There was no helmet, but there was a wrap for his hair. Regan realized this was to keep a lion’s mane out of his face, and that it was largely unnecessary for him, but he let the advisor strap it on anyway.
The advisor then let Regan lift several swords and feel how they fit in his hands. Most of them were too long for him, again, being that they were designed for the large beasts that Pershans were. But Regan finally found one that fit him nicely. His hand felt comfortable on the handle. Even though Regan favored his right hand, he tossed the sword to his left hand as well, testing the weight.
“Only choose one hand,” the advisor said.
Regan gave him a curious look. The advisor could tell by his expression that Regan didn’t understand what he was saying.
“Whatever hand you start the fight in, that is the only hand you are able to use throughout the duel.”
“No switching it up?” Regan asked.
The advisor shook his head.
“Anything else I need to know?”
“The rules are this: Hit the chest with the sword. Only use one hand to fight. No tripping, hitting, or kicking. No attacking any other body part with the sword, since only the chest is padded. And no swearing.”
“No swearing?” Regan smirked. “Are you serious?”
“I am absolutely serious,” the advisor said. “This is the Royal Duel Chamber. Swearing is strictly forbidden.”
“Sure, yeah, okay.”
“Any other questions?”
Regan mulled it over. He realized now would be his chance, but nothing came to his mind.
He shrugged. The advisor nodded.
“Well then, it is time you head to into the chamber,” the advisor said, motioning to a set of doors.
Regan inhaled, then let his breath out slowly. He closed his eyes for a moment and imagined Reverie’s hand on his shoulder. He thought of the warmth it provided, of the confidence it brought him. He focused on that feeling. Once he opened his eyes, he felt ready. He tightened the grip on his new sword and walked toward the doors.
Regan stepped into the center of the Royal Duel Chamber. Apparently word had spread, because the crowd was already quite sizeable.
I guess when the prodigal daughter returns with some new guy, people are gonna go a little nuts.
Norio wasn’t in the chamber yet, so Regan looked around. It was a beautiful room. The walls were stone with large stained-glass windows featuring depictions of Royal Pershans. One window in particular appeared to demonstrate the power that Calico and her entire bloodline possessed.
The wooden floor was soft. It had a bounciness that felt good under Regan’s borrowed boots.
A set of doors opened across from him, then Norio entered. He was wearing similar attire, but it seemed as if he had his own. It had to be his, from the way it was custom fitted and colored an intimidating red and black. He strutted across the floor in it, clearly proud of his appearance. He looked at Regan, then waved his arms at the audience who cheered for him.
When he reached the center of the chamber and stood across from Regan, he was several feet taller. His sword was much longer.
But Regan had been in this situation before. He recalled the fights with the Brutes. Regan was much shorter in those fights too. The advantage lay in getting on the inside of Norio. So he would have to try that strategy again here.
A loud gong sounded, reverberating throughout the room. Some lighter musical notes followed, announcing the arrival of the king. The entire place jumped to its feet, cheering instantaneously. A large curtain opened, revealing the king’s suite, full of Regan’s crew. They all stood behind the throne which was impressive in size. The king and queen bowed before the large audience. When the king raised his hand, the applauding instantly stopped.
“My people,” the king said. “Welcome to the Royal Duel Chamber, where our own Norio has challenged a Human who has traveled very far and returned my daughter home to her kingdom.”
The audience went wild with applause. Regan was surprised by the king’s kind words. He could tell that Norio was less than pleased.
“Before the duel begins, I open the floor to the fighters,” the king said. “Do you have any words before we start? Norio, as the challenger, you may have the first word.”
“Thank you, my lord!” Norio shouted. “I only want these people to see that I am the man for Calico.”
There was some applause, but Regan wasn’t sure that Norio’s words had the impact he was hoping for.
“And our visitor?” the king asked.
Regan considered his next words, thinking he should take a different tact.
“Thank you, your highness,” he started. “I just want to say this is a beautiful land, and I look forward to seeing more of it. Let it be known that I don’t wish to participate in this duel, but since Norio evoked an official request, I must satisfy it.”
Regan looked at Norio with an arched brow and smirked. Then loud enough for everyone to hear, Regan said, “And it’s my first time at this, so, ya know, take it easy on me?”
The place roared with laughter. Even the king began applauding. Regan had won over the crowd, and now it was time to win the duel.
Regan and Norio each put their feet on the line across from one another. They raised their swords and looked over at the advisor who stood at the side of the king’s suite and motioned for everyone else to sit down.
“You both know the rules. When I count to three, this duel will begin.”
Norio frowned sinisterly at Regan.
Yeah, smirk all you want, buddy. I already banged your betrothed. And I’ll be leaving here with her too.
“One!”
Regan adjusted his stance.
“Two!”
Norio rolled his shoulders and flared his back wrist out away from his body.
“Three!”
The two duelers began striking their swords against each other. They moved around the floor and deflected each other’s blows while attempting to make strikes of their own. Norio was strong and his sword was heavy. When it came down on Regan, it took him all his strength to deflect it.
Regan knew he would have to use Norio’s momentum against him. He would have a hard time stopping the strike completely, but if he moved it away from him in the motion of the attack, he could maneuver around it.
Because Norio’s reach was so long, Regan found this to be easier than he thought. While it reminded him of fighting the Brutes, there was a difference in the weaponry. One blow with one of their clubs would have crushed Regan, but this sword wouldn’t. In fact, Regan could even be touched by the sword and it wouldn’t mean a point against him. The only downside was that it would cut him, depending on where it hit.
Norio started to catch on to Regan’s deflections, so instead of striking down, he started pointing the sword forward right toward Regan. His reach gave him the advantage, but Regan adjusted to the timing. During one forward thrust, Regan spun right along the blade, then thrust his own sword forward.
Regan tapped Norio’s chest.
A buzzer went off. The place went wild. Regan was up 1-0.
The advisor told them to return to their starting positions, which they did. Norio said something to Regan under his breath, but Regan didn’t catch it. It was clear that Norio was furious.
They resumed their positions, and the advisor counted down again. The second round began.
Norio came out swinging. Regan had to move faster to keep up. He felt that he was only on defense, which he didn’t like. He had to figure out a way to take this fight to Norio.
Norio was going back and forth between thrusts and large swings. When finally he landed a thrust right into Regan’s chest. Even though he wore the padding, the impact sent Regan backwards to the ground. Norio had used all his strength. He stood over Regan for a moment after the buzzer went off.
Regan shrugged and stood.
Fuck.
It was 1-1. Whoever won the next round was the victor, and Regan co
uldn’t let Norio take it. He couldn’t let this pretty boy walk away so easily. He took his stance and readied himself. He wanted to look over at Calico and see her facial expression, but he resisted. He kept focused. He thought again of Reverie’s hand. The warmth. The confidence.
When the advisor counted down, Regan instantly ducked and took the attack to Norio from underneath. He was short and he would use this to his advantage. He thrust his sword up toward Norio’s chest. The Pershan had a hard time staying tight enough to deflect or block these jabs.
Then Norio managed to spin out of it. He was a little off balance, but he was able to get around Regan, get a good angle, and quickly drive his sword toward him.
Damn, that was a quick move.
From Regan’s angle, he wouldn’t be able to get his sword around him in time to block or deflect. Norio’s sword was on its way. Regan did the only thing he would be able to do, and that was block the sword with his arm. There were no rules that said he couldn’t.
Yes, it would hurt, and he would bleed, but he had Reverie, and while he didn’t like thinking that way, he refused to lose this fight to Norio. He had to win for Calico.
Regan backed into Norio and raised his arm.
The sword caught him right in the forearm. The pain shot through him, but Regan continued. He turned into Norio and thrust his sword right at his chest, landing a solid blow to his enemy. He even nailed the dot in the center.
The buzzer went off, and the audience flew to their feet.
Norio pulled his sword back and looked as if he was about to cut off Regan’s head. He held it out, then realized where he was, and lowered his blade. He bowed to Regan.
“Bravo!” the king shouted. “What a duel! It seems our challenger has fallen. It is decided then!” The king turned to the advisor. “Prepare the chamber for the Rite of Hissock!”
The audience again applauded. Regan was instructed to walk back to the locker room from which he came. Reverie whispered something to the advisor who gave her an impressed look and bowed. He led her to the locker room as well.
They met Regan at the door.
Reverie called upon her healing powers, bringing Regan’s arm back to normal. She gave him a look that stated she was running low on power. Regan gave a subtle nod back.
The king then entered the locker room. Regan swiftly stood to his feet.
“Your highness,” he said.
“I came to say you fought well,” the king said. “I see your Empath healed your arm, which was a very brave tactic that I haven’t seen before.”
“I needed to win.”
The king smiled. The rest of Regan’s crew then entered behind him, looking victorious.
“My Calico needed you to as well,” he said, and gave her a nod. “And now, the chamber is being prepared for the ritual. Are there any witnesses you’d like to have present?”
The entire crew raised their hands, except Squit, who giddily raised five tentacles.
The king blinked at their eagerness. Regan was a bit surprised as well, but when he made eye contact with the king, he smirked and tried to play it cool.
Well, if you all want a show, you can have it.
He nodded at the king, and the king nodded in return, saying, “Follow me.”
Chapter Fourteen
The king led them down a grand hallway filled with spectators who smiled and watched. No one waved, no one approached. They only showed respect and admiration.
These people had either been invited, or the word had spread fast, but Regan found himself, once again, right in the spotlight.
A large set of doors opened for the king, as he led the group through. The advisor pulled Calico and Regan aside, but did so in a formal manner. It was a display of sorts. Now all of those watching looked only at Regan and Calico as they were given robes to enter with. But they didn’t put them on yet, as they were told to wait until everyone else was already inside. Then the advisor motioned for them to go through the doors.
Calico entered first. Then Regan followed, surprised by how silent the room was. The room acted as a buffer between the grand hallway they just came from and the chamber they were heading to. Beside the door to the main chamber stood an elder Pershan female who excitedly waved Calico over.
Calico hurried to her and gave her a long hug. It was clear to Regan that these two knew each other and hadn’t caught up in a long time.
The elder turned and nodded at Regan, not saying anything, but Regan felt the warmth of her welcome. She then presented a woven basket that she placed on the ground before Calico and Regan. She still said nothing, but Calico knew what to do, and began to strip down. She looked at Regan, asking him to do the same, which he did.
They took off every piece of clothing and dropped them into the basket. Calico gave the elder one more hug before the old woman carried the basket away.
Calico and Regan were alone then.
“Put on the robe,” she whispered. “Then we will enter.”
Her voice had a slightly nervous shake to it, and Regan had to admit he was a bit nervous as well. He was good on the battlefield and getting the crowd riled up on his side. But this was a different type of game. Even though he and Calico were now familiar with what each other liked and how to handle one another’s needs, there was a newness to this situation.
He put his robe on and again was impressed with the warm softness. It relaxed him instantly.
“I hope we get all kinds of bedsheets and towels made out of this material as wedding gifts,” he joked.
She laughed.
She then took his hand and led him through an opening into the main chamber.
This chamber was a beautiful room. Dimly lit with ornate candle holders and chandeliers all over, providing enough light that the room could be seen in its entirety. A veil of steam filled up the room, which the candle light reflected off of. Regan heard the sound of flowing water, yet he couldn’t see the thin streams through the steam.
In the center of the room was a round bed of grass, or so it appeared to Regan. It was different though, with a shine to it, various colors seeming to reveal themselves when the grass moved. It looked almost like breathing silk.
Then Regan noticed the audience. And there certainly was an audience, more than a few witnesses. Regan guessed the audience numbered fifty or so Pershans, including the king and his small entourage. Regan’s crew sat in their own section. The viewing platform allowed the audience to sit in a circle around the event, elevated above so they could see all the action.
Regan found it a bit weird that the king was about to watch him get it on with his daughter, but he couldn’t knock another culture’s traditions. Then Regan saw Norio.
Why’s that bozo here?
Regan had two thoughts. The first was that Norio just wanted to see Calico in action, which he couldn’t fault him for. But it was his second thought that he believed was actually the truth: Norio wanted to stand by in case Regan couldn’t perform up to standard, and then Norio would have a chance at redeeming himself.
Not today, pretty boy.
Calico led Regan to the grass bed in the center of the room. That was where the stream of water was running—off to one side of it and into a small pool. A small table sat next to that pool, holding a basket of melon-like fruit.
Before stepping onto the grass, Calico paused right before it. She and Regan faced the king and waited. Regan realized the king would address them before the ritual.
The whole thing seemed a bit odd. But he reminded himself, if this was how it had to be, then he had no problem doing it. Just another new experience of the many this journey had introduced him to.
The king stood. He looked down at them for a few moments of silence, but it felt longer. The king finally raised his arms, but he wore no smile on his face. If anything, his expression was a mix between intrigued and unimpressed. He had yet to be won over.
“Begin,” he finally said.
Once the king had taken his seat again,
Calico removed her robe. Regan followed her lead and shrugged his off as well. She then gently pulled him onto the grass.
Regan noticed how strange the grass was right away. It was soft under their feet, almost like a supportive air, the grass texture reminding him of peach fuzz. Each step released a puff of pollen into the air. It sparkled as it floated around them, clinging onto their bodies. It had a scent that enticed Regan to lift his chin and breathe it in. It smelled like freshly cut fruit. It made Regan smile.
Calico laid down in the grass and rolled in it, giggling softly. She stretched out her body, showing off for Regan. Again, the movement and pressure of her body released more of the pollen into the air, the cloud of it thicker than the steam now.
Calico moaned slightly, the sound echoing in Regan’s ear. He heard the sounds of the moving grass more crisply as well. The sounds of the stream were magnified too, as if he were surrounded by water.
It was as if his senses were heightened by all the various stimulation. It helped him forget that he was surrounded by a room of viewers. It was just him and Calico in this sparkling silky bed. Regan reached out his arms to the side and felt massive. He felt invincible and free. He laughed, then he felt her.
Calico had crawled over to him while he was standing and taking in the sensation of the pollen, and she began kissing his cock. It was slow and passionate. She was being soft and gentle. Her eyes were closed.
She climbed him with her kisses. She kissed his abs, his chest, and then she licked his neck for a while. She bit his ear playfully. Then they tasted each other’s mouths. They kissed each other deeply and passionately. It was only them. It was their time.
They held each other’s faces in their hands. Then Calico leaned back and looked at him. She reached out and grabbed a melon from the basket. She broke it open and juice came running down her hands and forearms.
She moved Regan onto his back.
She took a small sip from the fruit, then squeezed it over Regan’s body. She squeezed it over his shoulders, his chest, his cock, his thighs, and feet. She then lifted the melon to his mouth and gave him some to drink.
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