A Princess Named Harry

Chapter 50

The crowd that had been cheering and chanting loudly fell silent. They had all just watched Nathaniel viciously attack Harry. They also watched him pull back for another one-one more violent than the last. They were already a bit agitated, but now they were enraged.

Even though it was a duel and sometimes people do get hurt during them, it was obvious to everyone in the audience that Nathaniel was trying to seriously injure Harry. They loudly began to stir.

"Someone put an end to this!"

"He'll kill the princess!"

"Won't the prince stop this?"

Kahil, Varian, and Terrance were sitting above the crowd. They could hear them so clearly and loudly.

Varian sprang up with clenched fists and an angered disposition. He was so angry that he couldn't understand how Kahil could just sit watching so calmly. "That's it!" Varian shouted. "I'm stopping this right now!"

He started to rush down towards Harry, but Kahil stopped him. He grabbed ahold of his wrist and refused to let go. "Don't interrupt them," he said sounding very threatening.

Varian stared down at him and scoffed, "Don't stop them? Stop what exactly? That guy is seriously trying to harm the princess, and yet you sit here telling me not to stop them?"

He waited for the prince to say something back-to refute what he just said, but he didn't. Kahil let go of Varian's wrist and leaned back in his chair. His calm demeanor only upset Varian more. He turned his back to watch the fight. "It must be nice to be so calm during this," he said coldly. He heard Kahil laugh, but he did not turn to look.

"Me calm?" he laughed. "You seem to have mistaken me. Right now, I'm so angry that I can barely stay in my seat." They both watched as the fighting resumed. "Nathaniel-if that boy does anything more to her, then I will personally teach him a lesson." Kahil's words left a sudden chill in the air.

•••

Harry stood in fear of the boy. She tried to evaluate her options; she only found two.

One: she could forfeit, in which Nathaniel would win. Or two: the duel would continue, and she could try to beat him. Both options presented their own risks. If she forfeited, the reputation she had been trying to build would be damaged, but if she continued to fight, she could end up seriously hurt. She thought the possibility of her winning was pretty low.

Harry looked at Nathaniel; he looked very angry. She wanted to ask him why. She thought that if she lost then she would probably never find out the answer.

She stood back in position readying for his next attack. However, much to her surprise, he began to laugh maniacally. Harry flinched, and the spectators fell silent. Even Kahil, Varian, and Terrance were startled.

"Do you want to give up now?" he asked sorely. "If you give up now, I'll settle for a draw."

While that did sound tempting to Harry, she somehow felt wary of his words.

"Why not settle for a draw, Princess? It's a good deal; it's a great deal!"

Harry glared at him feeling uncertain of what to do.

"If you don't take my offer, then I'm afraid we'll have to resume." Nathaniel smirked and gestured at her beaten-up attire. "Can you really take much more?" he asked while snickering.

Harry closed her eyes and reevaluated her options, now adding a third one. Even if she thought it over again and again with a thousand different options, her answer would still be the same. She clenched her sword tightly while taking a deep breath. "Thank you for your kind offer," she said politely. "But I'm afraid I'll have to decline it."