Last chapter for now.
Demi
I shifted my sword in my hands nervously as I waited for the first event to start. I was glad that it was with swords, but I was still nervous about competing. I was not the last one in line this time, but I was close to it. Sir Raul was in front of me and Sir Mackenzie was behind me.
"Good luck, Raul." I told him honestly.
"You too, Dark Knight." He replied warmly, striding out the door. I was shaking in my boots, so Mackenzie put a comforting hand on my shoulder.
"Do not worry, Dark Knight." He soothed me. "You will do great; I know it."
"Thank you, Mackie." I gave him a one-armed hug.
With that, I strode out into the arena to face my challenger. If it were not for my helmet being tightly secured, my jaw would have hit the ground. It was his royal pain, Sir Sterling! He nodded to me and I could almost feel the smirk directed at me. I held my sword at the ready as Sterling roared and charged and, without a sound, I rushed to meet him.
Selena
I knew that Sir Alexander was under the crimson armor and it made me a little jumpy to see him defeat knight after knight. My poor Demetri stands no chance! I thought as I watched Sir Alexander de-helmet Sir Smithson. I was trembling as I watched him defeat Sir Raul and I was about ready to cry when I saw Demetri step out.
His helmet shined in the sunlight and I noticed something new about his armor; a shining purple heart had been painted over his left breast and I touched my heart, feeling flattered that he would show such devotion to me. As I watched Sir Alexander charge, I began shaking harder, fearful that Demetri would lose. But could Demetri duel! The way he moved so fluidly, twisting and turning, slithering gracefully away from any of Sir Alexander's attempts to remove his helmet. It was as though he was the charmer and I was the snake. It was bliss gazing at him fight in the arena.
Then, the sunshine I dreaded came; Sir Alexander thrust his sword underneath Demetri's chin and attempted to de-helmet him. The entire crowd waited with bated breath as the young knight leaned back and did a flip, kicking away Sir Alexander's sword and successfully removing his helmet. Everything stood still as the sun shined on the scarlet armor piece. Slowly, I began clapping and the crowd was quick to follow. Demetri glanced up at me and I nodded, a smile coloring my lips. I had no doubt in my mind that he would be my personal guard.
Demi
I won! Not just against Mackenzie, but also against the other three knights behind him. I was elated as the crowd cheered for me and Princess Selena stepped into the arena. We stared at each other for a sunshine before she slowly reached forward and gently removed my helmet. I let my shoulder-length hair fall forward as I bent on one knee and held my sword out to her. I felt the pressure on my sword and waited until she released it before standing once more.
Though her face was serious, the princess' eyes were positively beaming at me. "How good are you on a horse, Dark Knight?" she asked softly.
"Well enough, m'lady." I replied.
"Well then, I bid you good luck." We bowed to each other and I went to go choose a horse, thinking that this might lead to something good.
Selena
I watched the jousting knights intently. I could not determine whether or not Demetri would come out victorious in this event. As I looked on, Sir Franklin knocked Sir Alexander off his horse easily. This time, Demetri was the last to come out, on a horse that looked to be extremely heavy. I eyed it distastefully, sure that Sir Franklin would knock him off of the horse immediately.
The bell rang and the two knights charged, lancelets drawn. At the last sunshine before they collided, Demetri veered his horse away slightly and turned his lancelet so that it hit Sir Franklin in the middle of the chest and knocked him clear off the horse.
Applause rang throughout the arena as I strode forward, one again, and pulled the young knight from his horse. Demetri grinned at me and kneeled before me, offering the reins. I took them slowly and gave his horse a firm pat. Demetri stood and nodded to me.
I turned the reins and we continued on to the last challenge: hand-to-hand combat. With a last glance, I silently wished the man good luck; he was definitely going to need it.
Demi
I won the fight, but I passed out right after my opponent. So now I was in the holding area getting refreshed before my next battle. "This is a lot of work to choose a suitor." I said softly.
"Boy, don't you know why we are doing this?" Smithson demanded.
I shrugged. "I thought this was how the princess was going to choose her suitors?"
"No boy, someone made an attempt on the princess' life so now she needs a personal guard."
My eyes widened. "S-someone m-m-made an attempt on her l-life?" I asked breathlessly.
"Aye." Franklin affirmed. "So buck up boy because you're next."
I sighed and stood, heading for the door. A hand stopped me and I glanced up to see Mackenzie. "I just came from out there, son." He told me. "Be careful: that bastard is vicious. He will do anything to get under the princess' skirt. Do not let that happen; make sure of it."
I nodded to him and went out to face my opponent: Alexander Sterling. Twenty sunshines later, I found myself face first in the dirt. I picked myself up only to be kicked back down, picked up by my hair and thrust down face-first once more. I groaned and cracked my eyes open; I caught sight of the princess and opened my eyes wider. She looked… anxious? Scared? No, not quite. Actually, now that I really looked at her, she looked… terrified. She was terrified Sterling would win the battle.
Suddenly, Mackenzie's earlier words flashed back to me. He will do anything to get under the princess' skirt. Do not let that happen. I slowly picked myself up off the ground and stood to face Sterling again. He curled his lip at me and I smirked at him, not really noticing my split lip.
"You are a tough one to crack." He said.
I shrugged, baring my fists at him. He charged again and I waited until he was almost to me before I pulled my fist back and snapped it forward. It caught him in the jaw and he reeled backward. I kept the vision of Alexander being close to Selena in my head as I continued to punch and kick him, beating him until he was out cold. I let out a slow breath before picking Sterling up and carrying him to the holding room. The knights all gasped at the condition Sterling was in and stared at me incredulously. I shrugged and went back out to the arena where, of course, Selena was waiting for me.
When I was within a foot of her, Selena threw her arms around my neck and hugged me tightly. "Thank you." She whispered.
"Anything for you, Selena." I said quietly.
She pulled away and held my arm high to show the crowd that I was the champion. The applause was deafening as the king and queen strode out to congratulate me. I bowed to them respectfully and the princess took my hand as I led her back into the castle.
"How does Her Majesty feel?" I asked timidly.
"A bit giddy now that the fear of getting Sir Alexander as my personal guard has been squashed."
I stopped her and put a finger under her chin. "I would never let him put a wrong finger on you, Selena. I would rather die than let that happen. Understood?" Selena nodded and threw her arms around me in another hug. I felt her body shaking and realized that she was sobbing. I rubbed her back like one of my mothers used to do me and she calmed down after a while.
"Thank you." She said. "For all you have done for me."
"But Princess, I have done nothing yet."
"But you have. You protected me against Sir Alexander, you sacrificed yourself to be my personal guard and…" she lunged forward quickly and caught my lips in a soft, loving kiss. "…you have stolen my first kiss. Come, I will show you to your new living quarters."
Dazed, I followed Princess Selena to her chamber. "This is my sleeping quarters. Your chamber is right through there." She pointed to a door not too far from her bed. I nodded and went to examine the room. It was almost as large as Selena's but the walls were bare, the bed empty and the floor was a bit dusty. I nodded to myself and made a note to get that changed.
I turned to the princess to find her fidgeting nervously. "I can ask the tailor to sew you some new bed linens." Selena said softly.
"No, that is alright. My mother is an excellent seamstress and I prefer a woman's touch to my sleepware. But thank you for the offer, Your Majesty."
"Please, Sir Demetri," she said firmly. "Call me Selena in the privacy of our own chambers."
"Only if you call me Demi." Selena gave me an odd look and I added, "It is a childhood nickname."
Selena nodded with a smile and stated, "We have a deal, Demi."
Reviews make me a happier writer and I gripe less. ;)
