Caution!

This part of the story has a little bit of language. Please understand this was used to enforce the mood.

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"Wake up, sleepyhead."

Sonya stared him in the face with her glowing green eyes, and he sighed a sigh of relief.

"I thought that was all a dream. I'm glad you're still next to me."

"Well... the princess is next to you too. We had a bet that you would wake up facing me, and whoever lost would have had to walk on foot all the way to Tesalia."

"Well, joke's on me I guess, since I'm letting the loser use my horse."

Cecilia snickered next to him. "See, Sonya? I told you it was pointless, since I know the Eighth Son's heart.

Sonya hit Cecilia with a pillow and the two hit each other hard. Ansel got hit in the nose and started bleeding and eased out of bed while the two fought and stopped it.

"Uh, girls? Can I take a shower without the two of you fighting over me for five minutes?"

The girls both blushed and nodded, and Ansel closed the door and sighed, and opened it again.

"Do I have any more stuff to wear?" 

"Um... yeah, hold on just a second." Sonya's voice was gentle and compassionate, and Ansel's heart fluttered.

"Here." Sonya brisked over to the bathroom door and handed him a black shirt with black pants and boots. 

When she got to the door, Ansel leaned in and kissed her. "As long as I live, I will protect you."

Sonya blushed and nodded. The princess, in the back, blushed and turned away. As for Ansel, he went in to take a shower.

"Today is going to be a long day..." he said softly with reluctance, and scrubbed his hair with shampoo.

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Meanwhile, at the Great Palace of Eos...

In the dimly lit war room, the High King Maximillian Valus sat, writing and laughing wickedly. His mouth twisted into a hellish grin, his crooked teeth poking out.

A knock disturbed the evil king's reckless plotting.

"Come in!" He shouted, annoyed that his plotting had been interrupted by some fool.

Two knights, one female with red hair and one male orc with battle scars all over his face entered the room.

"Ah, if it isn't Aelina the Heart-breaker and Serele the Green! Why do you grace me with your presence?" Valus asked with false curiosity. 

"I thirst for the blood of someone," Serele said, with sheer vulgarity.

"I yearn to break a man's heart again," Aelina said, seductively

High King Valus grinned wickedly. With his back arched, his chest poked out, and his shrewd eyes he looked at the two knights.

"I want the Tesalian Empire to crumble by tonight. If you see that Eighth Son, kill him. And Aelina?"

"Yes, sire?" She asked, seductively.

"Do whatever you want with him. I know he escaped you last time, but this time he is all yours. End his life before he causes anymore trouble for me." 

"With pleasure. I wanted him to be my plaything before, but he ran."

"Leave my presence, both of you. I have to prepare to mourn for my lost daughter,"  he said, maniacally laughing as they left the room.

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Back in the travelling party of Ansel...

"Before we get to the Grand Palace of Tesalia, I must inform you of something, my love." Sonya said, her eyes looking grim.

Ansel looked surprised, his jaw dropping as they were two miles from the castle that loomed over the countryside. "What is it?" He asked with concern.

Sonya pursed her lips. "Before I met you, my father arranged me to be married to a Tesalian Knight named Cedric, and if we enter the castle and the people see that my eyes have changed, you will have to slay him."

"B-but why?" Ansel asked, tired of the bloodshed.

"Cedric is a terrible man, and we have to marry to ensure that the bloodline stays sacred. Cedric has done his fair share of bad things, from raiding farms and taking countless women hostage to hurting orphans and killing innocent people. He is a man who is bloodthirsty."

"If your fiance has done all of these terrible things, then he must be brought to justice. If your people feel like he can't be brought to justice, then I will take him down."

"You don't understand, Tesalia cannot afford to lose anymore men, for if we do, then our people will fall to the Eos Empire. Besides, the people are afraid of Cedric for his reputation. He has slain countless numbers of Eos's men, and he will slay you too, if you aren't careful."

As they neared the gate, Cecilia and Sonya dismounted their horses and took them to the stables. Cecilia paid for them to be boarded, and Sonya took Ansel's hand.

"Be courageous, my love, for everyone in this place knows who you are." Sonya whispered, and Ansel grimaced at the fact that everyone might spit on him and shun him again.

But they didn't. The people in the Grand Palace cheered.

"Hail the Lightsworn!"

"Lady Sonya finally has a good husband to marry!"

"There is hope for us after all!"

The crowd chanted the word Lightsworn as the party of three walked into the palace.

"My, my, what an entrance you have caused. Welcome home, Sonya. I see there is a healthy change about you!" The Princess of Tesalia smiled warmly. "Ansel, is it? It is an honor to have you in my courts. What brings you here?"

The garrison door connected to the castle burst open.

"So, the rumor is true..." A giant burly man looked over Ansel. "Sonya, if this man is to marry you, I must kill him to honor your father's wish."

The mood of the entire room had darkened. The klinking of Sir Cedric's armor on the cobblestone floor had made every man and woman sulking in fear. Everyone except Ansel.

"So, you're the infamous mercenary of the Eos Empire, aren't you? You will pay for stealing away my bride." Cedric drew his longsword and put it at Ansel's neck. "Aren't you afraid?"

Ansel stilled the fear he felt within himself and gave Cedric a gaze of steel. He drew his katana and quickly knocked away Cedric's longsword, it's clinking on the ground echoing throughout the room. "I have no fear of pigs like you. You have slain my people, stolen my people's livestock, and raped my countrymen. I will make sure you pay with your life."

Ansel inched closer and put his katana at Cedric's neck. "I challenge you to a duel. I'll be damned if I let a pig like you have an amazing woman like Sonya."

"Hmph. You're on, Lightsworn. Don't be crying in Ashidale whenever you see me doing what I please with that whore."

Ansel burned with anger and thrust his blade up, leaving a wound that ran down Cedric's face. "No knight treats a woman like that. You are a coward and a pig, and I know that Hell awaits you in the Nexus!"

Cedric grunted and walked away, seeing as he had been bested.

The Princess clapped. "Yay! We'll have it in the Elysium Coliseum at dusk. I hope you win, Lightsworn, for the sake of Sonya and for your honor!"

"I make you this promise, Cedric. You will be brought to justice for everything you have done!"

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Before the fight, Ansel shook. Times like these reminded him of his first fight, where he dueled for the red-haired woman's honor and lost. His fear took him into the abyss of his mind, and he slipped further and further away from reality.

Will I die today?

The question echoed in his mind as he took the bandage over his eye off. His wound had healed fast, and he looked in the mirror and sighed. The scar that was left over went deep into the facial tissue.

"Maybe all I am is a monster... Maybe I deserve to die..."

"You are not a monster, Ansel." Sonya's soft voice spoke up from behind him.

"How could you love me? I mean, look at my face. It's scarred and I'm just a bundle of nerves and emotions. I snapped at you and everything else when we first met-"

"Your face is hot. I like the scars. When I first met you, I could instantly tell you had a heart of gold. Plus, a monster doesn't risk his life for the sake of others without repayment. You do just that. You don't ask anything of us; you offer and give. No matter what you may feel that you are, your character forfeits the idea of you being a monster. You don't deserve to die, either."

"Ever since that day-"

"What day?"

"The day I met a redheaded girl who payed me to be her escort at a party. She wanted me to do things that I wasn't comfortable doing, and she insisted that I win her heart in a duel much like this one. I wanted to feel loved and accepted, and I tried it. I lost and almost lost my life, and I ran far away."

Ansel's shoulders sulked, and he felt the eerie feeling sweep over him, giving him goosebumps. 

"I-I'm sorry, Ansel." Her footsteps padded across the tile floor, and he felt her gentle hands on his shoulders. She wrapped her arms around him and kissed the side of his face and whispered in his ear. "As long as I am alive, I promise that woman will never come near you again."

"I promise that I won't lose tonight's duel. I want you as a wife, as a friend, and I don't want to lose you."

"You had better not," she said, squeezing him harder, "I love you." She began to cry. "Th-thank you for protecting me from that pig, and thank you for defending my honor and for loving me."

Ansel held Sonya tight. He felt her trembling ease, and he sat and held her for the longest time. All they could do was sit and wait for the time to come.

"Ansel, I-"

Sonya was interrupted by Cecilia, who came in the door. "It's time. Don't be dismayed, Ansel. You have this in the bag."

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"Light-sworn! Light-sworn!"

The Elysium Colosseum was filled with bloodthirsty spectators, who had dreamt of someone who would finally kill the evil holy knight who no one could best.  Ansel fought his fear once again as he stepped toward the center where Cedric was waiting.

Cedric drew his sword. "Ready to die, you lowly Eighth Son? Many have stood in your place and have been slaughtered-"

"Do not test me with your false bravado, Cedric."  Ansel was unmoved by the cowardly taunts in Cedric's shaky voice. "I'll have you know that I stood face to face with the legendary Blue Vestryx."

"You lie! No one has stood against that dragon and lived!" Cedric pointed his sword at Ansel.

"Well, coward? Ready to get this fight started?" Ansel humored Cedric, and laughed madly, attempting to throw Cedric off. "You don't stand a chance!"

Cedric yelled a cry and charged straight at Ansel, who spun around to Cedric's back. Ansel sent his boot directly into Cedric's lower spine, sending him flying.

"If you think you can win, you are sadly mistaken." Ansel pointed at Sonya, who was next to the Princess of Tesalia. "I finally have a reason to fight, and I won't die on her!" 

Cedric laughed madly as he got up, and the color of his eyes turned crimson red. "Your head is mine, Eighth Son!"

Ansel gripped his katana so hard his knuckles turned white. "You're one of them, aren't you?"

"Hahahaha! If you mean one of the knights who the Agent of Darkness blessed with power, then yes!" Cedric got behind Ansel and sent an elbow to the back of his head, knocking him down.

Ansel took the trauma and cast it away as he recovered and got back on his feet. He ducked down and headbutted Cedric in the stomach, causing him to fall over and drop his sword. Ansel rolled and picked up the longsword, and then he braced himself for the charging Cedric.

Cedric ran straight towards Ansel and as soon as he got close to him, Ansel countered Cedric's charge with a sweep-kick. Cedric hit the ground, and facing towards the sky, watched as Ansel drove the katana into his stomach.

"This is for the people you tortured! And this is for Sonya, who will never have to fear you ever again!"

Ansel drove the longsword into Cedric's heart, and he erupted into darkness, the cloud surrounding Ansel. A holy light originated from within Ansel, and the darkness dispelled.

The crowd erupted into a loud cheer, chanting Ansel's name. He felt relieved, and looked to Sonya, who pointed in horror towards two more knights who had just entered the stadium.

One took their helmet off. Ansel looked in terror as he realized who stood in front of him.

"Hello, love. Did you miss me?" Aelina the Heart-breaker said, full of false happiness and lust.