again as the sword left a small cut on her skin.

What was wrong with all of them and hurting her?!

"You don't get your opponent to wait for you because you can't keep up. Find something against him, find a weakness or use even his own strength." DL said still wielding his sword at her.

He skillfully fell her to the ground and Diamant groaned in pain.

He heard her sobbing lightly. At first he wanted to ignore her but he couldn't anymore. He helped her stand up with her hands still on her face. She looked at him and he kept staring at her face.

Distracted, Diamant used that opportunity to catch him unawares. She raised her knife slowly to his throat. The knife that aided her with the death of the Major General. Her lucky knife.

He felt the cold blade on his throat and his smile turned sinister and cruel.

He had been fooled. He stared at his sword on the floor where he had placed it because he wanted to help Diamant up. What warrior drops his own weapon?!

His eyes burned in rage as he discovered that she had even unarmed him. Why didn't he feel her hands when she was doing so.

She smiled in victory, still holding the blade to his throat. "I would never had thought it would be this easy." She mocked.

With that, he skillfully took the blade from her. It all happened so quickly.

Diamant staggered to the floor and she laid there bleeding.

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DL paced around in his room. He had a lot of questions to ask himself. He didn't know who exactly was to be blamed for him been fooled by her. He did tell her to use anything she could to her advantage. Why then had her show of weakness been to his disadvantage?

He breathed heavily again.

A warrior knocked the door and was permitted to come in. Nana was requesting for his presence, it was a meeting for the ships construction.

DL hardly tried to keep his mind on the meeting. He was highly distracted. He thought of Goben, then thought of Diamant, then of the attacks, then of Alusa.

He was too distracted to notice the exorbitant amount needed. He left the meeting in the hands of Nana. He needed a break, he needed to rest.

After stabbing Diamant out of anger, he had left her there. Seeing that she didn't return, he had sent someone to get her. There was a room a small room linked to the DL's room where Diamant was now sleeping. Sunain had come to treat her but they all came in through a disguise.

DL stepped into the room lightly. When she had woken up some hours ago, she had been paranoid about where she was till he explained it all to her.

His eyes fell on Diamant and the dressed injury, regret showered on him.

He heard her whisper something in her sleep as she stirred. He first thought she was having a nightmare again but her face seemed peaceful.

When he leaned in closer, he hated what he heard. She was whispering Aaron's name in her sleep. For some reason that seemed to bother him.

He woke her up aggressively. Diamant jumped with a start. The pain relief herbs Sunain gave her were good but with how startled she was, the pain shoot into her head and she groaned in pain.

"Leave now!" He commanded, his voice sharp.

"You told me I could stay for the night!" Diamant said back. "I am injured and this is your fault. Where would you have me go? My house with Sunain is distance away, I would die before getting there in this state. It is dangerous out there." She looked around to see the candles all around her. " It is also dark out there, I can barely see." 

"Done now? Get out! I don't care whatever happens to you, just leave!" He commanded again.

Before Diamant could protest again, he lifted her off the bed. He dropped her at the door while he opened the lock. He pushed her out roughly and she fell to the floor. He slammed the door on her face.

Why was he so angry?

Diamant stood up quickly. It wasn't a good thing to be defeated and if one was, one shouldn't spend too much time on the ground. It is one thing to be defeated and another to linger in defeat. 

She started walking her way out of the palace when she bumped into someone.

"Here for him again?!" Clara said when she saw Diamant.

"I don't do cat fights over men. I do not downgrade myself." Diamant said distastefully.

Clara made a sound in her throat showing her displeasure.

"Stay away from him." She said.

"That isn't going to be so easy you know" Diamant said with the main purpose of annoying her. "and why should I listen to you? Wasn't the marriage called off? And oh, I heard you never really wanted the marriage but with the way you are reacting, I am starting to doubt that." Diamant said.

Clara was dumbfounded and couldn't find anything to support herself. Knowing she had defeated her, Diamant continued to go her way. It was till a long night ahead of her.

She didn't for once look back at Clara.

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Diamant had been walking all alone when she suddenly saw a torch. Her heart raced but she relaxed when she saw who it was.

"Roc!" She exclaimed, "You frightened me!" She ended with a little smile. 

"What are you doing here?" She asked.

"You are welcome!" He replied leaving her puzzled.

"Is there something that I am supposed to be grateful for?" 

"I would give up anything to get a chance to carry an injured Damsel in distress." He smiled playfully.

"You carried me to the Palace?!" She had half expected it to be DL but to know that he had left her there, she felt hurt?

Oh, she couldn't! It was Dragon Lord for goodness sake, he was the worst of all creatures!

"Of course! Who do you think?" But he didn't wait to get a response. "You are not seeing someone, are you?" He jumped to a totally unrelated topic.

His carefree attitude reminded Diamant of Aaron. She couldn't really say what they were but she didn't want to get entangled in Roc's affairs.

Roc was a person with a free personality and a boyish smile. He was handsome but not so built.

Well not like Aaron.

"Are you seeing anyone?" Roc asked again.

"Yes, I am." Diamant replied.

There was not a person in Black Mask who didn't know of Roc's flings. 

"Ouch! Who is this lucky man? Tell me his name so that I can get into this relationship and have you for myself." Roc asked jokingly.

Diamant frowned. It wasn't even really a relationship.

"My heart bleeds for Rina." She said that instead, she had to make him stop asking questions about her.

Just like everyone knew of Roc's flings, everyone also knew of Rina's love for Roc. She never really hid it anyway.

"She is confused." Roc stared distantly.

"Why not tell her you do not feel the same way? She is head over heals in love with you." Diamant said as they kept on walking.

"Believe me, I did. What she feels is not love, maybe a great attraction but not love. She is just confused. You could help me get rid of her." Roc asked.

"How?" Diamant wondered.

"Let me spend more time with you, use you as an excuse till she clears her head."

"I am seeing someone, Roc. I also do not fancy the idea of being used." Diamant fired.

"My bad, my damsel is angry. I didn't mean it like that at all, Diamant. I am only begging that you help me. Just do this for me as a friend. We will practice together and when I see her coming my way, I will stay with you instead. I do not perform greatly at explaining, do I?" He laughed.

Diamant could sense the tension from his voice.

"I really don't want to hurt Rina." He added sincerely.

"Maybe you love her." Diamant chipped in.

"I don't." He laughed.

"I will help you then." She agreed.

"I am greatly indebted to you." He said dramatically and they laughed.

They talked about other things then Diamant stopped as she had now gotten home. She asked the question she had asked the first time but didn't get a reply.

"What were you doing outside at the middle of the night? You didn't answer me when I asked earlier."

"Oh!" He remembered, "I am glad you asked, I had already forgotten. The DL sent me to fetch some flowers. He doesn't mind if the flowers won't look good, obviously those plants are already off to sleep. But he added something puzzling, he said that I should take my time." Roc furrowed his eyebrows. "He never says that." He whispered.

"Well thanks, Roc, for everything and go get the flowers before you forget again. You don't want to anger him.

They both laughed and shared their good night with a friendly smile.

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"Goben for goodness sake, will you stop inviting yourself into my study." DL said in anger. After what had happened, Goben's presence made him furious.

"Give me a chance to explain. Please, Dragon Lord, listen to what I have to say." Goben pleaded falling on his kneels.

DL retreated on his cause. If he heard him out then he wouldn't have to face this again.

"Speak." DL's dark voice said.

"On that day I only spoke out of anger and I wanted to protect you. I wanted you to see that you were just like everyone else and you also needed someone to watch your back for you. I didn't want you to have the same experience I had with Lily. You are my best friend, DL, you are like a brother to me. I know I crossed a line, please forgive me." Goben ended.

DL sat back in his chair and he forgave Goben. Although he questioned his authority, Goben was like a brother to him.

When it came to family, things were done differently.

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"There! All fixed up for you." Sunain said as she retreated to her table.

Goben stared at his reflection in the mirror that was hung on the wall. The dressing was good.

"Here, apply them to it. It will prevent it from leaving a scar." Sunain said handing him some bottles. She said something about needing more supplies as she went back. She started writing something on her book again.

Sunain had been straight with him and left no room for interaction. She didn't even look up at him. She didn't want what happened the last time to happen again.

DL had forgiven him and he was so happy but something affected him about how silent Sunain was.

He opened his mouth to call out her name but he couldn't bring himself to do it. She went to her box of bottles then went back to write something again.

She was writing the names of the supplies she needed. When he realized that his stay wouldn't help the silence, he left. The minute he stepped out, Sunain released a breath she didn't even know she was keeping. 

If he had stayed any longer then she would have been forced to speak to him and that was one thing she didn't want to do. 

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Goben kept walking away feeling dejected. He looked up in frustration then he breath heavily.

Why was he so affected? 

He looked up again out of instinct and there was a bird flying over him. He immediately looked at its legs and there was a message wrapped to it.

"Well look who came back from the land of the dead." He thought with a smile as he struck the bird down.