Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.

ThaiHun: Worthy Warrior

Kasem shifted on his feet, the armour too hot for a sunny day such as that. He was required by his sovereign to participate in this tournament. At least he wasn't like the poor souls covered in metal. Whenever he thought that the leather was too bad, he looked towards one of them and cheered himself that it could have been a lot worse.

His name was called, and he stepped towards the ring. His hand rested on his sword as his opponent took his position on the other side. He narrowed his eyes. It was one of the knights clad in metal, with a helm that made it impossible to see his face.

The signal rang for them to begin, and Kasem lunged, hoping to get first blood, although they were supposed to try to get it as non-lethal as possible, and the metal armour helped ensure that. He just wanted to gain the advantage as quickly as possible. Unfortunately, his opponent managed to block, and with the next strike, parried and managed to hit Kasem in the side.

He gritted his teeth, more out of frustration instead of pain. Technically speaking, first blood would have gone to his opponent. He needed to make sure that the other's advantage wasn't significant. But the longer the battle lasted, the more he realised that he was going to lose.

The moment came when his opponent managed to unarm him. The other thrust his sword under Kasem's chin, and he raised his hands in a gesture that signified that he would yield. The crowd cheered, though there was a bitter taste in Kasem's mouth. He felt as though he brought shame upon his people.

…

Later, when Kasem was roaming around the grounds, he saw something in the shadows of the woods surrounding the tournament grounds. He frowned, before he followed after this shadow, curious to know what it was. There, he could see a knight, and when he looked closer, he recognised the armour as that which belonged to his opponent.

He gritted his teeth as he took a step forward. He wanted to have a rematch with this warrior. But when the knight removed his helm, Kasem was frozen in shock.

He was a she.

Kasem watched as she started to remove her armour. She paused, before she removed a sack from a hiding place. Kasem watched her remove a simple gown, and when he realised what she was going to do, he couldn't continue watching. He cleared his throat and stepped closer, and she whirled around to face him, her eyes wide.

"So, the warrior that defeated me was a woman," Kasem said.

"I… I don't know what…" she said, looking around. "How long have you been there?"

"Long enough to see the truth."

The woman looked around, before she narrowed her eyes at him.

"What will it take to buy your silence?" she demanded.

"A rematch," he said, placing his hand on the hilt of his sword.

She scoffed.

"You've already lost to me once," she said, before smirking. "Are you going to bear the shame of losing to a woman a second time?"

Kasem narrowed his eyes and drew his sword. She looked at the blade for a moment before she sighed.

"Very well," she said, drawing her own sword. "I accept your challenge."

Sooner than Kasem would have liked, he was once again unarmed while she had her sword pointed at his throat.

"Now then, I assume I have your silence?" she asked.

Kasem pursed his lips and nodded. She smiled, before she gestured for him to leave. However, there was still something that he needed to know.

"Why are you out here, getting dressed?" he asked.

She snorted.

"I can't exactly have people seeing me going into a room as a knight and leaving as a lady," she said. "Besides, women aren't allowed to participate. I thought you'd know that."

"Right… You must be from one of those kingdoms with backwards customs," he said.

She paused for a moment before she shook her head.

"You were upset about losing to a woman," she said. "Don't be a hypocrite now."

"It doesn't bother me that you're a woman," Kasem said. "A lot of my comrades are women. I'm more annoyed over the fact that I lost. In general. Twice to the same opponent."

She snickered at that.

"So, you're just a sore loser?" she teased.

His cheeks darkened and he cleared his throat.

"In any case, I don't believe I caught your name," he said. "I am Kasem."

"…I'm Elizaveta," she said. "Now, if you're going to stay here, could you at least turn around?"

His cheeks darkened further as he remembered why she was there in the first place, and he quickly turned around. He could hear the sound of metal and cloth moving, and he wanted to kick himself for his rudeness.

"Is there a chance for us to have another rematch?" he asked.

"What?" she questioned. "Do you want to lose to me again?"

"I'm going to best you."

"And then what?"

"I just want the satisfaction of knowing that I grew strong enough to defeat the person that defeated me."

She was silent for a while. Kasem wanted to turn around to study her face, but he didn't want to accidentally see more of her body than was allowed.

"Meet me here tomorrow night," she said. "Two hours after the sun sets."

"Very well," Kasem said. "Until then, enjoy the rest of your evening."

And he started to walk away, wondering what was going through her head.

…

The tournament continued for the next week. Kasem took part several more times, but never against Elizaveta again. He quickly learned that she was some noblewoman, though it was clear that she was not suited for such a role. She looked bored while being around the other nobles. And then she would disappear for a while, and Kasem would watch her compete under the guise of Sir Daniel.

Every night, they would duel and he would try to defeat her, but she was always stronger and faster. Kasem couldn't help but wonder how she managed to reach a skill level like that. He thought that he was skilled, but she was far superior.

On the fifth night, Elizaveta huffed after she defeated him yet again.

"Face it, you're never going to defeat me," she said. "So, I think it's best that we stop this."

"Why?" Kasem asked. "Are you saying that you don't enjoy my company? Because I'm certainly having fun."

"…What?"

"Sure, at first, it was just a matter of pride, but the more time I spent with you, the more I started to like you. I think the rematches are just an excuse to spend time together." They did spend the time after each duel to converse a little. "So, would you be opposed to the idea of me formally trying to court you?"

"To do what? Be your lovely little wife?"

"Think about it, my kingdom has no problem with woman knights. And it would be a shame to let a skilled warrior such as yourself fade away in the background. So, what do you say?"

Elizaveta crossed her arms and stared at him for a long while.

"At the very least, it should make my parents happy," she said. "I have a tendency to chase off any potential suitors, just so you know. Are you up for that challenge?"

"Without a doubt," Kasem said. "So then… A formal courtship tomorrow where your parents can see, and then tomorrow night the usual time?"

Elizaveta giggled.

"I think we can make things work," she said.

This idea came about while reading a book about King Arthur and his knights, and let's just say, the way the book was written, and the story itself… It will be slow reading. After a semester where we had to look at folk tales, reading anything in that style grinds my gears a little, but I want to read the Arthurian legends.

And this obviously takes place in a fictional world. I've been doing some planning for fantasy novels, so I have a lot of this in mind.