AN: I'm going to guess that you want me to continue.
Also, for those of you craving Romy, we're going to N'awlins right after your 200-review special. There should be more than enough of to fill your desires there.
Kyle: I hate you.
What? What did I do?
Bobby: Well, let's see, you mgh. Mfph.
Thank you Jubilee.
Jubilee: :breaks liplock: Any time :returns to liplock:.
Chapter 58: Heart, Mind, Body, Soul.
Amara ran out of the door between the palace and the garden, her X-Men training having improved her endurance dramatically from what it had been during her time on the island itself. She made good use of it, running to the old tree that had been her special place when she had lived here, long ago.
"Amara, are you alright?" Came the voice of her eldest brother, Marivus.
"Yes, Marivus, I'm not alright!" Said Amara, her voice choked with tears.
"Which is it?"
"Both, neither."
"Again, which is it?"
Amara sighed, she knew her eldest brother. He would badger her till she told him.
"I don't want to marry Galivus!"
"Why not? He's a fine man, Amara. Father spent a lot of time looking for a good suitor for you. One of the offers he rejected right off was Karoju Valenit."
Amara made a face at the name. She remembered the boy who had been in court so often. He was mean, contemptuous, and arrogant to his peers, but was her parents had adored him. It said a lot that her father would reject someone who he thought so highly of simply because she had always hated him.
Looking down at her older brother from where she sat, veiled in the branches of the tree, she could tell that he was concerned. Sighing deeply, Amara rolled off the side of the branch.
Her brother gasped as his baby sister fell from the branches that cradled her. As he watched, horrified, she fell towards the ground. Suddenly, her eyes, which had been closed, opened, and she pulled her legs underneath herself, just in time to land on the ground in a crouch. He stared, shocked.
"That was foolish, Amara." Came a deep, rumbling voice.
Turning, Amara and her brother found themselves looking at Sensei. Her brother watched as Amara placed her hands at her side, and bowed.
"Yes, Sensei."
He smiled, and shook his head. "You seem to have picked up on a few of my son's bad habits from your time with him."
She tilted her head to the side, a questioning gesture.
"He has a tendency to showboat, although he does his best not to."
She laughed, as she remembered the story of the small fight back in Kentucky, and several times during training when he had showed off, not enough to be dangerous, but more than was really necessary.
"Who is this?" Asked Marivus.
"This is Mr. Trevais, who we all call Sensei. He teaches self-defense at the Institute." Responded Amara.
Sensei bowed to Marivus, as the crown prince of Nova Roma returned it. (AN: Just in case anyone's unfamiliar with the term, a Crown Prince/Princess is the person who's directly in line for the throne. Thus, Amara is a Princess, but not the Crown Princess.)
"What is troubling you, Amara? Kyle asked me to find you, as he sensed you were rather distraught."
"Father has chosen a suitor for me."
Sensei's face grew grave. "This will not sit well with Kyle, not in the slightest."
"It doesn't sit well with me, either. Trouble is, I have no way to argue Father out of it. He's pigheaded once he's made up his mind."
Marivus's face lit with comprehension. "You want to marry someone else, right? This Kyle person, am I correct?"
Amara nodded to her older brother, sheepishly.
"There may be a way…" Said her second eldest brother, Orintes. Turning to him, startled, she saw both him and her mother.
"You need to be more alert, young one." Said Sensei.
Amara didn't bother turning to Sensei, "What do you mean, Orintes?"
Her second brother smiled, he had always been interested in the old rites and laws.
"If he can win the Challenge of Jupiter, he could do it."
Amara stared at her second brother, "I doubt father will allow him to compete if he issues the challenge. He's an outlander."
Amara's mother smiled. "I believe I can convince him."
Amara stared at her mother, and shook her head, smiling. Her mother was always able to convince her father if necessary.
"Thank you mother." She said, her eyes tearing slightly.
"It is no trouble, Amara. It is the least I can do for you."
" 'Mara?" A querying voice came from near the side of the garden.
Turning, the group saw Kyle standing at the edge, his cane to the ground.
"Here, Kyle."
He smiled slightly.
"Are you alright? When Sensei did not return…"
"I am here, my son. We have merely been discussing the situation. It seems that the Lord Aquilla has chosen a suitor for Amara."
Kyle's face dropped all pretense of emotion. "A suitor?" He asked, his voice flat.
Amara shivered slightly. Somehow, she knew that he was troubled, not angered.
"Yes… but there is a method to go around it. But it is difficult."
Kyle walked forward, his cane sweeping the ground before him. Reaching where his empathy said Amara should be, he stopped.
"How so?" Was all he said.
"Three tests, which will be open to all comers. A riddle, a gauntlet, and a trial by combat of those who make it past the first two tests. In the trial by combat, whoever is the last man capable of fighting is the winner." Said Orintes
Kyle nodded. "That will be no difficulty."
Amara stared at him, and shook her head, "Aren't you a little bit cocky? I mean, the gauntlet's not going to be simple, and the riddles are never easy."
Kyle smirked down at her, "It will be no challenge, 'Mara. If I can take the Danger Room, I doubt there's much that can be thrown at me here."
She laughed. "True, true."
Several days later, the X-Men were lounging around in their section of the palace. Kitty and Jamie were sitting in the corner, a packet of papers resting on his lap. Jamie seemed to be singing something quietly.
"This is hard! Why do they have to write it backwards?"
"Cause that's the way that they did it originally. Now, try it again."
He did so, and, after finishing, said.
"Kitty, I'm nervous. What if I mess up?"
"Don't worry about it, you'll do fine! Hey, it's not that bad, and most people make plenty of mistakes. I'd say you'll do better than three quarters of my friends did!"
He smiled slightly, as a voice came from behind him.
"You're doing great, Jamie."
He jumped slightly, and turned to find himself face-to-face with Illyanna Rasputin, Colossus's younger sister, and the only other resident of the institute who was his age. While she tested positive for a complete X-gene, she had yet to show it.
Jamie smiled, and began his haftorah again.
Lady Aquilla came into the room, and spoke.
"I have managed to convince my husband to declare the Challenge of Jupiter, and to allow you to compete, Kyle. However, he requires that Galivus compete. I fear that he is unlikely to lose. He is the fiercest warrior in the army, as sharp as a sword, and gauntlets are things he runs as a hobby."
Kyle simply shook his head.
"I am not worried."
Lady Aquilla nodded, and turned to go. As she was about to exit the room, she turned, and said.
"I would like to ask you a question, before I go to register you."
"Ask away."
"If you know my daughter so well, that you would fight for her, then what is it that she most yearns for?"
Kyle thought for a moment, and said, "To be free of her rank, and the bonds of it, to, and I quote, 'taste the freedom of the peasant to do as he pleases without worry of what others will say'."
"You are correct."
With that, the Lady Aquilla departed.
The next day, the entirety of Nova Roma gathered in the Coliseum stands, as the thirty competitors gathered on the floor of the Coliseum. The X-Men were seated near the royal family, since they were guests of the Princess. The field in the center was arranged so that the riddle would be asked on the far side, and then, after crossing the gauntlet, those who made it through it in one piece would fight before the royal family's box seat.
Soon, the riddle was read, the herald reading's voice projected well enough to be heard on the far end.
"I have loyalty, but am the symbol of the traitor.
I have honor, but am the symbol of the dishonored.
I have kindness, but am called a beast.
I have dignity, but am portrayed as a thief.
I am a warrior, but am called a murderer.
What am I?"
(AN: If you want to figure it out yourself, don't read on.)
"Tough one," Said Scott.
"Not really." Said Rahne, "Just got to think about it, boyo."
"And Ah suppose ya'll'd know that, raight?" Asked Sam.
"Aye, laddie."
Kyle didn't have to give the answer much thought, it was a simple riddle, nothing compared to the Zen riddles he'd grown up with.
After an hour had been given to answer, the competitors gave their answers; finally, it was Kyle's turn.
"A Wolf." Was all he said.
"You may continue." Said the judge of the contest.
Kyle walked forward, to the Gauntlet.
He sensed, by the end of it, that fourteen others had survived the first round. Those who lost left the arena in disgrace.
"You won't make it through this, blind man." Came a leering, taunting voice. Kyle's blindness was the subject of much taunting among the other competitors, who had found out when he removed his glasses.
"I'm surprised that you made it through the first round." Retorted Kyle. "If you judge everything on appearance, you will not make it far in life."
They had no more time to converse, as the first went up to the wooden pathway that was the gauntlet. On either side were wooden spikes, which were more than sharp enough to skewer anyone who fell.
Each competitor ran the gauntlet, until; finally, only one had made it across. Galivus. Kyle was to be the last to run.
"I wouldn't bother. Even if you did somehow make it across, you'd still be beaten by Galivus."
Kyle shook his head, and gave the appearance of ignoring the comment. In his mind, however, his thoughts and doubts warred.
'Her father would never accept you, even if you did win! You're blind!'
'If I won, that would be all the proof needed to show that that means nothing.'
'Whatever, think what you like. It would be better for all involved if you just let her go to Galivus. At least he can take care of her."
Kyle pushed his doubts aside, and focused on the task at hand.
Climbing up to the wooden pathway, he could hear the swinging of fifteen metal blades, as they cut into grooves on the wood. Walking forward until he was just in front of the first one, he listened, discerning patterns in their swings. Finally, he made his move.
He jumped forward just as the first blade swung past him, hitting the ground just past the fourth blade, and turning it into a roll that carried him to just past the seventh. Pulling out of the roll, he turned it into a handstand, which he held, as the eight blade swung past his back. He came out of the handstand and stepped forward, as the created a small breeze with it's passing. Letting the tenth blade leave its groove, he flipped forward, landing just past the eleventh blade. He smirked, as he simply walked forward, the final three blades entering their grooves just as he passed them.
He found that there were two more blades swinging in front of him, but these blades were cutting only air, and seemed to be one above the other. After listening for a minute, Kyle grinned slightly.
They were swinging horizontally, about three feet of space between them, with the bottom one about two feet off the ground. When one of them was close to him, the other was away, so that they formed a sort of giant pair of scissors.
Kyle grinned, and flipped onto the bottom blade. Balancing his weight on his fingers and toes, he got his body down so that he was clear of the top blade by a good half-foot.
The blade swung, Kyle still on it. Reaching the end of its arc, Kyle flipped to the side, landing before the final obstacle. Listening to it for a good two minutes, Kyle finally realized what it was.
It was two very large cylinders, carved from stone. They were about two feet apart, and had spikes all around them. There was one section on them that was clear, and you were supposed to slip between while those sections matched up. Problem was, the noise from them prevented Kyle from doing that. Therefore, he improvised.
Grabbing onto the spikes, he let the cylinder on the right carry him. Since both cylinders turned to the outside, he found that, after clinging perilously for a minute, he was over the platform again.
Dropping to it, he walked forward, to the grounds where he would face Galivus. His foe was carrying a Gladius and a round shield, and was wearing armor. Kyle had decided to fight barehanded, and was wearing his gi.
'You'll never beat him. You're fighting barehanded; he decided to fight with a sword, back at the beginning! This is a gladiator match, you've got no experience, he's a master at it.'
'I don't care.'
'I'm telling you; everyone would be better off if you just let him take Amara. He can protect her, and give her all she needs. Her father will be happy, and she'll be well taken care of. Remember what Daredevil said? If you love something, sometimes you've got to let it go.'
The words echoed in Kyle's mind, and he realized that, as much as he was loath to admit it, he should let her go, if he loved her.
The battle began.
Galivus came in fast, his Gladius in one hand, his round shield in the other. Kyle dodged the attacks, but his heart was not in it. He began to slow, his movements becoming lethargic, and delayed.
Amara watched from the sidelines, concern in her eyes.
"What's wrong with him?" asked Jean, "Is he holding back?"
"No," said Betsy, "He's not holding back. It's something else. It's like he's lost heart."
Sensei watched his son, and realized what was wrong. He had, as Betsy had said, lost the heart to fight.
Galivus watched his foe, and shook his head.
And he wanted to marry Amara? He can barely fight! He thought.
Galivus feinted to the left, then stabbed to the right. Kyle, having bought the feint, was hit in the right bicep, going straight to the bone. Kyle dropped to one knee, holding the wound.
( Post Chap AN: That's the end of the chapter folks.
D-Ark of Spirit walks out of a small room, pulling a gag off of his mouth, as he pulls out of author-space a Glock. Aiming at the D-Ark of Spirit in the chair, he blows it away, to reveal Mystique.
I killed you off back in chapter 18 or so. Get back there.)
Sensei had seen enough. He stood, and walked to before the royal family. Dropping to one knee, he spoke.
"My Lord and Lady Aquilla. I have a request."
"What is it?" Asked Lord Aquilla.
"I speak to you now, warrior to warrior. My student does this contest dishonor, for he does not fight at his full ability. His mind is clouded, and uncentered. Allow him but five minutes to center his mind, so that he may fight with the fullness of his skill."
The Lord Aquilla considered for a long moment, and then spoke.
"Very well, he shall have five minutes."
Sensei however, did not rise.
"I speak to you now as one father to another. Allow me to go to my son's side."
The Lord Aquilla smiled. "Very well then, go to him."
Sensei nodded, and then walked over to the edge of the Coliseum wall. Flipping to the ground, he walked to Kyle's side, and kneeled next to him.
"What is wrong, my son?"
"I cannot do this, father."
"Of course you can. He is skilled, but you are far more capable."
"But that does not mean I should win. Someone once told me that if you love something, you sometimes have to let it go. I love Amara, but I believe it best for all if I let her go."
He watched his student, pity in his eyes.
"Son, you know her better than any of the other students. Better possibly than her own family does. What would she do, if you were to lose?"
Kyle thought on it, for a long moment, at least a minute. Finally, he spoke.
"She always used to go to the beach when she was too distressed or upset to stay at the palace. She'd probably mope around and be depressed for a long while."
"Kyle, the water around here is 75 degrees."
Kyle's face dropped all emotions, even pain. 75 degrees was a practical death sentence to Amara.
"Sensei, forgive me."
"What for?"
"This."
RIP!
You got the
touch
You got the power
The X-Men watched, stunned, as Kyle ripped off the bottom edge of his gi. Using it as a bandage, he tied it using his left hand and his teeth.
After all is
said and done
You've never walked, you've never run,
You're a winner
Kyle stood, as Sensei placed his hands on the top of the wall, and flipped over it, landing in his seat. Rotating his arm experimentally, Kyle found that he would have nearly full range of movement, although it would be painful. Pulling a few punches, he found that he could probably fight on without much disadvantage. He wouldn't be sparring Betsy till it healed, but he could fight.
You got the
moves, you know the streets
Break the rules, take the heat
You're nobody's fool
Galivus ran forward, intending to put his opponent down. Kyle, however, was ready. Letting Galivus close the distance, he slid to the right, ducking under the blade. Galivus received at foot to his unarmored back for the effort.
You're at your
best when the goin' gets rough
You've been put to the test, but it's never enough
He spun, lunging at Kyle. The young martial artist flipped backwards, his feet catching Galivus in the chin. Landing effortlessly, Kyle heard his opponent hit the ground, and roll to the side, getting to his feet quickly.
You got the
touch
You got the power
Kyle grinned, as his opponent came at him again. Galivus thrust his Gladius towards Kyle's left leg, intending to disable him. He found that his opponent was no longer there. He felt a powerful punch catch him in the right side of his face, followed by a roundhouse to the back of his head. Stumbling forward, he found himself facing off with the blind warrior again.
When all hell's
breakin' loose
You'll be riding the eye of the storm
Galivus rushed forward, his blade stabbing at incredible speed. The crowd was dead silent, enthralled by the combat before them.
You got the
heart
You got the motion
Kyle simply shook his head, as he easily dodged the thrusts. Finally, he flipped backwards, placing himself outside of Galivus's attack range. He landed from the flip in a basic combat stance.
You know that
when things get too tough
You got the touch
Galivus roared, and rushed forward, intent on winning the battle. Accident's had been known to happen during the challenge, and deaths weren't uncommon, especially during the combat and gauntlet.
You never bend,
you never break
You seem to know just what it takes
You're a fighter
Kyle smirked, as his opponent ran forward. He could feel his rage, and knew that he had just won this battle.
It's in the
blood, it's in the will
It's in the mighty hands of steel
When you're standin' your ground
Waiting till his opponent had reached him, Kyle grabbed his sword hand, and flipped him over. Climbing to his feet in a flash, Galivus continued his offensive. Kyle soon found himself against the wall before the X-Men, with Galivus coming towards him fast.
And you never
get hit when your back's to the wall
Gonna fight to the end and you're takin' it all
Kyle smirked, and then, in an amazing move, flipped to the side and back, landing in a crouch on the wall. He then pressed off, and landed on Galivus's shoulders. Pressing off again, he knocked Galivus to the ground, as he flipped through the air, and landed on his feet, several feet away.
You got the
touch
You got the power
Galivus staggered to his feet, and turned to Kyle.
When all hell's
breakin' loose
You'll be riding the eye of the storm
Kyle could sense the will for one last charge in his foe. Slipping to the most basic of fighting stances, the horse stance, so named for it's similarity to the position one sits in when riding a horse, he motioned for his opponent to come on.
You got the
heart
You got the motion
Galivus charged, his sword held to stab at Kyle again.
You know that
when things get too tough
You got the touch
Kyle grabbed Galivus's sword hand, and broke his opponents wrist.
You're fightin'
fire with fire
You know you got the touch
He planted his left foot in his opponent's gut with a kick. He followed with his right to his opponent's chest. Kyle planted his left foot next to his right, and flipped off of his opponent, catching him under the chin.
You're at your
best when the road gets rough
You've been put to the test, but it's never enough
'You can't hope to give her what she needs.'
You got the
touch
You got the power
'Oh yes I can! And I will!'
You got the
touch
You got the power
Kyle rushed forward. Grabbing his opponent by the shield arm, he threw him in a judo throw, landing him on his back. Galivus fell into unconsciousness
With that, a deafening cheer rang through the Coliseum.
Lord and Lady Aquilla came down onto the floor, and Kyle dropped to one knee.
"You have proven yourself in the eyes of Jupiter, and before the people of Nova Roma. Your prize is that you shall be suitor to the Princess Amara Aquilla."
Amara vaulted the stadium wall, and ran to Kyle, hugging him fiercely.
"Be long in life, and be fruitful." Said Lord Aquilla. Leaning forward, he smiled slightly, and said.
"But don't multiply just yet. I'm not ready to be a grandfather."
Soon, the X-Men found that it was time to leave Nova Roma. As Kyle boarded the Velocity with Amara, he had a feeling he would be back there some day.
