RISE

14 - Fight Me Then

Aaron was taken to an enormous room that resembled a martial arts studio, except that it was just as elegantly decorated as the rest of the castle. The Queen gestured grandly to the room, describing how Elvorix had used the room for centuries to train in dozens of different kinds of combat. She explained that they had all of the equipment they could possibly desire at their disposal.

"Fortunately," she added with an unusually excited tone, "before all of this trouble began, we'd had a suit of armor created just for you, as a gift befitting a new king."

Aaron blushed, all at once forgetting his manners and just following her to a side room with slack-jawed surprise. From her vague description, he expected some sort of medieval plate armor like the knights wore at the Renaissance fair, but in the side room, the Queen showed him a mannequin standing proudly in a smooth, form-fitting black suit, with Elvorix's standard purple adorning in stripes along the seams, complete with boots and gloves. It looked more like a space suit from a modern-day superhero movie, and Aaron thought it looked both comfortable and handsome.

"The material is strong enough to protect you from most attacks, but breathable enough that it won't hinder you in battle. Try it on, and then choose a sword; let's test your old skills with your new strength."

She left him in the little room, which had several racks of various-sized swords to choose from, and closed the door behind him to give him privacy. Aaron ran his fingers over the material, finding it soft and stretchy. With some difficulty in finding all of the fastenings, he changed into the suit and looked himself over in the full-sized mirror on the wall.

The suit was as form-fitting as it had looked on the mannequin, tight enough that it provided some support, but stretched to fit no matter how he twisted his body. It showed off his lean muscles, and twisting to the side, he could see that it showed off some other shapely parts of his form, as well. His face heated up as his immediate thought was what Elvorix might think of the new suit. He'd seen Elvorix with hardly a stitch on in front of a servant, so he probably doesn't have the same improper thoughts on the human form that Aaron had, but he couldn't help being a little hopeful that El would appreciate the view. He was almost embarrassed to go out in front of his in-laws, but he did as he was told, choosing a sword that felt sturdy and effective in his hand.

He went back out into the arena to find that the Queen had also changed, and was now wearing a more athletic outfit, but much more revealing than Aaron's. She was in the middle of the arena, practicing elaborate moves with a sword that was almost as long as Aaron was tall. Somehow, her hair whirled around her as if she had deliberate control over each strand, her wings and tail synchronized fluidly, contributing to her balance and momentum. It was magnificent to watch, but it made Aaron a little sick to his stomach. He hoped she wasn't expecting him to be anywhere near her skill level.

Aaron stepped up onto the mat. On the side of the room, the King was stretching in front of some mirrors, wearing an athletic suit that matched his wife's. Aaron's nausea increased, and he swallowed thickly, regretting his agreement to do this with them.

The Queen stopped her warm up and smirked at him proudly. "It looks fantastic – of course, I knew it would, but it's good to see, in any case. Come, now, show me what you can do."

She tossed her sword high into the air, catching it as it came back down, and she had somehow changed it into the size of a standard rapier, more similar to the one Aaron had chosen. She then stood before him in a fencing stance, and Aaron took a deep breath and did the same. The Queen made the first move, and they spent a few moments sparring, with Aaron on the defense, blocking and dodging her attacks while she chased him around the ring. She easily matched Aaron's skill level, but he was self-conscious and nervous the entire time, making it difficult for him to keep up.