The duel began with me stealing the initiative. Stepping into range, I swung my sword diagonally hoping Eliot got caught off guard. The clashing sound of steel against steel made me realize just how easily he repelled my attack as the vibrations passed through me. Luckily, I refrained from overcommitting to the strike, making it easier to sidestep his follow-up thrust. Finding myself in a sticky situation I hastily retreated, creating distance between us.
I was foolish to believe that he could get caught off guard so easily after just sparring with the instructor. Eliot’s awareness was always impeccable after warming up. Had it not been for the minor flaws in his swordsmanship, I would’ve fallen prey to him plenty of times in the past. However, the gap between us was minuscule, giving neither the advantage.
Our eyes met as we circled each other like sharks, waiting for the opportune moment to make a move. This time around, Eliot took the initiative. His footwork was flawless as far as I could tell, stepping up to me with ease while keeping me at bay out of fear of being hit. Our reach was about the same so when he swung his sword diagonally, he risked getting countered.
The first strike was easy enough to fend off, but that was because he didn’t put his weight into it. He used the momentum of his attack to perform a three-part combo; a swipe that I backstepped, a hasty vertical slash that I blocked with my sword, and a thrust attack that he followed through with by dragging the sword back while it still pushing down on my guard from the previous attack. Luckily, I saw it coming from a mile away and was able to simply sidestep.
To counter, I swung my sword toward the back of his blade to make him lose balance before horizontally slashing at his chest. His options were limited but he went for the risky block using his cross-guard. Overpowering me, he knocked me back, leaving me open for a strike. However, as he swung his sword I fearlessly dived to the side, rolling over my shoulder. There wasn’t much of a distance between us so I went on the offensive.
He braced for my attacks but was surprised by my feint followed by another. While his focus was on our swords, I used the opportunity to step onto his foot before finally committing to an attack. There was no way I was going to pierce his defense without being creative. But to my surprise, he still managed to dodge and shove me away with his shoulder. It was enough for us to be back at square one, circling while thinking of our next move.
“Alexander, is that all you got?” he gloated, intending to provoke me. “It’ll take more than petty tricks to beat me.”
While his taunts had no chance of getting through to me, he wasn’t wrong. If I wanted to beat him, I’d have to skillfully counter or make him lose his cool.
“It’s easy to gloat when our more talented sister isn’t around,” I taunted him while smugly smirking, knowing that he flies into a rage whenever I refer to Penelope as ‘our’ sister.
Unlike him, I’ve been ridiculed my whole life by those around me, so I grew accustomed to petty taunts.
“You. . .” He gritted his teeth and I swear I could see his blood boiling as he gripped his sword firmly.
You could say that it was Eliot’s sore spot. Outsiders would believe that he got agitated by Penelope being called the more talented of the two, but the truth was he just disliked me. I never understood why, but then again I never really bothered asking in the first place. Assuming my intuition was right, he must’ve felt jealous whenever I got Penelope’s attention once in a full moon. Maybe he had a thing for his sister? She was certainly a stunning beauty, I’ll give him that. . . But that’s his blood. . . He isn’t into such things, is he? Eww. . . Maybe he thinks there’s something going on between us since I’m not her biological brother. . .
“Come on, make your move,” I taunted, biting my lower lip and smirking in the most punchable way I could. “I don’t have all day. Gotta pack up for the trip and ask Penelope what she’d like me to wear when I take her out for dinner on her birthday.”
Was I being evil? Probably. . . However, it’s his fault that he had such a clear weakness.
“Bastard!” He yelled out charging toward me, no longer able to keep it in.
Stepping closer, he swung his sword like a madman. While it wasn’t hard to dodge since he lacked proper form, I was still forced to stay alert since Eliot’s speed and power were nothing to scoff at. I couldn’t see our instructor, but I knew he was in utter disbelief.
If there was anything I had to acknowledge about Eliot, it was his pride that kept him from breaking the rules. Regardless of our verbal play, if he used magic, he’d overpower me in a blink of an eye. That was just a reality I had to accept. However, no matter how emotional he got, he never once turned to it.
“They’re fighting again!” our kid sister yelled out as she held onto Penelope’s hand.
“It’s just training. Don’t you worry,” she reassured her smilingly.
Upon hearing their voices, I noticed Eliot’s rage begin to subside. I couldn’t believe to what extent the two influenced his behavior. However, the sudden shift in his focus ended disastrously as I caught his blade with my cross-guard at the first sign of his frenzy dying down. Before he could react, I shoulder bashed him away, using the momentum I’ve gained to make a vertical strike.
Caught off balance and with no way of dodging or defending in time, he braced himself with his eyes closed. Obviously, I stopped short of hitting him, knowing I had won. He fell on his butt and looked up to see my blade pointed at him.
While I smirked proudly, Elena rushed toward Eliot after breaking away from Penelope’s grip. The worry in her eyes that our brother got hurt made me feel like I was an asshole. Though, considering what I said, I guess I wasn’t that far off.
“Brother! Are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” he said, letting out a chuckle which amazed me considering he lost the duel. It just proved how much his love for Elena overshadowed his ego. “To think I’d fall for such taunts so easily. . . Have I not grown at all?”
It was rare, but always shocking to see Eliot reflect. He understood his weaknesses and was willing to work on them the best he could.
“Congratulations Alex,” Penelope said, approaching slowly before her gaze dropped to Eliot. “Am I supposed to be worried now that you’re going to the Academy?”
“It was just one duel,” I said, unsure as to why I tried defending him.
“No, she’s right. . . I can’t allow myself to get emotional in a duel or I’ll be done for.”
“You think so?” a loud penetrating voice shook us both. Glancing toward our instructor, I could tell he had a lot more to say. “To think that all that training was for nothing!” he started yelling. The knights that observed the duel left without saying a word. “Not only did you let your anger take over, but you dared close your eyes in a duel! Had this been a real fight, you would’ve been dead. Same as you control your breathing to allow mana to pass through you while fighting, you must learn to always keep your eyes open no matter what. In a situation where you’re exchanging blows, a single blink may take your life. Train to keep your eyes open even if sand was thrown in your face. Endure the pain and fight through it. Otherwise, you’ll just die a dog’s death.”
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“I understand. . .” Eliot lowered his head.
“And you. . .” he turned towards me.
I never noticed just how terrifyingly big he was until then. A former adventurer and veteran swordsman Igor the Fearless was a man with a reputation that spread throughout the kingdom. Originally from the southern continent, he moved here in search of work during the long war ten years ago between our Kingdom of Eleron and the neighboring Notish Empire. That was when he met our father after fighting under him.
“Sir Igor,” Penelope interrupted him before he could say anything to me. “The Duke wished to speak with you regarding our trip. I’m sure you don’t want to keep him waiting.”
“Is that so?” he exhaled in frustration, looking back at me. “We’ll talk later. . .”
He left with haste, but I was certain that Penelope rushed him to save me from having to listen to his complaints.
“Couldn’t you have told him that sooner?” Eliot looked at her, disappointed that she didn’t come to his rescue.
“You didn’t win though,” she grinned before looking back at me. “Alex, don’t tease him so much.”
“Yeah, yeah. . .” I sighed, wiping the smirk off my face.
“I won’t lose next time,” Eliot announced, slowly getting back up on his feet. “If we duel again, I’ll surely win.”
When I looked into his eyes, all I could see was the drive to improve. While our relationship wasn’t the best, I still wanted to see him grow and become someone I could be proud to call my brother. If anything, I knew we shared the same goal and that was to protect the two flowers that stood next to us, even though one of them was stronger than us both.
“Well, since I’m going on this trip, I might as well go see mother beforehand.”
“Hey, don’t ignore me you assh-” Eliot yelled but Penelope stopped him by elbowing his side, preventing him from swearing in front of Ellie.
“It’s not that I’m ignoring you,” I sighed, reflecting on my shameful win. While I was often described as a carefree guy who liked to tease people, I had moments where my eyes would give away more than I’d like. “It’s just that I wish to be able to defeat you truly at least once. . .”
My words left him speechless. Letting out a sigh, he finally spoke up, “Then you’ll have to keep working hard.”
It was probably the nicest thing he said to me recently. Though for some reason I felt no need to respond. I simply turned my back to them and went on my way.
“She’s in the gallery,” Penelope pointed out.
I swear, sometimes I felt like she was all-knowing as well.
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It wasn’t often that I’d visit the gallery. My mother spent quite a lot of time in there surrounded by her countless paintings that I’m sure would sell for thousands of gold if she so chose. While she had no talent for magic, her artistic side was second to none in the kingdom, maybe even the entire continent. Be it writing or art, even singing as I remember now, she would’ve thrived even had she not been a noble lady. Sometimes I wonder if that would’ve made her happier considering her past.
There she was, sitting on her small wooden round chair in front of the canvas, working on her next masterpiece which was based on her memory of the Grand Solaris Cathedral, dedicated to the twelve gods. Though she only saw it once, her recollection of it was perfect. Sometimes I wished I had such a memory.
My mother Isabella was often said to be unforgettable, be it her soft-spoken angelic voice, her mesmerizing emerald green eyes and wheat-colored hair that she passed on to me, or her breathtaking beauty that made even the Duke who always knew exactly what to say have his words come out all garbled. Not to mention that she was only thirty-four years old.
“Alex, you’re here,” she turned to me with a dazzling smile. “I was hoping you’d come by. What do you think?”
“It’s almost as if I’m there.”
“You flatter me,” she chuckled. “When I was younger, your grandfather took me to the holy city and made me learn all about the gods. Have I ever told you about them?”
“You have. . .” While she remembered everything she saw, she often forgot what she had told us. It was especially annoying when we were younger and she kept reminding us to eat even though we already did. “Want me to name them?”
“No, I believe you,” she kept smiling, grabbing my hand and pulling me closer. Her gentle touch felt soothing, magical even. “However, if you had to pick a favorite, who would it be? For me, it’s surely Elios.”
“It’d be strange if you didn’t pick the Master of Arts,” I laughed, but then thought carefully about what I would say. I couldn’t tell her the truth and just admit to liking Ennavil’s tale, since she was known as the lustful sinner. “Irene, the Mistress of Fortune. I feel like she often looks over me.”
“You just say that because she’s depicted as a blonde beauty matched by no one, aren’t you?” she squinted her eyes.
“At least she’s not as barbaric as some of the others,” I pointed out, shrugging my shoulders. “Anyway, about the trip. . .”
“You’re going, right?” she cut me off, not giving me a chance to disappoint her. “I’d love to see you dress up for a change.”
“Hey. . . I do dress up. . .” I let out a sigh.
“I meant in something appropriate for such a formal occasion.”
“I’m still a bit unsure why everyone wants me there.” I said that, but I still wanted to go.
“There’s going to be a lot of influential people there and I’m sure you’re aware that your presence is very much expected. Your father-”
“Adoptive father. . .” I cut her off.
“Alex. . .” She gently held my hand, looking me in the eyes. “He might be your adoptive father, but he still loves you.”
“That’s not what I meant. . . It’s just that everyone always treats me as such.”
“You shouldn’t worry about that. Besides, are you forgetting that I am a noble as well?”
How could I forget? It was her family that shunned me the most when I was young, especially after they found out that I was cursed.
My mother was a noble lady who was sick of the rules and the arranged marriage that she was supposed to have. In an act of rebellion, she hooked up with a supposedly charming young man she met and accidentally got pregnant which led to her arranged marriage being canceled. She was sixteen at the time and to this day refuses to tell me anything about him. Maybe it was her shame, but it never seemed like it. To be honest, I stopped caring a long time ago.
The consequences of her actions were severe and her family had little understanding, but it wasn’t as if they were going to throw me away. Because of me, she had lost her chance to be married off to a good man but was lucky to meet someone like the Duke who truly fell in love with my mother. It’s one of the things I’m deeply grateful for.
While the circumstances behind my birth were certainly unfavorable, it wasn’t as if I had a bad relationship with my mother. On the contrary, she was caring and someone I could lean on my entire life. It was her loving nature that managed to capture everyone’s hearts, even my step-siblings who at first hated that she was essentially replacing their mother who had died when they were young.
“Don’t worry. . . I’ll attend.”
“Alex,” she kissed my hand before pressing it against her cheek lovingly. “Looking at you, I know that you’ve grown into a strong young man. I couldn’t be prouder.” Her words made me blush. “I want you to take care of your sisters as you always have and enjoy your time at the capital.”
“Me, protect them?” I chuckled jokingly.
“Don’t you think I don’t know about your fight a few weeks back at the tavern. . . You might keep it a secret from others, but I know how much you care. There’s no need to pretend, at least not with me.”
I was shocked and clueless about how she learned of it. Two weeks ago I overheard a couple of drunks lustfully talking about Penelope soon coming of age so I snapped and got into a fight. Eliot wasn’t the only one who was overprotective. While she certainly can take care of herself, I’m still glad that Eliot and I were coming along to keep her out of danger.
“Nothing escapes you. . .”
“Here,” she turned my wrist, making my palm face up before grabbing her brush. Using blue paint, she drew a symbol on it that looked like a blooming flower. “This mark symbolizes love and protection. Remember, they are your family and you must do everything to protect them. Even if it means facing against the whole world.”
My mother and I shared the same beliefs. You could say that I inherited them instead, but we full-heartedly believed that even if our loved ones were in the wrong, we should stand by their side no matter what.
“I’ll keep them safe.”
“Good. . .” she smiled warmly, slowly getting up and embracing me in a hug. She was very expressive with her actions, but I didn’t mind it one bit. In fact, I loved how she spoiled me. “Tomorrow morning, I want you to pack your bags and try to get along with your siblings.”
“I will. . .”
Feeling her lips press against my cheek, we hugged tightly before saying our goodbyes.
Chapter End.
Thank you for reading.
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