casual - chloe charming x princess red

III

Chloe took a deep breath. She was in position, squatted down with her sword in her right hand with her left hand was raised in the air behind her. There was only eight seconds left in the match.

She was tied with her opponent, her co-captain, Eva. Adrenaline pumped throughout her body as she anticipated the green light from the ref. This was what she needed: one more point and she was guaranteed a spot at the annual Sword and Shield tournament. It was all coming down to this. Everything she had worked for throughout the years; the extra time she put in over summers, cutting off social events, to get to this exact moment in her life.

All she had to do was wait for the words.

"En guarde."

Chloe raises her sword to her chest.

"Ready."

She affirms her position, reminding herself to equally distribute her weight on her feet.

Chloe knew she was going to take a defensive position, mainly because her opponent had the right of way first. But, Chloe also knew Eva; she knew her fighting tactics, her skills, her desperation for a win. Sure, Eva had brute strength, which made her exceptionally well on the mat, but she lacked strategy -- something that Chloe held over the brunette.

Winning wasn't always about brawn, it included the brains too.

"Go."

Eva lunged at her first, sword aimed for her chest. An easy and predictable move on her part, Chloe knew that. She struck again. This time, aiming for her hip. Chloe managed to deflect it with her sword before coming at her next. Eva reacted in no time, and soon, they were in a heated battle.

The sound of swords clashing against each other was like music to Chloe's ears. She was familiar with the resound of metal against metal, the push and pull of movements; the feeling of sweat dripping out of every pore on her body greatly discomforted her.

She swung her blade at her opponent's shoulders. Eva ducked from the attack and countered immediately with a huge lunge at Chloe's side. She took a step back and hit her opponent's sword, putting weight onto her blade to create force between the two. Chloe suddenly released, causing her opponent to stumble backwards. She took that opportunity to lunge at her once again, sword aimed for her chest plate.

The resonation of her sword hitting her opponent's chest rang throughout the quiet amphitheater.

A beep went off from the sensor system. The ref raises a green flag to confirm Chloe's contact, thus affirming her success. The amphitheater erupts into shouts and cheers for the blue haired princess, whose hand was raised high up into the air by the referee.

Once she removed her gear, her sword sheathed and away, and her hair now free from her sweaty helmet, Chloe easily found her family among the crowd. Her mother's bright blue hair stuck out like a sore thumb. She ran over to them with the same huge smile on all of their faces.

"Kiddo, that was excellent!" Charming exclaimed as he picked her up and swung her around. "Another Charming going to the Sword and Shield tournament. Who would've figured?"

Chloe rolled her eyes. "It's practically in my blood, dad. You were champion, like, four years in a row."

"Gold's our family color for a reason. Besides blue, of course."

"Well, no matter what, we're always proud of you, darling," Ella reassures her and gives her daughter a gentle hug.

"But adding another trophy and medal to the Charming trophy case would probably make them prouder of you," Chad adds on while nudging his sister in the shoulder playfully.