To Love, Once Again

Chapter 34

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.