The day of the duel boasted weather so nice that Conrad had to wonder if this was just the calm before the storm. However, when he dressed and left his room, he found every single Castle Guard who was not on active duty sitting patiently in the dining hall and waiting for him. When he appeared, they began to cheer, to his great embarrassment, and when they noticed his discomfort they only applauded louder, whistling and ribbing him in delight.

“I’ve got fifteen silver coins riding on this fight, kid, so don’t you dare lose!”

“Go and show them what the Castle Guard is made of!”

The various shouts were indeed very encouraging. Conrad felt his shoulders naturally lifting as he walked in to join them. They gave him a seat in the middle of the table, where his four mentors were already waiting, and piled his plate high with food. Conrad looked at the tower of tidbits with shaking eyes, making Astra laugh as she patted his back.

“Don’t feel pressured to finish it all,” she advised him. “Indigestion would be a terrible way to lose.”

“Am I the only one who’s eating?” the blonde wanted to know, gazing around him. A number of delicious-looking dishes had been pushed before him, but no one else had a plate. A few of the men raised mugs of coffee towards him in a salute.

“Well, this is a meal made especially for you,” Liam teased, reaching out to mercilessly ruffle the younger man’s hair, “So eat up!”

“For me?” Conrad repeated as he picked up his fork.

“I do hope that you’ll find it to your liking.”

Clang.

Everyone started to smile as Conrad dropped his fork. A broad-shouldered figure emerged from the barrack kitchens, holding yet another plate of food, which he carried over to the young soldier and placed in front of him. His chestnut hair was pulled back in a short tail, an apron tied around his neck, and he looked so unlike his normal self that Conrad took a second or two to get any words out.

“C-Captain!?”

Liam started to cackle while Aleron smiled only a bit awkwardly as he reached down to pat Conrad’s shoulder. “I apologize for not being able to intervene before this point, but know that you carry all of our well-wishes with you into this battle. It isn’t much, but I’ve heard that a home-cooked meal is good for the nerves.”

The young boy was utterly lost for words, even as the soldiers around him started to laugh at his dumbfounded expression. “…Captain, you made this?” Conrad looked down at the plates in front of him with an expression of reverence.

This only made Aleron more embarrassed as he coughed into a fist and said, “It may not be what you are used to, but I had Astra help me prepare them. She assured me that they are palatable. However, if you do not wish to eat –”

“I’ll eat!” Conrad hurriedly picked up his fork and dug in with no small enthusiasm. “It’s delicious, Captain. I’ll eat all of it, don’t worry!”

“Slow down, you don’t need to finish everything,” Aleron told him worriedly, seeing the way Conrad was shoveling food into his mouth. “You’ll choke if you aren’t careful.”

“I haven’t seen the Captain’s doting mother look in a while,” Jeorge commented with a smile from the side, watching as the knight bent over Conrad to pat his back and told him to drink some water. “I see two years away haven’t changed his worrywart nature.”

“If anything, I think it’s gotten worse,” Astra told him in a conspirator’s whisper. “Our two other travel companions were the type to get into trouble the moment you looked away. Even with both of us working together, they were a hard pair to handle.” Despite her words, her eyes were very warm as she thought of Ladron and Lexi. She had invited them to come and see the duel, but unfortunately the former thief had taken Lexi out of the capital to visit the harbour town where he grew up, so they would not be able to return in time for the fight.

Aleron had escaped from his spot beside Conrad to retreat near the wall while the soldiers crowded around the cadet again, elbowing him and telling him to eat more. Astra, suppressing her smile at Conrad’s look of mild panic, slipped out of the tangle of people to join the Knight Captain in his quiet corner.

“How long have you known?” she asked him, leaning her weight against the wall at his side.

“For about a month, now,” he replied. “Who do you think freed him from the morning duty roster so he could train with you lot all this while? Who do you think kept prying eyes away from the training grounds during early hours to keep your work secret?” his smile was indulgent. “I meant to intervene sooner, but you seemed to have everything handled, and I have full faith in your abilities.”

“Thank you for the vote of confidence.” Astra snorted and shook her head. “I really didn’t do much, though.”

“That’s not what Liam and Ilia told me,” he replied, chuckling when he saw her eyes widen. “I knew you wouldn’t be able to stay put for long, but I did not expect you to cause a storm within the first few weeks of your arrival.”

“Did I cause you trouble?”

He shook his head, lifting a hand to pat her shoulder. “In fact, I would like to thank you.” Gazing across the sea of grinning faces, Aleron’s expression softened. “It is good to see them all so lively, and Conrad is too young to be victim to the schemes of two disgraced knights.” He spotted another head of dark hair moving near the edge of the rowdy group, and added, “It’s also rare for Rain to come out of his shell. Having a group of close friends will be good for him.”

“What can you tell me about him?” Astra hadn’t missed Rain’s stilted, somewhat awkward attitude around her during these past few weeks, but she’d dedicated all her attention to helping Conrad and had pushed the issue to the back of her mind for now. “He seems to be uncomfortable around me, and Liam’s mentioned that he’s not very good with women…”

Despite Liam’s explanation, Rain was less stiff around Ilia than Astra. But he did seem on edge enough around the shield knight enough for Ilia to take the hint and keep a respectable distance whenever they were together. However, his behaviour around Astra ran hot and cold. Sometimes he refused to approach her, but other days he silently insisted on being nearby; some days he refused to speak directly to her, but she often felt his gaze on her face. Astra could not decide if the man detested her presence or not.

“He was the top graduate of his class in the Healer’s Association,” Aleron explained, his eyes also on the quiet man. “Liam is correct, he has little experience with women, as the Association refuses to allow females to join the ranks of their students.” He could tell from Astra’s expression just what she thought of that idea, and gave her a placating smile. “Of course, there are plenty who disagree with their stance, but the founders of the Association were very strict when setting their initial rules. As a result, many of the Association’s ministers are adamant that their students refrain from interacting with women at all.”

“What about romantically?” though she had her own opinion on the Healer’s Association’s obvious bias, Astra put aside her misgivings for now.

“Many of them swear celibacy,” was the reply, “but those who choose to marry and raise a family are considered officially retired from the Association and cannot wield its authority, though they are still allowed to continue the practice outside of the Association.”

Strict rules, indeed. Astra muttered a few choice words under her breath that had Aleron warning her, “Language,” and decided to drop the subject for now. She still didn’t know why Rain seemed oddly fascinated with her, but Aleron’s explanation did help.

If he was willing to talk about it, perhaps she could ask the man himself next time.

Under the watchful eyes of his colleagues, Conrad finished three plates of Aleron’s cooking before Astra butted in to stop him before he overate. Already, his nerves were completely settled, replaced by extreme motivation.

“We should get going,” Liam said after the dishes had been cleared and most of the crowd had dispersed, having other duties to attend to. “It’s better to arrive early.”

Conrad took a deep breath, pursing his lips to blow it out again. He looked quite comical, but no one laughed. The blond calmed his heart before looking up at them – his mentors, his vice-captain, and his role model were all that remained, and all of them were looking at him. “Let’s go.”

In preparing the venue for the battle, the Crown Prince had really gone all out.

Astra hadn’t known that the city even possessed a coliseum, but they did indeed have one. There were already crowds milling outside the building, waiting to be let in, and with Aleron’s authority they all snuck in a side entrance to keep from being seen.

Inside, Astra let out a low whistle.

The coliseum was on the smaller side, but it was an open-aired, circular structure without a ceiling, allowing the sun to brighten the interior. The arena itself was hard-packed dirt, firmly tamped down enough to keep combatants from slipping, and it was surrounded on all sides by a wooden fence about four feet high, to keep competitors in the ring.

“Not bad,” she commented, turning in a full circle to take it in. “Is this facility used often?”

“Sometimes his majesty has convicts fight, for entertainment,” Aleron murmured, seeing the way her expression fell at his words. “And challenges to single combat often take place here as well. Otherwise, it’s used as a training ground for nobles. The owner of this building also hosts martial arts tournaments for the public.”

“The owner?” Astra repeated, raising a brow.

“Ahem.” Behind her, Jeorge let out a fake cough, making her spin around to look at him incredulously.

“You’re not.”

“I am, actually… Did I ever tell you that I’m the son of a count?” the vice-captain asked her tentatively.

Astra’s brows lowered. “No, you somehow managed to completely neglect to share that very important piece of information.”

Jeorge winced. He hadn’t meant to keep it a secret, but he also hadn’t made a point of telling her, either; his position wasn’t necessarily something he was proud of. “Well, now you know. I’m the eldest son of Count Nova.”

“The eldest? You’re the heir?” She hadn’t heard of the Nova family before, but most noble families had the same hierarchial system. She made a mental note to look for a genealogy on nobles in the library the next time she was free.

“I’m not the heir.” Jeorge rejected her question. “I abdicated in favour of my younger brother. Being a soldier suits me better.”

“He says that,” Rain muttered from behind Aleron, “but his father’s always trying to pressure him into succeeding the family business.”

“Regardless,” Aleron cut in mildly, reaching out to pat Astra’s head to calm her, “this building is indeed owned by the Nova family. They’re merchants by trade, but title-holding merchants nonetheless.”

Jeorge nodded. “We’re sponsoring the fight today, in tandem with his highness, so do us proud,” he told Conrad, who nodded firmly, before waving his hand at the rest of the building. “Why don’t you go ahead and familiarize yourself with things a bit?”

Conrad was more excited than expected, and ran forwards without needing further encouragement. He hopped the dividers around the arena proper, completely disregarding the gate, and landed on the hard-packed earth.

“Someone’s lively,” Astra commented, looking down at her student as she batted Aleron’s hand away. “Conrad, why don’t you work through a few of your usual stretches to loosen up?” she called to him, and with a nod the youth effortlessly dropped into a split, making Jeorge whistle.

“I knew you lot were tutoring him, but that’s some flexibility,” the vice-captain said approvingly as he watched the young cadet twist around to stretch his back and legs at the same time.

Astra’s grin quirked wryly to one side. She had been surprised, herself; she hadn’t expected Conrad’s flexibility to surpass hers, but there was the proof. “The student has overtaken the master,” she muttered to herself, a little ruefully. “I guess I need to work harder, too.”

Hearing her, Liam barked out a laugh. “If the two of you are going to work even harder, then what will the rest of us poor, mediocre fighters do?” he teased, whacking the noirette on the back and sending her staggering forwards, his mirth only growing when she regained her balance and turned on him with a baleful look. “Lighten up a bit, little lady. Even Conrad’s noticed that you’re unusually tense today. Weren’t you the one who told him there was no reason to be nervous?”

“Are you feeling responsible?” Aleron guessed, glancing at Astra’s expression and knowing he was right. “Because you staged the challenge, pushed him into the ring, and even got the Crown Prince involved?”

Reluctantly, she nodded. “Of course, I believe in him. But on the off chance that things don’t go as planned… Conrad will be the one to pay for my miscalculations.”

Her emotions were currently in conflict. On one hand, she refused to allow herself to harbour large doubts; she knew that anyone talking to her would be able to pick up on her misgivings if she did so. She knew the training had gone well, almost shockingly so, and she knew that Conrad was much more tenacious than anyone had given him credit for. She also had one or two hidden cards up her sleeve in the event of an emergency; she had prepared thoroughly for the worst possible outcomes.

However, now that things had come down to it, she was becoming more aware of the fact that she was playing with the fate of another in making this gamble. If Conrad lost, he would be the one exiled from the palace, not her; he would be the one to live in disgrace, not her.

She hadn’t thought to directly ask Conrad if he was truly alright with staking this gamble on her judgement, and now she was regretting it. That pressure made it a little hard for her to look at the enthusiastic blond without her chest tightening in worry. 

“He’ll be fine.” Ilia spoke up, coming forwards to wrestle Astra into a headlock as the young girl grunted in protest. “We all taught him ourselves, didn’t we? It’s not just your pride riding on his shoulders. Isn’t that right, Captain?”

Aleron was nodding. “I have yet to see the fruits of his training for myself,” he admitted, watching as the young blonde, oblivious to their conversation, picked up a practice sword from a table and performed a few swings with it, “but considering the people who have been diligently teaching him these past months, I have every faith that he will meet my expectations.” A smile touched his face as he reached to pat Astra’s shoulder and tell her, “You’ve raised yourself a lion cub, my dear. I am afraid that now, you will simply have to see what comes of it.”