Castle Penfenics courtyard area

"Arugh!" Thrown to his back was a young man no older than 19, with a head of dirt covered blonde hair. He was dressed in a white button-up shirt with golden designs that turned into a phoenix at his chest, a pair of red pants held up by a belt with a golden buckle and a pair of brown boots. "Damn it!" He snapped upwards, sending an icy cold gaze from his sky blue eyes to a group four knights from the Phoenix Guard.

Each was in suits of red Phoenix styled armor as per the norm of the royal guard and all used different weapons. One held a warhammer, another used a pair of daggers, one used a shield and sword, and the last of them kept a long-sword pointed upwards. "..." They all formed a half-circle around their downed opponent but did not strike him.

"Again!" The man ordered, picking himself off the ground and grabbed a sword that had been knocked out of his hand.

Prince Medraut Penfenics, Fifth Son Of House Penfenics: The last of the five sons of House Penfenics and the problem child of the family as it were. Master of the blade, wits of a harden tactician, silver-tongued, the makings of a king, were all the things this man was not instead he was all but 'simple' by the standards of one born into a noble house.

"I feel like that's enough for today, my prince," Captain Derrick ordered from under a tree, stopping the four knights the moment they all took a step towards the prince. "Form up." He commanded, and the knights stood attention.

"Ah! Derrick, he only got knocked down six times, that's an improvement if you ask me!" King Loth was sitting under same the tree Derrick was at with a large wooden desk piled with letters, notes, books, along with a bottle of wine before him. "Take this to the left-wing." On standby were a few servants ready to come to their king's needs.

"That's six too many, Loth, he should be able to take those four on by now, he's wasting my time at this rate," Derrick informed the king while his cold eyes stayed fixed on Medraut, currently looking his way with a bit of glare. "Does my assessment displeases you, my prince?"

"Hmph! You've never been wrong so no, captain Derrick," Medraut turned away from Derrick and met the four knights, all of their faces hidden under red plates of steel. "But that doesn't mean I want to stop!" He did a practice swing at the knights hoping for one of them to take him.

"..." But each of knight held their positions as Derrick's orders mattered more to them than the wants of the prince.

"Come on! One more dual! That's all I'm asking for!" Medraut yelled at the silent knights, but none answered the call. "Ahhh..." Leaving the prince to sigh in frustration.

"Bah! Give the boy what he wants, Derrick? There's no point in giving him fangs and not letting him use them!" King Loth insisted, pointing over to the sword in Medraut's hand and watched his son's grip on the blade tighten more and more as he tried to get the knights to fight.

"You're being too soft on him, Loth, he can't always get his way..." Derrick put aside the king's words and got another glare from the young prince. "...unless he has the power to make it so?" The captain pushed his cape apart, showing his readied arms.

"Is that an offer old man?" Medraut asked, taking a fighting stance as he faced Derrick. "Ugh." But the moment it seemed like Derrick reached for his sword, the prince began to sweat and lowed his blade.

"Hmph." At seeing that Derrick returned his arms to his sides. "If your will is that weak then you are not worth my steel."

"Tch!" Medraut was left to scowl at Derrick and his fears but kept his sword at the ready. "You wouldn't know that unless you see it for yourself! So draw your weapons and fight me! ANYONE!" He roared with enough furry that something strange occurred.

"!" All four knights behind Medraut had brandished their weapons at him only missing to hit him by the four clashing their weapons against eachother.

"?" As for Derrick, he had a hand on his sword with the image of striking at the prince flashing in his mind.

"Wha?" Even the servants at King Loth's side had balled their hands into fists for some reason they did not understand. "We are sorry, my king." One of them bowed to Loth.

Who was looking at his son with dull eyes. "Well now, if you are asking so bashfully then..." The king arose from his desk and stepped out onto the training ground. "...bring me Garvic..." He held out his right hand, and a moment later, a pair of servants appeared carrying a large bastard sword kept in a red and gold scabbard. Its had a wide crossguard while the handle was wrapped in black leather ending in a pointed pommel. "...is this being too soft on him, Derrick?" Loth looked to Derrick as he pulled the sword out showing a battered and worn blade.

"Hmph, at your age, a little work out should be fine." Derrick seemed to have made a joke, but his voice was not in it only coming out as a statement.

"Are you saying I'm old?" King Loth raised a brow at his personal knight, holding Garvic over his shoulder.

"Yes," Derrick answered in the same tone as always, quick and calm.

"Bah! Still the jester I see? But let's see how much 'time' has taken from me, eh?" Loth swung the sword downward, kicking up dust as he smirked at his son, who looked as if he had stepped into a nest of monsters. "Don't tell me you're going to back down now? Even after that, tantrum?"

"..." Medraut was silent as he stared at his father, smiling at him while rocking his shoulders a little. "...I asked for this, so give it!" He resolved himself as he once again took up a stance with his sword pointed at his father.

"Spoken like a royal brat that needs to get a beating!" Loth matched his son's stance with their swords' tips only inches away.

"..." Silence was thick in the air after that, the two's eyes were locked in a contest stare, trying to see who would falter first. "..." After tense moments for nothing but the sound of the wind and the sun beating down on the two dualists, a small leaf of no importance of any kind drifted its way between the two swords, flowing down to block the eyes of father and son.

"HA!" In that one moment, the two stepped forward and brought down their blades. A flash of red light lit the courtyard up, but not one of the sparks sent flying by steel meeting steel but by a single line of fire that stretched across the courtyard. It burnt everything in its path, going between the four knights, through a wall and out into the forest area surrounding the castle as it set fire to a small part of Mt. Nyth.

"A-a-ah!" Medraut was left stargazing at his sword or what was left of it, as in his hands was nothing but a molten lump of iron on a sword handle.

"Ah! That was a good swing! If I do say so myself!" Loth threw his sword back to his shoulder, leaving a trail of flames in the air. "And you held your ground!" He padded his son's arm a bit. "Hmm?" But that got nothing out of the boy who was looking at something on the ground. "Oh?" Following the young prince's eyes, Loth found him looking at the leaf that sounded their clash left intact even after taking the king's attack.

"It's...fine?" Medraut picked the leaf up and looked it over. "Hmm?" He tried his hardest to find out how it was spared from the wrath of his father's sword. "Why?" But everything seemed normal about this one leaf.

"I did not want to burn it, so it's fine..." Loth saw the wonder in Medraut's eyes as he spoke. "...I know what you're thinking boy, 'this is what it takes to be a king' right?"

"But it's not," Medraut solemnly said, letting the leaf fall back to the ground and tossed his useless 'sword' aside. "Then what is?"

"What does it mean to be a king?" Loth asked himself the same question as he looked over his city from his castle. "I've been asked that so many times over the years by so many people, that I am honestly not sure about it myself. Is it being in a noble family? That wasn't me I was commoner after all this." He paused to wave a hand at Gorz. "Is it being powerful? I am strong, but I am not the strongest thing in this city. Having all the money? Ovis has me beaten there. And there are so many other conditions..." He raised a hand to the city as if trying to take it all in his hold. "...if I had to throw my words at it, I would say it is having the 'willingness to take'"

" willingness to take?'" Medraut titled his head to a side not getting what his father meant, so he waited for him to go on.

"You know the story of how I became king, right?" Loth asked with the boy nodding back in answer. "Then you know that I, Ovis, Le Fay, and a few hundred or so people came to this land as the Band Of The Pheonix. And we ripped everything from everyone. We took the lives of anyone that didn't side with us, the young, and the old, the men, and the women, human and monster alike. All for my want to have this land and when it all over with I was wearing a crown, had a castle, and duties and people of my own...honestly even after all these years it still feels so unreal...but that doesn't sound like a king does it? I am more of a..."

"Conquer..." Medraut finished his father's words now looking out to the city that was built off bloodshed and greed. "...I...don't think I can be that." He reached out a hand to the city like his father was doing. "Does that mean I'm unworthy of being a king?"

"No, it doesn't. It just means you haven't found what makes you a king yet. Find it and make your own! Then see what the future holds for you." King Loth gave what advice he could to his son as he was lightly padding Medraut shoulder. "And with that 'skill' of yours from earlier, I would say you're on the way to something great...now! Back to watching, you get knocked around like a ball!" He slapped Medraut's back, nearly throwing him to the ground and returned to his desk work.

"Ugh? Father?" Medraut pointed at his melted sword on the ground.

"Right...Derrick! The boy needs a new blade, send word to Deller at once." Loth ordered at the Deller who looked over to a servant, making them leaving without a word.

"For now, hand to hand combat shall be enough..." Derrick stated, and his knights dropped whatever weapon they were using and raised armored fists at the young prince. "...ne sure not to damage his royal visage."

"H-h-hah...that's a good joke, captain Derrick!" Medraut laughed nervously as he felt four looming shadows come over him.

Chapter end