Unconnected From My World

Chapter 14: The Sword Fight

Coco was bored out of her mind. She was sitting on a dais of the amphitheater which was reserved for the royal family and special guests. As the princess of the great White Kingdom, Princess Alyssa had to make obligatory appearances in every single event of the festival. It was odd considering how King Ethan and rest of the royal guests never made an appearance in any of the events so far. They were always busy with their official duties while Coco was stuck here as an audience. Coco never had an aptitude or much fondness when it came to sports and the first week of the festival was the sporting events.

There were archery, lawn tennis, croquet, horse-racing, yachting, golf, high jump, pole vaulting and many more countless events and sports competition. Coco had to bear all those events with dreadful boredom while on the other hand, crown prince Augustus had participated in every single sports event possible. Coco hated having to applause for the prince, but crown prince Augustus won every single competition he had entered. It was almost as if he had no equal opponent or competitor.

Coco looked around the amphitheater. Unlike every other events, King Ethan and the rest of the royal guests seemed to be present today. After all, today was the last day of the sports competitions and the final event was the sword fight. Additionally, the inactiveness of the King and the diplomatic guests were starting to become noticeable by others. There were thousands of spectators both nobles and commoners. On the opposite side of the podium there were the vestal virgins, consuls, praetors, ambassadors, priests, and other distinguished guests. There were senators and equestrian ranked civilians. Patricians and plebeians, men and women of all ages were seated and cheering for the games to begin. Everyone was present, everyone except Duke Bruce Wisteria.

Coco gave a deep sigh of relief. She was very shocked to realize that Duke Wisteria of the Chernyy Kingdom was the masked man she met in town. She was scared that he might reveal that the princess of the White Kingdom had a habit of sneaking outside the palace. Soon after Duke Wisteria entered the Welcoming Banquet, Coco went back to her quarters. Coco tried her best to avoid Duke Wisteria in order to avoid awkward interactions but it was unnecessary as Duke Wisteria and the rest of the guests were always attending meetings and discussions. Even the Queen and the crown prince was not allowed to enter the meetings.

The announcer blew the trumpet and all the contestants for the sword fight started to enter the arena. There were nobles and knights of the White Kingdom, guests from the other kingdoms and many more, all covered with their armor and determined to show their strength and valor in sword fight. Crown Prince Augustus was standing tall and proud among the contenders, while the audience cheered for his glorious victory. He was certainly the center of attention with his bright white armor, shield and sword, all encrusted with the sun symbol of the White Kingdom. His white armor and platinum blonde hair glowed in the light like the sun itself. But soon something else took the attention of the people.

The last competitor entered the arena wearing pitch black armor, shield and sword covered with the insignia of the Chernyy Kingdom. He looked regal and majestic in his ebony armor and weaponry. He was standing in the dark corner of the arena and it felt as if the shadows were moving according to his will, making him look both regal and menacing.

There was a short period of silence among the audience, and soon it was filled with furious whispering. Everyone recognized who this challenger was. Duke Bruce Wisteria of the Chernyy Kingdom himself was one of the contestants for the sword fight. Coco stopped feeling bored at once. She had a feeling that this will be very entertaining.

* * *

Soon there were clashes of swords and shields. One by one all the opponents and challengers were defeated until there were only two competitors left. Crown Prince Augustus and Duke Wisteria. Coco never saw anything at like this in her entire life. The sword fights were brutal and fierce. Coco was excited to see the outcome of the final match. The crowd buzzed with anticipation. Everyone was whispering among themselves, the nobles and commoners were betting who will win the ultimate prize.

At the arena, Duke Wisteria and the crown prince Augustus were standing in two different corners and sizing each other up. As soon as King Ethan gave the signal, the final showdown started. Black and white swords clashed with fierce strength. Coco tried her best to concentrate on the battle but it was difficult even for her. While the crown prince relied on his brute strength, the duke was unimaginably fast. Augustus fought all his battles with his physical strength and power while Duke Wisteria fought with wits and speed.

It was certainly amusing to watch as an audience. The final battle between the duke and the prince was a fierce sight to behold. Augustus kept slashing his sword at the Duke relentlessly while Wisteria either dodged or blocked every single attack. But the crowd was starting to lose their attention, everyone thought that their crown prince is the superior fighter. The people started to talk among themselves, "He's not even attacking once" "Our prince's got this" "I'm so glad I bet on him". Coco, on the other hand, was rooting for the Duke. Wisteria's strategy was obvious, he intends to tire out the crown prince. But he seems to be losing. His blocking speed was slowing down and he backed into a corner. Everyone in the crowd started to cheer at the definite victory and Augustus himself was starting to relax. Augustus raised his sword to give the final blow but Duke Wisteria gave an unexpectedly deceptive smile.

Abruptly something astonishing and unforeseen happened. Duke Wisteria started to attack and clash his sword against Augustus with furious speed. This time around it was the duke who was attacking aggressively while the crown prince tried to hide his shock and block all the attacks. The people of the audience were at the edge of their seats with sudden excitement and exhilaration. Wisteria's attack was not only fast but it was more strong and fierce than the crown prince's attacks. His style of battle was so graceful and elegant, he seemed to be one with the shadows. The duke gave his last blow so powerfully, the crown prince's sword shattered like glass and he fell to the ground.

There was a moment of silence in the crowd. Duke Wisteria's final attacks barely lasted long enough for the crowd to realize that the fight was over. Very slowly the audience started clapping for the winner and soon the amphitheater was filled with thunderous applause. The crown prince was on his knees trying to catch his breath while the duke was standing majestically with his ebony sword and shield without breaking a single sweat.

Coco could not help but laugh out loud. This festival might turn out to be entertaining after all.