"Oh, and Malthe," Ulyssa said as she placed a hand on her bodyguard's shoulder. "If possible, try not to get blood all over the memorial site. The Union is already running behind. No need to give them any more unnecessary work."

"Understood, your majesty." Malthe faced the quivering kendoka, holding his weapon in both hand as he pointed the tip towards her chest. Fátima took her defensive stance, angling her bokken diagonally in front of her body. She spread her legs, sweat dripping from her brow as the safety lights of the construction area began to bear down on her skin.

"Dear," Ulyssa said to Fátima. She kept her hands on her hip as she slowly approached her. "If you're scared, feel free to back out at any time."

"I'm not scared," Fátima replied, not breaking her stare away from Malthe.

"I can see the sweat glistening from your forehead," Ulyssa replied with annoyance. "There's no need to go through with this if you know that you won't be able to hold your own against Malthe. He has been protecting me since the day I was born. He's been fighting for me longer than you've been alive, darling."

"You saw me take out your men, didn't you?" Fátima cocked her eyes towards Ulyssa's direction. "I'm sure this guy won't be much trouble either."

"I'm just trying to save us the trouble of having to dispose of your body," Ulyssa said as she placed a gloved hand across her chest, jewelry sparkling in the light. "But you are persistent, so I'll make you a deal." Fátima's entire head turned to the woman upon hearing the last word in Ulyssa's sentence.

"Deal?"

The White Swan leader pulled out a golden locket from out of her pocket. She opened it with the press of a button. The ticking of a clock echoed throughout the silence of the construction zone. "Two minutes," Ulyssa said as she stared at the clock. "If you can survive against Malthe for that long, you're hired."

"No interview, huh?" Fátima chided. "Or submission of my resume?"

"Cute." Ulyssa feigned a smile. "I'm a busy woman," she said before turning to Malthe. "Let's get this started. I have places to be other than a construction zone."

"Of course, your majesty," the bodyguard said in a low voice. He made the first attack; a forward thrust towards the Fátima's side. The kendoka bore a look of shock as she tilted her body sideways, narrowly avoiding the steel tip of the spear. The distance between the two fighters was more than a few feet, giving Malthe plenty of room to follow up with another stab.

[https://i.imgur.com/gUWAel2.png]

Fátima angled her sword downwards, altering the trajectory of the spear so that it only stabbed at thin air. She took a step back, took in a few deep breaths and spread her legs further apart. Malthe took one step forward, this time holding his spear in one hand. He leaned in with the right half of his body, maximizing his reach. The spear was headed for Fátima's shoulder until she jumped towards the side. She could feel the metal go through the end of her ponytail as she repositioned herself.

With Malthe's reach fully extended, Fátima rushed forward with her bokken raised high above her head. She swung down, letting out a cry as her sword cut through the air. The bokken slashed onto Malthe's exposed arm, making a loud crack as the wood collided with skin. Fátima retracted her sword and returned to her defensive stance. She blinked twice once she realized that her opponent showed no reaction to the attack. The spot where she had struck turned a bright red, but Malthe's posture remained unaltered.

"Malthe doesn't feel pain, darling," Ulyssa called out. "It's going to take more than a stray hit to make him stop."

"Good to know," Fátima said in return.

"Thirty seconds have passed by the way."

"Great," Fátima said to herself. Her fingers tapped the hilt of her weapon as she watched Malthe's weapon. He took hold of the spear by both hands again. Her eyes lowered as he placed one foot backwards. He went in for a low stab towards Fátima's feet. She lowered her bokken and deflected the spear so that it hit the ground.

Malthe withdrew his spear, adjusting his grip so that the point was closer to his hand. He then stepped forward as he let pulled the spear towards the side. He continued to advance, slashing downwards and diagonally. Fátima then raised her weapon blocking the attack at the tip. Bits of wood scattered across the ground as the metal wedged itself inside the oak.

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Malthe then pulled his spear back, yanking Fátima towards her as she remained holding onto her bokken. The tip of the spear slid out of the wood of the sword, leaving a large crack in the blade. The kendoka eyed the damage, cursing to herself in silence upon seeing how deep the cut was. She focused on Malthe once more and watched him prepare for an impending stab.

The weapon glimmered as it soared towards her chest. Fátima waved her weapon to the side, deflecting the spear by hitting the pole. There was another loud clack as the two weapons crashed against each other. The tip cut into the fabric of the top that she wore. The cold metal of the spear grazed her flesh, creating a small cut that soon turned a dark red as blood trickled out.

"Ahh!" Fátima shouted as she shrugged the shoulder that had been cut. Her face winced as she followed the other weapon's movement. Despite the pain, she held onto her bokken with both hands.

"Halfway there!" Ulyssa called out. Fátima remained focused on the battle, but frustration was present in the way she narrowed her eyes at Malthe. "You don't have to hold back, Malthe. Remember, she was more than willing to partake in this."

"Understood, your highness." Malthe pointed his weapon at Fátima and then dashed forward. The kendoka swung her sword sideways, batting the weapon away. With the spear's edge pointed away from her body, she advanced forward so that she was out of stabbing range. With the bokken to her left, she swung upwards, hitting Malthe in the armor that protected his chest. The attack made a thump as the bodyguard staggered back from the blow. Malthe brought his spear close to his chest and held it with both hands at opposite ends so the shaft protected the length of his body.

There was another downwards slash. The bokken only hit the pole. Fátima pressed downward, trying to lock Malthe's weapon into place. She struggled to exert enough pressure to prevent her opponent from moving his weapon. In contrast to the kendoka's tensed muscles as she continued to push the bokken further onto the spear, Malthe remained calm. With little effort on his end, he pushed the kendoka off with the shaft of his spear. Fátima was sent back a step but her sword remained steady in her hands.

"Forty-five seconds, Malthe," Ulyssa called out, her attention more focused on the passage of time rather than the fight. "If you actually planned on killing her, now would be the time to do so."

The bodyguard raised his spear with both hands over his head. Fátima's eyes darted upwards, almost petrified when she saw how much he towered over her. As fast as he had lifted his arms, he lowered the weapon on top of the kendoka. She stepped to the side but kept her bokken up to prevent the weapon from cutting her again. The shaft of Malthe's spear crashed into the cracked segment of Fátima's blade. The weapon split into two, sending shattered bits of wood scattering across the dirt. Fátima fell to her side, sliding across the ground as she still held onto the remaining half of her bokken.

"Fátima!" Hudson shouted as he leaned forward. Ulyssa caught him taking a step and shot him a mean glare.

"Please don't intrude," she said coldly. "She still has forty seconds."

Hudson stepped back, placing his arms behind him. He remained silent and watched in sorrow as Malthe stepped closer to the downed kendoka. Fátima faced him, still holding onto the shattered remnants of her weapon. The bodyguard poised himself for one final stab by bringing his arms back as he held onto the weapon with both hands.

Fátima hurled what remained of her bokken at Malthe. The hilt hit him in the narrow slit where his eyes were exposed, making his head bend back. He laxed his posture as he reeled from the attack. Fátima jumped up and grabbed the other end of the spear and tried to wrestle it free from his clutches, making sure that that tip was angled away from her. Malthe grabbed the spear with both hands and pulled the weapon closer to him with the kendoka still holding onto it.

"Oh my," Ulyssa said quietly. Her eyes darted from the golden pocket watch to the struggle between Fátima and Malthe. "It looks like she might actually survive."

Malthe raised his right leg, knocking Fátima to the ground with a push kick. She landed on her back once more. Malthe stood above her and pointed the tip of the spear an inch away from her face. Both remained motionless as they stared at one another.

Ulyssa came walking in from the side with one arm crossed in front of her body and her other elbow rested on her hand. She tapped her chin as she stared at Fátima. The kendoka's gaze shifted between both members of the White Swan. She panted heavily as she remained sprawled across the ground. The looming threat of the pointed weapon prevented her from standing upright.

"What do you think, Malthe?" Ulyssa asked the bodyguard. "You're the one that knows all of this... marital arts stuff. Do you think she has potential?"

"Possibly," he replied, keeping his weapon pointed downwards. "She's certainly far more formidable than the other White Swans that tagged along tonight. But the real question is whether or not we can trust her."

"Don't worry Malthe," Ulyssa said as she patted her bodyguard on his back. "If you were worried about her replacing you, I can assure you that will never happen. But I could see Felicia here working her way up."

"It's... Fátima," she said quietly.

"Whatever." Ulyssa rolled her eyes. "You can join us. Perhaps you can show the other White Swans a thing or two about self-defense." She then eyed the bodyguard. "Malthe, give her a card,” she said before facing Fátima again. “You'll start tomorrow afternoon. One o'clock. Don't be late."

Malthe retracted his weapon and folded it at the joint. He reached into his back pocket and took out a small business card. Fátima got up to her feet, brushing the dirt off her pants before taking the card. Two White Swans placed Malthe's cloak around his shoulders. He covered his body with it before following Ulyssa back to the limousine.

"We're done here," Ulyssa said. "Let these men get back to work. They have a lot to do if they're going to meet the deadline!"