"Can you hear that?" Sky demanded. "The crowd will be ten times that when we enter. Just wait!"

Sia sighed, not about to bother correcting her enthusiastic teammate. Instead, she focused her eyes on the distant, towering levels of stands she could spy beyond the open coliseum grounds. Above it all stretched a massive balcony, seating three large, ornate chairs.

The first held a tall elven man with choppy, silver hair that barely passed his pointed ears. His eyes--a distinct, forested green--seemed to sweep over the entirety of the arena as a pleased smile curled his lips. And, as Sia watched, he leaned into the dainty, white-haired elf next to him and murmured something. She laughed, drawing the attention of no less than a dozen nobles.

Sia couldn't tell if the twisted knot in her gut was only from nerves--or also the awareness that, in all reality, she could likely take one or both of the royals that towered so far above them. There was no justice in nobility--only birthright. King Alistair Avelean was rumored to be a masterful swordsman--but he lacked the magical talent of an adventurer. It was his power that landed him that position, a power which he'd been born to, not earned.

Any of them could have sat up there and laughed.

Cross slung an arm over her shoulders. "Thinking about eating the rich again, Princess?"

Sia caught her elbow in his gut. The demon doubled over and she took that moment to shake off his arm.

"Go back to nursing your hangover, Cross."

"Sky..." Hawthorne ventured. "They're cheering in anticipation. It's not actually for a certain group..."

"That doesn't mean it can't get louder. Just wait--"

Sky cut herself off as the crowd drew deathly quiet. Sia's attention flicked back to the balcony in time to see a third figure emerge from the curtains that coated the back wall. The silence made sense the moment she realized who she was looking at.

"Is that the crown prince?" Hawthorne asked.

Sky snorted. "Who else would dress like that?"

Kassian Avelean's shaggy, shadowed hair was hard to distinguish beneath the heavy black hood that hung over his face. Despite the warm weather, the heavy cloak was frilled with fur that disguised any other distinguishing features--except, perhaps, the silver mask blocking view of everything but his mouth.

"I didn't think he'd actually look like that," Sia stated, unable to tear her eyes away from the elf as he stepped around his chair, before pausing as the king said something. "I mean, he's a prince. What need is there to hide his face?"

"Maybe it's ugly?" Cross suggested. "Or cursed."

"Disguise," Waverly murmured.

Eyes flickered to the fae, who seemed to shrink back at the amount of attention she gained. After Gideon had pointed out that she couldn't bring the guidebook into the ceremony--it would look bad, she didn't want to give them an odd name before things even started, did she?--Waverly had stuck to the back of the group, her hands behind her back. Now, however, she sighed and released them, meeting their gazes with a slow shrug of her shoulders.

"Elves don't have glamor like fae," she pointed out. "And he's the only prince."

"I prefer the curse rumor," Cross muttered.

Sia sighed. Of course he would.

"Well, whatever it is, it's fucking weird--" Sky began, only to cut herself off for a second time that morning as the prince spun away from his chair.

Whatever his father said must have annoyed him, because the stress in Kassian's shoulders was obvious even where she stood. Still, he strode up to the edge of the balcony with the air of a royal. He didn't need a single cry to silence the crowd--they were already waiting with baited breath.

"We welcome all of you to Isyana on this day of celebration."

Was he using a magical artifact? The prince's authoritative, booming voice sounded nothing like she would have expected out of his slender figure.

"My father has kindly requested that I open us this year--" the prince continued, dry amusement twisting through his tone. "--last minute, perhaps, because it left me no time to prepare a speech in his stead. All I have is my wit, which I'm afraid is running a bit dry in anticipation of all the grand magic we will see today."

The crowd cheered as anyone would when told they wouldn't have to listen to an hour's worth of boring political babble.

"Glad we agree," the prince observed the moment the noise trailed off. "So, without further ado, then--I declare the sixteenth King's Tourney officially open."

And with that, the prince waved his hand. It must have been a signal, because over the furthest wall of the coliseum shot towering waves of arcane sparks and flame. The crowd ate it up, which had no doubt been the intention. The prince took a step back, before pausing and glancing at the king once again who was obviously urging him forward.

To Sia's surprise and amusement, the prince turned on a heel--ignoring his father--and dropped himself into his chair. There was a silent staring contest, before the king sighed and waved his hand much like the prince had. Another figure emerged from the curtains an--

"Is that fucking Aaramis?" Sia demanded.

Gideon pinched the bridge of his nose. "He is famous."

"He's an asshole!"

"A badass," Cross corrected and she snorted. "What? He's amazing!"

"You only care if someone can beat your ass."

"Wait, that's the djinn?" Sky asked. She shielded her eyes, before peering up at the balcony. "He doesn't look that great. I could take him."

"I wouldn't try," Lock commented. Sia almost jumped. When had he gotten so close to her? "He's strong."

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

Sia shuttered. She'd known Aaramis was a monster, but if Lock was saying that...Gods, she really hoped they didn't ever have to personally encounter the djinn again.

A servant stepped forward, offering Aaramis a shimmering stone. The djinn offered it a disdainful look before stepping up to the edge of the balcony much like the prince had done.

"I'll be short," he promised. "If you live under a rock--I'm Aaramis, independent mage and this year's host for the tourney."

Why? Just...why?

"I imagine you're all disappointed that I won't be participating this year, but, realistically...it wouldn't be a competition."

Sky started swearing and Sia was tempted to join her. The crowd, of course, burst into appropriate laughter.

"So, instead, I'll just introduce the ones you will be watching. First, the..." Aaramis trailed off, before glancing over his shoulder at the servant. They said something, waving their hands, before the mage cocked a brow and continued with the most patronizing voice Sia had ever heard. "...shifters that make you howl with anticipation, Chaos Dogs."

A group of mages burst out from beneath another arch. Sia skimmed the group with her eyes, vaguely recognizing one or two from the papers, but nothing more as they waved their hands around, before darting forward to the position they must have been ordered to take.

"Yo--No. I'm not saying that," Aaramis grumbled in that magically booming voice. "The second guild is the Steel Knights."

Had he really only lasted one announcement before hitting his limit?

As Sia had noted earlier, a guild full of fully armored humans were the next to enter. She didn't bother to scrutinize them--there was honestly no way to tell the guild apart. The least they should have done was left off their helmets.

"Next up is a group sponsored by the...amazing Adventurer's Coalition, who had nothing but your best in mind when they assembled the group," Aaramis drawled.

Sia tensed. The next guild, too, was familiar. Caelum's snowy hair stood out amongst the sandy earth--as did the snowy hair of two of his companions. Confusion flitted through her as she studied the first, a girl with golden eyes and a similar frame.

Wasn't Caelum an orphan?

"The...sparkling beauties, Golden Phoenix."

Sia's eyes remained on Caelum's group as another guild filed out onto the sand. Was that part of why he left the temple?

Lock cleared his throat. "We're next."

And just like that, Caelum was the last thing on her mind. Sia straightened to her whole height as her heart roared in her ears.

"The oddities of Wisteria, Starry Rose."

Sky shot out of their archway like someone had set her on fire. Despite her earlier words, a hushed whisper echoed through the crowd at their name. Sia's face burnt pink in embarrassment as they filed out. The silence broke the moment Hawthrone stepped onto the sand. One girlish squeal was followed by another as the audience picked up on, "the kingdom's hottest bachelor."

"It's him!"

"He's so cute!"

"I can't believe he's here!"

"The rest of them are freaks, but look how hot the guys are!"

Sky looked like she was about to punch someone. Sia sorely hoped no one would stop her.

One look at Hawthorne made her considering joining the djinn. The poor man looked like he was about to keel over. Rhett was grimacing, his face turned towards a distant part of the stands. Sia narrowed her eyes, before picking up on a few colorful heads amongst the crowd.

Ah. Kier must have taken the admiration about as well as the rest of them had.

Only Cross appeared pleased, strutting to their position amongst the rest with the smuggest grin on his lips. His tail whipped about as he waved his hand, laughing when some girl squealed and pointed him out to a friend. Sia couldn't help but admire his dedication, given there were just as many harsh stares as there were smiles.

Even in Isyana, demons weren't always welcome.

"Baring another idiotic moniker, next comes the frozen-hearted beauties, Polar Fox."

Sia stiffened. This was it, then--the guild Cross had been so obsessed with. As the five mages emerged from their archway, she was careful to scrutinize them all.

The first that drew her attention was a scrawny, angry looking kid. He stood at least as tall as Sia with disheveled, shaggy brown hair that cloaked his eyes. The fur-lined green sleeveless jacket he wore--decorated with a high, armored neck and elaborate stitching along the edges--was belted at the waist. The edges of it settled over long gray pants that fell to the tips of his green boots.

"Oh my gods, it's him!"

"The bloodthirsty, Crimson Blades."

Sia switched her attention to another member of their guild--this one an average sized man with short, dark purple hair. His eyes--an odd gold--were outlined on the right side by a jagged, half-circle tattoo that ended just above his cheekbone. It was the grin he wore that sent her attention flicking to the next opponent--a wide, unsettling expression full of sharpened teeth.

"Wait, so they're both here?"

The third member of their group that she studied was a much stranger figure than the previous one. The half-orc woman's grin skin was acutely visible due to the lack of any real clothing beyond a simple chest wrap over her, well, chest--covered by a simple jacket and form-fitting trousers. Sia's eyes caught on the twin swords at her waist. Those look dangerous.

Before Sia could look further, her attention was attracted by the sight of one of the foxes breaking away from the others. A surprised murmur spread through the crowd--the foxes, however, looking far from shocked--as she came to a stop right before where Sia and Hawthorne stood. Her hands were clasped lightly behind her back, white braid draped over her shoulder.

"You look just like your picture!" she announced excitedly. "I knew you would. Let's go out! What d'ya say?"

When Hawthorne opened his mouth--be it to kindly turn her down or just gape at the sight of this beauty suddenly confessing to him--the air around them seemed to drop drastically in temperature. The girl's eyes narrowed, her hands moving from behind her back so that she could drop them lightly on his shoulders. At the same moment, she brought herself to her full height--which was admittedly a good half-foot less than her target--and gave him a sharp glower, cerulean blue eyes as cold as ice.

"You're not allowed to say no."

Before the shell-shocked Hawthorne could get out a word, and even before a rapidly angering Sky could shove the girl away, one of her teammates appeared behind her, hooking his hands beneath her arms and bodily lifting her into the air. If anything, the sight of him seemed to drive Hawthorne even further into shock, his entire body going stiff as he stared, wide-eyed at the duo before him.

"Please excuse Taryn," the new-comer said, his voice pleasant, almost charming even. "She happens to be a huge fan."

It only took a second for Sia to recognize the reason for the shock.

The man standing before them was far, far too similar to the one standing next to her.

"Could you be--" she began.

"If the participants could return to their places in the arena," Aaramis cut in, annoyance lacing his tone. "I would love to introduce the final guild."

Flashing a smile that seemed much colder than the warmness she might have expected from it, the man turned, still holding the struggling Taryn.

"Another time, perhaps."

"Put me down, Reggie!" she shrieked, a stark contrast to the personality she'd been displaying only a moment ago. "I'll turn you into a popsicle!"

"The Celestials."

Despite how the crowd seemed to shift focus almost immediately, Sia couldn't tear her eyes away from the retreating foxes. "Reggie" returned to the group while Taryn continued to threaten him. Almost instantly upon her arrival, the brunet seemed to say something, causing her to stiffen and crane her neck around to look back at Hawthorne. Almost instantly her emotions seemed to shift again as she giggled and waved at him.

Sia had to wonder about that girl's sanity.

Reggie, or Regalis Falkner as Sia had realized him to be, simply settled back into his place among his teammates, coldly dropping Taryn to the ground the second he'd rejoined them.

"Did you know?" Sia whispered, turning her eyes to her still quiet teammate.

Hawthorne shook his head mutely.

Of course he hadn't known, Sia scolded herself, looking back once again. If he had, she held no doubt he would have approached the guild before now.

After all, Falkner was his older brother.