The Yamani Isles- The Traditional Duel Arena at the Festival of the WaveWalker

Lelani Bakkuri, Shang Phoenix. Sir Kallin, the close-combat artist from Tortall. J knew that the match was in the bag for Lelani, she knew that there was no other possible way that this match could end for Kallin but in defeat. She knew that, and she knew that everyone else knew it too. So why did she feel so on edge?

The combatants were both great, no doubt about it, but the Shang Phoenix never lost. Not since she was a little child, still in training. The best warriors in the Yamani Isles together couldn't beat her, even working together. Lelani could defeat hordes of soldiers in just a few minutes. And yet J felt absolutely certain that Kallin was capable of beating the Phoenix. Why?

And then she knew. It was that look in Lelani's eye. Last year, as it was most years, there had been a distinct disgust in her eyes as she pounded that fool within an inch of his life. That disgust gave her power, the feeling that she was defending the sport of close combat dueling against this oaf who dared to desecrate its name. But this year, her opponent was clearly not an oaf. And the look hidden deep within her eyes was not one of disgust or hatred- but one of kinship.

Lelani understood her opponent, liked him, even. And while she would fight her hardest, her heart would not be supporting the strength of her blows, because Kallin was a brother to her.

Kallin felt the same, she could see. This duel was far more evenly matched than it seemed at first glance. Kallin had a slender, well muscled build. His face was impassive but his eyes were sharp and piercing, and, like a window into his soul, they showed the fiery passion that he fought with.

J. had a feeling that this match might be a tough one.

Kallin shifted his weight slightly, as if to lunge, and then fell back as Lelani anticipated his move. She was merciless. She rained blows down upon him like hellfire, and there was no doubt that each one was agonizing. Kallin countered smoothly despite the pain, sliding so that he was at a forty-five degree angle to the ground and leaning back and knocked out her feet from under her. He was on her like a cougar. He relied more on his knife than Lelani, but was no less agile for it.

The blade was an extension of his arm. He jabbed viciously, so fast that his arm was a blur. Lelani used her knife for blocking and managed a few blows, but for the moment, the match was at a standstill.

"No way." Hali was glued to the match, black eyes wide. "No way! This guy's impossible!"

He was a knife specialist, anyone could see that. If Lelani could only separate him from his blade the match would be hers again. The only issue was- he was a knife specialist. His bladework was so skilled, quick and deadly, you could see his knife cutting patterns in the air itself. It would take a miracle to separate hand from hilt, like splitting body and soul, or peeling rice paper into two impossibly thin pieces.

Fortunately for Lelani, she was really good at that kind of thing. She mirrored his move from before, with a slight alteration. After knocking his feet from under him, she spun sideways on one hand, parallel to the ground. At such a speed, she eliminated the possibility of Kallin regaining balance at such a critical juncture.

He was ready for this, and did a complete backflip, never faltering once. He ducked her fists and darted in. In less than a second, a moment, a breath, he somersaulted away, landing in a squat, ready for a counter.

His knife glistened red- with blood.

The Shang Phoenix was legendary, her battles known throughout the lands. She was deadly. She had trained ever since she could stand. As a third birthday gift, her father gave her a set of shuriken throwing knives. At the age of eight, she could best any soldier in the palace in bare-fisted combat. Her master, the Shang Cougar, was the only one who could even touch her in a fight, and when he died, she was the uncontested champion.

Until now. The arena was silent. Lelani stood, a large gash visible across her upper right arm. She did not disgrace her opponent by visibly showing her shock, but it was clear in her eyes. Even Kallin looked awkward, as though he did not know what to do now that he had somehow cut the Phoenix herself.

Lelani saw his consternation and smiled. "Forgive me," she said in a surprisingly soft voice, "Let the duel continue."

He needed no other words. He knew that first blood did not mean the battle was over, and he wasted no time flying at her and parrying blow for blow.

They were a flurry of kicks and punches, and Lelani was forced for the first time to use her blade offensively. Kallin's strategy- dart in, attack, escape, repeat-was of no use in this battle. It was hard to tell which arms belonged to who and to whom the blood on the ground belonged. Then, quick as quick could be, Kallin had Lelani pinned down, his knife at her throat and her knife at his.

There was dead silence among the spectators. J could hear Hali's breath and her heartbeat pounded in her ears.

"I surrender."

There was no mistaking it. Kallin's voice echoed throughout the arena and the stands and he dropped his blade as he stood. With a genuine smile, he bowed to the startled Lelani.

Master spoke up, mostly to cover the shock. "Kallin surrenders, conceding the match to the Shang Phoenix. By the rules, Lelani Bakkuri is the victor!"

J and Hali leapt to their feet with the crowd, cheering and clapping and whistling. As the weary Lelani ascended the platform to accept her applause, the cheering peaked to such a level it left J. feeling out of breath. And none of them noticed as Kallin quietly disappeared from the duel arena.

"Why? Why would he concede the match?"

"J, I told you. I don't know."

"But he had his knife at her neck! He'd won the match! It was his victory." J sighed in exasperation and slumped on the bench in the prayer garden.

"I don't know."

"But-"

"You aren't thinking things through." A new voice from behind her sounded suddenly, and J flinched, startled. A kid a little taller than her stood behind the bench. His blond hair was tousled and the silver circlet marking him as the second-in-line to the throne was slightly crooked. He carried an open book and a small satchel hung over his shoulder. His eyes, a dark blue, were sparking with irritation. "You're not very observant, are you, Jiikira? Or is it 'J'?"

"Ack!" J nearly fell off the bench. "When did you get here?"

"I've been here listening to you complain to Hali the entire time. You really don't notice much, do you? It's not good to be too oblivious."

"You're... you're..."

"My name is Gabriel." He surveyed her blandly, and then folded the book he held and stuck it in the satchel. "Do you want to know why Kallin surrendered? It's really quite simple."

"Of course I do!"

"Well then." He leaned over and propped up his head in his hands. "Unlike you, he was thinking things through. At the end, he had Lelani pinned down, his blade at her neck, her blade at his. First, while Lelani had a few visible cuts, they were not very deep. Kallin, on the other hand, had been used as a punching bag this entire fight. His wounds were not visible, but they were many and no doubt very painful. Second, it was extremely unlikely that Lelani would surrender, and certainly he could not have maintained that stance for the remaining 9 minutes of the duel. She could have easily regained control, used her own knife to disarm him in a heartbeat, and beaten him to a pulp."

J ground her teeth. "She couldn't have done that! His blade was at her throat!"

Gabriel looked almost unnecessarily calm as he sighed. "It's not as though he could have slit her throat, that would be against the rules of 'No killing or maiming.' Anything he could have done would have been done in return tenfold, as her blade was at his throat. There's no threat to a knife at your throat if you can't carry through and kill the person you threaten. All in all, the most intelligent thing to do was to surrender. He couldn't have won and he knew it."

"But he was much more skilled with the blade than Lelani! He could have disarmed her and then-"

"And then he would have lost his grip on her and she would have gotten free, retrieved her blade and disarmed him in the confusion, leaving him defenseless against her double-bladed attack. Foolish at the best of times."

"Ugh! Stop interrupting me, you-"

He frowned his mouth forming into a thin line. "You said you want to know why Kallin surrendered. All I'm doing is telling you. A wise man once said 'A fool is one who refuses to see the truth they search for.' I suppose that makes you a fool, then."

"You don't have to be such a know-it-all!" J was standing now, fury flowing freely in her veins. "What, do you think you're superior to me because you read so much? Maybe I have better things to do than be a jerk to people I just met! Why don't you just leave me alone?"

He looked at her. His face was bitter, anger burning in the blue depths of his eyes. "Better a know-it-all than a fool. You asked. Is it my fault you don't want to listen?"

Hali stood and shoved her brother. She still managed to look prim and proper as she did it- her hair was still perfect in its black bun, not a single thread astray on her pretty kimono. "Gabriel! Just because you don't like tournaments, that doesn't mean you can be rude to my friend. Apologize to J, now!"

He did have the grace to look genuinely ashamed of himself as he apologized. "Forgive me, Jiikira. I got carried away." He paused and narrowed his eyes. "But you were still wrong. It's useless to argue a hopeless point. Trust me- I know."

He pulled out his book and walked off, not looking where he was stepping at all. J glared after him, irritation swelling within her.

He enjoys making a fool of me, treating me like I'm years younger than him. He can't see beyond his own self-importance! Prince Gabriel indeed. Ha! A fine emperor he would make, ordering everyone around. Jerk.

In the Bedchamber of Prince Gabriel

Gabriel dropped his satchel on his desk. The room was covered in clutter and junk. For a moment he wished the maids would clean in here, but he swept the thought away. Last time they cleaned, they had just taken all of his stuff and thrown it away, including his bird-watching journal and his homework for the next day's class with his and Hali's private tutor.

He slumped on the bed. Hali's new friend had gotten under his skin. That brat, Jiikira. It was thoroughly disconcerting just to look at her- all that white hair freaked him out. But not only did she look weird with white hair and brown eyes, she also had to be a tenacious, uneducated, foolish, agonizingly annoying little freak. She asked him to explain the match and he explained it, and then she exploded in his face.

And then Hali stepped in, betraying him to go comfort her new best friend. "Just because you don't like tournaments-"

You don't know the half of it.

(A/N: Here! An extra chappie to make up for the wait! I was itching to introduce Gabriel anyway, and I just couldn't stop writing. And here's the result!)