The ring looked very different as Relma walked into it.

Yes, on the surface, it was all the same. But something about it struck her as she walked past the smooth white stones. She heard the crowds cheering and looked to where Ham was eyeing her contemptuously. The sun beat down far harder than usual on her armor, and she heard her breathe in the helmet.

They took their places. And Relma knew she was not going to let the crowd down. She'd give them a show if nothing else.

"People of Harlenor!" cried Davian. "Our next match in this tournament is between two warriors of new blood. I give you a relative novice of rising skill, Lady Raleen of House Artorious! She's here with plans to prove herself! And in the other corner, Sir Ham Hawkthorne has no intention of letting this young girl show him up!

"But who will emerge victorious?!

"Only time will tell!"

"Where are Frederick and Ronald?" wondered Relma.

"I'm in a good mood," said Ham. "So, I'll give you one chance to back out."

"That's somewhat ill-advised," noted Relma, trying to talk like William. "Because we're the weakest people in this tournament. I mean, everyone else here has combat experience. I haven't heard of any accomplishments on your part."

She'd gotten under his skin, and Ham drew his sword. "How many merchant vessels have you seized?" snarled Ham.

"Okay, I admit. Unfortunately, you have helped prey on defenseless merchants," said Relma.

The crowd laughed. Relma felt a bit guilty. And then she felt less guilty when Ham tried to cut her head off. She barely warded off his strikes with her shield and staggered back.

He unleashed a flurry of blows. Each one seemed like it had the force of a mountain behind it. All Relma could wonder was how their voices carried out to the stands. It was magic. This was challenging. Her muscles were burning. She hadn't managed to get her shield out, and Ham made every attack harder to deflect than the last.

She felt detached from herself. Like she was a passenger in her flesh, her attachment faded more and more as she stumbled backward and landed. Where were Ronald and Frederick? She glimpsed them out of the corner of her eye. Then she saw Ham raising his sword with rage across his face. Relma reflected that if he killed her, he'd be disqualified. She'd better dodge. And dodge she did, rolling aside as his blade sank into the dirt. She rose to her feet and drew her sword. As he dislodged his blade, she slashed at him. He blocked it with his shield, and she was driven backward. But this time, she had better control.

"Come on, Raleen, keep your head!" called Ronald.

She was keeping her head. She needed to find out if she was in it. As she stepped aside, she thought. "You can respond. You can do this. Just keep moving. Keep parrying; he'll tire."

Ham was attacking her in a fury. He struck again and again. She was having difficulty keeping up. Still, she wasn't using as much energy, even if her arm felt numb from blocking all these strikes.

"This isn't fighting with sticks, you impudent bitch!" roared Ham.

He was angry, wasn't he? Still, he seemed to be regaining control of himself. He was slowing down a bit and letting her get some distance. Relma lowered her shield and looked at him beneath her helmet.

"Come on, girl, why don't you just give up?" he hissed.

"Why don't you?" asked Relma.

And then it began again. Ham attacked and attacked, and Relma defended. And as they did, Relma realized that the crowd was losing interest. They didn't come here to see someone gradually worn down. They came here to see a fight.

She could ignore them. But she'd much prefer to put on a show. Still, if she attacked, Ham would win. He was very good at attacking.

So maybe she should make a mistake.

She fell to one knee as he made a downward stroke. Then, catching it on her shield, she slashed at his armored legs. Ham leaped into the air to dodge the motion, which gave her an opening. Relma rushed forward and slammed her shield into him, sending him sprawling to the ground. His sword was flung from his hand.

Relma realized she could attack him while he was down. So he did the same to her. But instead, she made her way over to the fallen sword, picked it up by the blade, and offered it to him.

"Stand up," said Relma.

Ham took the blade. And then he threw dust in her eyes. Relma staggered back. She got as far as possible but felt something smash against her helm. She was thrown back and landed hard. Then, as her eyes cleared, she raised her shield to block Ham's strikes.

He hit her repeatedly, and her arm was in agony from the blows. Her shield was battered and dented. Then the boos from the crowd reached Ham, who halted and stepped backward. Relma stood up.

"You'll pay for that," hissed Ham.

"For letting you get back on your feet?" asked Relma.

"For humiliating me," said Ham.

And then he surged forward. But, even as he did, he fell to one knee and struck at her legs. Relma backed away, but the blow glanced off her leg armor, and she winced in pain. And then the fight went on. But Relma's leg was hurting.

She couldn't keep this up forever.

Why hadn't she just put her sword to his throat and been done with it? She'd have won then. However, this made her look much better. And there were worse ways to be knocked out of a tournament.

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Her knee gave out, and she hit the ground in exhaustion. Her lungs were burning, and her heart was racing. And Ham was taking the time to gloat. "This is it for you, brat."

Relma threw herself forward and grabbed him by the legs. Ham fell forward and hit the ground. As he toppled over, Relma got up and turned around. Ham had lost his grip on his sword again. He was scrambling through the dirt to get it.

Relma closed the distance as a walk and put one foot on the blade. Ham glared up, then rose and drew out a dagger. In one move, Relma knocked it from his hand. Her sword was now at his throat.

She must have looked very good.

"The match is over!" proclaimed Davian, and the people cheered. "Sir Hawkthorne has been disarmed, and Raleen's sword is at his throat! The match is finished, and Raleen has won!"

"Damn it, a girl won't beat me!" hissed Ham.

But Davian put a hand on his shoulder. "Sir Ham, the fight is over. Any further combat is meaningless."

Relma turned away and looked at the people cheering. They were cheering for her. She raised her sword in salute to them, trying to keep the smile from her face.

Then there was a roar. Turning around, Relma saw Ham coming at her, broadsword in hand. There was no time to respond.

And then Ajax was between them. His hand caught Ham's arm in hand, and he smiled. Then Ham screamed as his wrist was crushed.

Ajax raised a leg and kicked Ham in the chest, reeling him. Ham landed on the ground, and the wolf demon was on him, crushing his other arm beneath his leg. Then Ajax began to slash and beat him violently, smiling the entire time.

"Ajax! Stop! Stop it!" cried Relma, grabbing him and trying to pull him back.

Ajax stepped back. Ham was a broken and bloodied mess on the ground. With that kind of injury, no healer alive could fix him completely. His throat was cut, and he was bleeding. She stared at Ajax. "Ajax, that wasn't necessary."

Ajax shrugged. "He came at you with a sword and broke the rules. I saw an opportunity to cut his throat, and I took it."

Relma looked away. "So do I."

She kneeled by Ham and set her hands on him. Then, channeling the power of Elranor, she tried to heal him. First, she went for his throat. She felt her body tighten as she mended his throat. He wasn't in danger of dying, but he was still severely injured.

She tried to heal his broken bones. There were so many of them. But she couldn't; it was taking everything she could...

And then, William was there. "Lady Raleen, are you all right?"

"I've healed the worst wounds," said Relma. "But he'll need more, more..."

And then William set his hand to Ham's brow. Instantly, the wounds mended. The bones knitted, and his breath returned to normal. Ham was no longer injured at all. Merely unconscious. William stood up, not even a bit tired.

Relma stared in awe. "How did you do that?"

"I practice healing the sick and injured every day," said William with a shrug. "And I have a talent for it."

Why hadn't Relma thought of that? If she spent her time practicing healing people, she could have healed Ham. Instead, she felt a bit guilty. She shouldn't have to rely on other people for this.

Even so, she walked back to the stand and was met by Estela. "Nicely done, Relma. You have gotten a lot better."

"Well, Aunt Pan always said I learn quickly," said Relma. "Do you think she was watching?"

"How should I know?" asked Estela. "Anyway, most of the others have gone off by now. You were healing Ham for a long time."

"Did Reginald ask after him?" asked Relma.

"He muttered 'idiot' under his breath and walked off," said Estela. "I suspect he'll shun him socially after this."

"I feel a bit sorry for Ham," said Relma.

"You're joking," said Estela.

"His insecurities are going to cause him serious problems," said Relma. "And he didn't hurt me."

"He tried to kill you," said Estela.

"And failed," said Relma.

And then she felt that feeling of dread. It had not appeared. It had merely hidden and now was letting itself be known. Relma looked up and saw Felix leaning in the shadows. His eyes were hidden beneath his hair, and his black cloak shrouded his entire body. "Hmm, so Lady Raleen has a personal connection to Pandora. She calls her the same name as the Heir of Kings and is about the same height and weight. I wonder what the connection is?"

"You... you're that Calishan slave who's always skulking about Gabriel," said Estela. "What do you want?"

Felix looked up, smiling. And somehow more intimidating than his normal expression. It was like he was wearing a mask; his true nature showed through this wide smirk. "Duke Vanion doesn't keep slaves. He pays servants. House Gabriel understands well that a man who is motivated by fear is not a loyal one.

"And I suggest you speak with a degree more care."

"Why?" asked Relma.

"Well, if a squire were to enter the tournament in disguise, someone might reveal the fact," said Felix. "And if it was revealed, they would naturally be disqualified.

"Relma Artorious."

Okay, so he was blackmailing her. "...What do you want?" asked Relma.

"Nothing," said Felix. "I intend to tell William who you are, of course, but I expect he already knows. He isn't nearly as foolish as he appears.

"If he asks me for my advice, I will naturally suggest we let the matter pass. But, doubtless, he will do the same."

"Because he's not a knight, you mean?" said Estela.

His smile stiffened. "You are quick to make assumptions."

"It isn't an assumption. A direct family member can't knight you," said Estela. "That was in the code of Anoa. It's why knights always go far in the field to prove themselves. William was sent back to Arsheen as soon as the battle was over.

"And I didn't hear anything about a knighting.

"If Relma gets disqualified from this tournament, your master will follow."

"If I meant to get you disqualified, I should not have approached you in the first place," said Felix. "I am suggesting that you be more careful in the future.

"Good day." And he turned to walk away.

Estela relaxed visibly. "...He is right. You really should be more careful, Relma. How will you even explain things when it comes time to take your helmet off?"

"That's part of the plan," said Relma. "See, if I lose the tournament, who I am doesn't matter. But if I win it, I'll be able to reveal myself. It'll make me famous."

"Fame can be a bad thing, you know. It attracts jealous rivals," said Estela.

"Well, yes, but it will show Fayn I'm qualified," said Relma.

"Well, that would be nice to show her up," said Estela. "Unfortunately, you'll have to defeat me to get there, and I don't intend to lose." She turned away. "Come on, follow me."

"Where to?" asked Relma.

"I'm going to the archery contest," said Estela. "I'll see if I can win it."

"Archery? Estela, you'll be going up against Dust Elves," said Relma.

"I know," said Estela, voice keen. "Ever since elves were included in things, no human has ever scored higher than third place. So I'm hoping to beat them at their own game."

"I didn't even know you were an archer. Well, more than anyone else," said Relma.

"House Vortegex specializes in archery," said Estela. "Now, let's get out of this armor and find Ronald. There won't be more duels for the rest of the day, so let's make the most of it."