Iwaizumi x Reader Royal AU ~ Beyond the Castle Gates

9.

The last day of the tournament arrived after what felt like a long and painful night for you. All that was running through your mind were the possible outcomes of tomorrow. Yacht helped you get dressed you and tried to make you feel a bit happier about the tourney. You appreciated her effort.

When you arrived you realised that the arena was more packed then even. The remaining 24 contestants were put into groups of 6. In simple terms, it was a blood bath. Sure you weren't aloud to kill someone but that didn't mean you couldn't give them a good few swings with a weapon. Iwaizumi was in group 4 so he wouldn't be fighting for awhile which gave you a bit if relief.

However, you watched the first 3 matches and felt like you were going to have a heart attack. The winners of those matched were extremely skilled and hench. It was no wonder they had gotten this far. If Iwaizumi won his own match then that would mean he would have to face 2 of them.

You face went pale when Iwaizumi walked onto the battle field along with 5 others. You kept telling yourself that he wouldn't get hurt too badly since it wasn't aloud. You took a deep breath and waited for the bell to ring. In the early days if the tourney there were obstacles but this time it was flat land. Thus way no one was given an advantage.

The bell rung and your eyes twitched in anger when you saw what was going on. 3 of the 5 other contestants that were put in the arena with Iwaizumi were all attacking him with smirks on their faces. It was like they were planning to do this, like they made a deal. You squinted your eyes. Two of the contestants grabbed Iwa while another punched him. You confirmed your suspension of an alliance when the other two contestants that weren't currently beating Iwa were just standing there instead of fighting when others were distracted. They were mainly confused.

You gave a small tsk sound and realised you did it at the same time as your father. You looked over at him and he was leaning on one hand. "What's wrong farther?" His eyes narrow. "They have clearly made a temporary alliance to ensure that Iwaizumi looses. This tournament is made for people with pride and determination. A true warrior. It's called the warrior's tournament for a reason."

You looked back at the fight and hid your sadness as you watched Iwaizumi getting beaten. "Should we stop the fight." You suggested bothered because you were worried and because your father was right. He turned to you and just stared for a moment before turning back to the fight. "No. Iwaizumi, from what I've seen is a good man and a brave warrior. Although this is unfair, I believe that someone like him, a man who has made it this far with both immense skill and bravery, not to mention honour, should overcome this situation." You smiled with pure joy that your father seemed to like Iwa. It was at least a good sign.

The match progressed and Iwaizumi was still in the same position. Everyone in the audience was in an uproar. Iwaizumi just sat there with his arms held back while receiving a punch to the face every so often.

Suddenly, Iwaizumi stood up from being sat on his knees while the two people holding his arms came too. He mustered enough strength to pick one up in each arm as they held on before launching them a good few feet to his left. The man punching him lowered his fists and stood there paralysed. Fear was evident in his eyes after his eyes met Iwa's. The other 2 contestants that were just standing there earlier started running in the opposite direction.

Iwaizumi grabbed both of the shoulders of the person who was punching him to death. The whole arena went silent and focused all of their attention on Iwa since he just stood there holding the guy. Then, in a blink of an eye, Iwa flipped him onto his back with such force. It knocked the wind right out of him and he got knocked out. The sound of the body being flipped onto the floor boomed and echoed through the arena and the wave of cheers followed.

Two were left and Iwa slowly walked towards them as they cowered with their backs pressed up against the wall. Now he was stood in front of the two of them. They were of smaller builds and Iwa remembered that these 2 had gotten this far due to strategy and brains. They both had a bow and arrow which showed they would fight from a distance as he had seen before in previous matches.

He took a deep breath and scratched the back of his head. "If you surrender I won't hurt you. If not, I hope you're ready to be rammed into that wall." He had a pretty calm look on right now and the two archers stared at each other before getting on their knees. "WE SURRENDER!" They yelled and the bell went. Iwa was declared the winner and helped the two archers off of their knees. The crowd cheered and the 3 others that Iwa had knocked out were dragged away. Your father stood up and clapped. This shocked everyone since he had never stood for anyone. Iwaizumi saw this and his mouth hung open. You stood up to and he gave you a grin before the final round began.

The last 6 were put into pairs and fought each other to move on leaving the last three for an all out brawl. The last man standing won. The pairs battle was like a normal one but on a different scale. The man Iwa was up against was a lot taller then him and was an axe user. Even so, everyone knew that Iwa would be victorious in this fight since the rule was you weren't aloud to kill someone and an axe wasn't the best thing to use in that type of situation. Iwa could easily just knock him out with the edge of his sword and go on to the next round. And that's what he did. Iwa easily won. However, the winners of the other rounds weren't going to be as easy and he knew it. Both were also skilled swords men who had gotten training from masters and had been doing so for a long time.

Iwaizumi stepped into the arena for the last time along with the other finalists. One was named Hachiro and the other Kouta. It was time for a winner to be decided. The all held their swords with their own wishes in mind. Each one of them watched the other two as a single drop of sweat dripped of their chins. The arena was silent that's when the bell went.

All of them charged into the middle and their swords smacked against each other. Iwa swung at Hachiro but then changed his direction of attack because Kouta popped up from behind.

Kouta jumped back while Hachiro ducked and rolled since Iwa was originally going to hit him. Iwa and Hachito then started clashing swords while Kouta got up after jumping back into the fight after avoiding Iwa's attack.

It was hard for anyone to win since it was 2 on 1 but after a few swings and stabs Hachito was out. Iwa and Kouta's eyes made contact and they but stood there for a second before charging at one another. Everyone in the crowd was yelling and jumping around. However, Iwa and Kouta were getting tired. Neither wanted to back down. They were dripping with sweat and panting.

However, after a long heated battle, Kouta lost his balance. Iwa took this opportunity to push him down, kick his sword away and point his own at Kouta's neck. The bell went and the crowd somehow cheered even louder. "IWAIZUMI HAJIME IS THE WINNER!!" Hinata announce. Iwa fell to the floor with Kouta and Hachito joined them. They commended each other for their skills and after a short rest got up before you and your father made your way down to the centre of the arena to award the winner.

It took a while for everything to get set up. But soon, the three stood on the podium. 2nd and 3rd place were awarded money. Finally, Iwa was approached by the King. He bowed and the crowd went silent. "Marvelous work Iwaizumi. You really have shown us a lot of what you can do. You're an exceptional young man. But this is what you've been waiting for. What is your wish that I can grant for you."

Iwaizumi looked up. "My king, I have been gifted with such amazing parents and great friends. I nice life, a house and a job. But there's one thing missing. That thing...is a lover." Your dad's ears perked up. "Sir, my wish is for your daughter's hand in marriage."