Rahns lungs burned as she pushed through the curve in the forest path, opening up her view to the grand hall a good distance away. Just two more miles and she would finish her early morning run. It wasn't her favorite thing to do, but it helped clear her mind and burn off energy. And it pushed her to be stronger. She wasn't about to let any one catch her being weak. Not any criminals, and especially not the other guards.

Once she finished her run she would treat herself to some water, change into more appropriate attire for being around others, and then head to the training facilities where the guards spent their time staying in shape and honing their skills. She laughed as she thought of the other guards' reactions the first couple of times she showed up there straight in her running attire, which was little more than skin tight cloth to cover her private areas.

When she was told she could no longer wear such things to the training grounds several years ago, she was angry. "Oh? Did they implement a dress code?"

"Not officially." Captain Zein had bristled at her question, grinding his teeth. "But I will not have my guards so distracted while they're training."

She laughed at it now. Zein was no longer around. He was no longer her superior in any way. But still, she knew better than to wear things like that where the other guards could see her. She had learned a long time ago that she needed to keep her head down and be unnoticeable. It was the best way to get things done unhindered.

As she was entering the side of the guards tower, on the north side of the grand hall, two guards approached her. "You Rahn?"

"Yeah." She addressed them as she stood and stretched her arms up, crossing them over each other on top of her head as she caught her breath.

"Your presence is required. Come with us."

"Let me just go change first."

"We were given clear instructions to bring you immediately."

She sighed and waved her hand up and down, her fingers motioning to her barely clothed body. "Does this seem appropriate to you?" She fought the urge to roll her eyes.

The guards glanced at each other, and then back at her. The male shrugged "Orders."

She sighed. "Lead the way."

She ignored the double takes and the whispered comments people made with each other as she walked with the guards down the halls. But when a stocky, rather smelly male let his fingers brush her sides as she passed him, not caring to hide the satisfied grunt that left his lips, she turned and twisted his fingers until he kneeled on the floor before her.

"Release me." He said between gritted teeth.

"That doesn't sound like an apology." She twisted a bit more.

"Ok! Ok!" He grunted in pain. "I'm sorry!"

A smile curled slightly on her lips as she began walking past him. Usually she'd push down her frustrations and keep walking, but she drew the line at males groping her without permission.

As they went further into the grand hall and motioned for her to enter the elevator she questioned them. "Where are we going, exactly?"

"To the General." the female said flatly.

"Ah." Rahn smirked as she glanced down at her lack of attire. This ought to be interesting, she thought to herself. She had only rarely spoken directly to General Garen, it was typically a captain who would relay orders to her rank. With General Garen being gone on leave for the last week, she was curious to see what the Acting General needed from her directly.

Eventually the guards opened a door and she was ushered inside. The guards were quickly dismissed and the door was closed behind her, leaving only her and the Acting General. She was expecting to be deposited into one of the meeting rooms General Garen and the other higher ranking officers typically used. Given her current attire and the fact that it was only her and her superior in his study, the intimate space felt almost suffocating, even though his office was enormous compared to most.

If he noticed her lack of attire, he didn't acknowledge it. Not in words or actions. No lingering eyes and likewise no obvious avoidance of gaze. She might as well have been in her full guards uniform in front of him, he seemed to show no difference. It provided her a slight comfort from her uneasiness.

"Greetings, Rahn. I trust you have made a full recovery since I last saw you."

"Yes, my lord."

Rahn recalled being surprised to wake up in the royal medical ward after she had passed out in front of the entire Premier fighting against the would be assassins. The first thing she saw was Lord Kahal talking quietly with his uncle, General Garen, in the bed beside her. When she moved to sit up Kahal had turned and helped her adjust the pillows behind her before pouring her a mug of water and handing it to her. He called for a guard to grab a medical attendant to check on her before he had returned to his conversation with his uncle. She remembered it clearly as it was the first time in years anyone had made any effort to take care of her instead of her taking care of herself.

A few days later she had heard the announcement that the king and queen would be retiring in one cycle's time and Kahal would officially be the next king. As was customary, he would spend a few months leading each of the homelands main departments as a way to prepare him to lead them all at once. He had started with the guard one week later with General Garen taking a mandatory leave of absence, as was the custom.

And here they were just another week later, standing in his study.

"Good." Kahal nodded and directed her to sit across from him, then proceeded directly into business. "A group of unknown size and intentions is somewhere here in the homeland, getting involved in matters of great concern. That includes the recent assassination attempt."

She rose her brow muscle slightly but remained silent as he continued.

"As you're aware, the recent assassination attempt involved a handful of guards. We have reason to believe they were aided by an outside group. I need an individual to go undercover and assess the threat. Given that guards were involved, we're not sure who we can trust. Not even your supervising officers will know about the assignment. You will report directly to me."

After a long moment, she asked. "May I ask why I was chosen?"

"Do you wish to deny my request?"

Her brows furrowed. "No, my lord. I am simply concerned with my ability to effectively complete the task."

"I was told you excel as an investigator, specifically an expert in blending in. That you prefer to work alone, is this not true?"

She stifled the frustrated sigh that wanted to leave her. "My lord, if I may explain. With the recent attention I've been receiving from the Royal family's recognition of me after the attempted assassination, my concern isn't over my skills but over my lack of ability to blend in."

His face remained impassive as he thought over the words. A sudden need to match his stare overwhelmed her and it was him who eventually leaned back in his chair and glanced down at her body. It was so brief, she would have missed it if she blinked.

With his eyes back on hers, he responded. "The news of the recognition you received is already old. Our people tend to move on quickly from one exciting thing to the next. The recognition service was from quite a distance so no one would have gotten a good look at you outside of The Premier and the few close attendants, and no images of you were given in the articles on the matter. I'm quite confident no one outside of your circle and that of the Premier knows who you are."

He paused. Was he waiting on her to be disappointed in his statement? In fact, she was elated. She hated the attention some of the guards had given her the days immediately following the recognition service. She had been thankful people had found Ashima, the alien that crash landed here from another planet, the more exciting and memorable participant in the same service.

"I'm sure with the appropriate attire, you'll manage to blend in just fine." Kahal said flatly as he held her gaze.

She managed to hold her impassive expression, a skill in which nearly all Qarthans excelled, but she couldn't hide the fire in her gaze as she glared at him. She quietly drew in a breath before speaking calmly. "I can hardly be to blame for my attire... or lack thereof... when the guards you sent refused to let me deviate from your precise orders to bring me here immediately. Perhaps in the future you will be more clear with your instructions... my lord." She said as she slightly bent her face forward in submission while keeping her eyes trained on his.

"Noted." He leaned forward slightly. "Do you accept the assignment?"

"I do, my lord."

"Good. Report back here at this same time in two days. Until then, do any prep you need but lay low. When you report back I will have supplies and new accommodations for you."

She nodded her head and swiftly left the room.

As she was walking out the door she heard Kahal call for the two guards who were standing outside the door, the same two who had escorted her here. She held the door open for them as they walked in. They nodded at her in thanks without realizing her true intentions weren't to be nice but to control when the door closed so she could listen to what Kahal said to them. She held it to where she could listen through a slight crack. Before she fully closed the door and walked away she heard his angry voice berating the guards. "Use a little common sense, Lanto, of course she should have gone and put on some clothes. Do you think I should have a practically naked Qarthan female alone in my study with me!"

Rahn smiled as she walked toward to her dwelling, for some reason feeling happy to know she had managed to rile up the future king.

~~~~~~~~~~~



Author's Note:

Thoughts so far?

Rahn is a more spicy female lead and I'm having a fun time writing her story. I'm excited to bring you along this journey after hearing how much you loved the characters in the first book.