Chapter 124 - 123 : Winner.

Chapter 124: Chapter 123 : Winner.

Whether his opponents knew it or not, the day was always Rogard Spidra’s to claim.

The soldiers fielded by other kingdoms were certainly formidable, however from the calibre of men wearing Crade Soldiers colours, and how destructively they ploughed through their opponents, it was clear that His Majesty had never had any intention of allowing them to best him in his own castle.

​But the other competitors don’t see it like that, and Drogger respects that. No king sent his men here --or came himself --intending to suffer an embarrassing defeat.

Each and every one put on an admirable display --one that was daunting, even, at times, but in the end it wasn’t enough to secure victory for their kingdom.

They were courageous, and loyal, and left no doubt in any man’s mind that they were a force to be reckoned with, but Rogard..

​Well, Rogard was...to put it simply, he was incredible.

​( Is incredible.)

​Drogger has been at this for years. He’s not old by any measure, but he’s seen his fair share of battle, and his fair share of soldiers.

​Each wall that came up against Rogard he broke right through, unwavering even under the iron, scorching gaze of the Cabaga royal himself.

It had taken him the entire three passes to get the better of him, and even then it had been just barely --Rogard was a good actor, so the crowd didn’t notice, but Drogger was no fool and had seen just how nearly his arm had come to shattering under the crushing force that had come crashing upon his shield like an avalanche.

​It’s lucky Rogard is as good as he is; a lesser man facing a strike like that would have probably been killed.

Possibly a dozen times over, even --some of the other competitors come dangerously close to maiming him, and Khobi Frost, bless him, hoots and hollers taunts at Rogard every time.

An unorthodox display of affection, for sure, and one that has Rogard contemplating hurling his broken lance at him on more than one occasion.

He wisely decides against it, but makes certain that the next pass gives Khobi Frost nothing to mock him for.

​It’s difficult to tell, with the helmet and all, but Drogger gets the feeling that he’s enjoying himself.

​That, and showing off.

​It’s exactly the sort of showy, unnecessary display that Drogger usually frowns upon, and yet for some reason, he just can’t seem to look away.

Hasn’t been able to take his eyes off him all day, in fact, and that in itself is troubling. He enjoys jousting as much as any soldier and appreciates the skill of each man as they’re due, but there’s just no hiding from himself that he’s been paying special attention to Rogard’s bouts.

​Out of pride, is what Drogger tells himself, as Rogard whips off his helmet and basks as the crowd rises to their feet and applauds him.

He’s come a long way, after all. And, as much as he tries to hide it, under all that arrogant bravado and false smiles there is an earnest, talented young man; one who has worked himself ragged to be here, and he deserves to be acknowledged.

​It’s a nice half-truth, but unfortunately it doesn’t quite explain the feeling that tugs at Drogger’s chest when Rogard looks his way, with a victorious, too-bold smile that asks of him: were you watching me?

​And Drogger answers with a nod; instinctive and natural.

​Of course .

​...

​"Well fuck me, he actually won."

​Despite having witnessed the entire gruelling saga, Montrel still sounds like he can’t quite believe it.

It’s been approximately ten solid minutes since Rogard felled his final opponent, and the crowd is still manic.

Khobi Frost had gotten bored of clapping about thirty seconds in --especially when Rogard had seen and fucking waved at him, the asshole. He kind of can’t believe it either.

Not because Rogard’s not good --he’s proved beyond reasonable doubt that he actually is --but because so many of the other soldiers were too.

​The king seems convinced that a Crade Soldiers soldier was always going to claim the day, but Khobi Frost isn’t so sure.

Jousting is still a pretty new sport for him, but he knows how to size up a soldier, and there had been a number of them that had set the hairs on the back of his neck tingling.

​It kind of made him want to fight.

​"He’s going to be the worst, isn’t he?"

Montrel groans as the king waits patiently for the crowd to tire themselves out and Khobi Frost fights with the familiar itch of wanting to take on a strong opponent creeping up from under his skin. "I’m going to want to hit him, aren’t I?"

​"I already do," Khobi Frost deadpans, shaking his head as Rogard’s horse rears back dramatically and its rider strikes an obnoxious pose that has a couple of his fallen foes looking like they’d rather like to impale him on his own lance.

"What’s with the blue?" he adds flatly, since it’s been bothering him for the majority of the day, "All your other guards are wearing like, yknow..." Not blue doesn’t exactly sound eloquent, even though it’s what he’s going for.

All the other soldiers are in variations of the black and red that Bongo and Montrel are currently wearing, and Khobi Frost would have assumed that Rogard should’ve been the same.

​"Rogard’s Father’s influence, probably," Bongo explains after a beat, taking the fall when it becomes apparent that no one else wants to state the obvious.

Khobi Frost face instantly curdles, "I believe you’ve met."

​"Guy’s a real asshole ," Khobi Frost confirms, with heat. This time it’s the princess who looks uncomfortable with his choice of words, but when she glances at Bongo for support he just shrugs apologetically like Khobi Frost’s actually got a point. Which he does.

​"...Lord Spidra is a respected member of my court, Khobi Frost," the king chides, thoughtfully swilling the deep red wine in his gauntlet. "...But you’re right. He’s an asshole."

​"Father, really ," Princess Xena looks truly mortified at her father’s brazen slander. True as it may be. "Lord Spidra--"

​"...Is not here, Princess Xena," her father sniffs, talking over her with ease, "And he is not a nice man. Why do you think I never let him marry you?"

​This must be news to the princess because she looks utterly floored by the casual admission.