Here we go, finally, the next chapter of The Knights of Arrethtrae: Sir Marcus the Dragonheart. Sorry for the wait, I'm going as fast as I can.

Thought if it would be cool to include a duel between Marcus and Leinad in this chapter. The best Arrethtraen swordsman in both The Kingdom Series and The Knights of Arrethtrae vs. Sir Marcus the Dragonheart. Who will win? Find out in this chapter.

Hope you enjoy the chapter.

Chapter 6: Duel of the Masters

Leinad and Tess walked around the outskirts of Chessington, headed to Marcus' new house. The route took them to the outskirts of Chessington, right by the sea. The view from there was quite memorizing, with anyone being able to see for miles across the sea. The house was more like a log cabin sitting on a beach with no other structures nearby. It's big enough for Marcus and Ruth but not much else, and the area around it was perfect for training. Tess thought it suited Marcus perfectly, and he agreed with her, took almost no convincing to get him and Ruth to move in.

"Finding Marcus this place sure was nice of you." Leinad said as they arrived.

"I owe him for saving me, and he needed a place of his own."

"Are you saying that because his snoring kept you up at night?"

Tess shrugged her shoulders. "That and he's a hard person to live with. Add Ruth to the mix and it's nearly impossible."

"Maybe he needs a woman to settle him down."

"I've been looking for a good match for Marcus. No luck so far, but I'm not about to give up. I know there's a woman somewhere in Arrethtrae that's a match for him."

Leinad and Tess round the corner to see Marcus training with Ruth. Marcus built a nice training arena for him and Ruth in a week and it was certainly getting tested. Marcus and Ruth were sparring with real weapons, Marcus was using his sword while Ruth wielded an axe. Watching it, even from a distance, made Tess nervous. Seeing an inexperienced fighter swinging a sharp axe around at her friend, even though it's for training purposes, was a little unnerving. As Leinad and Tess got closer they could make out how easily Marcus was sparring with Ruth. Marcus was only defending against Ruth's attacks, apparently testing her abilities. For someone so young Ruth was throwing good attacks, but they lacked precision, and many were wild; Marcus had no trouble blocking every one of her moves. Despite being obviously outclassed Ruth was relentless, attacking Marcus trying to wear him down.

"Ruth's better than I thought she'd be." Leinad said.

"Well she has observed the Noble Knights for years now. Of course, she'll have some skill." Tess added.

Ruth suddenly stepped to the right crossing her legs, a big mistake. Marcus saw it and rushed forward, pushing his sword into Ruth's handle. The force of the impact pushes Ruth backwards, making her trip over her own feet. Ruth landed hard on the ground, losing the grip on her axe. Before Ruth can recover Marcus was standing over her, if it had been a real fight Marcus could finish her off without any hinderance.

"You're doing good Ruth, but you keep making the same mistake with your footing." Marcus said as he helped Ruth up. "I keep telling you to step with your outside foot, not crossing your legs like you're doing."

"I know that, you don't have to keep telling me." Ruth shouted angrily at Marcus.

"Apparently, I do, otherwise you would stop making that mistake. You seem to have trouble listening to somethings I say."

"No, I don't, I'm getting it."

Marcus crossed his arms glaring at Ruth, it was clear he was getting frustrated. "No, you're not at all. You keep making the same mistake no matter how many times I tell you."

"That's because it's hard, my body doesn't want to do it."

Marcus lowered his head, taking a deep breath to calm down. "Ok, let's try something different. We're not going to do anymore sparring until you understand foot work."

"WHAT, that's not fair."

Leinad stepped up to the side of the ring, waving his arms to get Ruth and Marcus' attention. "Ruth, you need to understand that you need to master the basics first before you start swinging a blade. And from what I've seen, your basic footwork is lacking. Do you understand Ruth?"

Ruth wanted to shout but stopped herself. "Yes, I understand Leinad."

Marcus smiled at Leinad. "Thanks for backing me up. I was starting to get a little frustrated."

"I could see that, good thing we showed up at the right time. You're doing good for a first-time teacher. It's hard to teach a teenager, especially a stubborn one."

"Hey, I'm right here Leinad." Ruth shouted.

"That's why I said it." Leinad replied with a smirk.

"You remind me of myself when I was your age, just with more anger." Tess said then turned to Marcus. "You have to be methodical with Ruth, when she doesn't understand something walk her through it. She's so stubborn that when she doesn't get something she'll keep the mistake instead of heading your advice."

"Thanks Tess, I'll definitely use that." Marcus replied.

"It would help if he trained me with a sword instead of an axe as well." Ruth said in a huff, turning towards Marcus. "When are you going to train me with the sword Marcus?"

"Eventually, but first you need to master the axe."

"Why do I need to learn how to wield an axe, it's not a good weapon compared to a sword? It's hard to use." Ruth complained.

Marcus shook his head. "Give me your axe."

Ruth hesitated for a moment before handing Marcus her axe. Marcus took a step back then swung Ruth's axe in circles with one hand. With little effort, Marcus was able to spin Ruth's axe around his body in incredible precision. The axe moved with such expert and fluid movement that it was almost a blur. The look on Ruth's face was priceless as Marcus stopped.

"With training and strength an ace can be wielded just as easily and precisely as a sword." Marcus said with a smile. "Ok, but that's just your strength, someone smaller than you shouldn't be able to wield an axe that easily." Ruth replied,

Marcus smiled as he tossed the axe to Leinad who caught it easily. In an instant, Leinad began spinning the axe almost as fast and precisely as Marcus had. Leinad only spun the axe for a moment, not wanting to show off as he had proven Marcus' point.

"Do you really think the King and my father only taught me to use swords?" Leinad said as a handed the axe back to Ruth. "That would've really limited my skill range if the only weapon I knew how to use was a sword. The King taught me, and I'm certain Marcus to, how to use practically every weapon imaginable."

"The King was very thorough in that training." Marcus added. "The sword and the axe are my best weapons."

"I get that but why spend so much time teaching me how to swing an axe when a sword is so much better?"

The glares Ruth received from Marcus, Leinad, Tess, and Audric were shock and disbelief. Though they could understand Ruth's naive statement, the fact that she said it so confidently stunned them. Ruth had a habit speaking her mind without a filter, something that she needed to break. "That is one of the dumbest statements I've ever heard Ruth." Marcus almost shouted. "It's a common misconception Ruth is that axes are actually more useful than swords, especially against armor. Swords work perfectly against opponents with little to no armor, even leather armor. However, against metal armor a sword is all but useless, unless you can get a precise hit in a weak spot."

"Really, huh, I never thought about that." Ruth said, looking down at the axe in her hand.

"You see Ruth, the best weapons against metal armor, especially steel plate, are blunt and weighted weapons. Maces work best against heavy armor because of the blunt force trauma they inflect, even if a person is wearing padding a mace to the head is going to do damage, an axe relies on a similar concept, the weighted end gives the blade additional impact when it hits. That also allows it to do more damage, usually, than a sword." Marcus continued, grabbing Ruth's axe. "Something else to consider is that it's easier to train someone to use an axe than a sword, the movements and techniques are more straightforward. Plus, you seem more of an axe wielder to me than a sword wielder."

"But what it really comes down to is the skill of the person wielding the weapon." Leinad added. "Each weapon has its own advantages and disadvantages, it's in the hands of the user to determine how good the weapon really is."

"Oh, so you're not going to teach me how to use a sword?"

"I will eventually, but I think it'd be more efficient to teach you how to wield a weapon you're used to first."

Ruth nodded as she took her axe back from Marcus. "Ok, I guess I can live with that. Besides, you're a good teacher so far, most of the time."

Marcus smirked. "Well you are my first student, so I'm mostly just following how the King taught me. I don't have anywhere near the patience the King has so that'll make things interesting."

"We could only hope to have the patience that the King has." Leinad added.

"That is an understatement my friend." Marcus replied as he turned to face Leinad. "The King had the patience to not only train my body but to fix my mind, no one else could've done such a thing. I was with the King for a year and never once did I see him mad, I think that speaks for the patience, determination, and ability for the King."

"Amen to that my friend." Leinad said. "No if you only have the patience to train Ruth. I can say from experience that training someone is no easy task."

"Oh yeah, I forgot that you've trained the entire Noble Knight force and Tess. You should be teaching Ruth, not me." Marcus replied, getting a gasp from Ruth.

Leinad shook his head. "I don't think so, your experience with anger makes you a better teacher for her. If anyone can teach you to control her anger it's you."

"Unless I get angry first, then we'll get nowhere."

Leinad patted Marcus on the shoulder. "That's why I'm here to help you."

"I appreciate that, I'll definitely need it with her."

"I'm standing right here." Ruth growled at Marcus.

Tess walked up behind Ruth. "Don't worry, I'm sure you'll think of something go get back at him."

"That's not hard to do." Ruth smiled back at Tess. "I'm just glad to finally have a teacher."

"And you got a good one too. I'm sure Marcus will be a good teacher to you."

"Well, Leinad is definitely the better teacher, due to his experience. But I think that in a fight Marcus would beat Leinad."

Marchs, Tess, Leinad, and Audric starred at Ruth shocked that she would say such a thing. Ruth was known for her outbursts but that was different, on a new level. The adults were having trouble wrapping their minds to why Ruth would even want Marcus and Leinad to fight. No doubt she's curious to find out who's better but might be encouraging them to fight so she could find out once and for all.

"Uh Ruth, don't you think that is a little, well . . . a biased opinion." Tess said.

Ruth shrugged her shoulders. "I know, but I think that Marcus would win in a fight."

Everyone looked between Marcus and Leinad until Tess spoke. "And what makes you think that?"

Ruth thought about it for a moment before responding. "Well, Marcus' size, strength, and experience seem like pretty good reasons to me. Just look at Marcus, he's much taller and stronger than Leinad, that has to play a major role."

Marcus couldn't help but smile. "Yes Ruth, it would, strength plays a big role in a fight. But you must consider that Leinad's more agile than I am, so it balances out."

"Whose side are you on?" Ruth shouted.

"Hey, I'm just giving the facts here. I more curious to hear what you have to say."

Ruth shook her head. "But what about your battlefield experience and the time you spent fighting in Lord Zanthos' arena, that should be a big factor as well. You have ALOT more experience fighting than Leinad does. That's just how I see it, and why I think Marcus is better. He's been fighting almost nonstop ever since he trained with the King, while Leinad's, not saying this in a bad way, had other more important things to take care, guiding us."

"Hard to argue with that Leinad replied. "But we'll see if that really matters after this."

"We won't find out if we keep talking." Marcus said with a devious smile. "You want to find out once and for all who's the better swordfighter?"

Leinad smiled back. "I'd be happy to defeat you Marcus."

Leinad's reply caught Marcus a little off guard. "Really, I figured you'd refuse or just say yes. You must really want to see which one of us is better."

"No, I'm just really curious. The King trained us both personally, as a result there's no Arrethtraen better than us. The only real challenges are from Shadow Warriors, and those fights always end in death." Leinad answered as he stood up. "I'm interested in a professional duel with someone that can really challenge me, so I can see where I stand."

Tess spun around, glaring at Leinad. "Are you saying I don't challenge you? You know there's no better sword in Chessington that mine, excluding you and Marcus."

Marcus, Ruth, and Audric stepped back, afraid of Tess' outburst and the possible results if Leinad answered wrong. Even Marcus, despite his lack of social skills, knew how deeply Leinad might've dug his own grave. Though Marcus knew he was stronger than Tess she had such a fiery spirit that she scared him sometimes.

Leinad gulped as Tess stood right in front of him. "Yes, my love, you are a challenge for me, there is no questioning that. I was just saying that even though you're a highly skilled sword fighter you were not trained by the King like Marcus and I were. Realistically speaking, that puts our skills at a higher level than, well . . . pretty much everyone. You know that I have the highest respect for your skills."

Tess didn't take her eyes off Leinad and remained silent for so long that everyone else was getting nervous, until she smiled. "I know you do. I just wanted to hear your reason."

Leinad let out a sigh of relief. "You could've just asked politely instead of scaring me."

"That wouldn't had been as fun." Tess smirked as everyone else relaxed, realizing she was joking. "But seriously, you'd better not get hurt."

"I won't, Marcus and I are professionals."

Tess turned to Marcus. "You'd better be, I'd hate to be you if anything happens to my Leinad.

Marcus nodded, hiding his fear well. "I promise I won't hurt him too badly."

"You'd better not, or you'll have me to answer too." Tess replied, then turned to Leinad. "Let's take this some place where we won't be disturbed."

X

Tess, Audric, and Ruth stood at the edge of the arena, watching and waiting Leinad and Marcus to start the duel. The tension and anticipation were high in the air that day as two of the greatest sword masters in Arrethtrae were about to face off. Ruth was practically bouncing up and down with excitement, seeing her two heroes about to duel. Audric remained stoic as usual, even though on the inside he was almost as excited as Ruth to see the duel. Tess, though she kept a cool outer appearance, was nearly trembling with fear. She was worried about Leinad facing such an aggressive opponent, especially if Marcus lost control and fought like he did in the battle against the Dragon bandits. Tess was glad they didn't invite anyone else to watch the duel and were doing it a good distance from Chessington, otherwise it would've been too chaotic for them to fight.

"Are you sure you want to do this Marcus?" Leinad said as he drew his sword.

Marcus nodded as he drew his sword and threw it blade first into the ground. "Yes, you can't tell me you're not curious which one of us is the better swordsman."

Leinad smiled, though puzzled why Marcus would throw his sword into the ground. "I can't argue with that. Hopefully you can keep up."

"Funny, I was about to say the same thing to you." Marcus added as he pulled off his shirt, revealing a multitude of scars, and tossed it aside.

Tess and Ruth gasped at the sight of Marcus' nearly disfigured body. Dozens of scars covered his chest, back, and arms, a few appeared as if they were almost fatal. The years of fighting and slavery were evident just glancing at his body. But beneath the scars was a very muscular body.

"Why did you take your shirt off?" Leinad asked.

"I don't want anything hindering my movement." Marcus answered. "Now you see why I keep my body covered as much as possible."

"Otherwise those scars would scar the children, and any woman interested in you." Audric shouted jokingly.

"If it wasn't for the scars he'd be fighting off the ladies." Tess added, getting stares from everyone. "Just saying, he's very handsome of you look past the scars. No offense Leinad."

"None taken hun. So, are we going to get started or not?"

Marcus and Leinad stood a few feet apart as Marcus took an offensive stance while Leinad took a defensive stance. Tess, Ruth, and Audric fell silent as the two warriors started circling each other, waiting for one to make the first move. After watching each other in the battle against the Dragon bandits, and during training, both felt like they knew each other's fighting style well. They analyzed each other's techniques, strengths, and weaknesses from previous observations, formulating strategies to win. Marcus knew that Leinad preferred defensive tactics, allowing his opponent to attack and manipulating him into making a mistake or attacking when he saw an opening. It made Leinad a difficult opponent to attack, allowing him to control the end game. But Leinad also possessed great offensive skills, his speed being incredibly difficult to block, even for a skilled opponent. Marcus would have to think of a way to break Leinad's defense quickly, brute force alone wouldn't be enough as Leinad's strategical mind easily works around such techniques. Meanwhile, Leinad knew that Marcus' skills primarily were offensive, relying on his incredible strength and precision, allowing him to unless powerful and precise blows. Marcus' strength made him a very tough opponent to defend against as his blows were often so powerful that even blocking them would be painful, Leinad saw swords break against his strength in the battle. But, underneath Marcus' strength also lied a battle hardened, tactician, and precision. Marcus showed that he can quickly and easily switch between offense and defense and do so with extreme fluidity. Just defending wouldn't be enough to defeat Marcus, his strength and stamina made that nearly impossible, forcing Leinad to think of new strategies.

Marcus suddenly lunged forward, swinging his sword over his head and bringing it down on Leinad. Leinad raises his sword to block with the flat of his blade just in time, Marcus blow was quicker than he thought it would be. Marcus's downward cut had so much power that when it connected to Leinad's blade it felt like a horse had just slammed into his arm. Leinad was forced to his knee as he tried to stop Marcus' blade. At the last instant Leinad rolled to the left avoiding his own blade colliding into his forehead from a Marcus' attack.

"Whoa, too many blows like that and my arm may shatter." Leinad thought as he recovered from Marcus' wild swing. "No way he's being that reckless on purpose right from the start, he must be testing my strength."

Leinad stood up as Marcus swung again faster but just as powerful from the right. Instead of straight blocking Leinad brought up his blade and twisted as Marcus' blade made contact, pushing his blade back; making an opening to strike. Leinad thrusted at Marcus' abdomen only for Marcus to jump to the side. Leinad recovered just in time to avoid a vertical cut.

"You almost got me there." Marcus said as he regained his stance.

"You aren't making it easy. Your strength is almost too much. And I know you're holding back, testing my abilities."

"As you have been doing to me. So, I guess it's time to hold nothing back."

Marcus rushed forward with onslaught of attacks against Leinad. Leinad found himself defending against incredibly fast, powerful, and precise attacks. The attacks Leinad found himself defending against were a whole new level than his previous moves. It took everything Leinad had to block Marcus' attacks. Each time Leinad blocked the impact sent intense vibrations through his arms, hurting his arms and hands. It felt like Marcus was pounding his arms with a large hammer. To make things harder for Leinad the blows were incredibly advanced movements and fast, making them very hard to block. Leinad found himself moving back and around to avoid Marcus' blows.

"I can't keep blocking his attacks, they're too powerful." Leinad thought as he jumped back, barely avoiding Marcus' attack. "All I can do right now is dodge."

Leinad changed his style from strictly blocking to maneuvering himself around Marcus and his attacks. Facing Marcus directly wasn't a valid option if Leinad hoped to defeat him. Leinad began trying to maneuver around Marcus' attacks, changing positions to create an opening. Being quick on his feet allowed Leinad to dodge Marcus' attacks and position himself for his own. At first Marcus had trouble defending Leinad's agile attacks but he caught on quickly and was able to adjust his movements to block Leinad's attack. In a moment the fight revolved around Leinad and Marcus switching back and forth between attack and defense.

As the fight pressed on Leinad began noticing that despite constantly being on the offensive Marcus somehow appeared to have hardly lost any stamina. He looked a little tired but nowhere near as much as Leinad felt. Leinad was gasping for breath shock Marcus was only sweating. Apparently, Marcus' extensive battlefield experience was paying off.

"How is Marcus not exhausted?" Leinad thought as he rolled again barely avoiding another cut from Marcus. "He must be trying to wear me out, waiting to I make a mistake. Given his stamina he doesn't have to wait much longer. I'll have to think of something to offset the difference in strength and stamina and end it quickly."

Out of the corner of his eye Leinad saw a small rock sticking out of the ground. Getting Marcus towards it wouldn't be easy but it's not like Leinad had much of a choice in the fight. It was the best strategy Leinad could think of with a large man attacking him relentlessly.

Marcus swung a powerful cut at Leinad, expecting him to block it, instead Leinad stepped in and blocked the cut near the base of his sword. Leinad's sudden block caught Marcus off guard and nearly blew Leinad's sword out of his hands. He took advantage of situation quickly, using all his strength to push Marcus back. In an instant Leinad unleashed a volley of attacks on Marcus. At first Marcus had trouble defending against Leinad's sudden attacks until he realized that Leinad's strength was depleted, making his strikes slower and slightly less precise; but enough to give Marcus a little trouble defending against him, pushing him back.

"One more push." Leinad thought as he swung his sword as hard as he could into Marcus' blade,

The blow pushed Marcus back, his right foot catching the rock. Marcus fell backwards landing hard on the ground. Before Marcus could recover Leinad was standing over him, his sword pointed at his chest.

"What just happened?" Ruth shouted.

"Leinad just won, barely." Tess said smiling.

"But it shouldn't count, Marcus tripped over a rock."

"After Leinad pushed him onto it. You see Ruth, what it really comes down to is who can use what's around them better and take advantage of it and opportunities to win." Tess explained. "In this instance that is clearly Leinad."

Marcus smiled as Leinad lowered his blade. "Well Leinad . . ." Marcus panted as he stood up. ". . . you won. I'm honored to lose against such a skilled opponent."

Leinad nodded as he fell to his knees trying to catch his breath. "You didn't . . . make it easy . . . Marcus."

Tess and Ruth ran to Leinad and Marcus to help them. Tess ran to Leinad's side, quickly checking him for injuries; other than a black eye and some minor bruises Leinad was fine. Ruth ran to Marcus but stopped when he stood back up.

"That was amazing Marcus." Ruth shouted.

"That's an understatement Ruth. We'll probably never see anything like that again." Audric added.

"Amazing but incredibly dangerous. Tess almost screamed at Ruth. "You two took that way too far, one of you morons could've gotten hurt."

"Sorry Tess . . . I got carried away." Marcus apologized. "I wanted there to be . . . no doubt who is better. Don't worry, I was holding back a little . . . so neither of us got hurt."

"Oh, that makes me feel so much better." Tess replies, shaking her head. "At least you two won't try anything like this any time soon."

Marcus and Leinad both nodded to Tess. After that intense fight neither of them wanted to duel each other again. The look on Tess' face was enough for neither of them to want to duel again.

"How are you not as worn out as Leinad, Marcus?" Ruth asked.

"One of the benefits of training with the King. It's also the only benefit from fighting in Lord Zanthos' arena. You either had to develop ALOT of stamina and endurance or die in the arena." Marcus answered. "Something I hope you never have to experience."

"Then how do you expect me to get as strong as you?"

A devilish smile formed on Marcus' face. "You'll see Ruth, you'll see."

"Ok, that's a little disturbing." Ruth shuttered before smiling again. "You don't mind that you lost Marcus?"

Marcus shrugged his shoulders. "Of course not, Leinad bet me fair and square. It's an honor to lose to such a skilled and honorable swordsman."

Leinad smiled, gasping for breath. "You should . . . be proud . . . or your skill to. No one has . . . challenged me like that . . . in a long time."

Tess approached Leinad and patted him on the back. "Are you going to be hun?"

"I'll be fine Tess, just need to catch my breath." Leinad gasped, straightening up. "I'm just glad I didn't fight you hand to hand. No doubt I would've lost."

Marcus laughed as he stood up to his full height, towering over Leinad. "Smart move, you would be unconscious in a matter second."

Leinad wasn't about to argue with Marcus. The man's strength and size far exceeded Leinad's. Combine that with Marcus' experience in Lord Zanthos' fighting arena and he would be a formidable opponent when it comes to unarmed combat. Leinad knew Marcus would toss him around like a rag doll if they ever got into a fist fight. As far as their skills were concerned Leinad was a little better then Marcus in a sword fight, but in some fist fight Marcus' skills far exceeded Leinad's. Combined, the two of them were a formidable force, thanks to the King's training. Any enemy that challenged them would regret it,

Zimmer Castle

Zathora looked out over the valley from her balcony, watching the sunset as her people returned to their homes after a long day. Normally watching her people go about their daily lives would brighten her day, Zathora enjoyed seeing her people happy and safe, they were never this happy under her father's rule and they loved her for making their lives peaceful and prosperous. But, seeing her people happy from her balcony that day did not put a smile on her face. Zathora's mind wouldn't let her focus on her people, the words Sir Drax spoke to her recently still haunting her. His words wouldn't leave her mind, making her sick to her stomach. It took everything Zathora had to hide her fear from her people. Zathora desperately needed to vent but was afraid that doing so could cause a panic.

"Lord Zathora, is there something bothering you?"

Zathora switched back and forth between looking out across the mountains and at Harley. She wanted to avoid telling Harley what was bothering her but the thought of doing so might put her in danger slowed her down. Telling Harley, even though she has a reputation for keeping secrets, might not be the best idea, especially if it gets out, it could cause a panic. But, Zathora needed to tell someone, the worry was eating her alive.

Zathora sighed, as much as she wanted to push Harley away she needed someone to talk to. "Harley . . . what I'm about to tell you doesn't leave this room, do you understand?"

Harley nodded reluctantly. "Yes, my Lady, I understand. What's bothering you?"

"Sir Drax, as usual, but much worse."

"What could be worse than his usual aggression and advances towards you?"

Zathora lowered her head. "Him asking for my hand in marriage."

If Zathora hadn't been feeling so depressed and concerned she would've busted a gut laughing at Harley's reaction. Her mouth dropped open and her eyes looked like they were about to bug out of her. The words that Zathora spoke seemed to be register with Harley. Harley was so shocked that she couldn't speak, appearing to be frozen. After a few moments Zathora began contemplating slapping Harley to snap her out of it.

"Is this a joke my Lady?" Harley finally said.

"I wish it was, but unfortunately it's not. He came into the throne room a week ago and started talking about how our union would benefit my reign. It was a long rant, but I got the basics of what he was saying. To sum it up, he said that our marriage would be beneficial, mostly for him and his men cause as my husband he'd be ruler of this land with no one telling him what to do. I couldn't believe what I was hearing from him."

"I'm having a hard time believing it myself my Lady. I fail to see his logic in asking for your hand."

"It's actually quite simple Harley, and it's a similar reason why I've refused every suitor who's approached me. They are only pursuing me for my fortune and land and get the boot every time." Zathora replied, fighting back a smile before frowning again. "I know Sir Drax wants the same, but he wants the power this land could give me. He already has tremendous power, having control of his men, but he doesn't have complete control of the area, I stand in his way. So, to get complete control he'll either force me to be his wife . . . or eliminate me. Either way, the results are not good for me."

"That's, well . . . a lot to take in my Lady." Harley said, trying to think of a good response. "What are you going to do?"

"I don't know, so much relies on what I do and say to him. If I say the wrong thing I'm afraid Sir Drax will do something dark. "

"Are you really that worried about what he'll do to you?" Harley asked.

"Yes, but I'm more worried about what he'll do to the people if I refuse or upset him."

"What is it you think he'll do if you refuse his proposal?"

"That's what scares me, I don't know how far he'll go. Sir Drax has a dark side that s scares me. At best, I'm afraid he'll kill me and use force to make the people submit to him."

Zathora heard a gasp from Harley. "He wouldn't dare do something like that."

"Why wouldn't he? No one could stop him, he has all the warriors loyal to him. It wouldn't be hard for him to do it. Though I fear something far worse is more likely?"

"I'm afraid to ask my Lady but what is it?"

Zathora looked over her shoulder at Harley and answered with a heavy heart. "That Sir Drax will kill every one of my people he can reach, just to prove his point. To prevent that I will do whatever it takes to keep my people safe, even if it means something I really don't want to do."

"You really care about the people don't you my Lady?"

Zathora turned to Harley with a serious look. "Of course, I do, these people mean more to me than my life. Without me they'd have nothing, no one to guide or protect them. To give them what they need to survive I'll do anything, even if I don't like it."

"My Lady, you truly are a rarity of a ruler. I've never heard of another lord that had such a love for their people as you do."

"Not like it's doing my people any good." Zathora said as she hung her head. "What good does my love for my people do if I cannot protect them from a threat like Sir Drax?"

Zathora turned back towards the balcony before Harley could answer. Harley could see Zathora's frustration and depression on the issue. Zathora's concern for her people's safety was clearly eating at her conscience. Hiding her concern from her people was only making it worse for Zathora, even though Zathora was very good at hiding her feelings. Seeing Zathora like that was starting to worry Harley.

"What are you going to do my Lady? Sir Drax is capable of so much it's scary to think about what he'll do to the people."

Zathora sighed. "I don't know Harley, but I got to think of something quick, before Sir Drax loses his patience."

"Oh yes my Lady, I fear what he may do to you if he loses his temper."

Zathora looked out from her balcony, observing her people as they go about their daily lives unaware of the darkness that looms over them. "No Harley, I fear what may happen to my people more than what Sir Drax may do to me."

To be continued.

Marcus has begun to train Ruth but is finding her even more stubborn than he is. After an intense duel, Leinad has shown that he is a better swordsman than Marcus, but not by much. Meanwhile, Zanthos is worried about what Sir Drax might do to her people is she refuses his proposal.

I know it's surprising, for a writer to have his OC loss against a canon character. Well, I thought that'd be something interesting and new. Hope ya'll enjoyed the chapter.

Please leave a review. I honestly want to know what you think of the story and how I can improve it.

Hope that you are enjoying the story so far. The next chapter will be uploaded as soon as possible.

This is John Storm signing off. Star Frosty ya'll.