POV Aron Brightcloud

Having reached the guest quarters, my mother turned on me. “Aron! What have you done! Didn’t I tell you to first think before you talk?! Balus has already started on his way of the warrior. How will you beat him?!”

“Mum, I have thought about it. Have you observed Barak during your conversation? He would have sided with Soran. Clearly he is feeling indebted to him. We need that Iron. So I did the only thing which could secure us the rights. It is not that bad. Balus will underestimate me, and even if I loose, it is not dangerous. We agreed to fight only until first blood is drawn.”

I could see it in her eyes, she knew that I had said the true. Yet she didn’t like to see me fight, her motherly instincts breaking through.

Mum breathed out slowly, “okay…, go to sleep now. You will need all your strength tomorrow. I love you, my son.”

“I love you too, mum.” I hugged her briefly before departing to my room.

With a quiet click, the door closed behind me and Sephiroth.

“You don’t want to say anything?” I regarded my silent guard.

“No, you know what you do. Don’t forget, I know what you are capable of, you can win. And even if you don’t win, it will serve as a good experience. Now sleep, I will watch over you.”

She really seemed to have changed. At least for now.

_______

The morning had arrived. All our groups convened on the dueling ground. It had been built into the back-garden of the manor. A wide open spherical space with stone pillars jutting out of the ground in even intervals around the perimeter. My family and guards stood on one side while the Silveroaks had positioned themselves on the other. The Northclouds stood between us. Barak would be the judge.

I should have taken my armor with me, but it was too late for regrets now. On the bright side, I would be more agile like this. My sword hung in its sheath at my hip. It had to be enough. I didn’t plan on using my hidden knifes; they were for emergencies.

Barak walked into the middle of the field.

“Today we have come here, to witness the ancient custom of trial by combat to decide which one of the two families Brightcloud or Silveroak will have the right to sign the contract for the leftover ore mined in the Northcloud-mountains. I, Barak Northcloud will be the judge. The rules are clearly stipulated. The Fight ends either if first blood is drawn or if one of the two participants surrenders. This is no fight to the death. Are you both ready?”

I nodded, and Balus as well.

“Good, in that case, let’s the fight begin!” Having finished his line, Barak stepped back, making space for us.

I unsheathed my sword and slowly moved towards Balus. He cockily strode towards me, obviously sure of his superiority.

What many people never understood, a fight was not about honor, or beautiful conduct. The goal was and had always been victory. For victory one had to be strategic, cunning, callous and even cruel. Only those that had enacted this understanding with all their being would become outstanding fighters. And I was one of the greatest my former planet had ever seen. Sephiroth had miscalculated. If I took him head on, it would be a hard fight, but I didn’t plan on doing that. The ore was too important to lose due to misguided honor.

It was hunting time. And hunting I was what I did best.

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POV Amanda Brightcloud

Amanda stood at the side and watched her son as Balus pranced towards him. The closer he got the whiter her Aron became, she could see the fear in his eyes. Aron had lifted his sword in a defensive stance, but she could feel his uncertainty from her position. She was perplexed, Amanda had seen her son train with Sephiroth. He was better than this, yet the fear looked so real.

Then Balus was on him. The youth self-confidently walked into Aron’s reach and attacked him with a powerful downward swing. Her son somehow parried the attack partially, letting most of its force go by him. Balus, carried forward by his swing, stepped closer to Aron and used his sword arm to carry out a mighty backward elbow attack towards Aron who was standing now on his right side, half behind his back.

That was the moment when Aron’s way of fighting changed. His shaky movement suddenly replaced by fluent motion, full of surety and precision. He somehow sped up, not quite reaching Balus’ speed but getting closer to it. He compensated the gap through use of tighter movements. Aron narrowly evaded the elbow, changed his grip on his sword on the fly and rammed its pommel into Balus' cheekbone, breaking it. The force threw Balus off balance, letting his upper body fall backwards. Aron used that to step closer and sweep his enemy’s feet cleanly out under him. His right arm, still with the sword in hand, laid against his opponent's throat and head, explosively accelerating his fall towards the floor.

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Balus’ head violently collided with the ground. Aron fluently changed his position, his sword coming to rest on his opponent’s throat. As quickly as the fight had started it ended. First everyone was silent. Shocked by the efficient dismantling of the perceived stronger fighter. Only after some seconds did Barak react.

“Stop! The fight has ended. The winner is Aron Brightcloud.”

Roused by Barak’s words, both families ran towards their charges. Amanda had been too surprised by Aron’s sudden change and victory to react quickly and lagged behind.

Aron stepped back from Balus as the Silveroaks closed in on him. All but one stopped and surrounded their fallen young master. Amanda recognized him as Balus’ guardian. What did he intend to do?! He was going to attack Aron! Amanda wouldn’t make it in time! The guard arrived at her son’s side, his sword in mid-swing. No-!

Then Sephiroth barreled into him. She crashed the attacking soldier into the next stone pillar. Accompanied by a sickening crunch, the guard’s rips broke.

“You piece of shit, what did you plan on doing? Let me re-educate you!”

Before anyone could react Sephiroth grabbed the paralyzed guard’s sword arm, turned the elbow upward and brought her own arm down on it. With a clear snap, his arm broke. Sephiroth didn’t stop at that, moving closer she rammed her elbow into the man's larynx, denting it completely. Only then did she step back from the now dying guard.

“Anybody else wants to attack my young master?” Sephiroth positioned herself between Aron and the closest guard of the Silveroaks. The latter hatefully gazing at her.

Then Barak Northcloud arrived. “Stop! Both of you! Everyone, step back! This was a friendly spar! How could you allow your guard to attack a youngster, Soran?!

Soran was visibly angry himself. The dying guard had been in his household for years. Yet they were in the wrong. Amanda observed as he forcefully controlled himself before answering. “I am sorry. Manus was my son’s bodyguard. He must have been blinded by anger. This shouldn’t have happened. I am truly sorry. Yet I feel that my son was cheated out of his victory. Aron had clearly extensive training. This wasn’t a fair fight! I can’t acknowledge the legitimacy of this trial by combat!”

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POV Aron Brightcloud

Thanks Sephiroth, that was a nice save there. I would have been unable to defend against such an enemy. The hunter in me approved of her efficient handling of the guard. The dead person didn’t bother me. The Silveroaks had impure thoughts from the beginning. We would have come to blows with them because of one reason or another.

What I really liked was when Soran tried to weasel his way out of the agreement. Barak was very big on honor and keeping to one's end of a deal. Soran had yet to realize how much he had destroyed their relationship with that one careless sentence. Where before Barak had felt indebted to Soran, he now clearly realized what sort of man Soran really was. He was a snake that tried everything to get his way. With my people-reading skills I was very sure of one thing. Barak hated snakes with a passion.

“Stop! An agreement has been made. The agreement will be upheld! How dare you, Soran trying to step back from it. This is over! go now, you are not welcome for the time being. This is not like a noble should behave himself.”

The Silveroaks understood that they had surpassed their stay. They grabbed their wounded and dead before leaving. My mother could have healed him, yet she didn’t do it. I understood her decision, he had tried to kill me, yet that gave me another piece of information. Had she been a pure healer, she would have healed him. Her non-action spoke volumes about her actual character. Good.

Soon after, all the attention was on me. Barak regarded me with a new gaze. I could read his uncertainty in what to make out of me from his eyes. My next few sentences would be important in changing his picture of me. I couldn’t allow him to see me as the calculating and callous snake I was. Luckily, I was still young in his eyes. That was like a get out of jail free card all on its own. Combine that with decent a reason and he would eat it hook, line and sinker.

“I think I talk in all our names, if I say that we were all very surprised to see you fighting like that. And I for myself have to say not in a good way. A fight is an honourable affair between two warriors. You used deceit to win this fight.”

I nodded. “Yes, Barak. I didn’t like to win like this. Yet I didn’t have much of a choice. Balus was the stronger fighter. I would have most likely lost otherwise. Yet I would have done so gladly had the fight been only between me and him. But the iron is for all the people that live in our barony. If I have to besmirch my honor to give them a better life and provide them with the necessary tools to protect themselves, I will happily do so. As a young lord my duty is first to my people before to myself.”

Baraks gaze made a complete turn at that. “Hear that, Amanda. I have to say, I am positively surprised about the sense of duty your son has. I approve completely. A lord’s duty is always first and foremost to his people. He should never let himself be blinded by personal affairs. With this out of the way, I will happily sign the contract between us. Let’s go to my office.”

“Thank you Barak.” Amanda kept herself short. But I knew from her body language that she would give me an earful later. My mother was not amused. I had hidden much too much for her liking.

Our group made its way back to the baron’s office. Sephiroth had silently stepped in next to me, playing her part as the dutiful guardian well.

“Thanks Sephiroth.” I whispered to her. She had most likely saved my life. She simply nodded, not making a fuss about it. If I could only believe her reformed character. Sadly, I knew better.

The signing ceremony went over quickly. Soon later we had our iron supply secured for the next year.

“With the work finished, it is time to show you my city. Let’s go to the market. There you can see what my lands have to offer.” Barak was visibly happy after the contract signing was over.

We happily agreed. I wanted to see more of Northcloud and I still had to take care of Lea’s present. During all the trouble, I had never forgotten about it. I wouldn’t say that I was an exemplary brother, I simply assessed a crying Lea as much more dangerous than a Balus ever could be. Only thinking about Lea’s tears let me feel cold shivers run down my back. No, it was of utmost importance to get a present for her if I wanted to live a happy and peaceful life.