“What do you mean it’s already been paid?” Jonen looked at the tournament official in shock.

The Royal Guards took charge of the tournament. The queen would not allow her own guards to participate for fear of favoritism, but they ran it to ensure it would be fair. The grumpy, older dwarf in front of him skimmed over the paper. Jonen had waited in line for hours to sign up for the tournament. Those lucky sponsored few already warmed up in the arena in front of him.

“The thirty-gold application fee,” He pointed at Jonen’s name written on the sponsored list, “—has been paid. If you still want to give me the money, you can. I’ll pocket it myself.”

“No!” He shoved the small coin bag back in the pouch at his side, “Thank you, sir. Can I at least know who did it?”

“There’s only a line by the sponsor,” He shrugged.

Jonen tried to catch the list before the man shuffled the papers from his view. He nodded in appreciation and walked into the coliseum. It was mostly empty, as the crowds would form the next day for the actual tournament. The participants were allowed to practice as much as they wanted the day before. Some chose to show off their power and prowess in an attempt to scare away competition, others watched to size them up.

He scanned the large open arena surrounded by rows of marble seating. The simple dirt floors ended in high, marble walls. On either side of the fighting area were tall oak doors that lead to preparation areas. He saw some people practicing spells as others ran through swordsmanship drills. His eyes stopped as he noticed dark green orc leaning over a small woman. Bobabano played with Mira’s hair and her laughter sent a jolt of jealousy through his heart. Jonen knew she couldn’t see him with the man between them, but Ravenna could.

“Sir Jonen!” She smiled and waved, “Hello! Lovely to see you!”

The pink orc with bushy black hair walked up to him. He bowed and she stopped for a moment to watch him. She pushed her glasses up her nose and shuffled on her feet.

“Lady Ravenna,” He stood, “A pleasure to see you again.”

“Sir Jonen, I’m glad you are in good health,” Ravenna twirled lock of her hair as she shyly asked, “Has your brother gotten my letter?”

“Yes! He just got confirmation he will be playing at the dinner tomorrow night. I’m sure we will see you there.”

The girl enthusiastically nodded, “Queen Azalea sent a harp to my guest suite. I was hoping he would play for me in a few days when he had time.”

“I’m sure he would love nothing more!” Jonen’s eyes looked back towards Bo and Mira.

“Oh,” She followed his gaze, “Do not fret too much. He’s been instructed to behave.”

“It’s just hard to—” He whistled and shook his head before he said anything else, “It’s a lovely day, isn’t it?”

As Bo stepped away from Mira, Jonen saw the shawl bundled over her shoulders and pinned to make a sleeve that hid her sword arm. He smiled as she noticed him. Mira waved shyly. Bo turned to glare at him. The orc grabbed the shoulders of another nearby and pointed towards Jonen with a scowl. The thinner, yellow orc briskly walked over.

“Lady Ravenna, I apologize for what you are about to witness,” Tiero approached and bowed to her, “But Captain Bobabano wanted me to speak to this man.”

Before Jonen could say anything, Tiero stuck a finger into the chest of his armor and lowered his voice. Though his actions and face were that of anger, his words were in elven. Jonen was taken back at the language from the orc than the action.

“I apologize for how this appears, Sir Jonen,” Tiero jerked a thumb back at Bobabano, “But Lady Mira insists that we keep up appearances for your safety. I have determined that not many know this language and it is safe to use.”

He opened his mouth to speak, and the yellow orc shoved him. He tumbled to the ground in confusion and looked up at Tiero. The orc bent over and continued his odd tirade.

“She hopes you are doing well and requests that if you approach,” He shook his head, “You should know that what words you say will most likely be heard by some that wish to hurt you. I would appreciate your caution as much as she does.”

Jonen decided to play into the routine.

“Sorry!” He shouted in response and held his hands up defensively, “I didn’t know, okay? It’s not like that!”

“Then what exactly is going on?” Bo stomped over and stood over him, “That’s my woman you keep following around!”

“Bobabano!” Mira gripped his arm and pulled him back, “Leave it.”

“She saved my life, okay?” He looked up at the orc that towered over him, “Can I not thank her properly? Goddess above, I’m not trying to take her from anyone! She clearly wants you!”

Bo huffed and looked at Mira. Jonen saw the surprise and sadness in her eyes. She yanked the orc from over Jonen and pulled him down with his shirt to get him closer to her face.

“I told you as much,” She grunted, “Your jealousy is pitiful. Enough now.”

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The orc recoiled at the word before he chuckled. Jonen felt his next words pointed directly at him like daggers poking into his side.

“How could I be jealous?” He lovingly brushed her hair from her face and smirked down at Jonen, “I’m the one between your legs, after all.”

Jonen looked over to Mira and she hid her face from him. He noticed the blue and black bruises on her neck that trailed under her shirt. Though the glorified babysitters she appointed to Jaspen and him told them it wasn’t true, hearing the man say it and seeing her like that made his skin crawl.

As Mira pulled the shawl to cover the bruises along her arms, Jonen clenched his fists. It didn’t matter if it was, or wasn’t, true. The thought of Bobabano having his way with her angered him. He wouldn’t allow anyone to talk about her like that.

“Bobabano, that is enough!” Ravenna stomped her foot, “Your own mother would be ashamed of your behavior towards Lady Mira. Mother would never put up with you disrespecting me like this, either.”

Shocked, they all looked at Ravenna as she sneered and pushed her glasses up her nose. Her tusks peaked out from under her bottom lip as she seethed at Bobabano. Mira smiled at how she twisted the situation to better suit her. She was right, after all. Bobabano came off as a resentful bully towards the poor half-elf.

“Come,” Ravenna crouched and offered her hand to Jonen.

He grabbed her hand, and she helped him to his feet.

“Allow me to apologize for Bobabano’s behavior,” She dusted some of the dirt off of him and glared at her cousin, “It is unbecoming of a member of the Cauldronbone tribe, let alone the son of a former queen.”

“Why was he talking to you, then?” Bo pointed at him angrily and pulled Mira to his side, “What business does he have with you?”

“I was making arrangements for the harpist we discussed,” Ravenna hissed and adjusted her glasses, “I approached him! You had no reason to send Shaman Tiero to berate him.”

The warriors in the arena stopped to view the ruckus. Mira sighed deeply and shook her head at the display. This boosted Ravenna’s authority as much as it put Bobabano in his place –which he deserved.

“Deepest apologies, dearest Ravenna, I have not felt this strongly about a woman before…” Bo grabbed her free hand and whisper, “I worried he would harm you if he couldn’t get to my mermiana.”

“What?” Jonen exclaimed, “On my honor, I never would think that! Lady Ravenna approached me.”

Still, the humorous situation of the extremely shy pink orc taking charge made Mira smile. This would further ensure that Jonen would be safe from anyone that could harm him to gain Bo’s favor. They wouldn’t do it if Ravenna scolded the orc to back off of him.

“She agreed to come home with us to claim you. I gave her my blessing,” The pink orc huffed, “You have no reason to be jealous.”

“Lady Ravenna,” Mira said blankly, “We are drawing the attention of other competitors.”

She pointed to Tiero and Bobabano, “Stand outside and wait for us to finish practicing.”

“But Lady Ravenna—” Tiero began to protest.

“Outside!” Her voice broke as she pointed, “Both of you are dismissed!”

Bo pulled Mira into another tight hug and tilted her chin up to him. The orc whispered something that Jonen didn’t understand and leaned down to kiss her. He turned to look away when he heard a smack.

“I said go!” The pink orc shook the sting from her hand, “You do not get to kiss her after disrespecting her like that! I forbid it!”

Jonen eyes searched Mira for any hint of what she thought as the orcs walked away. She pinched her nose and looked up at the sky. She took a deep breath and wiped the forced tears from her eyes.

“I’m sorry, Lady Mira,” Ravenna squeezed her hand, “I know that my cousin has not been kind with your reputation. I hope you will still consider claiming him when we return to Agrowl.”

“It is fine, Lady Ravenna,” She tucked her hair behind her ear, “I know he cares for me. I just wish he wasn’t as… protective about my attention. I thought I had given him enough reassurance. I’ve done everything he’s asked of me.”

“Bo is not usually this brash,” she shook her head, “I will speak with him again.”

“Thank you,” She said as she looked to Jonen, “I’m sorry.”

“No, Mira – I mean, Lady Mira,” He knelt and lowered his head, “I know you didn’t intend me any harm. I only wished to thank you.”

Jonen felt her walk towards him and place a hand on his shoulder. She squeezed softly and bent down to whisper in his ear. Mira didn’t know what to say. The dejection in his sapphire eyes made her chest hurt. It wasn’t as bad as when she thought of Pallik, but it felt similar to her.

“That’s not what I –”

“It’s okay, Mira,” He voice shook as he whispered back, “It is just… hard to – I’ve missed you. I want to see you again.”

He took her other hand, kissed it, and placed it against his forehead. It was the formal greeting for a lady, after all. The gesture made her relax a bit.

“I want you to visit me after the first round,” She pulled at a wavy lock of his golden hair, “Only if you still want to… I understand if you do not.”

“When you call for me,” He stood, “I will be there.”

The corners of her mouth twitched upwards, “Thank you, friend.”

Jonen shook the numbness from his hands as he walked away. His nails had embedded so deep into his palms that he bled from the small crescents. He found one of the practice dummies and decided to take out his anger on it. He didn’t have his shield because he only needed a sword to warm up with.

Jonen decided he wanted to show Mira what he had learned in their months apart. He could easily move the magic around his body and make it bend to his will. He took a few cuts at the wooden dummy before he felt the bounce back of his sword vibrate through his core as he absorbed the momentum. He felt it build as he kept hacking away at the wooden man. He imagined Bobabano’s stupid smirk plastered on the dummy as the energy built inside of him. Each brutal swing took the thought of the orc having his way with her out of Jonen’s mind. When he felt the muscles in his arms nearly burst from the strain of holding in the energy, he stabbed into the thing and released his energy.

The wooden dummy exploded into thousands of splinters that flew through the air around him. He heard people duck to miss the debris, but he held on to a shred of that energy and folded it against his skin to shield himself. The splinters bounced harmlessly away to the ground. With the energy drained from his body, he moved to the next dummy and started again.

Jonen didn’t care if everyone in the arena knew what his powers were. He had nothing to hide. It was cathartic to cycle his power like this. He could feel those beautiful amber eyes slyly scanning his body. He smirked at the thought of her watching him that intensely. He remembered the first time they sparred and how she urged him to use his magic. He reminisced on her glorious smile and cheerful laughter when she popped up unharmed from their first practice. He remembered how she grabbed him by the shirt and pulled his lips to hers. Jonen remembered how he carried her badly battered body and vowed to never let anything hurt her again. He worked hard on their months apart to prove to her that he could.

As the third dummy shattered, Jonen stopped to wipe the sweat from his brow. His entire body ached from the magic constantly cycling in his system. He trotted over to a bench and sat down. He grabbed a couple of bottles of water and popped the cork of one. He poured the water over his head before he popped the second cork and drank the water. He took a deep breath and looked over at the other competitors. The woman he showed off for quickly looked away as their eyes met.