The last day of the tournament the princesses walked until the principal balcony. The regent Queen sit on to the Queen throne knowing that this will be the last time.
Princess Sora wait for the Knights, today they must fight with all their forces, blood and metal; all that could be necessary. Tomorrow the princess would left the black of the mourning and will dress in clean white, for her new husband and king.
The responsibility of the call in and out of the combat was on princess Ritsuko, the wife of the king's brother. She stand up and ring the bell, starting the combats.
...
Iori wants to be king. He do.
For that he must defend the man who kills his father.
Yamato Ishida was in front of him, with his beauty, his old armor, his head raised, his father cheering for him. All kingdom amazed by that merchant´ son, who is friend of the Sea kings, wins wars and murders nobles. And still there were that sad eyes that does not look at Iori Hida.
Iory scream and attack and attack and attack. The strength of the roar sea and electricity felted on his bones. And the wolf knight remains untouched.
There has to be something that Iory could take away from him.
A moment and Iory was out of breath, with an open side, and Ishida gasping and sweating on his cold defense. And a pause.
lory wants to be king. He wants it so badly. He refuse to lose against a man who doesn't attack on an open look, a man who looks sad on his greatest moment, against that man who kills on the name of a king with no second thoughts.
Iory Hida reached with all his force on a confrotal attack. Yamato side his body, slide his sword, and with a graceful movement borrowed the sword of the forgotten prince.
lory remains on the ground with his own sword against his throat and the sword that killed his father on the ground far away from him.
The bell sang, the combat was over.
Iori cursed his luck, besides everything the wolf knight was a gentleman.
Takeru has the right of the throne. He knows that. He was borned male when is uncle was King with only a daughter. The shadow of the crown always has been over his head, feed it carefully by his mother.
And he knows that nothing would make his mother happiest that see his son on the throne.
Takeru was a noble. Fine, handsome, well educated. Very well educated. He had had tutors, teachers and nanas. And he would sell all of them to keep only one. His brother had teaching him the sword. His brother, the wolf knight. The man who had won a war, the boy at whose mother didn't talk, the son of that man who looks at her mother with a shining smile. Takeru wants to talk to that man, he wants to sail the sea, to married the sweetest of the ladies and past their days dancings and singing beautiful poems. He wants to call his brother out loud, to saw his mother happy, his family united, his kingdom in peace.
Maybe he daydream too much, maybe he has to much hope. But behind all of that childist dreams there was one true.
Nothing will make her mother happiest that saw his son on the throne. And Takeru will be do it, he will defeat at the Light Knight, he would impress his lady and he would won the tournament to his brother to be king, his mother oldest son. And the world would be on peace, and his family would be happy.
Princess Ritsuko didn't ring the bell until Takeru was cover by mud, after Taichi did block all his attacks and all his swords and daggers were on the ground. Until the fatigue strike him, and he rise a punch against the clean shield and falled on his back, incapable of give up. Not until Taichi kneel next to him and throw him an embroidered napkin to clean his tears.
"You did good, kid " said Taichi " you must to be proud, I wasn't that good at your age"
Takeru rest over his back. Maybe his time wouldn´t come yet.
Taichi had done his best against princess Takeru, the boy had ended on his back, crying and screaming and he had remains proud and strong. But the true was that he was bleeding inside the armor, his knees squeezing and the sword feels heavy on his tired arms. He wasn't quite sure of how tired was the Wolf Knight, the combat against the forgotten prince had look hard and dramatic, but Yamato had sat and watch all his fight agains prince Takeru, with that bright eyes of him, obviously cheering for the prince.
Why he would cheer from him? A stolen kiss and Taichi spectated his full devotion. They don't own nothing to each other. Taichi has nothing to offer at the wolf knight. They are fighting for the hand of princess Sora, for the right to be king. Maybe he should have let princes Takeru win, let him married his sister, let them ruled the kingdom, and maybe Yamato would come to him after, to comfort him, to offer him a life without the light and the nobility. A life far away of the look of God, who was chosen him to be king, to be the light, to married a woman and ruled the world.
"Praised the true God on heaven"
Hikari's voice raised above his thoughts.
"Holy light of the mysteries and the sacred gifts"
Her sister was healing him as so many times before.
"Our only salvation agains the terrible monsters from the infinitive desert. Show us the pat, heal your son, rise your fury against your enemies and show mercy at your always loyal people"
The warm sensation come to Taichi, but it was slow, much more slower that the times before.
Hikari look at him, her fierce eyes was all that Taichi could look of her thrown her enlightening sister's habit.
"Stop sinning" said the enlightened sister "focus on the light, you own everything to the true god"
The true God, the shield agains the evil, the sword of the believers, the light on the darkness, the will of the sisters and brothers of light. The sisters and brothers that had raised him. The God that had given him victory so many times, the will that live on her sister, at who Taichi had seen blooming flowers, heal the sicks, bless the armor that he wear, that armor that never scratch. God had give him a purpose, a glorious pat that he can't throw away for some beautiful blue eyes. Yamato Ishida was a sin that God had put in from of him to taste him.
He will not fail.
"Praised the true god in heaven"
Hikari glows, her eyes, her skin, her hands blessing his brother, herself was devoted at the true god of light. The light Knight will not be defeated.
Yamato had promised his brother that he can win over Taichi Yagami. He could be king, king of all, even Taichi's king. He can make his own name above the nobility, even the Yagami's house. Then he could be next to his brother, his mother would be able to speak to him, the knight of light will no longer watch him over the shoulder and his father would be no longer a merchant.
Be King. Take a wife, ruled the kingdom. His son and daughters will be nobility, they will be rise along Takeru's. He wants all of that. Doesn't him? All that he had tried before had failed, not his knight title had pleased his mother, not his duty time on the valley had richest his father, not even kill on the name of his friend had been enough to keep them close, not his teaching to his brother had protect him. But Taichi, with so little time and he had come close to him. At some how he has to had the answers, they had to fight, that would clean his mind.
He took a deep breath, collect his forces and rise himself of the little bed. He must fight.
"Are you returning like that?"
Yamato looked at the Sea King on the door of his room.
"Joe, I'm fine, really, I just need..."
The pain on his rib stoped Yamato's words.
"Please Yamato, I know you long enough to know you are faking, and I know how good warrior Iori is."
"That little menace" Yamato complained "He almost got me so many times"
"Well, you made it look like it was easy defeated him"
Yamato laughed a little while he let his old friend reviewed his scars.
"You shouldn't had to be doing this yourself, you are a King, Joe"
"Well, I don't see anyone else doing the job"
An awkward silence fill the room.
"Well I doesn't look terrible, a little patch and maybe a special syrup and you can come back and be King" Joe said without turning to Yamato's face "What's happening? are you okey? something else hurt"
"No, no... is nothing"
"Oh, damn" said Joe " That is the voice for when I said something terrible"
"Is nothing Joe, seriously"
"Please, you know I'm more than happy to help you"
Yamato answer with a smile. And don't complain when Joe sew his wounds with a boiled needle, put the burning alcohol over and surrender him with a clean bandaje.
"This must help with the pain" Joe said as given him a little bottle " the old Kido seaweed mixed"
"I wish I wouldn't know it this well" Yamato joked before drunk the little bottle.
"One last time Yamato, after this combat all your wounds will be cured by a high priest"
"I will always prefer my best friend"
The son of a merchant said thank you at the youngest son of his father best client and stand up.
"Next time I will call you, your highness " Said the Sea King as his best Knight go through the door.
Taichi returned to the arena. Shining and clean as always. With a combat fire over him, he has no doubt, he has no regrets. And there was Yamato, full of doubts and regrets.
Princess Ritsuko rang the bell.
Yamato attacked first, and Taichi resisted. The attacks were messy but not weak. The wolf knight has better technique than princess Takeru and he would not play to defend as with Iory. He wanted to attack.
Not of both move too much, they remains rooted at the mud floor, with the strength on their arms, crushing their swords.
The fight last long more that any fight that Taichi had had before, he started to sweat, to get desperate. All his moves were blocked and he blocks all the attacks. At the end that was a fight of resistance. His shining armor started to be heavy, the cheap thing that Yamato had looks lighter, his opponent was sweating less.
Taichi tried to push Yamato with his shield, but Yamato jumped all over him and get a clean shoot on his shoulder, Taichi breaks his guards and Yamato went for his feet. The Light Knight crushed the arena.
The enlightened sisters gasped and prayed over their champion.
The sword of Yamato was over his throat. Taichi blink, he had lost, over the watch of God, with all the prayed and the magic and the saints. The wolf Knight waited with the sword over the throat of a pale Taichi.
And the bell didn't ring.
Taichi stand up, there was blood over the hand that lost the shield and on the other his heavy sword.
The crowd acclaimed him. And he realized that only his father was cheering for Yamato, maybe the Sea King, maybe prince Takeru. But the son of a merchant wasn't charming enough to defy the faith of the light.
He had never lost, because he was part of the plan of God, because his magic sister was blessing his armor. And then, he saw Yamato's eyes, full of shame and envy; for a moment they look like the eyes of princes Takeru, crying and screaming over the lost combat. They were too much alike. They were close to each other. Yamato didn't know his mother, what kind of woman deny his son that became a Knight? for who that is a poor achievement?
Prince Ritsuko will not ring the bell until he will defeated Yamato. The Wolf Kight lost when Taichi won over prince Takeru. That was the true.
Yamato was a bastard of the nobility, a crime, a walking shame.
It wasn't god who want him on the throne. It wasn't god who had make him invincible. He owns nothing to god.
Taichi attacked with all his strength.
Yamato crashed the ground with his sword on hand. Taichi rise his own sword, heavy and shining.
The princess Ritsuko has his hand on the bell.
Taichi had his eyes on Yamato's. There was fear on the blue eyes, a sadness and resignation that Taichi could only recognized now but that would be there since the first day they met.
Taichi drops his sword and extended his hand to the Wolf Knight.
"Lets not choose a King by the bloodshed" exclaim the light Knight "Let me be your King and I would let you be my Knight" the eyes of Yamato sparks at the promise of Taichi "accept and I would give you a name and a place among the nobles, the children of your children would have a place in the palace and your name would be a name that the crown would remember with proud"
Yamato bend a kneel, put on his sword and inclined his head.
The fight was over and the bell was unrighted.
Princess Sora stand up and glace over her new husband who wasn´t dare to rise his eyes over her.