42 Chapter 42: A Lesson In Love

Olivia wakes up with her mouth stuffed full of gauze and cotton, the pulsing agony now oddly dull. It doesn't hurt anymore, but the pulsing is still present– how strange. But she pushes through the odd sensation to sit up. Or try to– everything feels numb and the world looks so far away. The oddest thing is that she can't feel her face; even touching her cheeks didn't elicit much of a reaction. Neither did poking it, scratching it, pinching it, or–

"Olivia! Hey!" a friendly voice calls out, and she turns to the speaker as a hand gently grabs her hand to pull it away. "Stop that, you're just hurting yourself. The numbness is from the sedatives in you to keep the pain down."

"Pain? From wha…?" she blinks once, twice, and the memories come back. She gasps. "Angelica! Clarish! Where–?!"

"Easy Oliva, calm down." the speaker tells her. "They're okay, Leon came in and showed the Four Fools what for."

"Oh. Okay…" the blonde sighs, relaxing fully. So Leon arrived and saved the day again. She should thank him... "S-Sorry, I-I forgot your namesh…"

"You got hit on the face a little hard, so it's no issue." the young man smiles. "I'm Abe. I'm here with Harold, Roy, Michael, and Joshua. You know, your usual minders?"

"Oh! I-I remembah now!" Olivia giggles. "Leon likesh to talk about you– he'sh not happeh dat you keep gossiping 'bout him."

"I'll bet." another Raven laughs, walking into view– Harold. "Feeling okay? Do you need anything?"

"Water, pleash." Olivia nods. "Where'sh eberiwan?"

"They're all at the arena, watching Leon kicking the Four Fools' asses no doubt." he tells her. "Knowing the commander, he'll want to take his time with the Fool Prince. God, I wish we were there to look– would've been satisfying to see them get their just desserts."

Olivia watches the two young men banter and makes a choice.

"I wanna shee the duel." she tells them. "Help me, pleash?"

=X=X=X=X=X=

"What do you know of love, Your Highness?"

Julius' Armor shifts to the side, internal displays informing him of damage to the legs and left arm– from gunfire and powerful impacts which he blocked with his shield. It didn't make sense for his Armor to sustain damage from attacks that he blocked. How did Bartford's Armor have such powerful legs?

No matter. He still has his sword and shield, and his Armor's special ability is ready for use again. He might be the last one up, but he needs only to land one clean hit– then he would win.

"Why should I tell you?" Julius grits out. "Someone like you, who's killed so many that kingdom names you a 'hero'– what would you understand?"

//COOLDOWN COMPLETE – MANA SURGE ACTIVE// Julius' Armor buzzes.

The world blurs as the Prince charge ahead, letting out a war cry and slashing down. Bartford side steps the blow and kicks him aside.

//MANA SURGE INACTIVE – COOLING DOWN//

"You would be surprised." Hartford shrugs. "But humor me if you would, Your Highness– in your own words, what is love?"

Julius glances at the timer for the next Mana Surge and sighs. He needs to buy time, long enough for the next surge to become available. If it means indulging this villain with dialogue then so be it.

"Love is courage– to stand against insurmountable odds and fight for the one you care for." Julius says. "Love is thoughtfulness– to consider your beloved feelings and strive to understand them. Love is Marie Fou Lafan, the woman who saw me not as the Crown Prince but as Julius! That is love! That is why I fight for her!"

"You say that yet you are already engaged to another woman." Bartford points out. "You hitting one of her followers aside, Lady Redgrave was already there by your side and loves you too."

"There's no way I can call her feelings 'love'!" Julius surges forward, slashing his sword. Bartford dodges every attack with ease. "Not once did she consider my own feelings or account for my own likes and dislikes! She's no different than all the other women in the court– a sycophant looking to worm herself into queenhood! It's sickening to me, to behold that sort of deceit and expect more of it in my future!"

"You are to be King." Bartford says, voice solemn and he blocks Julius' next slash with the barrel of his shotgun. "You are to lead the people of this country and protect it. Deceit is to be expected. Were you not trained for it?"

"Of course I was! And I hate it even more!" Julius kicks off Bartford's Armor and lands, skidding backwards. "Masks upon masks, lies on lies, false promises and political games– it disgusts me! It's no different than a pit of vipers! Marie showed me that I didn't have accept it! That my fate wasn't set in stone!"

"So you would abandon your position, piss on your parents' efforts for a better future, scorn the woman you were to be wedded with– all for the likes of the Lafan girl?" Hartford sighs. "You really are a fool."

"Shut up!" Julius snarls. "Fool though I may be, at least I'm no dog of war!"

//COOLDOWN COMPLETE – MANA SURGE ACTIVE//

Blue fire erupts out of the Armor's back and Julius surges forward to run his blade through the Kingslayer.

The blue-white Armor fips its shotgun so it was holding it by the barrel. It leans out of the way of the sword and whacks Julius' Armor on the faceplate– so strongly that he's sent stumbling out of his charge and tripping to the ground.

//MANA SURGE INACTIVE – COOLING DOWN//

"That this 'dog' knows the consequences of your actions better than you speaks volumes of your inadequacy– for the throne, for your people, for your loved ones." Bartford drawls, pacing around him. "Did you know your mother cried when I presented my findings to her, that her son was humiliating her and her allies by gallivanting off with another woman? I doubt you do, seeing how you're blind to a mother's love– which is just as courageous and thoughtful as the love you have for that witch."

"Don't bring my mother into this!" Julius snarls, forcing his Armor to its knees. "This has nothing to do with her!"

"It has everything to do with her, you nincompoop. You are her son, the crown prince, her heir. And through your actions, you have not only humiliated her but also put into jeopardy the future of the Kingdom." Bartford kicks Julius back to the ground, the sound a deafening crash. "But I doubt you'd care, seeing as how you carelessly threw it all away for the likes of Lafan– impoverished. Short-sighted. Driven by base lust and naked greed. Tell me, did you even consider Her Highness to be a parent? Did you even love her?"

Blind, burning rage makes Julius howl, forcibly reactivating his Armor's Mana Surge and charging at Bartford to try and silence him and his insults to his mother.

His single fist punches into Julius' armored torso, and the Armor is flung away– landing hard on its back. The prince within has enough sense to make it roll with the impact so it winds up on its feet at least.

"I certainly don't think so. Not with how you've disrespected her with your unacceptable behavior in pursuing a woman who has nothing to contribute to the future of the Kingdom." Hartford shrugs, careless. "And then there's your fiancee."

"I already told you–!" Julius starts, only to be cut off by a careless kick to the face. "Gah!"

"I am not familiar with her upbringing, but it would be safe to say that she would have been trained and tutored extensively for her future role as Queen. Etiquette, speech, history, foreign relations, diplomacy– all of it for you. For the Kingdom." Bartford tilts his Armor's head at Julius. "You think Lafan has the same training? You think she has the time to be brought up to speed?" Bartford grabs Julius' Armor by the shoulder and pulls it up so it stands on two legs. "You think she would be as loyal to you as Lady Redgrave?"

"You will not speak ill of her, damn you!" Julius snarls, grabbing and punching at Bartford's Armor to no avail. "She's much better than Angelica!"

"She seduced you and three other strapping young men from prominent households. She is as loyal as a whore in a whorehouse." Bartford sneers. "I almost pity you, Your Highness. With so many men sharing your bed and passion blinding you, how can you be sure it's Marie you're pleasuring and not someone else?"

Bartford pushes him back, and Julius is about to speak again when he finally hears it– faint and distant but surrounding him from all over.

Laughter. Jeering. Boos.

The entire arena was against him now, for perceived weakness and the consequences of his mistakes. It stings, and the fact that none of it is incorrect rankles Julius on a personal level. It's almost enough to bring him to tears. But still, he continues on.

"Are you finished talking, Bartford?" the Prince demands. "We still have a duel to fight. And I do not intend to lose."

"Oh, you have most assuredly lost already!" the Kingslayer before Julius barks a harsh laugh. "This duel is over. Surrender now and you get to at least walk away with some of your dignity intact."

"Like your commoner friend did?" Julius shoots back. "Her and her intact teeth?"

The jeering stops, an eerie hush falling over the arena. Across from him Bartford's Armor holsters its shotgun.

"I suggest you pick your next words carefully, Julius." Bartford says, voice even. "Before I drag you out of that Armor and do to you what you did to my friend."

"Your friend interfered in matters beyond her station, and suffered fittingly as a result. Much like you will." Julius sneers, retrieving his sword and shield. "With my princely authority, I declare thus; this duel will continue until either one of us dies! I've prepared myself, Bartford! Have you?!"

This is his final stand, his last gambit. Even if he was far more capable than Julius is in combat, even Bartford wouldn't be able to kill the crown prince of his own kingdom. Julius has won.

The blue-white Armor across from him reaches back and retrieves its signature weapon. It ignites in its hand, a blade of bright green light that was two-thirds the length of Julius' own Armor

…h-he's won, right?

"As you wish." Bartford snarls.

=X=X=X=X=X=

Olivia watches in horror as Leon's Armor blurs forward, the Kingslayer Blade trailing motes of green light as it arcs forward.

Julius flies over it, but Leon uses his momentum to get behind Julius and make a follow up slash that turns the white Armor's back and flight system to molten metal. It crashes to the ground as Leon turns around and charges in.

"Bartford!" the referee shouts in the arena as he cuts through the white Armor's shield. "Bartford, stop!"

"You dishonor your family, assault daughters from a duchy and an earldom, knock a tooth out of a dear friend of mine's mouth," Leon snarls, slashing off the white Armor's left arm."Insult my honor, and now you have the gall to pretend you have the courage to die for something as fleeting as your feelings for the Lafan girl?" he grabs the white Armor's right arm, plants a foot on its torso, and kicks as he pulls. The limb comes off with a screech of metal and the torso is flung to a wall. "Fine. FINE! If you want to die so badly, I will follow through with your declaration!"

His boosters alight and carry him to the far end of the arena. The Kingslayer Blade hums, power gathering in it.

"This duel ends here!" Leon roars. "As you commanded!"

The audience screams as Leon surge forward, blade poised to stab through Julius' Armor. Time slows down as Olivia pulls away from Abe and Harold, forcing herself to run to the edge of the arena even as the pulsing numbness grows. She spits out the cotton and gauze in her mouth, grabbing onto the railing.

Something in her mouth breaks, hot wetness flows down her lips. She ignores it to take one deep breath as the Kingslayer blurs closer and closer to Julius' machine. The blade of green light moves and Olivia speaks.

"LEON!" she screams "STOOOOOOOOP!!!"

=X=X=X=X=X=

Counter-boosters ignite, slowing the mech out of the unstoppable forward charge. The energy blade reaches critical mass and loses form, dissipating into harmless motes of light. Leon's AC stops moving mid-thrust and skids to a stop right in front of Juliu's limbless and beat up mech.

His hands tremble. His heart, previously burning with seething hate and burning rage at the sheer pretentiousness of the prince, now beats with an icy calm. His mind, previously screaming at him to fulfill the prince's decree, has quieted down– the sole thought within being Olivia.

He turns to one of the eternal display monitors, and he sees her on the arena railing– half-leaning over and red-faced from exertion. Fresh blood leaks out of her mouth, the sheer effort she put into that scream bursting the blood vessels in her jaw and reopening the injury that was only beginning to heal the night before. Worry replaces the fire, the hate, the vindictiveness, yet he can't move.

"Please! No more!" Olivia pleads. "The Prince can't fight any longer! You don't have to do what he said! Stop, Leon!"

Leon blinks once, twice, and turns to the wrecked remains of Julius' Armor. He steps back, almost stumbling, and lets the referee open it up so they could pull Julius out. The prince all but collapses onto his knees, pale-faced and crying, breathing hard and sweating bullets as he's checked over by the referees.

"Prince Julius cannot continue! The duel concludes!" the referee shouts. "The winner is Leon Fou Bartfoooooooord!"

Notes: COME ON YOU APES! YOU WANT TO LIVE FORVER?! CHAARGE AND PUMP THOSE POWER STONES IN! WE'RE GONNA STAMPEDE THE RANKINGS WITH THIS ONE!!