The Third Trial, and an Uprising

"Goodmorning Prince Elyse, time to wake up." Elyse opened his eyes to see a sneering Lophen above him accompanied by a number of the castle guards. He was surprised to find himself wearing his armor and completely healed. He must have been dressed up and healed while passed out. To his dismay, his arms were now bound in chains while an iron ball was attached to both his ankles, making sure he won't escape.

"I'll make you pay once I get out of these chains." Rage burned inside Elyse. They've made a mistake by healing him. He just needed to look for the perfect timing to escape.

"I suggest you don't bother making me pay. My assassins will watch your every move. If anything happens to me or the king, or if you displease me even one bit, then every one of your friends will die especially…what's her name again? Ah, yes, Alea." Elyse struggled at the mention of Alea's name, using every inch of his strength to break free of his chains just so he can punch Lophen in the face.

The thief prince laughed as Elyse struggled. "Good. It's good that we understand each other. Now, I suggest you make a fine performance in your final day as the prince of Crusdea." Performance? He then remembered King Deanor's words as to him dying a prince today.

To Elyse's surprise, he was escorted out of the castle and towards the direction the river of Wesdirec. They were just a few meters outside Noir's walls when he saw it, the old coliseum. It was here where jousting tournaments were held. However, upon King Deanor's ascension to the throne, the coliseum was abandoned.

The walls of the structure reminded him of the walls of the capital, thick and made purely out of stone with six watch towers evenly spread out along its sides. It has a large opening at the top, and with snow blanketing it, it gave the impression of an egg whose top portion had been broken by a spoon. But why were they going towards it?

An arena. The whole thing was an arena, and he will be fighting in it. Looking around, Elyse saw the other princes joined their group. The princes wore a blank expression on their faces, not seemingly bothered by the fact that their fellow prince was bound in chains and heavily guarded.

"You know, until now I still haven't figured out why the true Obedience potion didn't work on you while its less potent form definitely took hold of you when you were captured. Oh well, just take your secrets to the grave while me and my comrades here have fun mutilating you later." Lophen laughed out loud at the thought. So, the other princes were put under a spell by a thing called the Obedience potion. But when? And how? And if what Lophen said was true, why didn't if affected him? Elyse's mind was full of such thoughts and more.

A few meters before a huge entrance, one of many lining the arena's walls, Elyse was released, his sword and shield returned to him. "Now, now, behave yourself, ok? Unless you want to see Alea's head rolling towards you like an overripe fruit that fell from the tree." Lophen snorted and made a laugh that sounded like a hyena's. The thief prince was clearly enjoying himself torturing him. Elyse can only bite his lip until it bled as he restrained himself from plunging his blade right at that very moment on the prince's chest.

"Enter the arena when you heard the sound of a horn. Me and my…new friends will be waiting for you. See you!" Lophen mockingly bade goodbye to Elyse while more guards stood by his side, making sure he does what he was told. Within the next few hours, he heard the sound of feet rushing into the arena, hundreds of feet. The reality suddenly dawned on him. Today was the third trial and today he would also be executed publicly.

Auria hesitantly walked towards the raised platform made for the king and her. She was still trying to resist the effects of the potion. However, her efforts were to no avail as she found that it had affected even her speech. She can only speak when Lophen or her father spoke to her. She only managed to give a fearful and tearful glance at Silvia who came back for her last night. She felt her heart sank as she saw her friend run away after the guards found her loitering near her room. Silvia had been casted out of the castle. Thankfully, Thenan was able to deny his involvement with Auria's affairs. But as a precaution, Silvia's lover had been stripped of his rank as the commander of the knights of Threanas.

"What's the matter princess? Cat got your tongue? I thought you said you were going to send me tumbling back with your blade." Barthos mocked Auria as he and his friends escorted her towards the platform. Run. Fight back. Just do anything. The thoughts continued to fill her mind. Sadly, with each thought, Auria felt more and more sick, like she wanted to throw up but couldn't. It felt like she was her body's spectator. She can only watch in horror as her legs involuntarily walked nearer and nearer to the front of the arena. Today was the third trial and today she would choose whom she will marry.

"Ah, Auria. It's good that you've finally come to your senses. That Lyrus was simply no good for you." King Deanor acted like nothing was wrong with his daughter, like he was not forcing his own will against her. Auria clenched her fist. She knew that merely thinking of punching her father would send her into another bout of nausea.

"Ye-yes…You're right. I should have just listened to you from the very beginning." There was no urge to vomit. Looks like as long as what she says or do agrees with her father's the potion would not take effect.

The coliseum was packed with people. Nobles and commoners alike, not just from Noir but from other provinces, and neighboring kingdoms were present as well. It was a momentous event after all since any prince Auria would marry will surely mean an allegiance or even a merger of Threanas with another kingdom. In the eyes of everyone, no one loses, while in the eyes of Auria, whatever happens, her father's corruption and greed wins.

"Thank you everyone for coming here today! For the last few months it had been my great honor and pleasure to have hosted five princes of the five great kingdoms of Elderone. But today…today we shall find out who among the five is deserving of my daughter's hand in marriage. I know that this year's winter had been harsh, but I hope that with today's third and final trial, a spark of excitement shall ignite your hearts. Thank you once again…and let us begin!" A horn sounded from afar as thunderous clapping and cheering filled the arena. Five stone gates swung opened and out came the five princes. To Auria's shock, she saw Elyse, the prince of Crusdea stepped into the arena with a solemn face. Why did he come? He said he was backing out of the competition.

"Tell everyone to get ready. I already have my men at the horn. Once the horn is sounded, we start with our plan." Thenan garbed in a commoner's cloak whispered to Freid. The young knight looked around him as people entered the arena. Freid saw a lot of familiar faces, their brothers in arms who were similarly dressed like them, casually spreading themselves across the arena. He also heard wheels rolling outside, wagons filled with weapons concealed among crates of food and other merchandise, which the merchants will use to form a barricade around the place while at the same time providing further reinforcement if needed. The others, maids, mages, archers, and knights are to blend in, they would provide the commotion and confusion needed to divert the king's attention and allow him and Thenan to rescue the princess and Lyrus.

"Oh no…Freid, look." Freid's eyes widened upon seeing Lyrus transformed as Elyse enter the arena. Just what is his bestfriend doing? Is he under a spell? Freid wanted to try and attract Lyrus' attention but he knew that it's better to wait for the opportune time rather than risk it all with a foolish move.

"Let me and Silvia take care of princess Auria's rescue. You should focus on helping Lyrus," Thenan ordered as he passed infront of Freid, planning to get as close as possible to the platform without being noticed. Freid on the other hand, waited in bated breath as the sound of a horn was heard, signaling the start of the third trial.

Elyse prepared himself upon hearing the horn. Lophen snapped his fingers, then dropped two clay jars. Thick black smoke filled the combat area, making it difficult for Elyse to see. It's alright, the smoke shall afford cover for him and will prevent the others from ganging up on him. To his surprise, however, arrows started raining on him, prompting him to raise his shield. Just he did so, a stream of fire suddenly appeared from his left which he luckily dodged. He ran to one of the stone entrances hoping to escape. The door was closed. Looking for another way out, another set of arrows flew towards him. How did they know where he was?

Elyse looked up to see a glittering crystal ball hovering above him. Althas was using the same spell the mages cast to view the princes during the trials. He tried to guess the position of the mage prince as he continued to dodge the arrows coming at him. As another one went pass his back, Elyse heard a loud explosion and was suddenly thrown a few meters. He grimaced in pain as he felt his armor hit his body forcefully. As he stood up, however, a large spiky tail suddenly came into his view. Elyse raised his shield just in time but the blow threw him a few meters above the smoke. This allowed him to momentarily see the positions of the other princes across the battlefield as somehow the smoke surrounding them are thinner.

Landing on his back once more, Elyse started discarding some of his armor to give him more speed and to prevent it from further hindering his movement. Woven or not, the armor still sustained large dents from the assault. He hurriedly ran as he sensed Asche, with this giant dragon tail, walking towards him.

"Where do you think you're going, huh, Prince Elyse?!" Lophen cackled as the prince started stabbing and exchanging strikes with Elyse. Fortunately, Elyse's shield was able to block most of the attacks. But as he did so, he felt a sudden stinging pain on his shoulder, where a bloodied arrow was stuck. The smoke had started to thin, and with that Lophen retreated away from Elyse, as another exploding jar landed below his feet, sending him crashing to the far side of the arena.

Two glass flasks containing a green wispy liquid was thrown at Elyse. Seconds later, he felt a burning sensation as the green smoke ate away at what's left of his armor, blade, and shield. He quickly discarded everything he's wearing and carrying, and ran away from the acidic gas. As the black smoke cleared, the various bruises, gashes, and burns he sustained showed themselves. He saw the other princes on the opposite side, wearing blank expressions, slowly walking towards him.

Why are they ganging up on Elyse? The sight before her bothered Auria. Something didn't feel right. In fact, seeing the prince of Crusdea terribly injured seemed to tug at her heart, saddening her greatly.

"Father, what is the…meaning…of this?" The urge to vomit had returned. Something about her question was considered as disobedience. Auria struggled not to collapse as the pain and nausea lasted for a few more seconds. Her father, on the other hand, seemed to merely watch in gleeful anticipation. It was as if he was expecting the other princes to work together and kill Elyse. Wait. If all the princes had drank the obedience potion then why are they trying to end the knight prince's life? The thought made the effects of the potion return. Just who is Elyse for her father to go such lengths to ensure he dies?

To Auria's and the crowd's surprise, the prince known as Elyse started to change appearance before them. Auria's eyes widened as the familiar black unkempt hair and well-shaped arms of a man came into view. A few seconds later, the prince of Crusdea was no more, and standing in his place was the peasant known as Lyrus.

Elyse is Lyrus! Tears began forming in Auria's eyes as she saw the man she loves badly injured. That's why her father wants Elyse dead, it's because Elyse and Lyrus are the same person. She wanted to shout. She wanted to tell her father to stop, to tell Lyrus that she is Alea…that she loves him but the potion's effect just got stronger with each thought. She found herself unable to speak or even move as she watch the other princes moving in for the kill. She was about to see the man she loves die before her very eyes.

Evelar. Auria suddenly remembered the spell Edrana taught her. Evelar. Her memories with Lyrus came flooding into her mind, slowly easing the potion's effect. Evelar. She remembered how they first met, the bracelet he gave her, their first kiss. Evelar. She repeated the word in her mind once more and found the pain and nausea going away. Evelar! She screamed deep into the recesses of her consciousness.

"Lyrus!" Auria shouted and Lyrus turned his head at her direction while a familiar sensation overwhelmed her body and a moment later she was back to being Alea.

Alea saw the shocked expression of Lyrus. Not being able to hold back anymore, she shouted, "Lyrus! I am Alea! I-I love you! Please…please rescue me!" Tears fell as she pleaded to the man she loves for help. However, before she can even continue, her father had grabbed her arm.

"Take her away!" Deanor commanded to Barthos and the others as a loud sound from the horn was heard.

"Down with Deanor!" Numerous chants echoed within the arena, the sound seemingly coming from everywhere. This was followed by explosions outside. Within a few minutes, the whole place descended into chaos as fights broke out in various places. The rebellion had started.

"Let me go!" Alea kicked Barthos by the groin as the golden-haired knight tried to drag her away. Her father already went ahead of them as chaos engulfed the arena. Alea quickly pulled out Barthos' sword from its sheathe and using the pommel, knocked out his two friends.

"Oh wait, I forgot." With a powerful blow to the side of the face, Alea put the arrogant knight into sleep.

"That's for mocking me and Lyrus." Alea looked into the arena and saw Lyrus standing, waiting for the princes' move. Go. Lyrus looked at her with determined eyes. The man knew what she needed to do. With a nod, Alea left the platform to chase her father.

"You! You always ruin my plan!" Lophen finally snapped, his face contorted into a terrifying expression. With a wave of his hand, the princes continued to walk closer towards Lyrus. Lyrus looked at Alea and silently apologized since he won't be able to help her especially with his situation. He felt his heart skip a beat when Alea nodded in agreement. A deeper connection seemingly had formed between them upon discovering each other's identity.

"Lyrus! Catch!" It was Erne. The merchant threw a rucksack to Lyrus, his rucksack. He opened the bag and took a quick look at its contents. He can't help but smile after seeing what was inside it. Looks like his situation wasn't that hopeless at all. It's time for him to fight back.

"Hey, Lophen…catch!" He threw a vial at the feet of the thief prince which quickly broke. Smoke once more filled the arena. It was a smoke bomb. Erne had tons of the stuff since he uses it to escape thieves ambushing his wagon. He then hurriedly put on the gauntlets, Karos' dragon gauntlets, while Lophen screamed angrily at Lyrus for using his own trick against him.

"Asche!" The dragon prince transformed and within a blink of an eye swooped down on Lyrus. Without a minute to waste, he slung his rucksack on his shoulder and dodged. He held at the beast's tail on the last minute as Asche took flight. He felt his stomach turned as the dragon tried to shake him off. With every inch of his strength, Lyrus tried to hold on and climbed the dragon's back.

A few more minutes of flying and he was able clamber up the beast's back. Lyrus held his hands together and using all his strength, brought them down on the base of Asche's neck. The force of the blow was seemingly amplified by the dragon gauntlets, knocking out the dragon prince midflight. The two crashed a few meters before the combat area.

However, before Lyrus can even fully stand up, a slew of arrows rained on him. It was Frecia. The skilled marksman took aim at him and shot five arrows at once which he luckily evaded. Still, the continuous barrage rendered him incapable of moving about. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Lophen creeping towards him, dagger in one hand, and a clay jar on the other.

Remembering what Meiros mentioned about dragons, he rushed to the neck of the unconscious Asche, still transformed. With all his might, Lyrus punched the side of Asche's throat. The eyelids of the dragon prince opened, revealing yellow pupil less eyes, and as if choking, Asche spat a gigantic fireball at Frecia's direction. The fireball landed a few meters short but the resulting explosion was so powerful that both Frecia and Althas were sent tumbling down. At that very same moment, Lyrus heard a crash on his feet, followed by an explosion which knocked him off Asche's back.

"Althas! Finish him!" Lyrus turned his head to see several yellow colored lightning bolts racing towards him. As if on instinct, he remembered the spell taught to him by Edrana and feeling a sense of hopelessness at his incoming death, Lyrus raised his right hand forward.

"Etrunr!" He felt the familiar sensation of something warm leaving his fingertips and body. A blinding light then erupted from his hands. He prepared himself to be burned into ashes in case the spell didn't work. To his surprise, all that was left standing when the light faded was him and Lophen. Althas was knocked back a few meters by the spell and rendered unconscious.

A look of fury was evident on Lophen's face as he walked towards Lyrus. The thief prince's plan had turned into shambles. The other princes were unconscious, King Deanor had fled, a rebellion had broken out, he was out of poisons to use. The two stared at each other with contempt. Lyrus had enough. He won't let Lophen have his way any longer.

"A stick? You think you can beat me using a pair of wooden sticks?" Lophen mocked Lyrus with gritted teeth. The spark of rage inside Lyrus ignited further at the insult. He gripped the wooden sticks he inherited from his father and steadied his breathing.

Steel and wood clashed as the two remaining princes exchanged blows. Lophen, while quick on his feet was no match for Lyrus' swordsmanship. Lyrus landed blow after blow at various places on the thief prince's body. Within a few minutes, Lophen can barely walk, blood oozing out the numerous gashes and bruises on his body, the thief prince's armor seemingly affording him no protection at all.

"Looks like your dagger isn't as fast as you thought it was." Lyrus savored the rage on his opponent's face. He still needed to be careful though. He planned to mock Lophen as to throw off his focus but not as much as too give the latter a reason to fight better.

With a shout, Lophen rushed towards Lyrus once more. However, as the two was about to clash blades again, the thief prince stopped and suddenly kicked dust into the knight's eyes, temporarily blinding him. Seeing the chance, Lophen thrusted his dagger to the left side of the torso of his opponent. To his shock, Lyrus, caught the dagger with the latter's left hand, letting go of the wooden stick at the last moment.

"Now, let's see if you can still escape this." With a loud and dull thunk, Lyrus hit Lophen at the side of his face. Lophen stumbled back from the blow, and with his remaining strength, Lyrus struck the thief prince at the jaw. The blow was so powerful, that Lophen's neck cracked then broke, his head twisted.

Looking down at the fallen corpse of his opponent. Lyrus felt his consciousness fading. Within a matter of seconds, the peasant fell on his back. His whole body ached with the injuries from the past three days and from the new ones just now. He silently apologized to Auria as he felt like he won't be able to come to her aid anytime soon. With that, Lyrus fainted.

"Thenan? Silvia?" Auria looked at the two figures that rode by her side. Both Thenan and Silvia were wearing leather armor and riding wulforses.

"What are you doing?" Auria looked at the two with confusion.

"Us? Why, we're helping with the rebellion. It was us after all who organized this." Thenan grinned upon seeing Auria's shock expression. Rebellion? So Thenan and Silvia were members of the Midnight Council?

"We may not be your maid or mentor anymore princess but we're still your friends. Let us escort you to safety." The maid held a sword on one hand as she steered the Wulforse with the other. Silvia never struck Auria as one who is skilled in riding a Wulforse, much more in combat. Auria merely smiled in gratitude as the they made their way back to Noir. All around them, nobles, commoners, knights, mages, archers, scrambled away from the arena and towards the walled capital.

"Princess, jump off your horse when I tell you to." Thenan instructed Auria as they neared a barricade made by the knights of Noir. Auria bit her lip. They were just a few more meters from the castle gates. Realizing that it would be pointless to try to convince the knights to let them through, Auria nodded her head in agreement.

Upon her mentor's command, she jumped off her horse, together with Auria. Thenan, on the other hand, whistled, and urged the riderless horse and Wulforse to charge at the knights. The knights ran for safety as the three creatures crashed on the barricade. With another whistle, the two Wulforses started attacking the knights around them, their wolf heads biting, while their horse feet trampled those unfortunate enough to be near them.

"Go! I'll handle this!" Thenan shouted as the other knights surrounded him, their swords brandished and ready. Auria looked at Silvia, expecting the maid to refuse to go. To her surprise, Silvia returned her stare with determined eyes. She had never seen Silvia look this way before. Auria can't help but admire her friend's composure. However, without a moment to lose, she gripped tightly her friend's hand as they ran pass Thenan and into the castle gates.

"Bar-Barthos…shou-should we kill him?" One of the knights asked the golden-haired knight as they walked towards the unconscious Lyrus. Barthos had gathered every knight he can find upon seeing the peasant lying unconscious on the arena.

"Of course! That idiot will pay for everything him and that stupid princess had done!" Barthos felt the humiliation inside him swell. He pulled out his claymore from its scabbard. He will chop Lyrus into pieces and parade his mutilated body around Noir when this was all over.

"And what do you think are you doing?" A spear suddenly embedded itself between Barthos' group and Lyrus. Barthos eyes widened at the sight before him. Freid, Erne, Karos, and the son of the baker, Meiro were standing at the opposite side of the arena, each wielding their own weapon.

"Touch even the hair of my bestfriend over there and you will regret ever being born." A grim expression was present on Freid's face. Unlike most of the time, Freid definitely wasn't joking with his statement.

"Ha! You think that you four can win against the fifteen of us?!" Barthos mockingly shouted as the Freid's group walked closer.

"Wha-what are you looking at? A-attack them!" Barthous shouted. A fight between the two groups immediately erupted with Freid, drawing Barthos and his friends away from Lyrus.

"You really think you can beat us three altogether?" The arrogant knight mocked Freid to which the latter merely laughed.

"Let me tell you a secret.... I'm not really proficient with a sword. I'm more adept at using spears!" A spear then fell between Barthos' group and Freid. Turning his head, Barthos saw Karos beating two of his men using a hatchet while Erne, the merchant had already knocked down three knights using a spear-club. From afar, Meiro, who threw the spear, was stringing arrows and rapidly releasing them. It was like the scholar was a member of the famed Forest Stalkers.

"What are you looking at, you bumbling buffoon?! Didn't anyone tell you that I was a knight like Lyrus' father?!" Erne irritatingly snapped at Barthos upon seeing the dumbfounded look on the knight's face.

"Hey, hey. I'm still here…so shall we start this fight?" Freid sneered as he swung his spear and assumed a fighting stance. Barthos swallowed a bit before ordering an attack. Within a few seconds, however, the three men were knocked out by Freid.

'That should teach you a lesson not to underestimate a person based on his appearance," Freid said as he dusted his hands and swung the spear on his shoulder.

"Princess, you go ahead. I'll hold them back." Auria gave a worrying look to Silvia. Just around the corner of the hallway, were the assassins from Quirun. Ten assassins. Even with the two of them, there's no way they can beat ten trained assassins, moreover Silvia alone.

"But…I won't! I won't leave you! I almost lost Lyrus, I won't let it happen again." Auria pleaded but Silvia only looked at her seriously.

"You won't lose anyone else prin—Auria. However, if you don't go after your father, you might end up not just losing us, but the whole Threanas as well." Silvia was right. Lyrus was alive and safe. Right now, what needed saving is the kingdom of Threanas itself. She might not be a princess anymore after all that's happened but she's still a denizen of Threanas and it is her duty to protect the kingdom. Auria bit her lip and with tears in her eyes, hugged Silvia, her friend, tightly.

"I'll distract them and draw them out of your way. Once the hallway is clear, you run." Silvia then pulled a short sword from her back. Silvia's a dual wielder? It seemed that Auria's friend continues to surprise her with each passing minute.

The sound of clashing steel quickly filled the hallway of the castle. Taking a peek, Auria saw Silvia fighting numerous assassins consecutively while three had already fallen beneath her feet. Is that…is that the Autumn Blade? Auria can't help but notice Silvia's swordplay. While the maid's swordplay was similar to the dance-like stances of the Autumn Blade, hers was more varied, and employs two blades instead of one. It was as if Silvia was using a more refined form of the royal swordplay.

"Hey, you filthy scoundrels! Over here! Come here and let me kill more of you!" Silvia's language surprised Auria, making her chuckle a little upon hearing the well-mannered maid using obscenities. Silvia gave a wink to Auria while smiling as she ran passed the princess, followed by the assassins. Auria giggled at the maid's playful gesture but remembering what she came for, Auria went on her way. It's time for her father to pay for his sins and she has an idea where her father might just be.

Auria never thought she would ever set foot inside the secret room but here she was, and face to face with her father, with both of them having their blades drawn out. Her appearance had ironically reverted upon stepping into the stoned staircase leading to the room as if fate wants her to finish everything in her own terms.

"It's over father. Drop your blade and surrender." Auria pleaded to the man known as Deanor. She tried to contain the anger that consumed her due to the man's actions. Deanor is and would still be her father, no matter what.

"No. I…I've done so much for this kingdom. The sacrifices I made far outweigh the glory Threanas is experiencing right now. With my guidance, the kingdom can achieve greater heights." Auri shook her head in disagreement and disbelief. It felt like the man before her wasn't her father anymore.

"Father…please…I beg you…" Auria's tear-filled eyes were met only with a cold stare. The sullen face of Deanor remained unchanged despite her plea. The graying beard and hair suddenly seemed like duller than usual. It was as if after all these years, time had finally caught up to the great king.

"Auria…. if you want me to listen you then make me listen with your blade. Even when I was a knight, we were taught to let our blades speak for ourselves." Deanor assumed the all familiar stance of the Autumn Blade. Seeing that it her words won't reach her father anymore. Auria also assumed the stance for the royal swordplay.

The banging of steel echoed across the room as father and daughter exchanged blows. While Auria was faster, Deanor was more experienced, altering his attacks at the last minute and incorporating his own swordplay into that of the Autumn Blade. Within a few minutes, Auria was left panting and bleeding from the various cuts she sustained. Deanor, on the other hand, still stood with vigor like that of a young man. Auria struck once more, and at the last minute, her father, struck her wrist, sending her blade flying, then kicked her on the stomach, knocking her down. Deanor immediately went for the staircase and left the room, leaving an injured Auria behind.

Wasting no time, Auria forced herself to stand and ran after her father, carrying her blade with her right hand while her left continued to bleed profusely.

"Stop. Don't come after me. If you don't do anything with your left wrist, you'll die of blood loss." Deanor stared at Auria as she wobbled out of the secret room and into the hallway. So close. Her father was just a few meters away from her yet he still seemed so far away. Auria felt her consciousness starting to fade.

"No. This ends today. You will pay for everything that you have done." Auria steadied her bloodied body, raising her right hand as she does so. Tears started to fell from her eyes as she gazed on her father. How did it come to this? Why did it come to this?

"As you wish. Today everything shall end. After today, when I reclaim my throne, I shall no longer have a daughter." Deanor assumed the stance for Autumn Blade once more and gestured for Auria to come closer.

With a tearful shout, Auria rushed to her father. The two fought ferociously. For every strike that Deanor dealt, Auria returned twice. Deanor was shocked. He never thought Auria can overwhelm him in combat but here she is, covering his body with wounds all over. "How could you—" But before he can even finish his sentence, Auria struck, flipping her blade at the last moment, sending Deanor's sword flying upward momentarily, then catching it. With the blink of an eye, Auria slashed Deanor twice, once at the shoulder and once at the torso, then knocked the king back also with a kick on the stomach.

Deanor spat blood. He tried to stand up but was met by the two blades pointed at his throat. "Please don't…I don't want to kill you." Warm tears dropped on to the king's bloodied legs. Looking up, he saw her daughter, Auria, crying.

"You've become strong…just like your mother." Deanor closed his eyes and laid down, accepting his defeat.

"I became strong because of the people who helped me." Auria replied, as Thenan and his comrades rushed to the princess' aid. Snow started to fall in Noir once again. It was over. King Deanor was no more. The third trial had ended.