The Crown's Entrapment

After their brief stay in the tower, Darius then brought Xenia to the training grounds so that he could continue to lecture her about the Five Trials. Following behind him, she was honestly overwhelmed with how attentive Darius was being to her.

Arriving at their destination, the training grounds occupied a large space within the castle and were divided into parts depending on the kind of training each soldier had. Darius led her to a big and open stadium beside it.

"This is where the pit happens. It's a tradition in the kingdom that's been held yearly since its inception," Darius explained. She had almost forgotten about it.

"Yeah, you threatened me with it before," Xenia scoffed.

Looking around, the stadium was an ellipse-shaped venue with three tiers of limestone travertine, concrete, stone, tiles, and other materials surrounding the field.

"This is also where the fifth trial would be held, Xen. The Trial of Combat..." Darius added, ignoring her sour sentiments about the pit. She still remembered when Darius said he would throw her, the disguised lad, in here if she didn't obey him.

Looking around, Xenia frowned upon seeing that there were soldiers stationed among the benches.

"Familiarize yourself with this stadium, Xen, and make sure that you get a good grasp of every single detail surrounding this stadium," Darius commented as he walked near her, stopping right behind her with some kind of intent.

To her surprise, he then held her shoulders and leaned closer, letting her feel his warmth as his breath brushed against her ear.

'I'm distracted. Why is he being so touchy?' she inwardly complained as Darius's palms trailed from her shoulders down to her arms. The only consolation she got was there was some fabric covering her skin, hindering him from noticing how the hairs on her skin all stood on their ends at his touch.

"As I said, the first four trials would comprise the four elements. It's like how a werewolf's body can naturally withstand the four seasons," Darius explained. "Air like the spring, fire like the summer, earth for the autumn, and water for the winter. A Luna and a true Queen should be able to withstand those trials, and the Element Forest was named as such for such an occasion. Inside, you will encounter the power of the four elements. If your body is weak, then you will die."

"That sounds easy enough," Xenia uttered.

"We'll see then if it's indeed easy for you, my love," Darius chuckled. He then leaned into her as he sniffed her. "Hmm... You smell so good."

Xenia's eyes widened when she felt Darius suddenly lick her earlobe. She abruptly turned, causing her lips to brush against his chin.

"Hmm... Be careful with your actions, my love. My soldier's eyes are all on us," Darius smirked. "Although, don't you think this is a good time for you to act sweet? It can dispel some of the rumors. But as much as I want to indulge in this, I'm afraid I must focus on your real training."

She heard Darius let out a heavy sigh before he moved away from her. He then waved his hand as if to give out some sort of signal.

Xenia frowned at his actions. She didn't know what he was planning, but the next thing she knew was that arrows were already flying towards her.

"What the hell?!"

She burst out in surprise, instinctively swaying her body to avoid the arrows flying towards her from all directions. It was unexpected, but it wasn't like she wasn't trained for this.

She couldn't help but glare at the stands above. So this was why there were soldiers around from the benches? To fire these arrows at her? Xenia smirked. Did this Werewolf King really think that she wouldn't be able to dodge these arrows in an open area like this?

With swift motions, she managed to avoid all the arrows that went her way, but they just kept on coming. Minutes passed, and there were still arrows continuing to fly towards her. Soon, she started panting and gasping for air as every movement she made slowly chipped away at her stamina.

Hours passed.

"You should wear a more comfortable outfit starting tomorrow, Xen. Clothes that will suit this weather," Darius teasingly smirked. "Don't be shy. Let them all see my love marks on you."

Stealing a glare at him, she growled as he just watched her intently with a serious expression on his face. It was then that Xenia then realized that Darius was indeed serious about giving her a strict regimen of personal training. But did he really have to mention those marks as his love marks?

"When will this stop?" she complained as she continued dodging arrows. She was starting to get tired, and her breathing was getting more irregular by the second.

"Not until you learn to focus on your own breathing and syncing it up with the flow of the air around you," Darius casually responded. "Avoiding arrows like that isn't enough. You're doing things wrong, Xen. Don't you remember what I taught you while we were on the tower?"

Xenia's face darkened at his words. She was already sweating and panting hard, and her dress wasn't helping with the situation at all. Having had enough, she tore away the hem of her dress in one swift motion, allowing her to move more freely. She didn't mind how her long legs showed each time she made her move anymore. She just wanted to survive.

Keeping her eyes peeled, she was way too focused on avoiding the arrows being shot at her. The stadium had enough space for her to move freely, but the problem was that the arrows always seemed to follow her wherever she went. It was nonstop! They were firing at her from all directions!

It was insanity. Darius said that she was doing things wrong, but wasn't avoiding the arrows like this enough? She was so busy avoiding arrows left and right that she didn't see another arrow coming her way from behind.

It all happened in a flash. The next thing Xenia knew, Darius had already swiftly come to her aid, grabbing her waist, and pulling her up against his body as he leaned to avoid the arrow that almost hit her in the back.

"This is what I expected. Your senses are getting tired already that it stopped sensing the direction of the arrows," Darius scolded. "Close your eyes and feel the air around you, Xen. Even though you can't see the arrows, the air around you is a life force that will guide you. The air will help you with your movements so that your body's senses won't burn out."

Lightly nodding, Xenia followed Darius's instructions and listened to everything that he was whispering into her ear. All of a sudden, her heavy body felt so light. She started feeling it, the air flowing through her body syncing with the movements around her.

"I can feel it..." she murmured, unknowingly making her body move like a leaf falling off a tree as she let the air take over her movements. She could feel the force of each arrow coming her way, and with precise movements, she started moving on the ground as if she was simply dancing. The sweat on her body dried up as her breathing relaxed, the wind helping her with ease.