“G’day fellow citizens of the realm!” the notice read. “I, your humble Prince Chadwick the 127th of the House of Chaddington, have organized some entertainment for your otherwise dull township!” I rolled my eyes. Way to win your citizens over Chad.

“On the ‘morrow eve, I have organized a fighting tournament featuring our fair lady, Amelia the ‘Amazon’, for your viewing pleasure! No Entry fee required for those who wish to join, as I am funding the reward pot for this event from my own coffers! So don’t hesitate, and don’t be late! Place your bets, and may the best man win!”

Glad that despite featuring me, he still insinuated that a man was going to win this tourney. I scoffed at the parchment and walked back over to our table. Chad was already sitting back down; a tankard tipped all the way back as he guzzled down it’s contents. Dorian was doing the same, likely engaged in some sort of drinking contest.

Dorian slammed his mug down first, “I win!” He thrust his arms up in the air triumphantly. He had a looser smile on his face than normal, and I could tell he was getting some extra color in his cheeks. I grinned.

They were getting drunk.

This was always fun for me, as I had used their inebriated states in the past to fantasize about how their frenemy relationship could turn into something more… intimate. I had always enjoyed that flavor of manga as a guilty pleasure back home and had attempted to prod them along in the past. Unfortunately, they’d always seemed to have just enough of their damned wits about them that I hadn’t been able to make my boy-love fantasy come to life.

I glanced over at Ash, who noticed the mischievous smile on my face, but he said nothing and continued eating. I turned back to the boys. Chad had finished his drink and just burped loudly in response to his losing effort. Dorian slapped him on the back.

“Very prince-like! Careful Chad, if you let yourself slip up any further, you might be mistaken for a poor commoner like the rest of us!”

I raised my eyebrow at Dorian. Sure, he wasn’t nobility, but as the firstborn to an influential Steward, he was far from common himself.

Chad didn’t seem to notice. “Now, now, my dear Dorian, heavy is the head that wears the Crown! Us nobility get to let our hair down every once in a while!”

I had noticed that Chad became much less tense when he had a few drinks. One could almost mistake him for human! He was almost charming in fact! If I wasn’t careful, I could find myself actually liking the princeling. I sighed and brushed my hopeless romanticism aside. No time for that now. Due to recent events, I now had an agenda while his defenses were down.

“So this tournament. It features me?”

Chad seemed to somber up almost immediately. “Of course! I said you were ready for the next step in your training, didn’t I?” He then shrugged to himself, “Also I was getting extremely bored out here. I felt it my duty to liven things up for my subjects!”

“And how is me beating up local volunte—, sorry ‘entrants’, training? You can’t possibly think so poorly of my progress that you think the men in town will give me actual practice?”

Chad slapped the table with one hand and laughed. “Who said the villagers were the only ones entering?” With that he eyed Dorian and then Noelle across the tavern, serving patrons. I followed his gaze and realized his game.

“So, the volunteers will be to swell up the ranks of the tournament while this will actually be a fight between the four of us then,” I stated matter-of-factly.

Dorian tapped the side of his nose while Chad smirked.

“Basically. The standings may actually be rigged so that you won’t actually see any volunteers as you make your way towards the finals against yours truly.” He beat his chest before adding, “to get to me, you’ll have to best Noelle and Dorian first.”

At this, Dorian finally took offense. “You think she’ll be the one to face you in the finals, Chad? We all know it’s going to be me who beats you and takes your lunch money!” He winked sidelong at me, “Daddy will be so upset with you for squandering your money just to have it given to me.”

I smiled as I knew Dorian was teasing me just to get a rile out of him. Dorian would have to put some effort in it if he wanted to stop me from reaching Chad. He knew I had unfinished business with him after the event from the other day. We all had our reasons to meet him in the finals I suppose.

I loved how my abbreviation of his name had caught on and Dorian and Ash had started using it frequently. I had even heard Noelle use it a time or two.

Chad did not.

“I shall remind you to call me by Chadwick, sir!”

Dorian gave a look of mock hurt. “Then why don’t you correct her when she calls you ‘Chad’?”

Chad turned to me and gave me his best attempt at an endearing look, but he was drunk and so it merely looked like he was trying not pass out or fall out of his chair.

“Betrothed always give each other pet names! Isn’t that right my Sweetness?”

I didn’t have to try hard to give him a look that made it appear I was holding back vomit. I actually felt like I was turning green.

Dorian understood my gaze and slapped a hand over his face while bursting out laughing. He leaned back a little too much and toppled out of his chair, but it didn’t cease his laughter as he continued rolling about on the floor.

Chad stared down at Dorian, “Alright, maybe Sweetness isn’t the right pet name for her. I’ll think of a better one!” His eyes lit up as if just struck by an epiphany, “I know! I’ll not use any of the pet names I’ve heard you use before!”

Dorian stopped laughing just long enough to heave himself back up to the table before responding, “I guess that means you are just stuck with using her real name then!”

At that, Ash and I started howling along with Dorian while Chad stewed in his newest drink.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The village mood on the day of the tournament was filled with much fan fair and anticipation. Roscoe saw an opportunity when it rolled itself out in front of him and organized a mobile bar to the tournament grounds just outside Bronzemead’s borders. Chad worked to build a makeshift arena for the fights to take place in, clearing the grounds of hazards (and grass), as well as cobbling together makeshift stands and seating for the crowds.

And oh boy, were there going to be crowds!

The entire village appeared to be planning to close up shop and show up for the tournament. It was a headlining event like none Bronzemead seemed to have ever seen. Between my recent skyrocketing reputation, local favorites Noelle and Dorian on the docket and the Crown prince promising his own limelight, the town was abuzz about who would win it all.

Chad was the betting favorite, but not only because he was prince, but because of how he had rigged the standings. The tourney roster revealed that there were eight total fighters, with four others not able to resist the winnings offered. Or maybe they just were hoping for 15 minutes of fame and the opportunity to hit someone famous?

The tournament bracket layout had been posted hours earlier in the day so that there was adequate time for the betting odds to be generated. I was surprised to find myself with third best. The size of the tournament pot shot up significantly when the prince also announced he would match the total betting winnings to the already existing purse.

Regardless as Chad had promised, I was not slated to fight any of the townspeople. Not unless the one poor sod on my side of the bracket managed to beat Dorian in the first round anyway. Barring that unlikely outcome, Chad’s claim that I would have to go through my tutors for first place had been a correct one. On his other end of the bracket, Chad was the lone heavyweight. He claimed to any who asked that the straws were drawn to fairly determine bracket placement. When I approached him about the size of the straw he drew for me, he just grinned and spun away.

A non-existent straw. Got it.

Well, if it was a fight he wanted, then I was determined to give him one. I had yet to best Chad during any sparing session, other than our hand-to-hand incident. I had not failed to notice that this tournament was for sword fighting only, further swinging the pendulum in Chad’s favor. Noelle wouldn’t be a problem for me but Dorian…

I had always felt in my sessions with Dorian that he constantly held back. Whether attempting to earn himself brownie points by not striking me full on or causing me humiliation, I couldn’t say, but I never felt he showed me his true prowess. Not on the level I had seen when he and Chad defended against themselves against the horde while heavily outnumbered.

I shook my head. I would have to remind myself not to take Dorian lightly before jumping ahead to Chad. Dorian had already made it clear he didn’t care about the winnings so much as beating Chad at his own game. And since he would have to fight me to do it, he would probably have his own dance to play out.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The night of the tournament had arrived, and what a grand spectacle it was! Taking a cue from Roscoe’s entrepreneurial spirit, vendors had also dragged out street carts to sell some special wares they had prepared for the event. From food carts to stalls with dolls crafted in the likeness of the participants, the whole village was in on it. There were even small fireworks before the main event got started.

I took it upon myself to buy four dolls, each in the likeness of my new friends and of course myself. As I held the doll representing me, it was still weird to observe what passed for my new likeness. It was a basic doll, like one a small child might own and play with, which was probably the purpose. My doll had been given long purple colored yarn hair and yellow buttons for eyes. Unfortunately, I still didn’t have a great fashionable wardrobe, so it still depicted me in my basic top and pants that Catherine had sewed for me weeks ago. It was adorable in it’s own way, but also still awkward to come to grips with.

This was the new me.

I then studied the dolls of my friends who were now opponents and couldn’t help but still smile. Noelle was adorable in mini maid form, and care had been taken to depict her likeness as best the vendor could. Her blonde yarn hair in her signature braid and beautiful blue button eyes. I smiled sadly as I thought about our upcoming match.

“I’m going to win, Amelia.” She had told me. “And with the winnings, I’m going to find a way to get the Wish out from under Roscoe’s thumb. Make it a better and safer place for any women who want to work there.”

I had felt a pang of guilt when she told me that. After all, my desire to win was driven just by pure pride. I had no real interest in the money, other than that it would be nice not worrying about having it, probably for a long while. But I didn’t have a grand personal end goal in this like Noelle. She had the most to lose out of our fight.

Chad and Dorian’s dolls were kind of cut and paste. They did wear similar tunics after all, just different colors. Chad’s hair was a little shorter and with a dirty yellow yarn, while Dorians was brown and in a ponytail. His green buttons also helped tell him apart from Chad’s blue.

To give me some good luck, and maybe to spite him, I stopped by another cart and requested some sewing needles, which I then stuck in doll Chad’s face. I then stuck my tongue out at it like a child. I didn’t care if anyone saw. It was all in good fun and this was the longest moment I’d had to relax in a while.

I looked around and noticed a lot of the children had also obtained dolls. I couldn’t help the warm smile that spread on my face when I realized that most of them were dolls of myself and Noelle, even the dolls being carried around by the boys. Sure, they were just dolls but, maybe I was making a difference already.