CHALLENGE

It was the last day before the audience with King Lenno, and even though Aelia’s and Fennel’s minds and bodies were tired, their souls were burning. Fennel had overworked himself for the past seven days to the point of waking up trembling and with his eyes shadowed with exhaustion. His body was protesting in every movement, but his determination was stronger and managed to push him forward. He knew this was far away from sanity, but it would all be worth it if they managed to pull through with their plan.

Aelia on the other hand, had been able to sleep well, but her body was resenting all the blows received while training against the scout Kaina. She had also managed to achieve some relevant improvements over the past few days, even though they were very different to what anyone could have expected. Her shaky control of her fifth parallel thought was intact, and she had barely managed to push her body-control a minimal amount. Yet, today she felt confident and ready to face the world.

Fennel arrived at the palace a little bit earlier than usual, and went directly to see Lord Ataoro, who was giving a brief speech to a group of knights and servants that were starting their duties inside the palace. Fennel waited for him to finish, and approached him as soon as he dismissed his audience.

“Lord Ataoro, good morning.” Said Fennel with confidence, that could be seen only through his eyes, since his face didn’t look as good.

“Hm? Good morning kid.” Said Lord Ataoro as he inspected Fennel. “You’re the boy from Elia’s team. Are you alright?”

“I am, Lord. Thanks for asking.” He said without showing a hint of weakness.

“Your face says otherwise.” Observed Lord Ataoro. “I guess this week has not been easy. Did Elia send you?”

“She didn’t, Lord. I’m here on my own.”

“Oh?…” Reacted Lord Ataoro, looking at Fennel with suspicion. ”So, what do you want kid?”

“May I request you to visit the training dome during- Lady Aelia’s training today?” He said, as he almost missed the guardian’s honorific, out of his foggy mind.

“I’m very busy. What do you need me for?”

“We…” Said Fennel as he thought about how he might be including Miss Elia and Inai in his words. “Lady Aelia and I, want you to reconsider your stance for tomorrow’s meeting with King Lenno.”

Lord Ataoro stood straight, looking at Fennel straight into his eyes, firm like a boulder. He was in a way trying to intimidate him, and the guardian managed to make him shake for an instant, but it was obvious he was fighting to hold his ground.

“I won’t. Aelia stated and consistently proven she doesn’t have the drive to protect Rossmaria and its people.” Replied Lord Ataoro slowly, as he consciously wanted Fennel to know he was calm and decided about his position. “There’s no point in training a guardian without something so fundamental.”

“That is why we want your presence at today’s training, Lord Ataoro.” Insisted Fennel. “We are ready to challenge that idea.”

Lord Ataoro couldn’t help but be impressed by the teenager who was, in his eyes, bluntly stating he thought he was wrong, and that he could prove it. The surprised look in Ataoro’s face changed to an expectant smile.

“It’s been a while since the last time anyone entertained me this way.” Blurted Lord Ataoro, as he began to laugh. “What’s your name, kid?”

“Fennel, sir.”

“Alright. I’ll be there. Just make sure not to disappoint me, Fennel.”

***

The first hours of the morning seemed to pass slowly, but when the scheduled training arrived, Lord Ataoro was the first one inside the dome. Lex and team Elia arrived at the same time, and were surprised by his presence. Lex was the first one to approach him.

“Greetings Lord Ataoro.” Said the knight with his typical neutral face, but with slight confusion in his voice. “I hope you don’t mind me asking, but may I inquire what brings you here today?”

“Fennel requested my presence at today’s training.” He stated with a challenging smile, as he looked towards the teenager.

Everyone in the dome looked at him, as if asking for an explanation. He however tried to ignore the pressure, and simply responded.

“Thank you, sir. We’ll explain everything when Lady Aelia arrives.”

It wasn’t long before the young guardian stepped into the dome with her black slippers, leaving them inside the observation cabin to prepare for the session.

“Aelia!” Greeted Lord Ataoro, as he looked at the guardian straight into her eyes.

“Lord Ataoro.” Greeted Aelia with a serious and deeply concentrated look.

“I like the look in your eyes.” Said the veteran guardian, as he could almost feel fire coming out from inside of her. “So.” He continued, looking towards Fennel. “What’s on your minds.”

Fennel was ready to speak, but it was Aelia who made the first move.

“I’d like to take the test to prove my control of the fifth thought.” She said.

Elia, Ataoro and even Lex opened their eyes widely, knowing very well how unlikely it was she had managed to improve this much in such a short time. Lord Ataoro, however, quickly understood there had to be some sort of trick to this.

“I’ll allow it.” He said, dead serious.

“Also.” Continued Aelia. "if I succeed, I humbly request you listen carefully to what Fennel has to say.”

Lord Ataoro looked towards Fennel once more.

“So you two are basically making a bet.” Noted Ataoro. “However, if that’s the case, I need more details. You already told me you wanted to change my mind, but there is clearly more to it.”

All eyes were on Fennel, looking at him with expectation. Inai was clearly nervous and Elia was apprehensive but chose to remain as a mere observer. The royal knight, however, could sense deep inside, that this moment had the potential to become a turning point in rossmarian history, so he needed to be in his best shape in order to properly serve his kingdom.

“Lord Ataoro.” Started Fennel. “We want to prove that Lady Aelia has what it takes to be a proper guardian. But we also want to prove that the methods used so far, during her training, have been stifling her growth and limiting her potential.” Fennel could sense the questioning gazes hovering over him, as he was a mere newcomer criticizing what seemed to almost be a beloved tradition. “If Lady Aelia passes the test, we would like to request your support to maintain her status as a guardian, and also change her training methods.”

Lord Ataoro let out an explosive laugh, startling everyone in the room. Even Aelia who seemed to be ready for war, backed out for an instant.

“I’ll be honest.” Said Ataoro with a warm smile facing up with his eyes closed, before letting out a loud statement. “I would LOVE, for you to prove we are wrong.” He looked back towards Aelia, with a determined smirk, that conveyed a challenging aura that no one in the room had ever seen before, coming from Lord Ataoro. “I’ll be the happiest to see Aelia become as great as you say, and that you could demonstrate that what we’ve been doing for years is all wrong. But you’re both raising the bar very high.” Said Ataoro, with his eyes now glowing out of pure emotion.

“I agree to your terms. Don’t you dare disappoint me, Aelia.”