《Silent Song Saga》


 The Pseudo-Princess and The Wayzard

    Since dawn, countless warriors had arrived in the city and found their way to the hollow amphitheater of Illbyi. The Sumanar capital was bustling with activity and already decorated for the festivities of the upcoming tournament. When the warriors entered their names, they were assigned camping space on the border of the capital closest to the amphitheater. As dusk fell, the registration period for the tournament closed, and shortly after, the Evening Song banished magic from the city. Yet, visitors still arrived with their anticipation and their constant, nagging noise.


    Ceilsea Brijas, a resident of the royal palace, noted the noise with annoyance. While the stone walls surrounding her private courtyard blocked most of the racket, she could not help but be distracted by the chatter. She felt the occasional stray spell from the crowd. They should not have been casting after the Evening Song. She struggled to focus on her sculpting. As the noise continued, her thoughts wandered. Finally, she climbed down from her perch and stood back, examining her work to gauge if she had made any progress in the last five hours.


    The enormous slab of stone was only partially cut to size. The claws of what would eventually be a griffin were carved with satisfactory detail. They truly looked as if the sinew beneath the stone was flexing. The beak and the head were emerging, but she was struggling to find the details within her memory to bring them to life. Instead she chipped away at the rough outlines of the pose, wanting the creature to feel powerful as it lunged forward, terror blossoming from beauty.


    ¡°Ready to be paraded around for the glory of Sumanar?¡± The voice coming from within her walls was still a distraction, but unlike the rest, it was welcome. As she turned to face her brother, Rivonae, he bowed in an exaggerated fashion, and finished, ¡°The Pseudo-Princess must be seen, after all.¡±


    Ceilsea, with her hands still full, put her hammer on one hip and her chisel on the other. She knew he was joking, but she hated that nickname. She sighed, ¡°What do you think? I haven¡¯t dared venture out of the castle all day. I¡¯m hoping to avoid whispers and fake flattery for as long as possible. Not to mention the chaos of the crowds.¡±


    Rivonae, or Vonae as those close to him called him, gave her one of his crooked smiles as he rose from his bow. She was surprised to see how well he was dressed. Usually this late in the day, he would be in his light training clothes. Instead he wore a tunic that fell well past his knees and billowing trousers that he would never fight in. At his waist, he also had a wide cloth sash with his scabbard buried in it on the left. It was empty.


    About a year ago, he had handed his blade to the king after a failed mission. Vonae had vowed he would not hold a steel weapon again until he redeemed himself. However, he still served the crown as a wizard and trained younger warriors, like their younger sister and brother. The outfit, including the scabbard, was a clear signal of his station as a soldier and royal wizard. Every one of his long dark hairs was in its place and his green eyes shone. Their father, the High Wizard, must have gathered all the wizards to prepare them for their roles participating in or facilitating the upcoming tournament. Vonae would be doing the latter.


    ¡°It isn¡¯t that bad. ¡®That chaos¡¯ promises to be extraordinarily entertaining. At least to those of us that enjoy that sort of thing,¡± he commented walking towards her. Ceilsea made a face, in some instances she would have, but not this time.


    ¡°You aren¡¯t the great sculptor, the jewel of the kingdom, nun of the order of the cosmic honor. You¡¯re allowed to enjoy yourself. I¡¯m just here to be gawked at and fawned over,¡± Ceilsea countered. Her voice dripped with sarcasm as she instilled each title with the absurdly excessive reverence it deserved.


    Vonae strummed his fingers through the air gently, and Ceilsea stiffened. She felt the cascade of magic all over her body as the dust and grime from the stone she had been working on evaporated from her skin and clothes. The uncomfortable residue of the spell lingered like dried glue on her skin. She held still so her brother couldn¡¯t read her discomfort. He would not understand. She lamented that the Evening Song had already passed, the only thing that might rid her of the magic and the feeling.


    ¡°No one¡¯s going to fawn over you if you look like a hyena fresh from a dust bath. You¡¯re going to have to look presentable tomorrow if you don¡¯t want to hear it from mother and father¡­and maybe the king,¡± Vonae added after a second thought.


    ¡°His majesty is aware that I do not always look like a summer deity of culture and art. He understands that I work for a living. I am not his actual princess.¡± Ceilsea turned from her brother and brushed loose strands of her dark wavy hair out of her face.


    ¡°We are all glad of that, but mother and father will want you to be perfect to maintain the family image,¡± Vonae reminded her gently. Ceilsea knew these critiques were not coming from him.


    ¡°Who brought attention to our family in the first place?¡± Ceilsea muttered. Her sculptures had been what bought her family into prominence. They were why her father was the head of the royal wizards; why her mother and brother became royal wizards almost automatically. Despite being the only non-magical child, Ceilsea was the most successful of her siblings.


    ¡°Everything will be back to normal before you know it. Try to find a little fun in it all, rather than focus on all the unwanted attention,¡± Vonae suggested.


    Even though she still felt apprehensive, she gave him a playful smile. ¡°What¡¯s so fun about watching men beat each other bloody with swords and magic?¡±


    Vonae bowed deeply again with an exaggerated flourish of his arm. ¡°I¡¯d love to explain it to you, but I actually came to ask if you would be so kind as to accompany me to the Champion¡¯s Ball tomorrow.¡±The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.


    ¡°Did father put you up to this? Is he making you my official wizard bodyguard?¡±


    ¡°Perhaps. Who knows what people will try to get to you. Father wants to make sure everything goes perfectly for his perfectly popular daughter.¡± Vonae teased. When he noted Ceilsea¡¯s hesitation, he added more seriously, ¡°You¡¯ll get more freedom if you stick with me.¡±


    ¡°Then I gladly accept your escort.¡±


    He kissed her hand, even though it still held a chisel. He rose and kissed her cheek as well.  ¡°Goodnight, Ceilsea. I hope you go to bed rather than ruin my spellwork. You need to make it to breakfast in a timely fashion tomorrow morning. Mother and father will want to speak to you before the festivities begin.¡±


    Ceilsea snorted as her brother left. Though the din of the visitors could still be heard over the courtyard wall, she was alone again. The light was fading quickly and though she had sculpted by candlelight before, perhaps her brother was right. Still, she felt the urge to stall tomorrow¡¯s arrival.


    The pressure and the performance were the worst parts of her success. If it was just the art, she would be content, but she had to support her family and appease her patron, the King of Sumanar. She had never liked the capital. Since she was sixteen, all she¡¯d known was artificial emotions, intangible constraints, and the palace walls. Illybi had too many people and too much magic. Nothing ever changed. The stagnation of her life showed in her sculptures, which had steadily felt hollower and stiffer over the years. She knew the longer she was trapped, the worse it would get.


    She looked up at the unfinished griffin again. If she could leave the palace and its politics, she could actually watch a griffin and make the stone spark with life. If she could see the world and be inspired, she would be able to focus no matter what kinds of crowds bustled around her. She could improve her techniques past what even she or her old masters could have imagined. That was exactly why she had been planning her escape for months.


    Even though they were close, she could not confide in Rivonae. He would try to stop her. She had to leave when everyone was distracted with the tournament. It was the only time she could slip away and people would assume she was avoiding the attention. Her family believed she was dreading this week. They wouldn¡¯t look for her if they thought she was hiding. By the time they noticed she was gone, it would be too late to stop her.


    She felt guilty, taking advantage of the king¡¯s kindness. For the past few weeks, she had been conveniently ¡®¡®losing¡¯¡¯ her tools so he would replace them. She had stashed the old tools under a bush in the courtyard. When she left, she would have a full set to continue her work while leaving no evidence she was gone. She had collected clothes and food that would not spoil. Now it was a matter of finding the perfect time to slip away. She would miss Vonae and the king, but it had to be done for her art and her happiness.


    Suddenly, there was a thud behind her, quickly followed by the sour notes of a wronged instrument. There was a rustle of clothes as someone moved. She would have ignored it, but it came from within her courtyard. Why couldn¡¯t the tournament goers be content turning the amphitheater into a zoo? Did they have to invade her private courtyard as well? She turned.


    ¡°Damnit. Nothing had better be broken or I swear¡­¡± a stranger muttered, but not quiet enough to keep Ceilsea from hearing. As they stumbled to their feet from their knees, she realized the stranger did not know she was there.


    Even though it was dark, she could see the general outline of the figure. They were small, no bigger than her own stout stature.  The cloth around their chest was sinched by a band, a sign that she should not assume their gender. Their silhouette was made bigger by a large bag and a collection of large objects hanging from their belt. Ceilsea saw the outline of a sword, a xylophone sash, and a violin bow. The unseen violin had been what had made the noise when they fell. The stranger was a wayzard, the musical rival to wizard warriors like her brother.


    ¡°Did you just climb over my wall?¡± Ceilsea straightened to appear more confident. With the towering statue of the griffin behind her, she was sure this stranger would know who she was.


    ¡°The door was locked, and I wrongly assumed no one would be in here,¡± the stranger replied curtly, unfazed by her presence. They took their bag and rifled through it.


    ¡°This is the royal palace. You are entering without invitation¡­¡± Ceilsea continued waiting for them to recognize her.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t the king the one putting on the tournament? That¡¯s kind of an invitation,¡± the stranger muttered, still paying more attention to checking their bag than to her.


    ¡°There¡¯s a designated area for the tournament contestants to camp. Shall I get someone to guide you there?¡± she asked, crossing her arms.


    ¡°It¡¯s too crowded and¡­open. I couldn¡¯t sleep there." Still intent on digging through their bag, they tried to bargain with her, "Look, just don¡¯t tell anyone you saw me. I promise I¡¯ll be out before dawn.¡±


    Even though the light was fading, once they raised their head Ceilsea could tell they were a foreigner. Their shadowy black eyes and dark, thick, wiry hair was not Samanarian. Their skin was darker than most of the golden hues that patterned the streets of Illbyi. They looked Xerisian. As she studied them, the stranger¡¯s expression remained neutral, and their eyes blank, showing no recognition.


    ¡°You don¡¯t know who I am, do you?¡± Ceilsea guessed, with a little bit of amusement.


    ¡°No. Should I? I¡¯ll sleep under the bushes. I promise no one else will see me,¡± the stranger continued without pausing.


    ¡°Fine.¡± Ceilsea relented. It would be more trouble to assert her power than it was worth. ¡°As long as you avoid that corner.¡± She pointed to where her stash was hidden. ¡°And tell me your name.¡±


    ¡°Do I have to?¡±


    Their lack of propriety made Ceilsea smile, ¡°You may not care who I am, but I am letting you sleep here out of the goodness of my heart so if you don¡¯t want me to alert anyone--¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s Shaelis. Shaelis Child.¡±


    ¡°Master, Mistress, Mestren?¡±


    ¡°Mestren. Do you feel any more informed than you did before?¡± They asked, hoisting their bag back on their back.


    ¡°It¡¯s not about the usefulness of the information, but how much it amuses me,¡± Ceilsea responded, aware that Vonae had said something similar earlier. It was proof her and Vonae had the same playful streak. Even she couldn¡¯t tell whether they mirrored each other innately or because they spent too much time together.


    ¡°Alright¡­¡± the stranger seemed put off by that remark. ¡°If that satisfies you, I¡¯m grateful because I can¡¯t offer you anything else. Well, except this.¡±


    The stranger whistled a short string of notes. Ceilsea immediately felt the tight, tacky layer of her brother¡¯s magic dissipate from her skin. How had they known she had magic on her? There was only one explanation.


    Shaelis turned towards the bushes..

 New Acquaintances and Familiar Family

    ¡°Wait!¡± Ceilsea blurted out. Her mind cycled through things she hadn¡¯t consciously thought about in a long time. When she was little, her parents quickly realized she didn¡¯t have magic like her brother. However, they never realized she could feel it. Every spell, even a little strum, felt different. Surface level spells, like Vonae¡¯s cleaning, felt like an annoyance, an uncomfortable layer of slime or silt on her skin. Spells on the surroundings felt like a pulsing, a pressing, a force, she struggled to ignore. And spells directly on her felt like worms and thorns digging into her flesh. No matter what it felt like, she hated it, and as far as she could tell, no one else felt magic the way she did.


    Magic, also known as silent song, was poisonous to humans, but its residue was often invisible and undetectable. Without proper precautions, stagnant magic could sicken and even kill people. It couldn¡¯t just be left to sit and gather. Wayzards, trained musicians, could dispel magic because it moved the same way as sound. Playing music disrupted the vibrations of magic and eliminated its residues and harmful effects.


    Most wayzards were not able to tell what magic had been cast after the effects of the spell faded. Due to this, they memorized the songs that had been passed down through generations. Only the best wayzards could change their music to stop spells mid effect, but even they relied on traditional songs. This stranger had just perfectly dispelled the magic on her with only five notes.


    ¡°What?¡± Shaelis asked, clearly not finding anything out of the ordinary.


    ¡°You can feel magic,¡± Ceilsea stated.


    ¡°Yeah, you too?¡± Shaelis replied as if it was common knowledge.


    ¡°I¡¯ve never met anyone else who could feel magic,¡± Ceilsea continued.


    When she was young, she wasn¡¯t resentful that she didn¡¯t have the gift of silent song. She couldn¡¯t imagine living with that invasive feeling all the time. She embraced her life outside of magic. Getting away from her family¡¯s constant magic was part of what drove her to sculpting. Bringing images out of the stone gave her the joy she always assumed wizards felt casting. That¡¯s why she had always felt faulty for finding magic repulsive.


    ¡°You¡¯re not a wayzard?¡± Shaelis asked.


    ¡°No, I¡­ sculpt.¡± She admitted, thinking that would give her identity away, but Shaelis continued unphased.


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s probably why you¡¯ve never met anyone else who could feel magic. If I were you, I¡¯d keep sculpting, being a wayzard who can feel silent song is just asking for pain,¡± Shaelis commented, heading toward the bushes as if that ended the conversation.


    ¡°How do you know its¡­ magic?¡± she asked, which probably sounded stupid, but it¡¯s something she often asked herself when she questioned if her abilities were real.


    ¡°You just feel it, like hot and cold, and you recognize it as magic. Not everyone can feel it, but we can. Don¡¯t think about it too hard,¡± they told her.


    ¡°I suppose it would give you an advantage in the tournament.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s more trouble than it¡¯s worth.¡±


    Ceilsea¡¯s eyes lingered on the stranger¡¯s back. She couldn¡¯t think of anything more to ask. It was strange that, after twenty-four years of living she finally found someone like her. However, it was obvious they couldn¡¯t be more different. Like music and magic, they might travel the same wavelengths but not together.


    Night had completely fallen, and Ceilsea could stall no longer. She left Shaelis to their business and replaced her tools in their stand. She headed back into the castle, to her bed. At least it was hers for a few more days. She was sure she would never see Shaelis again.


    The next morning, Ceilsea woke to sunlight shining through her thin, tall window. She appreciated the carved stone around the windows. The rest of the room was covered in colorful, patterned hangings, rugs, and pottery. The pale stone of the window was simple and delicate; calm amidst chaos. After a few minutes of staring at the stonework, Ceilsea finally rose from her bed.


    She took her time getting dressed. Heeding her brother¡¯s warning, she made sure she was presentable today. Earlier in the morning, she''d received a summons to see the king after breakfast. Ceilsea knew his majesty often had trouble sleeping.  He¡¯d probably been sitting at his desk in the wee hours sending missives and handling business as if it was day. While others might have been abruptly summoned at his whims, his message to her had been gentle and patient.


    In the note, he apologized for waking her and stated that she had been on his mind. He wished to speak to her about upcoming events. He set the time as mid-morning, which he knew was amicable to her normal sleep schedule, and told her to meet him in his private office away from the public eye.  He treated her more like a daughter than a servant at his beck and call.


    Ceilsea slowly took in her wardrobe. When she was not carving in her work clothes, what she would wear was always a puzzle. Because of her reputation, she was expected to appear as a princess or a noble, covered in beautifully colored and patterned layers of finery. In truth, she only had two outfits that matched the extravagance of the court. She had a handful of other mixed and matched pieces that she could rearrange to make ensembles that appeared rich in artistry, if not in quality. The Brijas family, in general, could afford to appear in a way that matched their station, as affluent commoners, but Ceilsea was held at a higher standard. Every day was a struggle to appear wealthier and more cultured than she actually was. The tournament, where she would constantly be in the public eye would only make that challenge harder.This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.


    After a moment of consideration, she layered on some plain trousers, a mid-calf length tunic, and a short jacket, but chose an intricate sash as well as a good quality kaftan to wear over it all. She chose bright colored patterns all containing blue, pink, and green, because the King preferred the youthful glow it gave her. She buttoned the kaftan up to her chest and left the top open. Leaving some of the buttons undone gave her arms at least some range of motion, which was all she could ask for in this clothing. Finally, she wrapped her head with a veil. After dressing, she headed to the breakfast room.


    As soon as she reached the dining room, Ceilsea immediately regretted not sleeping in.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry that I believed logic would prevail and you would be supportive by now!¡± Miennere, Ceilsea¡¯s younger sister by almost eight years, stood over the dining table. She slammed her hands on the table in frustration. ¡°Since it has not, I had to take action on my own!¡±


    Ceilsea stayed on the opposite side of the table from her parents and her sister, finding a seat between Vonae and her younger brother, Yippinee. Yippinee was sliding lower into his chair, looking like he was trying to disappear, and Vonae was calmly eating. He would be dragged into this argument, but for now he was quiet.


    ¡°We did not forbid you from entering the tournament because we thought it would encourage you to rebel. We didn¡¯t think you would actually go through with it,¡± their mother lamented with a sigh.


    Ceilsea grabbed a pastry, pieces of cheese, and olives from the center of the table and began filling her mouth immediately so that she would not be called upon to speak.


    ¡°I told you I wanted to participate! What are you going to do, tell the king to order my name off of the roster?¡± Miennere had a small, shorter stature like Ceilsea, but she was much wirier from years of training with weapons and magic. She was dressed lightly with plain fabrics that Ceilsea envied. She could get away with wearing it though. Miennere was seen first as a wizard, not a woman.


    ¡°Of course not,¡± their father grumbled, not wanting to yell first thing in the morning. ¡°However, you will not receive any support from your family. We told you that we did not want you to enter.¡±


    ¡°Vonae!¡± Miennere turned to her older brother and mentor and pleaded. Both Ceilsea and Yipinee tried to hide it, but they too glanced at Rivonae.


    The eldest of the siblings took his time finishing his bite of cheese, leaving a moment of silence in the tense room. He swallowed and answered, ¡°Don¡¯t expect me to take your side. I won¡¯t keep training you as long as you pursue this. I warned you weeks ago.¡±


    ¡°But you also said my swordwork was promising!¡± Miennere said.


    ¡°Which is exactly why I won¡¯t support your campaign to throw your life away. You entered the tournament despite knowing we all disapproved. Now you have to live with the consequences.¡± Vonae leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms.


    ¡°But¡­but someone has to since you¡¯re not¡ª¡±


    ¡°So, you¡¯re protecting the family¡¯s honor now?¡± Vonae snapped, moving his leg and jostling the empty hilt at his hip.


    ¡°No¡­.¡±


    ¡°The family¡¯s honor is fine,¡± Ceilsea broke in as she finished off an olive. Her actions had a greater effect on the family¡¯s reputation. Her siblings should be able to do whatever they wanted without much consequence, Miennere included. Ceilsea continued, ¡°Miennere, you¡¯re going have to accept that if you want this, you will have to do it on your own. None of us should worry though, because you¡¯re not going to win.¡±


    ¡°True,¡± Vonae breathed, relaxing slightly.


    ¡°So it¡¯s settled,¡± Ceilsea concluded.


    Tears burned in Miennere¡¯s eyes as she glared at her sister. ¡°I hate you,¡± she whispered with venom, and then rushed from the room.


    There was silence in Miennere¡¯s wake. Even as Yippinee sat straighter and their parent¡¯s continued eating, there was still tension in the air. Each family member lost in their own thoughts on the situation. Ceilsea was musing about how she was almost grateful that Miennere was acting out. It meant her parents and Vonae would be paying attention to her. It would make Ceilsea¡¯s escape easier. She tried not to think about all the trouble she would cause them when they realized she was gone.


    Finishing the food she had taken, Ceilsea cleared her throat, ¡°Excuse me, but I have to meet with his highness now.¡± That was a lie. It was too early, but she was not going to sit there in awkward silence. Her chair scraped against the stone floor as she stood.


    ¡°He probably wants to discuss your schedule for the week,¡± Ceilsea¡¯s mother said, because she could never hold back from commenting on her children¡¯s lives. ¡°You must attend most of the major events. You won¡¯t have as much time to work and laze as you usually would.¡±


    ¡°She knows, mother. She¡¯s not opposed to attending social functions. She¡¯s just not fond of them,¡± Vonae rebutted, coming to his sister¡¯s rescue.


    ¡°I¡¯ll certainly accommodate his desires as much as I can,¡± Ceilsea added, exiting without waiting for a reply.


    Unlike her parents, the king would never ask for her presence only to talk about work or business. The king talked to Ceilsea to relax, and Ceilsea was happy to oblige most of the time. He would ask how she was doing or what inspiration had struck her that week. But he was a busy man so she could not take up too much of his time. As there was still time before their scheduled meeting, she had to find something else to entertain her.


    She descended to her courtyard remembering the strange encounter from last night. Shaelis had said they would be gone before dawn, but she wondered if that was true. In the sunlight, the partially sculpted griffin looked even more unfinished and disappointing. She called out to Shaelis and looked around the shrubs, but all she saw was her stash of tools and supplies. They had already left. It was probably for the best, but she was disappointed for some reason. Rather than waste any more time on a stranger, she headed to the library to look at the maps to plan her escape while she waited to see the king.

 Daughter of Wizards

    "Then, of course. If I win, you can come with me to the empire,¡± Shae said, ¡°Just promise me, you will put everything back and forget about running away.¡±


    ¡°If I promise that, there¡¯s no ¡®if¡¯ to you winning. You have to win,¡± she told them.


    ¡°Deal.¡± Shae put out their hand surprising her yet again with their confidence.


    ¡°Deal.¡± she replied, shaking it firmly.


    For some reason, she believed them. It felt almost impossible for an unknown, amateur fighter to become the Champion of Sumanar, but if Shae could do that, Ceilsea could certainly wait a little longer. She had never met someone who understood her, but Shae shared her ability to feel magic and  understood her pain as a stifled artist. For the first time in a long time, she felt inspiration well up inside herself. She knew who she was going to carve to commemorate the tournament.


    To placate Shae, Ceilsea took all her traveling supplies back up to her room that night. She couldn¡¯t think of a way to explain the reappearance of the sculpting tools, so she stashed them under her bed.


    Ceilsea struggled to sleep that night. Images of the sculpture of Shae played in her head. She pictured their small, delicate frame lunging at an opponent. Legends didn¡¯t describe heroes like them, but to Ceilsea, it was the only image that could truly represent this event. There was an intensity behind their dark eyes that captured the stakes of the tournament, and more importantly, their prowess with music represented a side of an ancient struggle that had not triumphed for hundreds of years. Music kept the dangers of silent song at bay, but most people had forgotten its importance. Shae could be the catalyst to remind them of the importance of music. Ceilsea delighted at the challenge¡ªtranslating melody to stone. When she had thought she alone felt magic, she¡¯d ignored her discomfort, but now she knew another person who felt what she did, she had to try to include a representation of it in the sculpture of Shae. As she pondered how to hint at all these hidden depths¡ªin a stance, in a symbol, in an expression¡ªshe finally fell asleep.


    The next morning, Ceilsea spent a few hours sketching her new ideas. She couldn¡¯t believe she had agreed to stay until the end of the tournament. She didn¡¯t plan to stay any longer than she had to, and she didn¡¯t want to get comfortable. However, she had promised Shae she wouldn¡¯t do anything drastic. Finally, Ceilsea dragged herself out of bed, and headed down to her courtyard. She half expected Shae to already be gone, but she was pleasantly surprised when she found them on the far side of her griffin. They immediately straightened from whatever they had been crouched over.


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you leave before someone else catches you here?¡± Ceilsea half teased.


    ¡°I just wanted to make sure you weren¡¯t having any second thoughts on our deal, so I waited,¡± they replied, already picking up their pack. They left something behind on the foot of the griffin. ¡°I know it¡¯s easy for your thoughts to spiral when you feel trapped.¡±


    Ceilsea thought it was interesting how concerned they were for her. She never had someone other than Vonae care so much about her, without being interested in her art. She understood it was self-serving, feeling like they were saving her from their mistakes, but this seemed like more effort than most people would put in to help a person they¡¯d only known for a few days.


    Lucky for them, Ceilsea¡¯s mind had been circling a different problem since last night. ¡°After years here, another week to see if you win isn¡¯t going to kill me.¡±


    ¡°Alright, then I¡¯ll go,¡± Shae said. ¡°I¡­um¡­ had some leftover food if you needed breakfast.¡±


    Now that they stepped away, Ceilsea could see the crumbling chunks of bread and cheese they¡¯d left on sculpture. She realized they might have been trying to share a meal with her, but she¡¯d slept in too long.


    She furrowed her brow. ¡°Do you really think the pseudo-princess can¡¯t get better than stale bread to eat?¡±


    She tried to hide her smile when they looked flustered. ¡°I don¡¯t know. I was just trying to¡­I thought it would be strange to wait for you empty handed.¡±


    They were trying to show they cared, but they didn¡¯t have much to give. This was more than about making sure she didn¡¯t run away. They wanted to spend time with her and share what little they had. Apparently Ceilsea wasn¡¯t the only one thinking all night about they¡¯re conversation¡ªconnection¡ªfrom last night.


    This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    She walked over and picked up the food. Nibbling on a few crumbs of the cheese, she handed it back to Shae. ¡°I mean, I do tend to forget eating, but I can get whatever I want from the kitchens if I need to. I don¡¯t need to take from you.¡±


    Shae stared at the food but then took it back shoving it in one of the pockets of their bag. ¡°This is probably from the same kitchens anyway. I took as much as I could from the banquet tables they had in the city before the tournament began.¡±


    Ceilsea remembered the Champion¡¯s ball had included providing food and entertainment throughout the city, provided by the King. She had even taken a little when she went out exploring with Vonae. She suddenly felt guilty for taking it away from people who probably needed it more than her.


    ¡°That¡¯s all you have?¡± she asked, a little shocked.


    ¡°For now. I have a little money left to spend on food,¡± they said, patting another pocket in their bag. ¡°I usually perform to get more, but I have to be careful. It¡¯s best to do it when I¡¯m leaving a place. Not that it matters here. I perform everyday. I¡¯m just not getting paid.¡±


    At least they would get paid when they performed the evening song tomorrow. Living on the run was harder than Ceilsea had thought. She would have to be more conscious of Shae¡¯s situation.


    ¡°Next time, I¡¯ll treat you to breakfast and you can take as much as you want,¡± she told them and then started following them to the exit. ¡°Can I walk you partway to the campgrounds?¡± Ceilsea wanted to make sure they knew she appreciated their offer of food, even if she couldn¡¯t accept it.


    ¡°If you want,¡± they said with a shrug.


    ¡°I¡¯m headed in that direction anyway. My parents will want to make sure I didn¡¯t ruin anything at the reception last night,¡± she told them. She hadn¡¯t planned to do that first thing, but at some point today, she¡¯d have to do it. Her mother and father would probably be working near the amphitheater on the tournament most of the day. One of them should be free to talk to her briefly.


    As soon as she stepped out of the palace, she was met with stares and whispers from passersby. Word of her identity as the pseudo-princess must have spread to the festival goers after she sat in the royal box yesterday. Most people went about their business after a quick glance, but there was always a group or two openly discussing her. Vonae and her father would have told her she needed a guard to go into the city right now, but she was sure she¡¯d be safe with Shae. Shae noticed the extra attention but tried to ignore it.


    Ceilsea took them close to the amphitheater, which negated some of the attention. Before the tournament began for the day, the area was restricted to tournament workers and participants. Nobody would stop the pseudo-princess, even if she technically wasn¡¯t part of the tournament. Festival officiants popped in and out of the tents lining the top edge. Passing guards acknowledged her and noted Shae.


    ¡°Do they always watch you this closely?¡± Shae whispered to her.


    ¡°Not usually this much, I suppose. Even if I wasn¡¯t the pseudo-princess, I¡¯m still the daughter of the High Wizard. All the wizards here report to him,¡± Ceilsea explained. She was pretty accustomed to being watched anywhere that wasn¡¯t her courtyard.


    She walked closer to the edge with Shae. Compared to the ruckus yesterday, the amphitheater was eerily quiet and empty now. Bits of food and discarded belongings littered the area, but servants were picking up the debris. Ceilsea wondered why her mother was not present, until she felt the large spell discharge as the structures that separated the arenas below shifted. Shae flinched beside her.


    Ceilsea¡¯s mother specialized in urban magics. She helped build, fix, and shift buildings as well as clean streets and control crowds and traffic flow. Usually, the cleaning of the amphitheater would be left to her, but it seemed the arenas needed more tweaking after their first official use. Perhaps too much music or magic had bled in-between the fights or maybe people had complained the partitions blocked the view of the sparring.


    Ceilsea had seen her mother do amazing feats of magic, including shifting the capital¡¯s walls to envelope a new neighborhood and move an entire building. On a daily basis, she mainly just fixed cracks in the local stonework or cleaned busy streets. She also did a lot of cleaning and small fixes at home in the palace. Ceilsea had forgotten her mother must have contributed to most of the tournament¡¯s facilities. It was no wonder, Ceilsea thought as she watched the edges of the arenas move, that she had originally been a disappointment to her parents. She couldn¡¯t do a fraction of what her parents could. Her mother could cut and shape stone quicker than Ceilsea, but with none of the eye for detail and artistic touch.


    ¡°The walls don¡¯t help limit the interference much when they''re covered in magic themselves,¡± Shae commented, watching the scene below just like her. ¡°Though I suppose you know that.¡±


    ¡°Does that magic get in the way?¡± she asked. She hadn¡¯t really noticed anything yesterday.


    ¡°Other than an annoying distraction for me? Some of the dispelling songs from the other wayzards end up hitting the walls, and then they wonder why they take longer to work to dismantle the active spells,¡± Shaelis told her. ¡°I know there¡¯s no point in complaining since they don¡¯t know. I just try to dispel it before we start.¡±


    Ceilsea recalled Vonae¡¯s comments yesterday about Shae¡¯s swordwork. He had not been impressed. She understood it must be hard to focus on swinging a sword with magic pressing around you constantly, but maybe, Ceilsea should learn what Vonae thought Shaelis¡¯ weaknesses were. Then they could address them early in the competition. As the closest thing Ceilsea had to an expert, Vonae¡¯s thoughts were important. She wanted Shae to win after all.

 The High Wizard

    She continued watching her mother work for a moment. She was probably too busy to speak with her daughter, and it was easier to talk to her father anyway. Ceilsea just had to find him.


    ¡°This is where we will have to part ways,¡± Ceilsea told Shae who had continued watching her mother undistracted.


    ¡°Why? Did I do something wrong?¡± Shae asked, jerked out of their focus and looked worried.


    ¡°No, but I¡¯m going to find my father. Do you really want to meet the High Wizard?¡± she asked, already knowing the answer.


    ¡°Nope. Wizards are always buzzing with magic,¡± they commented, which was true. Ceilsea¡¯s father even fixed his hair with magic.


    ¡°I¡¯ll see you this evening?¡± Ceilsea confirmed and Shae nodded their agreement.


    Shae quickly disappeared into the crowd.


    Ceilsea stopped one of the wizards to ask where her father was. They pointed her toward the first aid tent. Ceilsea could have guessed, but now she had better directions.


    Her father had always been a generalist in magic, but on top of his magic studies, her father had spent years studying the human body. He had trained Rivonae and Jala in the basics of combat magic before encouraging them to develop their own styles different from his. According to Rivonae, their father¡¯s fighting style incorporated a lot of non-flashy but effective manipulations of the opponent¡¯s body, causing temporary pain or paralysis.  He could also amplify speed or strength in himself, though that was harder to pull off. Unsurprisingly, their father was extremely adept in healing magics as well. His knowledge sometimes rivaled physicians, both magical and non-magical. In huge events like the tournament anyone with skill was enlisted to help. Her father had more experience with combat injuries than anyone else, so it was not surprising he¡¯d had been helping in the first aid tent below.


    As Ceilsea descended into the arena, an enormous long tent stood along the edge opposite the royal box. Ceilsea had seen the fighters enter and exit there as they cycled through the circuits. There was a shadowy open area behind the tent. Both spaces were for the fighters to warm up, train, and wait for their turn to fight. In the back farthest corner, which had to be lit by lamp light even with the sun high in the sky, stood the tent Ceilsea had been directed to.


    Walking in, Ceilsea was blasted with the crushing pressure of active magics and an overpowering medicinal smell. The first aid tent should not have been this full from the fighting, but people had probably been injured outside of the tournament as well. Some would be here to have small injuries treated and return to the fights, while others had worse injuries and needed additional treatment after yesterday¡¯s Evening Song. Her father was in the middle of the tent casting on a woman¡¯s twisted leg.


    ¡°Father,¡± she approached and spoke slowly so as to not startle him. ¡°Good morning.¡±


    ¡°Ah, Ceilsea, good morning, just give me a minute,¡± he said unbothered. His fingers moved minutely in sharp contrast to her mother¡¯s grand gestures and flailing strumming outside. Even though Ceilsea did not think he should talk while casting, he continued with the obvious question, ¡°How was the reception last night?¡±


    Ceilsea glanced at the woman he was treating. She was clearly concerned with her leg, but she could still hear this conversation. Not to mention, every other person in the room, patient or physician, had seen her enter and could listen in. Even though she had expected it, she was disappointed. If her father actually cared about her true thoughts and not just her diplomatic answer, he would have asked in private.


    ¡°It was fine, nothing special,¡± she answered, tailoring her response to the possible prying ears. It also signaled to her father nothing he needed to worry about had happened.


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    ¡°We know that¡¯s not true because you were present,¡± her father replied, almost absent mindedly. Ceilsea¡¯s features remained stoic, but her insides twisted. Her father had never given her compliments before she had sold her first sculpture for a small fortune. Previously she¡¯d been the problem child he pitied and struggled to find worthwhile. She clearly remembered the day it had switched. Calling her ¡®special¡¯ now only reminded her that his love was conditional.


    ¡°Did his majesty enjoy himself?¡± her father asked, confirming that her own feelings were unimportant in the grand scheme of things. Ceilsea was still very cognizant of the people watching as well as the pressure of magic around her.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Can we speak outside?¡± she said after pause. She sounded more embarrassed than annoyed, but it was for the best. The palace servants already gossiped about how she got on better with the king than her own father.


    ¡°Of course,¡± he said, lowering his hands and addressing the woman. ¡°Thank you for your patience. Stay off that leg or you¡¯ll wear through the spell before it heals. I will have someone bring you a crutch, and you should come back tomorrow to see if it¡¯s healing correctly.¡±


    The woman muttered thanks but looked upset, though she could not be in pain. That leg was doused in so many layers of magic that Ceilsea squirmed. Luckily her father led her out of the tent.


    ¡°Is there an issue?¡± her father asked, concerned.


    Ceilsea finally relaxed slightly and quickly assured him. ¡°No. The King was probably happier than I had seen him in weeks last night. He was definitely satisfied with the evening. I just didn¡¯t think everyone in there needed to know about how much of a struggle putting on this tournament has been for him.¡±


    ¡°I suppose you¡¯re right. I¡¯m glad you''re aware of the effect your words have in public.¡± he said, almost self-congratulatory complimenting his daughter. He seemed to ignore his own slip up. ¡°Are you looking forward to watching another round of fights?¡± He continued, asking her a question he knew wouldn¡¯t have a positive public answer.


    She started to answer, then stopped. After weeks of playing up how much she disliked being forced to be present at the tournament, it might be strange to suddenly switch now. She had to enact her plan with Shaelis somehow though.


    ¡°I figure it¡¯s still going to be atrociously boring, but there¡¯s one¡­ or two people I¡¯m interested in seeing compete,¡± she stated.


    ¡°I know you don¡¯t like it, but the king needs you there to give cultural gravitas to the event. The tournament is civilized and respectable with you there. Do try to appear somewhat entertained,¡± her father repeated something he had said before, as if she did not know her own importance as a symbol of Sumanar¡¯s high culture. Sumnar was no longer seen as a backwater country of nomadic tribes and bloodthirsty warriors when she was there.


    ¡°I can try, but it is difficult when I don¡¯t know what is happening most of the time. Have you seen anything, or anyone interesting so far?¡± she switched the conversation back on her father. Perhaps she could gather some intel for Shae about their opposition.


    Her father thought for a moment before replying, ¡°I was only watching to see if there were wizards worth recruiting into his majesty¡¯s service. Miennere and¡­oh, what¡¯s she going by¡­ Jala were the most technically skilled, but there were a handful that seemed promising if I could train them. I have to wait for them to be eliminated before I approach them.¡±


    ¡°So¡­ there are no clear standouts who seem like an obvious choice to win?¡±


    ¡°If that were obvious in the first round, the tournament wouldn¡¯t be very entertaining. Truth be told, it¡¯s probably going to be one of the noble¡¯s champions that wins. They are handpicked for their skills.  As for martial prowess, your brother would know better than me. I may have taught him the basics of sword and silent song, but he knows more now than I ever have.¡±


    Of course, Rivonae would be a better judge. That¡¯s why she was going to seek him out next.


    ¡°So what brings you here to see me?¡± her father asked, inconveniently remembering her random appearance.


    ¡°Oh nothing much. I¡¯m just taking a break from my work,¡± Ceilsea said, looking past her father.


    ¡°Ah, that explains your¡­,¡± he started looking her up and down, noting her work clothes. Then he smiled and said, ¡°Let me walk you back to the palace. You really shouldn¡¯t be walking around alone right now. It could be dangerous if someone wants to hurt Sumanar or the king,¡± her father warned.


    ¡°Yes, father,¡± she answered automatically, even though it wasn¡¯t going to stop her from continuing to ignore his advice in the future.


    Within the palace walls, her father left to go attend to High Wizard business. Ceilsea told him she was going back to work in her courtyard, but instead doubled back when they parted and made her way to the training yards within the castle.

 Training

    The training yards were shared by wizards, soldiers, and guards. They were often the busiest part of the palace. This late in the morning they were almost empty. Any semblance of foliage had been squashed out by the repetitive footsteps of trainees, so the place was a pit of dirt and dust. At the edges of the space were equipment including pells, balance beams, and targets. At the very far side, Ceilsea found all three of her siblings, not practicing but arguing.


    ¡°Maybe you should put on a blindfold if you are going to ignore me! Better yet, a leash, so Mother and Father can command you at a moment¡¯s notice!¡± Miennere shouted. Ceilsea doubted this was her first outburst of the day. She had her target shield on one arm and sword in her other hand. She had turned away from the pell and her weapons were pointed at the ground.


    ¡°It¡¯s hard to respect you when you act like a child,¡± Vonae told her. He was pointedly focused on Yippinee. ¡°Yippinee, keep your point up.¡±


    ¡°She is a child. That¡¯s the issue,¡± Ceilsea said, injecting herself into the conversation. She stood arms crossed staring down her sister. At some point, Miennere had to stop begging for Vonae¡¯s attention.


    ¡°Sixteen isn¡¯t a child. You were sixteen when you were inducted into the order!¡± Miennere shot back.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t try to do that. I also wasn¡¯t trying to get killed,¡± Ceilsea told her.


    ¡°You obviously don¡¯t understand what it¡¯s like to want to sacrifice yourself for the greater good. You¡¯ve always been given anything you wanted,¡± Miennere argued. She sheathed her sword and slipped her shield off her arm. Ceilsea didn¡¯t respond, so Miennere continued, ¡°I might as well go practice with the rest of the actual warriors, rather than wizards who only train for show!¡±


    ¡°You should. You might learn something,¡± Vonae said and then winced. He had been trying not to give her advice.


    Miennere grabbed her equipment and stalked past Ceilsea.


    ¡°What are you doing here? You never cared about us before,¡± Miennere muttered glaring at her sister. Ceilsea stayed still. That wasn¡¯t true, but it wasn¡¯t the right time to have a civil conversation with Miennere.


    ¡°Yippinee, you can put the sword down. You want to practice the shocking spell?¡± Vonae said as soon as Miennere was out of view. Yippinee nodded and skipped over to put his sword away.


    ¡°Good morning,¡± Ceilsea said to her brother as he turned to her.


    Yippinee positioned himself in an open area next to them and started moving his fingers in elaborate motions. Ceilsea felt a squirming on her skin even before the air started to spark.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how much longer I can keep ignoring Miennere before I snap,¡± he muttered, positioning himself so that he could still watch Yippinee. He crossed his arms.


    ¡°I snap at her all the time, but I suppose she sees me as the villain anyway,¡± Ceilsea said with a little smile.


    ¡°There¡¯s a difference between you snapping and me,¡± Vonae explained even though she wasn¡¯t sure what he meant.


    ¡°She¡¯s only hounding you because she looks up to you so much. She¡¯s never had to live without your support,¡± Ceilsea told him. Neither Ceilsea or their parents had ever made much time for Miennere, which is why she hadn¡¯t been surprised when Miennere didn¡¯t listen to them, but Vonae had basically raised her. Vonae avoiding her must hurt.


    ¡°I¡¯m just trying to protect her,¡± he said.


    In the silence that followed, Ceilsea¡¯s eyes wandered over to her younger brother. Poor Yippinee was trying to ignore them, but he heard every word. Ceilsea knew this situation could not be easy for him either. Vonae was devoting far too much time and attention to training him. Surely, she could help spare the boy by distracting his taskmaster.


    ¡°I was wondering¡­since I¡¯m going to have to watch anyway, do you think you could explain to me what you see in the sparring this afternoon? I think knowing what they¡¯re doing might make the whole ordeal more enjoyable,¡± she asked, trying to make it sound like the thought just came to her and not that she had ulterior motives.


    ¡°Is that why you came all the way out here? Were you dreading it so much that you couldn¡¯t stop thinking about how to make it less boring?¡± Vonae finally smiled, shaking his head. ¡°Of course, I can explain, but I can¡¯t promise it will make the experience any better for you.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s worth a shot,¡± Ceilsea said with a shrug.


    She watched the muscles in Yippinee¡¯s arms flex as he cast his spells. She wondered if they were the same muscles that Shae used when they played their instruments.  The royal box was too far from the fighting to tell. She needed to come up with some excuse to get closer.


    A few hours later Ceilsea stood on the edge of the arenas in front of the royal box. The crowds were breathing down her neck, but a guard stood next to her so nobody could get too close. In front of her was a short fence, discouraging the crowds from spilling onto the arena. Even though the second round of the circuit had just started and Shae was not competing yet, Ceilsea had requested one of the officials bring Shae out to her.


    From here, she could only see the closest fight. The others were blocked by the partitions her mother had been adjusting earlier. However, she could see in more detail what was going on in the fight in front of her. She understood why the people behind her were excitedly whispering. Finally, Shae rounded the corner with the officiant, jogging around the edge of the fight to her.


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    ¡°I suppose this is part of your plan to make me look like your champion?¡± they whispered as they got close to her so no one else could hear. They didn¡¯t look particularly happy to see her, but they didn¡¯t look unhappy either. They were already outfitted in their xylophone with their sword at their side and the ocarina on a cord around their neck.


    ¡°You did make me personally invested in your victory. Really this is your fault, isn¡¯t it? You get all the attention now. Serves you right for trying to stop me,¡± she teased, reaching into the small bag she had brought with her. Shae rolled their eyes. A motion that would be impossible to distinguish up in the royal box. Maybe that was why they felt safe doing it. Ceilsea¡¯s hand emerged from the bag with a palm-sized stone carved into a blossoming flower. Deliberately, so that even those in the box above could see, she held it out to them. ¡°This is for you.¡±


    Shae took it and turned in their hand looking confused, ¡°What am I supposed to do with this? Brain someone?¡±


    Ceilsea smiled, ¡°I would advise against that if you want to stay in the tournament. I¡¯m not a normal ¡®lady,¡¯ so this is me showing you favor. And hey, whether you win or lose, you can probably sell that for a small fortune if you find the right buyer,¡± she explained glancing over her shoulder at the nobles watching them. One of them would pay handsomely just to brag about how they owned a special piece by her.


    ¡°Oh, I¡­I see. Thank you, your¡­miss,¡± Shae stammered, embarrassed.


    Ceilsea smiled again. It was so easy to make them uncomfortable. ¡°Good luck, champion.¡±


    Shae muttered something before turning away and returning whence they came. The guard helped Ceilsea return to the royal box, though the crowd naturally made way as they whispered and watched Shaelis behind her. Ducking into the enclosure, there was some relief from the noise.


    ¡°Ceilsea.¡±


    She hadn¡¯t even had a chance to breathe before his majesty was calling her name. She smiled innocently. He was standing in front of his throne. Rivonae stood beside him. Her parents and Yippinee were in their seats in the corner. Ceilsea felt that today she wouldn¡¯t get the luxury of hiding in that corner.


    Aamard and Iscano had retired to another part of the box leaving the seats beside King Mileubramn empty. Even though she knew it was for her, she did not show the assumption as she walked up to the king.


    She curtsied. ¡°Yes, your majesty?¡±


    ¡°Did you just hand that fighter a carving of yours? I¡¯ve never received something like that as a gift,¡± his majesty feigned displeasure with crossed arms.


    Rivonae looked at the ground. He knew he shouldn¡¯t relay to the king that he had received many such carved gifts. Some were the crude blobs from Ceilsea¡¯s first attempts at sculpting, but all of them had heart behind them. Her brother never had to pay for her talents.


    ¡°Oh, but sir, how else was I supposed to show my favor? I can¡¯t select a champion since I¡¯m not a noble, so I have no choice but to shower them with art,¡± Ceilsea answered playfully.


    The king smiled and motioned beside him. ¡°Sit with me.¡±


    ¡°Of course, your majesty.¡±


    As the king settled in his throne, Ceilsea took the seat closest to him and leaned towards him so they could speak without being overheard. Rivonae sat beside her, focusing on the fights and pretending to ignore them.


    ¡°Who is this wayzard? Your brother told me you know them, but I¡¯ve never heard you speak of them,¡± the king asked her. Surely, he had been wondering this since last night but they hadn¡¯t had a chance to speak privately. He must have felt disappointed that he didn¡¯t know her as well as he thought.  She couldn¡¯t tell him everything without revealing she had only met Shaelis a few days ago.


    ¡°Their name is Shaelis Child,¡± she started, even though he must have known that from Iscano. ¡°They don¡¯t talk about themselves much, but from what I¡¯ve gathered, they are a very talented wayzard who left their homeland. They are participating in the tournament to prove themselves.¡± She didn¡¯t know how much she should gossip with the king.


    ¡°Why do you care? I¡¯ve never seen you interested in magic or music before,¡± King Mileubramn continued to interrogate her. Of course, he was more interested in her than in Shaelis.


    ¡°I want a friend to win,¡± she answered simply to not invite more questions. ¡°I want to root for someone and now they are involved, it might as well be them. I don¡¯t have a lot of friends. Let alone ones I can support.¡±


    Rivonae glanced over momentarily and frowned when Ceilsea said that. Even if he said nothing, Ceilsea knew what he was thinking. He hated when she said she didn¡¯t have friends. He couldn¡¯t see that all the people he tried to introduce her to were only superficial relationships. No one could relax around the pseudo-princess long enough to get past formalities. Vonae, for better or worse, was the only person she was close to. Which was why it was so interesting that she was putting her trust in Shae. Sharing secrets and making plans with someone was a rare thing for her.


    ¡°I understand. I would just be careful,¡± his majesty replied, sitting back. ¡°If they do well in the tournament, which it sounds like they will, people will say the fights were rigged to please you, or that you planted them to be your champion, to challenge the nobility¡¯s power.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s ridiculous.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the kind of thing you have to consider when you have more power than the person you support. You have to think about how your reputation will affect them. It¡¯s what it takes to be a patron,¡± he told her.


    ¡°I¡¯m not Shae¡¯s patron.¡± She turned away from him briefly as her face contorted at the thought. Shae had basically agreed to be her champion, but she didn¡¯t want that kind of power over them.


    ¡°An unknown person being supported socially and financially from a well-regarded figure within the community,¡± his majesty repeated, describing their relationship when it first started. It had some similarities to Ceilsea and Shae¡¯s at this point.


    ¡°It¡¯s different. We are both artists,¡± she told him.


    ¡°Are they an artist? Wayzards aren¡¯t exactly considered creatives,¡± he mused, showing Iscano had not told him everything. ¡°Plus, it¡¯s not unheard of for a successful artist to pass on their success to those they see promise in. Nor is it unheard of for a patron to wish their protegee was more a peer than a servant.¡±


    King Mileubramn met her gaze. Adoration and gentle sadness reflected in his eyes, even though he was smiling. Ceilsea¡¯s eyes dropped, weighed down by the guilt of not being able to give him what he wanted, an equal.


    ¡°Shae and I¡­we are too similar to be only a transactional relationship,¡± she said, probably revealing more than she should. ¡°I may be able to give them little favors and attention now, but they don¡¯t need it. I¡¯m sure as the tournament progresses, we will see that they are perfectly capable of being their own political influence. We are equals, in many more ways than you¡¯d think.¡±


    His majesty considered her words. He could clearly see their ages and possibly their talents could be comparable, but he couldn¡¯t know their ability to feel magic or their disillusionment with their lives. When it came down to it, Ceilsea truly believed that Shaelis would take Sumanar by storm with their music, just like she had done with her sculptures.

 Daughter of Wizards

    "Then, of course. If I win, you can come with me to the empire,¡± Shae said, ¡°Just promise me, you will put everything back and forget about running away.¡±


    ¡°If I promise that, there¡¯s no ¡®if¡¯ to you winning. You have to win,¡± she told them.


    ¡°Deal.¡± Shae put out their hand surprising her yet again with their confidence.


    ¡°Deal.¡± she replied, shaking it firmly.


    For some reason, she believed them. It felt almost impossible for an unknown, amateur fighter to become the Champion of Sumanar, but if Shae could do that, Ceilsea could certainly wait a little longer. She had never met someone who understood her, but Shae shared her ability to feel magic and  understood her pain as a stifled artist. For the first time in a long time, she felt inspiration well up inside herself. She knew who she was going to carve to commemorate the tournament.


    To placate Shae, Ceilsea took all her traveling supplies back up to her room that night. She couldn¡¯t think of a way to explain the reappearance of the sculpting tools, so she stashed them under her bed.


    Ceilsea struggled to sleep that night. Images of the sculpture of Shae played in her head. She pictured their small, delicate frame lunging at an opponent. Legends didn¡¯t describe heroes like them, but to Ceilsea, it was the only image that could truly represent this event. There was an intensity behind their dark eyes that captured the stakes of the tournament, and more importantly, their prowess with music represented a side of an ancient struggle that had not triumphed for hundreds of years. Music kept the dangers of silent song at bay, but most people had forgotten its importance. Shae could be the catalyst to remind them of the importance of music. Ceilsea delighted at the challenge¡ªtranslating melody to stone. When she had thought she alone felt magic, she¡¯d ignored her discomfort, but now she knew another person who felt what she did, she had to try to include a representation of it in the sculpture of Shae. As she pondered how to hint at all these hidden depths¡ªin a stance, in a symbol, in an expression¡ªshe finally fell asleep.


    The next morning, Ceilsea spent a few hours sketching her new ideas. She couldn¡¯t believe she had agreed to stay until the end of the tournament. She didn¡¯t plan to stay any longer than she had to, and she didn¡¯t want to get comfortable. However, she had promised Shae she wouldn¡¯t do anything drastic. Finally, Ceilsea dragged herself out of bed, and headed down to her courtyard. She half expected Shae to already be gone, but she was pleasantly surprised when she found them on the far side of her griffin. They immediately straightened from whatever they had been crouched over.


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you leave before someone else catches you here?¡± Ceilsea half teased.


    ¡°I just wanted to make sure you weren¡¯t having any second thoughts on our deal, so I waited,¡± they replied, already picking up their pack. They left something behind on the foot of the griffin. ¡°I know it¡¯s easy for your thoughts to spiral when you feel trapped.¡±


    Ceilsea thought it was interesting how concerned they were for her. She never had someone other than Vonae care so much about her, without being interested in her art. She understood it was self-serving, feeling like they were saving her from their mistakes, but this seemed like more effort than most people would put in to help a person they¡¯d only known for a few days.


    Lucky for them, Ceilsea¡¯s mind had been circling a different problem since last night. ¡°After years here, another week to see if you win isn¡¯t going to kill me.¡±


    ¡°Alright, then I¡¯ll go,¡± Shae said. ¡°I¡­um¡­ had some leftover food if you needed breakfast.¡±


    Now that they stepped away, Ceilsea could see the crumbling chunks of bread and cheese they¡¯d left on sculpture. She realized they might have been trying to share a meal with her, but she¡¯d slept in too long.


    She furrowed her brow. ¡°Do you really think the pseudo-princess can¡¯t get better than stale bread to eat?¡±


    She tried to hide her smile when they looked flustered. ¡°I don¡¯t know. I was just trying to¡­I thought it would be strange to wait for you empty handed.¡±


    They were trying to show they cared, but they didn¡¯t have much to give. This was more than about making sure she didn¡¯t run away. They wanted to spend time with her and share what little they had. Apparently Ceilsea wasn¡¯t the only one thinking all night about they¡¯re conversation¡ªconnection¡ªfrom last night.


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    She walked over and picked up the food. Nibbling on a few crumbs of the cheese, she handed it back to Shae. ¡°I mean, I do tend to forget eating, but I can get whatever I want from the kitchens if I need to. I don¡¯t need to take from you.¡±


    Shae stared at the food but then took it back shoving it in one of the pockets of their bag. ¡°This is probably from the same kitchens anyway. I took as much as I could from the banquet tables they had in the city before the tournament began.¡±


    Ceilsea remembered the Champion¡¯s ball had included providing food and entertainment throughout the city, provided by the King. She had even taken a little when she went out exploring with Vonae. She suddenly felt guilty for taking it away from people who probably needed it more than her.


    ¡°That¡¯s all you have?¡± she asked, a little shocked.


    ¡°For now. I have a little money left to spend on food,¡± they said, patting another pocket in their bag. ¡°I usually perform to get more, but I have to be careful. It¡¯s best to do it when I¡¯m leaving a place. Not that it matters here. I perform everyday. I¡¯m just not getting paid.¡±


    At least they would get paid when they performed the evening song tomorrow. Living on the run was harder than Ceilsea had thought. She would have to be more conscious of Shae¡¯s situation.


    ¡°Next time, I¡¯ll treat you to breakfast and you can take as much as you want,¡± she told them and then started following them to the exit. ¡°Can I walk you partway to the campgrounds?¡± Ceilsea wanted to make sure they knew she appreciated their offer of food, even if she couldn¡¯t accept it.


    ¡°If you want,¡± they said with a shrug.


    ¡°I¡¯m headed in that direction anyway. My parents will want to make sure I didn¡¯t ruin anything at the reception last night,¡± she told them. She hadn¡¯t planned to do that first thing, but at some point today, she¡¯d have to do it. Her mother and father would probably be working near the amphitheater on the tournament most of the day. One of them should be free to talk to her briefly.


    As soon as she stepped out of the palace, she was met with stares and whispers from passersby. Word of her identity as the pseudo-princess must have spread to the festival goers after she sat in the royal box yesterday. Most people went about their business after a quick glance, but there was always a group or two openly discussing her. Vonae and her father would have told her she needed a guard to go into the city right now, but she was sure she¡¯d be safe with Shae. Shae noticed the extra attention but tried to ignore it.


    Ceilsea took them close to the amphitheater, which negated some of the attention. Before the tournament began for the day, the area was restricted to tournament workers and participants. Nobody would stop the pseudo-princess, even if she technically wasn¡¯t part of the tournament. Festival officiants popped in and out of the tents lining the top edge. Passing guards acknowledged her and noted Shae.


    ¡°Do they always watch you this closely?¡± Shae whispered to her.


    ¡°Not usually this much, I suppose. Even if I wasn¡¯t the pseudo-princess, I¡¯m still the daughter of the High Wizard. All the wizards here report to him,¡± Ceilsea explained. She was pretty accustomed to being watched anywhere that wasn¡¯t her courtyard.


    She walked closer to the edge with Shae. Compared to the ruckus yesterday, the amphitheater was eerily quiet and empty now. Bits of food and discarded belongings littered the area, but servants were picking up the debris. Ceilsea wondered why her mother was not present, until she felt the large spell discharge as the structures that separated the arenas below shifted. Shae flinched beside her.


    Ceilsea¡¯s mother specialized in urban magics. She helped build, fix, and shift buildings as well as clean streets and control crowds and traffic flow. Usually, the cleaning of the amphitheater would be left to her, but it seemed the arenas needed more tweaking after their first official use. Perhaps too much music or magic had bled in-between the fights or maybe people had complained the partitions blocked the view of the sparring.


    Ceilsea had seen her mother do amazing feats of magic, including shifting the capital¡¯s walls to envelope a new neighborhood and move an entire building. On a daily basis, she mainly just fixed cracks in the local stonework or cleaned busy streets. She also did a lot of cleaning and small fixes at home in the palace. Ceilsea had forgotten her mother must have contributed to most of the tournament¡¯s facilities. It was no wonder, Ceilsea thought as she watched the edges of the arenas move, that she had originally been a disappointment to her parents. She couldn¡¯t do a fraction of what her parents could. Her mother could cut and shape stone quicker than Ceilsea, but with none of the eye for detail and artistic touch.


    ¡°The walls don¡¯t help limit the interference much when they''re covered in magic themselves,¡± Shae commented, watching the scene below just like her. ¡°Though I suppose you know that.¡±


    ¡°Does that magic get in the way?¡± she asked. She hadn¡¯t really noticed anything yesterday.


    ¡°Other than an annoying distraction for me? Some of the dispelling songs from the other wayzards end up hitting the walls, and then they wonder why they take longer to work to dismantle the active spells,¡± Shaelis told her. ¡°I know there¡¯s no point in complaining since they don¡¯t know. I just try to dispel it before we start.¡±


    Ceilsea recalled Vonae¡¯s comments yesterday about Shae¡¯s swordwork. He had not been impressed. She understood it must be hard to focus on swinging a sword with magic pressing around you constantly, but maybe, Ceilsea should learn what Vonae thought Shaelis¡¯ weaknesses were. Then they could address them early in the competition. As the closest thing Ceilsea had to an expert, Vonae¡¯s thoughts were important. She wanted Shae to win after all.

 The High Wizard

    She continued watching her mother work for a moment. She was probably too busy to speak with her daughter, and it was easier to talk to her father anyway. Ceilsea just had to find him.


    ¡°This is where we will have to part ways,¡± Ceilsea told Shae who had continued watching her mother undistracted.


    ¡°Why? Did I do something wrong?¡± Shae asked, jerked out of their focus and looked worried.


    ¡°No, but I¡¯m going to find my father. Do you really want to meet the High Wizard?¡± she asked, already knowing the answer.


    ¡°Nope. Wizards are always buzzing with magic,¡± they commented, which was true. Ceilsea¡¯s father even fixed his hair with magic.


    ¡°I¡¯ll see you this evening?¡± Ceilsea confirmed and Shae nodded their agreement.


    Shae quickly disappeared into the crowd.


    Ceilsea stopped one of the wizards to ask where her father was. They pointed her toward the first aid tent. Ceilsea could have guessed, but now she had better directions.


    Her father had always been a generalist in magic, but on top of his magic studies, her father had spent years studying the human body. He had trained Rivonae and Jala in the basics of combat magic before encouraging them to develop their own styles different from his. According to Rivonae, their father¡¯s fighting style incorporated a lot of non-flashy but effective manipulations of the opponent¡¯s body, causing temporary pain or paralysis.  He could also amplify speed or strength in himself, though that was harder to pull off. Unsurprisingly, their father was extremely adept in healing magics as well. His knowledge sometimes rivaled physicians, both magical and non-magical. In huge events like the tournament anyone with skill was enlisted to help. Her father had more experience with combat injuries than anyone else, so it was not surprising he¡¯d had been helping in the first aid tent below.


    As Ceilsea descended into the arena, an enormous long tent stood along the edge opposite the royal box. Ceilsea had seen the fighters enter and exit there as they cycled through the circuits. There was a shadowy open area behind the tent. Both spaces were for the fighters to warm up, train, and wait for their turn to fight. In the back farthest corner, which had to be lit by lamp light even with the sun high in the sky, stood the tent Ceilsea had been directed to.


    Walking in, Ceilsea was blasted with the crushing pressure of active magics and an overpowering medicinal smell. The first aid tent should not have been this full from the fighting, but people had probably been injured outside of the tournament as well. Some would be here to have small injuries treated and return to the fights, while others had worse injuries and needed additional treatment after yesterday¡¯s Evening Song. Her father was in the middle of the tent casting on a woman¡¯s twisted leg.


    ¡°Father,¡± she approached and spoke slowly so as to not startle him. ¡°Good morning.¡±


    ¡°Ah, Ceilsea, good morning, just give me a minute,¡± he said unbothered. His fingers moved minutely in sharp contrast to her mother¡¯s grand gestures and flailing strumming outside. Even though Ceilsea did not think he should talk while casting, he continued with the obvious question, ¡°How was the reception last night?¡±


    Ceilsea glanced at the woman he was treating. She was clearly concerned with her leg, but she could still hear this conversation. Not to mention, every other person in the room, patient or physician, had seen her enter and could listen in. Even though she had expected it, she was disappointed. If her father actually cared about her true thoughts and not just her diplomatic answer, he would have asked in private.


    ¡°It was fine, nothing special,¡± she answered, tailoring her response to the possible prying ears. It also signaled to her father nothing he needed to worry about had happened.


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    ¡°We know that¡¯s not true because you were present,¡± her father replied, almost absent mindedly. Ceilsea¡¯s features remained stoic, but her insides twisted. Her father had never given her compliments before she had sold her first sculpture for a small fortune. Previously she¡¯d been the problem child he pitied and struggled to find worthwhile. She clearly remembered the day it had switched. Calling her ¡®special¡¯ now only reminded her that his love was conditional.


    ¡°Did his majesty enjoy himself?¡± her father asked, confirming that her own feelings were unimportant in the grand scheme of things. Ceilsea was still very cognizant of the people watching as well as the pressure of magic around her.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Can we speak outside?¡± she said after pause. She sounded more embarrassed than annoyed, but it was for the best. The palace servants already gossiped about how she got on better with the king than her own father.


    ¡°Of course,¡± he said, lowering his hands and addressing the woman. ¡°Thank you for your patience. Stay off that leg or you¡¯ll wear through the spell before it heals. I will have someone bring you a crutch, and you should come back tomorrow to see if it¡¯s healing correctly.¡±


    The woman muttered thanks but looked upset, though she could not be in pain. That leg was doused in so many layers of magic that Ceilsea squirmed. Luckily her father led her out of the tent.


    ¡°Is there an issue?¡± her father asked, concerned.


    Ceilsea finally relaxed slightly and quickly assured him. ¡°No. The King was probably happier than I had seen him in weeks last night. He was definitely satisfied with the evening. I just didn¡¯t think everyone in there needed to know about how much of a struggle putting on this tournament has been for him.¡±


    ¡°I suppose you¡¯re right. I¡¯m glad you''re aware of the effect your words have in public.¡± he said, almost self-congratulatory complimenting his daughter. He seemed to ignore his own slip up. ¡°Are you looking forward to watching another round of fights?¡± He continued, asking her a question he knew wouldn¡¯t have a positive public answer.


    She started to answer, then stopped. After weeks of playing up how much she disliked being forced to be present at the tournament, it might be strange to suddenly switch now. She had to enact her plan with Shaelis somehow though.


    ¡°I figure it¡¯s still going to be atrociously boring, but there¡¯s one¡­ or two people I¡¯m interested in seeing compete,¡± she stated.


    ¡°I know you don¡¯t like it, but the king needs you there to give cultural gravitas to the event. The tournament is civilized and respectable with you there. Do try to appear somewhat entertained,¡± her father repeated something he had said before, as if she did not know her own importance as a symbol of Sumanar¡¯s high culture. Sumnar was no longer seen as a backwater country of nomadic tribes and bloodthirsty warriors when she was there.


    ¡°I can try, but it is difficult when I don¡¯t know what is happening most of the time. Have you seen anything, or anyone interesting so far?¡± she switched the conversation back on her father. Perhaps she could gather some intel for Shae about their opposition.


    Her father thought for a moment before replying, ¡°I was only watching to see if there were wizards worth recruiting into his majesty¡¯s service. Miennere and¡­oh, what¡¯s she going by¡­ Jala were the most technically skilled, but there were a handful that seemed promising if I could train them. I have to wait for them to be eliminated before I approach them.¡±


    ¡°So¡­ there are no clear standouts who seem like an obvious choice to win?¡±


    ¡°If that were obvious in the first round, the tournament wouldn¡¯t be very entertaining. Truth be told, it¡¯s probably going to be one of the noble¡¯s champions that wins. They are handpicked for their skills.  As for martial prowess, your brother would know better than me. I may have taught him the basics of sword and silent song, but he knows more now than I ever have.¡±


    Of course, Rivonae would be a better judge. That¡¯s why she was going to seek him out next.


    ¡°So what brings you here to see me?¡± her father asked, inconveniently remembering her random appearance.


    ¡°Oh nothing much. I¡¯m just taking a break from my work,¡± Ceilsea said, looking past her father.


    ¡°Ah, that explains your¡­,¡± he started looking her up and down, noting her work clothes. Then he smiled and said, ¡°Let me walk you back to the palace. You really shouldn¡¯t be walking around alone right now. It could be dangerous if someone wants to hurt Sumanar or the king,¡± her father warned.


    ¡°Yes, father,¡± she answered automatically, even though it wasn¡¯t going to stop her from continuing to ignore his advice in the future.


    Within the palace walls, her father left to go attend to High Wizard business. Ceilsea told him she was going back to work in her courtyard, but instead doubled back when they parted and made her way to the training yards within the castle.

 Training

    The training yards were shared by wizards, soldiers, and guards. They were often the busiest part of the palace. This late in the morning they were almost empty. Any semblance of foliage had been squashed out by the repetitive footsteps of trainees, so the place was a pit of dirt and dust. At the edges of the space were equipment including pells, balance beams, and targets. At the very far side, Ceilsea found all three of her siblings, not practicing but arguing.


    ¡°Maybe you should put on a blindfold if you are going to ignore me! Better yet, a leash, so Mother and Father can command you at a moment¡¯s notice!¡± Miennere shouted. Ceilsea doubted this was her first outburst of the day. She had her target shield on one arm and sword in her other hand. She had turned away from the pell and her weapons were pointed at the ground.


    ¡°It¡¯s hard to respect you when you act like a child,¡± Vonae told her. He was pointedly focused on Yippinee. ¡°Yippinee, keep your point up.¡±


    ¡°She is a child. That¡¯s the issue,¡± Ceilsea said, injecting herself into the conversation. She stood arms crossed staring down her sister. At some point, Miennere had to stop begging for Vonae¡¯s attention.


    ¡°Sixteen isn¡¯t a child. You were sixteen when you were inducted into the order!¡± Miennere shot back.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t try to do that. I also wasn¡¯t trying to get killed,¡± Ceilsea told her.


    ¡°You obviously don¡¯t understand what it¡¯s like to want to sacrifice yourself for the greater good. You¡¯ve always been given anything you wanted,¡± Miennere argued. She sheathed her sword and slipped her shield off her arm. Ceilsea didn¡¯t respond, so Miennere continued, ¡°I might as well go practice with the rest of the actual warriors, rather than wizards who only train for show!¡±


    ¡°You should. You might learn something,¡± Vonae said and then winced. He had been trying not to give her advice.


    Miennere grabbed her equipment and stalked past Ceilsea.


    ¡°What are you doing here? You never cared about us before,¡± Miennere muttered glaring at her sister. Ceilsea stayed still. That wasn¡¯t true, but it wasn¡¯t the right time to have a civil conversation with Miennere.


    ¡°Yippinee, you can put the sword down. You want to practice the shocking spell?¡± Vonae said as soon as Miennere was out of view. Yippinee nodded and skipped over to put his sword away.


    ¡°Good morning,¡± Ceilsea said to her brother as he turned to her.


    Yippinee positioned himself in an open area next to them and started moving his fingers in elaborate motions. Ceilsea felt a squirming on her skin even before the air started to spark.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how much longer I can keep ignoring Miennere before I snap,¡± he muttered, positioning himself so that he could still watch Yippinee. He crossed his arms.


    ¡°I snap at her all the time, but I suppose she sees me as the villain anyway,¡± Ceilsea said with a little smile.


    ¡°There¡¯s a difference between you snapping and me,¡± Vonae explained even though she wasn¡¯t sure what he meant.


    ¡°She¡¯s only hounding you because she looks up to you so much. She¡¯s never had to live without your support,¡± Ceilsea told him. Neither Ceilsea or their parents had ever made much time for Miennere, which is why she hadn¡¯t been surprised when Miennere didn¡¯t listen to them, but Vonae had basically raised her. Vonae avoiding her must hurt.


    ¡°I¡¯m just trying to protect her,¡± he said.


    In the silence that followed, Ceilsea¡¯s eyes wandered over to her younger brother. Poor Yippinee was trying to ignore them, but he heard every word. Ceilsea knew this situation could not be easy for him either. Vonae was devoting far too much time and attention to training him. Surely, she could help spare the boy by distracting his taskmaster.


    ¡°I was wondering¡­since I¡¯m going to have to watch anyway, do you think you could explain to me what you see in the sparring this afternoon? I think knowing what they¡¯re doing might make the whole ordeal more enjoyable,¡± she asked, trying to make it sound like the thought just came to her and not that she had ulterior motives.


    ¡°Is that why you came all the way out here? Were you dreading it so much that you couldn¡¯t stop thinking about how to make it less boring?¡± Vonae finally smiled, shaking his head. ¡°Of course, I can explain, but I can¡¯t promise it will make the experience any better for you.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s worth a shot,¡± Ceilsea said with a shrug.


    She watched the muscles in Yippinee¡¯s arms flex as he cast his spells. She wondered if they were the same muscles that Shae used when they played their instruments.  The royal box was too far from the fighting to tell. She needed to come up with some excuse to get closer.


    A few hours later Ceilsea stood on the edge of the arenas in front of the royal box. The crowds were breathing down her neck, but a guard stood next to her so nobody could get too close. In front of her was a short fence, discouraging the crowds from spilling onto the arena. Even though the second round of the circuit had just started and Shae was not competing yet, Ceilsea had requested one of the officials bring Shae out to her.


    From here, she could only see the closest fight. The others were blocked by the partitions her mother had been adjusting earlier. However, she could see in more detail what was going on in the fight in front of her. She understood why the people behind her were excitedly whispering. Finally, Shae rounded the corner with the officiant, jogging around the edge of the fight to her.


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    ¡°I suppose this is part of your plan to make me look like your champion?¡± they whispered as they got close to her so no one else could hear. They didn¡¯t look particularly happy to see her, but they didn¡¯t look unhappy either. They were already outfitted in their xylophone with their sword at their side and the ocarina on a cord around their neck.


    ¡°You did make me personally invested in your victory. Really this is your fault, isn¡¯t it? You get all the attention now. Serves you right for trying to stop me,¡± she teased, reaching into the small bag she had brought with her. Shae rolled their eyes. A motion that would be impossible to distinguish up in the royal box. Maybe that was why they felt safe doing it. Ceilsea¡¯s hand emerged from the bag with a palm-sized stone carved into a blossoming flower. Deliberately, so that even those in the box above could see, she held it out to them. ¡°This is for you.¡±


    Shae took it and turned in their hand looking confused, ¡°What am I supposed to do with this? Brain someone?¡±


    Ceilsea smiled, ¡°I would advise against that if you want to stay in the tournament. I¡¯m not a normal ¡®lady,¡¯ so this is me showing you favor. And hey, whether you win or lose, you can probably sell that for a small fortune if you find the right buyer,¡± she explained glancing over her shoulder at the nobles watching them. One of them would pay handsomely just to brag about how they owned a special piece by her.


    ¡°Oh, I¡­I see. Thank you, your¡­miss,¡± Shae stammered, embarrassed.


    Ceilsea smiled again. It was so easy to make them uncomfortable. ¡°Good luck, champion.¡±


    Shae muttered something before turning away and returning whence they came. The guard helped Ceilsea return to the royal box, though the crowd naturally made way as they whispered and watched Shaelis behind her. Ducking into the enclosure, there was some relief from the noise.


    ¡°Ceilsea.¡±


    She hadn¡¯t even had a chance to breathe before his majesty was calling her name. She smiled innocently. He was standing in front of his throne. Rivonae stood beside him. Her parents and Yippinee were in their seats in the corner. Ceilsea felt that today she wouldn¡¯t get the luxury of hiding in that corner.


    Aamard and Iscano had retired to another part of the box leaving the seats beside King Mileubramn empty. Even though she knew it was for her, she did not show the assumption as she walked up to the king.


    She curtsied. ¡°Yes, your majesty?¡±


    ¡°Did you just hand that fighter a carving of yours? I¡¯ve never received something like that as a gift,¡± his majesty feigned displeasure with crossed arms.


    Rivonae looked at the ground. He knew he shouldn¡¯t relay to the king that he had received many such carved gifts. Some were the crude blobs from Ceilsea¡¯s first attempts at sculpting, but all of them had heart behind them. Her brother never had to pay for her talents.


    ¡°Oh, but sir, how else was I supposed to show my favor? I can¡¯t select a champion since I¡¯m not a noble, so I have no choice but to shower them with art,¡± Ceilsea answered playfully.


    The king smiled and motioned beside him. ¡°Sit with me.¡±


    ¡°Of course, your majesty.¡±


    As the king settled in his throne, Ceilsea took the seat closest to him and leaned towards him so they could speak without being overheard. Rivonae sat beside her, focusing on the fights and pretending to ignore them.


    ¡°Who is this wayzard? Your brother told me you know them, but I¡¯ve never heard you speak of them,¡± the king asked her. Surely, he had been wondering this since last night but they hadn¡¯t had a chance to speak privately. He must have felt disappointed that he didn¡¯t know her as well as he thought.  She couldn¡¯t tell him everything without revealing she had only met Shaelis a few days ago.


    ¡°Their name is Shaelis Child,¡± she started, even though he must have known that from Iscano. ¡°They don¡¯t talk about themselves much, but from what I¡¯ve gathered, they are a very talented wayzard who left their homeland. They are participating in the tournament to prove themselves.¡± She didn¡¯t know how much she should gossip with the king.


    ¡°Why do you care? I¡¯ve never seen you interested in magic or music before,¡± King Mileubramn continued to interrogate her. Of course, he was more interested in her than in Shaelis.


    ¡°I want a friend to win,¡± she answered simply to not invite more questions. ¡°I want to root for someone and now they are involved, it might as well be them. I don¡¯t have a lot of friends. Let alone ones I can support.¡±


    Rivonae glanced over momentarily and frowned when Ceilsea said that. Even if he said nothing, Ceilsea knew what he was thinking. He hated when she said she didn¡¯t have friends. He couldn¡¯t see that all the people he tried to introduce her to were only superficial relationships. No one could relax around the pseudo-princess long enough to get past formalities. Vonae, for better or worse, was the only person she was close to. Which was why it was so interesting that she was putting her trust in Shae. Sharing secrets and making plans with someone was a rare thing for her.


    ¡°I understand. I would just be careful,¡± his majesty replied, sitting back. ¡°If they do well in the tournament, which it sounds like they will, people will say the fights were rigged to please you, or that you planted them to be your champion, to challenge the nobility¡¯s power.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s ridiculous.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the kind of thing you have to consider when you have more power than the person you support. You have to think about how your reputation will affect them. It¡¯s what it takes to be a patron,¡± he told her.


    ¡°I¡¯m not Shae¡¯s patron.¡± She turned away from him briefly as her face contorted at the thought. Shae had basically agreed to be her champion, but she didn¡¯t want that kind of power over them.


    ¡°An unknown person being supported socially and financially from a well-regarded figure within the community,¡± his majesty repeated, describing their relationship when it first started. It had some similarities to Ceilsea and Shae¡¯s at this point.


    ¡°It¡¯s different. We are both artists,¡± she told him.


    ¡°Are they an artist? Wayzards aren¡¯t exactly considered creatives,¡± he mused, showing Iscano had not told him everything. ¡°Plus, it¡¯s not unheard of for a successful artist to pass on their success to those they see promise in. Nor is it unheard of for a patron to wish their protegee was more a peer than a servant.¡±


    King Mileubramn met her gaze. Adoration and gentle sadness reflected in his eyes, even though he was smiling. Ceilsea¡¯s eyes dropped, weighed down by the guilt of not being able to give him what he wanted, an equal.


    ¡°Shae and I¡­we are too similar to be only a transactional relationship,¡± she said, probably revealing more than she should. ¡°I may be able to give them little favors and attention now, but they don¡¯t need it. I¡¯m sure as the tournament progresses, we will see that they are perfectly capable of being their own political influence. We are equals, in many more ways than you¡¯d think.¡±


    His majesty considered her words. He could clearly see their ages and possibly their talents could be comparable, but he couldn¡¯t know their ability to feel magic or their disillusionment with their lives. When it came down to it, Ceilsea truly believed that Shaelis would take Sumanar by storm with their music, just like she had done with her sculptures.

 Learning the Rules

    Rivonae broke the silence between the king and Ceilsea with a snort. It was good to know their conversation wasn¡¯t interesting enough for him to eavesdrop. Vonae didn¡¯t need to know of their ruminations on their patron-client relationships.


    ¡°Your highness, if you don¡¯t mind, my brother promised that he would explain all this chaos to me.¡± she said, placing her hand on Rivonae¡¯s knee affectionately. Her touch jerked him out of his trance.


    ¡°Oh no, of course not. I would appreciate his perspective. I know he trained extensively for dueling and solo deployment,¡± his majesty said with a wave of his hand. Vonae had been on several missions on royal orders.


    ¡°As you wish,¡± Vonae replied nodding to the king and then gave Ceilsea a sideward glance, whispering, ¡°both of you.¡± He leaned over and put his arm around his sister. ¡°What shall we start with? Stances, tactics, techniques, weapon styles, spells, footwork¡­¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you start with telling me when the noble¡¯s champions join? I know there are a few more days of the open tournament, but how many of these warriors progress to the next stage?¡± she asked. She knew Shae didn¡¯t have to beat everyone, but she wanted to know how many rounds they had to win to compete against the nobles¡¯ chosen fighters.


    ¡°His majesty can correct me if I¡¯m wrong, but I believe there were around four hundred warriors that entered, and there are fourteen nobles¡¯ champions advancing automatically. So around eighteen open contestants will move on to face the champions in reserve. That means there are two more rounds, two more days after today,¡± Vonae said. ¡°The rounds get shorter as they disqualify people, if you are asking when it will be over today.¡±


    ¡°After those two days, they aren¡¯t going straight to fighting the champions, right? There are a few days of respite in-between?¡± Ceilsea recalled something she had overheard earlier.


    ¡°That¡¯s correct,¡± the king said.


    Ceilsea sighed. Since different people would be leaving and arriving after the open tournament and the start of the finals, they had three days without fighting while the festival continued. It would give the organizers time to reconfigure the arenas and amphitheater as well as give the open contestants time to rest. Giving the open tournament contestants a few days would put everyone on a more equal footing.


    ¡°Many people are saying that we¡¯ve given them too much downtime, and that we should simply charge through the competition, treating the warriors like animals,¡± his majesty added.  He knew more of the logistics of the event than Vonae.


    ¡°For your benefit, sister, I¡¯ll explain. There is a contingent of people who believe the tournament should mirror the conditions of actual battle, where you can¡¯t rest and you react to situations as they are presented. However, because his majesty has decided to be more humane, fighters are given ample time to rest and recuperate. This limits the number of mistakes and injuries that come from exhaustion and stress,¡± Vonae told her.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t one of the grounds for expulsion from the tournament seriously injuring your opponent?¡± she asked, thinking she had heard someone talking about that.


    ¡°That rule was mainly implemented to prevent wizards from going crazy with their magics, but it also prevents the practice weapons from being used inappropriately in the highly emotional situation of competition. If you can¡¯t control yourself, you have no place being a warrior in the first place,¡± his majesty explained. Clearly more thought had gone into this tournament than Ceilsea realized. She knew that some of these choices would be criticized by commoners and nobles alike.


    Vonae nodded. ¡°Notice how the wizards must limit the magics they use to make this work. Wizards have the biggest advantage in one-on-one fighting. Wayzards can be a huge threat if they have someone to back them up, but it¡¯s hard for them to compete alone. Everyone knows a wizard is going to win. That¡¯s what is going to stop your friend Shae. There is no way they can win without magic.¡±


    ¡°But they can stop magic,¡± Ceilsea argued.


    ¡°Which is a purely defensive maneuver. You must attack to win, and magic is a weapon. In a single fight there are workarounds, but in general when the difference is magic and no magic, the one with magic is going to take the lead,¡± Vonae told her. Ceilsea didn¡¯t agree. Shae understood magic better than the people wielding it. They could fight back in ways that others couldn¡¯t. That gave them an advantage.


    ¡°What about the individual fights? What do you have to do and think to beat someone else? Is it completely determined by skill?¡± she wondered, turning to watch the fighting for the first time since she sat down.


    She didn¡¯t know anyone in the current circuit, but she focused on a wizard and a wayzard fighting closest to them. The wayzard had a sword and a small shield, she¡¯d heard Vonae refer to as a buckler. They also had a harmonica suspended around their neck. The wizard had a single-handed sword. Other than that, they looked equally matched. They were the same build, neither was overly muscular or tall. They were average, and both looked like they were from the more northern parts of the empire. Besides the magic, neither seemed to have an obvious advantage over the other.


    ¡°If it were easy to determine superior skill, circuits with a three-win system wouldn¡¯t be necessary. There is an advantage to being practiced and skilled, but there is an aspect of timing, strategy, and luck. The exact same pair up will end differently every time, with each opponent winning some times. That means anyone could win, but generally the more skilled fighter will win more often,¡± Vonae pointed at the pair she had started watching. ¡°See how they are watching each other before acting, circling each other? They are looking for openings or weaknesses in their opponent¡¯s defense. That visual processing doesn¡¯t stop even when they are in the middle of an engagement. It is a constant mental and physical juggle of defense and offense until someone gets the upper hand.¡±


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    ¡°He is very much complicating and romanticizing the process of two people hitting each other with sharp sticks,¡± his majesty said with a smile.


    Ceilsea grinned. The king knew her sense of humor. She shot back, ¡°And yet somehow he wants me to be invested in all this absurdity.¡±


    Vonae ignored them, grabbed Ceilsea¡¯s arm and pointed back to the fight below.


    ¡°Watch,¡± he told her.


    The wizard had started casting a spell. Vines began to writhe and wriggle from the ground, but the wayzard played a familiar tune, dispelling the plants. Then the wayzard lunged, blocking the wizard''s downward slash with the buckler and banged their opponent¡¯s wrist with the wooden sword. It looked like it would hurt, but the wizard did not flinch. The wizard pivoted the sword around the buckler. The wayzard retreated, barely batting the blade off course with their weapon. Immediately the wayzard approached again using their sword and buckler together to funnel the wizard sword into the crevasse where the blade met the edge of the shield. With the blade on the buckler¡¯s edge, the wayzard disengaged the sword and slashed at the wizard¡¯s neck and chest.


    ¡°So the wayzard won? I thought you said that didn¡¯t happen,¡± Ceilsea asked, watching the two fighters talk to one another for a minute before returning to their starting positions, ¡°Does that mean they¡¯re a bad wizard?¡±


    ¡°Not necessarily. Did you see the wayzard¡¯s strategy? They got rid of the casting hand first to make the fight more even. Then they created an opening to set up the killing blow,¡± Vonae explained. ¡°Otherwise, the wizard would have kept casting while the wayzard was attacking, making it harder for them to close and strike the killing blow. It doesn¡¯t mean the wizard is bad, just unprepared or unlucky.¡±


    ¡°The wizard could still cast though. Their hand is fine,¡± Ceilsea pointed out.


    ¡°The rules state that they must treat solid strikes to limbs as if the weapons had blades and had created a real injury. That¡¯s why sometimes they¡¯ll fall to the ground for no reason,¡± Vonae said. ¡°If an officiant notices either fighter ignoring the strikes, and they refuse to correct it after verbal warnings, the round goes to their opponent. These rules ensure the fights have a more realistic flow.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s confusing. How are you supposed to know what¡¯s going on unless you¡¯ve watched the whole thing?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t or you can guess.¡± He said with a shrug.


    ¡°If the wayzard¡¯s plan works, why doesn¡¯t everyone do that?¡± Ceilsea continued, even though she could see that the wizard and wayzard were doing something completely different now.


    ¡°Most wizards know to keep their casting hand close. You can train to cast quicker and retract cleaner, but if your opponent¡¯s trained as well it¡¯s just a battle of who is faster and more accurate. Sometimes you can be an inch off and your fingers get hit,¡± Vonae told her, flexing his own hand. Ceilsea winced, knowing what it felt to have your fingers crushed with a hammer.  She knew this must be even worse because her father always stressed how important hand dexterity was to wizards. Vonae, Miennere, and even Yippinee, wore gloves when training to prevent injury. In sparring, only some wore thin gloves that wouldn¡¯t get in the way of their strumming.


    ¡°I see. Skill and technique only get you so far,¡± Ceilsea said watching the wizard win with a flourishing spell of ice.


    ¡°The circuits should level it out so only the most skilled will advance. You certainly need to have endurance and focus to keep this up,¡± Vonae said with some reverence. He respected the contestants who could survive, whether with skill or guts.


    Ceilsea¡¯s eyes wandered as their example pair left the arena. Despite Vonae¡¯s blanket statement, the wayzard in that pair had advanced. The next circuit was entering. She saw familiar curls and a xylophone. Shae entered the farthest arena. Ceilsea grabbed Vonae¡¯s arm excitedly.


    ¡°Look, it¡¯s them! Can you explain their fights to me? Please!¡± she begged. That was what this whole ruse had been about.


    ¡°I can try to tell you how they are doing. Not every spar is as cut and dry as that last one,¡± Vonae gently pushed her off his arm.


    Their section of the box went silent. His majesty was also focused on Shae and their opponent, a large warrior who seemed to only have rudimentary magics and a large sword. Ceilsea tried to focus, but it really was just a flurry of weapons. The first, Shae won. The second, the warrior won. The third, Shae won again. Finally, Shae took their third victory and rotated opponents. Even from this far, Ceilsea noted the muscles in Shae¡¯s neck and arms, and how striking their silhouette was when they extended their sword. She filed the observation for when she began carving them later.


    After a few spars with the next opponent, Vonae made a disapproving click with his tongue. He crossed his arms and muttered, ¡°They just don¡¯t get it.¡±


    ¡°What? What don¡¯t they get?¡± Ceilsea asked, ignoring the fights completely to try and read his face.


    ¡°They are too clunky with their sword strikes. You¡¯d think since they''re musical, they¡¯d have more finesse. They appear graceful with their footwork and dispelling, but some people think strength comes from swinging the sword harder, instead of powering with your whole body. No one wins a sword fight by bashing their opponent with it. You win by slicing and stabbing with the pointy end!¡± Vonae growled mimicking a sword movement with his hand. The king laughed.


    ¡°But they are still winning,¡± Ceilsea pointed out as Shae won their third spar with the second opponent.


    ¡°They have a good eye for maneuvering and finding openings. Again, good footwork, but they stall and wait for their chance instead of being proactive. Someone like Jala, or even Miennere, will have them wait right into a trap, or use their overcommitted strikes to push them off balance. Let them bowl themselves over and then stab them,¡± Vonae said, still annoyed.


    ¡°Do you think they could improve?¡± Ceilsea asked.


    ¡°Of course. I don¡¯t know how much experience they have, but it doesn¡¯t seem like much. Some people fight for years and find limits to their talent, but Shae doesn¡¯t seem to be at that point. Do they have formal training?¡± Vonae asked her.


    Ceilsea shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t know. I would hope so.¡±


    ¡°There are plenty in the tournament that don¡¯t or picked up skills in other ways,¡± his majesty pointed out.


    ¡°Do you think you could train them to be better?¡± Ceilsea asked her brother. He had trained Miennere after all. She was doing well as far as Ceilsea could tell.


    ¡°Are you asking me to?¡± Vonae turned to her for the first time since he had started explaining the fights.


    ¡°Would you?¡± She should do something to help Shae if they were going to win. Rivonae was the best swordsman she knew.


    He looked at her with a furrowed brow. He thought for a moment. ¡°I can¡¯t promise that I¡¯d be able to make a difference for the tournament results. It would only be a couple of hours, but if they want my help, I have no reason to say no.¡±


    Ceilsea grinned. ¡°I don¡¯t think Shae has a reason to say no either.¡±


    ¡°It depends on their pride. If they think they are good, you could insult them by butting in, buttercup,¡± Vonae told her, turning back to the fights.


    Shaelis had lost two of three fights against the third opponent.


    ¡°It¡¯s my friendship, not yours,¡± she told him, picking at his hair until he swatted her away. She could survive Shae getting upset at her. That had already happened a few times in the short time they¡¯d known each other.


    In the end, Shaelis managed to advance, though they weren¡¯t at the top of their circuit.

 The Missing Princess

    Jala was in the next circuit. Tension simmered around the king. Vonae sat back and went silent. Ceilsea¡¯s smile disappeared, and she laced her fingers in her lap. King Mileubramn drummed his fingers on the arm of his chair. In each fight, Jala flared her magic and pinned, knocked down, or captured her opponent. She never had to use her knife. Before long, she was moving on to the next person. It looked like she was going to finish at the top of the circuit.


    ¡°Do you know if she¡¯s had contact with Esmine?¡± Ceilsea broke the silence and quietly asked the king. She hadn¡¯t spoken with the king privately since Jala had arrived. She didn¡¯t have to ask to know that he feared Jala winning.


    ¡°It¡¯s unlikely. She seems to be acting of her own accord,¡± the king said, likely informed by contacts and connections he couldn¡¯t speak of. That didn¡¯t make Jala any less of a threat.


    ¡°Why would Jala remain loyal to her? Esmine wasn¡¯t here to support Jala when she decided to become her true self. Some friend,¡± Ceilsea complained.


    ¡°The princess being gone was probably the only reason Jala realized she was unhappy with her old self. Jala made Princess Esmine the center of everything. Or maybe, the princess made herself the center of everything,¡± Vonae added.


    He wasn¡¯t wrong. Ever since Jala had moved to the capital with the Brijas family to continue studying magic under their father, Jala and Princess Esmine had been inseparable. Her highness, who reveled in control and power, ruled Jala¡¯s life. In the few months following the princess'' disappearance, Jala was directionless, devoting herself completely to studying and training her magic. When Jala had disappeared as well, everyone assumed she went looking for Esmine. Instead, Jala must have found herself, but unfortunately she didn¡¯t seem to lose her obsession with the princess.


    ¡°Why would she fight for her? Why would you stay loyal to a princess who ran¡­¡± Ceilsea held her tongue at the last second. Even though she was whispering, it would be bad if people overheard her talking ill of the princess.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry,¡± his majesty assured her. He put a hand on her shoulder, seeing she was tense. ¡°Steps have been taken to discourage anyone who might use the honor of Champion in a sinister way.  I can¡¯t directly interfere with the tournament, but we will not make it easy for just anyone to win.¡±


    Ceilsea knew King Mileubramn would not speak ill of his daughter or Jala in public. In private, she knew his concerns were the same as hers and Vonae¡¯s, but there was not much he could do without appearing biased. Strictly speaking she shouldn¡¯t be saying such things either, but it wasn¡¯t exactly a secret that she was at odds with Princess Esmine. Public opinion made it impossible to escape their rivalry as they were seen as caricatures of opposing ideals.


    ¡°No one will doubt the integrity of the Champion. The right person will be chosen. I¡¯m sure of it,¡± Ceilsea told him.


    Jala beat everyone in the circuit almost flawlessly. She would move on to the next round without question. In the next circuit, Miennere didn¡¯t dominate as much, but she did manage to pass her circuit as well. In the box, they did not say a word about her, but Ceilsea did notice that Rivonae kept glancing at her spars out of the corner of his eye. Training Shaelis might be a good distraction for him.


    As the circuits started wrapping up, Ceilsea made her excuses to the king, whispering in his ear and kissing him on the cheek. She dragged Vonae, who managed to bow on his way out, down to the tent beside the arena. She wanted to catch Shaelis before they disappeared to the campgrounds or her courtyard.


    Ducking into the tent, they were immediately met with the smell of sweat and a mix of other unpleasant scents. Contestants were scattered within, without any rhyme or reason Ceilsea could decipher. Some were training, while others managed to fall asleep amidst the chaos around them. There were a few non-warriors in the tent, including tournament organizers and friends or family of the fighters. Ceilsea and Vonae¡¯s arrival gathered a fair number of stares. Even if they hadn¡¯t seen her giving Shaelis the flower, their expensive clothing made them stand out.


    ¡°Mistress Brijas?¡± the officiant who had fetched Shae earlier approached her with a wary look. If they were worried the fighters would approach her with ill intent, they needn¡¯t. Vonae was hovering closer than usual and his eyes were scanning the room incessantly for danger.


    ¡°Do you know where my friend is?¡± she asked, assuming they could figure out who she was talking about.


    ¡°Mestren Child is behind the tent if they are here,¡± they told her, motioning to the edge farthest from the arenas. ¡°They tend to avoid crowded areas. At least that¡¯s what I gathered from their assigned commandant when I spoke to them.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± she said with a nod.


    They made their way around the tent, continuing their search in the shadows. It wasn¡¯t that much less crowded outside. People were training, talking, and lounging, but Ceilsea could see that the area closest to the tent was relatively empty. As they got closer, she could just make out Shae¡¯s silhouette on the ground packing their bag.


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    ¡°Shae!¡± she called out to them. They visibly jerked in surprise.


    ¡°Can you not shout out my name?¡± Shae asked her as she and Rivonae approached.


    ¡°Just give up on anonymity. If you are going to win, people are going to know your name,¡± Ceilsea told them.


    ¡°I¡¯m not trying to be anonymous. I just don¡¯t like everyone to know where I am,¡± they said, standing and dusting off their clothes.


    ¡°They can see you,¡± Ceilsea pointed out.


    ¡°There is a difference between being seen and having people¡¯s active attention. It¡¯s a strategic angle,¡± Rivonae told his sister.


    ¡°They aren¡¯t in a fight now,¡± Ceilsea countered.


    ¡°But they could be gathering information on their opponents,¡± Rivonae argued.


    ¡°What do you need from me, Ceilsea?¡± Shae interrupted their back and forth.


    The siblings refocused their attention on Shaelis, who had their arms crossed.


    ¡°I need to introduce you to my brother, formally. Shae, this is Rivonae. Vonae, this is Shaelis,¡± Ceilsea said with a flourish of her arm. She figured they could negotiate the diminutive themselves.


    Her brother, always conscious of manners, lowered his head with a nod. ¡°It¡¯s an honor, Mestren. Anyone my sister is fond of is someone I¡¯m happy to know.¡±


    Shaelis did not return the gesture, but they did uncross their arms. ¡°It is convenient to put a name to the face, Rivonae. Am I allowed to ask why it is necessary we meet? The last person Ceilsea introduced me to only wanted me for my music.¡±


    ¡°This time it¡¯s the exact opposite.¡± Ceilsea said.


    ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡± Shae shot back.


    ¡°She means that she has volunteered me to help you train. I noticed your sword strikes could use a little work,¡± Vonae offered a softer explanation than Ceilsea would have.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡ªwhy should I care about your opinion on my weapon work?¡± Shaelis asked,  crossing their arms again.


    Ceilsea assured them, ¡°Rivonae is the best swordsman I know. He trained both my siblings in martial and magic arts, including my sister, Miennere, who has been fighting in the tournament.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s the shorter girl with the target shield and the cruciform sword,¡± Vonae provided.


    ¡°Why would you help me? Aren¡¯t you training her?¡± Shaelis asked.


    The Brijas siblings shared a moment¡¯s pause.


    ¡°Not currently. She joined the tournament without our parent¡¯s approval,¡± Ceilsea told them. She didn¡¯t want to divulge too much of her family¡¯s personal matters, but it seemed necessary to explain to Shae why Vonae wouldn¡¯t have conflicting interests.


    ¡°In fact, if you end up facing her and you knock her out of the tournament, I would be more than grateful. That¡¯s all I¡¯d ask in return for my help,¡± Vonae said.


    Shaelis didn¡¯t immediately answer. Their eyes wandered over to where their sword and instruments were attached to their pack. Ceilsea hadn¡¯t been able to clearly see their weapon when they were cleaning it in the courtyard, but she did remember it wasn¡¯t anything spectacular. Compared to their musical tools, the sword looked more found than chosen.


    ¡°I thought¡­I thought it was going to be alright. I learned the basics of sword fighting in my wayzard training, and I thought I was decent at it. I didn¡¯t spend ten hours a day locked in a room with it and I never had to do one-hundred scales a day, but¡­am I really that bad?¡± Shaelis asked. Ceilsea had been starting to believe, like Vonae had suggested, that Shae was going to take offense and be stubborn about admitting their faults. Turns out that they were self-aware.


    ¡°You are decent for a beginner,¡± Vonae assured them. ¡°However, in this competition, decent isn¡¯t going to cut it. Knowing you don¡¯t have much more than basic training, I would say you have innate talent for reading your opponents, but your technique could use work.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a little late to fix that,¡± Shaelis muttered. Ceilsea hoped this wasn¡¯t going to backfire and destroy Shae¡¯s confidence.


    ¡°Training months before a tournament would be ideal. However, if you are used to picking up physical skills that require precision and improvisation, like learning musical instruments, I think we can help you a little bit,¡± Vonae said, offering his hand. ¡°I can¡¯t guarantee you will win anything though,¡± he repeated the same warning he told Ceilsea.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I can manage that on my own,¡± Shae told him, grabbing Rivonae¡¯s hand and shaking it firmly. Ceilsea didn¡¯t have to worry about their confidence after all.


    Ceilsea was satisfied. It was a good agreement for both her brother, her friend, and herself. If they were training together, she could spend time with them both at the same time. She needed all the excuses she could get to watch Shaelis in action to create an accurate re-creation.


    Now that the tournament for the day was truly over, more and more people were pouring out of the tent and leaving the amphitheater. The swarming mass of people slowly inched up the incline.


    ¡°What should we do first?¡± Shae asked Vonae, grabbing their bag and scrambling for their sword.


    ¡°Slow down, Child,¡± Rivonae warned with a smile. ¡°I don¡¯t know what kind of wayzards you¡¯ve trained with, but this is what I know about you. You¡¯ve participated in a high stakes tournament today and yesterday, and you have history of being forced to train excessively in the past¡­.¡±


    ¡°They are very high-strung,¡± Ceilsea interrupted.


    ¡°For your first part of training, I think you should learn the importance of relaxation,¡± Rivonae told him, ¡°Have you explored the city?¡±


    ¡°No. I don¡¯t really like to be around¡­people,¡± Shae said, stumbling over their words.


    ¡°We¡¯re not just people. We¡¯re friends!¡± Ceilsea told them, throwing her arm around their shoulder.


    ¡°We¡¯ll make sure no one bothers you,¡± Rivonae said, taking their other side.


    ¡°I¡¯d rather just train,¡± Shae said.


    ¡°That¡¯s not an option. But if you are a good Child, I¡¯ll give you some solo drills at the end of the night. Doesn¡¯t that sound great?!¡± Rivonae teased as the siblings led Shae towards the mass of people leaving the amphitheater. They didn¡¯t stop walking, but Shae''s face plainly showed their discomfort. Ceilsea squeezed their shoulders reassuringly before letting them go.


    ¡°You two really are siblings,¡± Shae commented.


    ¡°Of course, where do you think Ceilsea got her sharp tongue from? My baby sister learned from the best,¡± Vonae joked. The siblings shared a glance. Ceilsea was pretty sure her brother had picked up more than a few quips from her, but just this once, she would let his eldest sibling condescension go.


    ¡°Great. You could have led with that. I might not have agreed to this,¡± Shae said as the throng of people pressed in around them.


    Ceilsea grabbed their hand to ensure they didn¡¯t get separated. Then she leaned in and whispered in their ear, ¡°Neither of us are running away anymore, right?¡± They squeezed her hand in acknowledgement. Even if it meant doing something that made them uncomfortable, it was clear they were willing to do what they needed to win.

 Daughter of Wizards

    "Then, of course. If I win, you can come with me to the empire,¡± Shae said, ¡°Just promise me, you will put everything back and forget about running away.¡±


    ¡°If I promise that, there¡¯s no ¡®if¡¯ to you winning. You have to win,¡± she told them.


    ¡°Deal.¡± Shae put out their hand surprising her yet again with their confidence.


    ¡°Deal.¡± she replied, shaking it firmly.


    For some reason, she believed them. It felt almost impossible for an unknown, amateur fighter to become the Champion of Sumanar, but if Shae could do that, Ceilsea could certainly wait a little longer. She had never met someone who understood her, but Shae shared her ability to feel magic and  understood her pain as a stifled artist. For the first time in a long time, she felt inspiration well up inside herself. She knew who she was going to carve to commemorate the tournament.


    To placate Shae, Ceilsea took all her traveling supplies back up to her room that night. She couldn¡¯t think of a way to explain the reappearance of the sculpting tools, so she stashed them under her bed.


    Ceilsea struggled to sleep that night. Images of the sculpture of Shae played in her head. She pictured their small, delicate frame lunging at an opponent. Legends didn¡¯t describe heroes like them, but to Ceilsea, it was the only image that could truly represent this event. There was an intensity behind their dark eyes that captured the stakes of the tournament, and more importantly, their prowess with music represented a side of an ancient struggle that had not triumphed for hundreds of years. Music kept the dangers of silent song at bay, but most people had forgotten its importance. Shae could be the catalyst to remind them of the importance of music. Ceilsea delighted at the challenge¡ªtranslating melody to stone. When she had thought she alone felt magic, she¡¯d ignored her discomfort, but now she knew another person who felt what she did, she had to try to include a representation of it in the sculpture of Shae. As she pondered how to hint at all these hidden depths¡ªin a stance, in a symbol, in an expression¡ªshe finally fell asleep.


    The next morning, Ceilsea spent a few hours sketching her new ideas. She couldn¡¯t believe she had agreed to stay until the end of the tournament. She didn¡¯t plan to stay any longer than she had to, and she didn¡¯t want to get comfortable. However, she had promised Shae she wouldn¡¯t do anything drastic. Finally, Ceilsea dragged herself out of bed, and headed down to her courtyard. She half expected Shae to already be gone, but she was pleasantly surprised when she found them on the far side of her griffin. They immediately straightened from whatever they had been crouched over.


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you leave before someone else catches you here?¡± Ceilsea half teased.


    ¡°I just wanted to make sure you weren¡¯t having any second thoughts on our deal, so I waited,¡± they replied, already picking up their pack. They left something behind on the foot of the griffin. ¡°I know it¡¯s easy for your thoughts to spiral when you feel trapped.¡±


    Ceilsea thought it was interesting how concerned they were for her. She never had someone other than Vonae care so much about her, without being interested in her art. She understood it was self-serving, feeling like they were saving her from their mistakes, but this seemed like more effort than most people would put in to help a person they¡¯d only known for a few days.


    Lucky for them, Ceilsea¡¯s mind had been circling a different problem since last night. ¡°After years here, another week to see if you win isn¡¯t going to kill me.¡±


    ¡°Alright, then I¡¯ll go,¡± Shae said. ¡°I¡­um¡­ had some leftover food if you needed breakfast.¡±


    Now that they stepped away, Ceilsea could see the crumbling chunks of bread and cheese they¡¯d left on sculpture. She realized they might have been trying to share a meal with her, but she¡¯d slept in too long.


    She furrowed her brow. ¡°Do you really think the pseudo-princess can¡¯t get better than stale bread to eat?¡±


    She tried to hide her smile when they looked flustered. ¡°I don¡¯t know. I was just trying to¡­I thought it would be strange to wait for you empty handed.¡±


    They were trying to show they cared, but they didn¡¯t have much to give. This was more than about making sure she didn¡¯t run away. They wanted to spend time with her and share what little they had. Apparently Ceilsea wasn¡¯t the only one thinking all night about they¡¯re conversation¡ªconnection¡ªfrom last night.


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    She walked over and picked up the food. Nibbling on a few crumbs of the cheese, she handed it back to Shae. ¡°I mean, I do tend to forget eating, but I can get whatever I want from the kitchens if I need to. I don¡¯t need to take from you.¡±


    Shae stared at the food but then took it back shoving it in one of the pockets of their bag. ¡°This is probably from the same kitchens anyway. I took as much as I could from the banquet tables they had in the city before the tournament began.¡±


    Ceilsea remembered the Champion¡¯s ball had included providing food and entertainment throughout the city, provided by the King. She had even taken a little when she went out exploring with Vonae. She suddenly felt guilty for taking it away from people who probably needed it more than her.


    ¡°That¡¯s all you have?¡± she asked, a little shocked.


    ¡°For now. I have a little money left to spend on food,¡± they said, patting another pocket in their bag. ¡°I usually perform to get more, but I have to be careful. It¡¯s best to do it when I¡¯m leaving a place. Not that it matters here. I perform everyday. I¡¯m just not getting paid.¡±


    At least they would get paid when they performed the evening song tomorrow. Living on the run was harder than Ceilsea had thought. She would have to be more conscious of Shae¡¯s situation.


    ¡°Next time, I¡¯ll treat you to breakfast and you can take as much as you want,¡± she told them and then started following them to the exit. ¡°Can I walk you partway to the campgrounds?¡± Ceilsea wanted to make sure they knew she appreciated their offer of food, even if she couldn¡¯t accept it.


    ¡°If you want,¡± they said with a shrug.


    ¡°I¡¯m headed in that direction anyway. My parents will want to make sure I didn¡¯t ruin anything at the reception last night,¡± she told them. She hadn¡¯t planned to do that first thing, but at some point today, she¡¯d have to do it. Her mother and father would probably be working near the amphitheater on the tournament most of the day. One of them should be free to talk to her briefly.


    As soon as she stepped out of the palace, she was met with stares and whispers from passersby. Word of her identity as the pseudo-princess must have spread to the festival goers after she sat in the royal box yesterday. Most people went about their business after a quick glance, but there was always a group or two openly discussing her. Vonae and her father would have told her she needed a guard to go into the city right now, but she was sure she¡¯d be safe with Shae. Shae noticed the extra attention but tried to ignore it.


    Ceilsea took them close to the amphitheater, which negated some of the attention. Before the tournament began for the day, the area was restricted to tournament workers and participants. Nobody would stop the pseudo-princess, even if she technically wasn¡¯t part of the tournament. Festival officiants popped in and out of the tents lining the top edge. Passing guards acknowledged her and noted Shae.


    ¡°Do they always watch you this closely?¡± Shae whispered to her.


    ¡°Not usually this much, I suppose. Even if I wasn¡¯t the pseudo-princess, I¡¯m still the daughter of the High Wizard. All the wizards here report to him,¡± Ceilsea explained. She was pretty accustomed to being watched anywhere that wasn¡¯t her courtyard.


    She walked closer to the edge with Shae. Compared to the ruckus yesterday, the amphitheater was eerily quiet and empty now. Bits of food and discarded belongings littered the area, but servants were picking up the debris. Ceilsea wondered why her mother was not present, until she felt the large spell discharge as the structures that separated the arenas below shifted. Shae flinched beside her.


    Ceilsea¡¯s mother specialized in urban magics. She helped build, fix, and shift buildings as well as clean streets and control crowds and traffic flow. Usually, the cleaning of the amphitheater would be left to her, but it seemed the arenas needed more tweaking after their first official use. Perhaps too much music or magic had bled in-between the fights or maybe people had complained the partitions blocked the view of the sparring.


    Ceilsea had seen her mother do amazing feats of magic, including shifting the capital¡¯s walls to envelope a new neighborhood and move an entire building. On a daily basis, she mainly just fixed cracks in the local stonework or cleaned busy streets. She also did a lot of cleaning and small fixes at home in the palace. Ceilsea had forgotten her mother must have contributed to most of the tournament¡¯s facilities. It was no wonder, Ceilsea thought as she watched the edges of the arenas move, that she had originally been a disappointment to her parents. She couldn¡¯t do a fraction of what her parents could. Her mother could cut and shape stone quicker than Ceilsea, but with none of the eye for detail and artistic touch.


    ¡°The walls don¡¯t help limit the interference much when they''re covered in magic themselves,¡± Shae commented, watching the scene below just like her. ¡°Though I suppose you know that.¡±


    ¡°Does that magic get in the way?¡± she asked. She hadn¡¯t really noticed anything yesterday.


    ¡°Other than an annoying distraction for me? Some of the dispelling songs from the other wayzards end up hitting the walls, and then they wonder why they take longer to work to dismantle the active spells,¡± Shaelis told her. ¡°I know there¡¯s no point in complaining since they don¡¯t know. I just try to dispel it before we start.¡±


    Ceilsea recalled Vonae¡¯s comments yesterday about Shae¡¯s swordwork. He had not been impressed. She understood it must be hard to focus on swinging a sword with magic pressing around you constantly, but maybe, Ceilsea should learn what Vonae thought Shaelis¡¯ weaknesses were. Then they could address them early in the competition. As the closest thing Ceilsea had to an expert, Vonae¡¯s thoughts were important. She wanted Shae to win after all.

 The High Wizard

    She continued watching her mother work for a moment. She was probably too busy to speak with her daughter, and it was easier to talk to her father anyway. Ceilsea just had to find him.


    ¡°This is where we will have to part ways,¡± Ceilsea told Shae who had continued watching her mother undistracted.


    ¡°Why? Did I do something wrong?¡± Shae asked, jerked out of their focus and looked worried.


    ¡°No, but I¡¯m going to find my father. Do you really want to meet the High Wizard?¡± she asked, already knowing the answer.


    ¡°Nope. Wizards are always buzzing with magic,¡± they commented, which was true. Ceilsea¡¯s father even fixed his hair with magic.


    ¡°I¡¯ll see you this evening?¡± Ceilsea confirmed and Shae nodded their agreement.


    Shae quickly disappeared into the crowd.


    Ceilsea stopped one of the wizards to ask where her father was. They pointed her toward the first aid tent. Ceilsea could have guessed, but now she had better directions.


    Her father had always been a generalist in magic, but on top of his magic studies, her father had spent years studying the human body. He had trained Rivonae and Jala in the basics of combat magic before encouraging them to develop their own styles different from his. According to Rivonae, their father¡¯s fighting style incorporated a lot of non-flashy but effective manipulations of the opponent¡¯s body, causing temporary pain or paralysis.  He could also amplify speed or strength in himself, though that was harder to pull off. Unsurprisingly, their father was extremely adept in healing magics as well. His knowledge sometimes rivaled physicians, both magical and non-magical. In huge events like the tournament anyone with skill was enlisted to help. Her father had more experience with combat injuries than anyone else, so it was not surprising he¡¯d had been helping in the first aid tent below.


    As Ceilsea descended into the arena, an enormous long tent stood along the edge opposite the royal box. Ceilsea had seen the fighters enter and exit there as they cycled through the circuits. There was a shadowy open area behind the tent. Both spaces were for the fighters to warm up, train, and wait for their turn to fight. In the back farthest corner, which had to be lit by lamp light even with the sun high in the sky, stood the tent Ceilsea had been directed to.


    Walking in, Ceilsea was blasted with the crushing pressure of active magics and an overpowering medicinal smell. The first aid tent should not have been this full from the fighting, but people had probably been injured outside of the tournament as well. Some would be here to have small injuries treated and return to the fights, while others had worse injuries and needed additional treatment after yesterday¡¯s Evening Song. Her father was in the middle of the tent casting on a woman¡¯s twisted leg.


    ¡°Father,¡± she approached and spoke slowly so as to not startle him. ¡°Good morning.¡±


    ¡°Ah, Ceilsea, good morning, just give me a minute,¡± he said unbothered. His fingers moved minutely in sharp contrast to her mother¡¯s grand gestures and flailing strumming outside. Even though Ceilsea did not think he should talk while casting, he continued with the obvious question, ¡°How was the reception last night?¡±


    Ceilsea glanced at the woman he was treating. She was clearly concerned with her leg, but she could still hear this conversation. Not to mention, every other person in the room, patient or physician, had seen her enter and could listen in. Even though she had expected it, she was disappointed. If her father actually cared about her true thoughts and not just her diplomatic answer, he would have asked in private.


    ¡°It was fine, nothing special,¡± she answered, tailoring her response to the possible prying ears. It also signaled to her father nothing he needed to worry about had happened.


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    ¡°We know that¡¯s not true because you were present,¡± her father replied, almost absent mindedly. Ceilsea¡¯s features remained stoic, but her insides twisted. Her father had never given her compliments before she had sold her first sculpture for a small fortune. Previously she¡¯d been the problem child he pitied and struggled to find worthwhile. She clearly remembered the day it had switched. Calling her ¡®special¡¯ now only reminded her that his love was conditional.


    ¡°Did his majesty enjoy himself?¡± her father asked, confirming that her own feelings were unimportant in the grand scheme of things. Ceilsea was still very cognizant of the people watching as well as the pressure of magic around her.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Can we speak outside?¡± she said after pause. She sounded more embarrassed than annoyed, but it was for the best. The palace servants already gossiped about how she got on better with the king than her own father.


    ¡°Of course,¡± he said, lowering his hands and addressing the woman. ¡°Thank you for your patience. Stay off that leg or you¡¯ll wear through the spell before it heals. I will have someone bring you a crutch, and you should come back tomorrow to see if it¡¯s healing correctly.¡±


    The woman muttered thanks but looked upset, though she could not be in pain. That leg was doused in so many layers of magic that Ceilsea squirmed. Luckily her father led her out of the tent.


    ¡°Is there an issue?¡± her father asked, concerned.


    Ceilsea finally relaxed slightly and quickly assured him. ¡°No. The King was probably happier than I had seen him in weeks last night. He was definitely satisfied with the evening. I just didn¡¯t think everyone in there needed to know about how much of a struggle putting on this tournament has been for him.¡±


    ¡°I suppose you¡¯re right. I¡¯m glad you''re aware of the effect your words have in public.¡± he said, almost self-congratulatory complimenting his daughter. He seemed to ignore his own slip up. ¡°Are you looking forward to watching another round of fights?¡± He continued, asking her a question he knew wouldn¡¯t have a positive public answer.


    She started to answer, then stopped. After weeks of playing up how much she disliked being forced to be present at the tournament, it might be strange to suddenly switch now. She had to enact her plan with Shaelis somehow though.


    ¡°I figure it¡¯s still going to be atrociously boring, but there¡¯s one¡­ or two people I¡¯m interested in seeing compete,¡± she stated.


    ¡°I know you don¡¯t like it, but the king needs you there to give cultural gravitas to the event. The tournament is civilized and respectable with you there. Do try to appear somewhat entertained,¡± her father repeated something he had said before, as if she did not know her own importance as a symbol of Sumanar¡¯s high culture. Sumnar was no longer seen as a backwater country of nomadic tribes and bloodthirsty warriors when she was there.


    ¡°I can try, but it is difficult when I don¡¯t know what is happening most of the time. Have you seen anything, or anyone interesting so far?¡± she switched the conversation back on her father. Perhaps she could gather some intel for Shae about their opposition.


    Her father thought for a moment before replying, ¡°I was only watching to see if there were wizards worth recruiting into his majesty¡¯s service. Miennere and¡­oh, what¡¯s she going by¡­ Jala were the most technically skilled, but there were a handful that seemed promising if I could train them. I have to wait for them to be eliminated before I approach them.¡±


    ¡°So¡­ there are no clear standouts who seem like an obvious choice to win?¡±


    ¡°If that were obvious in the first round, the tournament wouldn¡¯t be very entertaining. Truth be told, it¡¯s probably going to be one of the noble¡¯s champions that wins. They are handpicked for their skills.  As for martial prowess, your brother would know better than me. I may have taught him the basics of sword and silent song, but he knows more now than I ever have.¡±


    Of course, Rivonae would be a better judge. That¡¯s why she was going to seek him out next.


    ¡°So what brings you here to see me?¡± her father asked, inconveniently remembering her random appearance.


    ¡°Oh nothing much. I¡¯m just taking a break from my work,¡± Ceilsea said, looking past her father.


    ¡°Ah, that explains your¡­,¡± he started looking her up and down, noting her work clothes. Then he smiled and said, ¡°Let me walk you back to the palace. You really shouldn¡¯t be walking around alone right now. It could be dangerous if someone wants to hurt Sumanar or the king,¡± her father warned.


    ¡°Yes, father,¡± she answered automatically, even though it wasn¡¯t going to stop her from continuing to ignore his advice in the future.


    Within the palace walls, her father left to go attend to High Wizard business. Ceilsea told him she was going back to work in her courtyard, but instead doubled back when they parted and made her way to the training yards within the castle.

 Training

    The training yards were shared by wizards, soldiers, and guards. They were often the busiest part of the palace. This late in the morning they were almost empty. Any semblance of foliage had been squashed out by the repetitive footsteps of trainees, so the place was a pit of dirt and dust. At the edges of the space were equipment including pells, balance beams, and targets. At the very far side, Ceilsea found all three of her siblings, not practicing but arguing.


    ¡°Maybe you should put on a blindfold if you are going to ignore me! Better yet, a leash, so Mother and Father can command you at a moment¡¯s notice!¡± Miennere shouted. Ceilsea doubted this was her first outburst of the day. She had her target shield on one arm and sword in her other hand. She had turned away from the pell and her weapons were pointed at the ground.


    ¡°It¡¯s hard to respect you when you act like a child,¡± Vonae told her. He was pointedly focused on Yippinee. ¡°Yippinee, keep your point up.¡±


    ¡°She is a child. That¡¯s the issue,¡± Ceilsea said, injecting herself into the conversation. She stood arms crossed staring down her sister. At some point, Miennere had to stop begging for Vonae¡¯s attention.


    ¡°Sixteen isn¡¯t a child. You were sixteen when you were inducted into the order!¡± Miennere shot back.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t try to do that. I also wasn¡¯t trying to get killed,¡± Ceilsea told her.


    ¡°You obviously don¡¯t understand what it¡¯s like to want to sacrifice yourself for the greater good. You¡¯ve always been given anything you wanted,¡± Miennere argued. She sheathed her sword and slipped her shield off her arm. Ceilsea didn¡¯t respond, so Miennere continued, ¡°I might as well go practice with the rest of the actual warriors, rather than wizards who only train for show!¡±


    ¡°You should. You might learn something,¡± Vonae said and then winced. He had been trying not to give her advice.


    Miennere grabbed her equipment and stalked past Ceilsea.


    ¡°What are you doing here? You never cared about us before,¡± Miennere muttered glaring at her sister. Ceilsea stayed still. That wasn¡¯t true, but it wasn¡¯t the right time to have a civil conversation with Miennere.


    ¡°Yippinee, you can put the sword down. You want to practice the shocking spell?¡± Vonae said as soon as Miennere was out of view. Yippinee nodded and skipped over to put his sword away.


    ¡°Good morning,¡± Ceilsea said to her brother as he turned to her.


    Yippinee positioned himself in an open area next to them and started moving his fingers in elaborate motions. Ceilsea felt a squirming on her skin even before the air started to spark.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how much longer I can keep ignoring Miennere before I snap,¡± he muttered, positioning himself so that he could still watch Yippinee. He crossed his arms.


    ¡°I snap at her all the time, but I suppose she sees me as the villain anyway,¡± Ceilsea said with a little smile.


    ¡°There¡¯s a difference between you snapping and me,¡± Vonae explained even though she wasn¡¯t sure what he meant.


    ¡°She¡¯s only hounding you because she looks up to you so much. She¡¯s never had to live without your support,¡± Ceilsea told him. Neither Ceilsea or their parents had ever made much time for Miennere, which is why she hadn¡¯t been surprised when Miennere didn¡¯t listen to them, but Vonae had basically raised her. Vonae avoiding her must hurt.


    ¡°I¡¯m just trying to protect her,¡± he said.


    In the silence that followed, Ceilsea¡¯s eyes wandered over to her younger brother. Poor Yippinee was trying to ignore them, but he heard every word. Ceilsea knew this situation could not be easy for him either. Vonae was devoting far too much time and attention to training him. Surely, she could help spare the boy by distracting his taskmaster.


    ¡°I was wondering¡­since I¡¯m going to have to watch anyway, do you think you could explain to me what you see in the sparring this afternoon? I think knowing what they¡¯re doing might make the whole ordeal more enjoyable,¡± she asked, trying to make it sound like the thought just came to her and not that she had ulterior motives.


    ¡°Is that why you came all the way out here? Were you dreading it so much that you couldn¡¯t stop thinking about how to make it less boring?¡± Vonae finally smiled, shaking his head. ¡°Of course, I can explain, but I can¡¯t promise it will make the experience any better for you.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s worth a shot,¡± Ceilsea said with a shrug.


    She watched the muscles in Yippinee¡¯s arms flex as he cast his spells. She wondered if they were the same muscles that Shae used when they played their instruments.  The royal box was too far from the fighting to tell. She needed to come up with some excuse to get closer.


    A few hours later Ceilsea stood on the edge of the arenas in front of the royal box. The crowds were breathing down her neck, but a guard stood next to her so nobody could get too close. In front of her was a short fence, discouraging the crowds from spilling onto the arena. Even though the second round of the circuit had just started and Shae was not competing yet, Ceilsea had requested one of the officials bring Shae out to her.


    From here, she could only see the closest fight. The others were blocked by the partitions her mother had been adjusting earlier. However, she could see in more detail what was going on in the fight in front of her. She understood why the people behind her were excitedly whispering. Finally, Shae rounded the corner with the officiant, jogging around the edge of the fight to her.


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    ¡°I suppose this is part of your plan to make me look like your champion?¡± they whispered as they got close to her so no one else could hear. They didn¡¯t look particularly happy to see her, but they didn¡¯t look unhappy either. They were already outfitted in their xylophone with their sword at their side and the ocarina on a cord around their neck.


    ¡°You did make me personally invested in your victory. Really this is your fault, isn¡¯t it? You get all the attention now. Serves you right for trying to stop me,¡± she teased, reaching into the small bag she had brought with her. Shae rolled their eyes. A motion that would be impossible to distinguish up in the royal box. Maybe that was why they felt safe doing it. Ceilsea¡¯s hand emerged from the bag with a palm-sized stone carved into a blossoming flower. Deliberately, so that even those in the box above could see, she held it out to them. ¡°This is for you.¡±


    Shae took it and turned in their hand looking confused, ¡°What am I supposed to do with this? Brain someone?¡±


    Ceilsea smiled, ¡°I would advise against that if you want to stay in the tournament. I¡¯m not a normal ¡®lady,¡¯ so this is me showing you favor. And hey, whether you win or lose, you can probably sell that for a small fortune if you find the right buyer,¡± she explained glancing over her shoulder at the nobles watching them. One of them would pay handsomely just to brag about how they owned a special piece by her.


    ¡°Oh, I¡­I see. Thank you, your¡­miss,¡± Shae stammered, embarrassed.


    Ceilsea smiled again. It was so easy to make them uncomfortable. ¡°Good luck, champion.¡±


    Shae muttered something before turning away and returning whence they came. The guard helped Ceilsea return to the royal box, though the crowd naturally made way as they whispered and watched Shaelis behind her. Ducking into the enclosure, there was some relief from the noise.


    ¡°Ceilsea.¡±


    She hadn¡¯t even had a chance to breathe before his majesty was calling her name. She smiled innocently. He was standing in front of his throne. Rivonae stood beside him. Her parents and Yippinee were in their seats in the corner. Ceilsea felt that today she wouldn¡¯t get the luxury of hiding in that corner.


    Aamard and Iscano had retired to another part of the box leaving the seats beside King Mileubramn empty. Even though she knew it was for her, she did not show the assumption as she walked up to the king.


    She curtsied. ¡°Yes, your majesty?¡±


    ¡°Did you just hand that fighter a carving of yours? I¡¯ve never received something like that as a gift,¡± his majesty feigned displeasure with crossed arms.


    Rivonae looked at the ground. He knew he shouldn¡¯t relay to the king that he had received many such carved gifts. Some were the crude blobs from Ceilsea¡¯s first attempts at sculpting, but all of them had heart behind them. Her brother never had to pay for her talents.


    ¡°Oh, but sir, how else was I supposed to show my favor? I can¡¯t select a champion since I¡¯m not a noble, so I have no choice but to shower them with art,¡± Ceilsea answered playfully.


    The king smiled and motioned beside him. ¡°Sit with me.¡±


    ¡°Of course, your majesty.¡±


    As the king settled in his throne, Ceilsea took the seat closest to him and leaned towards him so they could speak without being overheard. Rivonae sat beside her, focusing on the fights and pretending to ignore them.


    ¡°Who is this wayzard? Your brother told me you know them, but I¡¯ve never heard you speak of them,¡± the king asked her. Surely, he had been wondering this since last night but they hadn¡¯t had a chance to speak privately. He must have felt disappointed that he didn¡¯t know her as well as he thought.  She couldn¡¯t tell him everything without revealing she had only met Shaelis a few days ago.


    ¡°Their name is Shaelis Child,¡± she started, even though he must have known that from Iscano. ¡°They don¡¯t talk about themselves much, but from what I¡¯ve gathered, they are a very talented wayzard who left their homeland. They are participating in the tournament to prove themselves.¡± She didn¡¯t know how much she should gossip with the king.


    ¡°Why do you care? I¡¯ve never seen you interested in magic or music before,¡± King Mileubramn continued to interrogate her. Of course, he was more interested in her than in Shaelis.


    ¡°I want a friend to win,¡± she answered simply to not invite more questions. ¡°I want to root for someone and now they are involved, it might as well be them. I don¡¯t have a lot of friends. Let alone ones I can support.¡±


    Rivonae glanced over momentarily and frowned when Ceilsea said that. Even if he said nothing, Ceilsea knew what he was thinking. He hated when she said she didn¡¯t have friends. He couldn¡¯t see that all the people he tried to introduce her to were only superficial relationships. No one could relax around the pseudo-princess long enough to get past formalities. Vonae, for better or worse, was the only person she was close to. Which was why it was so interesting that she was putting her trust in Shae. Sharing secrets and making plans with someone was a rare thing for her.


    ¡°I understand. I would just be careful,¡± his majesty replied, sitting back. ¡°If they do well in the tournament, which it sounds like they will, people will say the fights were rigged to please you, or that you planted them to be your champion, to challenge the nobility¡¯s power.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s ridiculous.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the kind of thing you have to consider when you have more power than the person you support. You have to think about how your reputation will affect them. It¡¯s what it takes to be a patron,¡± he told her.


    ¡°I¡¯m not Shae¡¯s patron.¡± She turned away from him briefly as her face contorted at the thought. Shae had basically agreed to be her champion, but she didn¡¯t want that kind of power over them.


    ¡°An unknown person being supported socially and financially from a well-regarded figure within the community,¡± his majesty repeated, describing their relationship when it first started. It had some similarities to Ceilsea and Shae¡¯s at this point.


    ¡°It¡¯s different. We are both artists,¡± she told him.


    ¡°Are they an artist? Wayzards aren¡¯t exactly considered creatives,¡± he mused, showing Iscano had not told him everything. ¡°Plus, it¡¯s not unheard of for a successful artist to pass on their success to those they see promise in. Nor is it unheard of for a patron to wish their protegee was more a peer than a servant.¡±


    King Mileubramn met her gaze. Adoration and gentle sadness reflected in his eyes, even though he was smiling. Ceilsea¡¯s eyes dropped, weighed down by the guilt of not being able to give him what he wanted, an equal.


    ¡°Shae and I¡­we are too similar to be only a transactional relationship,¡± she said, probably revealing more than she should. ¡°I may be able to give them little favors and attention now, but they don¡¯t need it. I¡¯m sure as the tournament progresses, we will see that they are perfectly capable of being their own political influence. We are equals, in many more ways than you¡¯d think.¡±


    His majesty considered her words. He could clearly see their ages and possibly their talents could be comparable, but he couldn¡¯t know their ability to feel magic or their disillusionment with their lives. When it came down to it, Ceilsea truly believed that Shaelis would take Sumanar by storm with their music, just like she had done with her sculptures.

 Learning the Rules

    Rivonae broke the silence between the king and Ceilsea with a snort. It was good to know their conversation wasn¡¯t interesting enough for him to eavesdrop. Vonae didn¡¯t need to know of their ruminations on their patron-client relationships.


    ¡°Your highness, if you don¡¯t mind, my brother promised that he would explain all this chaos to me.¡± she said, placing her hand on Rivonae¡¯s knee affectionately. Her touch jerked him out of his trance.


    ¡°Oh no, of course not. I would appreciate his perspective. I know he trained extensively for dueling and solo deployment,¡± his majesty said with a wave of his hand. Vonae had been on several missions on royal orders.


    ¡°As you wish,¡± Vonae replied nodding to the king and then gave Ceilsea a sideward glance, whispering, ¡°both of you.¡± He leaned over and put his arm around his sister. ¡°What shall we start with? Stances, tactics, techniques, weapon styles, spells, footwork¡­¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you start with telling me when the noble¡¯s champions join? I know there are a few more days of the open tournament, but how many of these warriors progress to the next stage?¡± she asked. She knew Shae didn¡¯t have to beat everyone, but she wanted to know how many rounds they had to win to compete against the nobles¡¯ chosen fighters.


    ¡°His majesty can correct me if I¡¯m wrong, but I believe there were around four hundred warriors that entered, and there are fourteen nobles¡¯ champions advancing automatically. So around eighteen open contestants will move on to face the champions in reserve. That means there are two more rounds, two more days after today,¡± Vonae said. ¡°The rounds get shorter as they disqualify people, if you are asking when it will be over today.¡±


    ¡°After those two days, they aren¡¯t going straight to fighting the champions, right? There are a few days of respite in-between?¡± Ceilsea recalled something she had overheard earlier.


    ¡°That¡¯s correct,¡± the king said.


    Ceilsea sighed. Since different people would be leaving and arriving after the open tournament and the start of the finals, they had three days without fighting while the festival continued. It would give the organizers time to reconfigure the arenas and amphitheater as well as give the open contestants time to rest. Giving the open tournament contestants a few days would put everyone on a more equal footing.


    ¡°Many people are saying that we¡¯ve given them too much downtime, and that we should simply charge through the competition, treating the warriors like animals,¡± his majesty added.  He knew more of the logistics of the event than Vonae.


    ¡°For your benefit, sister, I¡¯ll explain. There is a contingent of people who believe the tournament should mirror the conditions of actual battle, where you can¡¯t rest and you react to situations as they are presented. However, because his majesty has decided to be more humane, fighters are given ample time to rest and recuperate. This limits the number of mistakes and injuries that come from exhaustion and stress,¡± Vonae told her.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t one of the grounds for expulsion from the tournament seriously injuring your opponent?¡± she asked, thinking she had heard someone talking about that.


    ¡°That rule was mainly implemented to prevent wizards from going crazy with their magics, but it also prevents the practice weapons from being used inappropriately in the highly emotional situation of competition. If you can¡¯t control yourself, you have no place being a warrior in the first place,¡± his majesty explained. Clearly more thought had gone into this tournament than Ceilsea realized. She knew that some of these choices would be criticized by commoners and nobles alike.


    Vonae nodded. ¡°Notice how the wizards must limit the magics they use to make this work. Wizards have the biggest advantage in one-on-one fighting. Wayzards can be a huge threat if they have someone to back them up, but it¡¯s hard for them to compete alone. Everyone knows a wizard is going to win. That¡¯s what is going to stop your friend Shae. There is no way they can win without magic.¡±


    ¡°But they can stop magic,¡± Ceilsea argued.


    ¡°Which is a purely defensive maneuver. You must attack to win, and magic is a weapon. In a single fight there are workarounds, but in general when the difference is magic and no magic, the one with magic is going to take the lead,¡± Vonae told her. Ceilsea didn¡¯t agree. Shae understood magic better than the people wielding it. They could fight back in ways that others couldn¡¯t. That gave them an advantage.


    ¡°What about the individual fights? What do you have to do and think to beat someone else? Is it completely determined by skill?¡± she wondered, turning to watch the fighting for the first time since she sat down.


    She didn¡¯t know anyone in the current circuit, but she focused on a wizard and a wayzard fighting closest to them. The wayzard had a sword and a small shield, she¡¯d heard Vonae refer to as a buckler. They also had a harmonica suspended around their neck. The wizard had a single-handed sword. Other than that, they looked equally matched. They were the same build, neither was overly muscular or tall. They were average, and both looked like they were from the more northern parts of the empire. Besides the magic, neither seemed to have an obvious advantage over the other.


    ¡°If it were easy to determine superior skill, circuits with a three-win system wouldn¡¯t be necessary. There is an advantage to being practiced and skilled, but there is an aspect of timing, strategy, and luck. The exact same pair up will end differently every time, with each opponent winning some times. That means anyone could win, but generally the more skilled fighter will win more often,¡± Vonae pointed at the pair she had started watching. ¡°See how they are watching each other before acting, circling each other? They are looking for openings or weaknesses in their opponent¡¯s defense. That visual processing doesn¡¯t stop even when they are in the middle of an engagement. It is a constant mental and physical juggle of defense and offense until someone gets the upper hand.¡±


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    ¡°He is very much complicating and romanticizing the process of two people hitting each other with sharp sticks,¡± his majesty said with a smile.


    Ceilsea grinned. The king knew her sense of humor. She shot back, ¡°And yet somehow he wants me to be invested in all this absurdity.¡±


    Vonae ignored them, grabbed Ceilsea¡¯s arm and pointed back to the fight below.


    ¡°Watch,¡± he told her.


    The wizard had started casting a spell. Vines began to writhe and wriggle from the ground, but the wayzard played a familiar tune, dispelling the plants. Then the wayzard lunged, blocking the wizard''s downward slash with the buckler and banged their opponent¡¯s wrist with the wooden sword. It looked like it would hurt, but the wizard did not flinch. The wizard pivoted the sword around the buckler. The wayzard retreated, barely batting the blade off course with their weapon. Immediately the wayzard approached again using their sword and buckler together to funnel the wizard sword into the crevasse where the blade met the edge of the shield. With the blade on the buckler¡¯s edge, the wayzard disengaged the sword and slashed at the wizard¡¯s neck and chest.


    ¡°So the wayzard won? I thought you said that didn¡¯t happen,¡± Ceilsea asked, watching the two fighters talk to one another for a minute before returning to their starting positions, ¡°Does that mean they¡¯re a bad wizard?¡±


    ¡°Not necessarily. Did you see the wayzard¡¯s strategy? They got rid of the casting hand first to make the fight more even. Then they created an opening to set up the killing blow,¡± Vonae explained. ¡°Otherwise, the wizard would have kept casting while the wayzard was attacking, making it harder for them to close and strike the killing blow. It doesn¡¯t mean the wizard is bad, just unprepared or unlucky.¡±


    ¡°The wizard could still cast though. Their hand is fine,¡± Ceilsea pointed out.


    ¡°The rules state that they must treat solid strikes to limbs as if the weapons had blades and had created a real injury. That¡¯s why sometimes they¡¯ll fall to the ground for no reason,¡± Vonae said. ¡°If an officiant notices either fighter ignoring the strikes, and they refuse to correct it after verbal warnings, the round goes to their opponent. These rules ensure the fights have a more realistic flow.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s confusing. How are you supposed to know what¡¯s going on unless you¡¯ve watched the whole thing?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t or you can guess.¡± He said with a shrug.


    ¡°If the wayzard¡¯s plan works, why doesn¡¯t everyone do that?¡± Ceilsea continued, even though she could see that the wizard and wayzard were doing something completely different now.


    ¡°Most wizards know to keep their casting hand close. You can train to cast quicker and retract cleaner, but if your opponent¡¯s trained as well it¡¯s just a battle of who is faster and more accurate. Sometimes you can be an inch off and your fingers get hit,¡± Vonae told her, flexing his own hand. Ceilsea winced, knowing what it felt to have your fingers crushed with a hammer.  She knew this must be even worse because her father always stressed how important hand dexterity was to wizards. Vonae, Miennere, and even Yippinee, wore gloves when training to prevent injury. In sparring, only some wore thin gloves that wouldn¡¯t get in the way of their strumming.


    ¡°I see. Skill and technique only get you so far,¡± Ceilsea said watching the wizard win with a flourishing spell of ice.


    ¡°The circuits should level it out so only the most skilled will advance. You certainly need to have endurance and focus to keep this up,¡± Vonae said with some reverence. He respected the contestants who could survive, whether with skill or guts.


    Ceilsea¡¯s eyes wandered as their example pair left the arena. Despite Vonae¡¯s blanket statement, the wayzard in that pair had advanced. The next circuit was entering. She saw familiar curls and a xylophone. Shae entered the farthest arena. Ceilsea grabbed Vonae¡¯s arm excitedly.


    ¡°Look, it¡¯s them! Can you explain their fights to me? Please!¡± she begged. That was what this whole ruse had been about.


    ¡°I can try to tell you how they are doing. Not every spar is as cut and dry as that last one,¡± Vonae gently pushed her off his arm.


    Their section of the box went silent. His majesty was also focused on Shae and their opponent, a large warrior who seemed to only have rudimentary magics and a large sword. Ceilsea tried to focus, but it really was just a flurry of weapons. The first, Shae won. The second, the warrior won. The third, Shae won again. Finally, Shae took their third victory and rotated opponents. Even from this far, Ceilsea noted the muscles in Shae¡¯s neck and arms, and how striking their silhouette was when they extended their sword. She filed the observation for when she began carving them later.


    After a few spars with the next opponent, Vonae made a disapproving click with his tongue. He crossed his arms and muttered, ¡°They just don¡¯t get it.¡±


    ¡°What? What don¡¯t they get?¡± Ceilsea asked, ignoring the fights completely to try and read his face.


    ¡°They are too clunky with their sword strikes. You¡¯d think since they''re musical, they¡¯d have more finesse. They appear graceful with their footwork and dispelling, but some people think strength comes from swinging the sword harder, instead of powering with your whole body. No one wins a sword fight by bashing their opponent with it. You win by slicing and stabbing with the pointy end!¡± Vonae growled mimicking a sword movement with his hand. The king laughed.


    ¡°But they are still winning,¡± Ceilsea pointed out as Shae won their third spar with the second opponent.


    ¡°They have a good eye for maneuvering and finding openings. Again, good footwork, but they stall and wait for their chance instead of being proactive. Someone like Jala, or even Miennere, will have them wait right into a trap, or use their overcommitted strikes to push them off balance. Let them bowl themselves over and then stab them,¡± Vonae said, still annoyed.


    ¡°Do you think they could improve?¡± Ceilsea asked.


    ¡°Of course. I don¡¯t know how much experience they have, but it doesn¡¯t seem like much. Some people fight for years and find limits to their talent, but Shae doesn¡¯t seem to be at that point. Do they have formal training?¡± Vonae asked her.


    Ceilsea shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t know. I would hope so.¡±


    ¡°There are plenty in the tournament that don¡¯t or picked up skills in other ways,¡± his majesty pointed out.


    ¡°Do you think you could train them to be better?¡± Ceilsea asked her brother. He had trained Miennere after all. She was doing well as far as Ceilsea could tell.


    ¡°Are you asking me to?¡± Vonae turned to her for the first time since he had started explaining the fights.


    ¡°Would you?¡± She should do something to help Shae if they were going to win. Rivonae was the best swordsman she knew.


    He looked at her with a furrowed brow. He thought for a moment. ¡°I can¡¯t promise that I¡¯d be able to make a difference for the tournament results. It would only be a couple of hours, but if they want my help, I have no reason to say no.¡±


    Ceilsea grinned. ¡°I don¡¯t think Shae has a reason to say no either.¡±


    ¡°It depends on their pride. If they think they are good, you could insult them by butting in, buttercup,¡± Vonae told her, turning back to the fights.


    Shaelis had lost two of three fights against the third opponent.


    ¡°It¡¯s my friendship, not yours,¡± she told him, picking at his hair until he swatted her away. She could survive Shae getting upset at her. That had already happened a few times in the short time they¡¯d known each other.


    In the end, Shaelis managed to advance, though they weren¡¯t at the top of their circuit.

 The Missing Princess

    Jala was in the next circuit. Tension simmered around the king. Vonae sat back and went silent. Ceilsea¡¯s smile disappeared, and she laced her fingers in her lap. King Mileubramn drummed his fingers on the arm of his chair. In each fight, Jala flared her magic and pinned, knocked down, or captured her opponent. She never had to use her knife. Before long, she was moving on to the next person. It looked like she was going to finish at the top of the circuit.


    ¡°Do you know if she¡¯s had contact with Esmine?¡± Ceilsea broke the silence and quietly asked the king. She hadn¡¯t spoken with the king privately since Jala had arrived. She didn¡¯t have to ask to know that he feared Jala winning.


    ¡°It¡¯s unlikely. She seems to be acting of her own accord,¡± the king said, likely informed by contacts and connections he couldn¡¯t speak of. That didn¡¯t make Jala any less of a threat.


    ¡°Why would Jala remain loyal to her? Esmine wasn¡¯t here to support Jala when she decided to become her true self. Some friend,¡± Ceilsea complained.


    ¡°The princess being gone was probably the only reason Jala realized she was unhappy with her old self. Jala made Princess Esmine the center of everything. Or maybe, the princess made herself the center of everything,¡± Vonae added.


    He wasn¡¯t wrong. Ever since Jala had moved to the capital with the Brijas family to continue studying magic under their father, Jala and Princess Esmine had been inseparable. Her highness, who reveled in control and power, ruled Jala¡¯s life. In the few months following the princess'' disappearance, Jala was directionless, devoting herself completely to studying and training her magic. When Jala had disappeared as well, everyone assumed she went looking for Esmine. Instead, Jala must have found herself, but unfortunately she didn¡¯t seem to lose her obsession with the princess.


    ¡°Why would she fight for her? Why would you stay loyal to a princess who ran¡­¡± Ceilsea held her tongue at the last second. Even though she was whispering, it would be bad if people overheard her talking ill of the princess.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry,¡± his majesty assured her. He put a hand on her shoulder, seeing she was tense. ¡°Steps have been taken to discourage anyone who might use the honor of Champion in a sinister way.  I can¡¯t directly interfere with the tournament, but we will not make it easy for just anyone to win.¡±


    Ceilsea knew King Mileubramn would not speak ill of his daughter or Jala in public. In private, she knew his concerns were the same as hers and Vonae¡¯s, but there was not much he could do without appearing biased. Strictly speaking she shouldn¡¯t be saying such things either, but it wasn¡¯t exactly a secret that she was at odds with Princess Esmine. Public opinion made it impossible to escape their rivalry as they were seen as caricatures of opposing ideals.


    ¡°No one will doubt the integrity of the Champion. The right person will be chosen. I¡¯m sure of it,¡± Ceilsea told him.


    Jala beat everyone in the circuit almost flawlessly. She would move on to the next round without question. In the next circuit, Miennere didn¡¯t dominate as much, but she did manage to pass her circuit as well. In the box, they did not say a word about her, but Ceilsea did notice that Rivonae kept glancing at her spars out of the corner of his eye. Training Shaelis might be a good distraction for him.


    As the circuits started wrapping up, Ceilsea made her excuses to the king, whispering in his ear and kissing him on the cheek. She dragged Vonae, who managed to bow on his way out, down to the tent beside the arena. She wanted to catch Shaelis before they disappeared to the campgrounds or her courtyard.


    Ducking into the tent, they were immediately met with the smell of sweat and a mix of other unpleasant scents. Contestants were scattered within, without any rhyme or reason Ceilsea could decipher. Some were training, while others managed to fall asleep amidst the chaos around them. There were a few non-warriors in the tent, including tournament organizers and friends or family of the fighters. Ceilsea and Vonae¡¯s arrival gathered a fair number of stares. Even if they hadn¡¯t seen her giving Shaelis the flower, their expensive clothing made them stand out.


    ¡°Mistress Brijas?¡± the officiant who had fetched Shae earlier approached her with a wary look. If they were worried the fighters would approach her with ill intent, they needn¡¯t. Vonae was hovering closer than usual and his eyes were scanning the room incessantly for danger.


    ¡°Do you know where my friend is?¡± she asked, assuming they could figure out who she was talking about.


    ¡°Mestren Child is behind the tent if they are here,¡± they told her, motioning to the edge farthest from the arenas. ¡°They tend to avoid crowded areas. At least that¡¯s what I gathered from their assigned commandant when I spoke to them.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± she said with a nod.


    They made their way around the tent, continuing their search in the shadows. It wasn¡¯t that much less crowded outside. People were training, talking, and lounging, but Ceilsea could see that the area closest to the tent was relatively empty. As they got closer, she could just make out Shae¡¯s silhouette on the ground packing their bag.


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    ¡°Shae!¡± she called out to them. They visibly jerked in surprise.


    ¡°Can you not shout out my name?¡± Shae asked her as she and Rivonae approached.


    ¡°Just give up on anonymity. If you are going to win, people are going to know your name,¡± Ceilsea told them.


    ¡°I¡¯m not trying to be anonymous. I just don¡¯t like everyone to know where I am,¡± they said, standing and dusting off their clothes.


    ¡°They can see you,¡± Ceilsea pointed out.


    ¡°There is a difference between being seen and having people¡¯s active attention. It¡¯s a strategic angle,¡± Rivonae told his sister.


    ¡°They aren¡¯t in a fight now,¡± Ceilsea countered.


    ¡°But they could be gathering information on their opponents,¡± Rivonae argued.


    ¡°What do you need from me, Ceilsea?¡± Shae interrupted their back and forth.


    The siblings refocused their attention on Shaelis, who had their arms crossed.


    ¡°I need to introduce you to my brother, formally. Shae, this is Rivonae. Vonae, this is Shaelis,¡± Ceilsea said with a flourish of her arm. She figured they could negotiate the diminutive themselves.


    Her brother, always conscious of manners, lowered his head with a nod. ¡°It¡¯s an honor, Mestren. Anyone my sister is fond of is someone I¡¯m happy to know.¡±


    Shaelis did not return the gesture, but they did uncross their arms. ¡°It is convenient to put a name to the face, Rivonae. Am I allowed to ask why it is necessary we meet? The last person Ceilsea introduced me to only wanted me for my music.¡±


    ¡°This time it¡¯s the exact opposite.¡± Ceilsea said.


    ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡± Shae shot back.


    ¡°She means that she has volunteered me to help you train. I noticed your sword strikes could use a little work,¡± Vonae offered a softer explanation than Ceilsea would have.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡ªwhy should I care about your opinion on my weapon work?¡± Shaelis asked,  crossing their arms again.


    Ceilsea assured them, ¡°Rivonae is the best swordsman I know. He trained both my siblings in martial and magic arts, including my sister, Miennere, who has been fighting in the tournament.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s the shorter girl with the target shield and the cruciform sword,¡± Vonae provided.


    ¡°Why would you help me? Aren¡¯t you training her?¡± Shaelis asked.


    The Brijas siblings shared a moment¡¯s pause.


    ¡°Not currently. She joined the tournament without our parent¡¯s approval,¡± Ceilsea told them. She didn¡¯t want to divulge too much of her family¡¯s personal matters, but it seemed necessary to explain to Shae why Vonae wouldn¡¯t have conflicting interests.


    ¡°In fact, if you end up facing her and you knock her out of the tournament, I would be more than grateful. That¡¯s all I¡¯d ask in return for my help,¡± Vonae said.


    Shaelis didn¡¯t immediately answer. Their eyes wandered over to where their sword and instruments were attached to their pack. Ceilsea hadn¡¯t been able to clearly see their weapon when they were cleaning it in the courtyard, but she did remember it wasn¡¯t anything spectacular. Compared to their musical tools, the sword looked more found than chosen.


    ¡°I thought¡­I thought it was going to be alright. I learned the basics of sword fighting in my wayzard training, and I thought I was decent at it. I didn¡¯t spend ten hours a day locked in a room with it and I never had to do one-hundred scales a day, but¡­am I really that bad?¡± Shaelis asked. Ceilsea had been starting to believe, like Vonae had suggested, that Shae was going to take offense and be stubborn about admitting their faults. Turns out that they were self-aware.


    ¡°You are decent for a beginner,¡± Vonae assured them. ¡°However, in this competition, decent isn¡¯t going to cut it. Knowing you don¡¯t have much more than basic training, I would say you have innate talent for reading your opponents, but your technique could use work.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a little late to fix that,¡± Shaelis muttered. Ceilsea hoped this wasn¡¯t going to backfire and destroy Shae¡¯s confidence.


    ¡°Training months before a tournament would be ideal. However, if you are used to picking up physical skills that require precision and improvisation, like learning musical instruments, I think we can help you a little bit,¡± Vonae said, offering his hand. ¡°I can¡¯t guarantee you will win anything though,¡± he repeated the same warning he told Ceilsea.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I can manage that on my own,¡± Shae told him, grabbing Rivonae¡¯s hand and shaking it firmly. Ceilsea didn¡¯t have to worry about their confidence after all.


    Ceilsea was satisfied. It was a good agreement for both her brother, her friend, and herself. If they were training together, she could spend time with them both at the same time. She needed all the excuses she could get to watch Shaelis in action to create an accurate re-creation.


    Now that the tournament for the day was truly over, more and more people were pouring out of the tent and leaving the amphitheater. The swarming mass of people slowly inched up the incline.


    ¡°What should we do first?¡± Shae asked Vonae, grabbing their bag and scrambling for their sword.


    ¡°Slow down, Child,¡± Rivonae warned with a smile. ¡°I don¡¯t know what kind of wayzards you¡¯ve trained with, but this is what I know about you. You¡¯ve participated in a high stakes tournament today and yesterday, and you have history of being forced to train excessively in the past¡­.¡±


    ¡°They are very high-strung,¡± Ceilsea interrupted.


    ¡°For your first part of training, I think you should learn the importance of relaxation,¡± Rivonae told him, ¡°Have you explored the city?¡±


    ¡°No. I don¡¯t really like to be around¡­people,¡± Shae said, stumbling over their words.


    ¡°We¡¯re not just people. We¡¯re friends!¡± Ceilsea told them, throwing her arm around their shoulder.


    ¡°We¡¯ll make sure no one bothers you,¡± Rivonae said, taking their other side.


    ¡°I¡¯d rather just train,¡± Shae said.


    ¡°That¡¯s not an option. But if you are a good Child, I¡¯ll give you some solo drills at the end of the night. Doesn¡¯t that sound great?!¡± Rivonae teased as the siblings led Shae towards the mass of people leaving the amphitheater. They didn¡¯t stop walking, but Shae''s face plainly showed their discomfort. Ceilsea squeezed their shoulders reassuringly before letting them go.


    ¡°You two really are siblings,¡± Shae commented.


    ¡°Of course, where do you think Ceilsea got her sharp tongue from? My baby sister learned from the best,¡± Vonae joked. The siblings shared a glance. Ceilsea was pretty sure her brother had picked up more than a few quips from her, but just this once, she would let his eldest sibling condescension go.


    ¡°Great. You could have led with that. I might not have agreed to this,¡± Shae said as the throng of people pressed in around them.


    Ceilsea grabbed their hand to ensure they didn¡¯t get separated. Then she leaned in and whispered in their ear, ¡°Neither of us are running away anymore, right?¡± They squeezed her hand in acknowledgement. Even if it meant doing something that made them uncomfortable, it was clear they were willing to do what they needed to win.

 The Range

    Inching along at a slug¡¯s pace, they moved with the crowd out of the amphitheater. Finally, they followed the part that split off to enter the capital. Vonae took the lead. Twisting and turning through the streets, they lost the crowd only to rejoin it again on the main road. It didn¡¯t take Ceilsea long to realize where they were going.


    The Range, an old market building turned into an eatery, game, and dance hall glowed at all hours of the day. It was crowded as usual. Colorful cloth banners hung from the arches and balcony on the fa?ade. The thin fabric rippled whenever there was a breeze. The row of arches let people in and out of the establishment. The group of three found the least crowded arch and headed inside. The murmur of noise which permeated outside suddenly erupted into a cacophony as the true size of the building opened before them.


    Ceilsea felt a tug on her hand as Shae hesitated, but she firmly pulled them forward. The main space wasn¡¯t part of the building at all, but a large courtyard covered with leaflets of cloth creating a canopy above. Vines and flowering plants peppered the courtyard. Ceilsea could never tell if the plants were maintained or simply left over from the previous incarnation of the building. Within the garden were the games¡ªanimal races, card games, skill challenges, and games of chance. Ceilsea saw Vonae¡¯s eyes linger on what seemed like turtle races, but he led them around the courtyard. Tables, lounging chairs, and cushions lined the edges and balconies. Rounding the corner they could finally see the dance floor in the back. Vonae led them to an alcove where a small empty table with three chairs sat unoccupied.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you two take a seat? I¡¯m going to place some bets and grab us some food,¡± Vonae said motioning over his shoulder to a bar near the dance floor.


    Ceilsea¡¯s chair creaked beneath her as she plopped down, and Shae slinked into the seat across from her. Vonae headed to the turtle races. Ceilsea watched as Shae looked around slowly. Eventually their eyes focused on their own clenched hands on the table. Vonae was cheering on the turtles, obviously not in a rush to get back to them.


    Ceilsea leaned over the table and had to yell to be heard above the din of the crowd, ¡°I know it seems like a lot, but it¡¯s actually pretty laid back here. No one will bother us, I promise.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t¡­ it¡¯s not rational. I just don¡¯t trust groups of people I don¡¯t know,¡± Shae said. ¡°Turns out running from people makes you paranoid.¡±


    ¡°What would happen if they caught you?¡± Ceilsea wondered.


    Shae looked out into the crowd one more time before leaning closer, and replying, ¡°Worst case scenario, exactly what they were doing before I left.¡±


    Ceilsea wasn¡¯t sure what that meant, but yelling across a table was not the best way to pry. Instead, she switched chairs to sit next to Shae. ¡°Don¡¯t worry neither Vonae or I will let anything like that happen. We¡¯ll just encourage you to get beat up in the tournament,¡± She joked, and Shae smiled.


    ¡°That¡¯s why I trust you. People who just want me for my music wouldn¡¯t let me fight for fear of me getting injured,¡± Shae said.


    ¡°I know how that is,¡± Ceilsea commented, thinking about all the things she was kept from for her ¡®protection.¡¯


    They both watched Vonae celebrating some kind of victory and basked in the calm that only existed between the two of them. Vonae clapped some of the other gamblers on the shoulders and headed over to the bar. Ceilsea swiveled her head back to Shaelis.


    ¡°Would you like to dance?¡± she asked, hearing the strands of a melody over the noise.


    Shaelis twisted their face. ¡°No. The music is terrible.¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t you enjoy any music that isn¡¯t your own?¡± she asked.


    They shrugged. ¡°If it¡¯s good, maybe, but not this.¡±


    Ceilsea laughed. ¡°Lower your standards, just this once!¡±


    ¡°No, if anything, I¡¯m going to raise theirs,¡± Shae insisted.


    Ceilsea was about to challenge them to prove that, but Vonae returned with a tray of food. Still sizzling kebabs, rice, flatbread, and bowls of stew fell onto the table, as if Vonae almost lost control of the descent. He took Ceilsea¡¯s old chair and grabbed a kebab.


    ¡°Do you think I¡¯m going to give you drills if you just sit in the corner?¡± He asked Shaelis and then took a bite.


    ¡°I¡­I¡¯m working on it. Is it even safe for a fake princess to be here?¡± They said, flipping the focus onto someone else.


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    ¡°I told you the staff know us. They make sure no one gives us trouble. As long as I¡¯m not flaunting my status, people ignore us,¡±  Ceilsea answered, taking a tentative sip of the stew and then a gulp when she knew it wouldn¡¯t scald her.


    ¡°If you say so¡­¡± Shae consented, taking a flatbread.


    Vonae put down the kebab and grabbed one of the three glasses he had brought.


    ¡°Look, for tonight there is nothing in the world except the three of us. No stress, no worries. No tournament, no reckless sisters, no crazy rivals,¡± he said, holding a glass up for a toast.


    ¡°No boredom, no patrons, no obligations,¡± Ceilsea added, raising a glass herself.


    They both looked at Shae expectantly.


    They took a glass. ¡°No fear, no doubt, only freedom.¡±


    Vonae laughed, not understanding much of what Shae was implying, but her brother had also revealed things Shae wouldn¡¯t understand. The three of them all took a drink. Then they started making their way through the food. After fifteen minutes or so, Shaelis cleared their throat and grabbed their bag.


    ¡°Did you still want to dance?¡± They asked, unhooking their violin, white inlays sparkling even in the dim light. They rose from their chair before she answered.


    ¡°Yes!!¡± she said after she finished stuffing a flatbread filled with kebab meat into her mouth.


    Grabbing Shae¡¯s arm, the two of them headed to the dance floor. Shae politely asked the fiddler if they could play in their stead. The musician nodded, staring at Shae¡¯s impressive instrument.


    Shae began to play, and they finally started to relax. They weren¡¯t lying when they said they could shatter previous standards the patrons had. When they were not fighting at the same time, their true skills blossomed. Their songs were light and fast like an ocean breeze. But the melody never sounded the same, as if they were digging up lost treasure from a sunken city. The dance floor filled with patrons, but the small corner near the musicians and Shae was left open. This allowed Ceilsea and Vonae to dance next to Shae.


    Shae¡¯s music was easy to dance to, and if Ceilsea didn¡¯t focus, she could get lost listening to the twists and turns in the melody. Shae swayed, and Ceilsea felt herself mirroring them. She didn¡¯t quite understand the intricacies of music but felt herself following along. The music led her on a journey. This song, and every song she heard, touched Ceilsea. Her feet and body moved in familiar ways, but wrapped in the music, it felt new and beautiful. Ceilsea had always felt comforted by song, because it banished the burden of music, but there was something different about Shae¡¯s music. The awe and wonder people said they saw in her sculptures came to mind. The feel of stone was as familiar to her as the violin in Shae¡¯s hands was to them. Ceilsea¡¯s admirers revered the skills they couldn¡¯t understand, but Ceilsea understood Shae. Just like she took a chunk of stone and made it twist and turn into lifelike forms, Shae took notes and tempo and made it blossom into humanlike emotion. As if they too understood this connection, Shae¡¯s eyes met Ceilsea¡¯s every time they pulled off an extraordinary run of notes or swell of emotion. It was as if Shae were playing just for her.


    Then Vonae brushed Shae with his hand, and when Shae turned towards him, he made an absurd face. Shae grinned even as they averted their eyes, and Ceilsea remembered that she wasn¡¯t the only one Shae could have a connection with through  music. The feelings they shared were just unique to them. As Ceilsea continued to watch, Shae¡¯s eyes lingered on the crowd. Ceilsea knew they were worried about somebody recognizing them as they felt they must every time they played publicly. She wished they didn¡¯t have to.


    When the Evening Song¡¯s first note flowed through the air, the dance floor dissolved. The Brijas siblings and Shaelis took a walk around the rest of the Range. Vonae and Ceilsea showed Shae the different games. They watched only a few rounds of the beetle races, a fan favorite, before they left. Vonae didn¡¯t need to lose any more money.


    As soon as they left the Range and the protection of the staff, the crowd pressed in around them. Someone behind Ceilsea brushed up behind her and slurred loudly, ¡°Hey! Hey! Stone¡­ princess¡­ girl!¡±


    The man probably thought he was speaking normally, but his outburst caused most of the street to turn. Shaelis immediately pushed between her and the man, but it was too late.


    ¡°You got everything right? Which means you gotta know a lot, right?¡± the man asked, as Shaelis pushed him. Vonae turned against the tide of people to grab his sister. She noticed the fingers moving on his other hand. The drunk, oblivious, continued, ¡°So tell me¡­why does the king waste our time kowtowing to the Empire? We got our own problems! Why do we waste our time celebrating their¡­ stupid sacrifice.¡±


    Vonae was creating distance between them and the drunk, while Shaelis made sure he didn¡¯t follow them. This only encouraged the man to speak louder, ¡°The king¡¯s too busy, they say. Doing what? Does he fuck those statues of yours? Is that why he wastes his time and money on you? Or is he wasting his time fucking y¡ª"


    Vonae¡¯s spell finally went off in between notes of the Evening Song. The drunk shouted as his elbow bent against his will and liquor splattered into his face. That was enough of a distraction to shut him up. A second later the remnants of the spells pressing on Ceilsea¡¯s consciousness were lifted by the music still swimming in the air.


    ¡°You should have broken it,¡± Shaelis muttered to Vonae, who just shrugged.


    ¡°Let¡¯s just get out of here,¡± Ceilsea said with a sigh.


    They ended up back in Ceilsea¡¯s courtyard, where they could relax uninterrupted. Shaelis gave them a private show after the Evening Song ended, and Ceilsea started to climb the griffin and polish some details. Rivonae watched both of them for a while as the artists bantered. Ceilsea saw Vonae examining Shae¡¯s equipment, but he didn¡¯t comment. Shae was distracted talking to Ceilsea about the dragons they¡¯d seen. Vonae was roped back into the conversation when it turned to talking about the Sumanarian cities where the Brijas family had lived. Shaelis had been in the country for a while but had only been on the west side. The siblings told them about the country as they had seen it growing up.


    Ceilsea was the first to allow herself to close her eyes and fall asleep under the stars. It wasn¡¯t the first time she had done this, but it was the first time she wasn¡¯t alone.

 The History of Sumanar

    Ceilsea woke at sunrise, grumbling at the brightness interrupting her sleep. Her back was against the cool stone of the marble. She sat up, laid her head back and opened blerrie eyes.


    ¡°Morning,¡± Vonae greeted her, looking far too awake and put together for having slept outdoors. He was still sitting on the kaftan he¡¯d laid on the grass, so she knew he had slept with her. He stood and stretched as if he¡¯d been waiting for her to rise. She didn¡¯t move. He continued, ¡°I¡¯m not sure where Shaelis went. Maybe they left after we fell asleep.¡±


    Ceilsea glanced over at the bushes and knew that wasn¡¯t true. Their bag was still there, only partially hidden by the underbrush. As if they had heard them, Shae emerged from the brush looking as put together as Vonae, except for a leaf in their hair.


    Shae looked directly at Vonae and said, ¡°You promised me drills.¡±


    Vonae paused for a moment, perhaps confused about why they looked so at home in the bushes. Then he picked up his kaftan and answered, ¡°Fair enough.¡±


    ¡°What are you¡­? You¡¯re not really going to practice now, are you?¡± Ceilsea whined trying to keep the light from her eyes with an arm.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you? We didn¡¯t even stay up that late last night.¡± Shae glared at her.


    Vonae looked at her with affection. ¡°Ceilsea isn¡¯t too fond of mornings. She usually stumbles out of bed a few hours after sunrise. I used to say she dreamed of working on sculptures too hard to sleep well.¡±


    ¡°The sun doesn¡¯t dictate when I¡¯m awake. I decide that,¡± Ceilsea muttered.


    ¡°You¡¯re already up. What are you going to do now?¡± Shae asked stooping down to collect their things.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go back to my room and sleep for a few hours,¡± Ceilsea answered.


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Yes, she¡¯s serious,¡± Vonae told them as Ceilsea stumbled to her feet.


    ¡°Have fun swishing and spinning and flicking,¡± Ceilsea said as she walked towards the door waving her hand dismissively.


    ¡°We will be doing none of that,¡± Vonae assured her as she disappeared through the doorway.


    She stumbled through the halls to her bedroom, trying to keep the haze of sleep fresh. Luckily she didn¡¯t run into her parents or her other siblings. She fell into bed without changing out of her clothes from yesterday. The mists of sleep engulfed her.  She was not sure how much time had passed when she became conscious and curious about a quiet knock at her door.


    ¡°Yes?¡± she inquired, swinging her legs over the edge of the bed. Her clothes felt heavy and twisted. She was probably going to regret sleeping in them, as it would take longer to get them laundered and ready for wear again. Her small wardrobe would be even smaller.


    ¡°Ceilsea?¡± the voice was distinct even though it was quiet. It was Yippinee.


    Tugging at her soiled clothes as if that would fix the foreign feeling on her skin, she crossed the room and opened the door for her little brother.


    He looked surprisingly timid, glancing left and right like he was on watch. He looked up at her and asked, ¡°Do you know where Vonae is?¡±


    Ceilsea sighed. ¡°Is he supposed to be teaching you?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m supposed to be practicing magic with him, but he wasn¡¯t at breakfast or in his room,¡± Yippinee said, which explained why he looked like he had hidden the king¡¯s jewels. Their parents would scold him if they saw him anywhere but at lessons.


    ¡°Do you want to practice magic with him?¡± Ceilsea asked, weighing whether she should interrupt Shea¡¯s limited time with Vonae.


    ¡°Not if it¡¯s more combat magic,¡± Yippinee admitted convincing Ceilsea that she didn¡¯t have to co-opt Vonae¡¯s time. However, she did have to keep her baby brother occupied so her parents didn¡¯t find out.


    ¡°I do know where he is, but why don¡¯t I teach you today?¡± Ceilsea offered. Opening the door wide, Yippinee slid in her bedroom.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if that¡¯ll work¡­¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t do magic, but I can help you with another subject,¡± Ceilsea assured him. ¡°When I was your age, I had to do all my lessons before breakfast, then go to my sculpting masters¡¯ for the rest of the day. I had to meet their expectations for all my schooling to ensure Mother and Father would keep paying for my apprenticeship. I had higher marks with the tutors than Vonae and Jala.¡±


    ¡°You had to learn the same things as us? Even though you were sculpting?¡± he asked, sitting on her bed.


    Ceilsea stripped her top layers and then hid behind her dressing screen as she continued telling the story, ¡°At the time, Mother and Father weren¡¯t sure I was going to be good enough at sculpting to make money. They were more concerned about finding me a way to make a living than what I enjoyed. Sculpting was just one option. If it didn¡¯t work out, I could have been a scholar, a scribe, or even a seamstress.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know that,¡± Yippinee said almost dismayed. Being twelve years her junior, Ceilsea didn¡¯t expect him to.


    ¡°I¡¯ve never been handed everything I wanted, despite what Miennere thinks,¡± she told him as she cleaned herself as much as she could with a day-old water basin. Then she picked out her outfit. She reused the yellow and orange clothes from a few days ago, but paired it with a different kaftan.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think Miennere knows that either,¡± Yippinee pointed out.


    ¡°That¡¯s because she¡ª" Ceilsea stopped herself mid-sentence, recalling two-year-old Miennere hoisted up in their mother¡¯s arms, her hair stroked by their father as they lauded, celebrated, and loved her for showing signs of magic. Ceilsea had never gotten that kind of love and acceptance, yet Miennere thought she was the jilted one. Ceilsea sighed and continued, ¡°She never asked.¡±


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    Yippinee fell silent as Ceilsea finished dressing.  Ceilsea knew she hadn¡¯t given her younger siblings much opportunity to know her. She didn¡¯t have much in common with them, and their main interest, magic, made her squirm. Vonae was different because he had been her big brother forever. The rest of her family stayed at a distance.


    Once she was clothed, she sat next to Yippinee on the bed.


    ¡°Is there anything in particular you want to learn about today?¡± she asked him. He looked back at her with eyes that matched the deep green of her own.


    ¡°Um, well, you are friends with the king, right?¡± he said hesitantly.


    ¡°I work for him like Mother, Father, and Vonae, but we are close, yes,¡± she clarified.


    ¡°Could you teach me how¡­why he became king? It¡¯s too recent for my history tutor and I get conflicting answers from everyone else,¡± he said looking at his feet.


    The truth wasn¡¯t complicated, but she knew why people avoided the subject. Some people whispered about his coronation like it was a scandal, and others denied it was any different than any other. If the process was going to become the new tradition, which his majesty wanted, children like Yippinee needed to understand why it was important.


    ¡°Follow me,¡± she motioned for Yippinee to follow her. They went down the hall to the sitting room. He sat on a lounger as Ceilsea collected a large book from the bookshelf. She flipped to almost the end. ¡°You know about Targar, the Blood King?¡±


    ¡°He was the last of his lineage, warred with tribes within Sumanar, and pillaged the edges of the Aebris empire regularly,¡± Yippinee tried to summarize quickly, skipping over a lot of nuance.


    ¡°He was a king who liked to bully and attack his own people. He said it made them respect him, but it led to fear and hate throughout the country,¡± she added, trying to inject some of the emotional landscape of the time that she had heard his majesty describe. ¡°The noble families that descended from the tribal heads¡ª some still involved in the tribes, some just established land owners¡ª faced multiple threats of retaliation from the Emperor. With the blood, sweat, and tears of their own people on their hands, they decided enough was enough. A small group of them compiled a group of warriors who slaughtered Targar¡¯s army during the night and hung the Blood King from the top of the cliff the next morning.¡±


    Placing the book on the table in front of Yippinee, she showed him the section where it talked about Targar¡¯s death and the aftermath of the revolt. It discussed the turmoil and the chaos between different factions of Sumanar but not how it ended. The historian who wrote the book wanted to frame the revolutionaries as wrong.


    Ceilsea continued, ¡°After no one forced their way into the position of king,¡± Though not through lack of trying according to the king. ¡°It was put to a vote amongst the nobles. Duke Mileubramn of Ishzalt on one side and Duke Samsil of Obinon on the other. King Mileubramn won and married Samsil¡¯s sister to prevent a civil war.¡±


    That was the part people hesitated to talk about. Some thought a king shouldn¡¯t be elected. Every king before had won their position through violence or by divine forces, back when most people believed the gods were still alive. Kings were not picked from a line. Still, there was more to the story.


    ¡°His sister was Princess Esmine¡¯s mother¡­ they didn¡¯t marry because they wanted to?¡± Yippinee asked, curious for more information.


    ¡°They wanted to, in the same way Mother and Father married, to create a powerful lineage. The king and queen had a common goal to bring peace and prosperity to Sumanar,¡± Ceilsea told her brother, still flipping through the pages of the book, ¡°They weren¡¯t much more than acquaintances. They had no interest in one another. After years with no heir, people started to gossip. They said an elected king offended the gods¡¯ memory, and from the grave, they made sure he could never have an heir.  The queen begged the king to have a child with her. People were starting to slander her name. He eventually relented, and that¡¯s how Esmine was born.¡±


    ¡°And the queen died,¡± Yippinee said.


    ¡°The king likes to say she valued her reputation more than her life. Still, the king was happy to have a child. Esmine helped with the loneliness that his majesty had always felt as king, but it also led to the realization of his worst fears,¡± Ceilsea said, getting to the last page of the book.


    ¡°What did he fear?¡± Yippinee asked.


    ¡°Despite what some fools may tell you, his majesty despises royalty and does not want to pass down his title. The princess of Sumanar, to him, should just be a regular girl. He wants the next monarch to be elected just like he was. Not everyone agrees with him,¡± Ceilsea told him.


    ¡°Least of all, Princess Esmine,¡± Yippinee commented. Even he knew that.


    ¡°She became obsessed with Targar and the throne. The man and the system King Mileubramn devoted his life to destroying, are revered by his daughter. For the king to accomplish what he wishes most, he must destroy his daughter¡¯s hopes and dreams. Worst of all, he might not have the power to stop her,¡± Ceilsea said, still staring at the book. Her mind had devolved into memories of hours-long conversations with the king about his daughter and Sumanar¡¯s future.


    ¡°Why not? He¡¯s the king,¡± said Yippinee. He was watching her intently.


    ¡°Even if it¡¯s put to a vote, there¡¯s a high chance the nobles will choose her. Many of them support succession. It will become a true royal line after that. For nobles who would consider choosing someone else, there¡¯s no one with the charisma, the reputation, and the drive to stand against her,¡± Ceilsea explained. Esmine taking the throne was her nightmare too. The princess cared about only herself. The amount of degradation Ceilsea had endured for threatening her position illustrated that. Ceilsea couldn¡¯t imagine Esmine would do anything good with the power to control a kingdom.


    ¡°Except you.¡±


    Ceilsea laughed, ¡°Because I¡¯m the pseudo-princess?¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡± he replied sheepishly.


    ¡°Two problems with that. One: I¡¯m not noble. The bloodline-obsessed nobles aren¡¯t likely to elect me. Two: I have no interest in the self-sacrifice and hard work required to rule a country. Trust me, I¡¯ve heard about it from the king. It¡¯s a nightmare. Being a symbol of Sumanar¡¯s cultural integrity is bad enough,¡± Ceilsea told him, leaning back from the book. Then she concluded, ¡°So that¡¯s what they don¡¯t want you to know. The monarchy is on the edge of falling apart, and the king is working to ensure that royal inheritance doesn¡¯t survive.¡± To be fair, the title of king would survive, but the tradition would die. That irked people who feared for the stability of the nation. On the other hand, the lower classes feared acknowledging that the king did not want a blood successor in case he changed his mind and decided to silence them.


    ¡°Is that why the king decided to join the Empire? To undermine the monarchy in Sumanar?¡± Yippinee was repeating the gossip against the king he had heard.


    ¡°No, we joined the Empire to garner peace after Targar¡¯s antics. If the king hadn¡¯t negotiated the annexation, we would have been conquered. If that had happened, we wouldn¡¯t be able to self-govern. As it currently stands, we are given near complete independence, except for sending tithes and sacrifices to the Empire,¡± Ceilsea explained. People talked as if the king was weak for giving into the Empire, but considering it was that or the destruction of Sumanar, Ceilsea thought the king had turned a forced arrangement into a deal that benefited Sumanar. Under the Aebris Empire, Sumanar was protected, trade was encouraged, and travel between the nations was easy.


    ¡°Sacrifices like the champion,¡± Yippinee finished.


    Terreniael was one of the Empire¡¯s founding cities, and the empire had guarded it and protected the world from its monsters as long as it had existed. Years ago they had started demanding champions from all their territories to spread the ¡®honor¡¯ of the Heroes that served there. Despite many critiques of Sumanar joining the Empire, almost everyone agreed that a Hero from Sumanar would be a badge of honor. It would redeem the country as a nation of renown, even more than Ceilsea and the growing arts movement had.


    ¡°That is why this tournament and its outcome could change things, depending on who wins,¡± Ceilsea said. If a champion backed Esmine¡¯s claim to the throne she would be harder to oppose, but if a hero backed the royal election, their influence could bar Esmine from participating. Who would oppose a Hero? Despite the king and a faction of people pushing to distance Sumanar from its violent tribal past, the only person everyone would listen to was a warrior of great honor.

 The Dancers Invitation

    Ceilsea and Yippinee were both quiet, lost in their individual thoughts. The book, still open in front of them, seemed light in comparison to the weight of an uncertain future. Ceilsea knew there was nothing she could do. It was part of why she had contemplated leaving. Remembering that, she shook off the gloom that had clouded her mind.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you tell me what else you¡¯ve learned about the history of Sumanar?¡± she asked her brother, closing the book. ¡°If you can recite it by memory, you¡¯ll know you¡¯ve truly learned it.¡±


    Yippinee nodded as if this wasn¡¯t an uncommon request and launched into the story of the early tribal wars of Sumanar.


    Eventually, Ceilsea ran out of topics to quiz her brother about. She realized it might be time to interrupt Vonae and Shae to get Yippinee his magic lesson, so the siblings headed to the campgrounds outside of town to find their elder brother.


    Shaelis was easy to spot as they whaled on a pell erected on the edge of the field. Vonae was close by, leaning against a fence watching them. Ceilsea and Yippinee crossed the campgrounds to reach them. The once pristine field had been torn and worn down over the past few days, creating temporary paths and structures for them to navigate around. Shaelis wasn¡¯t the only one training, and the Brijas siblings weren¡¯t the only spectators either. Turns out, some people didn¡¯t only want to watch the fights, but the preparation for them as well.


    Ceilsea lifted her skirts to cross a muddy patch. They were close now. She could hear Vonae barking commentary to Shaelis. She opened her mouth to call out to them, but then stopped. A small group of people had approached Vonae and a tall, familiar woman stood at her brother¡¯s shoulder.


    Odiame, the dancer, wore bright colors and twirled a parasol over her shoulder. She was clearly not working and had no companion today. From the matching dress of those around her, Ceilsea guessed that Odiame was accompanied by other performers. Vonae bowed slightly to her and Odiame nodded in return. Then Ceilsea heard the dancer speak.


    ¡°You seem far too knowledgeable about sword forms to sit on the sidelines. Will we be seeing you in the latter half of the tournament? Surely, someone has recruited you to be their champion,¡± she inquired. Even as Odiame spoke, both her and Vonae¡¯s eyes were on Shaelis who was continuing to hit the target in front of them.


    ¡°Sorry, mistress, but I must disappoint you. Not everyone is determined to chase glory. Some of us don¡¯t feel the need to flaunt our talents for titles and power,¡± Vonae replied, his usual response for abstaining from the fights. Vonae then shifted and yelled to Shaelis, ¡°Remember to use your back foot to power the strike, not your arms!¡±


    Shaelis grunted in acknowledgement and continued.


    Yippinee and Ceilsea quietly approached from behind. Ceilsea decided not to interrupt.


    ¡°I understand not wanting to leave king and country, but don¡¯t you think it is a disservice to yourself? You could prove your worthwhile forgoing the glory, if you happened to get far enough for any glory¡­¡± Odiame told him. As a self-made woman her perspective was understandable, but she didn¡¯t know Vonae.


    ¡°Once one starts, it becomes hard to stop,¡± Vonae suggested, hinting at the corrupting nature of power and renown.


    Ceilsea and Yippinee were almost even with the group. Ceilsea decided now was the time to announce her presence. ¡°Glory is not always as rewarding as it first appears,¡± she said siding with her brother.


    ¡°There are people with better motivations than I to be victorious,¡± Vonae added, and then shouted again, ¡°Arm up! You have to return to the same stance after your strike.¡±


    Shaelis sighed. They were sweating but continued.


    ¡°Mistress Ceilsea!¡± Odiame turned and greeted her with a smile as Ceilsea stopped on the opposite side of Vonae. Yippinee stood in the shadow of his siblings, watching Shaelis with interest. Odiame continued, ¡°I¡¯m happy we¡¯ve run into each other again. I feel like you and I will be fast friends.¡±


    ¡°It is a pleasure to cross paths with you a second time, Mistress Odiame. However, I must ask why you are complimenting my brother so fiercely. He clearly has no interest in participating, and in front of you is the warrior I clearly have shown favor towards. Are you trying to undermine my champion¡¯s skills? Do you doubt their chance of winning?¡±  Ceilsea asked.


    Vonae frowned. ¡°What do you mean ¡®your champion¡¯?¡±


    Shaelis then stopped and shouted over their shoulder. ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡±


    Ceilsea smiled, amused that Shaelis wanted to downplay their agreement. Odiame also smiled.


    ¡°I mean no disrespect to you or your friend. Especially considering all the talk surrounding the skills of Mestren Child. I simply wondered why the great wizards of the Brijas¡¯ family did not put their greatest asset into the tournament. Obviously, they have put their most talented front and center before,¡± Odiame mused, twirling her parasol.


    ¡°Now you¡¯re just chasing gossip,¡± Shaelis snarled, turning back to the pell and striking it with new determination.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure she¡¯s inquiring because she is invested in finding the true Champion of Sumanar. The whole country is waiting with bated breath for the conclusion of this tournament after all,¡± Ceilsea said defending Odiame. She was probably looking for gossip to use in conversation with her patrons, but Ceilsea doubted she meant ill by it. Odiame was more likely bored and looking for entertainment.


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    ¡°Seeing anything Yippinee?¡± Vonae changed the subject. He knew his younger brother was there even though his eyes never left Shaelis.


    ¡°Just that these are the same drills you make me do,¡± the young boy said sheepishly.


    ¡°Oh dear, it does seem rather unfortunate that the warrior you favor is doing a child¡¯s drills. Surely, that doesn¡¯t bode well for their victory,¡± Odiame stated as if Shaelis wasn¡¯t standing a few feet away. It seemed she enjoyed teasing as well.


    ¡°Look, I¡¯ll have you know¡ª¡± Shaelis turned again and stopped mid-sentence. Ceilsea saw their face shift slightly as their eyes looked over her shoulder. They immediately turned back to the pell.


    Vonae stepped in, ¡°I still do these drills every day. The basics are important for maintaining good form and familiarity with your weapons.¡±


    Ceilsea turned to see what Shaelis had spotted. A random assortment of people were walking about, nothing that warranted that response.


    ¡°I know. I do something similar with my dance warm-ups. I apologize if that was overstepping. I was just having a bit of fun,¡± Odiame explained leaning against the fence next to Vonae. Her entourage had settled in along the fence as well. The three of them seemed content to watch silently.


    ¡°Shaelis, slow down,¡± Vonae told them. ¡°Why don¡¯t you take a break? You¡¯ve been going at it for a while.¡± He stepped towards Shaelis. They had indeed sped up their strikes, and Ceilsea hadn¡¯t seen them pause for more than a few seconds since she had arrived.


    ¡°Some would laud that kind of work ethic. Those same people might wonder if you, Master Brijas, refrained from entering the tournament due to laziness,¡± Odiame pressed.


    Ceilsea looked over her shoulder again, wondering if anyone else noticed Shaelis¡¯ shift and still trying to find the reason.


    Vonae wasn¡¯t as easy to rile as Shaelis. He simply replied, ¡°Work gets you nowhere if you are too exhausted to improve, or if it leads to injury. Good work ethics should incorporate personal wellbeing.¡± Odiame had no way of knowing Vonae had been called lazy more than once by Jala. She had used Vonae¡¯s insistence of putting things above magic and martial training to call him weak. One of the things Vonae had prioritized had been Ceilsea and the rest of their family.


    ¡°Child!¡± Someone called Shaelis¡¯ name from behind the onlookers.


    ¡°Damnit,¡± Shaelis muttered under their breath.


    Ceilsea immediately turned toward the voice. A stout man with wide shoulders stood in a sturdy stance with his thumbs looped in the top of his trousers. He had dirty blonde hair in a shade Ceilsea had never seen. She rarely saw people from the far north regions of the empire, and his angular features marked him as one of those foreigners. His hair was well trimmed to his scalp and sculpted to mirror his jaw for his beard. His clothes seemed sculpted to his body in a style that was not common in Sumanar. Even though he glared at Shaelis, he stood almost twenty feet away. Perhaps the group of onlookers made him reluctant to approach.


    Shaelis scrambled to collect their bags which were leaning against a far section of fence. As they moved, they called to Vonae, ¡°I have to go. Maybe we can train again tonight?¡±


    ¡°You promised to play the Evening Song!¡± Ceilsea reminded them.


    ¡°Stupid! You¡¯re right. I will practice on my own, and we can meet up tomorrow morning?¡± Shaelis corrected, swinging their bag onto their back.


    Vonae shrugged and said, ¡°Evening Song isn¡¯t that long. We could still meet up tonight if you want.¡±


    Shaelis shook their head. ¡°I have to prepare beforehand, and we¡¯ll lose the light quickly after.¡±


    ¡°Tomorrow is fine then,¡± Vonae told them.


    ¡°Shaelis!¡± the strange man yelled again.


    Shaelis muttered something under their breath and quickly vaulted the fence and jogged over to the man. The audience who had been watching them practiced all turned to watch them go. The stranger grabbed Shaelis by the shirt and whispered something in their ear. Then he turned and walked away with Shaelis following behind.


    Ceilsea sidled up to Vonae and quietly asked him, ¡°Do you know who that is?¡±


    He shook his head, but apparently she had not asked quietly enough. Odiame answered, ¡°That¡¯s Rodnes Selts. He¡¯s the bodyguard and champion of Noble Loxere. They arrived in the capital last night.¡± She resettled herself on the fence facing the Brijas siblings, twirling her parasol again. ¡°People have been saying Mestren Child isn¡¯t an unknown talent, as was first thought. They¡¯ve been in Sumanar for months, staying in Loxere¡¯s palace. Loxere offered them a position in their household, but Child turned it down to enter the tournament. Apparently, their refusal didn¡¯t go down well with Loxere¡¯s inner circle.¡±


    Ceilsea pursed her lips. Was that the situation Shaelis had been running from? If so, should she let them be dragged away so easily?


    ¡°Those are just rumors,¡± Ceilsea said. She wasn¡¯t going to come to any conclusions until she talked to Shaelis.


    ¡°My, listen to me! I must seem like such a gossip, but this tournament really stirs the pot. Usually, the only rumors I get to hear are about who touched my ass or who I¡¯m taking to bed,¡± Odiame said with a laugh. Ceilsea related as she was also the subject of constant rumors, though she had never had those types of things said about her. Ceilsea was strictly ingrained in high society, while Odiame brushed with the lower class and middle class more than she did with nobility. Odiame was positioned to hear rumors from citizens of Sumanar, whose concerns were different from the nobles, but right now, everyone was obsessed with the tournament.


    ¡°Once and a while, it¡¯s nice to be out of the spotlight,¡± Ceilsea said to express her comradery.


    ¡°Speaking of which,¡± Odiame began as her eyes darted to the ground for a second, ¡°Miss Ceilsea and Sir Rivonae, I wondered if you would join our party going to the circuits today. I promise I won¡¯t attempt to interrogate you for any more information. It¡¯s a group of us performers with a few of our loyal patrons. We are strictly focused on enjoying ourselves, not on speculation and slander.¡±


    Vonae and Ceilsea exchanged a look. From his stoic expression, Rivonae didn¡¯t seem to have any objections. He had likely only received an invite to facilitate Ceilsea¡¯s acceptance. It would be dangerous for the pseudo-princess of Sumanar to attend such a gathering on her own. Ceilsea didn¡¯t mind a chance to escape the stiff formalities of spending time with the king and her parents. Also, if they were there to enjoy themselves, she would have a chance to relax when she got tired of talking about the minutiae of the fights with Vonae.


    To give them a chance to decide, Odiame turned to Yippinee and smiled, ¡°I would invite you as well Master Yippinee, but I¡¯m afraid our company may not be conducive to children. You understand the fault is with us and not with you.¡±


    Yippinee refused to meet her gaze and muttered at the ground, ¡°I didn¡¯t want to go anyway.¡± The young boy knew that spending time with a group of performers would not allow him to read.


    ¡°We¡¯ll go. It sounds fun,¡± Ceilsea told her and Rivonae nodded before she returned a smile to Odiame. ¡°I rarely get to spend time with fellow artists.¡±


    ¡°Perfect. I¡¯ll meet you at the top of the amphitheater and lead you to our setup,¡± she said with a slight curtsy. She took her fellows and left.


    ¡°Until then, we have some lessons to get back to, don¡¯t we, Yippinee?¡± Rivonae asked his brother, who was still sheepishly avoiding eye contact.


    Ceilsea sighed. She didn¡¯t know how Rivonae could jump from one student to the next without so much as a breath. She was relieved to have transferred responsibility of her baby brother to someone else. Now she could focus on herself.