Jacquelyn's eyes lit up at the word "fight" and jumped out of bed, running to her gown that was resting on a chair in the room.

"I don't think that will work for where we're going," Ryia said

"Agreed" Morgaine added

"We don't have anything else to wear," Alianor said

"Yeah, it's not like we stopped by our houses while running away from the shadow people to get extra clothes" Jacquelyn commented

"Don't worry girls, I've got this" Morgaine grinned

Jacquelyn's eyes widen at her grin.

"She's going to turn us into frogs" Jacquelyn hissed

After about ten minutes, they all ran down the stairs, Alianor and Jacquelyn sporting different attires.

Their long gowns had shortened and were now just over their knees. Underneath were black tight trousers that went all the way down to their shoes.

At the bottom of the stairs, they bumped into Gawain.

"Where are you all off to?" He asked, a steaming cup in his hand

"The book showed us the last two guardians," Morgaine said

"It's Henry and Philip" Ryia informed

"Ah" Gawain responded "I'm not surprised"

"They have a fight this morning at the arena. We're going there to meet them" Morgaine informed

"Mind if I come along?" He asked

"Sure" "Why not" the girls answered

Gawain placed his cup on the closest flat surface.

"Royale, I'm heading out with the girls" he informed his wife who was in another room

"Ok" came her response

They all headed out the door, Gawain taking his coat off the rack before he exited. Once they were off the compound, they walked down the street, following the other people who were also headed to the arena.

"So are all these people going to see the fight?" Jacquelyn asked

"Yes," Gawain answered "The Sword fights and other combats are part of our tradition here on the north side. We do it every year after we celebrate Solaria. Though, there's never been these many people going to see one single fight" he added looking around at the crowd they entered

"I bet they're all going to see Henry and Philip" Morgaine said

"It is THE fight of the whole festival. It's all everyone has been talking about" Ryia said

"What's the big deal with this Philip and Henry guys?" Jacquelyn asked

"Well..." Gawain began

Gawain decided to tell them everything from the beginning. Geoffrey and Ilda had always had a complicated relationship. They were friends as kids, but something changed, and they soon hated each other. Their hatred grew when they got trapped in the north by Caine.

The banished people were scared and worried and needed guidance. They looked to the guardians for such. The guardians became the official government of the North, but, they needed a leader. Geoffrey believed that he should be the new leader, but Ilda thought she should. The people voted, and Geoffrey won, simply because they didn't think a woman could do it.

For years Ilda was bitter, and a rivalry between her and Geoffrey ensued. Things got a bit better for her when her son Payton grew older. She believed that he could be the new leader of North Luxia, and convince many people there of it. This caused protest and eventually forced the guardians to make a new rule. Someone from each generation of the guardians' family would be eligible for leadership.

Once the rule was made, Ilda worked with her son, and people were liking him more than Geoffrey's son Asher. But some weeks before the voting, Payton died, and because he was the only child of Ilda's, Asher became the leader by default.

Now, a new generation was of age, and a vote for a new leader would be starting soon. For years Ilda worked tirelessly with her grandson Philip, wanting to prove that a Feldstead can rule. Geoffrey and his son worked with Henry to make sure that the leadership stayed in the Golding family. From a young age, the boys were taught that the other was the enemy. They were always taught to be better than the other and were pitted against each other in everything, from intelligence to sword fighting. When it came to the fights it was always who had more wins than the other, they were never allowed to fight each other.

But now they were twenty-one, and finally allowed to fight to see who really was the best.

Alianor and Jacquelyn listened to Gawain attentively. They didn't know all this was going on just behind the barrier.

°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°

Henry stood there, waiting to be introduced. His flame patterned helmet was on his head, his fighting attire on, and his sword and shield in his hands.

"Are you ready?" He heard his father ask from behind him

"Yes" he nodded

His grandfather then stepped in front of him, grabbing onto his armour covered shoulders with his calloused hands. His dark brown eyes stared at the young man.

"It's time for you to show them you are the best," Geoffrey said "It's time for you to prove to them that you are more capable of ruling the North"

There was no smile on the older man's tan wrinkled face. Though, it would be hard to tell with the greying black beard growing on his face, which matched the short hair growing on his head.

"I won't disappoint grandfather," Henry said back

Geoffrey stepped aside and they all waited, the adrenaline rushing through them all, even though Henry was the only one going out to fight.

After years of not being allowed to fight each other, Henry was finally getting the chance to show everyone, once and for all, that he was better and stronger than Philip.

Philip was smarter, he had to give him that. But when it came to strength, confidence, and leadership, he knew he was ahead. He had had many chances to show his leadership skills and confidence, and now, he was about to prove his superiority strength wise.

He was a Golding, there was no way he would make a Felstead beat him.

As far as Henry could remember, the rivalry between their families has always been there. He was told stories of how the Felsteads did wrong to their family. He was taught at a young age that they were the competition and that Philip was to never be his friend. Although there were times he didn't quite understand, he never questioned it.

Henry heard the announcer speaking outside and straightened himself. Soon, the double doors in front of him opened.

"Presenting, Henry Golding"

He stepped out hearing the cheers, the bright light causing him to squint his eyes a bit. Once he could see clearly, he looked around at the familiar arena. He had fought there many times before, against other worthy swordsmen.

He looked at the empty dirt field in front of him, soon he and Philip would be in the middle. Around it was a wooden wall, painted in a pale blue colour. On it, were pale yellow diamond shapes. Behind the wooden wall were rows of wooden benches, all filled with people who had come to see them fight.

"And presenting, Philip Felstead"

He heard the announcer speak, and at the far end of the field, through an open door, he saw Philip step out. The crowd began to cheer again.

His opponent was dressed just like him, but instead of the colours red and black, he was wearing blue and white. Philip's shield had a tiger, while his, a phoenix. His helmet was designed to represent a phoenix and it's flames, Philip's was designed to match the stripes of a tiger. He stood straight, not moving an inch.

"Step into the arena men" he heard

They both began to step forward, slowly taking a step at a time. Soon they were in the middle, only a few feet apart. The moderator appeared next to them.

"You know the rules," he said, not wasting any time with the particulars "Are you ready?"

They both nodded.

"Swords up!" he instructed stepping back

They lifted their swords, their eyes glaring at each other through the opening of their helmets.

"Ready to lose Felstead?" Henry asked tauntingly

"Not at all. Are you?" Philip asked with a smirk

"Fight!"

They let out loud cries and went to each other.

Henry was the first to make a move, but he was quickly blocked by Philip. Philip made a move, and in the same way, he was blocked by Henry. With a swift motion, Philip charged his shield forward, pushing his opponent back. Henry stumbled, losing his balance a bit.

So maybe Philip was a bit stronger than he thought.

He charged forward again with a grunt, his sword hitting Philip's.

The sound of metal on metal continued. The crowd watched intently as the two moved gracefully around the arena. Their intensity was the same, and no one could tell who was winning.

In the benches, Alianor and Jacquelyn watched in amazement. They had seen many sword fights with their grandfathers, against their mother's wishes, but none were as intense as what they were seeing in front of them.

"Are they going to kill each other?" Jacquelyn asked as it got more intense, by now, a swordsman would be given a warning or two

"They're not supposed to," Gawain said noticing the increased intensity

"It's Philip and Henry, they probably will" Morgaine added

The fight went on, going longer than it normally would. Their grunts grew louder as they grew more exhausted. The audience was on edge, waiting for someone to get the upper hand.

Finally, their waiting ended.

°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°

And there it is, Chapter 8! If you like it, please be sure to vote. And your comments are always welcomed.

Be sure to check out my other story, Wright Magazine and my collaboration with TeaceFindlay called Work For It!

Until next time guys.