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. 

“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—” 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.