Frost Bite.

Chapter Eleven.

Blythe.

Prince Zane was the first to greet me as I moved to leave the throne room after the ceremony. He stood with his hands neatly folded behind his back, a faint smile plastered across his lips at the sight of me. My boots thudding against the marble echoed throughout the vast hallway "Congratulations, Commander" his words were followed by a loud bang as the Knights lining the room knelt down before me. My eyes roamed over them, taking in each Knight until all two hundred were counted. Their heads were bent and their eyes were locked onto the white flooring "These men, are weak-." I began, turning to address the Prince who was in charge of the Royal Armada. My eyes were emotionless while my hands balled into fists at my sides, my helm long since having been abandoned to the arms of a random Knight "Reckless" I finished, my mind going back to the day before when two Knights had recklessly jumped into battle to protect their Commander. It was stupid of them and ended up getting them killed in the process. Zane glanced towards the Knights "They are supposed to be the shield that guards the Capital" when his eyes turned back to me at my words, they were as bright as the skies to the South, blue as the ocean waters that can be found there and much deeper than the crevasses to the North "But their loyalty does not reside with the crown" my eyes flickered to a few of the Knights who moved at my words, jaws clenching and hands tightening around their spears. My voice had been loud enough for the entire hall to hear, including King Nixtoni, who went silent, eyes locked onto me from across the room. There was a long pause before I turned to address the Knights, my voice booming "I am your Commander!" Zane was watching me, a mixture of awe and amusement hidden in their blue depths, more than just a few shades lighter than mine "However if I ever stand to oppose the throne, I expect your swords to be aimed at my throat" they glanced at each other, eyebrows furrowed from me blatantly asking them to kill me if I was to defy the King. My gaze was locked with that of Nixon, his green eyes shining with pride and admiration as I continued "As your Commander, if I am to take part in an honorable trial by combat, you are not to interfere" they knew exactly what I was getting at, the dishonorable way their prior Commander had died. I would not die without honor by having them jump in to come to my aid. My eyes flickered from blue to black as they stared at Nixtoni "Do I make myself clear?" I demanded and they rose in unison, banging their spears against the marble as the words 'Yes, Commander!' rung out around us. My wolf and I were dominant, we ruled over them but we also knew that our life was in their king's hands. they were my warriors to command but I was his pawn to use which means that I could never dare to oppose him. I turned on my heels and stalked past Zane, my cape fluttering along with the sudden movement as the double doors were drawn open for me to leave. Zane followed, moving at my side with his hands clutched behind his back and a small smile touching his lips "You're too tense" he said from beside me. I shot him a look as we rounded a corner, heading down the hall and in the direction of the Courtyard where I was planning on having some modifications made to my armor to ensure that I had enough flexibility and speed to be able to preform like I usually would in combat "It is my job to be tense" I uttered, watching the suits of armor pass by as we moved along the halls. The paintings were oil based and framed in wood that was hand carved by various artists from across the continent of Myres "It is your job-." he stopped, turning to face me and placing emphasis on the word 'job' "To whip these men into suitable warriors, capable of defending the Capital" I too had stopped dead in my tracks, my head turned to the side to take in his features. He grinned, showing off his set of perfectly straight, white teeth as his eyes lit up with excitement "But today is a day of celebration" gold strands of blonde hair hung into his eyes, the sides cropped short but the top was left long, long enough for his blue eyes to stand out against their pale color. His skin was a trademark of the North, as white as mine but just as flawless as light hairs began to grown on his chin, neck and upper lip "So take a step back-." he moved towards me, one large step that forced me to move away from him until my back connected with the wall and he was stood directly in front of me. He placed one hand on the wall beside my head and leaned down so that his nose was almost touching mine "Take a deep breath-." for the second time in two days, I felt like he was going to kiss me, to touch me and my heart began to beat faster in my chest. My eyes searched his as I took a deep breath in through my nose and let it out through slightly parted lips but not because he had instructed me too, because in that moment I felt like I couldn't breathe "And stop taking things too seriously" at his words, he stepped back, his hands slipping down from the wall and falling to his side. I stood stunned, my hands clenched at my sides and my heart raging as I tried to get my breathing back under control. My eyes flickered like they had before when I kept looking at him "Why do your eyes change color?" he asked as if nothing had happened, his head slightly tilted to the side as he inspected them. My hands opened, placed palm down against the wall while I turned my head away, looking down at the floor, at my armored boots "My eyes are blue-." I muttered, my hands clawing at the wall, nails extending to lightly graze the stone. I could feel my eyes change color again, the irises becoming black as my wolf attempted to see through my eyes, looking up at him with interest and curiosity "And my wolf's are black" they faded back to blue and Zane's flickered from my one eye to the other before he nodded once. He glanced down the hall and motioned with his hand towards the end of it "Shall we?" we walked in silence for the rest of the trip to the Courtyard where men were hard at work managing the castle as they had been the day before. I breathed in then let it out in a puff of white spoke as snow flakes fell around us, coating the world in a fresh layer of white. I made for the armory but froze when I overheard two men having a conversation nearby "Did you hear? The new Commander is a woman" I had stopped just short of the armory doors and could see Aron's father hard at work inside through the crack in the door, beating metal and dunking it into oil to harden the steel. Zane paused behind me, his back barely brushing up against mine when he realized that I'd stopped "A woman? Bet she can't fight like that Edmir fellow could" Zane's eyes turned to the two men who had yet to notice us, his hears trained on the path their casual conversation would take "The people say she's soft on the eyes" the first man added as he loaded some hay, imported from the South onto a cart. The second man chuckled deeply, a throaty sound as he raised his hands to motion towards his chest, hands cupped as if gripping a set of breasts "So it's because she'd got fat in all the right places" the first man joined in the laughter. I was about to keep moving and refrain from wasting my time with those two when the first man spoke again, his words echoing in my ears "Hard to think that kind of body can hold in a fight" I moved to approach them, one foot crunching in the snow with my fists balled at my sides, claws digging into my palms at their sexist banter but Zane was the first to do something about it "Gentleman" he said, his words causing me to halt. The two looked up, their eyes growing wide at the sight of the second born Prince. One of the men dropped his hay while the other looked frantically between the two of us "As a man who honors a lady, I would like to give the Commander a chance to prove herself" I looked up at Zane with hard eyes, one quirked as I wondered what he was getting at. He smiled faintly down at me then turned to address a nearby Knight "Fetch me my sword" the Knight bowed then fled into the castle. I had no idea how to properly use a sword if he was intending for me to use it against one of them. I could barely shoot an arrow, preferring to use my claws instead of man made weapons "My Prince, we meant no ill words towards the lady-." the first man was cut off by Zane's raised hand, a hand that silenced the words around him. Everyone in the Courtyard had gone still from the commotion, their focus placed on us and the scene that was being made. The Knight returned with the sword, a sword that had a golden hilt and was double edged. The Knight knelt on one knee when presenting it to the Prince, who took it as if it was nothing more than an extension of himself. He examined the blade, polished to make it shine and twisted it this way then that. He turned to me, took a step back and aimed the tip of the weapon directly at my chest or more particularly, the soft spot at the nape of my neck "I, Prince Zaniel of the white bear of Myres, challange you, lady Blythe Redwood, Commander of the Royal guard to a duel" I had not been expecting him to challenge me, not been expecting him to press his blade to my chest. The two men stood shocked while a few other people gasped and the knelt Knight stiffened, his eyes filled with horror as he looked at me, memories from the day before most likely replaying in the back of his mind. It was clear to me that he had been there, that he had seen me give into my wolf and slaughter those men as if they were nothing but helpless prey. I didn't want to hurt Zane, I didn't want to loose control like that again but if pushed my wolf would take control and I would be left completely helpless to the situation but at the same time, I knew why he was challenging me. Prince Zane was one of the most skilled fighters in the Capital, if I could stand my ground against him, I could stand my ground against anyone and prove to the men that I was as good a fighter as any of them. My wolf stirred in the back of my mind, I could sense that she too was fond of Zane and would prefer not to hurt him if she could. My eyes roamed his features, from his playfully narrowed eyes to his grinning lips as my hand moved to push his blade to the side, away from my chest "I, Blythe Redwood, ninth Commander of the Royal Guard, accept your challenge"