Walking with a confidence she didn’t feel, Amber made her way towards the Tourney arena, attempting to act like a mercenary.  How did one act anyway…?  Her gear was supposedly stowed in the hiding spot she’d chosen last night, if her messenger had been successful, and all she had to do was get to it since Kranth was supposed to have taken care of entering her name on the lists, allowing her entry.

                With the majority of the crowds already distracted by the welcoming announcements and the introduction of the contestants, it wasn’t particularly difficult for her to get to the designated spot unseen.  She drew some notice, of course, but most didn’t even take a second look at the small, relatively harmless figure walking behind the stands.

                “Thank goodness,” she smiled, seeing that her bracelet had been taken and in its place was the neat package of wrapped gear partially buried and covered by a thin layer of dirt to keep it hidden.  Without hesitation, she opened the bundle and crawled through a loose board under the stands to don her armor and weapons, officially becoming the mercenary Bertram.  Practically humming with excitement, she clambered out of hiding and hurried around to the check-in station to enter the competitions.

                 The lists were already full of ready contestants with the majority of the mercenaries on one side and knights in full plate mail on the other.  The Knight’s Tourney took a broad melee approach at first, opening the field to a free-for-all dueling bought that would eventually leave one participant standing as the victor of the day.  It was an exhausting competition and Amber knew she’d have to be smart about it if she was going to last against the other fighters.  She had little concern about actually making it to the jousting event that began tomorrow and would simply withdraw after today, but if she could best a great many of the fighters here, her father would have to see she was more than capable of taking care of herself.

                “I would wish you luck but I very much doubt there’s any point, Princess,” Daehyun shrugged, keeping an eye on the happenings around him.  She was definitely nervous and made every effort to stay out of the direct line of sight of the King who was seated on a raised platform covered by a huge pavilion, but was otherwise eager for the competitions to begin.  Whether by default or design, he couldn’t be sure which, but she ended up near Jaeseop’s men again; perhaps it was an attempt to blend in and stay away from the knights who could potentially recognize her.

                The tall young mercenary from before peered at the newest entrant quizzically, for all the world looking as if he was trying to place something.  “You’re a new face,” he commented, glancing down at the diminutive newcomer.

                “Yes.  Just got here this morning,” she responded, trying to deepen her voice as much as possible, hoping it would work.  Daehyun chuckled at the attempt, moderately impressed; despite the fact she was a princess, delicate, frail and helpless didn’t exactly match her description.

                “Battlemage?” he asked, glancing the newcomer over quickly.  Amber nodded again instead of responding verbally.  “Very nice.  Hopefully I’ll not be facing off against you anytime soon,” he grinned, patting his claymore confidently as he eyed the staff on her person.  She shrugged in response, trying not to make eye-contact with him.  “Good luck to you though,” he offered his hand to shake, waiting patiently for the other to accept.

                “You too,” Amber responded quickly, letting go as soon as possible and looking away, not seeing the satisfied smile on the young man’s face as she did so.

                “Aren’t you a bit small for this competition?” a new voice asked, drawing their attention.  Daehyun’s eyes narrowed when he realized it was the same mercenary from the night before, Geng.  “What are you called, half-pint?” he asked smugly, looking down at the young man with his arms crossed.

                “Bertram,” Amber responded with a glare, keeping her responses as short as possible.

                “Well, Bertram,” Geng responded with a slight nod, emphasizing the name heavily, “you’d best watch out for Zelo here.  He might not see you if you’re in his way,” he teased, nudging the taller young man playfully.

                Zelo noticed Bertram starting to bristle and snorted, “I don’t know, Geng.  I think she-in biter over here might surprise you,” he offered, trying to hide his near fumble quickly.  “It’s the small one’s you’ve got to watch out for.  I mean, look at Lerick,” he nodded at the short, young man bouncing on the balls of his feet as he got ready for the melee bout, carefully schooling his expression from the near slip.

                “Hah!” Geng laughed, clapping both Zelo and Bertram on the shoulder in amusement, letting his gaze linger on the latter for just a hair longer.  “Fair enough.  I still say good luck little one,” he nodded at Bertram and then sauntered off, ready for the competition to begin.

                Bertram looked between the departing Geng to the still smiling Zelo suspiciously and promptly decided it was better to remove himself from his present company until they should happen to meet on the field.

                “He’s definitely onto you, Princess,” the Valkyr laughed, utterly delighted from watching Zelo’s performance.  “Let’s see if anyone else catches on, shall we?” he smiled, walking after her, his gaze sweeping the crowds of spectators and competitors.

                Tension grew on the field as the participants awaited the sound of the bugle to announce the beginning of the contest.  He could see her getting nervous the longer they waited, grip adjusting on weapons and shields alike, as well she should.  Of the females present, though she dressed as a male, she was definitely the smallest among them which could prove to be a severe disadvantage, Battlemage or not.

                 The crowd held its collective breath as the bugle was raised and then sounded, ringing above the heads of the fighters who surged quickly at the call, their voices raised with fierce battle cries.  Armor and weapons clashed together loudly, harsh and familiar as mercenaries fought with knights and both sides sought to become the victor.

                 “Time to see what you can do,” Daehyun murmured to himself, one arm across his body with the other gauntleted glove resting under his chin, expression intent.  With interest, he floated above the field and watched the combat.  For her part, Amber did a fairly good job of dodging most of the heavy combat, pairing off against knights as necessary and managing to outmaneuver them with the use of better footwork instead of strength.  She primarily used her sword, relying on the staff as a defensive weapon more than anything since magecraft was heavily policed on the field, allowed only in the latter part of combat when the risk of causing unnecessary casualties was considerably reduced.

                The tall Zelo managed to linger somewhat close, helping to fend off the worst of the opponents somewhat unobtrusively, using his claymore with skill, swift footwork, and aggressive attacks that were devastating on the field.  The Valkyr had to admit he was actually quite capable with it, a fact he had been dubious about initially.  Relatively close at hand also was his Captain, the older and more battle practiced Jaeseop who bore dual short swords, with which he worked magic on the field.  Also nearby was Geng wielding a longsword and keeping a particularly close eye on Bertram as he worked closer little by little.

                To her dismay, Amber found that she ended up near the King’s pavilion and was doubly alarmed when she realized the opponent she was squaring off against next was Geng.  “What are you doing?” she growled in annoyance, noticing a variety of opposing knights still on the field.

                “It was going to happen sooner or later,” he winked, giving her a confident smirk as he quickly wiped his blade down, discarding the cloth immediately after.  “Alright half-pint.  Let’s see what you’ve got,” Geng laughed, brandishing the weapon that had a daunting greater reach than her own and a hearty shield.  His amusement was obvious when the taunt worked and Bertram launched himself at his opponent, coming together with a clash of swords and bared teeth.

                As soon as the fight began, Daehyun’s gaze was drawn inexorably towards Geng’s sword, feeling something odd about the blade.  He hadn’t noticed it earlier but now that they were in close quarters, it was hard to miss.  Carefully, he approached and his eyes narrowed when he realized it had been tampered with; his eyes shifted to the cloth with concern and then back at the fighters.  The Valkyr danced back out of the way of the broad swing meant to slip under Amber’s guard, wary of what was on it.  He hadn’t materialized but that did not mean he was impervious to all possible affects.

                Groaning under the strain, Amber managed to deflect the attack, but only just.  Her retaliatory strike was swift but repelled in turn and she was left floundering for balance, stabbing the staff into the ground and awkwardly twisting her body to get out of the way of his .  With a resultant rush of adrenaline, she tagged him with the flat of her sword, swatting him harshly across the lightly padded arm, forcing him to dance back as he shook the offended limb out.

                “Beginner’s luck,” he huffed, getting ready to attack again, clearly miffed.

                “I’m sure,” she drawled, the resultant smirk hidden under her face covering.  Ready to defend again, Amber was briefly distracted when another figure simply appeared in the corner of her eye, materializing as if out of thin air floating above the ground in shining armor.  “What…?” she murmured distracted from her fight long enough to miss Geng’s impending attack.

                “Gotcha!” he grinned, butting her defending blade away with the shield and snaking the tip of his sword through a chink in her leather armor.

                Amber yelped in pain at the unexpected strike, seeing the tip of his sword tinged with a hint of her blood.  Nothing more than a scratch, he’d drawn first blood and tipped the balance in his favor, though she was confused when his eyes darted towards the stands where her father was leaning forward with interest.  “Dammit,” she hissed, pressing a hand to the wound as the sharp pain only increased the longer she stood on the grounds.

                “Had enough, half-pint?” he asked, swaying his sword tauntingly in front of her.

                “Not hardly,” she growled back, taking a half-step in his direction before she paused, losing her breath to a particularly painful stab of pain.

                Confused by the action, Geng lowered the tip of his blade and asked, “Bertram?”  His gaze traveled to the pavilion again, brow creased in concern.

                Amber hissed in pain, struggling not to double over in pain as an angry, fiery sensation coursed through her body, savage and uncontrolled.  “It is time,” Daehyun murmured, drawing his longsword in preparation; this fight was not quite over…

                “Help…” she groaned, her sword dropping uselessly from her hand as she leaned all her weight on the staff, desperately trying to remain standing and unaware of Zelo drawing close to fend off additional fighters who edged too near.

                The Valkyr watched the circle of competitors, some aware of her plight and others lost in the heat of combat.  Acting on Zelo’s cue, Jaeseop moved in close to assist, eyes narrowed at Geng warily.

                Feeling stifled and unable to breathe, Amber tore the mask off her face and looked for her father in a blind panic as fear threatened to overwhelm her.  “Help me,” she pleaded, falling to her knees despite her best efforts as she felt the burning sensation sharpen further in her hands, extending even to her eyes, giving her a headache the likes of which she’d never felt.

                Zelo and Jaeseop were the first to move to her side as the younger assured his Captain, “It’s the Princess.”  Geng backed away nervously, his gaze shifting between Bertram… no, Amber and the Chancellor… or was it the King he was focusing on, seeing it was his daughter at stake.

                Amber cried out in pain, one hand gripping to Jaeseop’s uniform as he helped to steady her with Zelo on her other side, creating a defensive position with which to guard her.  “It hurts!  Father!” she yelled shrilly, sensation disappearing in a flood of pain and anger that wasn’t her own.  “Something’s wroooaaaaAAAGH!”  The cry turned swiftly into a mindless roar as claws ripped through her gloves, tearing through Jaeseop’s uniform with ease.

                “Amber!” Vornigan called, close enough to recognize the sound of her voice and realize that it was his daughter he was looking at.  He jumped to his feet and moved as if to hop into the ring himself, but was forestalled by the Chancellor.

                “Majesty!  It’s not safe!” he warned, holding to his hand firmly while he pointed at the Princess who was starting to go berserk.  “It’s a blood rage, sire!”  Vornigan paled at the announcement and stared at his daughter in the middle of the field, watching the horror that was overcoming her swiftly.

                “Yah!” Jaeseop yelled, flailing wildly through the air when Amber tossed him aside with ease, eyes glowing blood red with fangs and claws bared as she got to her feet.  Humming with dreadful energy, she hefted the staff up with her, disproportionately large hand wrapped tightly around the shaft.

                “Princess!  Stop!” Zelo cried, swinging his sword with the flat of the blade in an effort to stun or disable her.  He flinched in surprise when she stopped it with a clawed hand and held the staff up, power humming to life in the cradled orb at the top.  There was no recognition in her blazing red gaze when she met his eyes.

                “You cannot help her,” a stranger’s voice intruded, utterly calm and filled with an eerie sense of power.  A glowing blue sword flashed through the head of the staff, severing the orb from the body in the blink of an eye and caused both the former princess and the mercenary to jump apart, turning to peer at the newcomer.

                “What?!” Zelo demanded, further startled by the fact that everyone around them seemed to have frozen and it was just the three of them: a monster, a mercenary and a…

                “If you would help her now, you would make her end swift,” the stranger explained, charging at the enraged creature that roared at him savagely, sword flashing so fast it was hard to follow.

                Utterly confused, Zelo tried to process what he was seeing.  The figure looked human enough but he’d just appeared out of thin air wearing armor quite unlike any to be found in Artolia with a winged helmet.  By Odin’s Beard!  He was a Valkyr…

                Stunned, he followed at a slower pace still aiming to subdue her in the hopes she could be saved.  He watched the pair dance, sparks flying from claws and sword alike, before swinging again, drawing her attention to his attack and distracting her from the Valkyr.  She blocked his sword as before but left herself open for the considerably faster opponent on her other side.  With a cry of denial, Zelo’s eyes widened in horror when he saw the other man’s sword pass clean through her neck, separating her head from her body in one deft .

                “No!” he yelled hoarsely, letting the tip of his blade sink into the ground, blinking in disbelief as he watched the body crumple to the ground, her head rolling to stop a few feet away.  The expression was full of unbridled rage with open in a silent scream, red eyes staring at nothing.

                “And so it is done,” the Valkyr murmured, kneeling beside the fallen body and waving his hand above the bloody form.  “Come to me mine Einherjar,” he beckoned, drawing the glowing soul of Amber from her body.

                Zelo gasped as the pieces clicked in his head and he realized he was face to face with one of Odin’s own messengers collecting a soul for Valhalla.  “What…?”

                “You should go now,” the Valkyr commented, holding the spirit close as he regarded her wisp-like form with interest.  “They’ll not be happy about this.”

                Before Zelo could say anything else, the Valkyr disappeared entirely and time resumed, throwing him into a scene poised for panic.  His eyes widened as horrified screams resounded around him, pointing at the beheaded body of the princess next to Zelo and his sword.

                “Guards!  Arrest him!” the King pointed at Zelo, the only target remaining who could have possibly done such a thing to his daughter.

(a/n:  Run Zelo!  Yeah.  Just a bit of a cliffhanger but I hope you enjoyed the update.  Thoughts are always welcome and questions too for that matter.  :)  For the tournament, I was actually pulling from an older European tradition which started with the foot or mounted combat in an all day brawl until there was only one man left standing.  Most of the time, there weren't fatalities though it wasn't unheard of either since early tournaments didn't have many restrictions, such as allowing the use of live weapons instead of blunted.  Thanks for reading and welcome to my newest subbers!  All of you are awesome.)