Thirty-five

The king led me to a large arena, where a crowd of elves was waiting. They booed and hissed as they saw me. They didn't like me. They hated me. They wanted me to fail, to die, to lose.

The king raised his hand, and silenced them. He pointed at a tall elf, who stepped forward. He had green hair, brown eyes, and a stern face. He looked like he was born with a sword in his hand. He was probably the king's second favorite. He bowed to the king, and then to me.

"I am Erestor, the champion of the elven swordsmen. I accept your challenge, demon. May the best one win," he said.

He sounded serious and boring. 

I bowed back.

"I am Aaliyah, I accept your challenge, elf. May the best one win," I said,I sounded casual.

The king signaled the start of the contest. Erestor went first. He took a sword from a rack, and swung it around. It was a long and thin blade, with a silver hilt and a blue gem. It looked elegant and graceful, like an extension of his arm. It was a good sword, but I was used to better with my magic. I was confident I could beat anyone in this contest.

Erestor approached me, and saluted. He assumed a fighting stance, and said.

"Prepare yourself, demon. I will show you the true art of swordsmanship. The art of finesse, of precision, of harmony. The art of the elves. Watch and admire," he said.

He attacked me, with a series of swift and smooth strokes. He aimed at my head, my chest, my arms, my legs. He tried to cut me, to stab me, to slash me. He was fast, he was skilled and he was graceful. But he was predictable nothing compared to Lila.

I dodged his attacks, with a series of quick and agile moves. I avoided his blade, by inches, by centimeters, by millimeters. I was faster, I was smarter, I was more flexible. and I getting was bored.

I waited for an opening, and then I struck. I grabbed his sword, and twisted it out of his hand. I threw it away, and kicked him in the chest. He fell to the ground, and gasped. I had disarmed him, and defeated him.

The crowd gasped, and murmured. I smiled, and shrugged. I had won the contest.

The king looked amazed, but not impressed. He raised his hand. Can't he stop doing that .

"Enough. You have won, demon. You have beaten Erestor, the champion of the elven swordsmen. You have shown your skill with the sword. You have passed the second test. But you have not earned my respect, or my trust. You still have one more test to face, before you can claim your prize. And it will be harder, much harder, than this one. Are you ready?" he said.

Doesn't this king know anything other than what that, it's the second time. 

I nodded, and picked up the sword. I had won the second test, but I knew it was not over. I can't wait for this to be over so I can finally get back into bed, and I don't even want their princess.

""For the last test you can't hurry, I can't stand being here with you pretentious elves any longer." I said starting to get bored of this.

The king cleared his throat and silenced them. He pointed at a short elf, who stepped forward. He had brown hair, hazel eyes, and a nervous face. . He was probably the king's third favorite. He bowed to the king, and then to me.

"I am Feren, the champion of the elven hunters. I accept your challenge, demon. May the best one win," he said.

He sounded scared. He sounded timid. He sounded pathetic. He was wrong.

I bowed back, 

" I accept your challenge, elf. May the best one win," I said.

The king signaled the start of the contest. Feren went first. He took a knife from his belt, and ran into the forest. He was followed by a dozen wolves, who chased him. He screamed and shouted, as he tried to stab them. He was a good hunter, but I was used to better with my magic. I was confident I could beat anyone in this contest.

Feren returned after twenty minutes, covered in blood and dirt. He had killed two wolves, and wounded several others. He looked exhausted . He had scored two points.

It was my turn. I took a knife from his belt, and walked into the forest. I was followed by a dozen wolves, who stalked me. I smiled and whistled, as I prepared to kill them. I had a natural talent for hunting, and I had honed it with years of practice. I was faster, stronger, and more ruthless. I was excited.

I returned after twenty minutes, covered in blood and fur. I had killed twenty wolves, and skinned them. I looked satisfied and proud. I had scored twenty points.

The king looked horrified, but not impressed. He raised his hand, and said.

"Enough. You have won, demon. You have beaten Feren, the champion of the elven hunters. You have shown your skill with the knife. You have passed the final test. But you have not earned my respect, or my trust. You have only earned your prize. And it is a surprising one. You have won the hand of my daughter, the princess of the elves. She is the most beautiful, the most wise, the most noble of our kind. She is your reward, for your bravery, your skill, your cunning. Are you happy?" he said.

"No, I don't want to marry your daughter," I said, sighing.

All I want now is to go home to sleep, not a princess, and there's already Zara and Lydia, so that's more than enough princesses for me to deal with. 

The king seemed surprised by my decision, then approached me before getting down on his knees to beg. 

"Please, at least if you're not going to marry my daughter, become our knight in shining armour, you're far too powerful to let you go," he said, holding my leg, and I kicked him away from me. 

"No thank you, well it was great but goodbye " I said before running as fast as I could, using my magic to move even faster. 

It would be impossible for me to stay any longer in this forest, which only got me into trouble, and once I was far enough away Julie joined me. 

"Let's get out of here, I don't want to stay here any longer" I said and Julie only replied with a nod before we finally got out of this fucking forest.