The Crown's Entrapment

Darius held his breath when he watched his wife square off against Pinra. While he had absolute trust in her and her fighting abilities, he still couldn't help but feel anxious about her status, especially when Pinra had proven herself to be far more tenacious than they could've ever expected.

'How did she even think of such a move?' he inwardly grumbled as he ground his teeth. 'She should've gone down right then and there.'

[Can you even fault her? That woman looks like she's fighting for her life,] Zeus remarked. [It's only good that Xen is a formidable fighter in her own right. That, and the fact that she can adapt to these unorthodox moves that Pinra is throwing at her is really keeping her in the fight.]

Darius couldn't help but agree. Even as he watched the woman flip and grind her claws against his wife's sword, he had to give credit where credit was due. Pinra was showing off attacks that they haven't seen from her in previous battles. They were all fresh and unpredictable, further putting her in the lead even as she now had her hand stuck in the dirt.

"Woah! Look at them go!" the announcer called out through the crowd. "What a wonderful move from Lady Pinra!"

Darius's eyes widened in alarm as he saw Pinra wrap her legs around Xen's neck. His heart skipped a beat as each second felt like forever, his wife fighting desperately to get her opponent off of her.

[She can't breathe,] Darius worriedly noted. [She won't be able to think straight!]

[Don't even think about it,] Zeus admonished him, his wolf's own worry overshadowed by its cold tone. [You promised you won't intervene. We should trust that she can handle this.]

That really did little to assuage his nerves. Still, Darius held his tongue as he watched Xen work through the hold Pinra had on her. And it was only when he heard the crowd's roaring cheer that he noticed that Xen was planning something.

"What's this?! An improvised attack?!"

The announcer hyped up the action as Xen promptly slammed Pinra's back onto the ground, using her own body for momentum as the two of them landed on the ground with a thud. Thankfully, Pinra's own body shielded Xen's head from the worst of the blow, allowing his wife to quickly stand up and pick up her dropped sword.

[I told you I have things under control,] Xen smirked at him through their Bond. [She's just tougher than the rest, but I've fought worse.]

Darius shook his head in relief. [And what happened in keeping the Bond clear from any noise?]

[Just making sure that you won't interfere,] Xen scoffed. [Now if you'll excuse me...]

Once more, the Bond fell silent, leaving Darius to only rely on his sight as he watched the battle unfold. The fight was very close between them, but he was sure that his Xen would come out on top.

'You can do this, Xen... I believe in you...'

*****

Back down in the arena, Xenia felt the rumblings of the roaring crowd above her. She couldn't really understand what was being said from the sound of her heart beating in her ears, but she could only assume that they were all having a great time watching them fight.

Also, she was pretty sure that Pinra had just tried to kill her just now with that headlock from earlier.

'I should be more careful,' she inwardly muttered to herself in reminder. 'I can't get caught off guard like that again.'

Her grip on her sword tightened, and Xenia resolved herself to finish this fight right then and there. The time for feeling things out was over. If she wanted to win, she had to take this woman by surprise.

"Still scared of ending things, I see," Pinra mocked her as she stood up, her hands starting to crackle with the dark magic that Jayra had warned her about. "Very well. Let me end it for you."

*KRAKATHOOM!*

With the loud sound of a thunderclap, dark lightning erupted from Pinra's fingers. Xenia quickly sidestepped from the attack, but Pinra's other hand had already begun firing off another bolt.

"NGGH!!"

Xenia gritted her teeth as she once more felt the power of the skies surging through her body. This time, however, her armor helped her along as the pain slowly dissipated along with the attack. A second later, she broke free from the lightning, her breaths coming in hard as she pointed her sword at her opponent.

"W-What the- How?!"

Xenia couldn't help but smirk at Pinra's confused expression. She might've said that talking was a sin, but she had to give herself something entertaining as she chuckled. "I had some help from a friend of mine. Though I'm sure you don't have one of those anyway."

Pinra growled and screamed, her words clearly angering the woman as Xenia prepared herself for the finishing blow. With her opponent confused and emotional, even a well-placed slash would finish this battle.

"D-Damn you!"

*SLASH!*

And just like that, Xenia knew it was over.

With her sword's edge dripping with blood, the princess heard Pinra's body falling onto the ground. She knew that she had struck deep, but she made sure not to kill the woman off.

"N-No... Not yet..."

Xenia walked towards her downed opponent. Pinra was picking herself off the ground, her one hand clutching her open stomach even as she glared at her. Pointing her sword's tip at her opponent's neck, Xenia asked the question.

"Do you yield?"

***

The crowd went wild at the sudden turn of events. It would seem that the Princess would truly be the one to win it all. Even when prior events leading up to the victory had them all on the edge of their seat, it all still felt calculated by the end of it.

"I knew she could do it!"

"Obviously, she was just waiting for the right opportunity!"

Every Cordonian watched with bated breath as the princess obviously asked Lady Pinra to yield, and it would seem that the latter indeed gave up when the Princess turned around with a relaxed expression.

However, Lady Pinra clearly had other plans as lightning visibly crackled on her free hand.

"No!"

"Watch out, Princess!"

"Xen!"

All of the princess's supporters cried out to their chosen Queen as Pinra's cowardly attack flew through the air. Some even heard King Darius shouting out to her, hoping that his words would reach her in time.

But just before the streak of lightning struck the princess right on her back, something amazing happened. A flash of light erupted from their future Queen's back, and a pair of snow white wings suddenly materialized from the princess's shoulder blades.

All stood silent as Pinra's lightning collided ineffectively with the wall of pure white feathers. The arena sat still for some sort of explanation...

And then, the cheers came bursting forth.