Chương 1277: [1193] - Y06.093 - Trouble in Our Hearts III

'What is he doing?' Sir Paige thought, for at first, the Iyrman had certainly been rather respectful, but at some point in their conversation, he had begun to provoke her to fight. No… It wasn't to fight. The Iyrman was asking for death. Of course, it was entirely within her right to grant him his wish, but she could see the way the teen was staring at her elder brother in shock, and turning her head to try and catch the half elf's attention.

It was enough to inform her just how close they all were, and that the half elf was so beloved, and perhaps respected enough, that he could try and beat the Iyrmen out of their Iyrmanly behaviour. No, she was the adult here.

"Sir Karrabelle, step forward," Sir Paige called, and with that, the tension in the air fell.

"Taygak," Laygak said, his neck flexing taut, as the Iyrman reached for his blade.

"You must not look away." Taygak could hear it within her elder brother's voice. Within his mind, he had already accepted his defeat, but he would draw his blade anyway, since he could not step back in this situation.

"I commend your courage for trying to provoke me, Iyrman, but you should not expect such simple provocation to work. Consider it a mercy, for I have no want to kill a foolish brother in front of his well behaved sister." Laygak let out a small snort, but stopped, feeling a heavy hand upon his shoulder. He glanced over his shoulder, to see the glare within the half elf's eyes, so intently focused upon the Grand Commander.

"Taygak, give me your sword," Adam said, causing Laygak to let out a sigh of relief. The half elf's eyes remained full of fury, and as Taygak undid her sword belt, offering the blade to the half elf, she could feel how her cousin's hands shook. As Adam pulled the blade from her hand, the blade still shaking lightly from his fury, it slowly began to calm, as the half elf held the blade out in front of him for Laygak.

Laygak reached for the blade, though paused, unable to take the blade in a way which wasn't awkward, and he couldn't draw his eyes away from the half elf's glare. Then the glare began to fade, and the half elf let out a frustrated sigh, a sigh so full of frustrations, everyone around understood what it meant. Commander Silversky reached up to his forehead, noting how the Iyrmen remained standing with their arms crossed, allowing the situation to play out as it may, since it had come to this.

Adam rested the sword over his shoulder, the gentle tapping noise almost echoing through the silence.

"You know, what really annoys me isn't just how you-,""Adam," Jurot said, finally interrupting his brother, since the half elf was about to get himself killed.

"What really annoys me… is that… I don't mind, no, I am forever grateful that the Gak family has done so much for me. After all, who else adores my children as much as them? The Rot family? Of course. Still, it's the Gak family who accepted my children so… affectionately." Jurot swallowed, and Nirot's throat grew dry with shame, but the pair steeled their hearts, doing their best not to show anything to the Florians.

"I owe them so much that I call Flame Brand my grandmother, since she calls my children her greatchildren. I owe the Gak family so much, and I'm always willing to pay them back, whatever they might need, but… it really annoys me that I owe Jaygak, you know? Jaygak, she can steal my kids away from me! Jaygak, whereas my tongue is silver, her tongue is gold! My twins say she's the prettiest, so even though I'm their handsome father, they adore their aunt so much since she's so pretty!

The one thing I had was that I'm monstrously strong, but even then, who was it that protected me from your blade? When you pointed your blade at me, I had accepted my death, but the alternative, with Jaygak saving me…" The half elf couldn't say the rest, even as a joke, but his wide grin said enough. Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings.

"I understand why they call you the Crazy Father," Sir Paige said.

'No,' Adam thought.

'Not yet.'

'What a wicked young man,' Sir Paige thought, the glare within his eyes almost suffocating her.

"If there's going to be a fight here today, I might as well pay back my debt to Jaygak, shouldn't I?" Adam asked, his voice full of a coyness that implied he didn't take this seriously at all.

"Didn't you want to bring me to your King? So how about this… if you win, I'll let you take the credit for bringing me in cuffs to His Majesty." The tone in the half elf's voice when he spoke of their King caused the woman to narrow her eyes, and she reached for her blade. It was so infuriating, if the woman drew her blade, she might have ended up killing him on accident.

"If I win, I get to put you in your-," Adam began, full of fury, and only growing in anger after the woman disrespected the Gaks so brazenly in front of him.

"No," Kitool stated firmly, slamming Tigerstaff into the ground, the sound silencing the half elf and bringing the attention to her.

"You have already fought a Grand Commander."

"Kitool!" Adam growled back, saying more than enough as his neck pulsed, his teeth almost gritting together.

"It has to be me, Adam," Kitool replied, holding the Primrose Sword's eyes with her own uncharacteristically vicious glare.

'Ah!' Sir Paige recalled that glare, for it had been the same glare the young Iyrman had held against the King. However, the young Iyrman had also displayed plenty of decency to the King when she had used that staff of hers to all but defeat the King, and- Ah! Those tattoos!

"I have offered Sir Karrabelle the opportunity to face against yours, and I will not deprive her of such an opportunity," Sir Paige stated firmly, holding the Iyrman's gaze.

"Laygak, you may face Sir Karrabelle," Kitool said, gripping her staff tighter, taking a step back as she held her staff out respectfully towards the Grand Commander. Within her heart, she mourned the opportunity to facing against the woman, but she understood it was best to allow the situation to defuse.

"It would be a good opportunity to bond," Jurot said, saying enough for the Order to understand this was a friendly bout. He glanced aside towards Adam, who had most likely forgotten he was here to try and form good relations with the Orders, which would need their magical equipment. He couldn't blame the Primrose Sword for her ego, but at the same time, she really shouldn't have taken a swing towards the Gak family in front of his brother.

"Do you wish to face her, or shall I?" Tagak whispered in their tongue.

"I will do it," Laygak replied, before reaching out for the Greater blade, but paused, deciding instead to reach for his own blade. He would not sully the blade with a loss. The Iyrman stepped forward, donning his shield, drawing his own blade. They made their way within the fort proper, the wooden walls boxing them in. Taygak remained firmly fixated upon her brother, the woman's eyes staring at that large back, which seemed to cast such a large shadow.

Adam stepped beside her, his eyes also focused on the Iyrman who had stepped forward towards a doomed bout. The spar began with the Primrose Sword's command, and Laygak burst forward, like a thunderbolt. The pair stumbled due to the swiftness, but soon Laygak's blade struck true, the Iyrman forcing the woman back. The pair clashed, their steel singing together, and at first, Laygak held the advantage, but quickly Karrabelle began to force the Iyrman back with her mighty blows.

Laygak's growl almost echoed within the walls of of the Order, the woman sliding backwards as she barely managed to fend the savage Iyrman off, her heart pounding within her chest, surprised he was able to push her back this much. However, whatever burst of strength the Iyrman had possessed had disappeared. Her blade glowed brightly with magic as she chanted her words, the air filling with a floral scent, and the lilac petals floated in the air, following the arc of her blade.

She struck his chest with the point of her sword, and an instant later the petals exploded, the thunder rocking through the fort as Laygak fell back, his armour screeching as he slid.

'What a heavy blade!' Sir Karrabelle thought, her entire body screaming at her from the effort of their bout, for though it had lasted only a minute, her clothing stuck to her. Laygak groaned, rolling onto his side, his front pulsing as though he had taken a hammer to the chest. He slowly gathered onto his feet, flexing his muscles, the Iyrman grunting as he forced away the throbbing, and with that, he stood, firm, like a tree.

"Your sword is as beautiful as it is deadly," Laygak said, holding the hilt of his sword against his heart.

"Thank you for the bout, Sir Karrabelle."

"Your sword is as heavy as your duty," Sir Karrabelle replied, sheathing her blade, bowing her head lightly.

"Thank you, Laygak."