THE FOLLOWING IS A FAN-BASED PARODY.
I OWN NOTHING ABOUT EITHER OF THESE PROPERTIES.
THEY ARE BOTH OWNED BY THEIR RESPECTIVE OWNERS.
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Luu-Luu had heard stories of true love.
Tales her fellow halflings told one another in hushed tones and embarrassed whispers. How their lives would come together the moment, they met their "soulmate" or whatever nonsense they were talking about. Luu-Luu remembered hearing about white horses and romantic serenades underneath a tree or something. Or was it a garden? she knew it had something to do with flowers at the very least. Luu-Luu wasn't paying that much attention, now that she thought about it.
She was far too busy studying the natural world and experimenting to improve it to put more than a cursory thought into romance.
She was the most outstanding engineering mind this continent had ever seen, whose attention was on what truly mattered in the world. She was a scientist, an educated and modern halfling whose knowledge and expertise made her look down on the silly notions of soulmates and destined loves.
She didn't need something as silly and illogical as "love" to have meaning and fulfillment in her life.
But now...
What could this be if not love at first sight? Her heartbeat threatened to cave in her chest, the warmth of her heated cheeks, her shortness of breath. It was how it was all described to her in the fairy tales of her youth.
Luu-Luu was hopelessly and senselessly in love…
With that shield.
"Pinch me..."Luu Luu said to herself as she held her hand to her heart to control its beating." It's like a dream."
"Please don't actually pinch her." Kaguya said, the Miko catching Maias' outreached hand as it moved to pinch the exposed flesh on the halfling stomach." You know how she'll get."
"Oh, relax. I'm sure I could drop a horse on top of Luu-Luu's tiny head and still not get her to look away."Maia responded with a smirk, trying but failing to slip out of the Priestesses surprisingly solid grip. "I'm pretty sure Luu-Luu hasn't even blinked yet."
Of course, she didn't blink. Were they seeing what she was seeing right now?
It whirled through the air, cutting like the blade of a knife and moving faster than a bolt shot from a crossbow. The deafening thong of the impact was almost enough to cover the screech and roar of shattered wood and denting metal. The training dummy, hewn from thick, black ironwood, riveted with halfling forged steel bolts, had been eviscerated from the impact as if struck by a lightning bolt. But instead of falling to the ground, the shield propelled itself backward, moving as if with a mind of its own, targeting the destroyed training dummies comrades. It ripped through wood and shredded iron as if they were nothing but pieces of parchment.
A single throw had somehow taken out half a dozen targets within a single moment.
It was amazing! It was incredible! It was driving her up a wall just looking at it!
Luu-Luu sat silently in the refurbished training grounds she had taken over during her stay in Ken. An isolated and remote part of the castle that rarely, if any, received visitors. The perfect place for the Halfling genius to continue her research, it should have been just her and the mysterious man. Or so she thought!
A few moments after the man agreed to the halflings' demands, Maia and Prim had invited themselves to Luu-Luus chambers to watch the man's exercises. Annoying but something easily fixed, Luu-Luu was prepared to close the door in their faces, friendship and sisterhood be damned!
But Prim just had to bring the platter of lemon cakes, her one true weakness in life.
But she stayed strong! A simple bribe of her favorite snack was not enough for her to waste the first-hand account of the frankly impossible shield in front of her. She had standards, after all.
But of course, Kaguya just had to arrive at that moment with a pot of Luu-Luu's favorite tea. The perfect beverage for the fresh lemon cakes that were being dangled in front of her. Of course, Luu-Luu always knew the Miko could read minds! But to be the victim of said mind powers was a completely different feeling entirely. So the halfling begrudgingly allowed the humans to join her. With the promise that they kept their voices down and didn't distract Luu-Luu from her research.
"By the gods..." Maia said, shaking her head at the sight of the shield returning to its owner before being thrown again. It flew through the air faster than her eye could follow, cutting through the training dummies head with more precision than any sharpshooter Maia had ever seen." I thought that him throwing his shield was a joke!"
"Of course not, "Prim said with a smile, far too understanding and non-plussed about the insane engineering feat before her eyes. Poor Prim, Luu-Luu thought with a sad sigh. Perhaps she was far too uneducated to grasp the beautiful work of art in front of her nose." Why would someone make that up?"
"Well, because of that!" Maia responded at the sight of Sir Rogers taking yet another herculean throw towards a training barrier. A wall made of solid brick and stone that many a knight in training would find difficulty climbing over, smashing through the foundations like pebbles." Is fucking impossible!"
It really should be, but to Luu-Luu's immense delight, it wasn't. Instead, it was happening right in front of her. She could literally scream right now!
"It's like the shield is ignoring the transfer of Kinetic energy from the impact!" Luu Luu said, almost squealing in joy as she watched the scene unfold before her." I had no idea it was even possible! Halflings have argued about this kind of thing for decades!"
"Perhaps it would do us all a favor if you explained your excitement in words we could understand?" Kaguya said, her eyes not leaving Sir Steven's form. Instead, her hand traveled up her arm as if she imagined the type of force generated from each throw. "I fear I am lost under the circumstances."
"He must be throwing it 300 meters per second!" Luu Luu ignored them as she continued her rant. Her eyes gained a manic gleam that all non-halflings would consider frightening." It is breaking the sound barrier and connecting before the sound of the impact can reach its target's ears!"
"And we lost Luu-Luu." As she patted the small halflings head, Maia noted with a smile that the young engineer was too distracted from her analysis to even notice." You really have a strange effect on women. You know that, right?"
"You've mentioned it before," Rogers said, smiling as he prepped for another throw. Luu-Luu calculated the force of the throw, the raw strength needed to perform such a feat making her head spin.
"Sir Pantielle has made a terrible mistake." Kaguya said, her eyes widening as the shield impacted against the giant oak tree that felt and sounded like someone had driven a horse-drawn carriage into a brick wall." This whole duel fiasco should be finished rather quickly."
Luu-Luu regretted allowing so many people into her personal testing ground. How was she supposed to study the man's shield with all this talking?.
"Sir Pantielle is actually going to die." Maia said with a look of acceptance plastered on her face."I sort of feel bad for him."
" No one will die," Steve said simply as he moved towards the fallen tree. He looked like something was weighing his mind down, but he hadn't shared his thoughts yet." Not if I can help it."
"Are you sure?"Maia said, as her eyes followed every muscle of Sir Steven's body." Because I'm pretty sure a fight with you is a guaranteed death sentence."
The man said nothing as he hoisted the tree off the ground with a single hand and tossed it out of his way like someone would do to an interesting-looking stick when walking through the woods. But it was a tree. One doesn't casually do anything with a tree. Seeing the man easily do the job five men would struggle with certainly made the halflings' minds race. Which, of course, sent the crowd of onlookers around her into yet another string of conversation.
"... It's a glorified execution," Prim said, no humor in her voice, only a sense of realization and acceptance. She wasn't making light of the situation, nor was she using humor to dispel the dark thoughts of the upcoming duel like Maia would. Instead, she was simply stating the truth of the matter. It was a bit unsettling, to be honest.
Luu-Luu couldn't remember hearing of a duel as one-sided as this one seemed to be. She had even heard of one particular Halfling Duke, driven insane from mine gas and much too strong wine, who had challenged the ocean to a fistfight. Which was why halflings rarely, if ever, drank alcohol so close to any body of water.
"We should be focussing on fighting our actual enemies."Steve said matter of factly, in a tone that reminded Luu Luu of Celestine. A manner that brokered no room for argument as he placed his weapon onto his back. "This duel is a waste of time,"
"You're preaching to the choir on that one." Maia said with a sigh." Pantielle is a bit of a bastard, but he's loyal to Celestine."
"And hates Vault with a passion." Prim added her small voice full of confidence." Even before Vault betrayed the alliance. They were always at each other's throats."
"Couldn't keep the two of them in the same keep without worrying one would kill the other." Maia said, her voice hard at the memory."I've seen them unsheath daggers more than once in one another's presence."
"The lesser of two evils, "Kaguya said, her attention shifting to Steven as she spoke. Clearly trying in vain to use her priestess powers to read the man's mind." You almost have to wonder what the man was thinking to challenge Sir Steven to such a contest."
"It wasn't him who issued the challenge," Sir Steven responded. He caught the returning shield in his hand, his eyes not leaving Kaguya's eyes as he did so.
"Of course he did! He drew his sword when you had your back turned!" Luu-Luu said, her face a mask of confusion. Sure, humans were weird and maybe a little dense, but even they couldn't be dumb enough not to see what was clearly evident, right? "If there's a more clear duel challenge, I've never heard of it.
"Pantielle drew his weapon. But was willing to listen to Celestine." the pink-haired princess corrected." It was Sir Grave who officially accepted the duel."
"Are you telling me that the biggest prick of a knight Ken has ever produced drew his sword in front of hundreds of people and wasn't going to run you through with a blade!?" Maia spoke, her eyes and tone deadpanned as she waited for an answer to her clearly rhetorical question...
"Yes," Steve said simply, a small smile crossing his face at the sight of Maia being at a loss for words for once in her life.
Hmm, he has such a friendly smile. She should tell Claudia.
"How can you tell?"
"I've seen enough people who want me dead to know who has the heart and who doesn't," Steve said matter of factly, a look washing over the man for a brief moment before it drifted away." Besides, I've been told I'm a good judge of character."
"Who told you that?
"Alicia," Steve said without hesitation or a shred of irony in his voice. Which was odd considering how Alicia could be if you decided to get on her wrong side. Which, according to Maia, were the terms the two were on when Maia last saw them together...
Hmmm, that's something else Claudia should know about.
"It is true, "Prim said as she poured more tea for the table. "Alica once said he was the only man whose hands she would ever place her life into."
Hmmm, that was odd. It almost felt as if the temperature had dropped for a brief moment. But that couldn't be the case. Indeed, Luu-Luu's weather experiments indicated no change in the temperature for at least another several hours. Maia and Kaguya looked equally miffed at the princesses' words, their looks of annoyance palpable. Prim, however, kept smiling, her innocent eyes showing that the poor girl wasn't as attuned to these subtle changes as the others at the table.
"Fact of the matter is, Pantielle was a hairs width away from backing down and listening to Celestine." Steve said, regaining the attention of the four women." So why would a man not involved in the altercation jump in to escalate a situation already winding down?"
That was a toughie. Even Luu-Luu could admit that much with her limited knowledge of the subject. She remembered Claudia's husband Klaus claiming that dueling had become all the rage amongst some of the less... academically inclined members of the noble class of the city. Nothing more than a bunch of brutes solving their differences through violence instead of with words. But it had also been used to escape justice for more than a few less savory aristocrats. There was no easier way to get rid of an accusation of wrongdoing than to legally be able to shove a sword through someone's throat. Even a duel threat had shut down more than one investigation into the business of a noble family.
But even with all the recent cases of this type of event happening, it was always one man challenging another. Simple and clean, as all things should be. But a third party, especially one of Sir Grave's experience excepting a challenge on behalf of someone else? So it was a rather unique case. Not unheard of course, but certainly a unique one.
"What do you know about that man." Steve said, taking a step towards their table, politely declining a fruit tart offered by Prim." The man who excepted the challenge. Who is he?"
"Sir Grave is the head of House Levantine, one of the oldest of Ken's great families. Since the death of Lady Levantine, his remaining living family includes his son Klaus and his daughter-in-law, Claudia, both of whom you know. Besides his substantial holdings in land and agriculture, he is formally the Lord general of Ken, the highest military rank in all of the united military."Prim responded. Her tone and posture changed, becoming far stiffer and more refined than what she used up until now. Like her body and mind were returned to one of many studies of the ruling families of the land." His House's sigil is an Owl atop a bloodied sword."
"What she said, "Maia said, ignoring the teasing smile Prim was throwing at her. "Except Prim forgot to mention that the man has personally trained or led half the country's active generals and military commanders at one point or another."
"The man is well respected. In and out of court." Kaguya said, looking toward Steve with a questioning look on her face. Was she trying to read his mind? Could she do that? Or was that just something dark elves could do?" And he's a man who takes tradition seriously."
"I believe Sir Pantielle was personally tutored by Sir Grave." Prim said, her eye furrowed as she tried to remember the specifics." Alicia mentioned that the Levantine and Pantielle families have been close for centuries."
"So his behavior isn't out of the ordinary?" Steve said as he pulled out the chair and sat down, his eyes probing for something in the audience before him." Can't think of a reason for someone experienced in military strategy to issue something like this. Especially so close to the start of a campaign."
"Military and martial traditions are taken very seriously in Ken, far more than in the other cities." Maia said, her voice trailing down an octave as she watched the lone man" Unless I'm missing something..."
Before Steven could answer, yet another woman made her presence known. Seriously was she going to have to find a new secret testing site?
A small woman, for humans anyway, walked into view. Her garb of white silk and long hair tied in an elaborate bun showed her to be one of Celestine's personal ladies in waiting. So Luu-Luu can't be too upset about the whole secret testing site not being so secret. Celestine knew everything after all.
"Lady Celestine requests your attendance, my lord." the elf said with a bow as she waited for the lone man at the table to follow her. "She was insistent it was urgent."
"Well, well, well," Maia said with a toothy smile. She really liked to smile like that when she was with Steve. She should mention that to Claudia too." Private meetings with Celestine. If I was a jealous woman, I'd start getting worried."
"Worried about what?"Luu Luu said, her voice confused by her redheaded friend's choice of words.
"I'll tell you when you're older."
"I'm pretty sure she is older than you."
"I meant mentally older," Maia responded with a shrug of her shoulders, her eyes not leaving Steves back as she spoke.
"But that could take forever!" Luu-Luu said, slumping down into her chair, glaring at her three friends. Humans were so strange about things like this. It made her almost wish she was back home in Ansur. At least Halflings knew how to speak their minds when it came to...
Wait!
"Before you go!" Luu-Luu said, catching the departing man by his frankly gigantic hand. "Please let me keep your shield while you speak to the queen!"
The man paused for a moment but, to her immense gratitude, unholstered the work of art he carried on his back. Images and daydreams filled the small halfling's mind as the Sheild in her hands began to take precedence over her guests. It was just as light as she remembered it was.
"It is an incredible piece of weaponry."Kaguya said as she watched the halfling rub her face against the smooth surface." To think something so simple could be so dangerous in his hands..."
The response was subdued compared to most, but to those who knew the Miko, she might have well have been screaming her voice raw. Like Luu-Luu indeed would have been doing if she didn't have notes she needed to take for future research and study.
"That's not the only thing I want to see him handle with his hands," Maia said, earning a scoff from Kaguya and a pout from Prim. How they could be speaking of the man's hands when his shield was so close was beyond Luu-Luu's understanding. Humans were just so strange.
"The craftsmanship is incredible!" She squeaked as she drummed her small hands against the polished surface, a chill running up her spine as a metallic hum emitted from the metal. "Are you sure I won't be able to..."
"Please don't try anything too dangerous," The voice of the shield's owner said as he followed the maid out of the private courtyard," I'm going to need that shield back in one piece."
Luu Luu laughed, clearly remembering the man's face as he watched her many failed experiments to understand just what the metal in her hands was. Evidently, when you accidentally set one laboratory on fire, no one trusts you anymore.
Besides, she doubted anything in all of Eostia could dent this work of art, let alone destroy it. But Luu-Luu pushed through those thoughts and ignored the laughter of her friends as she stared unblinkingly at the metallic shine of red, white, and blue.
Olga Discordia leaned back against the cushioned seat of her armchair. Whatever remaining bits of her patience had long since evaporated by now. She watched the woman, perhaps the one person in the world who could be considered her oldest friend, pace the private library's length for the untold time.
It was an action that had taken much of the high elves' time these past few minutes. Before annoyance had wrapped its grip across Olga's heart, she found the sight somewhat amusing. Seeing Celestine with anything less than the perfect pose and aura of dignity radiated off her was an odd but welcome sight. Olga had grown to savor the few moments Celestine allowed herself to show weakness. It felt much more honest than what she was used to.
That stopped after the first few moments, however.
As Olgas' annoyance slowly eroded the natural affection for the high elf, the more she felt her mind turn to less favorable thoughts.
The dark queen sipped her tea, trying to maintain her growing frustrations. Because despite Celestine's actions these past few minutes, Olga knew it wasn't her fellow Queens' fault. That honor went to the gutter snakes that spoke in hushed tones regarding last night's festivities.
The night before had been long and eventful. She was content to drink wine and enjoy the conversation of her subjects, isolated from the humans' petty drama.
But by the foremothers, Olga couldn't help the smile on her face at the memory. While many clutched their pearls, Olga couldn't hide her amusement. It was hilarious, plain and simple. There was nothing more enjoyable than watching a human nobleman be shamed in front of his kinsmen. Olgas' only regret was that it only happened once. Nevertheless, it was the highlight of the night, in her opinion.
But if she went by the words of the humans who seemed to find nothing else of interest this morning, it was a scandal the likes of which the city of Ken had rarely seen. Olga scoffed at the thought that humans had such disappointing standards for scandals. Too stuck in the past and obsessed with tradition to understand what should be considered a political scandal.
But of course, it had to be ruined by yet another human nobleman. She was starting to see a pattern emerging. Every time she began to enjoy her new alliances and companions, an old man was there to bring the mood down with "opinions" on how things should be. It was ridiculous to think an entire enclave of humans, while a war waged outside their gates, were clamoring for a duel.
She was disappointed but not surprised.
Not to mention how utter moronic anyone was if they didn't already know just how the duel would end. So Sir Pantielle is about to die a very public and possibly embarrassing death. Only a madman or an utter fool would think otherwise.
So why pretend this duel was anything less than an execution?
When Olga had entered the small library, one where the polished white marble and gilded gold of the castle were replaced with soft browns of wide bookshelves and deep emerald green tapestries, she expected to be bombarded with sharp words the moment she sat down.
But as she watched her fellow queen pace the room, her annoyance grew greater. But despite the nonverbal cues Olga had used, undignifiedly loud sipping of her teacup notwithstanding, Olga continued to be ignored.
Celestine simply continued to pace back and forth, barely acknowledging her fellow queen's presence as she did so. If it was anyone else ignoring her in such a blatant manner, Olga would have cursed them by now. Many a lady in her court had found themselves far worse off whenever a petty insult they thought had gone unnoticed was discovered.
But Celestine wasn't just anyone else. She was someone without a petty or backhanded bone in her body and someone who worried about any little thing that might bring harm to her subjects. Worried so much, it caused the high elf to ignore everything else, including Olga's presence.
She felt a bit insulted but smothered the feeling before it reached her face. It would do no one any good for her to react like a child.
Olga reached her slender arm across the table. If she was going to be forced to sit silently until Celestine broke free of whatever madness had overtaken her. In that case, she was going to at least enjoy...
"These are not the grapes I asked for." the dark queen said, her voice barely above a whisper as she leveled the servent with a glare. She pushed the ornate bowl filled with the disappointing fruit away, like the subpar grapes had personally insulted her." Take these away and get it right this time."
The servant said nothing, only bowing her head as she took the bowl in her hands and left. It was one of the reasons why she appreciated the servents in Celestine's castle. They knew well enough to stay quiet when they knew they were wrong. A testament to their training, or so Olga had assumed at first. But the more time she was forced to interact with the young women, Olga realized they were just too frightened of her to voice a single word in her presence.
A situation That suited Olga just fine.
"I would appreciate it if you didn't snap at my handmaidens like that," Celestine said, not even pausing her pacing as she spoke.
It said a lot about how distracted Celestine must have been to not issue Olga another one of her "stern talks" regarding Olga's treatment of the household staff.
"No need to take your frustrations out on me, Celestine," Olga said as she eyed the high elf queen."It's not actually me you are frustrated with this morning."
Celestine, for her part, responded in what had to have been the most undignified sound Olga had ever heard leave the high elf's mouth. Almost like a childish whine one expected to hear from a young girl in pigtails and not from a being who counted her age in centuries.
It was actually quite endearing if Olga was honest with herself.
"You are correct on that." Celestine responded, her queenly mask back as another servant entered the room with a platter of stuffed olives, Celestine's favorite if she remembered correctly." This duel business has dominated my thoughts the whole day."
The face on her fellow queen fell as she spoke, making Olga smile slightly. The high queen may have been the unreachable pillar to her subjects. Still, she allowed herself to lower her guard whenever they were together.
"Oh, don't be like that," Olga said with a sigh as she watched Celestine begin to sulk where she stood. Sure she stopped pacing, but this wasn't better. "If this duel upsets you, perhaps you should stop it."
While Ken wasn't officially Celestine's seat of power, it was a monumentally important region of Celestine's territory. Why Celestine allowed herself to be in such a situation was beyond Olga's understanding.
"My personal feelings on the matter are not the most prescient at the moment," Celestine admitted as she popped an olive into her mouth with a sigh. " I fear the most challenging part of ruling so many different lands and cities is knowing that you will be hated by someone no matter what you choose to do."
Olga nodded her head in agreement. Allowing something horrible to happen, something that tore at your heart and spirit, because the potential aftermath would be far worse if you did something to stop it. It would keep anyone up at night.
"Lord Pantielle came to me this morning." Celestine said as a servant poured a cup of tea, placing the pure silver and jade teacup in front of her." He was begging for his son's life."
"The man's no fool," Olga spoke, remembering the look of the homely middle-aged Lord in his light pink silk and tunic. The sight of the man Tittering from one group of guests to another throughout last night's feast with a face dilated with good humor and contentment was common. But, even for someone like Olga, who tried desperately to ignore the humans who surrounded her, a full minute didn't pass without the jolly man's voice filling her ears.
Imagining the round-faced, pink-cheeked man groveling on all fours for his son's life must have given Celestine whiplash.
"His son cannot be convinced otherwise." Celestine spoke as she fingered the teacup in her hand." His honor as a knight is on the line."
Then he is a fool, unlike his father." Olga said, her opinion on the matter becoming far more concrete as she mulled it over." Rogers will kill the Pantielle heir and be done with it."
Celestine remained silent, but Olga knew some idea was forming behind her eyes. Celestine's eyes were always so expressive, even for a high elf. As much as Olga wanted to imagine Celestine was putting on a show for her subjects, her eyes always showed that this was just the type of elf Celestine was. Someone who wore her emotions on her sleeve and was as honest as she portrayed herself.
Disgustingly honest, if you asked Olga.
"But enough talk of the soon-to-be-dead man," Olga responded as she took a bite out of some human pastry glazed with honey. "What are you to do with Sir Levinstine?"
"Sir Grave is adamant that the battle occurs as soon as possible. The man is as pigheaded for tradition as any man I've ever known." So Celestine said as she stared at Olga, and for a moment, Olga felt the weight of Celestine's anxiety crash upon her like a great wave." He had ordered several of the generals in her influence to withhold troops for- until the situation is cleared."
Now that would be a problem.
Grave Levisten was a man of unimaginable influence in Ken society and on the combined military of the seven shield alliance specifically. Unofficially or otherwise, he had played a part in the training and educating of many, if not most, of the country's top military minds. Claudia had once described him as a father to his men. The feeling was quickly reciprocated by the men under him.
As Queen, Celestine had enough forces loyal directly to her to mitigate any theoretical issues from Sir Graves's influence. Still, it was a situation she didn't want to be in, nonetheless.
The man was lucky his daughter-in-law was so close to Celestine. Olga would have hexed the man on the spot if he was one of her subjects.
"I see." Celestines said, looking behind Olga as the massive oak doors opened wide."We'll be able to begin this tea party in honest now."
Before Olga could respond, the door opening took her attention away from her friend and towards the room's newest occupant. For a moment, she hoped it was the returning maid servent with the correct grapes but found the form of Steve Rogers staring back at her.
Oh." Olga thought to herself as her eyes followed the man's colossal form approaching them." Things certainly have become more interesting."
She wasn't sure how humans performed tea ceremonies, but to see a man sit across from her was quite a shock to her dark elven sensibilities. Her mother, a staunch traditionalist in most ways, would have bristled at the thought of sharing tea with a man, let alone a human one. But the idea excited Olga.
The man was...interesting.
"I was told you needed to speak with me." the man lowered his head in greeting, Olga smiling slightly at the sight. At first, she was put off the lackluster and unrefined bow the man preferred. Still, she was starting to appreciate how it reflected the man's character. He was not the type of man to grovel in front of his betters but gave respect as easy as one would give him." what can I do for you?"
"Thank you for coming."Celestine said as she stood up, nodding her head in a polite bow towards her guest as she offered an empty armchair for the man to sit upon." We have much to discuss."
The man sat with a little flourish, his broad shoulders leaving the chair frame invisible to Olga's eye. Even sitting amongst the silver and jeweled tea set, he looked as ready for the battlefield as any knight Olga had ever seen in her life.
"How are we in preparation for your march to Ansur?" the man said, politely declining the offered tea as he stared at the monarchs before him. "The more time we have to fortify the city from attack, the better off we will be in the long run."
"I agree. We have taken too much time in preparation." Celestine said as she licked her lips, a habit she had since childhood whenever she was nervous." However, Claudia assures me that the men will be ready tomorrow at dawn to march."
"I'm assuming there other reasons for you to ask me to come here." the man said simply as he drummed his hands against the table."I take it this duel has been on your mind as well."
Olga smiled but hid it as she brought her teacup to her lips. Once again, the man had surprised her with his social awareness and candor in speaking. There was a refreshing bluntness to how the man spoke, like a fresh air breeze on a humid day.
"Am I so transparent?" Celestine laughed before stilling as her eyes grew weary." I fear this whole situation has put a damper on your visit, and for that, I apologize."
"You have nothing to apologize for." The man said with a smile. One that seemed genuine." Can't go blaming yourself for things beyond your control."
"Yes, yes, yes."Olga said her tolerance for politeness long since evaporated." You're both very gracious and honored and all that. But we have much to discuss."
"I fear Olga is right," Celestine said as she lowered her head. Her shoulders sagged low as if the weight of her words were weighing them down. "I regret to say I must ask you a great personal favor to me. One that may be seen as...dishonorable to several members of noble society."
Now things were getting interesting. Olga leaned forward slightly, like a panther crouched upon the tree branch. Her thoughts raced to what scandalous action Celestine would request of the room's lone man. Perhaps Graves head would roll by the end of the day, or perhaps...
"Sir Steven. I besiege you to not go through with this duel!" Celestine said, her voice regaining some of her queenly steel." There are far more critical matters than some silly tradition!"
That was not what Olga was expecting.
She supposed that there was always a possibility, but not one she put much stock into. Celestine had allowed this tradition the breathing room to fester for hundreds of years. Barbaric, to be sure, but Olga found humans were strangely protective of their barbarism when honoring their ancestors. As if the long-dead of the city was blackmailing the living.
But it also brought up yet another interesting question. Celestine asked the man, pleaded with him, but did not order him.
She asked.
A queen does not ask her subjects for anything. she demands, she commands. She orders. It is why militaries could operate. It was how teachers could help their pupils and how mothers could rear and raise their children. Those with authority could make those without it follow the rules.
You only ask those you see as your equal.
Steve Rogers said nothing, simply staring into Celestines' eyes as if reading her thoughts. The man was an enigma, but he must share the baser instincts all men carried. A man, one clearly built for war, wouldn't avoid a battle, no matter how trivial one would be. Especially one he was assured of winning.
The man was silent for a moment, measuring his thoughts. Olga found it odd to see how reserved he was. She assumed someone with the strength to rip grown men apart with their bare hands would be far less thoughtful with his words.
"I can see this coming to bite us on the backside shortly." the man said simply. "I feel like whatever we choose will cause us problems."
"That was the beauty of blackmail, I suppose." Olga spoke, her voice dipping slightly as she ate an olive." It's why it is so effective."
"I won't allow Sir Grave to hold this war hostage just to satisfy this barbaric tradition," Celestine said, the normal strength of her voice returning. For a moment, Olga was transported hundreds of years in the past. A time when she and the high elf before her were on opposite sides of the battlefield. "I won't allow myself to be bullied into more needless death."
"While I congratulate you for standing on principle," Olga said, her eyes baring into Celestines. "Need I remind you, Sir Grave has the ear of most of your soldiers here in Ken?"
"How many," Steve said, his voice deadly serious as he gave Celestine his undivided attention.
"Possibly thousands."Celestine said, her voice dropping slightly as she clenched her small hands into fists on the table." I fear this refusal will lose much of our support here in Ken."
"Which is why I believe the quicker we settle this duel, the better off we will be." Olga spoke, her tone bored but her eyes shining bright." one life for the lives of potential thousands? It seems like an easy enough choice for me."
"I'm surprised, Olga." Celestine said with an intake of breath." You would so willingly let a human noble dictate how we choose to fight this war."
"If it was up to me, every human standing in our way would have been tied to a tree and flogged until they couldn't move." Olga responded, looking dismissively at Celestine with her voice increasing in volume with each word." But, unfortunately, my hands are tied in this situation because my counterpart does not wish to cause offense."
"No wish to cause offense?" Celestine repeated, looking to the dark elf as if she had told a bad joke."I will not be bullied into sacrificing a person's life to satisfy an ancient tradition and the mob who wishes it to happen."
"A life will be saved. Bravo." Olga spoke, her voice dripping with annoyance." It will be such a relief to the city of Ansur to know you saved one life as their city burned!"
"Enough!" Steve shouted, standing to attention and taking control of the room as quickly as he drew breath, shocking the two queens into silence." Fighting one another isn't helping matters, so let's calm down and act like adults."
He loomed over them like a mountain unyielding to a thunderstorm. Any other man who would have spoken to them like that would be dead before they hit the ground, like a weed in a garden that has grown too large for its own good.
However...
"It seems our guest is correct, Celestine." Olga said, her eyes never leaving the still standing form of the room's male occupant." Perhaps my words have been far to lose as of late."
"No need, Olga," Celestine responded, her eyes bouncing between her two guests like a ball being thrown against a wall. "The situation has us all on edge, and for that, I apologize."
The man sat back down, entirely unaware of what he had done. The three sat in silence for a moment, allowing the room's three occupants to collect their thoughts.
"I'm an outsider. I don't know why these traditions mean so much to some people." Steve said, his voice serious." So for the sake of argument, let us say I agree with Queen Celestine regarding the duel. What then?"
"As my representative here in the city, Claudia may face an uphill battle regarding troop management. Each noble family in Ken is in charge of a portion of the city's combined military strength." The queen said with a pause, biting her lip as she did so. "Given enough time, the public backlash will force them back to our side. In the short term, however, Ansur will fall.
"So our choices are killing an innocent man to satisfy a morally reprehensible tradition, "Steve said, his voice steady despite his eyes radiating disgust." Or we stand by our principles and let an entire city be conquered?"
"It sounds utterly ridiculous when you describe it like that. "Olga sighed as she placed her hands on the table," But that is where we unfortunately are. We don't have the time to navigate the political maze in front of us. So the only option we have right now is the lesser of two evils."
"Lesser of two evils," Steve said as if the term was nothing more than a bad joke to his ears. "It's not the first time I've heard someone use that term when you have lousy choices."
"There's no other option, I'm afraid." Celestine said, her voice strained." I fear if I do not decide this matter by tomorrow at dawn, we will be too late to save Ansur regardless of what we choose."
"Then we decide now," Steve said, sounding self-assured and more confident than the two sovereigns.
"And pray tell," Olga asked, her eyes widening slightly at the man's words." What will you do?"
"Depends on exactly what the laws regarding these duels say."
I hate this chapter. I hate this chapter so much. I gotta say it's interesting trying to write what is effectively a "deleted scene" to a chapter I already wrote. But hey character interaction is always fun to write. It's a short one, but I will get back to the swing of things when I actually re-write the chapter I wanted to post/That's really it, it's all I got right now. Leave a review, favorite, or follow, and I hope you enjoyed the miserable experience that updating this story became in the past week.