Nic & Elke

Zoraida // Zori


‘The only good thing about this tournament is seeing those idiots die a gruesome death during a game they can not win, simply because they think they have a shot with me.’ Although she was well aware by the prying eyes of her parents that they didn’t approve of her tone or the words she used, Zori wasn’t one to care for their dismissal. They knew she had no desire of ever becoming a wife - let alone a mother - and they forced her to anyway. They would have to live with a few so-called rude comments. If they didn’t it certainly wasn’t her fault, she wasn’t going to stop if they kept staring at her like that. They could voice their displeasure or shut up about it. Zori wasn’t even sure which one she preferred, after all, having an argument with her parents would certainly speed up the day.
Both her parents, her three younger sisters and Zori were sitting on a dais created specifically for them. They were overlooking the area where everybody, although of course only men, could sign up to compete in the tournament. She truly didn’t understand their desire to die. And for what? A chance to win her hand in marriage and eventually become king of this country? They could have it. Just like she wasn’t interested in becoming a wife or mother, she didn’t care much for being queen either. Not if she had to be married to do so. A queen on her own, that had potential. Her enemies would simply fall to their feet at her beauty and her army would be there to pick them off one by one. A married queen, on the other hand, had no power. She would merely exist to be beautiful - which, granted, she already was - have children and throw parties. She didn’t want that life and had managed to avoid it so far, because long ago she had made a pact with her father that said she could decide who to marry. Until her twenty-fifth birthday, if she hadn’t picked a suitor by then, there would be a tournament to figure out who was capable of making her his wife. She truly hadn’t thought her father would go through with such bullshit and thus never picked a husband, always convinced her father would eventually settle for letting her be queen on her own. Needless to say, he never did.
With a disdain look on her face, her eyes trailed over all the men. They had come from all over the country, some even from countries she barely knew had eligible men, but her father had said everybody could compete. From princes to soldiers to farmers. As long as the guy was capable of showing up today and writing down his name on a piece of paper, declaring he wanted to compete and wouldn’t sue the royals after possibly losing limbs, he could.
‘I am going to take a stroll down there, see if I can scare the living crap out of some of them and relieve them from the pressure of entering.’ She got up, the red ruffles of her dress going everywhere, before she walked off the dais and entered the crowd down there. The second people noticed her, they scattered. Well, all except the maiden and a guard that appeared at her side, they were supposed to remain wherever she went. How great it was to be a princess.

Alistair 'Iron Fists' Camden

They had heard the news of the tournament as soon as they had set foot on the shores of a well hidden and yet well known island. Such magnificent news of course managed to spread far and wide. They had not really cared in the beginning. Yes, they were excellent fighters and had overthrown many ships. However, to compete in a tournament to become a king? To rule a country? It did not sound amazing, it sounded like a loss of well earned freedom. This all changed during a drunken night with some whores and loads of wine and rum. A smirk trailed his face, he remembered it well. Eldrin had forced his attention away from the soft thighs of the lady on his lap when he started laughing like an idiot. When his captain had asked why this idiot wanted his attention Eldrin laughed again. 'You need to compete Alistair,' he said with a grin, 'compete and wreck that whole kingdom. They won't ever bother us again.' Alistair had shook his head, Eldrin must've drunken too much than was good for him.
Yet, here he was. The idea had stayed in his head. Destroying a kingdom... It sounded far too alluring. He was a greedy man and this was something that could satisfy his need for gold, a woman in his bed and the freedom to thereafter rule the seas. What could possibly go wrong?
Even if things went south, he was not alone. Eldrin and two others had joined him in this tournament. Not that they really played to win, but it was fun to destroy others nonetheless. After all, if they couldn't win no one else deserved to win. He tapped the hilt of his sword, one of his visible weapons. The once against him were certain of death, even if they didn't know that yet. He had killed many already and would kill again without hesitation.
Alistair's eyes glanced at the gathered men and eventually lingered on the princess. The look on her face made him chuckle. She was obviously very happy to be her, looking down at all the men who came to fight for her hand. Or rather for a chance to be a king and bed her. He looked away from her only because it finally was his turn to write his name and so he did. Officially entering this bloody tournament so he could fuck her and the whole kingdom all at once. What an idiot this king must be to let everyone enter. A desperate idiot, but an idiot nonetheless.
With a frown Alistair saw the crowd parting and he quickly found the source of this idiocy. The little princess had come down to glower at the participants. As if that little girl could even do something on her own that wasn't being pretty and grumpy. He sniggered and elbowed Eldrin. 'If she ain't a feisty one in bed, I don't even want her.' He tapped the hilt of his sword and looked again at the trophy of this game.

There were many men - idiots and assholes, really - walking around and almost all of them parted ways when they noticed her coming. If they didn’t, her guards would take care of them and it quickly went south. One of the men didn’t move quick enough, her guards knocked him down and went to get rid of them, but Zori took the opportunity to get rid of her guards and blend into the crowd. As best as she could with a giant red dress swirling around her and a crown on her head.
‘Are you not scared, m’lady?’ Her maiden was far harder to lose in the crowd than any of the guards assigned to protect her. The woman was about Zori’s age and they’d been together for quite some years now, which meant Mary knew exactly how Zori would try to get rid of her and she would make sure Zori failed. After a while she’d given up trying to get rid of her and had accepted the fact that she was always by her side.
‘Of course not,’ although Mary had been quiet, making sure others couldn’t hear her, Zori did no such thing. ‘There is nothing and nobody here to be afraid of, so why would I be?’
‘But… there are so many men here, what if?’
‘What if they what?’ Zori might like Mary to a certain point, but she was still a tease and wanted Mary to say what it was she had to say.
‘Well, what if they try to defile you?’ As much not ladylike as it was to laugh in public, Zori couldn’t help herself. She threw back her head and laughed at the ridiculous notion Mary made.
‘Mary, dear, none of them will defile me and even if they try, they will not succeed.’ The questioning look on Mary’s face prompted her to continue her explanation. ‘Look around, there are many men here to compete in the tournament. There are two reasons to do that: they want to become king or they want to have me as their wife. Although probably both. All of them will want to fuck me and do you honestly think they want damaged goods? If one tries to come for me now, there are plenty of others that will prevent him from doing so, mainly because they want to be the one to take my virginity.’ Mary became whiter with every passing second, the blood slowly leaving her face. It was unheard of for a princess to talk this way in public, words like fuck and virginity didn’t seem that bad, but a princess wasn’t supposed to say them. Well that sucked. It was also going to be a nice surprise for whoever won that she wasn’t a virgin anymore, but right now, she couldn’t tell that to anybody. That was a fight for her husband and herself on their wedding night. If her husband survived long enough, she wasn’t opposed to poisoning him and getting rid of his body if that meant she became queen.
‘You see, there is nothing to be worried about.’ She placed her hand on Mary’s shoulder and squeezed a bit, before turning around and walking through the contestants.
Her gaze lingered on some of them, but none were able to shift her facial expression to anything but dismissal. Most of them were ugly, dirty or old. Her gaze stopped on one of them and she cocked her head to look a bit better. She let her eyes trail over his entire body, gave him a slightly mocking smile and continued her path. She wondered if any of them had the good sense to talk to her, it would certainly add to what she thought of them, considering she didn’t like all those cowards who looked away when they felt her burning eyes on them.

After they had signed up, they had decided to walk around for a little bit. Look at the competition, spot their flaws and weaknesses. There were many, as was to be expected. If everybody could sign up, it meant that almost everybody signed up. Men who probably never held a sword in their lives thought they could stand a chance, hoped for it. Perhaps winning their first fight gave them some glory, who would know? More importantly, who would care? Alistair followed his men while he looked at the crowd. Most of them stepped away if he wanted to pass, clearly scared. He couldn't deny that he looked positively unhappy and that made him look a lot more scarier than really was. Not that someone would ever say this was a soft and warm man, with a kind heart and a bright soul. No, not at all. He cared about gold, freedom and his ship. Sometimes about his crew, if they listened, and sometimes he didn't. It wouldn't be the first time he would throw someone overboard. The other could hoist him back up. Most of the times it would be forgotten by the time they reached land and could laugh about it. Sometimes it was better to part ways.
Right now there was nobody for Alistair to throw overboard since he was very obviously not on his ship. There were however many men Alistair would've loved to throw over and not save at all. Annoying once, staring at him in fear or anger. He stared back, his glance full of danger. He held himself back in. He wasn't scared of looks, eyes never hurt anybody.
'Come on now! Cheer up a bit! You get to kill!' Eldrin laughed and so did Roland at his side. 'I'm not sure if killing a few of these will be enough for our captain, I think he rather killed them all.' The pair roared with laughter as they walked along. Earning a little smirk from their captain. They weren't wrong. He very much would love to kill all these idiots and fuck the princess here as well. He didn't mind bodies or blood. Her sisters, mother and their maidens he would leave his men. He was curious who would be the one to say he fucked the queen first. Eldrin, Roland or Cyran? Or would they rather go for the sisters. They could have one each, that sounded like a solid plan. All of them a princess to fuck till their balls where empty.
Alistair had a grin on his face, foul thoughts always made him smile. His eyes scanned the crowd again and found another pair. This time the eyes belonged not to any of those nasty men, but to a woman. With a soft skin and light hair. Her red dress moving around her, complimenting the best parts of her body while hiding them at the same time. He didn't look away, kept her gaze while she looked at him and smiled. She was a cheeky one, looking at him and smiling. Alistair liked what he saw, he liked her attitude even more. Yes, he was very much willing to fight for this. He took a few steps towards the princess, ignoring Roland and Eldrin yet he noticed Cyran was at his side. He was curious how daring she would be if he stood right before her.

The first few males she tried to seek out by smiling at them didn’t take the bait, but after a while she found one that was willing to play the game with her. At first she wasn’t sure if he actually smiled at her or thought to see booze behind her - it was a common mistake, she wasn’t that great at figuring out what those commoners thought about and honestly, more times than not she was wrong and they rather went for booze than anything else - but he walked up to her and stopped right in front of her. Well, hello.
Once more she let her eyes gaze over them. She wouldn’t call him handsome, but there was a certain ruggedness about him that was certainly attractive. His height worked in his favor too, but for her interest and on the battlefield. In order to look him in the eyes from this close, she had to look up at him. She was used to having to look up a bit, but he was taller than most of the males who surrounded her. Some of the guards were even smaller than she was, which she still thought ridiculous. Most women however were around her length or also smaller, but then again, it was common for women to have to look up to men. In a physical sense, Zori still didn’t agree with having to look up at them because men were supposedly above women in every way of society. They weren’t and she gladly told them so every chance she got.
‘Oh, look, another criminal who believes to have a shot at the kingdom and me, how cute.’ To be fair she still didn’t know what was more interesting for everybody to compete; the kingdom or her. For most of the commoners probably the kingdom, she was a nice bonus and surely they had eyes in their head to see that, but money, food and an army was probably more interesting. For those that already had everything they wanted, like Duke’s or knights, she guessed they entered mainly because of her. She knew very well she was a beautiful woman - or girl, because that’s what everybody kept calling her, even though she was turning twenty-five today - and the looks most of those men gave her, told her enough what they thought about her attractiveness.
For a moment Zori got distracted by the guy standing beside the one she just talked to. She wasn’t sure who he was, but they clearly belonged together.
‘And you brought a bodyguard? That’s so smart, but I hate to break it to you, you’ll really have to enter alone.’ She chuckled once more, smiling mockingly at him. It was a shame she had to look up so far, she wanted to both physically and figuratively look down on him. He looked like he had a good chance of winning this thing, but she was never going to say that to his face. Then again, he wasn’t the only tall, muscled guy out there that happened to have a lot of scars on his body. There would be somebody out there that could help her get rid of most of the criminals.

Why his feet carried him towards the princess, he couldn't tell but they did. Not long after he stood before her, looking down at the fine specimen before him. His eyes flickered towards her maiden and after that back to her. They were both very fine looking specimen and he grinned a bit. He liked looking at women, most of them were beautiful. Or they weren't beautiful in the face both they had a good set of tits and a nice ass. He wasn't that picky when he was on his ship. He took what he could get, he was lucky enough most of the hookers seemed to like to look at him more than at others. That way he could chose who to fuck first and who to leave for the rest.
'You don't like the idea of getting fucked by a criminal? How disappointing, you look like someone who is in dire need for a good fucking session,' his wicked smile told it all, he was not going to hold back for some little princess. He enjoyed shocking people and he did not care who they were or what they did in life. The little gasp from her maiden and the snicker from Cyran told him enough, he had aimed well.
The tone of her voice made him smile, she had clearly come down to play with the people and he liked that idea. She was not afraid, stupid because she should be, but it was also nice to see a woman trying to stand up against him. Not directly crawling at his feet, like he was used to. Eventually they would all crawl.. Crawl and beg, because that was what they were made for. Were they even good for anything else besides fucking, cooking and well.. yeah... That was it? He smiled at her words and looked over his shoulder towards Cyran.
'A bodyguard?' A roaring laugh sounded and he looked at her, laughing again. 'A bodyguard?!' He repeated laughing. 'If anyone needed a bodyguard out of the two of us it is this scrawny guy.' Cyran rolled his eyes at his captain but smiled towards the two ladies. Calling him scrawny was not something people would usually do, but perhaps next to Alistair he was of a somewhat finer built. Alistair snickered again. 'I'm gonna remember this one Cyran, she's hilarious.'
After that he looked at the princess again, still chuckling sometimes. 'So you're a princess and a jokester? What else can you do? You must have amazing talents if all those men are here?' He grinned at her, bearing his teeth. Perhaps she could do more amazing things with that mouth of hers, he would like to try it out. He would like to try out a lot of things with her, he almost couldn't wait. He was not a very patient man and this tournament was working on his nerves. He wanted to battle and he wanted to win. He wanted the others to fear him. He wanted this little girl to regret her cheekiness towards him and beg for his forgiveness.

What an arrogant jerk. He already managed to anger her by the way he was looking at her, how he was definitely judging every single part of her body - although he clearly liked what he saw - and then even had the guts to look at her maiden as well. Messing with her was one thing, Zori was more than capable of handling herself against assholes, but he wasn’t allowed to direct his attention to Mary. The woman was brave, but not brave enough to stand up to a guy like him, especially considering Mary didn’t have an entire army to protect her when push came to shove. And then the way he talked to her. So inappropriate. If he wanted to play with her, he could, but she wasn’t backing down just because he was a giant.
’Let me guess, you think you would be perfect to fuck me? How predictable, men always thinking with their dicks. You do realize that is going to get you killed?’ She kept on smiling at him. ‘And if it doesn’t, I’m not opposed to helping fate move along a bit.’ Her father thought he was in charge of the tournament, but truly, she was. If there were competitors she didn’t want anymore, she had no problem getting rid of them. When they signed, they agreed to a certain set of rules and one of them included they couldn’t kill their opponents outside of the tournament challenges. She would just have to fake they didn’t uphold that rule and she’d get rid of them. Almost too easy.
She waited patiently until he was done laughing. Zori had no idea what was so special the guy had to laugh this hard at a joke which was even more of a sneer, but he seemed to be easily enjoyed. Guess that was a trait more criminals had in common. Usually they were drunk before they were laughing this hard, but he didn’t seem to be. At least he didn’t smell like he was drunk at the middle of the day already, she had to admit, that did make him slightly better than all the others. If only his attitude wasn’t so frustrating.
‘I have a kingdom and a pretty face, there is not much else I need for all these men to come here. Well, that and the money, armies and employees I stand to inherit. Isn’t that why you are here, too? Wanting what you will never have?’ Because he wouldn’t. She would personally make sure he wasn’t the one to win. Not even because she didn’t want him in her bedroom, mostly because he would wreck this kingdom from the inside out. He looked like he was smart and strong enough, but he also didn’t seem to care about anybody but himself and she didn’t need such a personality in a future king.
‘Or perhaps it is my reputation that I’m a so called wild princess that doesn’t act as she is supposed to. Maybe I’m a challenge. I suppose that could interest men to come join the tournament, although it sounds rather stupid to me to put your life on the line for the chance of ever putting your dick between my legs.’ She shrugged at that. If he thought his foul language was off-putting to her, he hadn’t met her yet. Her father would wish she didn’t know any kind of foul words and if she did, she wouldn’t use them, but unfortunately he’d completely failed at raising his daughter and she both knew and used words he didn’t want her to. Dick wasn’t even the worst thing she’d ever said. Perhaps it was one of the worst things she’d discussed with a criminal, but then again, her father was the one who invited all these idiots to their capital. He decided criminals were allowed to enter under his rule of giving everybody an equal chance - yeah, right - and here they were.
‘Close your mouth dear, your kind already attracts flies, wouldn’t want you to choke on them.’

Even though he didn't want to like it, he had to admit that her rude words suited her. She clearly was not a nice or cute girl that would flaunt all over him, good on her. That made talking with her a lot more fun and interesting. 'I know I would be perfect to, just to make some use of that dirty little mouth of yours. I would love to try and see how you would choke on my cock, but I guess you are right. That is talk for later.' He smiled at her, although it was not a nice or friendly one. Of course she had the power to kick others out of the tournament. For once he was glad he had lost some of his crew in the crowd. She wouldn't know who belonged with him and if he got kicked out one of the others would win. She did not yet know his name and Alistair knew his reputation preceded him.
'Yeah.. I guess those are nice things. A pretty face, good tits and a kingdom. It ain't a surprise that all those men are her for even one of those reasons. Well.. They could find good tits anywhere if they payed for it.' Cyran elbowed him, he had to stop. If he continued this way the little princess would sure as hell find a way to kick him out of the tournament. And it was not that he didn't want to fight, it was more that he liked teasing her. Her reactions were a surprise he enjoyed while he could. 'But I have to agree.. It is rather stupid of them to die for it. Don't know why they keep signing up you know.' He looked at the line and a wicked grin showed on his face afterwards. 'And we both know that even though you are called a wild princess, there is nothing really wild about you. Using those crude words does not make you wild even though king daddy might think so. But it does make talking a lot more fun, doesn't it darling?'
Alistair received another elbow in his side and rolled his eyes. 'Cyran is probably right. We should leave you to your own devices and train some more. He is going to need it.' He looked at the princess again and from a little farther behind her guards were catching up. 'I'm also glad for you that there are so many men here trying to win your pussy, with those pathetic guards of yours I could've stolen you ten times from this place without anyone stopping me.' He ticked his hat and looked at her one more time before turning around. Just in time for her guards to arrive and to get yelled at by them that he should leave their princess only. O how they liked to cuss him out for his dirty clothes. If only they knew who he was. If he started fighting he father would know soon enough, he smiled again and walked away. He was curious to see to where this fun event might lead.

After her guards had showed up again, they escorted her away from the competitors and into the castle, where her father had yelled at her some more. It was one thing for her to decide she was going to do what she felt like doing and mingle among those men, it was on a whole other level to get rid of her guards and go off on her own. As if it was her fault they weren’t good enough to keep track of her, let alone protect her. Unfortunately her father didn’t share that sentiment and they’d locked her up in a room.
Some servants brought her dinner and helped her get into another dress for the evening, before she was allowed out again, flanked by multiple guards that didn’t look like they were going to lose sight of her anytime soon. They were mainly looking at her, instead of at their surroundings. As if she was going to run away in a dress like this. She would be face first on the ground within three steps and there were too many people around to laugh at her if that happened.
They walked over to her father, who was already sitting in the best possible place in the dais to overlook the tournament that was about to start. The tournament to win her kingdom and her body. Assholes. All of them. She went to sit beside her father, but didn’t acknowledge or even look at him. He wanted her to be here, wanted to have her watch some sort of spectacle where men were killing each other in order to prove themselves they were worthy to have her. Did her father honestly think she was interested in those brutes? So far only one of them had been able to catch her attention and she could already say she had no interest in him ever becoming king and her husband at that. The guy had been rude, arrogant, vile and downright disgusting with the way he spoke to her. Surely she hadn’t portrayed great manners either, but he had definitely been worse. He wanted to see her choke on his cock. Had he never heard of manners? One was allowed to think those words, not say them out loud. Let alone his threat about being able to kidnap her without much effort. As if. He really had to let himself be checked for issues with his head. Or, if he didn’t have any, she wasn’t opposed to making sure he got them.
The crowd went wild when the participants started entering the field. Apparently this evening they would be divided into groups and only one of them would be allowed to walk out of there alive. Savages. All meant to thin the herd and get rid of the weaker men in the first day of the tournament. Even worse was that the guy who killed all the others fastest, won an extra prize, being her. She would have to tend to whatever wounds they had and spent some time with them while she did. Apparently it was to show how good a wife she would be to them. Well, if they thought she was ever going to be a good wife to anybody, they were painfully mistaken.

He and his crew had a form of dinner while they had to wait. Nobody really expected anything to be given so they had their own food. He had enjoyed a good meal, because they all knew the fighting would start soon after and they weren't disappointed. In the evening they were divided in some groups. They had to kill everyone else and keep standing. If they were fast enough they could win some time with her. It sounded like a good deal in Alistair's ears, he would love some extra time with her.
Even though he didn't want to admit it, he was glad his crew members were in different groups. They knew what they had signed up for and they knew he might have to kill hem, but he didn't want too. He had chosen his best fighters but they also happend to be some of his best crewmates and he did not want to lose his entire crew. He looked at them for a moment and drank some of his ale. He shouldn't let this stuff get to his head, because he needed to win.
Eventually it was time to fight for him. Two of his friend already won their rounds, he trained them well. Now it was his turn and he entered the battlefield. Calmly he looked around at his opponents and a little smile could be seen on his face. He looked up at the dais and found the eyes of the princess. He grinned and winked at her. Shortly after he heard the sign that they could start. He quickly drew his weapons. They weren't allowed to have any firearms but that didn't matter to him. Before one could even move, Alistair had thrown his dagger through his eye. This was what he was made for, what he loved to do. He was quick and some men did manage to wound him, but not badly. In what felt like a few moments most of the field was down. Only one men was left standing and instead of fighting he started begging. To Alistair and to the king.. To the princess. He hoped that someone would let him life. Alistair didn't hurry, he walked up to the man, pushed him on his knees. He grabbed his hairs and pulled his head back. His eyes were fixed at Zori and before he could slice the mans throat he pushed a knife in Alistair's leg. He cursed and sliced the mens throat without hesitation and pushed him away. With a bow he limped away from the battlefield full of corpses.
He had to wait for the others to finish, but had made his way to the tent for the wounded. He needed his leg taken care of before it got bad. He hoped he won, it would be nice to see the little princess take care of his wounds.

If she didn’t already think he was horrible to begin with, she would now. The guy she talked to earlier today was definitely the fastest with killing his entire group, even going so far as to murder the last one right in front of her by slicing his throat. Although she couldn’t help but smile when she saw that the now dead man had managed to put a knife inside his leg. Good for him.
‘That is Alistair, my lord, rumors are he is some sort of pirate.’ From where she was sitting, Zori could hear her fathers advisor telling him all about the competitors. Apparently this one was called Alistair. A pirate. Of bloody course, why wouldn’t he be? It did raise the question of what a pirate wanted with a kingdom. With her, that she understood, but what use had he of a kingdom if he was always at sea? She didn’t quite understand, but she knew she would get the opportunity to figure it out at some point. Especially considering she was going to have to tend to his wounds. He had killed all the men in his group faster than any of the other winners did, which meant his extra prize was some time with her. Wonderful.
‘Excuse me,’ she told her father, ‘I have to go be somebody’s prize.’ Which was the first time in many times to come, let alone the rest of her life. With her head held high she walked from the dais, to the tents where the wounded winners were being treated. She really didn’t want to help this asshole, but if she didn’t, it meant her father had one more reason to lock her up for the rest of the tournament and she wouldn’t even get to watch all those idiots kill each other. Besides, the one fun thing about her day had been bickering with this guy, perhaps she would even feel better after insulting him a couple of times.
One of the guards held open the tent for her so she could walk inside, but none of the guards entered with her. They had surrounded the tent, just in case, but quality time with her was the prize and that meant no guards. There were a few other men here, one she recognized as the not-bodyguard from earlier that day, but the others she didn’t know.
‘Touch me inappropriately and not only will I let you bleed out, you’ll also be disqualified and tried for groping me, which will get you a couple of yours in prison or your left hand. So by all means, go ahead and touch me if you can’t hold back.’ She smiled at him, Zori was great at giving warm and kind smiles, just not for the likes of him. She walked over to the equipment and started preparing everything she needed to be able to take the knife out.

Eldrin, Roland and Cyran all stood by his bed. They had all survived their groups, although they did have a few cuts that would add nicely to their collection of scars. Alistair could say the same. Not only was the knife still in his leg, he had a cut on his face and on his right arm. It was some bad luck, but on the other hand he had been the fastest. No other man killed his group that fast and he guessed that by know the king would know who he was. He smiled a bit, he remembered the times he was on shore here and even before that, when he lived here. It felt like a lifetime ago and perhaps it was.
'Let me just take out that bloody knife, she will not be coming to do that!' He was arguing with Cyran because he wanted the knife out of his body, but Cyran was stopping him every damn time because of Zori and her so called duty as a princess. He cursed her out for being so slow to get here and when the tent flap finally opened up and revealed the girl he rolled his eyes. 'How kind of you to grace us with your presence.' He sneered at her. 'And also hello again,' he added after her little threat. As if he hadn't counted on being disqualified at some point. He had quite a name for himself and he guessed that even though thieves and other scumbags could enter, her father wouldn't want to see them rule the kingdom. They wouldn't make until the end, he had counted on that. But being here and killing some of the nobles, would only pave the way for taking the kingdom and destroying it.
He watched her as she prepared everything and he hated himself for staring at her. Her dress was sheer in some places and the Lord knew he wanted to rip it off of her. 'Who needs a left hand if I could fuck you before losing it..' He smiled a bit. He had seen plenty of men with a lost hand, feet or entire leg. 'But since you also need to mend my leg, I'll try to keep my hand for know.' He looked at his crew, who had taken some steps back. Enough to give them some space but too few to be out of earshot. A good thing too because Alistair wasn't known for being a kind or easy man, especially when wounded. He counted on his crew in keeping him down when she would retrieve the knife from his wound. He also counted on the fact that she would be cruel and hurt him even more when doing so. It was annoying but he was used to pain and hopefully would heal fast enough to stay alive for the next rounds.

Zori narrowed her eyes at him while he spoke. Idiot. He couldn’t truly think it would benefit him to sneer at her if she hadn’t even started cleaning his wounds yet.
‘Don’t mistake me being forced to be here for being kind. It’s this or not see daylight for the rest of the month and I guess if that’s the choice I’m getting, I could stand to look at your face for a while.’ Besides, she would actually like it if he already gave her a reason to be disqualified. And put in prison. The hand thing would be nice too, but that still didn’t get rid of the guy.
She looked over at Alistair when he again talked about fucking her. As if she would ever allow him to get close to having the chance of doing so.
‘You talk a big game while I still need to take that knife out, but no, you couldn’t fuck me soon enough without the guards coming in here. There are at least fifteen outside, if not more. You may think you’re that fast, but if that’s true, I pity the women you’ve fucked already.’ If he was going to be a dick, she was going to treat him like one.
She took some rope and bandages and tied it just above his wound, cutting off the blood flow and making it easier to stitch the wound. She had no problem with letting him bleed to death, but he probably wouldn’t like it very much. Before pulling out the knife, she threw some alcohol on the wound, then grabbed hold of the hilt and without saying a word she pulled it out and dropped it on the table behind her. With one hand she firmly pressed the wound shut, threw some more alcohol on there with the other and then started stitching it. She wasn’t their best physician, but she wasn’t bad either. More than one guy had lived because she made sure they did, Alistair would be added to that pile. Or not, considering it was an easy wound and he probably could’ve done it himself if he hadn’t won her as his prize.
‘What does a pirate want with a kingdom?’ She didn’t look at him as she spoke, her attention on the stitches she was creating in his leg. ‘Aren’t you guys supposed to be all about freedom and stuff? Isn’t a kingdom far from your normal life?’ She might not like the guy, but she had to admit she was curious. His motivations could of course solely be because of her, but that would be truly fucked up. Killing the others might play a part too, but she didn’t believe that was all he wanted. There had to be some sort of motive behind.
Finally she was done with his legs and she looked up again. They were quite close to one another, with her needing to tend to his wounds and all, and she was curious when he wouldn’t be able to be so close anymore without touching. Perhaps she should help him on his way a little, but that was for later, first she had to get rid of the blood on her hands.

'Oh don't worry, you didn't struck me as a very kind person. But I guess seeing my face for a few moments is preferable, I get that. You don't have to lie about it. Nobody would think you're flirting, you're a princess after all.' He enjoyed mocking her a little bit. What else was there to do with her around? Those guards prevented him from having some real fun and even she seemed quite boring at times.
He waited until she would tend to his wounds, checking her out and looking at his crew sometimes. Being stuck on a bed was boring. 'I never said I would finish.' He chuckled. She clearly did not think very highly of him or his crew. He was used to it, most people underestimated him. It didn't bother him that much, he liked seeing the surprise on their faces when it was clear he could do the things they though he couldn't. 'But yeah.. What else can you do that someone hasn't done to me already darling? Well, except killing me of course. So far everybody has failed in doing that and you would not do that to me, would you? I mean I can see you clearly like me and I understand.' He grinned at her. 'Who could love any of those noble babies after all?'
When she started working on his leg, his mood turned sour. It wasn't that she did a bad job, but would anyone love the feeling of a knife being pulled out of a wound. He sure did not and the alcohol on it did not help. Cyran was near him, faster than he had expected and kept his cursing captain down. Zori could probably learn a swear word or two if she accompanied them. Cyran let go of him the moment Zori began stitching and both he and Alistair were sure he would not hurt the princess in his pain. 'Bloody hell...' He mumbled and looked at her. He had almost missed her question. 'Do I need to give you an explanation? It would be all te more reason for you to try throw me out of the tournament, even after I have been doing so well.."
Alistair looked at the stitches and grunted a bit sometimes. They did not hurt as much as pulling a knife out of ya, but it still was not the greatest feeling. 'We would like some gold, some ships, a free sea,' he said eventually. And of course they would love to ruin the kingdom that ruined of them. But he kept his mouth shut about that. Zori didn't need to know anything about that. She already threatened him more often that any woman in his life had, and since she had some power he wasn't to eager to find out it she would hold up to them. Eldrin coughed a little at his words and Alistair shot him an angry look. He shouldn't get attention on himself, especially not now. Not when this little darling girl was the way to everything they wanted.

‘You’re right, I can’t stop looking at your face. I keep on wondering what it’s like to be that ugly, guess I’ll never know.’ She shrugged and smiled at him. It wasn’t that her parents hadn’t thought her how to behave, how to be kind, but she preferred not to be with the likes of Alistair. He was a jerk, which meant he had to be treated like one. If nobody else was going to call him out for the way he behaved around her, she certainly would.
‘Of course I wouldn’t kill you, do you think I like having blood on my hands? I’d have somebody do it for me.’ She looked him right in the eye. ‘Or you must convince me it’s so much more fun to kill you myself. I might need some help, but I don’t see why I can’t make use of an army when I have access to one.’ Much like the way he killed that guy, slit his throat while making her watch, Zori would love to return the favor. Pick up a knife and drive it in his eye while those other men watched. Not exactly the same, but she didn’t want to be called a copycat.
Alistair started talking about what he wanted, what he could possibly use her kingdom for and she listened carefully to any double meaning his words might have. Such as wanting a free sea.
‘Really? A free sea? And if you were to win, would you succeed in getting that sea by being a good king or do you plan on another strategy?’ Contrary to popular belief, she wasn’t stupid. If a guy like this said he wanted something, he would usually get it, but it also meant there would be violence involved. Not because violence was always needed to get what they wanted, but they liked the blood and gore on their hands. Zori wasn’t like that, although she didn’t mind her fathers armies having some blood on their hands if she needed them to help her out.
After cleaning her hands as thoroughly as she possibly could, she moved on to the rest of his wounds. She wondered how far she could get him to go with her. If she wanted to disqualify him, she needed more than some words about how he wanted to fuck her. It wasn’t enough. Not yet, at least.
She dipped a cloth in some water and walked over to him. Too close, way too close for her liking, but it also meant he barely had to move and he would touch her. Meanwhile she started softly dipping the scratch on his head, cleaning it as best she could. She didn’t give a shit if it hurt. No, that wasn’t true, she wanted it to hurt, considering she’d thrown some alcohol over the cloth earlier already. He just had to move and it was game over for him. Let’s see how well behaved he could be. Or not, preferably not.

Alistiar laughed at her insult. 'Well I have to say, it works perfectly for me.' He was pretty content with how he looked, he didn't see anything wrong with it besides the many scars. More than once a woman had offered herself to him and it weren't even those desperate kind of women. No... He had laid with any kind of woman, except perhaps a princess. But that was only a matter of time before she would be his. Or any of her sisters, they would do nicely as well. They could easily get rid of her if it didn't work out.
'Of course, we wouldn't want you to break a nail.' He shook his head, which was not the best idea, and looked at her for a moment. 'For having use of an army you clearly don't know how to use it. I mean, otherwise you wouldn't have let this tournament happen. You and I both know you aren't waiting for a man, especially one that is not of noble blood.' He grinned and looked at her. He was not stupid, everything about her told him that she didn't want this tournament and cared very little about it.
'Is that such a weird idea? A free sea? You lot are already trapped on land.. Trapped by king who doesn't care much. You are cattle and I wish to have an open field to hunt and become the predator instead of prey.' She must recognize what he was talking about. This whole tournament showed how caged she really was. 'And I would do what I would see fit, but I guess you're no stranger to that? Wouldn't you do the same to reach your goals? Or were your threats empty and meaningless?'
For a moment he looked at her, glad she was away from him to wash her hands. It was a short moment however, and soon enough she was back at his side. Even closer than she was before. Cleaning the wounds in his face. He could feel that she had dipped the cloth in alcohol, but he didn't flinch. She would need more to make him do that. Besides, she distracted him enough with being so close. Her sheer dress gave him a good look at her, a way to good look at her. He grunted some very colorful curse words while she was near him. His eyes wavered on her breasts for a bit, before they found their way up. He looked at her, in her eyes. She was really trying him. Daring him to touch her and he had to admit, he craved for some physical contact. But he wasn't that weak, not yet. He had to stay strong because he wasn't too keen on getting himself killed because he accidentally touched her. Even though nobody could really blame him, she almost sat on his lap while taking care of him.

That was what he wanted people to believe, because Zori didn’t for one second think anybody could be attracted to that face, not even the person who had it. Although she guessed he didn’t have to be attracted to it and neither did anybody else, he seemed quite capable of either paying for sex or forcing others into bed with him. If he even needed a bed. Which was the exact reason she didn’t want him winning. Not the bed, she figured whoever she eventually ended up with wouldn’t need a bed at times either, but the forcing others to submit to him solely because he felt like it. That wasn’t going to be her life. At least a royal would be easier to control for her. A guy like this? Used to taking what he wanted? She stood no chance if he were to win the tournament. Which simply put meant he couldn’t win.
‘I have access to an army, but it isn’t my army and clearly this tournament wasn’t my decision either. But I won’t bore you with the details, I’m sure you’re one of those men as well that thinks women aren’t fit to think for themselves.’ Again. Not going to marry him. Or whatever he had in mind doing with her if he were to win the tournament.
‘The difference between us is that I have no control over what is going to happen, merely over what I do while getting there. If that means eliminating some of you men at the tournament that I don’t want to win, I will.’ She couldn’t do more than that, but she could at least have the worst ones eliminated.
Zori was quite annoyed Alistair apparently had the mental capabilities to realize he had to keep his hands to himself. He looked, he certainly did so, but he didn’t touch no matter how close she stood to him. How the hell was she going to get him out of this tournament if he didn’t play his part of the game she wanted him to play? She smiled when he cursed, but it was all he did and not nearly enough.
‘I’m sorry, is something wrong?’ She smiled sweetly at him, before turning around and putting the cloth down on the table beside them. Giving him a terrific view of her butt. She turned back quick enough, not willing to allow him to make a comment on it, but it didn’t matter. He wasn’t weak enough. Yet.
‘Done, but you still have some time, so is there anything you would like to know from me or can I just go?’ She actually wasn’t allowed to leave until his time was up or if he dismissed her, but if he didn’t know that, she wasn’t going to tell him. No need to include him in the details of this arrangement.

He nodded, it was clear to him that she did not want this tournament. And it was also very clear to him that her father didn't always listen to her, which could be a good thing. 'You are clearly thinking for yourself quite nicely. I would merely like to add a love for me in the thinking process..' He smirked at her and for a moment looked away. 'So you're saying you're going to disqualify me for being a better fighter than anyone in your fathers ranks or circle. And because you're afraid that I might not listen to my wife.' He chuckled, which hurt him but he kept doing it nonetheless.
'Because if that is the case, I don't see much difference between us. Simply put you have no control over all the men, but I have no control over your decisions.' He looked at her without a smile this time. 'And to be fair, you could do much worse besides me. I, at least, have sense of pride and order.'
Yes, he was no nobleman and he was a brute. That didn't mean he had no clue how to reign over people. Being a pirate was perhaps so not so far off from being a king. His people depended on him en his decision making. If he made the wrong the decisions, he could kill them all. 'And if a captain keeps making the wrong decisions his crew are well within their rights to start a mutiny.. I don't see that happening here. Thousands are dying and what are you guys doing? Sitting on your asses and eating 'till you're fat.' He frowned, trying to keep the anger inside him. 'Not that you're fat.' He smiled again, although it did not reach his eyes.
Again she was so damn close, it was hard to restrain himself. 'Nothing at all princess.' He answered, he got annoyed with her. He watched her, every move she made. She really was a beauty and damn, he would love to have her for himself. 'Go? I don't think so. The guards will come fetch you when the time is up darling.' He smiled. 'I would love to know what yourplans are for your kingdom.' He padded on the bed. She could sit with him. Perhaps their plans could match and she did not have to kick him out. He was, after all, a very sore loser.

A love for him? He couldn’t actually be serious, could he?
‘No, I’m disqualifying you because I don’t want to be your wife. Do you seriously think the way you act around me makes me want to take my clothes off for you? I don’t want to do that for anybody, let alone somebody I know is going to relish in hurting me if he manages to get me naked.’ She didn’t care if he was the best fighter out there, she had no use of him. He was going to make use of her body if he won and that was probably all he wanted, so she would make sure he lost. Or better yet, she needed to get rid of him completely, considering she didn’t believe he would stay away from her if she managed to disqualify him.
She narrowed her eyes at him when he wouldn’t allow her to leave. Of course he knew. She didn’t know who told him, but he clearly knew and wasn’t against using it against her.
For a second there she debated if she was going to keep on standing, refusing to sit with him, but what good would that do her? She rolled her eyes and sat down. Cautiously, she didn’t want to get this dress dirty, even if it already was.
‘I don’t have plans, considering I will never be allowed to implement them, but if I were to have a say in what happens I want our army upgraded. I want all villages, especially those in remote areas and near the sea, to have access to military training so they don’t get raided by assholes like you. I want to make a truce with some of the stronger kingdoms to keep them from attacking us, trade with them to ensure the survival of my people and I want a council that actually cares about the kingdom instead of merely their gold.’
She looked at him.
‘I don’t want a husband, I want power. I want to be a queen and get mocked by every kingdom out there, until I run them over and leave nothing left. Until they have to beg for my forgiveness, which I haven’t decided yet if they will get it. That’s what I want, that’s what I’ve been trying to achieve, but no, my father had to come around with an idiotic tournament to find me a husband that once again does not care about anybody but themselves.’ She never talked this much, but if he wanted to know her plans, he could. Zori wasn’t going to make it a secret that she wanted a better future for her people and that she wanted revenge on those men who thought women could only be of use in the bedroom.
‘And yes, that includes you. You might have a crew that relies on you and you’re right, you have to take care of them and that is admirable, but you’re not here for them. I don’t believe that. You’re here either because you want to mess with my kingdom or you want to mess with me. Pick your choice, I don’t care, but you’re not winning this tournament.’ He wasn’t even going to get close to winning.

'Hurting you? You are thinking so lowly of me. I would never hurt you if you would enter my bed. I would make you scream yes, but that would be of joy and pleasure. I would never..' He shook his head, disappointed that she would think so bad of him. He was a brute, to some a savage, but he enjoyed woman and why would he hurt the ones that gave him pleasure? That was such a crooked logic, it could only come from someone like her. It was a disappointment that people always thought he was the worst that could happen to them, he found himself quite reasonable.
Leaning against the soft pillows he studied her. He looked at her while she talked about her plans if she ever would've gotten the chance. She wanted power, of course she seemed to have the ideal to help her people. 'And you are aware that others will suffer for your ideals? I'm not talking about myself or all the others dying here.. But having power never comes without consequences. Are you ready to deal with those if the time comes? Because we both know you would get rid of an idiot noble husband as soon as you could.' He toyed with a ring around his finger and smiled a bit.
'Your father wants a tournament to get heirs. He is no idiot and you are if you decide you shall have none. What will happen to your great dreams and everything you have achieved if you die and leave no-one to keep achieving them? Everything would fall back to the terrible status it is in now.' Was she stupid or did she just love to pretend to be an idiot? She wanted to be alone, to rule alone and apparently to die alone. It was her choice, but he could very much understand her father.
'I am here for them. Your father keeps getting us killed or stops pirates from hunting. So yeah.. If I can't provide for my men, what else should I do? Life on the shores like everyone else? Listen to some stupid general on a marine ship who has no clue of how the seas work?' He clenched his fist and looked at her. 'Fine, disqualify me then if that is what keeps you sound asleep at night, but I would advice you to do otherwise and keep me in the tournament. We could always make a nice deal princess..' He glared at her. He could kill whoever she wanted to be dead.

Zori glared at him, not trusting a word that was coming out of his mouth. He could say he wouldn’t hurt her, but she didn’t believe him and if he thought it was this easy to make her fall for some stupid trick of his, he had to think again.
‘You’re mistaken Alistair. You might not hurt me if I were to work with you, but I have no intention of ever having sex with you. Tell me all about how you wouldn’t force me into your bed if I refused, but don’t expect me buy it.’ Because that was what would happen, especially with a guy like him. He thought she meant hurting her when she worked with him, when she did what he wanted from her, but she would never. What was he going to do if he won and she refused to get in bed with him? It was better for him to know now he wasn’t going to win nor ever have her in his bed. He should’ve anticipated it, of course, but she didn’t mind telling him over and over again. Actually, she relished in it.
‘Does it look like I care if others get hurt while I get what I want? I don’t recall a single time in my life when I got my way, seems like it’s time to change and if people don’t appreciate it, that’s their problem, not mine.’ She huffed when he started talking about heirs. Of course. Was that all men could think about? The world wasn’t black and white, a queen didn’t need offspring if she didn’t want to have children.
‘I have two sisters who quite literally can’t wait with having children, my niece and nephews will be quite capable of ruling after me.’ She had actually thought things through, even if Alistair seemed inclined to believe she was as stupid as a horses ass. Zori would be quite capable of ruling how she saw fit and eventually passing power on to whichever of her nieces and nephews she thought would be the best to keep her legacy going. After all, if she was queen, she would be responsible for her sisters and thus for their children. She would have a hand in how they were raised.
Softly she shook her head when he started talking about getting murdered, about providing for his crew. She got it, but she didn’t agree with it. He only protected a select few, she had an entire country to protect and she would protect it from whoever saw fit to come and destroy it. That definitely included Alistair and his men.
‘I don’t make deals with criminals, so perhaps you should stop while you’re all still alive and not in prison before I decide luck goes against you. However good you are at fighting, however smart you might be, I’m getting you out of that tournament and if I have to get rid of you while doing so, I will. Because you’re right, I will get a husband and I plan on getting rid of the idiot the moment my father is dead. Don’t get in my way.’

'I never said such a thing. I would force you, I would love doing so, but it wouldn't hurt.' He grinned. 'And I will just wait, I know when the time is there you just want to have sex with me freely and that is okay.' He did not bother to think anything else of it. He knew women en eventually they would come around, they always did. Her words surprised him and it was seen in his eyes.
'So let me get this straight? You don't care about others if they don't agree with your plans, yet you proclaim to protect your people? Has it crossed your mind that they might not want you as a queen? Has it ever occurred to you that they don't like you and that most are living not such worse lives? You are, however, very apparent on saving them from their miserable lives. What if they don't want your saving princess? Are you just gonna add those on the list of people who should get hurt and don't complain because you are having your way? How are you any different than your father or any other rulers before you? That you are a woman does not make you special if you think everyone will just love and accept your rule because then you finally have your way. You sound more like a child than a princess ready for the throne.' He shook his head, disappointed. He had really hoped that she was different, but she was not. She was the same as everyone else. Only her opinion and her way was the way and everyone else should just disappear if she had her way.
'So your sisters are fine with your plans of using their children for your own good? I mean you made it clear that you very much want your way, but I never expected you to be that cruel to your own family. You surprise me Zori, can't decide yet if I like it. But it is clear that you very much believe your own tales about caring for others.' Perhaps she didn't see it, but he did. He was no idiot. Alistair had seen his fair share of people who wanted to help others and she belonged to the group who did it on their own terms, not caring about what the people wanted.
He sighed and put his hands behind his head. 'Hmm.. Sad. I think you will find yourself dealing with criminals much more often once you're finally a queen. They just won't tell you that they are a criminal.'

He would force her and it wouldn’t hurt? She raised her eyebrows at his words, but decide not to comment on it anymore. They weren’t going to agree on it either way, but she did wonder if he understood mental pain was just as bad as physical pain. Even if he managed not to physically hurt her while forcibly having sex with her, it would still hurt her mentally knowing she was being used for sex and sex alone. Apparently a lot of women were treated that way, but she didn’t want to be one of them.
Alistair went off on some sort of rampage about how she didn’t care for the people that were going to stand in her way, how that made her just as bad as her father.
‘You’re wrong.’ He might not be able to grasp the concept of being wrong, but he was and Zori wasn’t against explaining him in quite a lot of details how wrong exactly.
‘Everything I do is to make sure my people get a better life than they had before. Do you seriously think I care for changing dresses three times a day and never wearing them again? I don’t, but I do, because I make sure all fabrics and workers are all my own people and I pay them for their work so they can support their families.
‘To you I might look like some spoiled child that doesn’t know how the world works and perhaps you’re right, but at least I’ve seen plenty of royals and I now know what I’m not going to do. When you asked me about others suffering, my answer was based on those that do not rely on me and I indeed will not care if they live or die. My people, however, I would gladly give a say in what they need me to do for them. Instead of a council with royals, I want them to tell me what it is my country needs. Being a woman does make me special indeed, because I know what it’s like to be used for one thing only and I will not allow my people to suffer the same way. So stop trying to put yourself above me, stop finding ways to mock me because you think you’re better than I am. You’re not.’ She didn’t say she was better than he was either, considering she didn’t believe in such a weird concept. All were equal and people could only be better if they were being judged by others and they found it so. Zori would never call her better than anybody else, except for her father, because he was a grade A asshole and should’ve been dealt with long ago.
Although he kept talking about her using her sisters for her own good, she rolled her eyes at him. If only he knew. She loved her sisters and would never force them to have children if they didn’t want them, but they did. They wanted them so badly, one of them had been pregnant out of wedlock already. She lost the child, courtesy of their father, but Zori knew her motherly instincts were begging for her to get pregnant again. If they felt like it was their sole life’s mission to have a child, who was she to stop them?
‘Then I guess it’s a good thing I’m learning to recognize them, isn’t it?’ She looked him over and raised one of her eyebrows at him, making it clear how she thought about everything he said to her. Of course she would have to deal with criminals from all statures, but she would learn how to behave around them.
‘Anything else you need to know about me before your inevitable disqualification?’ His time was almost up and if there was something he still wanted to talk to her about, he had to do it now.

Alistair started to get annoyed with her. She just did not get the point at all. She expected everyone to rejoice in her becoming their queen. 'And what if their say is that they don't want you? What then? Will they then fall together with the people who apparently don't need you? So you don't have to care about them?' He looked at her with irritation. 'I am not putting myself above you, you are putting yourself above me. You are the one calling names and using everything you can to get rid of me. Just because you know I am right. And if you get rid of me, how are you going to care for my people? Many of whom come from these very lands? Will you let them starve because of your pettiness about having your own way? Because your father would let them die, so tell me Zori, how far does your love for your people go? Where does it end?'
After that he shook his head. 'No, I know all I need to know.' Was his only answer. He was disappointed in her and he made no effort in hiding that. He would make sure one of his friends would win or to overthrow this kingdom. Neither ways were pretty and what he had intended to do, but she gave him no choice.
He gave a short glance towards his friends, who were talking to each other away from them. Then he looked towards Zori. 'Thank you for your time princess, you can go.' He needed his men to discuss their next steps. He had hoped to persuade the princess into working with them, with him, but that had clearly failed. She was much to stubborn and ignorant, it couldn't be helped.
She might think him to be just a criminal roaming the seas and caring not about his homeland, but she was wrong about that. He cared for the people because he was one of them. She might think she cared, but she could never understand and he couldn't make her understand anything. She was too much of a child to really grasp the reality of things outside of her palace. Could he really blame her? No, but it was annoying nonetheless that she kept acting as if she knew so much.
He sighed a little but he had to think, keep his mind straight. She toyed with him, no different that many women were, but he won't let her win. Eventually he would win, he would come out on top of this mess and really do something. To make his live, the lives of his crew and if he could of this godforsaken country a little bit better. He never claimed to be a saint, but she sure did and it was annoying, made him bitter.

He dismissed her. The fucking asshole. The moment he did so, her eyes slightly narrowed out of anger, but she got up and walked out of the tent.
He thought she was the one that didn’t understand, but he was wrong. If her people didn’t want her, that was unfortunate, but it was either her or her father or husband to be and who would be better to rule them? A king that didn’t care about them or a queen that did, but who they didn’t want? At least she would try and make life better for all of them instead of solely for the royals of their country. If Alistair was unwilling to see her devotion to her people, that was his mistake, not hers. He was a man after all, they didn’t think with their brain, they only knew what they wanted and went after it to get it. Well, so could she and what she wanted was for him to be out of the tournament.
After arriving at the castle, she went straight to her fathers study and threw open the door. There were guards, but she was in a mood and they weren’t going to stop her. Her father didn’t even flinch when she entered like that, already used to the fury of his eldest daughter.
‘What now?’ Was all he said, not even looking at her and clearly not interested in what she had to say.
‘That Alistair guy I was sent to? You know, to treat his wounds and have an actual conversation with? He wants to destroy this kingdom, you have to disqualify him.’ That seemed to get her fathers attention, as he finally looked up at her and put the feather he was writing with down.
‘Did he do anything that could get him disqualified?’ Not exactly.
‘Yes, he made comments towards me that a normal person would be hanged for. Just because he is in the tournament, doesn’t mean he has any right to talk about my body and to say things about fucking me or making me choke on his cock.’ Perhaps she should’ve phrased it differently, her father seemed to choke himself, only then on nothing but thin air, when she spoke the words.
‘I’ll handle it,’ and with a dismissive gesture from his hand he went back to work. Zori grumbled something about her father, but did leave his study. Him handling it was as much as she was going to get and she wondered how much exactly it was, but for now there was nothing more she could do to get what she wanted.
She walked back to her own room. It was getting late and she wanted to get out of this horrifying dress.