Page 54 of Awakened On Her Royal Wedding Night
Felipe had no doubt that was how it looked to outsiders, but Felipe had Claudine within him. She filled him with strength. With power. Withwill. With a force greater than all of those things combined.
“Are you saying there are no rules atall?” the Queen cried.
“Even if there were, my dear brother would never play by them,” Felipe said. No, he would have to be on guard against every type of underhanded cheating. “Prepare to lose one of your sons today, Mamma.”
“You want everyone to believe you are better than me,” Francois complained. “The fact is, you won’t do what it takes to get the better of me. You’reweak. That’s why I deserve to be king and you do not.”
“That’s where you’re wrong,” Felipe assured him. “Exercising scruples isn’t the same as being bound by them. But continue to underestimate me. That works to my advantage.”
They each held out their swords and took up theen gardeposition, creeping forward until their swords began to engage.
For a few moments, they tested each other, barely moving beyond the flick of their blades in a very subtle parry and riposte, each trying to duck around the other’s weapon. Each trying to make the other think he would attack from one side, only to quickly move to the other.
Felipe watched Francois as closely as he watched the movement of his sword, judging his reaction time, his level of arrogance. Felipe’s contempt for Francois did not mean he failed to see him as dangerous. Quite the opposite. Despite a profligate lifestyle, Francois’s reflexes were sharp. He wanted this. He relished the chance to finally take Felipe down. Felipe had no doubt his brother would run him through, given a split second of lost focus.
What Francois didn’t believe was that Felipe would do the same, if he had to.
Felipe tapped a little harder on Francois’s blade. His twin reacted in a feint that Felipe countered, but he was equally ready for Francois to turn it into a genuine attack from another angle—which he did.
Felipe swung his blade in a swift arc to parry Francois. The clash of steel rang across the courtyard, making the Queen’s gasp nearly inaudible.
They were closer now, moving like waltzing partners, holding the distance between them, each with one arm protectively tucked behind his back while they shifted their weight backward and forward in their lunge.
The clip and scrape of theirschiavonas’steel became a steady, uneven clatter.
This was a warm-up as they both moved with increasing speed, each attempting to surprise the other with a thrust and throwing up a defense, then swooping into a fresh attack.
“You realize, don’t you...” Francois was trying to sound lazy and unbothered, but they were both beginning to sweat from the exertion. “Thatyoucalledmeout. If I kill you, it’s self-defense.”
“You still won’t have the throne, though. Claudine is pregnant.” His declaration did what Felipe had hoped it would.
Francois faltered just enough for Felipe to catch him off guard. He thrust, slicing through Francois’s trousers and into his thigh.
It would have gone deeper, but Francois swung his blade down to deflect the worst of it and quickly parried Felipe’s follow-up thrust.
For a few moments, they clacked and clattered their swords, using more force now. They advanced and retreated, circling, each rattling his blade against the other’s once again as they searched for an opening, keeping their movements small to conserve energy.
“After you’re dead, I’ll marry her and raise your—”
Felipe had been waiting for that threat. He feinted a lunge as though reacting with emotion. He allowed Francois to block it, then used the force of the parry to swing up his blade and swipe the tip of his blade across Francois’s chin.
Francois jerked his head back, then lunged in the next second, aiming for Felipe’s shoulder. He grazed Felipe’s upper arm, but Felipe pivoted a quarter turn, sidestepping the worst of it, then used this new angle to take advantage of Francois’s position. His sliced a line across Francois’s waist even as his brother took another jab at him.
There was a shout of anguish from the Queen.
Blood was dripping from his brother’s thigh and chin. Felipe was distantly aware of various burns and stings on his own body, particularly his upper arm. He didn’t pause or show any mercy, however. He was utterly focused on the fear edging into his brother’s eyes.
Francois began to hack with more panic than skill. The noise of their blades clanged unrelentingly in Felipe’s ear as he grimly fought Francois off. He took no comfort in his brother’s desperation. It made Francois all the more unpredictable and dangerous.
There were no rules. This was a fight to the death.
They were close enough, and the blades sharp enough, that they were both picking up nicks and cuts. And they were both moving fast enough, with enough force, that they were equally winded.
“Surrender,” Felipe commanded.
“Nev—” Francois roared a curse as Felipe scored another line against his brother’s arm.
Felipe had him on the defensive. He kept advancing, pushing him backward.
