To Love, Once Again

Drumbeats boomed off the high stone walls that enclosed the entire arena, deep, heavy drumbeats pounded by teams of men that alternated hitting the drums. These drums were huge, taller than the height of a man that surrounded the main area. Each beat made your heart pound faster in your chest, anticipation growing for what was to come. Low flames cast dancing shadows on the faces of the crowd gathered before the podium and circling the dueling grounds. A tense excitement filled the air.

Sera stood next to Lucien seated on his throne, gazing out from the stone podium reserved for the King. These were the dueling grounds that existed when Thornmere was still a gathering of tribes. In the far away past, grudges used to be settled in a simple wooden ring. Over the years, it had been upgraded to a large open building like a colosseum, with towering stone pillars built by magic, inscribed by runes that shifted and danced when gazed at too long by the viewer. The ring itself also went through change, from packed down earth to a magician-crafted hard glassy material, circled with flames the leaped high into the air and consumed those who sought to interrupt or interfere. These flames forced the duelers to fight to the death. The ring of fire would not die out unless one of the two men who stepped into the ring showed complete surrender by kneeling and showing his neck, or was dead. These were what made the duels sacred. The last time this ring was used was way before the Great War, when a regional noble lord challenged another for the rape of his daughter. Evidence didn't matter here when the duel was evoked. Power was the only thing that mattered.

Her heart wasn't ready for the violence she knew was on the horizon. She thinks back to earlier this morning.

Time had flown by after Sera and Lucien quietly dressed in their rumpled clothes. It kept flowing by after he'd walked her back to Lois' room, after a morning spent hurriedly hiding the evidence of their deed from Lois and her son. It was still early enough then that Lois and her son both didn't notice her slipping back in. She'd quickly wiped herself clean with the new pitcher of water, and used a bandage on her neck to hide the new red love-marks that bloomed all over her skin.

Lois had given her a weird look, and she'd done her best to reassure Leo, that no, she wasn't sick. She'd rather look like a mummy than someone with chickenpox.

After her breakfast with her baby and Lois, she'd been summoned to Lucien's chambers to help ready him for the duel.

Sera was still upset at Lucien, refused to tie his hair for him as he suited up for battle. She didn't give in, even with Hilda's ice-cold glares shooting her way. Hmph. He could tie his hair himself. Busying herself with helping the other servants set out Lucien's equipment, she tries to find the next job she could do there that would keep her away from interacting with him.

It was a small revenge compared to him not allowing her to stay with Leo.

Lucien leaves her be. He'd deftly tied his hair with the hair tie she'd given him before. His fingers looked like they'd done the motions countless times, taking a long leather strap and looping it securely around the ponytail, completely covering her hair tie.

Sera felt a sharp elbow prod her side, luckily on the other side of her rib injury. Hilda holds a tray before her, where several small golden rings and hoops are neatly arranged. Some rings were thin and curved , others cuffs that were beautifully engraved with emblems of fire and hawks.

"Put the ceremonial rings in his hair, Miss Sera."

Hilda probably thought she was slacking off, slinking around in the back of the room.

These rings were what every Thornmere King wore before a duel, part of a forgotten ceremony that was still honored, though the true meanings of it were lost with the passage of time.

If he lost the duel, each ring would be broken to pieces and ground up by the victor to signify his crushing victory. The victor had his opponent's life in his hands. It would be his to see fit, whether to kill him, to let him live, or cripple him.

Sera found out about the specifics of this challenge from Lois over breakfast. It was because she didn't want to go into the duel blind. She needed all the information she could get to make sure Lucien was safe. Lois heavily stressed the importance of challenges like this over their breakfast, making Sera cover her son's ears when she went into the not-safe-for-children bits.

"Only people my age can remember when the last duel was" Lois had said, face scrunched up remembering what she'd heard so long ago as a little girl.

The last duel between the rape victim's father and rapist had resulted in the rapists' victory. The difference in age was too great, with one young and vicious, the other old and unable to move like he used to. Lois shook her head, calling it a ' a terrible tragedy'. The young daughter committed suicide, and life moved on. Only those whose hair was white with age, face wreathed in wrinkles could remember that event.

For the noblemen, it was custom to wear silver rings in the hair for duels. However, the gold rings were special. Each King had his own set of these rings, but only the victorious Kings' rings could be kept in the treasury. A challenge to duel against the King was challenging his authority, and if the challenger won, they would become the new King.

Sera hesitated. Lucien looked busy getting the light leather armor strapped on to himself. He doesn't need the help of a squire, buckling his gauntlets with ease. He'd done these actions hundreds of times before battle.

Hilda was getting annoyed. "If you don't put them on his majesty, I'll call for another-!"

"No"

"No!"

Two voices, one low and the other high, interrupt Hilda in sync.

Sera looks to Lucien, and he looks at her. They glance away.

Hilda's face freezes, looking like she bit into a sour plum.

Sera releases an awkward cough, and takes the tray from Hilda's claws that clutch the tray.

Hilda's face twists in an even sourer expression, which is a feat in itself, when Lucien takes a knee before Sera. Sera hides her smile. Hilda's expression reminded Sera of those videos when a baby eats a lemon for the first time, and the strong distaste is visible.

His face before hers, Sera softly takes the loose strands of long hair that had fallen out from the leather binding, fingers stroking through his hair, braiding some of them and pushing each cuff into place. Hands trembling, she makes sure none of the hoops dig into his scalp, and when she finished, he looks like an elven fairytale warrior. It was different from his usual tunic and pants, or the full suit of armor he wore to battle. Lucien was darkly handsome already, with his quiet, enthralling aura that made Lucien, Lucien. But Sera loved Lord of the Rings, and seeing Lucien like this, she would admit, was a major turn-on.

Surreptitiously making sure there's no drool leaking from the corner of her mouth, she tightens the muscles on her face. She needed to do her job, and she was still mad at him for not letting her be with Leo. Sera was worried, most of all, if Lucien would be okay. Dorne was strong, crafty and with a good control over his emotions. If Lucien were to leap at him, mad with anger like the way he'd done in the Hall.......There was also a good chance Dorne was a psychopath, from the way he'd gone from almost brutally raping a girl in anger to smiling like he was on a walk in the garden. And he was Lucien's half-brother. She didn't want Lucien to show him mercy and then come back dead with a knife in his back.

There were too many different scenarios running through her head, which was distracted foronly a little while by Lucien's perfect manly beauty.

Lucien cradles her face when she moves to turn away.

"Watch the duel, Sera"

His lips almost whisper over hers. They both ignore the outraged gasp that comes from the background. The other menservants and maids keep working, pretending like they didn't see what was happening.

"Watch me. Watch as I destroy the man who tried take you. Watch as I stake my claim as King."

Lucien tilts her chin up, making her gaze meet his.

"Never take your eyes off me"

Kissing a strand of her hair, his low voice echoes in her ear.

"When I come back, I'll make you forget Dorne ever existed."

He nips her earlobe.

Good thing Hilda couldn't see, since it was on the other side opposite of where Hilda stood. Sera could see her swaying from the corner of her eye like she was about to faint.

Lucien's fingers slowly massage her wrist, grounding Sera's wayward thoughts.

"Don't worry."

The way Lucien looks at Sera is so mind-numbingly sweet, like she was the most beautiful, precious treasure in the world.

Giving her one last stroke on her cheek, he stands up and heads out the room, servants and knights trailing behind him, ready for battle.