It was the day Kieran would be returning home from the South, and that afternoon found Elena settled in the pavilion at Hammedatha Manor, playing the castor seed based board game King's Tower, with Aaron and Raymond.

She had come to the Manor not on appointment, but because she had had the need to see him when he returned.

Elena let out a shriek of joy. "Yes, I win again!"

Aaron sighed while Ray groaned, tossing his head back. "Why are you so good at this when we've just taught you, sister-in-law?"

Elena shrugged and beamed. "Special talents?"

"Ray, you haven't won one game since we started playing," Aaron pointed out, resetting the board. "You need to shape up, brother."

"I'm doing my best but I don't stand a chance against sister-in-law's powers," Ray whined. "It's like she can read my every move. Are you psychic, sister-in-law?"

Elena narrowed her eyes and made her voice husky in a bid to appear mysterious. "Who knows?"

Ray huffed, but something caught his eye in the distance, and he grinned. "Looks like they're back. Look; it's the Formidable Trio."

Elena froze for a moment before averting her gaze in the direction Ray and Aaron were looking.

The General and Prince Luke were walking side by side, lost in animated conversation while Princess Debra lagged behind a bit.

However, she rushed up to them and energetically flung her arms round each of their necks so she was in the middle. The impact made them bend and stagger a bit. Princess Debra let out a laugh while her brother looked to be scolding her. The General merely shook his head, his eyes downcast, but the smile was evident on his face.

Elena watched them and could tell how their bond went back years. They looked comfortable, and they fit.

It was only when Ray and Aaron stood up to go and meet them that Elena snapped out of her daze. Before she knew it, she was dashing out of the pavilion and taking cover behind one of the nearby tall shrubs.

Wait, why was she hiding? And why was her heartbeat so fast? Was it because she was afraid...of the Princess? Or of facing The General?

Her insecurities were turning her into a coward.

She sighed, and cautiously, craned her neck to peep at the chattering crowd. They were all together in the lawns, talking and laughing away, except for...the General.

Where did he go?

Elena drew back and turned to her other side. She nearly screamed at the sight of him standing right infront of her with an impassive look on his face, his arms crossed over his chest.

"J-General!"

He gave her an upwards nod, suspicion written all over his face. "What are you doing?"

She gulped. "I wuh-was..." Her hand shot out aimlessly and grabbed onto the shrub. "F-feeling the leaves."

He narrowed his eyes.

She gave him a crooked smile. "Quite the nice texture!" she exclaimed, her fingers making off with a handful of detached leaves. "You should f-feel them too!"

With that, she sprinkled the leaves over him, but his gaze remained transfixed on her, an eyebrow lifted.

She let out a nervous laugh. "I have things to do inside!" She declared, and dashed off before he could stop her.

When she came into the kitchen, she face-palmed three times, while cursing, "Stupid, stupid, stupid!"

She fanned herself with her hand. It wasn't even hot so why was she getting sweaty?

Spotting a stool, she sat down.

Why was she sitting down?

She stood up. And started pacing. She moved towards the exit, but made a swift about-turn and continued pacing, then sat down on the stool again.

Her mind wasn't functioning properly, and she could not head back out there to embarrass herself, especially infront of both the royal highnesses. Only, at that moment, Princess Debra intimidated her more than the Crown Prince.

She wanted to see the General, but she also did not want to see him with her. It made her feel...less. Standing within her presence made her insignificant, not only to the General, but to herself.

Elena buried her face in her hands and groaned.

Then again, who could shine brighter than royalty?

*****      *****      *****     *****

It was quite a while before Elena mustered the courage to head back out. She could hear the lively chatter and laughter coming from the pavilion as she took steps towards it. As she got closer, she heard Aira's voice.

"And so Debbie says, 'Are you done? Will you shut up now or will I have to do it for you?' One word from him was all it took for her to land an uppercut. Clean hit under the chin."

The rest of them started to laugh, and Elena noticed the sliced watermelon and pineapple on the table.

"The solution's always violence with you," said The Prince. "I'm surprised you didn't give the pig merchant two black eyes the first time he refused the deal."

"To be honest, that ruffian had it coming," said Kieran. "I don't blame her for hitting him."

"Thank you!" exclaimed Debra, and an argument broke out.

The only seat available was to Ray's left. Ray was sitting at one end of the table, Lukas at the other.

No one noticed when Elena sat down, except Joshua who was sitting right opposite her. He gave her a nod as a greeting to which she bowed her head.

Kieran was to Luke's left, and Debra sat in between Kieran and Joshua. One of her arms was on top of the backrest of Kieran's chair so her hand dangled forward, over his shoulder.

Aaron, at last noticing Elena, smiled and slid a plate of diced watermelon and pineapple infront of her. She returned the smile.

She could not really follow what the argument was about, because they were discussing sparring techniques.
It was like sitting in a room with people speaking a different language.

It worked out only for them, because they could understand each other and participate accordingly. Even Aaron chipped in, using the 'warrior language.' Elena guessed that despite his inability to join the Prince's Guard, being around his siblings for so long made him accustomed to what they did and how they talked, to an extent that he could be considered a warrior himself.

But Elena could not comprehend much. And when anyone cracked a joke, she would not laugh along with everyone else because she didn't get it.

She nibbled quietly on a pineapple as the others all crossed into memory lane. Most of the sentences were wrapping around, 'Remember when Debbie...' and 'It was really cool when she...' and 'Kieran and Debbie had amazing teamwork that time...' and '...the Formidable Trio...'

Elena could not relate. Sure, she loved to hear about their amazing escapades, but hearing about them this time made her feel left out. This wasn't the world she was used to. She was a foreigner in the Hammedatha family, and maybe would remain so...

"The name Hammedatha does not suit you at all, and it never will."

She tried to swallow down the lump in her throat with the juicy melon.

She'd met Kieran's gaze from across the table a few times, but she always quickly looked away.

How could she look at him when he was already surrounded by far greater people...people who, unlike her, connected with his essence as a warrior?

A man dressed in half armor walked into the pavilion and bowed stiffly to the General and Princess. He then handed the General a file, and the two exchanged a few words.

Everyone else was too busy debating to mind them, except Elena whose eyes followed every move.

Kieran opened the file and leaned onto the table to study it. Debra moved her arm to rest on his shoulder so she was leaning on him, as she curiously looked into the file as well. He didn't seem to mind. In fact, they soon seemed to have discussions over it; both their expressions were grim.

Debra started to talk, and the latter listened, nodding every once in a while and uttering a word or two. Something she said made him look at her and grin. He spoke to her and they both laughed. She offered him her fist, which he gladly bumped with his, both their hands in fingerless gloves.

Elena frowned and could not fathom why her chest constricted at the sight.

Closing up the file, he handed it to Debra, who in turn gave it to the unknown man, along with what seemed like a string of orders. The man bowed low and took his leave.

Elena had never felt more useless. The two of them were probably discussing work; serious issues related to the kingdom, and princess Debra obviously did a good job helping him out. She could do that for him. She was smart, great at fighting, and wielded power at her fingertips, which she could use with a snap.

The Princess and The General. They fit. She was...worthy.

"What can you do for Kieran?"

Elena shut her eyes tightly, as if it would block out the words. She didn't even hear Aira call out to her until Aaron tapped her arm, causing her to flinch.

"Huh?" She turned to her right, to Aaron and Aira. "Oh sorry. What is it, Aira?"

"Debbie and I are going to the training grounds to do some target practice. Come with?" Aira asked with stars in her eyes.

"Um..." Elena looked over at Debra, unease seeping in at the thought of being close to her.

To her surprise, Debra gave her a warm smile. "Trust me, Elena. You don't want to stay here with the guys," she advised.

"Staying here with them might be safer than going anywhere with you," Elena thought.

"Come on, Elena," Aira pleaded. "I don't think you've ever seen me shoot."

Elena smiled at that. "I would like to see you shoot."

Aira clapped her hands, beaming. "Let's go!"

The ladies stood up to leave, and as Elena passed by Kieran, she was stopped in her tracks by his hand encircling her wrist. Startled, she turned around and looked into his cyan eyes, but could not read the emotion behind them.

"One moment," he requested, his voice low.

She resolved to not fall weak.

She tugged her arm back, wringing her wrist free from his grasp, only he held onto her hand instead.

She inhaled sharply, and his face contorted in perplexity.

"Why are you-"

Siwftly, she pulled her hand away and turned around, rushing after Aira and Debra.

Ray watched the three of them leave from their sight, and pursed his lips. Leaning to Joshua, he whispered, "Is this really okay?"

"What do you mean?"

"You know..." Ray shrugged. "This whole Debbie plan."

Joshua's steady eyes met Ray's unsure ones. "If you are not sure that it won't work, it will." Joshua assured him. "We need to put some distance between Kieran and Elena, and getting Debra on board was the only way to do it. Lukas won't meddle in his sister's affairs and Aira has no idea of how Debra feels about Kieran. Their hands are tied."

"I know they can't do anything about Debbie insisting on being with Kieran," Ray whispered, and shifted uneasily in his seat. "But I was talking about sister-in-law. Will she be okay? You know how volatile Debbie is."

"How Debra relates with Elena is none of our business," Joshua said coldly. "What matters is that distance is created. Kieran's feelings towards Elena must not progress any further."

Ray sighed, and leaned back in his chair.

*****      *****      *****     *****

Elena was quite surprised at how talented Aira was with a bow and arrow. She had even hit a bullseye from such a long distance where Elena couldn't properly see the target. She was better than Debra, and it was Debra.

After a lot of convincing, Debra and Aira finally got Elena to play darts with them under the shed within the grounds, and Elena was more surprised at how nice the princess was being. Had something happened to her? She even offered to teach her how to aim and throw the dart properly!

"You're not half-bad," Debra said with a smile when Elena threw her fifth dart. It still didn't hit the target, but neither did it miss the board completely like the first four. "If you practise hard enough, you'll get the hang of it."

Elena could not help but beam at her for the encouragement. "Thank you!"

This was nice, she thought. Whatever had caused Debra to have a change of heart, she thanked heavens for it. She was less scary this way.

"I'm going to send for some drinks," Aira told them. "I'll be right back."

Elena nodded. "Sure."

As Aira jogged off, Elena turned to Debra, and offered her a dart. "May you please show me one more time?"

Debra looked down at the dart in her hands, and smirked. "Of course," she said, picking it up. "But I don't see why you have to keep practising as if you'll ever belong here."

Elena's smile faltered. "I beg your pardon?"

"The earlier you realise you don't belong in this family, much less with Kieran, the easier it will be for you," Debra said, boredly analysing the dart.

Elena was trying to wrap her head around the sudden change in demeanour as her stomach walls started to twist, painfully.

"Elena, do you know what it feels like to be married to someone when you know it's just in name, but he's not really...there?" Debra inquired. "Because you're about to find out."

"Wuh-what do you mean?"

Debra's eyes gleamed with a mixture of malice and mirth as she regarded Elena. "When you marry him, you will become his wife," she said, raising the dart, "but remember that what you cannot give him, someone else can, and someone else will."

Keeping her gaze, Debra tossed the dart, and Elena looked at the board. It was a bullseye.

She did not want to turn back and face her. She didn't have the confidence to do so, because deep down, Elena thought she was right.

Debra, using her thumb and index finger, held Elena's chin and turned her head, forcing her to meet her piercing gaze.

Lowering her voice, she said, "How can you be the only one when you're not enough?"

That lump in her throat was back, and a smirk stretched one corner of Debra's lips. Elena freed herself from her hold, taking a step back and directing her gaze to the ground, unwilling to let her tormentor see the tears in her eyes.

"Tuh-tell Aira I w-went to rest," her voice trembled as she spoke, and without awaiting a response, walked out of the training grounds, sniffling.

Her vision was blurry and she could hardly see where she was going, which made her stumble many times. She made out a wall of the manor house just up ahead and she tumbled over, turning and leaning her back against it.

She lifted her eyes skywards so the tears would not fall, and drew out a shaky breath. She couldn't remember the last time she'd actually cried, and she wouldn't start now, eventhough her heart hurt like it had been pounded by a hammer.

She closed her eyes, dragging in and out slow breaths to regain her composure. She didn't know what reason princess Debra had for behaving how she did, but she didn't have it in her to find out. If she was looking out for the General like a close friend, was this really the right way to do it? Hurting other people?

Nevertheless, Elena thought Debra was speaking facts, so she could not hold it against her.

She didn't know how long she stood there, but the sun was heading for its slumber soon and she heard the loud rumbles and hoots of men. They sure sounded like they were having a good time.

Curious, Elena stepped onto the lawns and followed the hooligan-like noise down the steps to the lower gardens. She spotted two maids by the gazebo, looking towards the lake, and she walked to where they stood.

She finally saw the platoon of men - the Hammedatha brothers plus the Prince - engaged in some sort of horseplay near the lake. She guessed it was probably some game involving a mix of tag and tackling, but they seemed to be enjoying themselves despite the physical aggression involved - even Aaron, who laughed wildly when Ray tackled him to the ground.

To Elena, they looked like a bunch of howling gorillas, but the sight of the General involved in all the rowdiness made her laugh.

Shaking her head, she turned around and decided to leave, but stopped when she heard a gigantic splash behind her as the maids beside her gasped.

Elena swivelled back round to view the glistening waters again and noticed Prince Luke doubled over in horrendous laughter while everyone else hooted and took turns giving him high fives.

The General wasn't among them, which meant...

The water surface rippled and splashed just as a figure suddenly jolted up from the waters. His hair flipped back first and his hands followed, slowly gliding over his face, and through his wet locks.

Elena's lips parted as, like a dazed hussy, she watched the drenched General trudge forward through the waters. The droplets on his body shimmered in the sunlight, making him look like part of him was bathed in diamonds. His soaking wet white shirt stuck to him like a second skin, outlining every muscle. It had become transluscent too, so it was not that difficult to have a picture of what was underneath.

Look away, Elena, she told herself.

But she could not. How could a dripping wet person be so...enticing to look at?

The General finally stepped onto the grass, and Elena had long lost focus on what the other men were doing, her eyes glued to her betrothed.

He was hers anyway, so it wasn't a crime for her to stare so unashamedly.

But when his hands moved to grip the hem of his shirt and he pulled it up to reveal just a sliver of skin, sense knocked back into her brain and she instantly whirled around, stopping her eyes from sinning any further.

"It won't help even if you wring it like that, Kieran!" It was Prince Luke's voice that spoke up, and Elena was made aware that the General had indeed, stripped himself of his shirt.

"Ha ha," the General drawled. "I'm going to get you back for this, Lukas."

"How! It's not like I'll let you throw me- hey!"

It sounded like the General had just whacked him with his wet shirt. The other men started to laugh as the whacking sounds continued, and it was taking all of Elena's willpower not to turn and peek.

The maids beside her, however, seemed to have never had any intentions of looking away in the first place. Their jaws were hanging open, their eyes glassy as they stood completely mesmerised by the sight before them.

Something inside Elena made her want to shield their eyesight and scold them for ogling her betrothed like they would eat him alive.

It was his voice that snapped her out of her thoughts.

"Sofia!"

One of the maids jumped and quickly wiped the drool off the corner of her lips. "Y-yes sir!"

All was silent for a while, until Elena heard his voice again, this time from right behind her. "Go prepare me a warm bath, please."

Elena's heart jumped right up to her mouth.

"R-right away, sir!" Sofia squeaked and scurried off with her friend, giggling as they went.

Elena knew the General was quite close to her, because she could feel the warmth his body emitted. It was strange. The water must have been cold, yet what he radiated was heat.

And it was making her own skin warm up too.

She felt a drop of water drip onto the curve of her neck, and she knew it came from him. It glided down over her collarbone, tracing a cool path over her skin.

"Elena." His voice was but a rasp, and it made her toes curl in her sandals.

It was a dangerous situation, and it would only get worse if she stayed. So she willed herself to move, and the moment she did, she made a break for it.

She bolted straight for the steps, tripped along them and caught herself before she could fall. She did not cease running until she reached the Manor house and neither did she look back.

Author's chit-chat:

Well, whew.

"Uppercut" is such a funny word to me.

Thank you for reading and...my goodness, congratulations on coming this far🥳

Don't forget to vote!