I think this is the longest fic Iâve posted on here⌠and itâs a The Life and Suffering of Sir Brante MalleYuu AU. Iâm guessing most of you havenât heard of that game, but I hope youâll enjoy this sword tournament fic anyways. I did my best to cover the basics of the world building throughout the fic. (Also Yuu is male in this fic.)
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Arkinians are perfect. The legends and every unburned history book say so. Logically one would think a perfect being would be blessed by The Twins with a perfect life.
Alas, it was not so. At least not for the Arkinian prince who was currently dabbing sweat off his forehead while waiting for the annual sword fighting tournament to begin. Maybe this would be exciting, if all the participants werenât whiny noble human brats raised to be entitled to victory and attention.
Malleus sighed. Not that he was acting any better at the moment. He straightened his posture and schooled his expression. It would only be a few hours of boredom and then he could go back to the palace for well more boredom, but at least it would be inside, away from the heat.
âAre you alright, my liege?âSebek, one of his knights, asked. Now he was a real talent at swordsmanship, even if he preferred an axe.
âI am fine, Sebek. Just mentally preparing myself for an excruciating few hours.â
Sebek smiled wryly,âThat makes two of us, sire. The day a human impresses me in regards to swordsmanship is the day The Twins come down from their pillar.
âYou two could have a bit more faith in the humans. After all, without them we would have nothing to lord over.âMalleusâ other guard, Silver, scolded them. He was an advocate for humankindâs value, mostly in the economic sense. Arkinians managed the empire and all of its provinces, but it was the humans who made everything run.
Sebek opened his mouth to retort, but snapped it shut. The queen must have arrived as that was the only thing other than death that could make Sebek shut his mouth.
âMy son!âMaleanor exclaimed, pulling Malleus up and into her arms,âAre you looking forward to the tournament?â Unlike him, his mother thoroughly enjoyed watching the human competitors make fools of themselves.
Malleus smiled indulgently,âI am looking forward to spending the afternoon by your side, mother.â That at least wasnât a lie. Ruling their empire often kept them apart. His mother with the day to day tasks, his father with constant diplomatic efforts, and him with preparing to one day take the throne.
âIt is too bad your father couldnât be here as well, but thereâs been rumors of an uprising in Anizotte, and with the riot at the Imperial College a few months ago he thought it best to investigate."Maleanor explained as they both settled back into their seats.
The Imperial College was the only college humans could hope to attend, and their only way of achieving some semblance of nobility. A few months ago, a traditional Arkinian Duke had attempted to close the gates of the school and bar the new students from entering. His father, a staunch advocate for education, had been very displeased and had personally brought an imperial decree of the studentsâ right to attend the college.
Malleus understood his fatherâs wishes, but was ever so slightly resenting them right now as the college still operating meant he had to sit through whiny nobles show off their nonexistent skills. The sword fighting tournament was essentially a final exam for the human nobles, and the winner would receive a scholarship for their next semester.
âPay attention, Malleus, itâs starting soon."His mother hissed as she poked him in the ribs, correcting his posture which had slumped while being lost in thought. âAlso, why are you using beaded brocade to dab at your forehead?âMalenora shook her head and grabbed the handkerchief heâd been using,âEliza, go fetch my son an actually usable handkerchief.â
Eliza, a pale blue half Arkinian who unfortunately had been born with a human mother, nodded and began the treacherous task of cutting through the crowd. Malleus had no idea where she would find a handkerchief not already being used as a favor for the tournament, but he supposed figuring such things out was a servantâs job.
As sweat began to drip down his forehead, Malleus considered praying to The Twins for a mercifully short tournament, but refrained as he listened to his mother happily explain who was competing this year.
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Yuuâs day was going absolutely perfectly. His roommate had been out all night partying allowing him to actually get a full nightâs rest, and his professor had seemingly tailored the tournament bracket to benefit him. (Not by giving him easy opponents, but by putting him against the classmates he was most eager to humiliate in front of a crowd.) Which of course meant that The Twins were about to make him suffer, as was the lot of humanity.
âYouâre seriously saying I canât participate in the tournament if I donât have a favor?â
âIâm afraid so, sir. Itâs tradition and you know how the Imperial College is about tradition.â
Yuu groaned,âOkay, alright, fine. Just give me⌠like five minutes.â It couldnât be that difficult to scrounge up a scrap of fabric to tie to his sword.
Is what Yuu thought thirty minutes ago, but now he was at his witâs end looking for a piece of fabric that wouldnât involve tearing his clothes.
âTwins help meâŚâhe muttered in exasperation. Why did he even need a favor to compete in this tournament? It was such an old fashioned practice meant to encourage overly sappy romance, something heâd never had even when he had someone to give him a favor.
He winced at the thought of Leona, technically the reason he was favorless. But itâs not like he could keep his handkerchief after breaking up with him. Maybe if the parting had been friendly but⌠well refusing to help your boyfriend plot to rebel against not only the Arkinians but the The Twins themselves didnât exactly leave a whole lot of room for âIâll see you around.â Yuu needed to protect and provide for his family; he definitely couldnât afford to leave behind the idea of lots entirely. He only didnât report him to the authorities because he understood where he was coming from. A personâs lot in life following their motherâs had been crueler to Leona than to him, but he knew the feeling of being denied a better lot.
Still he had to figure something out soon because his first fight was surely starting soon at this point.
âYuu? Are you still back here?âa feminine voice asked.
âYeah, Iâm still back here, Ana."He smiled in spite of the stressful situation. He was glad his family was able to afford sending one of his younger siblings to support him.
âI heard you were looking for a favor?âShe pulled out a frankly gaudy blue handkerchief that clearly wasnât meant to be used considering it had beaded embroidery.
âWhere the hell did you get that? You better not have stolen it from a high ranking noble!â Ana had a habit of stealing, or in her words liberating, expensive objects from families that ranked higher than theirs. Both out of spite and a desire to help their family make ends meet.
âRelax, some servant of the Arkinians threw it in the trash, and besides youâre far too desperate to complain."She tied the gaudy piece of cloth around Yuuâs sword, and patted his side,âNow get out there, and win for your younger sister and whatever Arkinian owned this ugly handkerchief â
Yuu groaned, but prepared to make his way back to the announcer. He didnât exactly have a lot of options. Hopefully if the announcer declared he was fighting for some random rich noble, they werenât in the crowd.
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Malleus had quickly realized within the first few matches of this damned tournament that the widely perpetuated theory that The Twins favored the Arkinian race really was a load of horseshit. That or The Twins were not real all along because watching humans play with swords at the skill level of a child was just too devastating for merciful gods to let continue.
âMother, I am begging you to let us leave. We could be doing an infinite amount of more entertaining things.â
âOh? So you really want to leave,âhis mother pretended to wipe away tears,âAnd here I thought my son loved me and would do what I want to with my limited free time.â It was a blatant guilt tripping tactic that unfortunately still worked on Malleus who sighed and resigned himself to the next battle.
âLadies and gentlemen, our next matchup is the one youâve been waiting for! Sir Dubois vs Sir Trein, two of the best swordsmen in their yearâs class!â
âHeâs said that about all the other competitors thoughâŚâSilver murmured.
Sebek scoffed,âHe probably got paid by their parents to say such things.â
âSilence, your guard duties do not require you to speak.âMaleanor ordered without bothering to turn her head away from the tournament. The third pair of the best swordsmen in their class were coming out onto the field.
âSir Diamond was born and raised in the city of Eterna!â A loud cheer from the crowd erupted before the announcer continued,"And he is fighting for the love of Lord Idia Shroud!â Another loud cheer began, and Malleus sighed as his pointed ears twitched. Couldnât the humans give some thought to the sensitive ears of the Arkinians?
âAnd he will be facing off against Sir Trein from the province of Anizotte! He is carrying the favor ofââthe announcer cut off and the crowd instantly began chattering, wondering just who would give a favor to a noble from such a lowly province.
âFolks, you are not going to believe this, but I have verified that our Sir Trein is carrying a handkerchief from none other than Prince Malleus himself!â
The crowd went dead silent. Malleus blinked a few times then pinched himself. Nope, he was definitely awake. Oh no, he was awake, which meant he had to deal with this nonsense. And his mother.
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Yuu was going to kill his sister. Only once obviously, but she clearly deserved to come face to face with The Twins after pulling this stunt. He should have just kept Leonaâs favor; itâs not like anyone knew he was advocating for the abolishment of lots and Arkinian rule. But no, that could have come back to haunt not just him, but the entire Trein family. He would just have to deal with the consequences for âhavingâ Malleusâ favor after the tournament.
Yuu took a deep breath and raised his sword, inviting his classmate to finally begin the duel. He would not let this drama prevent him from achieving victory. That scholarship would ensure he graduated next semester with his law degree and a noble lot. His father could finally have help in legally providing for the family.
Sir Diamond seemed just as eager to move on though he was likely hoping to take the attention of the crowd for himself. He unsheathed his sword with a flourish and met Yuuâs blade.
It was an easy fight for Yuu. Sir Diamond was all flash and no substance like most people born into the noble lot. Yuu simply had to dodge a few clearly telegraphed swings and then feint and disarm his opponent. Frankly, the most impressive thing about Sir Diamond is that he did not attempt to cheat nor had he been rude to Yuu.
âThat is a win for Sir Trein! He moves on to the first bracket while Sir Diamond will have to be the victor of the second bracket to have a chance to participate in the final battle!â
Yuu smiled at the announcement. One fight down, hopefully only two more to win the tournament. Yuu bowed his head to Sir Diamond and offered his hand which he took. While he had not been the most skilled opponent he would face today, he was an honorable one and that was a rarity among the Imperial College students.
In fact, Yuu was quite certain that his next opponents would prove this assertion most correct.
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âWell, at least your human has not immediately lost to some flashy buffoon.â
âMother, he is not my human: I literally have no idea who he is or how he got a handkerchief of mine.â
âDarling, you know Iâm not going to judge you for having feelings for a human. Of course you couldnât marry him or have anything official, but thereâs nothing wrong with having fun. You know your father and I have a human we both care deeply forââ
âAnd I respect him very much, but this is not like that. Again, I have zero idea who Sir Trein is beyond what the announcer has stated.â Malleus did truly respect Lilia, after all he had tutored him just as much, if not more than his parents had, but he refused to hear about his elicit relations with his parents.
âMy son, I truly do just want you to be happy. I am aware your father and I are unable to be by your side as often as we should, so if youâve found a human who can stand by your side, unofficially, then I am happy. If you are okay with it, I would like to meet him, perhaps if he is impressive enough we could even sponsor him.â
Malleus stares at his mother. Evidently, she is not going to believe him no matter how many times he reiterates it. But if sheâs willing to become a patron for this human, that means the royal family would have to get together to evaluate and then potentially celebrate the new protege.
Malleus is snapped out of his thoughts by the announcer stating that the first bracket, made up of those who won their initial fights, will begin shortly. He sighs and settles back into his seat.
Silver pats his shoulder in solidarity before resuming his position behind him.
âDo not worry, my liege. We both believe that you would have better taste than this.âSebek risks whispering. Malleus just smiles.
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Yuu sighed as he strolled out into the arena for his next fight. He knew he would likely be facing his class rival, actually nemesis would be the better term, but he still had some hope the asshole would have been knocked into the loserâs bracket.
Unfortunately though, Ace Trappola was already in the center of field, working the crowd up into a frenzy. âKnow that I will vanquish this foe the same as I have done with all the others!â
Yuu raised an eyebrow,âYou mean the one person you disarmed before this? The known weakest competitor that you went against because your father paid off our professor?âHe can't help but taunt Ace; he has always been the most insufferable of his classmates with his constant comments about his familyâs inferiority.
Ace puffs up like an angry bird,âMy father did no such thing! Youâre just mad your father couldnât not do the same!â
Yuu snorted and raised his sword,âI have no need to pay for weak opponents. Care to prove the same, or would you rather continue to swing at me with the butter knife that is your wit?â
Ace immediately swung and met his blade, the swords clacking echoing throughout the arena. The crowd was absolutely devouring their rivalry with their cheers and calls for violence rising in volume by the minute.
Of course, this worked in Yuu's favor as his comments had clearly gotten to Ace and he was allowing his anger to duel for him instead of his brain. This would go how duels between them always went.
Yuu sidestepped another swing,âAre you done yet? Ready to do this properly?â
Ace responded with another swing which Yuu blocked,âYou know, we do this every time. You should have really learned by now, but I suppose money canât buy you a working brain.âhe said breezily as he easily parried another swing, disarming Ace and winning the duel.
âThatâs another victory for Sir Trein! Prince Malleusâ favor must be quite the motivation for our young noble here!â
Ace glared at Yuu while he just smiled and sheathed his sword. He did not offer a hand to Ace. He wouldnât have taken it anyway.
âAs you know folks, the winner of the first bracket goes up against the winner of the second bracket to determine the final victor of the entire tournament!â
Yuu is still unsure why someone who lost their first round is allowed to potentially win the entire tournament. Perhaps the crowd just loves an underdog.
âAnd here is our second bracket winner, Sir Leech! He has created quite a stir in the second bracket by taking a life from both of his opponents!â
Yuu frowned. While technically not against the rules, it was quite a large faux pax to inflict a lesser death in a formal tournament like this. His frown only grew when the aspiring noble stepped out onto the field. He was clearly half Arkinian with his pale skin being littered with blue patches which meant heâd be faster and stronger than him by his very nature.
Yuu steeled himself and held up his blade. He needed to win, and he would not let his physical inferiority get in the way. Interestingly, the crowd seemed to be on his side as they cheered at his determined nature.
Sir Leech frowned and raised his sword to meet him. Before the announcer could even finish his countdown, he swung straight for his sword arm. Yuu hissed as pain struck through his left arm, but he kept his grip on his sword. The half Arkinian immediately swung again, but fortunately Yuu managed to duck out of the way.
Sir Leech truly was going for blood rather than a mere disarm. Yuu leapt back to put space between them and he lunged after him like a starving predator. He needed a plan. He needed to win, and he would love to avoid dying his second lesser death before he reached the age of 25.
Perhaps honor could be set aside in such trying times. Yuu stuck out his foot on Sir Leechâs next lunge and grinned when he tripped and fell forward. He quickly brought the hilt of his sword down on his back and the half Arkinian fell down, dropping his blade.
âAnd thatâs it folks! Your champion for this year is Sir Yuu Trein! He has earned a fully paid semester, and perhaps more importantly won in the name of our Prince Malleus!â
Yuu rolled his eyes, but played along with the crowd and bowed deeply while facing the direction of the Royal section.
After a bit of well earned showboating, Yuu headed back into the arena to clean up a bit before meeting the Royal family to receive his reward. He was sure the Arkinians would rather see a cleaned up human rather than a dirt covered, bloodstained one, and he would need to avoid a bad impression as much as possible considering the favor nonsense.
However, as Yuu walked back into the room where he left his possessions, he was suddenly grabbed and pushed up against the wall.
âWhat the fuââYuuâs voice cut out when he saw who just manhandled him. It was the Arkinian prince.
âI need you to answer some questions for me.âMalleus asked, calm even though he was pinning someone to the wall. With one hand. Yuu knew Arkinians were strong, but that was impressive even among their own kind.
âDo you need to pin me to the wall to do that?âhe asked, smiling weakly.
Malleus blinked as if that hadnât occurred to him as an option,âAre you going to run away?â
âYour highness, youâre the one with all the power in this situation, even if I ran away you could find me.â
Malleus nodded and lowered his hand, but stepped closer to ensure Yuu couldnât leave without having to squeeze past the prince,âI did not give you a favor. Where did you get it?â
âMy sister found a handkerchief in the trash, and gave it to me because I no longer had the favor needed to participate in the tournament.â
Malleus tilted his head and frowned. Yuu tensed, and tried to back further back into the wall.
âI am not upset with you yet. I am merely annoyed at my familyâs servant throwing away a handkerchief instead of keeping it to wash.âthe prince quickly reassured him,âSo you had no intentions with or toward me specifically?â
Yuu couldnât help but laugh,âNo, your highness. I hate to disappoint you, butââ
Malleus put a hand over his mouth,âHush, I have a proposal for you.â
Yuu furrowed his brow. What on earth could the prince want with him?
âMy mother is considering sponsoring you on account of you being my⌠companion. If you are approved, you would be paid a handsome monthly stipend.âMalleus looked at him as if respecting him to respond with a hand over his month. Yuu supposed he could just nod and accept this deal that was so far entirely in his favor, but he knew better than that. So he invoked his little sister and licked the princeâs hand.
Malleus pulled his hand back in disgust,âWhat is wrong with you?â
âYou literally werenât letting me speak, and I need to knowâ whatâs in this for you? You donât seem the type to want a lover, human or otherwise.â
Malleusâ eyes went distant,âWhat I get out of this is none of your business, just know I would be⌠grateful for your cooperation.â Malleus held out his hand, clearly intending Yuu to shake it.
The Twins must have vacated their pillar because there was no way an Arkinian expressed gratitude towards a human. Preemptive gratitude even!
Yuu stared at the princeâs outstretched lapis colored hand. This could be huge for his family. He would not only finish school and be able to practice law like his father, but he would already have a connection to an Arkinian. Those connections opened so many doors even when they were a less important Arkinian; Yuu couldnât begin to imagine what a royal connection would do.
There really wasnât any other option. Yuu took Malleusâ hand and firmly shook it.
