"Good day, Champions!" Queen Valerie started and allowed the crowd to cheer. She took in the sight of my brother once more and shook her head in disbelief.
"I see the people are just as excited to see you compete. For all our champions who fought valiantly yesterday, thank you. For those who will continue their pursuit of complete victory, please remain honorable and gracious in triumph." The queen continued, eyeing Lord Carrion the most.
"That has never been my brother's strong suit." Lady Calista mumbled through a forced smile.
Princess Alina cut her eyes to her friend in a warning glance. This was not the right time for such jokes.
"Before us we will have two matches. The first match will be between Sir John of the clan of Stag and Sir Benate of the clan of Bear!" Queen Valerie paused for the eruption of well wishers and applause.
In my humble opinion, the winner of the tournament was announced in that pairing.After a overdramatic deep bow toward the queen, I watched my brother egg on the crowds with raised arms and by taking off his makeshift cape. He raised Alina's favor in the air to the elation of the crowd.
Sir John countered my brother nicely. Instead of egging on more applause, he bowed toward the queen respectfully and raised his hand in recognition of the crowd. He would not revel in praise, but he simply acknowledged those who put forth the effort to cheer for him.
Flags of azure and gold made the crowd look like the pond near my home at sunset. A ping of homesickness momentarily made me wish to be relieved from my duty here. However, I also did not want to miss my brother's match.
"Following these two champions, there will be a match between Lord Carrion from the clan of Wolves and Sir Gavin from the clan of Falcon." Queen Valerie waited for more cheering.
I know it was probably my pride, but I think these two young men did not receive the same level of enthusiasm as my brother. Sir Gavin beamed his beautiful smile around the crowd after bowing his head deeply toward the royal box.
Lord Carrion gave a slight nod toward the royal box before putting a fist to his heart and standing there stoically. His actions confused me. If he wished to be seen as the devoted son of Ensis that could not but serve his kingdom, this was not the way to go about it.
"Let the field be cleared for the first match!"
Queen Valerie sat down and the royal box followed suit.
The match began with a flurry of movement. I am not sure who actually was credited for the first strike. Neither man seemed to be losing any ground. A few times their blades collided with such force that sparks sprayed.
Most of the time my brother's hulking form was enough for him to take down an opponent without using too much strategy or skill. Sir John, however, seemed to anticipate every move that Benate tried. Both men were swift and clever.
I loved that my brother actually had to put more of his training into this match. My father taught him well how to use a sword properly, even if Benate preferred the brute force methods most of the time.
Sir John slipped behind Benate's raised arm after blocking an overhead strike. At that moment, the man from the clan of Stag took advantage of his position. Two swift hits rattled Benate's armor on his back before he could turn to face his opponent again.
Benate countered by feigning the same movement before catching Sir John across the breastplate. Sparks flew yet again as the swords collided.
"I wish every match was this exciting," Lady Calista said out loud. With no clan members in the fight, I assumed she would be much less interested. Yet I had to agree.
Both champions barely moved their feet from their original fighting stances. The soft arena floor marked each footfall in their dance. The two unearthed tight circles as they followed each other closely, unwilling to let the other gain enough leverage to land a forceful swing.
My envious heart wished that it was my blade crossing my brothers'. Each clan had their own rules about the Swordsman sparring with other clansmen. Luckily since the clan of Bear had duties that often kept us far from other clans, no such rule existed for me.
In the moment that my jealousy left my mind wondering, the match became more intense. Usually the longer a match draws on, the fighters' fatigue is easily noticed in less swift movements.
Instead of slowing down the strikes, the two men seemed to feed off the other one's excitement. Each took turns blocking, striking and taking hits from the other man's blade.
With one last shower of sparks, the trumpeter ended the match. It was too close to call. What a match!
The crowd could not contain their enthusiasm. The stands shook as fans stomped their feet and begged for more. I spotted Gella screaming for Benate to be named the victor.
"I wish my match had been half as exciting as that!" Lord Jacobson admitted, standing to applaud his uncle.
"I have no doubt that one day you can best anyone you fight," Lady Calista offered as encouragement.
"Anyone? Even yourself, Cali?" Alina chimed in with a smirk.
"Let's not get too carried away in fantasy." Lord Jacobson answered before Calista could snap back at the princess.
"Our clans each fought valiantly, Lord Jacobson. It was an honor to share the arena." I added putting forth my hand.
Jacobson looked caught off guard, unused to taking credit for any triumph related to his clan. He quickly caught on, shaking my hand energetically.
"Well fought!" He offered back, just as the judges' results were being handed through the curtain.
I steadied myself willing the words in my hand to be in my brother's favor. I did not get to see them before Queen Valerie snatched the paper from my hand.