Their Thirst For Pride

3 - A Swordsman's Promise

Claire decided to wander around the kingdom once she finished submitting her poem. Finally, the day of the games had come and it was time to see who would win each of the eight competitions. She didn’t think much of submitting that poem. If she didn’t win, she wouldn’t be angry. That man ruined her life. Today, all of the shops that were normally taking up this space to make up the market place were pushed off to the side and replaced with food carts and places for competitions to commence.
“Good morning, miss.”
Claire turned to see what looked like another commoner. He was dressed in uniform, one of the people keeping everything under control.
“Good morning,” She responded.
“Take this.”
The man held out to her a pamphlet. She thanked him and watched him walk away. The folded pamphlet contained information about the games but most importantly listed the competitions for this year. She scanned the list and her eyes landed on sword fighting. That would’ve been in the arena not far from the main event. Since she didn’t have much better to do while waiting for the results, she decided watching a few rounds of fencing wouldn’t hurt before going home. And so she started on her way to the arena.
When Claire arrived, it was much more different than she had expected. The stands were packed with cheering guests, none of the other competitions with spectators had that many people. At that moment, there was man and a woman in the arena. They both seemed very skilled. The farther into the fight they got, the harder it got to guess who would win. Eventually, the man began to stumble back, struggling against the woman’s skills. She did not let up until he fell to the ground from the force she had put onto her sword. Only some of the crowd cheered. Sure, it was a decent amount but not nearly as much as Claire had expected. The man sat on the ground, distraught while the woman stepped back, lifting her sword into the air, and smiling.
“And River Cadman goes on! Intermission!” Called the supervisor of the competition.
Maybe she had taken it a little over the top but River couldn’t care less. From what she could see, not many people expected her to win when she’d gotten out there but come a few rounds later, and she still stood in the ring, up against men twice her size. She’d practiced for this day for nine years. And almost everyone said she couldn’t do it. She was ready to laugh in their faces once she’d earned her reward.
“River!”
She turned around, catching a glimpse of a girl behind the chain link fence of the arena but looked to the face of her younger brother, Barrett by the entrance of the ring. She smiled once again and ran over to him, leaving her sword on the ground. Her brother dropped his crutches and wrapped his arms around his sister.
“You’re doing so good out there!” He said.
River hugged him back, “Thanks Barrett. This is where my training has taken me. Not one regret.” But she did have a regret.
“I bet you’ll be a warrior one day,” He said, laughing.
“Oh, I’m flattered.”
River pulled away from him and picked his crutches back up for him. He positioned himself in them and the two made their way to the hut by the stands where her things were kept.
Barrett Cadman suffered from peripheral neuropathy due to an incident from when he was younger. As River watched him grow, she saw the way he longed to be just like his siblings. Their eldest brother, Aaron Cadman was one of the most famous sword fighters within the kingdom of Emavaria which led River to taking on sword-fighting herself, it was not easy at all considering she was female.
River walked into the hut and found a few other competitors waiting inside. One of them being Aaron. When he saw her and Barrett, he looked away. River brushed the disrespectful gesture off and sat down, re-lacing her boots and hydrating herself all while discussing things with Barrett. He talked about how he wished he could wield a sword. That’s where her regret came in. Getting to where she was today was not easy in the slightest. Her father disapproved of her passion and Aaron always gave her a hard time. When Barrett had  become disabled, she could see the same look in her parents eyes from when she told them she wanted to become a sword-fighter. It broke her heart. Aaron was the golden child while River and Barrett were merely disgraces in their parents’ eyes.
“Alright, I better get going. Love you.” River said, standing up.
“I love you too, goodluck!” Barrett responded.
“Break a leg.” Aaron said with a slight chuckle.
She ignored him and made it back to the arena where she won a couple more rounds before finally losing to someone. She was certain she’d get some kind of praise with her accomplishments out there.

Esme showed up late to the games. Her nerves were shot with the stress she’d been under. Her lesson plans had kept her up most of the night before so she was rushing to the archery competition. She wasn’t even sure she’d perform very well under her circumstances. When she arrived, she dropped her bag by the fence and looked up at the seating beyond the field. She relaxed, seeing there weren’t too many people watching. There didn’t seem to be much order within the archery field. People were just shooting a few arrows while someone took notes off to the side. That was it, people just left after a few rounds.
“You’re here for the archery competition?”
She turned around. Behind her appeared a smiling woman who held her hand out.
“Yes, I am. You?” Esme responded, shaking the girls hand.
She nodded, “Good luck!”
“Thanks, you too.”
Esme let out a sigh as she watched her walk into the field and pick up on of the bows in the field, taking a few arrows from a basket with her. She followed her lead and shot three arrows at a target. Two of them hit close to the center while the last one hit the bullseye. Her performance startled her, considering her energy level. It awoke some sort of hope in her though, she couldn’t have been the only one to deliver such a good job. The man taking the notes smiled at her before she discarded her bow into the grass where she’d gotten it.
“Bravo!”
She turned her head to the left. Esme recognized that voice. Her eyes fixed on the same man from the day she’d gotten her sign up form. She watched as he walked toward her.
“Fletcher, right?” He asked.
“Yes. Remind me of your name again?”
“Orion Blakesmith. I was just strolling through the competitions since I only had to submit my project and I recognized you. I have to say, you are amazing at archery.”
“Oh, thank you. It comes with being an archery teacher.”
“Your students must be doing well with someone like you. Congratulations! I’m sure you’ll be in the top three.”
“Thank you, again. Did your project go well?”
“My project? Let’s just say, it’s not the most creative I’ve been. I doubt the judges will even consider it.”
“Don’t beat yourself up, I’m sure it’s astounding.”
“I appriciate that, but, I could’ve done much better.”
Esme shook her head, “Well, maybe I’ll see you around, Mr. Blakesmith. I’m off.”
“Farewell, Miss Fletcher.”

Footsteps echoed through out a darkened workshop as a fresh breeze whispered through an open window. As tired as he was, a man carefully lifted a vase from its shelf with ease. He stared at the abstract ceramic with its twisted shape and the stem that spiraled up with it. The stem bloomed into a small single rose. Even though the vase was beautiful and complicated, the man didn’t feel anything but a saddened dullness.
“Vardaan? Are you ready? Submission time is thinning by the second.”
“Yes, mother.”
“Alright, let’s get going.”
Vardaan Galle walked out of the shop and met his mother at the front door. Her eyes widened when she saw the vase he’d created for the competition.
“I’m so proud of you… Your father would be too,” She said. Even after the divorce, Ms. Ellis still admired her ex-husbands work and the skills he’d passed down to her son. “You’re still so good at pottery after all of those years.”
Vardaan looked away, tears blurring his vision. He swallowed and thanked his mother. Even the mere thought of pottery sickened him now but something pushed at him to make a piece for this years games. If there was one thing he could do for his deceased father, it was take what he’d learned from him and win some kind of reward for him. Pottery being on the list this year was what he took as his sign.
Once they arrived at the games, Vardaan’s eyes glossed over the plethora of carts and competitions still going on. Everything seemed as if it were simmering down at the moment. He walked over to the cart labled pottery and gave the man working the place his vase. He gave him his name and the worker praised him for his piece, that was the end of it.
“Do you want to go watch or do something?” His mother asked.
“I’m okay. Do you?”
“Not if you don’t. The chores wont tend to themselves either way.”
“Oh, stop worrying about chores. How about we go get some food and I’ll tidy up for you?”
Ms. Ellis smiled and nodded. “What would I do without you?”
Vardaan led his mother through the crowds to where food was being sold. They stopped at a cart selling pastries by the edge of the section and ordered muffins.
“I can’t do that, I’ve already told you this.”
As Vardaan muched on his muffin, he turned to the argument happening by the potion competition. A red haired girl was bargaining with one of the alchemists behind the potion counter.
“I’ll give you anything, I just don’t have the money right now. He needs it.” River said, looking the alchemist in his eyes.
Lex seemed to hesitate for a second, his eyes darting around at bystanders.  “Listen, I can’t just give away free potions, let alone healing potions. That’s not fair to anyone else. Now would you mind leaving me alone? I have elixirs to sell to paying customers.”
She gave up and walked away, rage filliing her. She would find a way to get a potion for Barrett. She promised him she would let him have his dream.