The Magnificient Stories

- Love. The flame in the cup sparkled, shimmering with all the shades of blue, blazing red for a second and returning to its usual color, so that after a second to catch fire again in scarlet. Turned to sky blue, the fire finally went out, and Shaw, squeezing his rosary in his hands, bowed his head slightly before the river king. - Congratulations, Your Majesty, you have won. The audience was applauded by the King of the Central Lands, who rose from his throne, but King Stephen did not seem to have heard or seen anything...

- Power can be lost and taken away, Your Majesty," the advisor said quietly and discreetly. - Perhaps, you are not familiar with this, hence the wrong answer. Only two participants remained - and the next was the king of the Fiery Lands, so that all the rest of them became more attentive in several times, because Wilson already had one victory at the tournament. Prince Charles smiled shyly and fleetingly at him when he passed the first riddle to the fiery king Sebastian, and the advisor was dissatisfied...

But he looked too much at Prince Charles's scarlet lips, so soft and probably as sweet as the girl you were kissing for the first time... That's what the highlander was thinking, answering immediately, but also immediately realizing that he was wrong, because a deadly kiss was a kiss with poison, and in these riddles the answer was hidden as much as possible on the surface. Indeed, the flame in the cup flashed red, and Prince Eric couldn't help but laugh, bowing his head sideways and leaning his knuckles against his cheekbones...

Sebastian bypassed him and stopped in front of the northerner, who was looking at the advisor carefully and coldly, it seems that only two people in this room could make his gaze light up - one of them immeasurably longing to possess, and the other - a fierce jealousy, which instantly captured the whole being of Prince Eric. Without waiting to be reminded, the heir to the Central Lands hit the cup seven times, Shaw, getting a piece of paper from the hands of the prince, read the riddle immediately...

This time the western king did not answer immediately, carefully looking at the parchment in the hands of the advisor, as if he could tell the answer. One of the last rays of the daylight walked easily through the rubies on the cup, and then slid onto the stone in the brooches of King Anthony, immediately disappearing, as if lost there. Stark slowly turned his gaze from the sheet to the mystery man, bowing his head a little. - Is it the sun? A momentary and hard silence. Breathe in. Exhale. - That's right...

The King and the Prince of the Central Lands took their seats on the thrones, but Charles did not sit for long: as soon as the last participant of the Tournament fell into the chair, the young man was on his feet to better see what was happening. Sebastian smiled with a corner of his lips, turning to his prince. - Your Highness, would you help us to begin the trial? Everyone was waiting for a signal to start, but Shaw was just walking around the cup, looking at the participants in such a way that...

- All right, don't worry, - the king laughed and got back his good spirits. - Well, let's consider that it added intrigue to the tournament. Well, - he looked at his advisor thoughtfully, - are you ready, Sebastian? - Tomorrow is a day of rest, - Shaw bowed his head in agreement. - And then we will start at sunset. Charles accompanied his father and Sebastian with a thoughtful glance, immediately feeling a glass of water on the window sill. Hank was watching with anxiety and attention. - What? What? - You're very pale, - McCoy even frowned...

The grandstands were quiet, Shaw's advisor waving a scarf at the King of the Central Lands, handing him sniffing salts, and Prince Charles stood up for production. Frasier looked back but realized that he would have to participate in this madness, so that he also gathered with thoughts, smiling at himself in advance of the coming victory. Maybe he'll be able to hold that arrogant man to himself for a second... The signal to the beginning of the fight was given - and Prince Jamie barely managed to dodge the first blow...

And yet Strange silently took his sword to cross it with his opponent's two swords one minute later on the signal to start the fight. The king of the Riverlands skillfully managed his cloak, deftly confusing his opponent, preventing him from catching himself for at least one blow. Wilson, like his opponent, was terribly calm, unlike the southern king, he wasn't angry when he couldn't do something, but rather analyzed it - and eventually one of the moments of fake encounter with King Stephen picked up a cord holding his cloak, easily cutting it with a razor-sharp blade...

- For Your Highness, - the king of the Southern lands stuck a knife in the ground and bowed a little bit in bowing, turning in the royal box. He was able to straighten up at the right moment and catch the young prince's gaze in admiration. Yes, Xavier couldn't help but notice how quickly the Southerner had removed his weapon just as it was no longer necessary. A trait of a noble heart, it could not be overlooked, it was simply impossible. And King James felt the warmth of that gaze inside him, how...

The crown with sapphires sparkled in the sun, perfectly attached to the prince's short but still beautiful hair, the young Xavier once again pouting at the whole world, because his idea to replace the guns with something safer shallower at once. And even for the day ahead, the participants did not agree to move the test forward, although Prince Charles saw the northerner's neck hurt again, and King Stephen almost fell off his feet at the end of the day. And the conditions... After all, the winner...

In a row in an upright position were the swords of Prince Jamie, Prince Eric, King Stephen and King Anthony, fixed to the Ephesus, which could compete in elegance and beauty, but were supposed to serve as a weapon of battle, followed by a huge hunting knife, more like a sword, sharp and deadly - it belonged to King James; the sword was also there: Curved, with a richly decorated hilt, King Noor probably had it perfectly; finally, the last two thin swords of King Wade hung, it seems that their flat...