Noble had seen the words coming, but somehow she still was not prepared.
"Your Majesty?"
"Has your hearing been damaged? I said I want you to battle me." Emira pushed up her sleeves, revealing a slim golden band on each wrist. They matched her simple necklace perfectly.
Counsel frowned, ready to come to Noble's defense. But she shook her head slightly.
"I meant that you said you would not help me train. Have you changed your mind?" Noble realized she was working contrary to her goal.
She had wanted to ask Emira for training help before the monarch had preemptively refused to assist her.
Even with the rebuff, Noble had decided to politely request a duel with the Queen in a week or two, once she had figured out a little more about Emira and her fighting style.
The event had come sooner than expected, but it was still desirable.
'And here I am trying to talk my way out of it!'
Fortunately, Emira did not accept the excuse. "I do not change my mind once it is made up. And I made up my mind to gather information. This seems to be the only way to do it accurately."
Removing her crown, Emira handed the priceless jewels to Counsel.
"Do you think you can take better care of this than you do of my niece?"
The man pursed his lips and nodded. Angering the queen would only mean a harder time for Noble in battle.
"Should I find you a weapon, Your Majesty?" Counsel offered with a forced smile. "You may use my sword if you like."
"I will never wield a man's sword." Her Majesty looked like she might set Counsel on fire for his kindness.
From somewhere hidden in her voluminous gown, Emira pulled a long, thin dirk.
The weapon was longer than a dagger but much shorter than Noble's estoc. It was the perfect length to defend oneself against an unexpected attack…
Or to stab someone in the back when they weren't looking.
The latter thought made Noble shiver.
"Are you afraid?" A smirk crept its way onto Emira's face.
Noble shook her head.
"You should be." A ball of fire ignited in the Queen's free hand.
It came spinning toward Noble in the blink of an eye.
The seasoned duelist barely had time to dash out of the way. Even then, the heat of the flames threatened to melt her armor to her flesh.
Pretending to roll along the ground, Noble called forth her fire charm and covertly slipped it into her breastplate. She immediately felt cooler.
'One problem solved.'
Bee had been burned enough times by Fireshing for the duelist to know exactly what unpleasant fate awaited her if she did not protect herself. So the risk of calling out a Memory in front of others was worth it.
Fortunately, none of the others in the room seemed to notice the move.
As Noble whirled around, Emira raised her dirk to take a swipe at her opponent's head.
'No!' Noble's heart skipped a beat, knowing her sword would be unable to meet the other blade. All she could do was duck a second time.
The dirk clipped the top of her helmet and severed the beautiful plume perched there.
The flaming feather fell to the ground, smoldering.
Thanks to the charm, Noble hadn't even realized it was on fire.
'Was she trying to help me?'
Something inside her said it was likely just a fortunate side effect.
For nothing inside Emira spoke of goodwill. Her Majesty was angry.
"Is that all you have?" She mocked. It was the same taunt she had given the Lord of the Mountain.
Noble tightened her grip on the Unlikely End.
'I'm not some Nightmare Creature. I'm much worse.'
She straightened her back. Her entire demeanor changed.
Emira was the queen of this kingdom, but Noble was Queen Bee.
The cadence of the battle shifted.
Because the Unlikely End was longer than the dirk, Noble used this to her advantage.
Managing to stay out of the reach of the blade, she struck hard and fast four times in quick succession.
Emira raised and lowered her dirk, blocking three of the four attacks. She let the fourth go wide, snipping a strip of her skirt from the outermost layer.
The emerald piece flitted through the air like a fallen battle flag.
But only Counsel was able to see it. The two ladies were otherwise occupied.
As the temperature in the room rose, so did the action.
Emira forged a path through the arena like she was walking on air.
'Oh no you don't, that's my thing!'
Bee fought ferociously. Mirroring the steps of the queen was no easy task.
The monarch had a combat style unlike anything Noble had ever seen. It was graceful with bouts of explosive movement.
Emira gave just enough to draw Bee in before bursting forth to make her mark.
Fortunately for Noble, the weapon was incredibly strong but not enchanted. Her armor held up against the dirk when it slipped past her defenses.
Emira wore no armor.
Slowly but surely, Her Majesty's emerald skirt was cut and slashed as it came within range of Noble's estoc. Most of the pieces fell to the ground, but a few lit when coming into contact with the continuously burning lamp ringing the room. Soon, the darker underpinnings of her dress gave her a slender, more terrifying look.
Beads of sweat poured down the inside of Noble's face. The room was unbearably hot.
And she had a charm which should be protecting her at least a little. How much more must Counsel and Kosi be suffering?
She had no time to check on them. Emira seemed like she was only beginning to fight. Her strikes were becoming fiercer and more volatile with each passing moment.
'How is that even possible?!'
The answer was simple. If Emira had ruled for a hundred years and been fighting a war the entire time, then she had been battling nearly three times longer than Noble had been alive.
That was a humbling thought.
With that in mind, it was miraculous Noble had held her ground as long as she had.
Emira's strikes were incredibly strong, but due to the inferiority of her weapon, the dents forming in Noble's black and gold armor were not nearly as catastrophic as they could have been.
The longer the battle went on, the more aware Noble became of the monarch's methods. The duelist champion could not mimic the style yet, but she was learning how to counter it.
When Emira's emotions spiked, Bee knew to back off quickly. When Her Majesty relaxed, Noble struck with vigor.
'How do I end this?'
The duelist wished the protocol had been made clear. It was impossible to win a match when she didn't know the rules.
All she could do was continue to take every opening and avoid the attacks.
At last, Noble found an opportunity and slipped past the queen's guard. The Unlikely End slid up Emira's arm between her skin and the golden band.
Flicking her wrist upward, Noble wrested the bracelet from its owner, knocking both it and the dirk to the ground.
The Queen's eyes opened wide.
Sheathing her sword, Noble heaved a great sigh. She reached for her helmet. "That was a good bout, Your Majesty. I can hardly believe it is over."
Emira's expression grew dark. "Over? Oh no, child. It is only just beginning."