A gong sounded. Shouts and eager speculation rose around them, the placing of bets and the cries of encouragement growing steadily louder. Indigo walked out to the center of the grounds and watched Kalmara take her place.
They had sparred countless times. But this, both knew, would be different. This would shatter what tenuous familial affection remained between them. They regarded each other, the wind tugging and clawing at their fur, their garments.
"The Bird shall not grant mercy, Princess. Royal blood or no," Kalmara said, her voice soft so only Indigo could hear.
Indigo gripped her sword hard. "I shall not ask for it."
Kalmara gave the hint of a smile. "I wouldn't expect you to, niece." She signaled to the gong striker, and the instrument boomed once more.
The two combatants circled each other. Though Indigo knew her aunt's sword play better than almost anyone, she had never truly fought her. She knew the regent meant what she said: she would give no leeway.
Like a hawk, Kalmara struck, sword raised.
The first thunderclap of wood on wood reverberated up Indigo's arm and into the base of her skull.
She forced herself to block out the shouts and taunts that assailed her from the sidelines. Her aunt lunged, and Indigo's distraction meant she missed the telltale shift in Kalmara's body signaling a feint. She dodged the practice blade's sharp end but couldn't escape her aunt's free paw ploughing into her shoulder. A collective roar went up from the audience, though Indigo couldn't make out the supporters from the doubters.
The Bird was enjoying this, Indigo realized. As Borla had always said, Kalmara only chose fights that she was certain to win. And public wins were particularly sweet, especially when so much was at stake.
Kalmara shifted the blade in her paw and swooped. Indigo took it as a good sign that the Bird was constantly bringing the fight to her rather than waiting for Indigo to tire herself. She parried, trying to see the plan behind her aunt's movements—a good fighter must always have a plan. The best ones plan at least five moves in advance.
Indigo kept her sword close to her body, knowing the Bird's specialty was to find openings when least anticipated. One mistimed attack, and Kalmara would have her blade tickling Indigo's ribcage.
She parried several thrusts before realizing her aunt was trying to tire her out on her weaker side—her left. And it was working. Even though the Bird danced and flitted constantly, while Indigo tried to stay more grounded, her arms were growing sore, her back burned, and her legs were threatening cramps. The wind wasn't helping either—it battered her in the face, stung her eyes. She couldn't help thinking of everything she would be losing: the throne, her mother's legacy, her identity, her home. She needed to get the regent off her own weak side, and soon. But how?
The wind shifted, chasing a mass of clouds across the sun. Shadows fled and shrank as objects and faces became whitewashed for the few breaths the sun broke through.
The Wind.
The Wind had won his bride by covering the sun.
Good or bad, it was a plan. Indigo made a deliberately clumsy swing, careful not to leave herself undefended. Kalmara easily blocked her with the sword's forte, before lunging in for several blindingly fast cuts. Indigo retreated, making a show of breathing heavily and giving all indications of buying time. Which was true, up to a point.
With a look that was almost disappointment at impending victory, Kalmara advanced. Indigo kept retreating, giving weaker resistance as she moved in a semicircle. A few jeers reached her.
"Give up already!"
"Take her down, Bird!"
"She's running away! That's cheating!"
She steeled herself, forcing the voices out of her ears and head. She needed to stay focused if this was going to work. She needed to convince her aunt to take the bait.
She chose her spot, trying to keep an eye on the sun and her ears tuned to the wind. Timing would be everything. If Indigo misjudged any one of three things, Kalmara would walk away the uncontested queen. How long had it been since the sun disappeared? How much cloud cover had blown in? The Bird was closing in, convinced now that her niece had exhausted herself and was only delaying the kill.
Indigo made her move. She stumbled to a point where she judged the sun to be directly behind her. She didn't have to wait long. Kalmara attacked, ready to end the match and Indigo's hopes for the throne. She knew her aunt would use one of her favorite end moves: either an easy thrust on the outside to disable Indigo on her weak arm, or a reverse stab to the chest. She just needed a little help....
There!
A dagger of light shot out from behind a cloud. The warmth grazed Indigo's head and plunged directly into Kalmara's eyes.
Indigo moved like a greased ferret. The Bird didn't have a weak side, but having committed to her lunge she couldn't change course. The blinding sun blotted out her target for just an instant, but it was all Indigo needed. She sidestepped and then grabbed her aunt's outstretched sword arm at the wrist. A quick wrench and a well-placed kick to the back paw, and she had Kalmara off balance. By the time the regent could react and try to twist away, Indigo already had her wooden sword tip at Kalmara's side, angled into her abdomen.
Indigo panted, truly spent. Her aunt looked up at her, first with shock and then angry disbelief. The gathered crowds were similarly stunned, until Indigo noticed a faint drumming that built and grew until it was a roar.
Thousands of rabbits' feet were drumming applause for a contest the likes of which they'd never see again.
The princess turned towards the royal seats. The other six queens had obviously not expected this outcome, and their expressions showed grudging admiration. Next to her, Kalmara was outwardly calm, but a telltale flush of rage was spreading at the base of her aunt's ears. Uldana the judge entered the ring. The drumming subsided.
"Well fought," Uldana declared, clearly impressed at this upset. "Do you, Kalmara, freely admit and attest that Indigo, Crown Princess, did best you fairly and without any cheating?"
Indigo saw her aunt hesitate, her mind clearly trying to comprehend defeat. A heavy silence descended, all ears trained on the queen regent.
Kalmara slowly raised a paw in the symbol of surrender. "Let it be known that the Bird is defeated."
The crowd erupted into further stamping of feet until Uldana waved them back into silence. "I declare the Crown Princess the victor, and Indigo, daughter of Delamar, shall be sworn Queen of Alvareth."
The world tilted and thunder filled Indigo's ears. Alvareth's cheers seemed to shake the very ground.
The gong sounded, clear and decisive, before its last tones were swallowed by the roar of the onlookers. Indigo looked for her sisters and found them sitting next to a grinning Kuno, their faces bright with pride and relief. She saw her father's face, a smile masking his concern.
"You're a fool if you think you can be queen from afar," Kalmara said. "You lack political sense."
"I don't plan to rule from afar," Indigo sheathed her sword. "And fortunately, I know someone with great political sense."
Kalmara looked confused, suspicion rising under her calm demeanor.
Indigo turned to where the other queens sat with her sisters and Kuno, raising her voice to be heard over the crowd. "The Order has named me, and I shall go. Therefore my first act as queen is to appoint a regent to rule Alvareth in my absence." An expectant silence fell over the grounds. She looked at Lukkas. "Alvareth needs a strong paw at the moment. One stronger and wiser than mine."
Her father sat up, expectant.
"And despite appearances, this rabbit has two of the strongest paws I know." She let her gaze slide over to her sisters. "I hereby appoint Borla Regent of Alvareth until I return."
Kalmara's face twisted as if tasting something rancid. Borla blinked, stunned, while Dorju and Kuno grinned approval. Her father simply stared, and for a moment Indigo felt a twinge of sadness—he relished his title as royal husband. She had, in one stroke, robbed him of his status.
Horjanna stood, looking at the other queens for approval before speaking. "The Seven Queendoms have heard your decree, Queen Indigo. We shall recognize Borla as Regent of Alvareth while you are at the Order."
And when I return, I shall make a worthy queen. You will see.