The rest of the day went by easily for Mildred. Jeffrey didn't shake any commoner hands and tried to start an altercation by remarking how Jonathan was first beaten up by Cara, then beaten unconscious at the Golads. Queen Mildred smiled when Jonathan did not take the bait but joined in the laughter. Jeffrey showed his pettiness when he tried to link Thunders parents dying to the other commoners who died in Jubilee. Thunder had become a bit more quiet but refused to take the bait. Mildred ended dinner by telling Jonathan that he would officially be named Champion tomorrow and told him the rules and laws he is expected to follow, the first being that he cannot insult or speak down to anyone in the royal family.
Mildred saw Jonathan didn't care about any of the rules she was telling him. Most of the others around the table seemed angry that Jonathan was getting named Champion and one, the girl Cara asked about him losing an official duel. The Queen let her know that the duel can only take place in the official arena in front of her for it to be valid. The girl still seemed like she wanted to try it but thought better of it. Monica Manchin looked more than willing to take Thunder on, so much so that Farrah Golad had to discreetly calm her down.
Mildred wondered about Farrah. Harland Nettleton was angry and dismayed at what he had seen at the Golads home. The fight with the fake mage girl and the situation surrounding it had turned him off to Farrah. He never said as much but Mildred was sure the man was having second feelings. Daisy Golad had planned for three days of parties and celebrations, Baron Nettleton left after the first one. That probably meant he was done with Farrah or at least they were taking a break. Mildred wanted to shake her head at the stupidity and the outcome of it all. The girl wasn't even a mage and had broken up two couples. The friend that was responsible for it was a mixed bag.
Poppy was a plain looking girl compared to most of the girls around her. Mildred would have thought she was a commoner who managed to dress up for the occasion. She looked uncomfortable at the table and kept stealing glances at the red haired boy. He definitely was a commoner and was trying to marry above his level. Why she would go for a near coinless commoner instead of the richer men who no doubt were swarming her made no sense. Once she completed her midterm, more men would be after her. If her spell was well known then Mildred had no doubt the cream of the crop would be after her. She could make a man stronger than Russell Golad eventually with her power. That would be useful to have when fighting dragons or trying to duel another mage. She looked smitten though, Mildred would have liked for her to marry in a much higher class but she wouldn't pursue it. The girl had enough problems with the looks of death Russell Golad had been giving her and Thunder.
Russell was giving Poppy angry looks, the only time he looked off her was to do the same to Thunder. Mildred knew Russell wanted the girl Lauryn back and in the worst way. He had petitioned Jeffrey as soon as he got into the Tower. Jeffrey of course thought he could do better than a commoner no matter how powerful. Russell thought Jonathan Thunder was trying to keep the girl for himself, Mildred expected Jeffrey to eventually blow up about Jonathan marrying strong commoners and trying to start a commoner dynasty. Mildred would have liked to see a fight between Russell and Jonathan, Russell and Farrah Golad could take the initial lightning strike and fire off their own spells. Mildred had meticulously went over everything that had happened in Thunder’s fight with Xalen.
The first lightning strike had been blocked by Monica Manchin but was not as strong as Jonathan could make it. Jonathan gave a stronger strike which broke through Monica and Xalen’s shields but did little else. Mildred knew Jonathan wasn't stupid enough to try and kill Xalen, if he was then he would have killed the rest of them instead of just knocking them out. If they ever sparred Mildred would like to have seen it. Farrah had taken a direct although short blast of dragonfire during the fight and her shield held up well. Russell Golad dodged every time the dragon spewed flame so the strength of his shield was unknown but he was probably the reason the silver dragon didn't kill anyone.
Mildred had heard reports of Russell using mage light of all spells to blind the dragon before hitting it with some powerful spells. That alone was the reason the dragon was not able to aim properly and flew away when it saw more mages enter the fight. They all wanted to give Thunder credit for it and Mildred would let them. Before there had been rumblings from the commoners about doing away with the monarchy, Mildred knew they were fighting a shadow war to get rid of her. Already there were far less skilled commoners who worked for the nobility or who applied for the jobs. Mildred found it hard to have her own skilled smith for a while, until she started embracing Thunder. Perhaps seeing him in a leadership role as a commoner would quell most of her detractors. Jeffrey had obviously made the title of Mage Commander with Jonathan in mind whether he wanted to admit it or not. Mildred thought it was a masterstroke if Thunder took the position. He wouldn't be directly affecting anything except the mages sent to serve in a fight barring the Archmage being one of them. He would need to be trained in warfare, her generals and her one admiral would have to do the teaching. Thunder would just be the first, she would need to find other skilled commoners and give them some type of recognition as well. It would have to start with her mages though, perhaps her Archmage had made a good point.
He wanted all mages to be paid the same, regardless of status. Mildred thought it would invite more commoner mage families but would gladly take that over being deposed. Sure she could ruthlessly crush any uprising but that was not the legacy she wanted to leave behind, within three generations her family would be off the throne. Mildred thought she could get away with paying mages on a tier system according to power. This would favor the noble mages initially but she would need to leave open loopholes for the lowest commoner to achieve the same pay due to working for the Kingdom. She would have to think about it more, currently she needed to ensure Thunder’s last living relative would make it in time for the celebration after the burials.
CHAPTER 11
Jonathan didn't know how to feel as the Queen gave him a dark purple robe with many golden accents and a carved wooden staff. Jonathan thought casting with a staff was old school, mages of old used them just to stand out. Purple was the color of royals, the old Champion never wore such a color and here Jonathan was draped in it. The only reason Jonathan could enjoy the occasion was because of his grandfather, the old man was there and he looked as proud as Jonathan had ever seen him.
Brigham Sally was a hard working semi wealthy horse breeder and trainer. He only talked about working hard and getting paid justly because of it. Jonathan’s fight with Quevin Wilson had taken away noble mage business from his stables but brought in a lot more. Every mundane and commoner born mage insisted on getting a Sally horse just to say they owned one. That same Brigham Sally was now in front of Jonathan and made no attempt to hide the tears that were freely coming down his face. Seeing the old man made Jonathan cry as well, Jonathan had said he would be Champion one day and now he was. After the ceremony was over Jonathan couldn’t even hug his grandfather before he received his first challenger. The man practically stormed in between Jonathan and his grandfather and demanded to face the so called Champion.
“Enough of this,” a well dressed man said with anger in his face. “You are nothing special, I have already taken you out once and I can do it again.”
“You have?” Jonathan said as he looked closer. The man was older but it was easy to see that Monica favored him. This was the idiot that had blindsided him earlier, Red had already paid the man back for his cheapshot by giving him one as well.
“I demand you in the arena so we can end this farce,” the man said again. “You break just like any other man, I have seen it done and so have many others.”
“You get out of here whoever you are,” Brigham said. “I don't scare easily so you can save your talk for someone who does. Me and my grandson are having a moment and do not like the intrusion.”
“How dare you speak to me!” the angry man said as M
onica came in between them.
“Whoever your family member is,” Jonathan began. “Is going to get himself killed. You should take him away.”
“Father,” Monica said tugging on the man’s sleeve.
“Unhand me,” the man said angrily. “I don't know why you have never fought this boy and put him in his place. Maybe you are scared of him or maybe he is your back up plan. I am going to teach him some respect.”
“Is there an issue here?” Prince Jordan, Xalen’s younger brother asked.
“I want to face this pretender in the arena and end his reign as Champion,” the man said angrily. “As Champion he cannot back down from an official fight, can he Your Highness? Unless rules have changed to keep this boy as some kind of hero.”
“I accept,” Jonathan replied. “And if you could Highness, I would like the admission to be free for all in the city.”
“I will talk to my mother about it,” Jordan said. “You do know as Champion that you are expected to win these challenges without killing or causing needless suffering don't you?”
“I did not,” Jonathan replied.
“The nature of your power though makes it tough to do,” Jordan replied. “My mother expects some deaths to happen.”
“When do you want to do this?” Jonathan said looking at his challenger.
“As soon as possible,” the man replied.
Jonathan watched Monica pull the man away then go towards Cara. The girl had been the closest to taking Jonathan down in a fight and with a little more magic she would have won it. Cara no doubt had another plan ready if she ever fought Jonathan again, her underhandedness had ended that avenue for her. Jonathan would fight differently if he fought her again, he would bring out his lightning and keep testing out her shield if she was able to get it up in time. He would do the same to this man, he wouldn't entertain a drawn out battle but instead end it quickly.
“That man,” Brigham said angrily.
“That man does not know what he has gotten himself into,” Jonathan replied. “He has attacked me once, I did not say anything because I did not want to get you involved in any of my fights.”
“You kick his behind all over the place,” Brigham said. “You show him what threatening Sally blood will get him.”
“I will,” Jonathan said as Red walked up.
“It looks good on you,” Red said with a sigh. “Hello Gramps.”
“Have you been looking after my grandson like you promised?” Brigham asked.
“Even got the pit beaten out of me for starting a brawl with blonde giants in the Duke’s own home,” Red laughed. “I just wish Edgar and Terriel were here to see you Jonathan. Even Minnie would have liked to see you, after your fight she did nothing but apologize and let me know she was pressured into it by Xalen.”
“I don't wish no ill on her, not anymore,” Jonathan said. “I am going to try my hardest to become the best Champion this Kingdom has ever seen in both fighting and the way I carry myself.”
“And you will be the best Champion this Kingdom has ever seen,” Brigham said.
Jonathan gave his grandfather a hug and showed off his robes for anyone to see. Some people wanted to touch his staff, it was largely ceremonial but Jonathan would use it in his fight with his challenger. The man had been huddled with Monica, Cara, Gerald and surprisingly Russell and Farrah as well. Jonathan had not talked to Farrah for her part in Monica’s attack, she helped hold back any saviours Lauryn may have had rescue her. Jonathan wanted them to come up with the best plan possible, it wouldn't work in a fair fight. They would know that Jonathan Thunder was not one to be played with, they would know it in their hearts and so would any other challenger.
The battle was set for evening, just before the sun went down. Jonathan had spent the afternoon with his grandfather in an inn and just talked about the dragon fight. Poppy and Red were also there but they spent most of their time with each other. Jonathan felt he had to tell Red to take it slower, mage marriages were for life. Eventually word of the duel spread and Jonathan was happy to see the Queen had made the event free for everyone on a first come first served basis. When Jonathan finally made it to the arena the place was packed. Someone noticed him and a loud cheer went up as he was ushered to the front. At the gates Jonathan recognized one of the guards, the man had pushed him down when he thought Jonathan was going to die in the arena.
“You want some more of me idiot?” Jonathan said staring the man down who remained silent. “I didn't think so now move your ass out of the way you piece of garbage.”
Jonathan passed by the shocked looking guard and walked into the arena with his grandfather, Red and Poppy. His opponent was Manuel Manchin, he was Monica’s father and was a decent mage in his own right. Jonathan was surprised to see the man wasn't dressed in normal robes but instead wore some type of wooden armor that looked like it was covered in rubber. He had a large wooden shield covered in the same substance and all around him were giant iron rods sticking out of the ground, someone had scouted him and scouted him well. Manuel had a smirk on his face, the rules were that an opponent could bring any weapon they wanted into the arena but this was excessive. Jonathan looked at the Queen and spoke.
“I will allow it,” Jonathan said loudly. “I do not want any excuses from anyone.”
“Very well,” Queen Mildred replied. “Have your people take their seats, I still have plenty of empty ones around me and they can sit up here.”
Jonathan was happy and surprised at the Queen’s generosity, he would make her proud as her Champion. Her husband was unusually quiet, Jonathan thought the man would be boasting about how Jonathan was going to be defeated. The Queen spoke some words artificially boosted by magic. She talked about her new Champion and that this was a personal matter . She surprised Jonathan by saying Manuel wanted to fight him to prove nobles were better than commoners and had whipped the crowd into a frenzy. The Queen went on to say she picked Jonathan the Lightning as her Champion because he was the best mage available and upheld the highest standards of a citizen of Kirby which had the crowd chanting his name. Jonathan had to get used to that name, Jonathan the Lightning. There were golden lightning bolts traveling up the sleeves of his robes that would easily identify him to everyone looking if the fist sized insignia on his robe did not. The Queen gave them a chance to speak, Jonathan decided not to let the opportunity pass.
“Citizens of Kirby!” Jonathan said to a roar so loud that he had to cover his ears. The first time he was loudly jeered in the arena, this time almost everyone was on his side. “This man wanted to fight me, I accepted. This man wanted to have all of this armor on, he wanted all of those strange rods you see sticking out of the ground to stop me from using my spells. I accepted this as well. All of this is unusual for a mage duel, I want him to have it all. I want you to talk about this to everyone who was not able to make it in here. I want you to tell them that you have seen Jonathan the Lightning in the arena. I want you to tell how he dominated his foe but showed the man mercy. And after all of that I want you to let everyone know that they should not hate this man for his beliefs. Love him like you would any citizen, after getting his arse kicked he is going to need all the love he can get.”
The laughter sounding from the crowd made Jonathan smile. Even the Queen had to politely cover her mouth at his quip. Manuel looked like he was ready to burst. The man attempted to speak but was loudly jeered by the crowd who refused to be silent while he talked. Once Manuel saw it was hopeless he looked at the Queen and nodded. Jonathan also nodded to let her know he was ready. A loud blast was sounded which symbolized the start of the match. Jonathan had his staff held out in front of him and let his spells fly.
Jonathan started off with mage bolt, tens of them filled the air and Jonathan aimed all over Manuel who was shocked and hid behind his shield. Jonathan kept up his barrage but made his mage bolts stronger. He could see his opponent was having a hard time staying up as Jonathan went after arms, legs and whatever body part was
n't hidden by the shield. Manuel started backing up and didn't notice Jonathan had taken to the sky. Manuel used the time to cast a mage shield in front of him. Jonathan hovered in the sky as the crowd cheered loudly, Jonathan knew Monica was trying to tell him to look up but the man was too afraid. Jonathan had a sizable mage bolt and tossed it down on top of his opponent, the man crumbled to the ground and his shield winked out of existence.
Jonathan landed back in the spot from which he took off and raised his arms in triumph. The crowd’s roar was deafening as the Queen stood up and clapped. Monica rushed to her father’s aid along with Farrah. In a few minutes they had him up and Jonathan knew he was still badly shaken. The man stumbled to his feet and looked around. The crowd gave him a polite clap once he was on his feet. Russell Golad of all people came out to greet Jonathan, gone was his angry look and in its place was a look of curiosity.
“You didn't use your lightning,” Russell said looking over at Manuel.
“I didn't need to,” Jonathan replied.
“You fought differently as well,” Russell said. “I didn't see you use your shield.”
“I didn't need to,” Jonathan said.
“You have upped your game,” Russell said. “If you were to fight me the way you did Cara I would have ended it quickly. What you showed here was better than your fight with Gerald or anything else I have seen you do. I should challenge you, but it would be pointless if I will not be named Champion afterwards.”
“I am right here,” Jonathan replied. “I don't run from a fight no matter who my opponent is.”
“I am a fight you cannot win,” Russell said. “But I do not want anyone saying this is over a girl. Especially a commoner girl, I do not want the reputation for being petty. You will still never make it as Archmage.”
“So you claim,” Jonathan said as he raised his hands and caused the crowd to go crazy again.
Jonathan left the arena to the cheers of the crowd and even bigger cheers to those who couldn't get into the arena. He had proved his point but had probably made an even bigger enemy of Monica than he was before. Jonathan didn't spend the night out drinking and having fun, instead he spent it with his grandfather talking about everything that had happened and what needed to be done. After rebuilding
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