Eunseo stood in one of the central rows of the arena, her body straight and stiff as could be. She surveyed her surroundings as much as she could, moving only her eyes. More than ten rows of people stood there today, waiting for King N's speech. Among the about one hundred people, she could count the women with her fingers – including herself.  

The wait made her grow nervous by the passing second. Her heart thumped hard in her chest as she closed her eyes and tried to fill her mind with positive thoughts. Was everyone going to be fair and play by the rules? She knew it was wishful thinking to hope that among that many people, every single one planned to play fair. 

"Welcome, everyone." King N finally showed up, his presence and aura fierce as always. "It warms my heart seeing so many of you here today, willing to fight for the future of Shanliang. For that, I thank all of you." 

A round of applause and cheers from the spectators on the bleachers erupted, calming down after King N raised his hand. 

"I hope you fight with all your heart and might today. I expect to see an intense and passionate competition, but above all, fairness, compassion, and honor, as are the values of this kingdom, which I am sure you all stand for." 

"In the first trial, you'll be competing against each other in a one versus one sword duel. If you lose, you are automatically eliminated." Deadly silence engulfed the arena. "You are forbidden from directly attacking your opponent with your weapons. If you do so, you are automatically disqualified and you will be facing the authorities. You win if you either disarm your opponent, or pin them down in a way that would make it hypothetically certain that you could perform a deathly move."  

Eunseo gulped. No one was actually about to try going for direct attacks... right? 

"Two names will be called at a time, announcing the dueling pair. I wish you all the best of luck, and I will enjoy observing each of you in this competition."  

The contestants gathered by the edge of the arena, and were divided in two groups. A guard called a young man's name from Eunseo's group and one from the other group. 

After a couple minutes, the young man from her group walked out of the center wearing a triumphant smile. Rightfully so, as he showed amazing dexterity that won him the fight. He was good. Watching contestant after contestant display such mastery with the sword, Eunseo grew nervous about her own abilities.  

Cheng Xiao appeared in her mind. Eunseo's lips involuntarily grew into a smile. How Eunseo wished she was there to watch her win and complete every single trial ahead of her, no matter what they could be or how hard they could be- 

"Junwoo." The guard called. 

Eunseo proudly stood up, quickly fixing her clothes. The remaining contestants had their eyes fixed on her, as she walked towards the center of the arena.  

The sun was high in the sky, blinding her for a few seconds. When her eyes got used to it, she found her opponent standing a few meters of her. Eunseo had to think twice if she was about to fight a man or an orc. At least a head taller than her, his body was covered with muscles bursting from his tight uniform. He was bald and ugly, with large, indelicate features.  

His hand held a hammer instead of a sword. Was that allowed? Eunseo thought for a moment if she should fight with her two swords. Was it worth it to reveal that so early in the competition?  

The judge stood between them. Before he spoke, Eunseo looked around, finding the crowd silent with a mix of expressions, from excitement to worry. Her eyes found King N on his balcony. His eyes were on her, and he gave her a smirk and a nod with his head. 

"Prepare yourselves... Begin." The judge said, and with it, heavy, loud steps shook the ground. 

Eunseo looked ahead and the man was already running towards her with his hammer high in the air, his mouth opening to let out a deafening grunt.  

She frowned and dodged him easily. He was clearly strong, but too slow. With such impulse on one swing, the man lost his balance and tripped on himself, landing with his face on the sand. The crowd gasped, and Eunseo had to hold her laugh. 

As he rolled on his back, Eunseo finally unsheathed her sword, and when the man was about to get up, she stepped on his wrist, pinning his armed hand down to the ground. His big eyes threatened to jump from his eye sockets when the tip of Eunseo's sword touched his neck. 

"Junwoo wins!" The judge announced, making the crowd shout and applaud.  

♚♚♚

"That was easy."  

Eunseo jumped and turned around, her hand on her chest. 

"Damn Wonho, you scared me. What are you doing here?"  

"Came here to congratulate you, so, congratulations on passing the first trial." Wonho smiled at her, patting her shoulder. 

"Thank you. But as you said, it was easy... too easy. I couldn't even show my skills properly, and I wanted to cause a good first impression to King N." Eunseo sighed. "I even wondered if I should use both swords when I saw my opponent." 

Wonho chuckled. 

"Save that for later."  

Eunseo frowned. 

"Go ahead, you have another trial to complete." Wonho gently pushed her forward, towards the corridor, as he turned and disappeared into the stairs to the bleachers. 

Save what for later? 

♚♚♚

The day before, Eunseo stood in the middle of the arena, with dozens of people fighting with the same individual goal in mind. Today, as the sun was on its way to meet the horizon, Eunseo stood in front of King N, with only six more people - another woman, and five men. But officially, they were six men and only one woman who was not herself. 

They were the finalists, about to start the last trial.  

Eunseo completed the second and third trial the day before, and much to her surprise, they had nothing to do with fighting.  

The second trial had been a quiz. All those hours spent having intellectual conversations with Cheng Xiao about history, politics, economics, philosophy and religion had really come in handy. Eunseo could listen to Cheng Xiao talk for hours, never getting tired and always learning new things. 

As for the third trial, each contestant – only fifteen at this stage – discussed and created a war strategy privately with King N. And again, Eunseo recalled what she learned with Cheng Xiao, impressing him with her creative strategies, which might have seemed reckless at first glance, but were actually quite well crafted and thought out. Along the trial, King N also presented hypothetical situations that could happen during a war, or situations about the kingdom, like crisis, starvation or revolutions, and asked Eunseo what she would do about them. Every time she answered something, King N would smile at her, nodding along her explanations. When the trial was over, Eunseo could only thank Cheng Xiao. Eunseo had done so well because she had learned from the perfect example of a future queen. 

"Congratulations on making it to the last trial. As you can see, behind me there's a corridor. It's the entrance of a maze." King N spoke, his hands behind his back. 

Eunseo had noticed the corridor of tall bushes, which lead to two paths in the end, and she had wondered about it.  

"There's only one way out. Your goal is simple – find the exit. Fighting is allowed, but always remember – be fair and honorable. It continues to be forbidden to attempt to harm your opponents significantly. And pay attention. The maze may have its own surprises." 

King N took a step forward and motioned with his hand for the contestants to approach him. 

"If you wish to give up, fire this into the air. A guard will find you and bring you to safety." King N gave each one a small tube. Must be fireworks. 

"Alright, you're set and ready to go. Good luck."  

Instead of running inside the maze, Eunseo let the others lead the way. Some actually took a run, disappearing into the tall corridors. She took a deep breath and looked back. King N smiled at her and subtly pointed to the right with his finger. Eunseo smiled back and entered the maze. 

As Eunseo took a step ahead, a chill ran down her spine. This was the last trial, the one which would decide the winner. It was also the most difficult and presumably the most dangerous. King N's words kept ringing in her head.  

Fighting is allowed. The maze may have its own surprises. 

What kind of surprises? And were the others going to fight for real? Eunseo didn't want to hurt anybody, but she would, if she had to defend herself.  

Eunseo fixed her ponytail and took the first turn on the right as King N advised her. She dove deeper into the maze, trying to engrave each turn in her memory. 

The sound of metal with metal echoed in the air. Eunseo grabbed the handle of her sword as an instinct, but the sound didn't seem to come from anywhere near her. But what if one of them ambushed her? She needed to be prepared to defend herself, so she unsheathed her sword and grabbed it firmly, resuming her way.  

She had been running non stop, looking around at the bushes and trees, trying to find any sort of clues. Until now, she hand't found any dead ends or peculiar obstacles. Wasn't something supposed to happen? Eunseo's heart started beating harder with anticipation of what could happen any second. So far, it had seemed to easy for what the King had made it look like. 

As she advanced through the maze, the sounds seemed further and further away, until it became silent again. Silent enough for Eunseo to hear the quick steps coming her direction. She stopped and raised her sword.  

"Get the hell out of my way!" He shouted, shoving Eunseo, making her trip and fall to the bush wall.  

The sky was darkening, making it impossible for Eunseo to understand who it was, but he seemed to be in some sort of panic. 

She stood up. If he ran in the direction Eunseo had just came from, did it mean where she was going was a dead end? Maybe he didn't explore enough? She decided to give it a shot, and hurried her pace.  

A loud, painful shout, along with the sound of leaves made Eunseo turn her head to its source. Did someone get hurt? Eunseo rushed and tried to find the way to where the shout came from.  

As she turned right, one of the contestants was stuck in a net trap, almost two meters high from the ground.  

"H-Help me!" The other woman cried, trying to set herself free. 

Eunseo hesitated. It could be an ambush. If she was really in trouble, she could simply fire her signal and she would be brought to safety as quickly as possible. But would she feel proud in taking victory that way?  

Shaking the fear and doubts away, she approached, and with her sword, she cut the net, making a hole large enough for her to escape. 

"Thank you..." She muttered, trying to catch on her breath. She was about her age, with short blonde hair that shone even under the dark sky. 

"That's okay. So this was what King N was talking abou-" 

"Watch out!"  

Eunseo ducked, hearing the swing of a punch just above her head. She quickly got up, turning to face the person, leaving her sword a mere inch from his neck. 

"Play fair isn't exactly on your dictionary, is it?" Eunseo spat.  

The boy, maybe younger than Eunseo, smirked.  

"King N isn't here to judge me, and I'm not going to let you try and play the moral game. Take that sword off my neck." 

Eunseo chuckled. 

"I'm playing no games, kid. Take a step back and leave, if you don't want to get hur-" 

Eunseo turned back as she heard a yelp. Another man, this one taller and way scarier than the boy, held the girl from behind. 

"You two, fire your signals and don't move, or else I'll start with her and then you two will suffer your share."  

Only then did Eunseo notice the knife pressed against her neck.  

"Pff, stupid bluff. I'm out." The boy scoffed and turned around. 

"I'm the one who isn't playing any games!" 

The knife pressed harder against her neck, making her yell in pain. 

"Stop." Eunseo warned the boy, and he somehow obeyed. "We'll all fire the signals if you let her go." 

She kept his eyes on the man's, dropping her sword to the ground and taking her device out of her pocket, putting it in clear sight for everyone involved. 

"As soon as you let her go, I'll fire it." 

The man frowned and let the girl go in a harsh movement. Before he could understand what was coming his way, the girl shot her foot backwards directly at his groin, making him bend over in pain, giving Eunseo enough time to grab Cheng Xiao's sword and hit the man's shoulder with its handle. 

"Run!" Eunseo told them, while the man was still holding on to his hurt shoulder. 

She took off in a run herself, but not fast enough. The man seized one of her ankles and pulled it towards him, making her fall flat on her face. Her sword escaped from her hand with the impact.  

"You're a dead man!" He shouted, jumping towards her. 

Eunseo tried to stand, but the most she could manage under twice her own body weight was to turn around to face him. 

He managed to catch his knife from the ground, and held it right in front of her face. 

"Nice scar you have there. What about getting another one, little boy?" He threated, pressing the knife against her left cheek. 

With a large hand squeezing and a knife on her face, Eunseo could use some help, but the ones who could help were already long gone. Instead of trying to push him away, Eunseo used her hands to probe the ground around her.  

Giving him a smirk, Eunseo knocked him out, hitting him hard on the back of his head with a rock.  

Eunseo gasped for air as she pushed his motionless body away. She allowed her lungs to get some air before getting up. She grabbed her swords and was about to proceed with her mission when she stopped and looked back. The next second, three guards appeared in a run. Two of them had their swords pointed at him, in case he woke up, while the other tied his hands behind his back. King N was not one to joke about disqualification. At least, he was going to pay for what he did. 

♚♚♚

After running for another five minutes, Eunseo found it. A guard by the end of a corridor. Eunseo took a deep breath and ran towards him, noticing his face when she got close enough. 

“Hi, Junwoo.” 

“Kihyun...” Eunseo stopped and supported herself on her knees, panting. “Did I... Did I win?” 

“In fact... you were the last.”  

She raised her head to look at him, her heart so heavy she was about to fall on her knees. 

“King N never said the winner was the first one to arrive, did he?” Kihyun asked with a smile. “Your mission was only finding the exit. Coming out first means you will be the first to take the true final trial. But if one doesn't complete it, the chance will be passed on to the next in line. Today is your lucky day, Junwoo. Luckily, none of the other contestants were able to pass thus far. Come with me.” 

Her head dropped as she took a long and deep breath, regaining her forces. Her stomach turned with nervousness. Just what exactly was this trial about, if none of the contestants before her had been able to complete it? 

Eunseo followed Kihyun. When she looked up, she recognized the arena from the day before.  

“Good luck.” Kihyun said, as he stopped right before the entrance.  

Eunseo nodded and entered the arena, stepping into the sand. She was welcomed by shouts from the bleachers, which were even more crowded than the day before.  

There was a single man in the arena, standing still. Eunseo approached, confused. She looked back and up, to where King N was supposed to be seated. There he was, with his smile that always seemed to hide a million secrets. He nodded at her, like he was encouraging her.  

“Welcome, Junwoo.” The man, with slanted eyes and small lips said, winning Eunseo’s attention. “My name is Jooheon. I’ll challenge you for a final sword fight.” He said, his voice serious and deep, as he unsheathed his sword.  

“I ask you to fight seriously, as I won’t go easy on you. Whenever you’re ready.” Jooheon warned. 

Eunseo remembered Wonho’s words from the day before. Save that for later. 

So, this was the time for Eunseo to prove what she was worth. Finally, all those hours practicing and training with Wonho would pay of.  

Her lips grew into a grin as she fixed her ponytail. 

“I won’t go easy on you either, so you better be ready.” Eunseo allowed courage and adrenaline to run through her body and mind. 

Using her left hand, she unsheathed her own sword, and with her right, Cheng Xiao’s. Gasps and whispers echoed through the arena, and even Jooheon widened his eyes for a second. It was not everyday people watched someone fight with two swords, was it?  

“Whenever you’re ready.” Eunseo teased, getting into position, raising the swords up and bending her knees, ready to take any attack from him.  

Jooheon launched at her, attacking her with quick blows. Eunseo blocked every attack, trying to strike back with the other sword, but Jooheon was way too fast, and with only one sword, he managed to block and attack at the same speed as Eunseo did with both her swords. They moved so fast even the crowd had trouble keeping up with every move. 

Eunseo didn’t know who he was, but he must be some high rank swordsman. His skills were no joke, and even Eunseo was having trouble.  

Coming directly from the maze also had a toll on Eunseo. She hadn’t rested for one minute, and she felt exhausted when she finished the maze. Her body ached from all the running and from the fight she had earlier, slowing down her reflexes.  

Jooheon though, seemed tireless. Eunseo wondered if he had an infinite amount of stamina, because if he was the last trial and Eunseo was the last one finishing the maze, that meant he must have fought the other contestants before her. Wasn’t he supposed to be tired too?  

Eunseo had to think fast of a strategy that would take him down, or else he would simply outlast her. He was the kind of fighter that prioritized speed and agility over strength. Eunseo could try to hit him harder as to take him off balance, but strong blows were slow, and she couldn’t afford to be slow.  

Her arms burned with pain as he hit her hard time and time again. He was trying to drain her energy, and Eunseo was allowing him.  

Even though Eunseo knew she was giving quite a show with her two sword fighting skills, she wasn’t there to show off. Eunseo soon realized that fighting with the two swords was exactly what was slowing her down. 

As she blocked a vertical blow with Cheng Xiao's sword, she let her own sword fall to the ground. With a strong push, Eunseo sent Jooheon back and span right next, swinging her sword from below.  

Jooheon blocked it, but he was caught of guard, stumbling back. Eunseo took advantage of the momentum and using all her remaining energy and concentration, she hit him faster than he would imagine she could.  

As he kept taking steps back, not being able to attack her anymore, Eunseo turned the game to her favor. She just needed the perfect opportunity... The millisecond when Jooheon lost his balance as he dodged a straight blow from Eunseo’s sword was enough. 

His sword flew from his hand as she disarmed him. 

The blade of her sword was pointed right at the middle of Jooheon’s widened eyes, as Eunseo’s body trembled and drops of sweat ran down her face. 

The silence from the crowd was interrupted with a single person clapping. Eunseo turned her head to find King N standing, smiling and applauding.  

Soon, the arena trembled as the audience broke in cheers.  

Eunseo smiled, feeling her knees lose any remaining strength and her conscience fading away, with her eyes going shut. 

Xiao... I did it. 

And she collapsed on the ground, surrendering to exhaustion.  

♚♚♚

A/N: Hello everyone! Wow, I hope you guys felt as excited reading this as I felt writing it c:  

I also hope I could write the chapter as intense as I wanted to! Please let me know what you thought of it c: 

Thank you for your support and look forward to the next chapter! <3 

Oh, and did you get the small Harry Potter references in the maze part? kekeke