"UUUGGH!" Gabe grunted, aggravated with himself for stumbling a bit while he practiced his footwork. He threw his practice sword down on the ground of the tent that he was staying in. He walked over to the bed and sat down, dropping his head into his hands.
"You just need to widen your stance a bit" A soothing voice said from the door of the tent. Gabe jumped up off the bed and stared wide eyed at Elena. He hadn't expected to see her there but even more jaw dropping was the way she looked in her bridal attire. She literally took his breath away.
"Wow" Gabe uttered as he couldn't help but lovingly stare at her.
Elena wanted to return his smile but the way he looked at her was only a reminder that the man she was about to marry would never look at her in that way. The way her Papi had looked at her Mami, the way her Abuelo looked at her Abuela, and the way she had always imagined her husband would look at her. She frowned, closed her eyes to block any tears that would try to fight their way through and hung her head.
"I'm sorry... I didn't mean to upset you... you just look... wow" Gabe said as he shrugged and walked towards Elena.
"Not your fault..." Elena told him sweetly. She lifted her eyes to meet his and managed a smile. "Thank you"
Gabe looked deeply into Elena's eyes and could see the fear that she carried with her. It wasn't often that she feared anything so the new look pained him as well. He wanted to make it all go away for her.
"What are you even doing here? Are you allowed to be near me?" Gabe wondered.
Elena exhaled with a sigh. It was clear that she was nervous.
"Paola, my maid, helped me sneak away." She explained. "And no. I probably shouldn't be here... but it's important"
Gabe said nothing but he raised his eyebrows at her and his look questioned her reasons for taking such a risk.
"They explained to you what's going to happen in your fight?" Elena asked.
Gabe nodded with dismay. "Yeah. And I'm fighting The Beast"
"Well that's good!" Elena said, suddenly enthusiastic.
"How is that good?!" Gabe asked, confused and wondering how she thought that facing one of the most intimidating warriors in the Fuerza army could possibly be something positive.
"Well I beat him in the fencing tournament and since you're the one who trained me in fencing, you should have no problem beating him too!" Elena said, not understanding why Gabe didn't get it.
"No Elena. This is NOT fencing. There are no points or second chances. If I let him get a point ... I'm dead. There aren't going to be any rules. Plus, I was watching him practice last night and he's better than he was then. He's faster and more aware of his movements. I can't beat him Elena" Gabe replied, already feeling defeated.
"Stop it!" Elena scolded. "That's just crazy! Of course you can win! You're a great royal guard and you're a great swordsman!"
"Am I?" Gabe retorted, still doubting himself. "If I'm so great then why are we even in this position in the first place?"
"We're alive aren't we?" Elena told him, growing frustrated with his attitude. She spoke sternly to him, trying hard to refrain from actually yelling. "We're here because you did what you had to do to get us out of Avalor alive! You did that! We're alive and unharmed because of you! And tonight I'm doing what I have to do to keep us alive! I'm giving myself to that man so that we can stay alive! So that we can figure out a way to get out of all of this! We've come so far already. You can NOT give up now! You can NOT let everything we've sacrificed mean nothing! You can NOT die!"
Gabe knew Elena was right and he was ashamed for giving up already. He hung his head and set his gaze away from her.
"I'm sorry" he said quietly as he continued to ponder his circumstances. He didn't want to feel that way. He didn't want to let Elena down. He didn't know if he could win though. He still felt strongly that he wasn't good enough. He walked away from Elena. He wasn't able to even look at her in fear that he would see disappointment on her face. Disappointment in him. He slumped down on the bed.
Elena watched Gabe sit there and sulk. She realized that she may have added to the pressure that he was already feeling. She sighed heavily, knowing that she needed a new approach. She went to Gabe and sat beside him. He finally looked up at her with anxious eyes. He was afraid to die. Elena pitied him.
"Gabe..." She said in a soft tone "I know you're scared right now. I am too. But the reality is that you can't be. King Galtero isn't going to let you win. If you land a blow to the Beast first, he isn't going to call the fight."
"What?!" Gabe asked, shocked, even more fear and doubt building inside of him.
"I can stop it though!" Elena said quickly before Gabe could let his emotions get the best of him. "If you win, I can stand up to the king. I can end the fight."
"Ok..." Gabe said, trying to figure out where Elena was going with all of this and how any of it was supposed to encourage him.
"Ok... so... "Elena started, "There's no room for self doubt. You need to fight. You can't give up. Even if you think you've won, keep fighting. Even when I stand up to stop the fight, you need to stay on guard. I don't know what's going to happen but I know that whatever you do, you can't give up. I'm going to fight for you so you're going to need to fight for me"
Elena used her most encouraging voice. She was soft spoken but strong. Gabe nodded along as she spoke. She never gave up on anyone, he couldn't give up on her. They kept a forceful stare on one another, remaining silent. The longer their eyes stayed connected, the more powerful Gabe began to feel. She inspired him. She made him feel stronger, more confident. She made him better in every way and it was exactly why he had fallen in love with her. His eyes softened to hers and they silently confessed all of his feelings. Elena couldn't help but get lost in the way Gabe looked at her. She reciprocated Gabe's look and when she did, he instinctively moved in closer to her. Elena's eyes glanced down at Gabe's lips and then quickly back into his eyes. He was going to kiss her and she wanted him to. She wanted to feel the strength and confidence that was building inside of him. But she couldn't do it. She was going to be married in a few hours and although she wasn't concerned with loyalty to her new husband, she knew that physically expressing her feelings for Gabe now would make everything more difficult. She abruptly turned her head away from him and focused on the ground. Tears filled her eyes and she began to tremble as her emotions became too much for her. Gabe understood. He wrapped his arms around her and she laid her head on his chest.
"I'm going to marry the king." Elena said. Speaking seriously and with great sadness and fear. "He's going to lie with me... and he's going to do it whether you win or lose today. But if you lose, it means that I've given myself up for nothing. I don't know if I'd be strong enough to get out of all of this after that. You have to win Gabe. I need you to win. I need you to be here for me. To bring me up when I'm feeling hopeless. To give me the focus I need to come up with a plan. I need you to fight with me. I need you to be standing by my side when we leave here and take back Avalor"
Gabe squeezed Elena tightly against him as he finally came to the realization that he had the same effect on her that she had always had on him. She never needed him as her guard. She constantly insisted that she didn't need protection at all and it was true. She was more than capable of handling herself when faced with enemies or danger. She lead and he followed. She never needed Gabe in any physical situation but she had always leaned on him emotionally and he had never failed to comfort her. She was about to test her inner strength in the worst possible way. Gabe couldn't let her down now. He couldn't let her go through it alone.
He pressed his lips hard up against her forehead and then grasped her shoulders, pushing her away from him so that he could look her in the eyes. "I'm going to win" He said with a heightened intensity that made Elena grin proudly.
"Good" She said as she stood up and began to leave. She stopped right before she got to the door and turned to meet Gabe's eyes for maybe the last time. "Just remember to keep fighting... for everything"
"I will" Gabe told her.
Gabe decided to forego the wedding festivities. He figured he'd see enough when his fight would be put on display as the day's entertainment. Instead, he stayed in his tent and continued to practice his movements and attacks. Since Elena left him, he had been on a roller coaster of emotions. He constantly went from that heightened intensity and belief that he could win, to self doubt, back to a fiery can do attitude, then falling back into despair at the thought of death, then finally telling himself that he needed to fight for Elena and then the whole cycle would repeat.
When two warriors came to tell him that it was time, he was in the middle of fearing death. Which was good since the next step in his cycle of emotions was to use Elena for motivation. He repeated over and over to himself that he needed to fight for her as he marched out into the village center. A roped off sparring ring was set up and The Beast stood inside, watching Gabe's every move as he approached. Crowds swarmed all sides of the ring except one. The final side bordering the ring was a wooden platform and atop it sat two thrones. King Galtero sat in one and next to him sat Elena, his new queen. They were joined by several other warriors who Gabe had assumed to have high ranks. Gabe entered the ring and met Elena's eyes. They shared a sly grin with one another. Gabe nodded. That grin from her was all he needed to motivate him. He was ready. He started to feel the intensity inside of him grow as he channeled all his focus onto the beast. The crowd cheered and jeered but Gabe heard none of it. He saw none of it. He only saw the task at hand. To win. Two other warriors stepped down from atop the platform and adorned The Beast in heavy duty armor. As The Beast stomped about the ring, growling, flexing and putting on a show of sorts for the crowd, Gabe noticed right away that his movements were drastically different. He was slower with all that protection on. He would have restrictions. Gabe finally felt an advantage. He would have no restrictions. He grabbed the bottom corners of his shirt, the one he had purchased at the marketplace with Elena, and pulled it over his head. He threw it on the ground and began actively stretching out his arms. He reached straight up over his head and then let his arms circle in all directions before swinging them across his chest, making sure that The Beast could see his full range of motion. The Beast ceased his parade and watched Gabe who wore a somewhat cocky grin. The Beast knew what Gabe was doing and it was working. He then turned to the crowd and made a comment about Gabe's puny size and small muscles. This was true of course when compared to the Fuerza Warriors. Otherwise though, Gabe was tall and lean. His muscles were maybe half the size of The Beast's but it was obvious by his well defined upper body that he was strong. The crowd may have laughed at him but all that mattered to Gabe was that he had momentarily given The Beast some doubts about the outcome of the fight.
As King Galtero stood and stated the rules and possible outcomes of the fight, Gabe closed his eyes and envisioned himself winning. He could picture his sword landing against The Beast's armor. When Galtero was finished and Gabe opened his eyes he had reached just the right amount of intensity that he needed and at the perfect time too.
"FIGHT!" Shouted Galtero and with that command, The Beast charged at Gabe. Gabe's eyes widened with shock at how quickly it had started but he managed to side step The Beast and block his blow. The Beast savagely swung his sword again without hesitation and again, Gabe was able to move quickly and repel The Beast's attempts. Gabe backed up, giving himself a bit of room to work with. He was getting close to the ropes though. He met The Beast's eyes and held the gaze, refusing to be intimidated. The Beast lifted his sword to attack and Gabe saw an opportunity. He lunged forward and aimed straight for the heart of the beast. Gabe's attempt met a quick moving shield and as The Beast's sword came down, Gabe spun towards the flank of his opponent, making another successful dodge but also getting himself out of the corner. The Beast didn't let up, He charged at Gabe once more, swinging his sword wildly with frustration. Gabe used his agility to side step again and actually duck under the sword, this time making no attempts at a counter attack. They were back on their original sides of the ring and Gabe took a couple of steps back. The Beast hesitated for the first time. He stood a moment and Gabe took note of his shortening breaths. He was tired. The corners of Gabe's mouth turned up at the thought of gaining another advantage. Gabe wasn't tired in the least. He ran the stairs of the Maruvian temples on a daily basis. This was nothing to him. The Beast was waiting for him to make an attack this time. Gabe cautiously approached The Beast. He faked a lunge forward to gauge how the Beast would react. He made a quick note of it. He did it again. The Beast reacted the same way. His shield came across his chest and he lifted his sword arm high. If Gabe could dodge the swing on the sword side and spin around to the rear, he could attack from behind before the Beast would be able to counter with either shield or sword. With his armor, he just didn't have the ability to twist that way quick enough. Gabe lunged again and he was right about his rival's movements. The shield came across his body and his right arm, wielding the sword, rose high. The fact that Gabe was much shorter than The Beast was yet another advantage. He was able to duck low enough under the attack, while propelling himself forward, making his way behind The Beast. He gripped his sword with both hands and turned into his swing which landed hard across the back of the warrior's neck. The clank against the armor thundered over the crowd. His helmet came loose from his head and flew forward, revealing a look of defeat on The Beast's face. Everyone gasped at what they had witnessed. There was no doubt it would have been a fatal blow. "Keep fighting" Gabe told himself as he immediately raised his sword again but before he could even attempt another attack, The Beast's steal shield violently made contact with the side of Gabe's head. Gabe's jaw rattled, his sword fell from his hands and he saw nothing but darkness as he dropped down to the dirt. He lifted his head in a daze just in time to see a blur of The Beast stand over him and lift his sword.
"NO!" Elena's voice finally sounded. "It's over! End the fight!" She demanded as she rose from her seat. The crowd fell completely silent. The Beast stopped immediately. He looked back and forth between Elena and King Galtero and then back to Gabe.
Gabe blinked his eyes a couple of times as he reached around for his sword. When he found it he grasped it tight and held it up in defense. Until the King himself called the fight, Gabe was still in danger. He began to regain his vision and looked towards the platform. The King stood slowly from his throne and placed himself directly in front of Elena.
"WHAT did you say?" He asked with a calm fury. "You question my judgement?"
"The challenger won the fight. We all heard it, we all saw it" Elena said with ferocity.
"How dare you!" He said, losing his temper and grabbing Elena by the throat with two hands. She placed her hands over his and her heart rate shot up and fear overcame her but her gaze did not yield. Thankfully, Galtero knew his boundaries when it came to his new queen. He regained his composure just as quickly as he had lost it. He released Elena with a slight push, sending her back a step but it did not detour her. She moved right back to where she was, meeting Galtero face to face.
"We had a deal King Galtero" She said softly but with regal strength. "You could take me as your wife but my guard would join your community. He passed your test. We met our end of the bargain. Now you need to honor yours"
"You do not meet your end of the bargain until our marriage is consummated" He told her.
Elena swallowed hard. "Fine." She said "Call the fight. Declare that the challenger is the winner. Do this and then you can have me. We'll leave right now."
Galtero got a lustful look on his face. He moved his body closer to Elena and searched her eyes for any signs of deceit. She didn't waiver in her stance. He could tell that she was strong but she was also honest. She would keep the deal. She would give herself to him completely. He glanced away from Elena and faced the two opponents as well as the crowd. "The challenger has won! He has earned a place in our community. He will serve Queen Elena as her guard" He then turned back to Elena, leaned in close and whispered something in her ear. Gabe couldn't hear what it was but he could see Elena cringe when it was said. Galtero then swiftly grabbed Elena's arm and dragged her towards his tent.
Gabe let out a heavy and audible groan of a breath as he finally lowered his sword. It was partly him letting go of the tension he held onto during the fight, partly him yelling out in pain caused by the blow to his head but mostly it was from the pain of his heart breaking for Elena's situation.
"Get up!" The Beast demanded as he threw Gabe's shirt in his face. The new Queen's guard pulled his shirt back on and did as he was told, but felt shaky once he got up on his feet.
"What now?" Gabe asked.
"You're the Queen's guard. That was the deal right? So you go where she goes. When she's inside a tent, you stand outside. When she leaves, you follow her" The Beast explained.
"Do I get a real sword?" Gabe asked throwing his dull and useless one to the ground.
"No" The Beast answered with a laugh. Gabe looked at him confused. "When you've earned our trust, then you might get a sword." Gabe just nodded in understanding. It made sense. They didn't trust him any more than he trusted them. He followed The Beast as they headed toward the King's tent and Gabe immediately felt sick as he realized what they were about to make him do. The beast stood on one side of the tent door and motioned for Gabe to stand on the other.
Gabe did as he was told but winced as he listened to the King inside the tent, groaning with pleasure as he took his bride. Each grunt was like another twist of a dagger piercing Gabe's heart and his growing distress was visible for all the village to see. His stomach turned and he became lightheaded. He placed his hands on his head, squeezed his temples and closed his eyes. It was all too much for him to take in. Then he heard Elena. She let out a painful moan and Gabe didn't hesitate. He needed to get to her. He stepped toward the entrance but was blocked by The Beast. He put his hand on Gabe's chest, forcing him to step back to his post.
"This is her part of the deal." He told Gabe in a surprisingly sympathetic way. "She knew what she was doing. She just saved your life. Getting yourself killed now won't help her and it won't stop the King from fucking her again."
Gabe straightened himself up, trying to be strong but he just couldn't do it. A panic rushed over him and he dropped to his knees. His heart raced and his breath quickened. His stomach turned again and this time he couldn't settle it. Something caught in his throat. He began to gag and then gag again and then he began to choke until finally he turned his head to the side and just vomited. Afterwards, he remained on his knees. He felt demoralized. The villagers laughed and mocked him but he didn't care. He would rather listen to anything other than the sounds of Elena losing her innocence.