Amaro was going to remember that smile for the rest of his life. The day she had utterly beaten the two most powerful young heirs Itaro had seen in a long time.
Kaara made her way back on her Wulviir, leaving Amaro and Deka to run back with the Venator Knights.
“Are you certain about this?” One of them asked.
Amaro nodded, “A deal’s a deal. And for once I can agree with Deka. My word is worth more than the clothes on my back or the opinion of others.”
“Be sure to convince your parents of that, then. We’ve quite enough to deal with in our line of work.”
“Thank you, sir. What’s your name?”
“Captain Ixtal, my lord.”
“Don’t worry captain, the only ones paying for our loss will be me and Deka, you have my word as heir of the Xirxus clan.”
“Then I shall take it at its esteemed value. Thank you.”
Even if Amaro said that, he was still dreading stepping through those doors. His father was already close to ending his life at this point. It wasn’t so bad, Amaro had a good run. He had made it to twelve years of age, experienced love, and loss. He felt his life was complete enough to die today.
That’s what he convinced himself of to have the courage to step through the door into the noble party where every eye instantly fell upon him and Deka.
Now that they were in the light of the tower, Amaro could see everything. The two of them were even more of a mess than when they had left. There were branches in their hair, their silk robes had holes in them, and their skin was caked in mud.
There was a dead silence in the air. All of those eyes bore down on the three children who had come back from playing in the mud. Although, Kaara had cleaned herself up on her way back, leaving the two of them to look like complete and utter pigs.
Those eyes left them only to look at the two xio who now approached. Ilmalak and Kadmus stood in front of their sons, “Care to explain what you were doing?”
Deka didn’t skip a beat, “We both made a wager, and we lost.”
“How childish of you, Deka. I had not expected as much from you, though I suppose you must show your age at some points.”
Deka’s eyes hardened, “It would have been childish of me to go back on my word, your grace. I was confident in my abilities to capture the young Tibur girl, but she humbled me, and that’s all there is to it.”
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“I agree,” Amaro spoke up, “Isn’t that the lesson you aim to teach us? Everyone looks down at the Tibur, and yet we rely on them to get down in the dirt and solve all of our most dangerous and dirty problems. Well…” amaro raised his arms, mud slopping to the floor around him, “As your unconquerable heirs, we’ve both been thoroughly introduced to the mud by a single Tibur girl. Is that not evidence enough that we all have something to learn?”
A smirk curled on Kadmus’s lip, “I think they’ve been punished quite enough, don’t you think, Your Grace?”
The Emperor huffed, “Were I ignorant of the lesson our heirs have just learned, I might disagree. But unlike some of the nobles currently looking down on their superiors, I too have experienced humility at the hands of the Tibur.” He glared at the crowd of nobility behind him, “I couldn’t agree with you more, Kadmus.” He turned that cold glare to Amaro and Deka, “However, I will not have this humiliation repeat itself again, Deka, is that understood? Now that you’ve learned not to underestimate Tibur, I expect the both of you to grow into strong candidates worthy of inheriting the legacy we leave behind.”
He turned, taking one last look at Deka, “And let this be the last time you lose to a Tibur, Deka.” he said darkly.
Deka bowed his head, “In my eyes, I’ve lost to a fellow Alveridan, father.”
“And in the eyes of everyone else, you’ve lost to a Tibur. Remember that.”
Amaro watched Deka’s jaw flex in frustration. Despite how honorable he had been, it seemed he wasn’t taking the loss well.
Ilmalak and Kadmus beckoned the two boys to follow.
“Come, let us eat together for one last time,” Kadmus said.
Amaro looked to Kaara who was currently being chewed out by her mother. If Amaro had done what she did his father would have been utterly overjoyed and proud of the accomplishment. It seemed as though Kaara’s parents might have been even more strict with her than Amaro’s. Even when faced with her own mother admonishing her, Kaara still kept so calm and collected.
Amaro wondered how she did it. His deep longing and appreciation for her had only grown. Even though she had pretended it was a game, she had put her own soul at risk to teach the both of them about humility and defeat.
He was so smitten with her that he barely noticed when she approached them.
“I’m sorry for the bet. You two don’t need to stay dirty if you don’t want to.” She said with her tail curled around her leg in the way Amaro adored so much.
“Oh, not to worry, a deal’s a deal. Right Deka?”
Deka huffed, “I don’t need your pity, cousin. Don’t insult my resolve.”
It felt rather foreign to Amaro. She had no blood ties to him, and yet he was still treated with kindness and respect as if he did. All while she expected nothing in return aside from his own growth. The only other person in his life who had done such a thing for him was Lorshiir.
Kaara’s face brightened, “Okay, well would you guys like to sit together for dinner? We can be friends after all of this right?”
Deka walked past her, “Make no mistake, Kaara. We are allies, but we won’t be friends. The closest you’ll get is being my rival, so don’t expect any more courtesy than that. You and our generation will belong to me when I inherit the throne.”
Amaro and Kaara watched him walk away. Those words would have left a lasting impression on the two of them had they not immediately been sat down next to one another at the children’s table anyway.