“I can see from your expression, Ser, that you grasp the gravity of my words.” Circe said with a hint of triumph to her tone. “I had to be certain that you were ready and able to react to such a situation, and so I acted. Perhaps a little brashly, I admit… but I do not regret it!”

“And why did it have to be you,” Arthur asked with a frown of thought, “instead of one of your House guards or an actual assassin you could have paid for a mock attempt? I could have hurt you. Badly.”

“With hindsight the risk was… probably unwise.” she admitted with a grimace. “But given that I am the most enhanced person I know of, I thought that I would be the best form of pressure.”

“You were wrong.” Arthur said without hesitation. “Because you failed to consider two things, my lady.”

Circe looked at him with what Arthur recognized as a mix of anger at the implication she’d failed in her due diligence, and genuine curiosity—begrudging or not—for what he had to say.

It was a sign of her complexity, he decided. A mix of passionate warrior and intelligent lady. She was a noble as much as she was a combatant, so much so that the trope of the ‘warrior princess’ almost seemed to have been created solely for her benefit.

“You failed to account for the fact that I might have been capable of meeting or even out-matching your physical capabilities, and for the fact that technique trumps power.” Arthur said with utter conviction.

He knew that well enough from his own experiences in his memories, and the amount of times humans with almost no genetic enhancement at all had nearly ended his life as Zacaris.

“I understand you probably realize this rationally, but accepting it conceptually is a different beast. It is very hard to be able to accept that someone whose fist would break against marble, when yours would break the marble, can still defeat you with superior technique and simple muscle memory.”

“That is…” Circe trailed off with a thoughtful frown, before her face shifted to a look of embarrassment. “That is a very astute observation, Ser, and a very Spartan one at that. I suppose you may have a point. I may have been needlessly reckless in my actions.”

Arthur raised his eyebrows in surprise at that. He had not expected her concession.

At least, not so readily and certainly not with as much humility.

“Well, it speaks well to your character that you at least acknowledge it so easily.” Arthur said quietly while reaching up to brush his fingers through his thick, blond locks of hair out of habit.

“You are kind to say so.” Circe murmured with a tone of embarrassment. “My thanks.”

Arthur watched her for a long moment after she finished speaking, and braced his hands on his hips in thought. She was headstrong, stubborn, self-righteous, utterly implacable in her convictions, and completely selective about when she chose to actually approach a situation with something resembling tact—at least from what he’d seen.

Circe Leos would not have lasted a month in Pendragon.

And for that reason alone, Arthur couldn’t help but like her.

“Alright, Lady Leos.” Arthur said after a further moment of consideration. “Let’s say I empathize with your stance. Let’s say I even forgive you for attacking me like a mentally unhinged serial killer.”

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

“I already told you that—!”

Arthur lifted a finger warningly, and to his surprise, Circe’s mouth snapped shut.

“Allow me to explain my motivations, and hopefully ease some of your concerns about my mercenary nature.”

He understood her concerns regarding that, after all.

Abandonment was, after all, something Arthur Zacaris was very familiar with.

“I didn’t come here because I wanted money, fame, or anything else. I can see why you’d think that, but you made assumptions about me—assumptions that were false.” Arthur said while maintaining contact with her jade eyes, and willing his sincerity to shine through to her.

“I’m here, my lady, because House Leos is a way for me to build my foundation within Graecia. I’m here because your mother struck me as an honorable woman, and your father is known as an honorable man. I’m here because House Leos needs a Hetairoi, and I need a reputable sponsor to eventually make my own place among the Eupatridae.”

“That makes sense.” Circe said after a few seconds’ silence. “But that will all mean nothing if you can’t fight in an Eidolon.” she added almost as an afterthought.

“Or if I’m blindsided by another custom.” Arthur muttered with a look back at his clothes. “Atreus and the others are supposed to mentor me, but I can see that being a haphazard process at best.”

“Mentor you?” Circe asked with a frown.

“Graecian customs.” Arthur said with a glance back at her. “I know essentially none of them.”

“That would pose a problem, yes.” she said with immediate understanding. “Not the least of all because Hetairoi are representatives of their Houses, and if you fumble an encounter with a notable ally or enemy or worse, someone that could go either way, it could be disastrous for House Leos.”

“Yes.” Arthur agreed. “Which is why I need to find a better way to learn.”

Circe’s eyes narrowed at his words, and she eyed him speculatively.

“Are you trying to trick me into volunteering?”

“What?” Arthur asked with a genuinely bewildered glance. “No. I don’t work that way.”

“Truly not?” she pressed.

“No!” Arthur insisted with a flare of irritation. “You just tried to cave my head in. You may be more understandable now, but I still have no desire to—”

“Then you may learn from me,” the princess said decisively.

Arthur stared at her when she did, and Circe stared right back.

“What?” he asked with an immediate look of skepticism.

“My family needs a Knight that can win battles in all arenas, not just within a cockpit—and you need to understand Graecian culture enough to become part of it. We can help each other, Ser. I will teach you about Graecia, and in return, you will prove to me you can be the chivalrous blade House Leos needs.”

“How?” Arthur asked with a mix of suspicion and wary interest.

“One week.” Circe said simply. “We will spend one week together, learning from one another and teaching one another. You will absorb all I have to teach about relevant Graecian culture, and you will teach me in turn all about you and your motivations… and at the end of that week, we will fight.”

“A duel, you mean?” he asked curiously.

“Yes.” she confirmed. “A duel. A chance for you to prove, beyond all doubt, that you are the warrior you claim to be.”

Arthur stared at the tall, proud, strong-willed warrior maiden in front of him and couldn’t help but see in her eyes the hope, sincerity, and intensity of her desire to make their joint desires come to fruition.

Well, desires as far as House Leos went.

“And you truly believe this will be enough?” he asked uncertainly.

“I believe that if you are even half as genetically enhanced mentally as you proved to be physically, we shall face no issue at all.”

Another moment of consideration passed, and then at last Arthur nodded.

“Very well, Circe Leos.” he said with a cautious smile. “One week. It’s a deal.”

Circe smiled back at him without reservation.

She really was strikingly beautiful.