Five

"Indeed she did." Celestria knew that voice. She turned to see the queen standing a few paces behind her with an intrigued look on her face. What was up with her now? "You win a lot, correct?" Celestria cautiously nodded her head. The queen had made her way to the weapon arsenal, slowly pacing in circles around the weapons as she studied them. "I also never lose." The commander's brows knit together. She had no idea where Sigourney was going with this. 

Sigourney came to a stop. She reached over and grabbed a rapier. She flipped it over in her hands, feeling it out. Not many chose that sword. It wasn't a bad choice, as you could have a farther reach, but it was tiring to use it for an extended period of time. Sigourney locked eyes with the commander and gave her a dry smile. "The only way to flush out the loser among two winners is to make them fight it out."

Celestria's eyes narrowed. She'd had no intention of fighting anyone else tonight, but the queen had just pushed her into a corner. Now she had no choice but to make her eat her words. 

"And you're absolutely sure you want to go through with this?" Celestria said. She ran a finger across her blade, maintaining eye contact with the queen. "I know you believe that you're undefeatable, but I don't want to embarrass you." Sure, the commander might've been cocky but her and the rest of the kingdom truly believed she was the best. 

Sigourney walked a few paces closer to her. "Wasn't it you who lost to Vykon?" she asked, faking an innocent act, knowing it would've ticked off Celestria. The crowd was in shock. No one had ever spoken to Celestria in such a manner.

She narrowed her eyes before raising her sword and readying her stance. "Fine. Why don't you strike me down then, if you think you can." A few mumbles came from the crowd, one of the people with a British accent saying, "Does the queen have a death wish or something?" Some agreed with them while others seemed to be on the queen's side. 

Sigourney placed both hands on the hilt of her sword, looking unbothered. She scanned the other, as if looking for weak or blind spots. After a moment of contemplating, she lunged towards Celestria's chest. But the commander blocked the attack easily, her moves fluid. She countered, moving in on the queen. Sigourney's sword helped keep distance but if she didn't have that distance, the attacks wouldn't work like they were supposed to. 

The two continued to attack and dodge, lunge and deflect. Their moves were perfectly in sync, as if they were dancing. Celestria had never experienced a fight like this before. With Anderson she could anticipate his every move and knew exactly how to take him down within seconds. This was far different from that. She was still able to anticipate the queen's moves, but she could never find the right counter. Everything she tried just flowed into Sigourney's. And they continued on with this for what felt like hours to them. Wilheim, Anderson, and the people watched them, swords coming too close to their vulnerable spots for comfort. 

Celestria was growing frustrated. Every attack she made was countered by another, every weakness she found turned out to be another strength. The queen tried going onto offense again, readying herself to make another move. Before her blade could connect to her chest, Celestria used her sword to block the attack. The two were panting, dripping with sweat. And before either could make another move, a voice yelled out. 

"This is gettin' ridiculous, don't ya think? Ya are both obviously great, and this is takin' so long. Why not settle at a tie, yeah?"

Celestria kept her blade steady in case the queen decided to make a sneak attack. She turned to see Wilheim standing a few feet away. Turning back to the queen, she saw how exhausted she seemed. And truth be told, she was getting tired herself. She hesitated before pulling away, bowing to Sigourney. She had never tied with someone before. 

"It was a pleasure sparring with you, your majesty," Celestria said. Which wasn't a lie. She may not have liked nor trusted her, but she couldn't deny she was the best sparring partner she ever had. 

Sigourney returned her bow, trying to catch her breath. She just continued to intrigue the queen. Everyone she came across lost against her easily. 

"And with you, I quite enjoyed it." She took her rapier and returned it to the armoury, followed along by Celestria. 

The crowd around them was silent with shock. It was an intense fight to watch and the fact that it was a tie in the end was even more bizarre. As the two ladies returned their weapons, Wilheim and Anderson got rid of the crowd, making them return to their homes. 

Celestria approached them, her expression unreadable. "Anderson, Wilheim, it's quite late and the two of you need your rest if you're to recover properly. So go on ahead to the hospital wing. We'll speak in the morning."

The two nodded and bowed their heads before leaving. The commander turned to look back to Sigourney as she walked to her. They stood in silence before Celestria broke it. 

"I think we need to talk." Her voice was flat as she looked ahead, watching the two soldiers walk to the wing. 

"I agree. Shall we walk?"

She nodded, tying her dark hair into a ponytail. "Yes. There's a path through a garden nearby. Follow me."

Celestria began walking to the path, their surroundings silent, except for their footsteps on the gravel. The town was dim with only a few lanterns lit in front of houses. The only other light was the moon and the palace not far behind them. 

The two arrived at the garden, grown by the locals. There were dozens of different breeds of flowers like roses, tulips and lilies. It was a bit of a miracle that they were still blooming. Everyone knew it was the worst winter but the fact that they still had the flowers' beauty gave them hope. 

Sigourney delicately touched the petals of an orange lily, careful not to tear them. "They're beautiful," she commented. 

Celestria directed her gaze to the flower, before nodding. "When my sister and I were young, we'd plant hydrangeas here. They're my fathers favourite." 

"Sister?"

She nodded. "Yes. You remember Lilith when we were having dinner? That's her."

Sigourney was confused. Lilith looked to be Hispanic while Celestria was very pale. Plus their facial features were quite different. 

The commander noticed her confusion. 

"We're not blood sisters. Her family sort of adopted me." She hesitated for a bit. Should she really be telling this stranger her life story?  After taking a long look at the queen, she decided that there was no harm in telling her. "When I was younger, my mother had become very sick. My father couldn't bear to leave her side. So he quit his job. Everything seemed ok for a while, but we quickly fell into debt." She paused.

"And then my mother died. It was like a breaking point for my dad. He stopped communicating with people. On a good day, I could barely get him to speak two sentences to me. Since he couldn't work, I had to find ways to make us money. At first I tried to steal the things we needed to get by. Since I was a girl, I was constantly overlooked. No one ever noticed me stealing. I began to realize that the stealing wouldn't be enough. I needed a job, but people never wanted to hire the dirty little girl.

"That's when I realized that my only logical choice was to join the king's army. It was highly dangerous. I don't think it ever bothered me, though. The only thing that mattered was that I'd be able to support my father." She stopped and looked up at the sky. She hated telling this story. She wasn't entirely sure why she was telling it to this woman. She took a breath and continued on. "I was a quick learner. Once I joined the ranks, it became clear that I was better than everyone my age. I even bested most of the older kids. The commander, at that time, noticed this. He wanted to train me further and hone my skills, so he took me in. He let me live in his home and the entire family treated me as though I was one of his own. And now I'm here, walking with the queen." Celestria waited for a response, but the queen never gave one. "Oh?" She said with a bemused look on her face. "None of the usual pity talk others seem to enjoy so much?"

Sigourney scoffed. "Pity is reserved for the weak. I've never enjoyed being pitied, so why would I use it towards someone else?" Finally. Something both women could agree on. 

"Good, glad we both agree." 

The queen nodded before looking back at the flowers. That's when she noticed a small bunch of lavender hydrangeas. She hesitated before picking the bunch, presenting it to Celestria. 

"I apologise for how rude I have been. Hopefully, we can put that behind us and become better partners." The queen offered the bunch. 

She took the flowers, hesitating before smiling. She didn't know why, but the more time She spent with Sigourney, the more she felt she trusted her. 

"I accept your apology."