Twenty-Two

 

"She's a girl!" Briska wanted to scream at the conceited prince. Anyone with eyes could see Mai was no man. She moved with a dancer's grace, the slight swing of her hips betraying her on every step, but the illusion spell that made her look like a man blinded them all, especially the stupid prince. Too busy looking for his next opponent in the sparring ring, he'd barely spared a glance for the girl who Kun and her cursed mirror had declared were the man's perfect match.

He called the boys ladies, sneering around the circle, and they all hung their heads, not wishing to fight him. All but her, because, by all that was holy, she was a lady, smaller than any of them. Still he did not see it.

A small maiden with a wooden sword, standing up to the bully prince who was easily twice her size. She showed no fear, no emotion at all, as she faced him.

Briska had watched him beat boy after boy, but she didn't want to watch him beat the girl. "She's a girl!" she repeated, as she cast seduction spell after seduction spell at him, but the only thing he lusted for was battle, and he charged at the girl, murder in his eyes.

She barely moved, but it was enough to take her out of his way and send him sprawling. The only bit of her out of place from his passing was her shoe, which the prince had evidently carried away with him in his charge. A magic shoe, glowing faintly purple with power.

Prince Yi did not see the magic, not even when he pocketed the shoe.

The more Briska watched the pair, the less she thought the prince deserved her. Mai moved like a hunting cat...or a hawk...or a snake...her sword darting out like an extension of her arm to block the prince's blows again and again until she tapped him on the chest.

The prince wheezed and doubled over, backing away. Evidently it had been more than a tap, or it had touched some vital part of him.

Seizing her chance, Briska cast a spell at the girl, hoping to inspire her affection, so that she would step forward and offer to nurse the prince back to health. Then, surely...

The clack of wood on wood echoed off the ice walls behind her, and Briska held her breath. Instead of offering to help the prince, the girl had continued to battle him. What manner of people were these two, whose only lust was for playing with swords?

She swore softly as she watched them battle on until the prince landed in the dirt a second time. There was passion between the two, definitely, but it was something more akin to hatred than love. For the moment, at least, she mused as an older man broke up the bout. As long as there was passion, she could work with these two. After helping the Big Bad Wolf catch the third Little Pig, matching a prince with a girl who lost her shoe would be easy.