Your Blood is Mine

He was too quiet for Vladstin to hear properly. "What did you say?"

Leron looked uneasy, opening and closing his mouth several times. Before he could form a response, the sounds of the orphans' feet rushing to them and their shouts interrupted him.

"There you guys are!" An orange-haired teenager who Leron had only glimpsed earlier when he first met the palace orphans called out to them. "We're done cleaning, it's time to play!"

"Yulio!" Vladstin grinned from ear to ear. "I challenge you to a swordfight battle!"

"Vladstin, don't hurt yourself. You know you can barely handle sparring with me, you have clumsy hands." Yulio has one hand on his hip and a long wooden sword on another.

"Not me." Vladstin jerked his thumb over to Leron. "This prince is good at fencing! I want to see you two fight!"

"I never said I was good at fencing, Your Highness." Prince Leron said modestly. "It was merely my interest, but I'm still learning."

"No time to learn but the present." Yulio caught another wooden sword that someone tossed to him, and held it to Leron. "It will just be a fun sparring session, I'll take it easy on you since you look so young."

"I'm as old as His Highness." Leron said.

"Really?" Yulio cocked an eyebrow. "I thought you're just a really tall and lanky kid! You look so adorable like a frail, little baby. No offense."

"None taken." Leron said. He noticed that this Yulio has an overly confident way of speaking, like he was very sure of himself.

"Hey, don't be so arrogant, Yulio." Vladstin reprimanded. "He's new here. But I bet he can kick your buttocks within a minute."

"Ha, that would be the day!" He cackled. "I will be the future head of the Crescentian military. Wonder if your Ilvedian friend could even keep up. Hope I don't bruise his pretty skin."

"I will do my best. What are the rules?" Leron suddenly became determined, this Yulio getting on his nerves.

"First person to knock the opponent's sword wins." Yulio said. "Nothing else."

"Alright." The young prince Leron went into a fighting stance. His fox-eyes were blazing with a fire the doesn't match his baby face. "I'm ready."

"You sure?" Yulio chuckled. "Don't go crying for your mother afterward—"

Prince Leron slashed forward, and Yulio barely managed to parry. If he did not react quickly and they were using real swords, he could have been sliced in half!

"You're mad! That was an attack meant to kill!" Yulio yelled, swerving to the side to deflect Leron's second blow and then making his own move. He went for a forward jab below Leron's left rib, a piercing move when applied to sharp swords that could have pierced through his lungs.

Leron just sidestepped Yulio's jab and hit the teenager on the back hard, sending him stumbling. "Ow! That hurts!"

Vladstin just laughed at all of this, enjoying the violence. "You shouldn't be too cocky, Yulio! Take Leron seriously!"

"Oh, I will from now on!" Yulio made a slash from below to slam him in the chest, but Leron's small figure was more agile and manage to avoid it.

He found a pile of huge boulders and rocks and jumped from it, flipping backwards in the air to kick Yulio midway, sending the teenager spinning.

"That was amazing! He looked like he was flying!" The green-haired boy said.

"He just used gravity to his advantage, Edvart." Xiani corrected. "It's called physics."

"Physics or not, you can't deny that he had great skill." A blonde girl that was probably 15 to 17 years old said, holding Sazha by the hand. "I have never seen anyone match Yulio's fencing before. He might even win in the festivals."

Yulio heard this, and fought harder. He did not spare Leron any mercy and delivered blow after blow. He hit Leron's wrist and there was a sound of bone cracking, but Leron did not let go.

Vladstin's face darkened. "Hey, I told you to take it seriously, not break my friend's bones."

The lad who passed the sword to Yulio, the one named Raishti with blue-green hair, the color of sparkling algae, said. "Broken bones are inevitable in a wooden sword fight, at least it would not be scars. It's just a small one at his wrist anyway, it will just leave a bruise and heal in a few days."

"I am fine, Your Highness!" Leron said.

"Hey, focus on me, little prince! I'm right here!" Yulio strikes to swipe at his feet, tripping Leron over.

"Yulio's being too hard on him!" One of the kids yelled.

"You guys are the ones who told me to take him seriously!" Yulio rolled his eyes, and prepared to slam his wooden sword on Leron's head. The little prince managed to block it with his sword when it was inches away from his nose.

Gritting his teeth, he tried to stand back up, fighting the force of Yulio holding him down. The orphanage children watched with their eyes peeled, adrenaline in their veins and cheering up Leron to stand. He finally managed despite being tens of pounds lesser than his teenage opponent.

Prince Leron was looking haggard, and he bit on his lips till it bled from the pain of overexerting his injured wrist.

"You're stronger than I thought, but you won't last for long." Yulio said without any egotism, just stating what is evident. "You have already proven yourself worthy. Let's stop for now."

Leron forced a thin smile, sweat pouring down his chin. "The rule is that one sword should be knocked away. I must win."

"Go, Leron! Go!" Half of the kids cheered, especially the smaller and weaker ones.

"I must say I am impressed by your tenacity, little prince." Yulio nodded. "But don't think I would go easy just because of that. You chose to keep going, so I will show my true skills until the end."

"You better. I never asked you to go easy on me." Prince Leron smirked, showing a sign of his competitiveness.

Yulio slammed the back of the wooden sword right across his face. Leron's feet were still wobbling from earlier and he did not manage to step back in time. The impact threw him back sprawling to the ground!

"Eep!" Sazha covered her eyes along with Edvart, the green-haired boy.

When Leron looked up, his nose was bleeding.

"Leron!" Vladstin was about to rush to his side, but a wrinkly hand stopped him.

"Let him finish his own fight." Lady Wilhengard said, blocking Vladstin's path. "I have taken care of many children for these past few decades. I know how they think. He wouldn't like it if you intervened."

"Lady Wilhengard...." Vladstin knitted his eyebrows in worry. "He looked really hurt."

"I will heal his injuries later." Lady Wilhengard said. "For now, let us keep watch."

Prince Leron still got back up to his feet, like an undefeatable hero whose willpower was his strength. He sparred with Yulio a couple more times, never giving up until the very end and gripping his sword tightly with his bruising right hand and a bloody nose. He inhaled the rusty smell of blood as it dripped on his lips, but he paid it no mind and kept going.

Eventually, the two were heaving and huffing, becoming tired of sparring for what seems like an eternity. It was a very close fight. No one could tell which one was better, both of them are impressive in their own ways. Yulio was quick at determining which points to attack while Leron was good at defense and counterattacks. It was the best fight the palace orphanage has ever seen.

Wiping the sweat off his brow, Yulio smiled sincerely at Leron, a sign of respect. "You're really good for a child, no doubt...."

"Same as you." Leron spat out the blood mixed with saliva, and flipped his hair to the side.

They circled each other, breathless and wanting for the fight to end. The spectators consisting of children, the crowned prince, and an old maid watched closely, praying for the victory of the one they favored. Vladstin never kept his eyes off Leron's bloody face.

Even with his hair in tangles and his clothes disheveled, he still looked majestic to him. Before he looked like a graceful god of the sun or beauty to him, but now he seems to be much more than that. He must also be a brave warrior, wielding his sword with the spirit of a ferocious wolf.

Vladstin felt his heart race, something his young mind could not comprehend yet as a sign of deep admiration. He was just eight years old and naive, but he does know that this scene at the moment just made Leron more special in his eyes.

Leron really was the most interesting person he had ever met, and he cherished him.

The two opponents locked eyes, a silent agreement that it was time for both of them to strike. Everyone held their breaths as the two wooden swords collide...

Someone's sword was knocked away, sending it flying into the patch of cabbages.