.Eyes Of Void.

-42-

I watched the guards yank Ethan to his feet and tear the shirt off his body, leaving him bear-chested for this fight, and pushing him towards the middle of the circle without pity.

"You know, Ethan," Mystery told him as he faced her, undoing her arm bracers, taking off her gloves, and putting her stuff in Emersme's arms. "While you got what titles you had from being associated with her Majesty." She even undid the corset lace and threw that to her fellow mage too. She pulled off her undershirt too. "I earned mine through blood, sweat and tears!" She threw the undershirt over her shoulder, I could see people eyeing the ink and I did too, them not knowing the meaning behind each like I did, these were also titles. "All the marks left from past achievements." She said, waving at her inked skin. "From my present achievements." she showed the scars on her face, actually considering them as achievements. "I've earned them all unlike you."

She looked confident and ready.

"Come at me Ethan of no title or lose all your dignity you might have left in you still."

He lifted his arms and swung at her.

She stepped to the side and snapped her leg out, hitting him in his side and sending him down. I cringed at the imagined pain he could be feeling, I never thought her strikes would be so true... But I knew that once they'd end up fighting and today is the day.

She waited for him to stand up before driving her knee into his stomach with all of her strength, she is not holding back.

He coughed as he backed away, grabbing his body as she remained standing on one leg, the one she kneed him with still lifted a bit off the ground.

I watched him wipe the drool away from his mouth and tried to hit her again, she threw her lifted leg backward and swung it high, the top of her foot catching the side of his head and making him fall back against the guards who pushed him back towards Mystery as she expected this and through out a punch, making him run straight into her fist.

"Majesty this is insane! This is far too brutal for a prince!!" It was brutal and even I could find myself cringing for him but he deserved it, it is this or a beheading.

"Council man Gustav that is not a prince and I am being merciful letting him live as this is an offence worth his head on a silver platter."

"But--" "You are questioning my words?"

"N-no."

And this punishment went on, Mystery being brutal with him, not letting him rest, each time he stood he'd be slammed back down again and harder then before, she was hitting him so hard her knuckled were raw from her own punches.

Ethan was red and blue all over, a bloody mess as it dripped from his nose and mouth, arms trembling from pain and fear.

"S-stop please!" He pleaded, backing up from Mystery but she did a little hop and kicked him hard in the chest, the mark of the heel clearly left in his skin.

He looked in fear at my mother as Mystery was waiting for him to stand again and when he finally did again she caught his right eye in a punch, by now so weak that he was going down in one hit, barely standing on his feet.

"Stay down," Mystery whispered to him but loud enough the we heard, she was not enjoying this beat down... She has a good heart. "Do not stand." I know he deserves this but even for me it is almost getting too far now.

But he stood anyway so his punishment will continue.

She sighed loudly and hopped back a bit to put some distance between them both before spinning to put speed into a heel kick to his upper arm, he ate the dirt right after it.

"Stay down." She repeated, hands in fists.

He struggled to his feet, feet and Mystery's eyes went wide at what she saw, I couldn't see it as Ethan's back was towards me.

She took a deep breath and gave him the slightest incline of her head, bent in the barest bow, she saw something in him worth a small piece of her respect? Is there a way for him to get better? Ethan, I hope you gather yourself and live a life that's worth it.

She slid close to him and gave him what I can only call a devastating uppercut, right under the chin, his feet lifted away from the ground as I saw her knees slightly buckle at the strength she put in that one punch.

He fell in a heap on the ground, I thought he was dead until he started to struggle to move but kept falling over.

"Ethan stand." Mother said but he couldn't, I saw it, that last punch was the 'coup de grâce'. "Ethan if you still can stand, get up and fight." But he couldn't. "Guards bring him outside the walls, give him a bag of coins and set him on his way." The guards picked up his broken body and carried him away, goodbye Ethan, fix your view on life and maybe then you'll be a good man.

"Mage has your and her honor been restored?" Mystery looked at me and I gave her a smile before she looked back at my mother and nodded with a low bow, for once done properly.

"Yes your Majesty." She said.

"This is a scandal!" A council woman, the same exact one that wanted to turn on Calypso said.

"Council woman Elian you are hereby titleless and have no possession other then what you have on your back, now leave before I get my mages to make you."

She looked in disbelief at my mother and her queen before running away as she met Mystery's gaze which made her understand that it was time to start moving.

"Is there anyone that agrees with Ethan that my daughter is not fit to be queen?!" She asked, two council men exchanged glances and unfortunately for them I caught them and my mother followed my gaze. "Same goes for you council man Gustav and Melario, same as for miss Elian, disappear or face my wrath." They ran for their poor lives. "Let today serve at a reminder that I do not tolerate this type of behavior and it will be punished! Dismissed!"

I glanced back at Mystery who was dressing back up, muttering with Emersme while doing so.

I smiled, yeah... She is the perfect champion for me.