by Alison Pensy
Etyran and the Alsian circled around the arena, sussing each other out, trying to predict the others first move. Etyran's sword glinted in the sunlight, but the Alsian's glittered like diamonds. Faedra had to admit it was a thing of beauty, but wondered how strong something made of ice could be. Surely not strong enough to defeat a weapon forged of steel. Her curiosity was quickly satisfied when the fight began. As the swords made contact, the one forged of ice that shimmered like diamonds, seemed inexplicably stronger. So much so, after a few strikes, Faedra could make out tiny dints along the length of Etyran's sword. It was only by sheer mastery alone that Etyran eventually won the bout by points. The Alsian glared at the Lightbender as they stood face to face at the end of the match. Although the Alsian obliged the rules and threw a curt incline of his head to the winner, he turned quickly afterwards, swiped his sword off the ground, where Etyran had knocked it out of his hand, and stalked out of the arena.
Etyran raised his sword above his head to the excited applause of the spectators. Faedra, Jocelyn and her two dads stood and clapped. It took every atom of her being to hold herself back from cupping her hands around her mouth and whooping her delight. Etyran walked towards the part of the stands that held the royal box. He showed his respect with a deep bow and made sure to sneak in a wink to his girlfriend before exiting.
"That young man can fight," Henry said to Faedra, a hint of awe in his voice.
"You wait 'til you see my man," Faedra replied, her lips quirking up at the corner.
They sat through several more fights before it was Faen's turn to compete. So far, two Azranians, one Valkyrie, and three Alsians had won their respective fights and would be moving forward to the next round.
Faedra's heart did a little flip flop as her husband entered the arena with his competitor, one of Derian's men from Umor. If Faedra had been curious as to how strong an ice blade was, having a sword made of water didn't seem in the least little bit feasible. Yet again, Faedra sat and watched in amazement at the water sword, which was every bit as strong as her husband's. But how could that be? It defied physics, didn't it? But, then, she realized, most of the things she had experienced over the past couple of years defied physics.
The young man from Umor turned out to be no match for her husband. Faen won his round in only a few minutes. The competitors turned to face each other, and the young man bowed low in front of Faen, showing much better competitive spirit than the Alsian who fought against Etyran earlier that morning. By the look on this man's face, he seemed pleased to just have had the opportunity to fight against someone as well respected as the former Guardian was.
Faen's fight was the final one for that day. The event would continue the following morning, giving the remaining competitors time to rest before they had to fight against the winners from the other arenas.
As Faedra, her two dads, and Jocelyn made their way down the steps from the royal box, she could see Faen and Etyran waiting at the bottom. A smile spread across her lips as her insides warmed at the sight of her husband. It didn't help that she knew exactly the effect Etyran was having on her best friend and newly appointed Guardian, either. The two friends looked at each other, sharing in their unspoken happiness, and couldn't help but fall into girlie giggles for the rest of the way down the steps. They were greeted at the bottom by two sets of loving arms that were wrapped around them by their respective men.
"We'll see you this afternoon, Dad," Faedra said. "And don't worry, you'll do great."
Henry didn't look convinced.
"We're going to meet up with Alyssa and Alaris for lunch, see you later."
"Okay, darling. Have fun."
Faedra watched as the king wandered away with her dad. Another warm and gooey feeling washed over her at how well they were getting along.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Faedra came to an abrupt halt, tugging Faen to a stop, which prompted Etyran and Jocelyn to follow suit, lest they bump into the back of them.
"What is it?" Faen asked.
Faedra shuddered, the anger and hatred she sensed lashed at her like an icy wind.
"Fae, whassup?" Etyran said.
Jocelyn's gaze darted about them as she folded her fingers around the hilt of her sword.
Faedra's eyes narrowed and her expression grew steely. "Zaven," she spat taking a determined stride forward.
They rounded one of the medieval style tents that had been erected in neat rows outside the castle walls. Most everyone had already made their way towards the huge marquees that had been set up to feed the tournament participants. The area was deserted apart from two people. The group of four jerked to a stop.
"You know nothing," Zaven hissed, pulling himself up taller so that he could glower over Derian who was holding a pointed finger at the Ambassador.
Faedra heard the sound of rushing water. Her eyes widened as she watched a pedestal of liquid form itself under Derian's feet raising him off the ground until he was the same height as his aggressor. Zaven straightened as Derian rose until the two men were eye-to-eye, nose-to-nose.
"I know enough," Derian warned, still pointing his finger.
Zaven looked down at Derian's finger with a derisive snarl. "Touch me with that thing and I'll freeze you where you stand, then shatter you into a million pieces. Treaty or no treaty."
Faedra stepped forward. "What's going on here?"
The two men turned. The flicker of surprise in their eyes was staunched immediately, but Faedra could feel it in their emotions. She had just caught them in the middle of something neither wanted to be forthcoming on, that was for sure.
The pedestal Derian was standing on melted into the grass as he lowered himself to the ground. Both men turned to face the group and plastered false smiles on their faces.
"Nothing to concern yourself with, Your Highness," Zaven said. "My friend, Derian and I were just having a playful discussion on who we thought would win the tournament."
"Didn't look very playful to me," Faedra said, folding her arms across her chest. Didn't they realize who she was? That she could tell they were lying to her? Even without her spidey senses, it was obvious they weren't telling the truth. Did they really take her for stupid?
"Well, you know how it is," Zaven continued. "We males get a little competitive when it comes to our sports."
Faedra looked over to Derian, hoping he would be a little more forthcoming. Out of the two, she considered him a lot more trustworthy than the Ambassador. "Derian?"
"It is as Zaven tells it, My Lady. We do get a little competitive with our sports."
Faedra turned a considering look on both men, one at a time.
"If there's nothing more, Your Highness," Zaven said, breaking the uneasy silence, "we would like to partake of some lunch before the afternoon competitions begin."
Faedra cast the men a subtle nod.
Throwing each other a poignant glare, the two men turned and stalked off in opposite directions.
"Well, if that was about competitive sportsmanship, my name's Harvey Wallbanger," Etyran spouted.
All three heads turned and shot the Lightbender a look of disbelief.
"What?" Etyran said, a hint of exasperation in his voice. "Why do you guys always look at me like that?"
Faedra put a hand on Etyran's shoulder. "Harvey Wallbanger is a cocktail."
Etyran straightened. "I knew that."
Faedra smiled. "Come, on. Let's go and get something to eat. I'm famished."
***
The great hall was brimming over with spectators that afternoon. Faedra looked around the mammoth room, of which every nook and cranny had been crammed with people all vying for a view of the first ever competitor from the World of Men to compete in the Seven Realms Tournament. To all intents and purposes, this was a monumental event. The noise was deafening as the witnesses to this momentous occasion chatted with excitement amongst themselves. The energy in the room was almost overwhelming. Faedra wondered if she couldn't power a whole city with such
energy. She shuffled in her seat.
"Are you okay?" Faen leaned in and asked. "The energy in here is electric; I cannot even imagine how you must be feeling."
"You can feel it?"
Faen nodded.
"It is a little...overwhelming. But, I think I've got a handle on it. I'm not missing this for all the tea in China. My dad up against the God of War. That'll be something to tell the grandkids." She sighed and looked up to the heavens. "If Mum could see him now, she'd be so proud." Faedra scratched her neck and thought about who her dad was up against. Then again, there was a good chance her mum could be turning in her grave. To distract herself from that thought, Faedra settled her gaze on the dart board. Now there was a sight she never thought she would see in her father's great hall. The pristine circular board was hung on the wall to the side of the dais. The oche ran along the floor, the white line behind which the thrower had to stand was bright white against the black mat.
"I played your dad once," Etyran piped up. He was sitting behind her and Faen with Jocelyn, Alyssa, and the dragons. "He was pretty darn good. Slaughtered me."
Faedra turned in her seat. "Really? When did you play darts with my dad?"
"One night when you were trying not to burn the house down and had locked yourself in your room. I could see your dad was not handling it well and took him to the pub and shoved some darts in his hand. We had a blast that night. He's got a good chance of winning this."
"I didn't know you did that...thank you."
Etyran inclined his head. "Made of good stuff, your dad."
Faedra turned back to face the front, a wide grin on her face. "That he is."
The door to the king's study opened, and instantly the noise in the hall waned until only a few hushed murmurs were left resonating about the room.
The king walked out first. Everyone stood. He made a gesture for all to be seated, to which they obeyed. Odin followed in behind the king. His enormous stature dwarfing that of Faedra's dad, who followed in behind the God of War. After the king had made an announcement about the event being an unforgettable moment in the history of the seven realms, he took his seat next to his daughter amid earsplitting applause.
The applause settled as a page walked out behind the two contestants. He was carrying a red velvet cushion upon which were nestled two sets of darts. Henry cast his daughter a nervous glance before picking up his set of three darts. Faedra sent him a warm smile and mouthed 'you'll be fine'. She saw her dad draw in a large breath and blow it out through his mouth. Odin turned to face her dad and bowed his head. The gesture took her dad by surprise, his eyes widened for just a second before he realized he was supposed to reciprocate. Henry returned an apprehensive bow.
"May the best man win," Odin boomed, giving Henry a slap on the back that sent him flying.
Gasps echoed around the room. Every protective atom in Faedra's body had her starting to rise from her chair. A firm hand rested on her shoulder as she was half way up, pushing her gently back down. "Your dad is fine, Faedra. He has this," Faen murmured.
Faedra met the supportive eyes of her husband and swallowed. Faen gave her a subtle nod. She held his gaze for a heartbeat more before turning back to check on her dad.
Odin shot Henry a sheepish grin, if anything the God of War did could ever be described as sheepish. "Oops, sorry," Odin said, bending down and offering Henry his hand. "Don't know my own strength sometimes."
Henry paled but took the offered hand. Odin launched him off the floor and set him straight on his feet.
"No harm done, hey?" Odin said.
Henry rubbed his shoulder and offered the great warrior a small smile.
"Well, at least it wasn't his throwing arm," Etyran whispered.
Faedra drew in a steady breath, but said nothing. What was she thinking, asking her dad to do this? He was way out of his league.
The concerned mutters that were making their way around the hall melted away as the adjudicator signaled the start of the game. He tossed a coin to see who would be first to throw. Both men peered down at the coin resting on the back of the adjudicator's hand, and Faedra felt her dad's nerves hitch up a notch.
Henry lined himself up behind the oche, his right foot forward, his arm angled in front of him. His first throw wasn't his best, but then, under the circumstances, he did, at least, hit the board and didn't make a total fool of himself. He stepped back from the oche and looked towards his daughter who was giving him a thumbs up and big supportive grin. Henry smiled back, a little of his nerves melting away now that the first throw was over.
Odin took his turn, thankfully throwing a bit less than Henry, which did wonders to boost Henry's confidence. As the game continued, Henry's scores got better and better. He started throwing double and triple twenty one's. Odin's game also improved leaps and bounds until the two were almost neck and neck as they got down to the last throw.
Faedra shuffled in her seat as her dad got up to stand behind the oche. This was it, he could win the game with this throw. He just had to get a double to get out. If he didn't, it left the game open for Odin, who also only needed to throw a double to win. Faedra leaned forward, both elbows on knees, chin resting on fists.
"Come on, Dad. You can do this," she whispered. Willing him to throw the dart true and straight to its mark. The buzz of excited energy around the room spiked as excited murmurs from spectators of all the realms discussed the portent of Henry winning this game against Odin.
Henry angled his arm taking aim at the board. The crowd hushed. Faedra realized everyone must have been holding their breath just as she was, because she couldn't hear a sound, except that of her father drawing in a deep, calming lungful of air. He exhaled slowly, deliberately, just as she had seen him do on many occasions while watching him play back home. As the last wisp of breath left his lungs, he threw the dart with calculating accuracy.
Faedra nearly got knocked off her chair with the energy that hit her in the next second. Henry's head dropped back in relief, a huge grin spreading across his face. The hall erupted with cheers as people stood up and clapped. Faedra leapt out of her chair, ran over to her dad, and threw her arms around him. "You did it!" she cried. Faen was hot on her heels, offering his father-in-law a handshake. Within seconds, Henry was surrounded by people, including the king and his daughter's closest friends all wanting to congratulate him.
The frenzied burst of excitement stilled as the deep booming sound of someone clearing their throat encouraged people to part like waves for the God of War. Odin approached through the gathered well-wishers, his expression serious. Henry gulped. Faedra felt fear spike through her dad. She could feel no ill-will from the great warrior so gave her dad a squeeze of reassurance.
Odin held out his hand to the winner. "Well played, Henry. I don't get beaten very often, as you can imagine."
Henry looked up at the formidable man towering over him. His eyes widened, probably wondering where Odin was going with his sentence.
"But, on this occasion, I can honestly say the best man won." Odin took hold of Henry's hand and gave it a good shake, taking care not to rip his arm out of its socket. "Well done, sir. That was fun. But, be warned. I will be practicing before the next tournament." Odin chuckled as he took a step back. "I believe this calls for a victory toast," he continued. "Who would like to join me in the tavern?"
Henry smiled and looked to his daughter and son-in-law who were both nodding their heads. "Lead the way, Odin. We're right behind you."
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
The tournament continued for another week. Trophies were handed out on a daily basis and Faedra was enjoying her new role as princess, handing out nearly all of the trophies to the champions, most of whom deserved their victory. There was the odd occurrence where Faedra was sure there was cheating involved, but, neither she, nor anyone else could prove it. It didn't take a brain surgeon to figure out who the cheaters were...the Alsians. Faedra was becoming more and more suspicious of them as each day passed. She could s
ense something in the air, but was unable to put her finger on it.
She was over-the-moon proud of her dad, who ended up winning his event. Even beating Zaven, much to the Ambassador's displeasure. There was no handshake and going to the tavern for a celebratory drink with the loser on that day. Although, that didn't stop Faedra and the crew joining her dad for a drink anyway. They even laughed at the fact they would have a lot more fun without the frosty ambassador joining them. His lack of good sportsmanship didn't hurt their feelings at all.
By the time it got to the end of the tournament, though, Faedra had all but forgotten about her reservations. She had something much more important to think about… her 'civil' wedding back in the World of Men. She was looking forward to being able to get married in front of her human family and friends, as well as a few otherworldlies that wanted to take part in a World of Men wedding. After saying their goodbyes to the king, Faedra and Faen accompanied Henry home, leaving Azran, and her royal duties, behind for a while.
***
A couple of days later, Faedra was standing in a bridal shop smoothing down her newly altered dress. She looked at herself in the mirror. The dress was the same she had worn in Azran but she had taken it to a seamstress to remove the sleeves and tweak it a little so that it looked like a more modern version of the original. The seamstress had done a wonderful job. Faedra smiled as she did a turn in the dressing room.
"Fae, you're killing us here. Hurry up," called Amy from the viewing area of the bridal shop.
"Okay, I'm coming," Faedra called back. She could feel her friend's excitement bubbling around her. Faedra pulled back the curtain and stepped out into the viewing area. Their gasps prompted another wide grin.
"Do you like it?" Faedra asked.
Amy, Zoe, Jocelyn and Nicki looked at each other. "Can you believe she just asked us that?" Amy said.