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I purposely kept walking to get a rise out of her. Vallie gasped loudly when I refused to respond, slapping her hand across her chest like I’d offended her. She untangled her other arm out of mine and pinched my hip hard until I finally gave in.
“Okay, okay,” I laughed. “Yours is the only squealing that doesn’t bother me.”
“Damn straight it is.” She smiled as she yet again took my arm, my elbow lifting up to match her height. “Also, it’s a known fact that Sie is going to be the next King.”
“That’s not true, Vallie. No one knows for sure what the outcome of the tournament will be.”
“Scottie, Sie is Tennebris’ only rank five. He’s going to win the free-for-all fight and get to move on to challenge the current King. There is absolutely no way he loses. He’s the strongest Advenian alive.”
Vallie didn’t need to add the strongestTennebrisAdvenian alive. Lux was known for breeding rank fives. The curriculum in Tennebris even hints at Lux being the stronger Kingdom, though they don’t outright say it. Lux and Tennebris are supposed to be described as a delicate balance. A yin and yang on a scale that’s ready to tip, but both are needed to keep the other in check. Lux symbolizes the golden sun, while Tennebris represents Allium’s twin, pink moons. Night and day. Darkness and light. But the balance has been skewed for a while. The only reason Tennebris still has a standing is because they possess compulsion and illusion.
“Just because he’s a rank five, doesn’t mean that he will automatically win,” I countered. “It takes more to win the tournament than just being a high rank.”
Half the females were only watching the fight tonight because it was the first King’s Tournament that Sie was competing in. Now that Sie had turned twenty, he was eligible to fight. It was a law that an Advenian had to have already graduated from school in order for their Trials to be reviewed. You needed to have a rank in order to apply. And Sie graduated two years ago with a rank five. He only had to wait for the King’s ruling decade to finish for another tournament to happen. Everyone in Tennebris knew his name. Ever since his powers manifested at such a young age, Advenians had been waiting for him to come of age to claim the crown.
I loved the idea behind the King’s Tournament—that every decade someone could rise up and be better than the current King. The ruler of Tennebris could never hold on to his title without being deemed worthy. The King’s rule could last for centuries, but every ten years, he must prove he was still the best choice to govern the Kingdom. It didn’t matter what family you were born into, but merely what abilities you possessed could make or break your life.
I just hated the fact that only males with a rank of three or higher could apply to compete. I also hated that everyone spoke about Sie as if he was already the King.
“They say he graduated top of his class in combat skills and scored perfectly on the examination for his Trials. He’s going to win,” Vallie continued as we headed toward the Hub of campus. “I can’t wait to see him fight.”
I couldn’t help but roll my eyes. “Vallie, don’t pretend you actually want to see him fight. You’re only watching the tournament because you want to see what he looks like.”
“Well, duh… I think that’s the reason every girl is going to be watching tonight, except you. Everyone says that he’s ridiculously tall and super muscular, but I need to see for myself,” she squealed in my ears. “Can you imagine marrying him and being Queen? You would literally go down in history as the female who married a rank five.”
“Just because he isn’t married doesn’t mean he doesn’t have someone in mind. I’m sure he’s betrothed but just keeps his personal life to himself,” I said. Sie was the youngest ever to be accepted to fight in the tournament. Usually, the males competing were already married, automatically making their wife the Queen. However, if you entered the competition without a wife or a betrothed, you must agree to an arranged marriage, as the Tennebrisian law states a King must have a Queen before his coronation.
I found the whole thing ridiculous. Why must a King be married in order to lead, and why couldn’t a Queen rule?
“If he had someone in mind, he would be betrothed or married by now. I’m sure he doesn’t,” Vallie insisted.
“Vallie,” I questioned, “how did you jump to him getting married when we don’t even know if he is going to win?”
“You’re living under a giant rock. Just wait until you see him on the screen. Then you’ll be drooling over him too.”
“Yeah, right,” I remarked.
“I’ll take that as a challenge,” she said as she pulled me in through the door of the Hall.
Long rectangular tables stretched out the length of the room. Wooden benches that were normally tucked underneath were filled with students. The Hall was packed since it was the only place that received broadcasts from the other villages. It was the only monitor LakeWood had in the school and anytime a mandatory announcement was made from the King or Council, the students filed into the cramped room. Most of the students were turned to face the lone monitor mounted on the wall. Even though night was approaching, the sun was still shining through the windows, settling in as rays of orange mixed with hues of blue shown through the stained glass.
Golden swirls that represented the Tennebrisian markings were scattered in between each piece of glass. The window was a map, illustrating how the six Dark villages were spread throughout this glacial slab of ice. A thin purple line banded around the entire thing where the shield was strategically placed. My eyes followed the purple curve of the shield, indicating what part of our Kingdom was hidden from the mortals. I often wondered if the black-sanded beach was within the shield or outside of it in the mortal territory.
“It seems like everyone wants to see him fight,” I mused as we scanned the crowd for open seats amongst the flock of females. I figured it would be crowded, but I’d never seen the Hall this full before.
I groaned as I realized Yuri was at the only open table left, positioned directly in front of the large monitor. Not because no one wanted to sit with her, but more likely because everyone was too afraid to approach her.
“Ugh, Vallie, please no,” I pleaded once I realized my friend’s eyes were narrowed in on the empty chairs. “I would rather stand than sit next to her.” I emphasizedherin order to get my point across. It wasn’t a secret that we didn’t get along.
“Scottie, I know you don’t like her, but I want a good view of the screen. Plus, the tournament is long. I don’t want to stand all night, I’m wearing four-inch heels.”
I crossed my arms across my chest as I glared up at her. We were forced to wear our school uniform for all our classes, but it didn’t apply to our shoes and Vallie almost never left our dorm without heels. “I’ll switch shoes with you,” I begged. I wanted to watch the tournament in peace, and I was losing my patience with putting up with Yuri’s snide remarks.
Vallie huffed a laugh. “As much as I would love to see you in heels, you know my feet can’t fit into your boots.”
Vallie turned, her red hair whipping me across the face, as she placed two hands over my shoulders. “Please, Scottie-cat. We graduate right after our Trials, and I won’t be able to see you again. I know she isn’t always the nicest toward you, but we can ignore her. You are my best friend and I want to sit with you before I won’t have the chance anymore.” She pouted, dragging out the word, “Please.”
“Ugh, fine,” I groaned. I could never say no to Vallie when she guilted me about our limited time together. In truth, I didn’t want to think about the fact that this time next week, I wouldn’t be able to hang out with my friend. I wouldn’t be able to hear her infectious laugh or see her glowing smile.
