In the middle of the great city, there was a castle with six great towers. On each one of them, there was a flag of a different color. Green, Purple, Red, Yellow, and Blue. Each one of the colors represents the royal house of the kingdom. Five towers were built out of the middle tower which was different from the others. There wasn’t a flag on it. At least not yet. 

Not far from the castle, a tournament was held. Thousands of people gathered to watch it as it was one of the most important events in the kingdom. The lower stands in the colosseum were for common folk, while it was the biggest part of the arena all the seats were taken and many people had to stand on the stairs or empty paths, making it the most crowded part of the colosseum. Right above them with a better view were stands for nobles which were less crowded and had better seats made of wood compared to raw stone for the common folk. Between noblemen, there were stands for royal houses. The number of seats for the royal families differed from each other.

By the blue flag sat four people. A beautiful woman with pitch-black hair tied into braids around her head. Her dark hair accentuated her dark green eyes, making them the most striking feature of her beauty. She wore a dress that almost looked as if she was wearing a blue one on top of the white dress. Leather coat covered her from the cold and her neck with white fur.

Beside her sat a man with dark-blond hair and between them a few gray lines began showing themselves. His eyes were as blue as his wife’s dress and under his left eye, he had a mark of two dark triangles. He wore a long dark blue robe with a white deer on its chest, the end of his sleeves were decorated by grey fur.

To the woman’s side sat two children. A boy with long black hair almost covering both of his eyes. Under his right eye, he had a similar mark like his father except he had three triangles. He wore a white shirt and blue coat with fur around his neck and a deer symbol on his back. He had grey pants and leather boots stretching a few inches above his ankle. 

The boy's younger sister had blond hair tied in a similar way like her mother except for the back where her hair were set loose. She wore the same blue coat as the boy with fur, underneath it she had a light blue dress with a ruffle end.

The man stood up and smiled as he said “Our boy is coming out!” His eyes shined with excitement yet at the same time, he had a tight grip on the chair’s arms.

The children stood up on their chairs to have a better look at the person coming to the arena. It was a young man with silver armor that had many spots where his thick shirt was visible. The armor gave him some protection but a lot of mobility. Breaking the silver pallet was a majestic blue cape that had a grey symbol of a deer’s head with long antlers. The man looked almost the same as the young boy in the stands with dark hair falling to his sides barely reaching his ears. He also had a mark by his eye. One dark triangle.

“Good luck Klain…” Whispered the mother in blue stands, her hands covering her mouth as it was a nerve-wracking experience for the mother to watch her son fight.

“Who’s gonna be his opponent? House Lophia? Or is it House Sengest?” Asked the father as he looked around the entrances, impatient to see who is his son’s opponent in this round.

“Dear… You don’t know who won the previous duel?” The woman playfully asked to calm down and placed her hand on her husband’s hand to spread this calmness to him.

“I was so excited with Klain’s win that I ignored the next duel. One more win and Klain will fight against the current ruling house. It’s time for House Peresia to step away from the throne.” The man explained as he finally sat down and got comfortable, his eyes went to the purple stands where the previous ruler of the kingdom sat.

“House Sengest is the one who won.” The woman answered as she took her hand away and tried to sit comfortably.

The children jumped in place as they saw their brother in armor and with a sword in hand. They both cheered for their brother loudly enough for the brother to look at the stand and wave a hand toward them.

Klain’s rival came out in dark silver armor that covered most of his body. Most of it was light armor except for the chest plate which was thicker than the rest of the armor. A red cape with a dark dragon’s head on it hung from his back as he walked forward. Once they were both in the middle of the arena they turned around toward the crowd. With swords placed on the ground in front of them, they kneeled.

“I, Klain Von Alk, shall fight rightfully against my opponent in this royal duel. May the gods be my witnesses.” Said the man in silver armor and blue cape.

“I, Richt Von Sengest, shall fight rightfully against my opponent in this royal duel. May the gods be my witnesses.” Said the man in dark silver armor and red cape.

Both men stood up at the same time and took twenty steps forward. Once they did they turned around and put on their helmets. They both unsheathed their swords and got them ready for the duel. They slowly approached each other and the tension rose in the arena with each step they made. The tension broke once they crossed swords. Everyone began cheering for their favorite. After all, the winning house will rule over the country for four years. 

The man with a red cape, Richt Von Sengest, pushed his opponent's sword away and tried to overwhelm his opponent with a number of attacks. Klain effortlessly parried each one of them. Richt was getting impatient and annoyed, making his movement a bit sloppy.

The man with a blue cape stepped to the side while the opponent tried to charge into him. To mock him, he spanked his butt with the sword’s side, making the man jump forward. Some of the crowd laughed at that hilarious view, Richt only let out an annoyed grunt and clenched his teeth under the helmet.

“Don’t be such a fool son! Finish him! Don’t risk it!” Shouted the man from the blue stands.

“As you wish Father…” Whispered Klain as he struck his sword against the ground, making ice cover the surface in the place he hit. 

“Dad! Can brother do that? Isn’t it against the rules?” Asked the young boy, looking up to his father.

“Using magic is against the rules as it is a sword duel but enhancing the sword and himself with magic isn’t against the rules as it is basic for each Nobleman.” Explained the father.

“Don’t you know fire wins against ice? And here I was trying to make that duel fair…” Said Richt as his sword enveloped itself in flames.

“Don’t fool yourself… Even if I didn’t use any enhancement I still would win against you. But it looks like I can’t play around anymore.” Klain took his gaze away from the opponent to look at his father.

That angered his opponent who was ready to offend him “You…”

Richt wanted to mock his opponent but he was cut off with a surprise. Klain suddenly was right in his face. There was no way for any of them to strike with the sword but Klain had that in mind and punched Richt’s ribs with his fist, knocking air out of his lungs. Richt instinctively bent forward allowing Klain another move that hit him in the chin with a sword’s handle. 

“What is this?! This isn’t a duel with swords! How dare you!” Shouted the man from the red stands. 

Some of the crowd followed the royal man’s complaints and shamed Klain for that. “It’s a sword fight! Not street brawl!” ; “More of a brute than a nobleman!” ; “Maybe drop that armor too!”

Klain heard each one of them but he ignored the crowd, it wasn’t his main focus to entertain the arena. He was here to win a duel for his family since the playtime was over once father ordered.

Richt had ice on the side of his armor and his chin. Because of the layer of ice on his chin, he was forced to look up. “I need to get rid of it. FAST!” Thought Richt as he was unable to spot his opponent.

Bits of fire appeard on his armor and once he melted the ice he saw a sword coming his way. He used both of his hands to hold off the attack while Klain used only one. 

“How strong is he? It’s all thanks to magic enhancement!” Richt struggled to hold the block.

This time Klain was the one attacking but he didn’t aim for his opponent’s body but his sword. With each strike, the flames from the sword faded away and once they did he took a wider swing that broke the sword in half. He pointed the sword at Richt’s face and took off the helmet with the tip of his blade, revealing a face of regret and anger. His mouth was shaking and his brows frowning.

Klain took the sword away and his helmet off. With a smile on his face, he lifted his sword and the crowd exploded with cheers toward him. Enjoying the sound of applause he left the arena.

The father jumped out of the chair and jumped with joy. “YES! He did it! My son!” Once he stopped he looked toward the purple stands. “There is one more left… Peresia. We are coming for the throne…”