Chapter 3 : The Wayward Princess
Summary :
Everything is going according to plan for Deviluke's newest champion. It's only a matter of time before he earns enough money to send himself home. But many eyes are upon him now, and one set of green eyes in particular are about to make his life more interesting.
Start :
"But Papa!" Lala screams.
They are in one of the long hallways that lead away from the arena. This one does not connect to any of the others, being the private entrance used only by those coming from the palace. She can still hear the muffled noises of the cheering crowd.
"It's not fair!" She continues. She's surprised when her father, King Gid Lucion Deviluke stops in front of her. She had expected him to ignore her complaints as he had been doing all night, but this time he turns to her, a mixture of anger and sadness in his eyes.
"Not fair?" He booms. "What do you even know about 'fair'? You and your sisters are given anything you could possibly want."
"But I don't WANT to get married!" She shouts. She hears a gasp from up ahead and looks up to see Zastin, Commander of the royal guard, standing next to the shuttle that will take them back to the palace. He quickly hides his face and pretends not to have overheard their conversation.
"I saw more of the galaxy and experienced more in the few days I was running than I have in my entire life here on Deviluke." She continues. "I just want a bit of freedom, Papa!"
King Gid snarls, causing Lala to shrink back from him fearfully. He quickly composes himself. When he speaks again his words are calm, but cold. "Anything else." He says. "You can ask for anything else from me and it will be yours. All I ask in return is that you obey me and put your responsibility as a princess above these childish fantasies of 'freedom'."
When Lala looks like she is about to argue again, Gid silences her with another glare. "Do you really think I WANT to give my own daughter away to one of those… beasts?" He growls, gesturing back towards the arena. He turns and begins to walk away, but pauses after only a few steps. He mutters something under his breath, too quietly for Lala to hear, but she recognizes the word 'war'.
"Huh?" Lala asks, not sure what her father is speaking of.
"You were too young to understand it all, but this galaxy knew centuries of war before I united us and ended that great struggle." He snorts. "United. Bah, we've had less than a decade of peace and already there are those who would rather see us all at each other's throats again." He looks at Lala and this time she sees more sadness than anger in his expression. "Your marriage, as foolish as you may see it, is something that could either solidify our peace for many more years, or end it immediately. My successor must be powerful and compelling, two traits also required to be victorious in the tournament." He pauses again to let the weight of his words sink in. "These are the conditions that I had to agree to after you once again ran off and insulted the sons of our most powerful supporters!"
When her father once more turns to leave, Lala does not interrupt him again. The shuttle ride back to the palace is a quiet affair. Gid assumes that his daughter has finally started to understand the seriousness of the situation.
Lala however spends the rest of the evening deep in thought, pondering over a different part of her father's lecture. "Ask for anything else, and it will be yours." She thinks, an idea forming in her head.
Rito sits up with a start, looking around at his bedroom as if searching for hidden dangers. His heart is racing and he has the vague recollection of screaming himself awake.
"Rito! Are you okay?" Mikan suddenly rushes into his room, a worried look upon her face.
"M-Mikan?!" Rito stutters, still confused. "What happened? Where am I?"
Mikan sighs with relief. "You're at home, silly." She chuckles. "Where else would you have been?"
"I…" Rito trails off, not sure what to say. "I think I was having the worst nightmare of my life." He says, beginning to calm down.
MIkan laughs again. "You're the big brother, Rito. Shouldn't this be the other way around?" She sighs. "What would you do without me?" She reaches over and props up Rito's pillow, helping him settle back into bed. Then she leans over as if to whisper something to him, but the large horns on her head strike the headboard.
Wait… horns?
With another start, Rito leaps back as he suddenly realizes that Mikan has been replaced by some sort of large minotaur. His room begins to spin again.
"What's wrong, Rito?" The creature asks, still speaking in Mikan's voice, although it is slurred somewhat and ends in a snarl. "It's time to go to sleep."
Rito is too stunned to move as the creature reaches for his neck with it's huge hands and…
Once more, Rito sits up in bed, although the room he finds himself in is very different from his bedroom back on earth. He discovers Dregu, standing over him, lightly shaking him by one shoulder.
"Are you alright, Rito?" He asks. "I heard you yelling."
Rito rubs his eyes and stretches, feeling a dull ache in his side. He reaches under his shirt and discovers that his side is bandaged where he was struck in his fight.
His fight.
The memories of the past few days are starting to clear in his mind.
"You should be able to remove those now." Dregu says, indicating the bandages. "Buru broke two of your ribs and collapsed a lung. You fainted while we were walking back to your room after the fight."
Rito quickly removes the bandages and examines his side. There are still a few bruises, but the wound appears to be almost completely healed. "Shouldn't it take a lot longer to heal something like that?" He asks, puzzled.
"Maybe back on Earth." Dregu says. "Our medicines are a bit more advanced here on Deviluke though. Even Buru will be back up and moving about in a day or two. Rito blanches at this, causing Dregu to smile. "Don't worry about him. He may appear fierce, but he is an honorable opponent." He pauses. "He may be a bit grumpy about the outcome of your fight though, so I would suggest avoiding him if you encounter him about the arena again."
"Now." Dregu says, clapping his hands together. "You've rested enough I suppose. Let's get you back to training."
As Dregu runs Rito through his daily routine of exercises, he continues to explain more about the tournament.
"This part of the tournament will be the longest." He says. "For the next sixty days, all competitors will be matched up to fight. You will likely fight at least twice each week, and those are only the official matches."
Rito pauses at the comment, and takes a stinging hit across his ankles as a result. "Pay attention!" Dregu scolds.
"What do you mean by 'official' matches?" Rito asks, as he recovers.
"The arena will be open day and night now until the end of the tournament." Dregu explains. "In order to keep the crowd entertained there will be many exhibition matches." He pauses, allowing Rito a moment to rest and consider his words. "Most of these will be professional entertainers, but there are also challengers who will want to test you and your fellow champions. The rules state that any former competitor, or anyone with high enough standings, have the right to challenge one of the current champions. The results will be unofficial, but refusing such a match will harm your reputation."
"My reputation?" Rito says. "I thought this was so I could make enough money to get home?"
Dregu stares at him sternly. "Patience, Rito." He says. "We've only just started. The prize money for besting Buru won't get you very far. Stick to the plan, and soon you will have enough money to go anywhere you want to go, and live comfortably as well. But you need to be ready for your next fight!" He emphasizes his point with another painful strike to Rito's undefended ankles.
They train throughout most of the day without stopping. By the time he returns to his room, Rito feels like his legs are about to collapse beneath him. As he moves to fall into his bed he notices a strange set of clothing set out for him.
"What are these?" He asks over his shoulder, seeing Dregu standing in the hallway. "Am I expected to wear a costume now?"
Dregu laughs. "No, no, no. Although, that may not be a bad idea now that I think about it." He pauses as if considering something, then shakes his head. "But these are for tonight. We have been invited to dine with some very important people that I want to introduce you to." He looks Rito over. "We can't have you arrive looking like you were just mauled by a bull, can we?"
As Dregu leaves to give him some privacy, Rito sits down on his bed with a sigh. He looks down at the outfit he is wearing. "I guess this one is pretty much ruined." He thinks. He opens the top drawer of the dresser next to the bed. Inside, he sees several similar outfits that his new friend has given him. He had been pleased to find that the clothing was similar to what he was used to back on Earth, although everything here on Deviluke seemed to only come in bright colors and were made of much finer materials.
He notices his school uniform tucked away in the far corner of the drawer. Atop it sits his cell phone. He tries to turn it on and is not surprised to find that the battery is dead. Not that it would have worked anyways, but it is still a connection to his old life. Even if he had his charger with him, he hasn't seen anything resembling an outlet since he arrived. Everything electrical on this planet seems to have some sort of internal power source.
He sighs again as he closes the dresser and regards the clothing laid out for him. "A dinner party can't be worse than the arena, right?" He asks himself.
"I feel ridiculous." Rito says as he descends the stairs to the main room. He finds Dregu waiting for him near the doorway. He is once again wearing his formal robes, the same ones he wears when announcing the fights in the arena.
"Nonsense." Dregu says, observing his nervous companion.
The outfit is obviously well made, but Rito feels like he's dressed up for a costume party. The pants are similar to the ones he has been wearing daily since he arrived, but they are black instead of blue, and trimmed with gold thread. They are also several sizes too large, causing them to billow out at the hips. He wears a matching vest, large enough to fit comfortably over his shoulders, but it does not come together in the front, leaving most of his chest bare. He pulls uncomfortably at the vest, trying to cover up more of his skin.
"If you're worried about showing off your physique then perhaps you should spend more time training and less time laying about a bed, hmm?" Dregu chides. He smiles to let Rito know he is just kidding. "Those clothes will draw attention, and that is exactly what we want." He points a finger at Rito, his tone suddenly turning serious. "I have heard rumors that someone has already been asking questions about you."
"Why is that a good thing?" Rito asks.
Dregu's expression changes to one of annoyance and frustration. "Have you not been listening to me in training? Or did I just hit you on the head one too many times?" Dregu moves closer and adjusts Rito's vest, straightening it. "Money and power rule the tournament." He says, a statement that he has made to Rito more than once already. "Someone interested enough to be asking questions about you could potentially become the sponsor you need. Someone who can use that wealth and power to ensure you get favorable opponents and the equipment you need to win."
"Isn't that what you're doing?" Rito asks, confused.
Dregu slaps him playfully across the back of the head. "I can only do so much for you, Rito. Now that the tournament is on in full, the council of nobles will make most of the decisions about the matches." He says. "You would have seen them in the arena during your fight. The smug looking bunch sitting in the section directly behind our King. Probably the only ones in the crowd that were not cheering your victory, I would assume."
He shakes his head. "Enough of this. Tonight is about making a good impression. Be sure to hold your head up high when we board the shuttle to the palace."
Rito nods and follows Dregu out the door towards the street, but he suddenly stops, panic setting in. "Wait, the palace?!" He says. "Why are we going there?"
"Where else would you expect to share a meal with King Deviluke and his family?" Dregu asks with a chuckle.
End.