Erigos, Viviar's Champion

"You may enter." Queen Amalia's voice drifted through the closed door. One of her personal guards opened it. He stood aside to let them enter. Lord Helemeor entered first followed by Erigos, then the General and the other noble who Erigos learned was the older brother of the young elven fighter he had bested.

This room was similar to the other estate rooms but just a bit more luxurious. Queen Amalia sat on one of the two couches in the sunken seating area. She was wearing an elegant yet simple yellow gown. She was alone and reading a book. They all stood awkwardly while she finished a passage. After a moment she closed the book and set it beside her.

"Gentlemen, what can I do for you?" She looked over the four of them stopping on the disguised Erigos.

"Adresin Lutoris has gone missing as of this morning, my Queen," Lord Helemeor bowed.

"Missing, how so?"

"He wasn't in his room this morning and no one has seen him since last night."

"I see…is that why you have brought me, Luther. You want me to name him Champion because we think Adresin will not return or be found?"

"My Queen, he is our best prospect," Helemeor said.

"And how do you feel about this proposal, General Lutoris?" She turned to the general.

The General was a man of tradition and honor, he had served the King for years and was loyal to the royal family. "I respect whatever decision you decide." He bowed to her.

"Come now General, be honest…what do you think we should do?"

"I believe my son will return. He is eager to prove himself and fight for Viviar's chance to reclaim the Emperorship."

"What if he does not return, will we regret not attempting to put a stop to Ottothal's plans. We all know the terror he has installed in Zarcum, who is to say that same control is not instituted throughout Yulandi."

"But my Queen, this man is a commoner; nobody. You would install your trust in him?" General Lutoris blurted out.

"I have not made my decision yet, General. Luther is it?" She looked at Erigos.

"It is my Queen." He bowed.

"Come closer so I may have a proper look at you."

Erigos stepped closer. He had a feeling the Queen would see it was him, after all, she had known him for years.

"Your exploits in the prospect trials were impressive, and how you defeated young Kalvin in such a fashion was entertaining." Kalvin's father winced at her comment. "However the Lutoris family is one of great importance in Viviar and the General here was a close friend of my late husband's. You understand my hesitation."

"I do, my Queen."

"My Lords, if you would give Luther and me some privacy."

"Of course, my Lady," Lord Helemeor bowed and ushered the other two out. The door closed behind them and Erigos was alone with the Queen.

"Adresin had better not been harmed…" She knew.

"He has not been harmed, but I doubt he is comfortable," Erigos said.

"Why did you not tell me your plan?"

"We didn't even know our plan until we got here."

"Erigos…" She stood and walked closer to him, to keep their conversation quiet. She knew the other three would be trying to listen. "Do you really think you can defeat the other Champions? They have been training their entire lives for this."

"I only have to defeat one…"

"What if you fail?"

"Then the others will do whatever they can to stop Ottothal."

"The others?... Is Alissa here?" He could hear her tone change to that of a protective mother.

"She is, and she is safe."

"You better know what you are doing." She hugged him. "You look ridiculous like this, by the way."

Erigos chuckled.

"Let the others back in."

Erigos went to the door and opened it. Lord Helemeor almost fell on him as he had been leaning against the door, attempting to listen in.

"My apologies Luther," he mumbled.

Queen Amalia waited for the door to close once again. "After discussing with Luther I have decided to let him take Adresin's place. He will be our Champion. Should Adresin return he will unfortunately have to abstain from the Trial. May he have the opportunity to fight for Viviar in the next one."

Erigos could visibly see the disappointment in General Lutoris. He bowed and left without a word.

"My Queen, I apologize for General Lutoris' actions, they—"

"It is alright, Elator. He has every reason to be upset. This was supposed to be a momentous occasion for his family. If you could show Luther here to his room for the night. He will need to be well-rested for tomorrow."

"Of course," Elator bowed. "Luther, if you please." He waited for the new Champion.

Erigos bowed to his Queen. He could see the worry in her eyes. "I shall not let you down, my Queen."

"No, I don't think you will."

Erigos tried to sleep but as the hours went by the more anxious he grew. He wasn't worried about dying, he had already been through that. Rather it was the fear of letting his friends down, his Queen down, and Silmora. As the sun began her ascent, Erigos sat on the balcony overlooking the entire coliseum. The sand had been racked and smoothed the day before, removing all the footprints and evidence of previous events. The Trial would commence at the apex of the sun's journey. Erigos slowly got ready. He looked at the artifacts, laying on the bed ready to be used by him. He grabbed the blue sword and sheath, attaching it to his waist. He would use the sword but the other three artifacts weren't his and he felt wrong using them. Garrok only had one artifact and so would he. He stored the other three in the chest at the end of his bed.

He heard a knock at his door. "Enter!"

Julius entered the room. "Whoa, nice place." The birdman spun around inspecting the room.

"What are you doing here?" Julius was the only one that could move around without a disguise, being relatively unknown to the Brand.

"Someone has to change your appearance for you," Julius said. Erigos had forgotten, his disguise had disappeared, only lasting twenty-four hours. Julius walked over, placed a hand on Erigos forehead, and cast his spell. He had never done that before, he always did it from a distance. "There, Luther is back." Julius took a step back." How are you feeling?"

"I'm ready." Erigos rolled his shoulders in a stretch. He felt calm, relaxed even. He had his worries but he also knew what to do.

"You aren't wearing the other relics?"

"No, I'm not, they just didn't feel right. I need to do this myself, besides my weapon of course." Erigos tapped the sword.

"I get that but I doubt the others will. It's kind of a big deal."

"I know…can you not tell them?"

"Sure." Julius looked past him towards the bedroom.

"I'm going to go warm-up." It was early but he felt the need to swing the sword a few times.

"Good idea." Julius opened the door for Erigos and he heard a loud commotion coming from down the hall. The two of them left the room and when they reached the stairs Erigos could see all the people surrounding the stairs and entrance to the coliseum. Julius stopped at the top of the stairs, patting his cloak.

"Shit."

"What is it?" Erigos asked.

"Forgot my wand, you know, the thing I use to cast my spells."

"Right…just tell the guards they'll let you in."

"I'll catch up to you." Julius turned around and made his way back up the stairs.

Erigos shook his head, 'Julius was acting weird,' he thought.

At the bottom of the stairs, the Brand had created a barrier between the wall of the coliseum and the thousands of spectators trying to catch a glimpse of the Champions, who after being selected became overnight celebrities. Luther was relatively unknown but word had somehow gotten out he was replacing Adresin. Six Brand circled around him as he walked towards the entrance to the coliseum. It was utter chaos as hundreds of people tried to get his attention and reach out to touch him. On his way he saw two of the other Champions, the ones from Orlan and Voria signing scrolls, nearly being swamped by the crowd. Erigos ignored any cheers and yells for Luther. His personal guard led him into the back training room. He thanked them and they walked back to join their companions dealing with the mob.

There was one other being in the room warming up. Fangmar Icefist was wielding a gigantic frost-covered battleaxe. He saw Erigos enter, stared at him then swung his axe at a training dummy, designed to take all types of blows from many weapons. The leather and wood split in half showering the room in debris. Fangmar looked back at him and snarled.