The Heaven's Eye had been stored away, back to whatever secret location it was held in. The rumor was that there was an ancient vault somewhere in Gel Carn, where the spirit of an ancient knight protected it. Which knight varied; some said it was Sir Orson, others King Anoa himself. Relma thought King Anoa was possible, but it seemed like something other than him. She wondered if she should ask Aunt Pan about it at some point.

Sir Orson seemed more likely; he was known as dutiful and faultless in all things. And he had been closest to Anoa, but then he had betrayed him.

It hardly mattered. The ring now seemed empty in comparison as Relma sat down with the other contestants. All of the other contestants.

It was a tradition that, while defeated, knights would return for the final match. William and Estela were busy glaring at one another. Or at least Relma thought William was glaring. His helm hid his expression, but his body language was angry. And the glowing green eyes made him look furious no matter what he felt.

Saphra was knitting over to one side, working on a new scarf from the looks of things. Her eyes were gleaming faintly as she did so. Fayn was a few feet away, using a whetstone on her sword. No one was talking as they waited. It was unbearable.

"So how is this final match going to go?" asked Reginald from where he sat to the left.

"I'm not really sure. Nothing like this tournament has been done in years," said Frederick, just above him. "The other contests are fairly standard. and they were used as a model.

"Unfortunately, an archery contest is different from sword to sword.

"So, there aren't any experts."

"When was the last time you had knights here?" asked Reginald.

"I believe, shortly after the death of Anoa IX," said Frederick. "There were several smaller ones', of course, but nothing on this scale."

And then Davian came forward. "Ladies and gentlemen! Commoners and nobles! I greet you!" Cheers broke out with such fervor Davian had to wait for them to die down before he could go on. He waited for almost a minute. "We have watched round after round of a dozen tournaments! We have observed the greatest knights and warriors of Harlenor in epic confrontations! Each round has been more harrowing than the last!

"But now, we have come to the final rounds! Three knights have proven worthy of this round! But only one can hope to return home victorious!"

The cheers came back all the louder. And they lasted still longer. Finally, Davian turned around to look at all sides of the crowd in turn. "First among them, the Princess of Escor herself, Estela Vortegex!"

A horn call rang out, and Estela marched forward. Yet she did not shed her cloak as she did so; she kept it around her as she walked into the ring. She drew her sword with a flourish and fell to one knee, as was tradition. The cheers were deafening.

"Second, a valiant knight who has faced demons of all kinds, and wandered the blighted realm of Blackfear, William Gabriel!" said Davian.

William loosed his cloak and handed it to Felix. Then he marched forward without any elaborate moves. He kneeled and bowed his head. There was only a little less cheering this time. Estela was known to the people of Gel Carn, so William had a disadvantage.

"And finally, the niece of the Steward and a powerful warrior in her own right, Fayn Lancel!" said Davian.

There were fewer cheers this time, significantly fewer. Fayn moved forward, two-handed sword in hand. She tested the wait before grasping her cloak and throwing it off dramatically. It flowed into the wind and then up into the air. It probably would have been utterly useless in actual bad weather.

Why did she even bother with it? Though it must have done some good. Some of the cheers grew louder as Fayn, too, kneeled. Relma was glad about this, at least.

"However, there is an odd number of contestants this tournament!" said Davian. "Thus, each of these three will draw lots. The one who draws the long straw will observe while the other two do battle. When the fight has finished, the last match of the tournament will be set."

Davian produced the lots and moved forward. Reginald looked to Varsus. "How do you think this will go?"

"My guess is they've rigged the straws," said Varsus. He sounded annoyed, and perhaps he had a right to be.

"What makes you so sure?" asked Reginald.

"More is at stake than a tournament. This is a public viewing where knights can show off their skills," said Varsus. "Gel Carn has not come off very well, having mostly lost or advanced by default.

"They'll rig the match, so Fayn draws the long one. After that, Estela and William will knock each other out. That will give two chances for William to be defeated, in which case Gel Carn wins either way."

"That's a bit cynical," said Relma.

"Ladies and gentlemen!" said Davian. "The lots have been drawn!" More cheers. Nothing got the crowd pumped for a climax like several attempted murders, it seemed. "On this day, Fayn Lancel will fight Estela Vortegex in single combat!"

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"Benarus must hate Fayn more than we thought," said Reginald, laughing.

"Or, maybe, he didn't cheat," said Relma, annoyed. Everyone took for granted that everyone involved was only in it for themselves. Why did everyone always assume the worst about people?

Then Saphra started laughing far harder than Reginald. She doubled over with hysterical glee as Relma looked at her in annoyance. Then she righted herself and smiled. "Why don't we keep our guesses credible here, shall we? I do hope someone gets maimed during this."

"Why are you so dead set on everyone maiming each other, Saphra?" asked Reginald.

"A general sense of loathing goes a long way," said Saphra.

"But why do you loathe everyone?" asked Reginald, moving over.

"Do I need a reason?" asked Saphra.

"Yes!" snapped Relma, in no mood for her. Then she paused. "Hang on, where's Korlac. And Ajax, for that matter?"

"Sir Korlac is no longer with us," said Varsus. "He left with all his entourage yesterday."

Relma blinked in surprise. "Why?"

"He disapproved of Benarus' handling of the investigation," said Varsus. "He found the hasty way he tried to resolve it bad form. And the subsequent pardon disgraceful.

"He departed before the tournament was over."

"That's a personal insult!" said Relma.

"He took it as a personal insult that he couldn't finish his investigation," said Saphra. "Antion has quint ideas about the rule of law. They don't like duels of honor much at all. So I believe King Andoa outlawed them."

"Why?" asked Relma.

"Well," said Reginald, "my uncle Raynald De Chevlon was mocked for his withered arm. So he challenged everyone who did it to a duel and killed them. Then their grieving family members challenged him to a duel, and he killed all of them too.

"They sought legal recourse, but he was untouchable. Nothing he'd done was illegal. To soothe the nobles. King Andoa ordered Raynald to depart the city and not return. He then abolished the practice of duels of honor."

"After that, people stopped mocking Uncle Raynald for his arm," said Saphra. "It was hilarious."

"You weren't even born then," said Reginald.

"And the records were a wonderful read," said Saphra. "I'd much rather just hang everyone who opposes me. No hope of them winning, you understand?"

"Well then, I'm glad you don't rule Harlenor." snapped Relma. "What about Ajax?"

"He was not allowed his seat here," said Frederick. "He helped Ronald to escape, remember?"

"But you did that too!" said Relma. "Why are you allowed a seat and not Ajax?"

"The crowds would probably be outraged if I wasn't," admitted Frederick.

So it wasn't so much Ajax being singled out as everyone else being given special treatment. What was the difference? The whole world seemed to operate with unfair differences. People were given special treatment because of their blood.

He would have hung if Ham had been a commoner and done what he did. But because of his family, he was merely inconvenienced.

The prayers were finished. William stepped off the field, and Estela and Fayn took their positions. For a long moment, they held their silence.

Then Estela charged forward. Fayn struck at her but dodged while slashing instead of the aggressive style she'd used before. Estela stabbed and slashed, cloak flowing around her as she did so.

"Fayn is fighting differently from last time," said Varsus.

"What do you mean?" said Reginald.

"Last time, she was all aggression with no relent. She never stopped attacking," said Varsus. "Now, she seems like she is trying to bait Estela."

"Well, we know she has fire," said Reginald. "Relma, what does Estela have up her sleeve?"

Relma shifted. "Um, she's an excellent swordsman."

Reginald blinked. "That's it?"

"Look, not everyone has some secret power that they can unlock in times of need," said Relma. "And anyway, I don't think setting people on fire should be tournament legal. Even doing it to yourself."

Estela began to drive Fayn across the ring. But Fayn kept her at a distance, slashing with her sword. Always staying just out of reach. Gradually she reached the edge of the ring but slipped away from Estela's attack at the last minute.

Bringing around her sword, she nearly struck Estela. But her blow was deflected by a shield, and Estela struck her across the shoulder. Fayn flinched back and soon began to take more blows. Then she ducked under one of Estela's strikes and slammed her pommel against her helm. Estela reeled back, and Fayn pressed the assault with an onslaught of brutal strikes.

"Damn it, come on, Estela!" said Relma.

"I'm not sure you should be rooting for Estela," said Varsus.

"What do you mean?" asked Relma.

"Estela represents Escor. Fayn represents Gel Carn," said Varsus. "If you are loyal to Gel Carn, Fayn is the one you want to win."

"I'm loyal to Harlenor," said Relma. "Besides, Estela learned in Gel Carn. So even if she wins, it is still to our credit."

"Only partially," said Varsus. "It will be better for Gel Carn if Fayn wins."

And then Fayn stopped her assault and leaped back. Estela used the opening, but as she charged, a flame whip flashed from Fayn's sword. It struck Estela around the arm and wrapped around her. Estela screamed as Fayn dragged the whip to one side, sending her falling.

"Is she alright?" asked Relma.

"Forfeit," said Fayn. "Now."

Estela had kept her grip on her sword and staggered to her feet. "Never."

"You really are determined to end up a corpse, aren't you?" asked Fayn.

"I am determined to win," said Estela.

"That makes two of us," laughed Fayn.

The silver-haired girl charged and brought down her sword. Estela blocked the strike with her sword arm and turned it. But Fayn smashed her again with the pommel and sent her falling to the ground.

Fayn flourished her blade as Estela reeled. Then, walking forward began to bring it around to Estela's throat. She did it slowly, for effect.

She took too long. Estela reached out with her burned arm, screaming as she did so. Then, snatching the blade, she pulled herself up by it and struck Fayn across the helm. Fayn fell to one knee, and Estela hit her again on the shoulder, sending her to the ground.

Estela's blade was at Fayn's throat in a moment. But Fayn did not react. Instead, cheers sounded throughout the stands.

"The crowd seems to love it," said Garrick.

Davian came forward. "The victor is Lady Estela! Fayn is defeated!"

Then Estela collapsed to one knee. Relma ran forward before she could think. William did so as well, kneeling by Fayn. "Is she alright?" asked Relma.

"Yes, she's fine. However, compared to her previous injuries, this is nothing," said William.

Relma then ran up to Estela. "Estela, that was amazing!"

"I know," said Estela. "Now, can you help me with my hand? I think I broke my wrist."

"Oh, I'm not sure that will be safe-" began Relma.

"Do it." hissed Estela.

Relma helped Estela raise her sword arm to the sky, and the cheers grew even louder. The victory was Estela's.

Now she just had to defeat William.

"My friends, the final match of this tournament will be between the Princess of Escor, trained in Gel Carn!" said Davian. "And William, the heir of House Gabriel, instructed in the sword by House De Chevlon! Trained in the arts of magic by Dust Elves!

"Only one of these two warriors can hope to emerge victoriously! Only one!

"But who will it be?"