--- Elise

"Everything alright, Elise?"

Elise was spacing out, and quickly came back to the present with a nod.

"Don't get distracted," said her father. "We were just at the beginning."

"Certainly, father. I apologize."

A couple of things had happened since the tournament, a couple of days before. First of all, the King had expressed the will to spend more time with her in order to have some lessons on the matters of State. The girl couldn't be happier about that, because the man was finally recognizing her pride and value. After Roric's victory, Sebastian had also apologized to the princess for trying to force such an important decision on her and said he would focus on being just a good father from that moment on. That was everything she wanted.

The second changing aspect in Elise's life was that her little show at the tournament had caught the attention of the entire court, in many ways. Unlike what Lady Annette believed, not everyone sought for a token princess. Many noblemen and especially their wives had come in mass to her, praising her boldness and strength of spirit. Her moves would have been observed with even more interest in the future, but now she could say to be optimistic.

"Still thinking about the other day, my dear?" asked King Sebastian. "I can't deny it, you surprised me a lot. I never thought you would be so mature at your age."

"What does that have to do with maturity?" commented the girl. "I just played the part my way. Annette was furious with me after what I did, but in the end she too realized I was right."

Her father relaxed on the chair, observing her intently.

"I've been meaning to ask, daughter," he said. "What made you act that like that? Frustration? Sadness?"

Elise shook her head. "No, father. It was my own dignity. I couldn't allow any of those people to even have a chance with me. They were unfit, as warriors and as men."

"Yes, it's true. Darius insisted that it was a good idea to choose a suitor that way, to reinforce the idea that the royal family went toe-to-toe with the rest of nobility. I should have left you free to do as you pleased. I'm sorry for that."

He sighed.

To be honest, I can't be angry at him. He is just a simple man, who wants the best for his family and his kingdom. How can I blame him for this? If anything, it's my uncle that...

"Wait, uncle Darius was behind the entire thing?"

"Yeah," replied Sebastian. "He is always a step ahead of everyone else on whatever concerns the palace, you know. I trust him blindly on that. He didn't share the details, but there was probably a good reason why he wanted to reinforce our bond with the nobles this much."

"Even if it meant selling out my pride," complained Elise. "I was aware that I could refuse, but simply accepting to meet one of those men in private would have been... Like stepping down from a pedestal, if you know what I mean."

The King stood up, shakily, and walked to the window.

"My brother is a man of politics. And, inconveniently, more often than not he is completely right. Don't think that things going this way have lifted my concerns... Our situation is still difficult. Especially now that the court has understood that marrying into our family won't be an easy task."

"What do you fear, father?"

"I fear the repercussions."

Elise didn't really get the meaning of all that worry. Maybe because she had been a princess for a little short than three months, maybe because she didn't yet have the experience required.

"What are you talking about?" she asked. "It's still you teaching me about running the Kingdom, right? I want to know."

"Many people came to praise you at the banquet."

The girl nodded affirmatively.

"What about the ones who didn't? Surely, there must be. I had some trusted guards to keep an eye on the guests and... Well, you seem to have annoyed at least a couple of them. Especially the ones who got humiliated the most, in the arena. By your friend."

"Those three? I reckon one was the son of a prominent Lord here in the capital, but the old mister with a mace had just an island in the East and-"

"Remember Isaac, the Lord of Norburg? He is the elder brother of that coward Victor. The one who was trying to win the tournament with tricks."

An image of the emaciated, sand-throwing man crossed Elise's mind.

"That slime?" she exclaimed. "No way! He was an important character, after all?"

"We'll need to do something about it, sooner or later. For what I know, Isaac has taken his brother's belittling a bit too seriously, and I bet he wants payback. It's not like he'll become violent or anything, just... We can assume his opinion of the royal family is even lower now. I'm not saying you did wrong, Elise, but take this as a lesson. You are a princess, and there's almost nothing you can do without triggering big consequences. Remember it."

He's right. I didn't consider this possibility at all. I was too busy being proud for winning and keeping my freedom. I hardly thought about anything else, lately.

Elise gulped. "What's going to happen, now?"

"Nothing. We stay put and observe. Norburg is the second most important city in the Kingdom and keeping its ruling class loyal to us is a crucial matter. Your uncle sent ambassador Virgil there to monitor the Lord from up close. We'll know if he plans something."

"Is Uncle... Angry with me?"

"Surprisingly, no," replied her father. "The response from the court has been very positive, contrary to his predictions. Your displaying of a strong character got a lot of people into you. He is skeptical and will need to do a lot of what he calls damage control, but he isn't mad at you."

Thank goodness. I must have disappointed him, but at least he won't hate me for that.

"If you didn't already have admirers before the tournament, now you do. That, plus the rumour is still spreading to the entire city. Our people like you, Elise. You should be happy about it."

"Our people... Come again?"

King Sebastian laughed. "What? Did you really think what happened would have stayed between us nobles? All of Cassidia knows by now. I still can't believe it, but you managed to become pretty popular in a single day. A princess came from nowhere, and challenged the rules. All by herself, on top of that."

"They... They are talking about me?"

The princess' head was spinning. She had always been used to be a complete nobody, and in that very moment she was the talk of one of the biggest cities in the known world? It was too absurd to process.

Damn, that's hard to accept. But it's awesome! I need to find Roric and...

The thought died in her mind. No matter what her people thought, she hadn't really done all of that by herself. The boy had most of the merit, in fact.

"Father," she said. "How do you think I should... Reward Roric for his service? He fought for me, and..."

"Elise?"

"I was so caught in getting praised that I ended up ignoring him. I wanted to thank him, but he's being a little elusive lately. I don't know why... I wonder if he's mad because of what I asked of him."

I feel terrible. He is my most important... Friend, and I should consider him more.

The man, however, laughed again. "Come on, don't be like that! I'm sure he's not."

"How can you say it for sure?" commented Elise, blushing. "He... He did his best for my sake, pulling me out of a sticky situation."

"I have to admit that I was shocked, at first. He is an excellent fighter. Wilfred is known to be one of the best promises among the young nobles, but your Roric bested him in less than a minute. Where did all that skill come from, I wonder?"

"He... He must have learned when he was a mercenary, I think."

"No, I mean..." went on the man. "He's either had an exceptional master or he's a natural. Probably both. You've found a good honour guard, dear. He stepped into the arena without any fear because he wanted to help you. Friends are rare. Keep him close."

He... He has a point.

"I... That doesn't change the fact he seems to be avoiding me for some reason."

"Let him recover. He needs to lay low for now."

"Recover?" wondered the princess. "But he wasn't even hit."

The King crossed his arms. "Wilfred and his father have their eyes pointed at him now. The time for your thanks will come, I'm sure of it, but it's not now. Roric is sharp enough to know it."

Still, the girl couldn't push away the guilt. She needed to do something.

"What can I do, in the meantime? Can I send him a message, at least?"

"Sure. You can do it. You are the princess, after all. There are very few things you can't do, in fact. That's for you to decide."

That last sentence triggered something in Elise. She could do it.

Yeah... I'm the princess. How could I be this blind? It's not like I don't have the power to do what I want. Since I came here I've lived like a bird in a cage, basically, but... All I had to do was showing everyone I wasn't intimidated. After what Annette said I became scared, but I have no intention of keeping things this way.

Roric had stayed to protect her, but she couldn't accept having him to do it forever. That time was fine, still the girl had to find a solution to the problem or it would have weighed on her heart even more.

I showed the entire city that I want to be strong and many respect me for that. This kingdom is the responsibility I was destined to, and its people are those who I should treasure and take care of. How can I do it? How can I keep them safe without necessarily relying on Roric?

That was the moment when another crazy idea began batting around in her head. Without thinking about it too much, the princess simply spoke her mind.

"Father," she said. "I want to protect our people. If it's possible... I'd like to become a fighter like you were."

The King almost choked himself with the glass of water he was holding. After coughing for a couple of seconds, he gave her a doubtful look.

"You... You really mean it?"

"Yes, I think so."

Her days in Fradot had taught her one thing. Simply having the will to keep safe those she cared about wasn't enough. In order to do her job as a princess, Elise needed to get even stronger. That way, she wouldn't have repeated her errors.

"Please, father," she reiterated. "Let me learn how to fend for myself. If our people like me for what I am, then I'll be more than willing to give them just that."

King Sebastian, however, lowered his eyes. For a moment, he seemed very sad.

"I can't allow this."

"Why?" asked the girl, trying to sound as determined as possible.

"Because that would put you in some unnecessary risk. As your father, there's no way for me to accept. Not to mention we finally reunited after so many years. This kingdom needs you more than any other person in the world."

Elise didn't surrender.

"That's why I'm asking you this. What's the point in showing Cassidia that its princess is just another spoiled noblewoman? I will never stand for that. You told me they loved their King when he was a strong man, right?"

"If only it was this simple. You need to preserve your strength until you are old."

Then... Then I...

"Then I'll do it. I'll do whatever it takes to impress our people. To protect them. To make the Kingdom better. No matter the burden, no matter how much I suffer. Let's stop being cowards, father. Let us act as kings, for once."

Listening to her phrase, her father noticeably shivered. A tear fell from his left eye.

"I... I am moved, my dear. This should be me telling you how to act as a member of the royal family, not the other way around," he said, smiling back. "It's fine. If it's what makes you happy, I'll have a weapon master instruct you. But no real fighting. Spreading the word that you are following my steps even in these peaceful times will reassure our subjects and most of the nobles. I have to say, it was a good idea."

Elise let out a big breath of relief.

Now I really want to talk with Roric. He'll be happy to know.