Heart of Darkness

Roxana was preparing herself to leave for the castle and train to become a Royal guard. After her encounter with whom she thought could be the King, she was a little worried but then only the very skilled would become the King's guards. She would probably guard another part of the castle if she even stayed that long. Her plan was to steal during her training before things got further and became more complicated. 

Looking at herself in the tall broken mirror that she had picked up from the garbage, she wrapped her round firm breasts in linen to make them look flatter. Even though she liked how they looked, most of the time she found them to be a disadvantage when disguising. She had to put more linen around her waist to even up her curves and get the straight body shape of a man. Then she wore a loose shirt to hide all of it. 

If not for her scars, she had quite the body even if she didn't have the face of conventional beauty.

Putting her hair up in a braid that accentuated her jawline to make her look a bit more masculine, she was ready to leave. 

When she walked out of the ship, Fanny was sitting outside on the dock. "I am leaving." She called. 

"Alright then. Be careful." 

She gave him a nod and hurried away. When she came to the appointed place, the guards looked down on her with a frown. "What are you doing her young boy?" 

Right. She looked more like a boy than a man because of her feminine features. 

"I am here to do the tests that are part of the applications to becoming a Royal guard." 

They looked at each and she could see that they wanted to laugh at her. "Unfortunately, we are looking for a guard, not an errand boy." One of them said. 

Roxana thought of many clever replies that would get her into trouble so she bit her tongue. "I could run errands for you if you let me in." 

He shook his head. 

"I thought everyone could apply for this." She said. 

"Not everyone. Every man and you still have a few years left and a few more inches to grow."

"Now you are only jealous." Roxana shrugged. 

"Why should I be jealous of a boy?" 

"You are afraid a little boy like me will become a Royal guard and make you look bad." 

The guard scoffed. "That is only if you succeed." 

"You want to bet I won't?" 

"Don't cry for help later." He said moving out of the way. "I will enjoy watching you get beaten up." 

Roxana remained quiet and walked inside. 

**********

Lazarus sat in one of the balconies of the castle towers watching the young boy who was in fact a woman, get his way in through manipulation. It was the same woman he saw at the market, the one Skender cared to save. 

Hmm…

He watched her carefully, curious to know what she would do next. What amused him was that she applied for the job to steal. Ambitious woman, but somehow he felt like she wasn't to be taken lightly. If they had been humans and unable to read her thoughts she would probably succeed with her mission. 

Through some more manipulation and flirtation, she passed through the second gate. 

"Ash, come here! You are missing something interesting." Lazarus reached Acheron telepathically who arrived the next second. 

"What am I missing?" 

He nodded toward the woman. 

Acheron looked closely. "Is that not.." 

"Yes. The one crying at the market." 

"Oh. This will be interesting." He said. 

Lazarus nodded in agreement. He already had many brilliant ideas. 

"Well, I don't think she is going to make it so I will interfere when needed," Lazarus said thinking of all the tests she would have to go through, with crime health and family records being looked through, measurements taken, and other tests of speed and strength. But to boths surprise, she made it through everything. 

The tongue was a dangerous thing and a determined woman was even more dangerous. 

"I guess no interference is needed." Acheron smiled amused. "I didn't know his Majesty was drawn to this kind." 

"Maybe he is not so boring after all," Lazarus added. 

After the tests for the day were done, Lazarus sighed as he watched her leave. "The fun for today is over." He said. "We need to keep that Lady." 

Acheron shook his head at him. Lazarus knew what his friend was thinking, that he was just trying to find something to occupy his mind with. Perhaps it was true, but this woman truly intrigued him and the ideas in his head excited him. He couldn't wait to see her tomorrow again and set things into motion. 

The day after Lazarus left to watch the rest of the tests. Today was the battle test. Since they would be trained they were not expected to have exceptional skills but because many applied the most skilled of them would be picked. They would be judged on speed of movement, swordsmanship, coordination, and much more. 

Roxana who called herself Rox now was smaller than the rest but it somehow gave her an advantage in fights. She wasn't the best with the sword but she was quick on her feet and she could predict movements and therefore avoid them. Once she exhausted her opponent and angered him after many misses, she attacked when he was distracted. 

People around were impressed and she passed the test. Now she could become an apprentice. 

Once the tests were finished and the best were selected, they all lined. Acheron and Lazarus then went ahead to personally pick and choose who would be trained for what after searching through their mind. 

"That is Lord Valos and Lord Quintus. They are responsible for the security in the castle and handpick the king's guards themselves." A trainee whispered to Roxana. 

Roxana looked their way and recognized them from the market. For a moment she panicked but hoped they wouldn't recognize her. She hurried to stand last in the queue to prepare her lines of deception. Acheron and Lazarus looked at each other with a knowing smile. 

Acheron waved for them to come forward one by one and they handed them the papers that would tell them which trainee group they would belong to. They were separated by quarters of the castle. The most skilled and but also the most trustworthy who were truly here to serve their kingdom were placed in the king's quarters. And then of course there was Roxana who was here to steal. Normally she would be placed far outside the castle but Lazarus had other plans for her. When it was her turn to come forward he could feel her nervousness. 

"Good morning, My Lords" She greeted with her best smile. 

"Good morning," he made sure to look at her with a bit of doubt to see what she would do. 

"I am Rox and My lord, please disregard my size. Even small rocks can be dangerous." She explained. "Not everyone is blessed with a body like yours, My Lord. Maybe you can give me some advice on what I can do to achieve similar results." 

"That would take a long while. Meanwhile, with your size, how would you protect the King when needed?" 

"It depends on the situation, My lord." 

"Alright. What would you do if while guarding the king you noticed an arrow flying his way?" He asked. 

"I would hurry to become his shield. Let the arrow stab me in the back and die protecting our King and our Kingdom. There is no greater honor." She replied trying to keep a straight face. 

Lazarus and Acheron tried to hold their laughter. She was trying to sound stupid on purpose because interestingly she didn't want to become the king's personal guard. 

"I see no honor in that," he murmured. 

She narrowed her eyes. 

"Alright. I am sending you to the king's quarters…" he began and her eyes widened. "Especially to become his Majesty's personal guard." 

Now her eyes looked like they would fall off. "My Lord, what have I done to deserve such… honor." She chocked. 

Her heart began to accelerate. This wasn't what she had expected. Now she wanted to go back home. He would have to put her in a place where she couldn't go back easily. 

"I am not deserving." She hurried to add. "The king would die on my watch." 

He chuckled. "Don't worry. His Majesty doesn't die easily. You only need to do a decent job." He told her. 

Now she became suspicious of him. A lord who didn't care much about the king's safety. Did he want him dead? 

This woman. Tsk, tsk. 

"The King's guards also keep him company and he appreciates a good company. You have a likable personality." He told her. 

"Thank you, My Lord." She said giving up the fight against this. She was quick to move on and think of the next step instead of feeling defeated that things didn't go her way. If they didn't recognize her, she thought that the king probably wouldn't either. 

Lazarus wasn't so sure about that. He was looking forward to their meeting. 

"Alright then. I will introduce you to His Majesty so he is familiar with your faces.. You will be spending a lot of time in his quarters after all."