--- Elise

King Sebastian turned towards the girl with a stunned expression.

"I said," repeated Elise, "Would you consider it fair for me to enter this tournament as well?"

Those who were sitting nearby all looked at her like she had just blurted out the insult of the year. And it was exactly the kind of reaction she wanted.

"Elise," promptly replied her father, "I don't know if I really get the meaning of your words. The very reason for this competition is..."

"Me choosing a suitor. I know it well. But I intend to put the finalists to a test, to see if they have what it takes. This day is dedicated to me, right? Then I see no problem in me competing for myself, as well."

A lively, loud murmuring came from every direction. Her sudden request must have been outrageous for the rest of the audience, anyway...

It's not the audience who I want to convince. Come on, father. What do you say?

"As much as the idea of a princess fighting for her honour and right compels me, there's no way I can allow my only daughter to compete against such good warriors, even if she thinks to have the skill..." admitted the King. "Still, just by looking at you, I can already tell you have thought of something."

Elise nodded, and stood up, raising her voice so everyone around her seat could hear clearly.

"Many of you know I have a honour guard, by now. What does a honour guard do, you all might wonder? He guards my honour, of course."

From below, she spotted Roric turning her way. Before the girl could point her finger at him, however, her uncle Darius stepped in front of her.

"Your servant isn't a noble, princess," he stated. "As such, he can't participate. It would be against the rules."

With a smirk, Elise went on, "Don't be like that, uncle. My honour guard is bound to me and must be treated like an extension of me. As such, he can compete."

"What... Your Highness! Brother! Don't tell me you even consider..."

"That would be unprecedented, Elise," replied her father, then giving her a wink. "But I think it's a good idea. Let's see how well you do when the odds are more even."

The few members of the court who had managed to grasp what had just happened erupted, some in laughter and some in rage. Elise, on the other hand, simply sat down again. She wasn't scared of them anymore. The King had spoken.

I'll show you all. I'm nobody's token girl.

***

--- Roric

Damn it... What's on her mind? She practically forced me into this! It's not like I didn't want something like this to happen, though... But it's really, really sudden.

Roric went down the stairs that led into the arena, reaching the area where the participants could prepare themselves. Two pages rushed in his direction bringing an assortment of pieces of armour, but he told them he was good with a gesture of the hand.

I have never used heavy cuirass before and I don't have enough time to get used to it. Shit... I Hope they have something less constricting.

He asked for a padded jacket, the lighter the better. While his request was being fulfilled, the herald announced the imminent start of the final phase, this time including the young warrior among those who were competing. Elise's bending of the rules seemed to be well-accepted by the audience, surprisingly.

In the end, they just want to be entertained. If we give them something to talk about, she won't have to be worried about her standing with the city at least. It's a huge gamble, but I can see it working.

In all due honesty, Roric didn't feel so sure about winning. He already had a half idea of how to beat mister big-guy and the cowardly backstabber but the third nobleman, the most cheered of them, was a different question. It was clear that the fellow had some training, being from a rich family, so it was yet unknown how much of a threat he could be. Still, Roric had his own motives to take that fight to the extreme.

***

When the trumpets blasted, the boy drew his sword and started walking towards the three, careful to retain his concentration in spite of the loud yells from the audience. He tried to isolate himself from the outside, directing his attention only on his opponents, but for some reason he didn't completely succeed.

Elise is right behind me. She is watching, and believes I'll win this for her sake. I don't want to let her down, but... Is it really going to be easy?

Frederick and Victor, meanwhile, came in his direction. They were probably aiming at getting him out of the tournament at once before settling the matter between themselves. Roric chose to keep the armoured man in front of him, carefully watching as the other one moved sideways, out of his field of view. Wilfred remained in the back, impassive.

Two at once, huh? So much for this honour-bound people... I wonder who's going to attack first...

All of a sudden, Frederick roared and charged alone, trying to bash the young warrior with his shoulder. Due to his lack of cuirass, the man must have thought that Roric was the easiest target he had faced that day and wasn't even deserving a swing of the mace.

Wait... Seriously?

With a grace that rivaled the untrained bandits in Fradot, the nobleman went past him, his every step pounding on the terrain. He didn't react at all to the boy's instinctive dodge, nor to the kick from behind his support leg. Still roaring, in a noisy metal crash, Frederick tumbled and collapsed on the ground. Defeated.

The crowd just stared, in a momentary silence. The man who had smashed, overpowered and sent flying so many people during the competition was now groaning in the dust. To Roric's surprise, because he thought he was much more dangerous, Frederick was deemed eliminated by the announcer.

Cheers erupted in the arena.

I must remain focused. Don't let the noise distract you!

Turning to face Victor, who was still waiting for an opening and was also probably stunned by the fact that his opponent was already out, the young warrior shifted to the offensive. If he had to go against someone who relied on cheating and tricks, applying pressure was the best choice.

The cowardly noble took one or two steps backwards and for a moment even glanced down, to the sand that had helped him so much during the past stage. Roric however didn't give him any time to prepare one of his dirty moves, and swung his weapon with firm resolution.

I won't let you do that.

With a loud clanging, the swords clashed together. Victor's blade barely withstood the blow, predictably, so the boy pushed on with his attack. The exchange was short, fierce, one-sided. A couple more hits were enough to force the weaker nobleman to drop his weapon, grabbing his right wrist in pain and hastily conceding. His resignation brought a second roar from the audience. Looking at that man kneeling in the sand, Roric couldn't totally believe it had just been that easy.

When... When did I get this strong, exactly?

Those people weren't real warriors. Frederick relied on his bulky build too much and lacked any form of finesse and Victor... Well, he was probably aiming for an unearned victory to begin with. The thought that one of them could have become Elise's suitor gave the boy creeps.

"As expected from someone chosen by the princess," commented Wilfred, pointing his sword at Roric. "Sadly, this is where it ends. Once I win and marry that girl, I'll reserve the right to kick you out for good, you low-born."

"Assuming you can win, My Lord," replied the young warrior, going back to his defensive stance. "Why don't you come here and back up your words, then?"

"Gladly. Let me show you a thing or two about being a noble."

Oh, oh... Look at his reaction. It must sting. Yet, I cant keep my guard low. I've been observing him all this time, and he's not one to be taken lightly. I doubt he's been giving his all until now.

The two faced off, getting closer to each other. Roric forced himself not to avert his gaze, not even for a moment, knowing that such a mistake could have been fatal. It was probably the most important moment of his life, he realized.

He is good-looking, but his attitude ruins the character. No wonder Elise resolved to make me compete in her place. There was no way she would have married one of these scumbags.

Absorbed by his thoughts, the boy was almost caught by surprise when Wilfred suddenly moved forward. One feint, then a slash aimed to his shoulder. Roric had to concentrate a bit, but managed to evade his opponent's blade with little effort. He countered immediately, mindful of the fact that he had the upper edge in terms of reflexes, only to be repelled by the noble's excellent defense.

I don't know who taught him, but he is definitely good. I'm trying to lead him into a mistake, but he simply won't take the bait. This might prove a challenge!

Wilfred kept answering to his offensive without any problem. The younger boy was still in the middle of figuring out if his opponent had an ace up his sleeve, though. His technique was almost flawless, for someone of that age, but at that rate he was bound to show some kind of weakness. Still, for the moment, there didn't seem to be one.

As their match went on, however, Roric began noticing something. The noble was clearly a very skilled fencer, who mustered strength, endurance and good footwork, but didn't even try to get the upper hand for some reason. If anything, he was starting to look stressed.

He didn't think I would give him so many problems. That must be it. So, he has already reached his limit?

It was risky, but the young warrior had to know. So, in his next attack, he purposely let Wilfred parry his sword and delivered a vicious jab to his face with his free hand. To Roric's satisfaction, his opponent stumbled and backed off.

Alright, now I get it. I just need to be a little more forceful and he'll go down.

The answer to such smooth, complicate form was raw strength and speed. And due to his Elemental nature, the boy possessed both. Not to mention, he was used to give his all in a fight.

It wasn't clear what Wilfred's plan was. It had probably something to do with Roric getting frustrated and attacking recklessly, but at that point there wasn't any need to hold back. The young nobleman, in fact, seemed tired and completely in no position to retaliate.

I will beat you here and now!

He caught a glimpse of his opponent's last reaction just before slamming his fist in his mouth once again. With unrelenting violence, Roric kept pounding and pounding until the other collapsed in the sand. His victory was met with a third, ear-splitting roar coming from the crowd.

I... I won? That went better than expected!

"You..." moaned the downed nobleman. "I won't let you get away with this... You cheating bastard!"

"I'm sorry if I hurt you, My Lord," Roric mocked him. "But I didn't enter this arena to lose."

"You weren't allowed to hit my face! I've studied under the best masters of the city-"

"Studying fencing doesn't make you a fighter. There's no killing intent in your blows. You can have all the technique in the world, but you won't make it far if you think a tournament is just another training session."

And judging from the expression you are making, you still do.

"I've grown up as a soldier," concluded the boy. "That's why I know. Here, let me help you, My Lord."

Wilfred refused the hand Roric was stretching towards him, and simply got back on his feet by himself. He spitted and walked away with one last glare.

This one is so prideful... Well, he will hold a grudge for sure. He is a noble, and most of them only care for their reputation. As for me...

Turning to face Elise, the young warrior found her standing, with a big smile, while most of the audience cheered for her. King Sebastian quietly clapped at her side, satisfied. Only a small fraction of those who had witnessed Roric's victory were actually praising him, but he didn't care.

For me, this is more than enough.