XERIS'S POV

"How long do I have to keep this up for? Are you going to ignore me? Are you even there?" she asked in a breathless voice.

I decided not to answer. I was just going to observe. I would leave her running and see how long she would last. I wanted to test her limits. I wanted to see how far she would go. I didn't tell her I turned off the shocker and let her believe the second she stopped, it would cause her pain.

Admittedly, I could have reduced the intensity of the pain she felt, but that would have discouraged her from putting in her all.

Looking at her now, I judged that she wouldn't last twenty minutes. Even that was a stretch. I knew she wouldn't last five minutes. But to give her the benefit of the doubt, I would be generous and wager she wouldn't last an hour.

Don't put too much faith in her Xeris.

I scolded myself.

I continued watching her struggle to stay upright. Her hands went to the handrails to support her.

This is it. This is the moment she begs to make it stop. Any second now.

But she kept on running. My eyebrows furrowed a little. I checked the time. She had been running for over fifteen minutes. I guess she had more fight in her than I thought. I decided to take the hour wager on her seriously.

If she miraculously could run for more than an hour, I would take her to the greenery with me. If she fell short of that hour, I would never show her the greenery.

Yes, it was a little unfair, confining her to our chambers and the training room, but the other girls didn't get the privilege of going to the greenery either. This would be a bonus to her, as the prince's charge, if she won that is.

I looked at the time again. She had been running for over twenty-five minutes now. I decided to get on with my own training now. Every now and then I would glance her way to see if she showed signs of giving up. But they were never there.

I focussed all my attention on my training now and completely blocked her out. When I was done, I grabbed a towel and wiped the sweat away. I looked up at her and saw she was still running.

I can't believe I forgot that she was still on that thing.

I looked at my watch and my eyes nearly fell out of their sockets. She had been running for close to two hours.

That can' be right.

I did some mental calculation and realised that it was. My exercise sessions usually lasted well over an hour. Add that to the time that she had already run, it was correct.

She had more than exceeded my expectations. Purit's words came back to me, 'no expectations, good or bad'. As hard as it was to admit this, she had impressed me. I sat down and watched her run. She had this look of determination on her face. then again, Earthians would go to any lengths to spare themselves from pain and suffering.

The longer I watched her, however, the more I admired her determination. I know I should have stopped her. But I wanted to see how far she could go.

I checked the time again. She had been running for over three hours now. I stood up, intending to tell her she could stop. But then I noticed it, the signs that she was at her limit. I stopped in my tracks and observed her. Her hands gave out. I reached out wanting to help her, but she managed to get herself up. I withdrew my hand and held it behind me. I moved so that I could see her face better.

It was drenched in sweat. The sweat would have been falling into her eyes if not for the glasses. She was panting, but it was in a pattern. I could see her eyes focussing on the forest ahead of her.

They slowly started to close and open, almost like she was dozing. She was losing consciousness but kept running. I readied myself to catch her once she blacked out. Her eyes finally closed completely, she was out.

Impossible!

She had lost consciousness but her body kept moving of its own volition, kept running.

Maybe she isn't unconscious.

I looked at her face carefully and saw that she actually was. Her muscles were relaxed like she was in deep slumber. Her breathing still followed the same pattern, her legs still moved at the same pace.

Astounding.

I wondered how long she could keep running. So, I waited.

It had been five minutes already. She would have kept at it if I didn't stop the machine.

I carried her off the machine, while her body still tried to keep running. She eventually stopped moving in my arms.

What a strong will she has. It kept her body moving when she couldn't.

I had developed a new respect for her and her tenacity. I was pleased that my charge was no ordinary woman.

I walked out of the training room and headed straight for the bathroom. I tapped the tile by the tub and the lid slid off the cleansing water. I tapped the circle and chose the rose fragrance. I watched the tile turn rose coloured. I set her down and took off her trainers. I took mine off as well and picked her up again.

I made my way down the steps that led to the bottom of the tub. The water was now reaching my midsection. I made sure she was fully submerged save for her nasal area so she could breathe. I held her like that for a few minutes and watched as the water went to work on her muscles.

This will take a while, might as well get comfortable.

I moved to the other end of the tub and sat down on the side seat. I held her close for fear she might inhale the water. I noticed that the water went to work on my muscles as well. I looked at her face. behind the pimples and uneven skin, she actually looked pretty.

Did I just think that? What is wrong with me?

It's probably because of her performance today, that's it. I'm admiring her drive, nothing more.

I leaned my head back to wait the few minutes it would take for her to be back to normal.