Chapter 30: Talented Fighters
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Ka’s family had never really gone hungry, they had enough to eat well and to buy treats like honey for celebrations and festivals. Ka had gone to some parties as well in his official capacity as a scribe. He’d been invited to some as a guest too, as thanks and partial payment for his services. None of it compared to the food he had shared from Prince Re’s plate. And the food the prince enjoyed daily paled in comparison to this extravagant and purposefully decadent feat. Every bite of meat was savory and simply explosive in its flavor. Every piece of produce was the absolute highest quality, crisp and cool and juicy. The water was clean and cool and so was the milk and fresh juice, not to mention the wine and beer.

Ka was given his own plate, but with his hands still bound, he was reliant on the prince to get his food. Ka’s plate was filled by servants, directed by Re as he nodded or waved them away. His cups were kept filled and after a couple of rounds, he was given his own mug of good beer. Ka only hesitated briefly; the quality was simply irresistible, though he vowed not to actually become drunk. This determination was quickly challenged as more and more toasts were thrown out: to food, to the gods, to Re and to each other. The prince and his group of friends took every opportunity they could to celebrate the festivities to their fullest.

They stayed with the food for quite some time, occasionally distracted by dancers or other performers. All of these were too distant for Ka to enjoy, he simply took the moments to cherish a bit of relative quiet. At one point the group became overly excited as a magician came around. He performed simple tricks with puffs of smoke or even a flash of fire for drama. Water was changed for wine and small jewels seemed to disappear, much to the delight of the audience. The magician finished with praise to the gods, who made his powers possible. Ka scoffed slightly as he enjoyed another succulent bite of fowl. “It is not the gods,” he muttered, seeing the blurred image of the man go on his way to the next group.

“Oh, are you able to do magic?” one of the men asked condescendingly.

Ka shook his head immediately. “No no, I am not trained that way. However it is not the gods, those are actually the skills of a pickpocket.” The group scoffed as a whole, none of them really believing him. Ka just shrugged and drained his water glass.

Prince Re motioned for a servant to refill the cup at once, his own focus still on Ka. “Do you know any magicians?” he asked curiously. Ka glanced at him before looking away and shaking his head. Re chuckled slightly. “Then you know pickpockets?”

“Not . . . as friends,” Ka said with some caution.

Re just laughed more loudly at this. “Perhaps sometime we can find one to teach us.” The entire group laughed and Ka felt himself blush once more. But then their attention shifted again, drawn by another group of dancers.

Ka’s attention returned to his food, but this group had their own musicians and string music began to fill the space around them. This was somewhat more enjoyable for the scribe and he smiled as he listened, tuning out the chatter of the group. He didn’t look towards the performers until they were finishing and they received a brief applause for their efforts. Ka smiled and clapped as best he could a few times, only to be startled at a touch on his chin. Prince Re turned the brunet to meet eyes, smiling down at him without a word. Ka looked back with surprise and found himself blushing again before the prince released him and stood.

“Come, what other entertainment are you offering, my friend?”

Anki quickly stood at the prince’s inquiry and made a grand gesture to encompass the entire home. “We have a selection of exotic animals to appreciate. Dancers and acrobats of course. There are some beauties as well, but I think my father’s friends will have their interests.”

“I am not here for things like that,” Re inserted and waved off the thought of intimate companionship.

Anki just nodded and moved on. “There are some artists and craftsmen from distant lands. And of course the priests are giving rites. A few soldiers have returned from the front with stories,” Re made a face and Anki continued quickly before the redhead voiced his complaint again, “And there are a couple of merchant travelers back with stories of their own.”

“Stories seem to catch your interest lately,” Ghita said with a not-so-discreet look towards Ka.

“Only stories that are interesting,” Re drawled, but he did nod. “Let us see how these are.”

Re casually strolled through the halls, one hand wrapped around Ka’s wrist as he stayed beside the redhead. The rest of the group surrounded the prince as they went with Anki in the lead, pointing out interesting or rare displays of goods. It wasn’t long before they came to some artistic sculptures, much smaller than those decorating the party. These could be held like a clay vase and were arguably crafted with more skill. Anki brightened as he turned back to his friends, describing the distant desert these figures came from.

The artist who had presumably made these pieces stood behind the displays. She was dressed in nearly sheer robes and wore her jet black hair in a sharply angled bob. Seeing the men take interest, she quickly began babbling at them, but her language was foreign and only brought smiles and chuckles from the men. She seemed pleased enough in any case and the group just moved on.

Another display was set up with delicately woven baskets and rugs. Re snatched up a large woven hat and put it on with a slight chuckle. “Do they wear things like this?” Again the artist stood among his works, looking like a fisherman in short pants and a loose cross top. He took the hat and showed how it was tied to stay in place, only bringing more laughs of delight by the prince and his friends.

Ka was more interested in this as well, able to appreciate the skill of the things when he could examine them up close. They didn’t linger all that long however and soon the scribe was being led outside into an open garden that could have rivaled the palace. The space had been lit in the same fashion with torches glinting off gems and other decorations and as they filtered into the more open space, the entertainments out here could be seen. Several of the young men muttered or gasped in surprise as they took in the foreign men who were in the garden practicing their fighting.

“Incredible!” Re said with obvious joy as he began to watch them.

They were all dressed in simple pants, going through forms and practicing with exotic weapons. A couple of the men were using spears, moving so fast the stiff weapons bowed and danced with the attacks. Another was using a pair of fans like blades and another twirled a dagger around him, the weapon darting out on a chain before being yanked back to his hand.

Anki drew attention again, smiling wide. “Exotic warriors, aren’t they amazing? I’ve never seen fighters like these and supposedly they’re nothing compared to warriors from further east.”

“I am impressed,” Re said as he continued to watch. Ka could not see well, but he was impressed too by the unfamiliar moves. Everyone was practically entranced by the display for some time. Gradually the group began to talk, commenting on the strange weapons and complimenting the fast, almost dance-like styles. The conversation began to compare these men to their own more familiar fighting styles. Someone wondered loudly which style would win in a fight and the idea was seized upon. “Do these men speak, can they understand us?” Re demanded of his friend.

The answer was that only one of them spoke the local tongue and he stepped forward to relay the messages. The group was quickly abuzz with their plan, wanting to have a little sparring as entertainment. The foreign men were willing and soon much of the rest of the party had come out to watch the fun as well. “I will give it a try!” Ura declared and rolled his shoulders as he stepped forward.

“Weapons?” the foreign man asked and offered him a sword and dagger, both rather blunt for this display. Ura waved him off and just balled up his fists. After a moment of thought the other man called for the fans and rambled something to the fighter in his own language. Then the two were given clear space to fight. “Try not to hurt him,” the foreign man said, then said the same in his own language.

Ura rushed in almost right away. He lead with his fists and the fan fighter was quick to retreat. The man spun and twisted and then was suddenly coming back with the fans leading. Ura yelped and retreated himself, stumbling slightly before he regained a solid stance. The fan fighter pulled back as well, using his weapons to fan himself, almost taunting his opponent. Ura chuckled, but he was not to be baited into another attack. Instead he motioned for the other man to strike first. He nodded, waiting only a few moments before he darted in again. He gained ground in wide, spinning arcs, always with the metal and fabric fans leading the way. Ura retreated a little and when the other was close enough, Ura caught the hand holding the lead fan and kept the weapon high and out of the way. He let out a triumphant cry, only for his friends to laugh as the fighter lifted his other hand. He opened his second fan tauntingly slow and proceeded to use it to cool his opponent’s stomach and face in mock of a killing blow. Ura released him and laughed at himself with good nature. “Fans, who knew?”

The foreign fighters were laughing and chatting happily, clearly enjoying the chance to show off. They seemed surprised when Ellia bounced forward and proclaimed, “I want to try!”

“Oh, little fighter?” asked the man who could translate. He looked his fellows over thoughtfully before pointing at the two with spears. “Little fighters are good against staffs. All right?”

The petite woman eyed the two men before nodding. “We’ll see how good.” There was a round of applause to encourage them as the three took up position to start. Like the previous fight, Elia was quick to attack first. The spears dropped low to focus on her before the woman darted to the side. The fighters split, trying to get on either side of her while Elia tried to move closer to her opponents. She smacked aside the pointed tips of the weapons to get closer only for the wielder to block and attack with the wood staff. Elia couldn’t get to them, but they couldn’t stop her either as the smaller-than-usual body twisted around solid blows. The match seemed equal for a while until Elia was suddenly able to get close to one of the men, then slip behind him as he tried to push her back. Elia was laughing wildly and pat the man’s back before the other spear suddenly stuck into the ground. Elia found herself trapped against the first fighter and she raised her hands in defeat, still smiling gleefully.

“Ah, caught in the killing blow!” the translator cried and the whole party groaned and cheered as if reacting to an arena battle. The fighters were exchanging bows with Elia and the translator shook a finger at her. “I knew you could take one, but not two!”

“Oh, I’ve taken more than two in my time,” Elia said with a lewd tinge to her smile. “But I haven’t had that much fun in ages!”

Re and his friends all agreed, cheering the female in their ranks. They cheered and thanked the fighters as well before looking amongst themselves for another volunteer. Ka could practically feel their gazes shift to focus on him. He frowned even before the suggestion and growled, “I do not fight for entertainment.”

“I want to see you,” Re said almost before he’d finished speaking. Ka glared slightly at the prince and Re frowned at him in return. The redhead turned, briefly smiling at the foreigners in thanks. Then he looked back to this pet seriously. “I want to see you fight, but it doesn’t have to be a show.”

With some regret, Ka sighed and agreed. “At the palace, I can-”

“No, here,” Re insisted. “Not a show, but I do still want to show you off.” Ka clenched his jaw, unhappy but certain an argument was unwise. The prince nodded his approval at this. He took Ka’s hands and undid the golden cuffs without looking. “Do this for me and you may remain unlocked for the night.”

That was perhaps more tempting than the prince realized. Ka watched him for a long moment before he finally nodded again. “Of course I will do this for you, master.”

Re’s smile instantly widened. “Good boy. You need to start training again anyway, so I need to know where your skills stand.” There was a barely restrained murmur of interest from Re’s friends as well, all eager to see what this new pet was capable of.

Tamul stepped forward without being asked, casually handing his sword off so they could fight unarmed. Ka eyed him with some trepidation, stepping back to prepare. He hadn’t actually sparred since his injury and his inability to focus would certainly bring an additional challenge. Not to mention Tamul’s unusual height. The scribe slowly took a deep breath and let it out and then nodded; he was ready.

“This is training,” Tamul said quietly, starting with slow strikes that were easy to avoid. “Let me gauge your skill, then show me what you can do.” The young captain’s speed quickly increased, throwing stronger punches and trying to grab Ka to drag him into a grapple.

The scribe continued to avoid most of the attacks and as the speed became comfortable but challenging, Ka began to strike back. Tamul gave some ground before attacking with more focus. He’d trained to fight with a sword mainly, but he was highly skilled as a boxer as well. He knew how to use his reach, minimizing Ka’s attacks even when they got through. Ka was fast though and slipped past his guard a couple of times. Tamul retreated to avoid any damage and the second time he was able to catch Ka’s arms, putting a quick end to the match.

There were general noises of disappointment from the gathered crowd. Ka was not pleased with the brief scuffle either and he jerked away from Tamul. “Hold on, I want another go,” he said with noticeable anger. He turned and began to pull off the innumerable bangles that crowded his wrists. Alone, each bracelet was negligible, but with so much decoration together Ka’s movements were slowed. He left the loose bracelets in a pile at Rina’s feet while she and all the others laughed. Re was chuckling too when Ka glanced at the redhead, but then Ka just took his stance again, ready for a rematch.

Tamul kept to the speed they had been at and struck with control so Ka had a chance to do something to defend himself. Ka dodged some blows before taking a punch to his shoulder. Then suddenly he darted in, one arm striking Tamul’s elbow to allow an opening to strike him in the side. “Hey, ow!” the captain complained as he backed off.

Suddenly the observers were impressed again. Ka grinned too, he felt faster now and he wanted to prove his skill after being mocked. Tamul pulled his hands back up to guard his head, then took long strides to close the distance again. He led with quick jabs, luring Ka into attacking himself. Neither landed any hits, but the closeness allowed Tamul to grab hold of the other’s wrist. He pulled the smaller man into a grapple, but Ka twisted away with surprising strength. Tamul had to adjust his hold twice to keep them entangled. Unable to escape, Ka switched tactics. He took advantage of his size to twist and jab Tamul in the ribs again. The captain returned with a sudden spin and Ka found himself pinned to the ground. There were cheers and praise given to the captain, but Ka was still fighting and he managed to slip free. He scrambled away and climbed to his feet while the taller man was still on the ground. The cheers were for Ka now and Re stepped between them to officially end the practice fight.

The prince was smiling wide and laughing. “That was incredible, you truly are skilled!”

“He’s scrappy,” Tamul said with approval as he stood again. “A lot of room for improvement, but I would not want to face him over a real fight.”

Similar praise came from other onlookers until the gathering grew slightly quiet. The king’s voice drew attention as he cut through the crowd. “I am not surprised this criminal can fight. I am pleased it is so entertaining though.”

“It was not meant to entertain,” the prince said and stepped between Ka and the king, still several paces away. “Ka does not fight for show, this was a rare exception.”

“He still deserves the praise,” said the king in a grand voice. The party goers all cheered him, but Ka only shrank down, humiliated under the attention. The king smiled and raised his glass in toast. “To talented fighters.”

The crowd echoed the toast and cups were passed to Ka and Tamul so they could drink. Prince Re joined the toast before raising his cup again. “To Re,” he said flatly, staring at the king with annoyance. The crowd echoed with even more enthusiasm and the prince used the opportunity to take Ka’s hand and step away. His friends followed, back inside to a different grand room.

This space was decorated the same, but it was much quieter. Rather than music and excitement, this area was quiet. Here were the storytellers, filling the air with dramatic voices and daring tales.

Re made a point of catching Ka’s attention again to smile at him. He shifted his grip and wrapped his hand around Ka’s now undecorated wrist, but shifted in a way that put the scribe in front of the group. “Find a voice you like, we will listen for a little while. Just not the generals,” he added with a slight whine.

Ka chuckled just a little. He nodded and walked past the closest men who were telling tales of war and daily life at the borders. Anki had said there were merchants here as well and Ka sought out these tales. Something other than war and fighting. And someone else to be the focus for a while.

-o-o-o-o-o-

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