2. The duel

Nyadzel, Andrey, and the blue-eyed woman went out of the tunnels filled with prisoner cells. What awaited outside was nothing else but the glorious castle of King Goodlie. The grass was trimmed and green and you could spot the path carved with gray and yellow tiles. They were mixed in an odd way which is why in the distance they would appear in different colors, even though they weren't. It was all thanks to the specific light of the big blue star in the sky.

After the strong sound of tolling bell, the woman said "Nyadzel you and Andrey will have to wait outside. The king desires that I report alone.". Nyadzel didn't mind this but still asked "Okay, then what do I do with him?". "Take him somewhere for a walk. I won't be long." She said as she turned her head towards the green park nearby.

They didn't walk for long. Andrey was inspecting every detail. He was getting accustomed to his surroundings. There were statues of warriors fighting, holding swords, hammers, shields – all this spoke to Andrey about the age he has arrived at. 

There were many statues. Some of them resembled a lone warrior and others were carved into soldiers as if they were a duo team. The warrior and the sorceress were both very loyal to the king.  It was somehow felt in the way they spoke of him. 

Andrey still remembers her voice before she went into those big gates. "Okay, please wait" said the cloaked woman. Yet with such a refined voice that it could resonate in a person's head for hours.  

Nyadzel nodded at Andrey to take a seat at the nearby benches which were just a few meters away from the gates where they would meet the king. After sitting down the young man noticed the flag above the gates, that lead to the king. It had yellow lines that described the wings of a phoenix who had the head of an eagle. This was the flag that got blown by all winds on this continent – the flag of Batua Lurrak. 

Very short after the woman had entered the gates a royal servant came out. "His Highness invited you to come in" said the servant with a high pitched feminine voice. Nyadzel looked at the servant for a second and gently pushed Andrey towards the gate. The young man never expected that he would ever see such a sight in his life. 

Beyond the gates was a huge hall with a glass roof. The roof had circles with some extremely calculated distance between them. At the center of the roof, the circle-shaped holes got smaller and tighter allowing a lesser amount of light to go in. Walking next to each other Nyadzel and Andrey got closer to the throne. 

"When we go to him you fall on your knees." Nyadzel whispered silently in Andrey's ear, who nodded in reply. "Your Highness," the warrior said proudly and pushed Andrey down as they both fell to their knees. "My great warrior Nyadzel, please stand up." With a deep honorable voice said the king and paused for a few seconds, then he turned to Andrey "You stand up, too."

The king wasn't all that strict as he appeared to be. He wasn't really that tall, but still he was taller than Andrey. He was dressed in black-red royal clothing. Andrey thought he kind of looked like he was wearing some type of a sorcerer's coat, although king Goodlie didn't seem to excel in the knowledge of spells. 

Spells, swords, hammers? That's what Andrey was thinking about. He had read enough mangas and novels to know the situation he is in. All those fantasy movies and overall fiction he had seen really did finally pay off. 

The conversation in the king's hall went longer than expected. The king already knew about all the interrogation attempts Nyadzel had made therefore there wasn't really anything new he could ask Andrey. So while the king and Nyadzel were gossiping like friends something really unexpected suddenly happened. 

Out of the blue, the king suddenly said Nyadzel and Andrey, you two must now duel before me. "What?!" Both of them couldn't believe what they just heard. "My king, why?" Nyadzel asked in little understanding, yet he was prepared for what's coming. 

"Is this where I meet my fate then? This doesn't make much sense." Andrey said to himself as he saw the royal servant coming in with two beautiful as if just forged swords. 

"Probably the king wants to have me look after this kid as he is too dangerous to just be left around to roam or live freely." Thought Nyadzel. The king quietly grabbed a glass of red wine and sat down on his throne watching with extreme interest.

 "As the right hand of the king and warrior with much experience, ready for every situation. Fought numerous times and has never betrayed me nor his warrior code. This is the only person I can fully entrust with somebody out of this world." Thought the king as he took a slow sip from the red wine which tasted so good he couldn't resist but close his eyes for a second to savor the moment. 

"Andrey!" the king yelled at the young boy and explained the meaning of this duel "If you win you become king!" said the king as his smile grew all over his face and then took another sip of the good wine. Nyadzel laughed shortly after he heard this. "The crown is in my hands then"  he said to himself with slight humour and picked up the sword the royal servant gave him. 

"This just went crazy from 100 to 1000 in a split second." Andrey spoke out as he picked up the sword. He reached out to it with his hand and the moment he caught it he almost dropped. "So heavy! I never held a real sword in my life. And they expect me to duel?" he mumbled. 

"Come on!" Nyadzel screamed and then continued in a very silent voice "Attack me." Andrey struggled with the sword. It was so heavy he felt as if he tried to swing he would fall with it. Even though, he lifted the sword up. The king saw how Andrey's sword was held above his head and seemed as if it will fall and hit his head to death. 

"A bit of entertainment isn't bad from time to time." Goodlie said to himself as the royal servant came closer to him and watched the duel. 

In just a second Nyadzel erased the distance between him and his opponent. Andrey used all his force to thrust the sword towards the great warrior before him, but as expected – the sound of metal hitting the floor rang throughout the whole hall. 

With nothing in his hands and a blade's edge before his eyes Andrey never expected this to end in his favor. The sound of that sword thrusting in his direction was like winds so strong they broke down castles. 

That edge stopped before his eyes as the king clapped and applauded the duelists. "I get it..." disappointed said Nyadzel and looked at the king "My king, this will be huge torture for me, but I promise to do everything in my strength about it". 

Goodlie stood up and left his glass in the hands of his servant. Then he walked towards his two guests. He put hands on their shoulders. His right hand on Nyadzel's left shoulder and his left hand on Andrey's right shoulder. "Congratulations on your new student, dear friend." The king said as he smiled at Nyadzel.

 "Now go show him his new home.". Andrey needless to say was already confused, but the king then turned his back and walked towards his throne with goodbye words being:

"I can't wait for the next time we meet, young one."