Tournament of Kings

Chapter Twenty-Four: Duel of Flames

The Heaven's Eye had been stored away, back to whatever secret location it was held in. The rumor was that there was an ancient vault somewhere in Gel Carn, where the spirit of an ancient knight protected it. Which knight varied; some said it was Sir Orson, others King Anoa himself. Relma thought King Anoa was possible, but it seemed like something other than him. She wondered if she should ask Aunt Pan about it at some point.

Sir Orson seemed more likely; he was known as dutiful and faultless in all things. And he had been closest to Anoa, but then he had betrayed him.

It hardly mattered. The ring now seemed empty in comparison as Relma sat down with the other contestants. All of the other contestants.

It was a tradition that, while defeated, knights would return for the final match. William and Estela were busy glaring at one another. Or at least Relma thought William was glaring. His helm hid his expression, but his body language was angry. And the glowing green eyes made him look furious no matter what he felt.

Saphra was knitting over to one side, working on a new scarf from the looks of things. Her eyes were gleaming faintly as she did so. Fayn was a few feet away, using a whetstone on her sword. No one was talking as they waited. It was unbearable.

"So how is this final match going to go?" asked Reginald from where he sat to the left.

"I'm not really sure. Nothing like this tournament has been done in years," said Frederick, just above him. "The other contests are fairly standard. and they were used as a model.
"Unfortunately, an archery contest is different from sword to sword.

"So, there aren't any experts."

"When was the last time you had knights here?" asked Reginald.

"I believe, shortly after the death of Anoa IX," said Frederick. "There were several smaller ones', of course, but nothing on this scale."

And then Davian came forward. "Ladies and gentlemen! Commoners and nobles! I greet you!" Cheers broke out with such fervor Davian had to wait for them to die down before he could go on. He waited for almost a minute. "We have watched round after round of a dozen tournaments! We have observed the greatest knights and warriors of Harlenor in epic confrontations! Each round has been more harrowing than the last!

"But now, we have come to the final rounds! Three knights have proven worthy of this round! But only one can hope to return home victorious!"

The cheers came back all the louder. And they lasted still longer. Finally, Davian turned around to look at all sides of the crowd in turn. "First among them, the Princess of Escor herself, Estela Vortegex!"

A horn call rang out, and Estela marched forward. Yet she did not shed her cloak as she did so; she kept it around her as she walked into the ring. She drew her sword with a flourish and fell to one knee, as was tradition. The cheers were deafening.

"Second, a valiant knight who has faced demons of all kinds, and wandered the blighted realm of Blackfear, William Gabriel!" said Davian.

William loosed his cloak and handed it to Felix. Then he marched forward without any elaborate moves. He kneeled and bowed his head. There was only a little less cheering this time. Estela was known to the people of Gel Carn, so William had a disadvantage.

"And finally, the niece of the Steward and a powerful warrior in her own right, Fayn Lancel!" said Davian.

There were fewer cheers this time, significantly fewer. Fayn moved forward, two-handed sword in hand. She tested the wait before grasping her cloak and throwing it off dramatically. It flowed into the wind and then up into the air. It probably would have been utterly useless in actual bad weather.