331. The Wedding III

331. The Wedding III

The music continued to pick up as the minutes passed, and soon there were a few Iyrmen who had taken to the square stage to dance. Soon even the children, revitalised by the food, went to dance at the square. Taygak and the others let their bodies move as they pleased, though sometimes Adam spotted them doing star jumps.

Lanarot watched, laughing and squealing as the people danced. She watched, mesmerised by the group. Sometimes she would babble quietly, but she mostly remained silent.

“When does the fighting begin?” Adam asked, throwing a look to Jurot.

“Soon,” Jurot replied.

Not even a half hour had passed before the first fight began. It was a pair of Iyrmen from the group beside them, those mostly made up of the friends of the families which were getting married.

A Human and an Orcish Iyrmen stepped out together, each pulling out their weapons. One wielded a large axe, the other a large sword. They circled around one another as the Iyrmen around turned their attention to the pair.

Soon, steel sang against steel. It wasn’t so much as a real fight as it was a performance, with the pair dancing together in battle, with leaps and long swipes.

Lanarot squealed with joy as she watched the pair fight, clapping her hands in excitement, before tossing out her arms in the air and screaming.

One of the Iyrmen was caught off guard by the screaming, throwing a glance back over his shoulder, and the other cut into their companion, causing blood to spray out.

Lanarot stared at the motionless Iyrmen, who was beginning to bleed, and shrieked with joy. She shook violently as she tossed her arms in the air, before her mother quickly wrapped her arms around the girl and picked her up. Lanarot looked up at her mother, blinking at her, before giggling innocently.

“Calm down, Lanarot,” Sonarot whispered, brushing the girl’s hair.

Lanarot continued to giggle innocently.

Adam was rubbing his chin with the side of his fist, partly embarrassed, but the smirk on his face revealed the pride he had for the little girl. ‘It seems it’s too late for me to try and put her on the right path.’

“Shall we fight?” Jurot asked, watching as the other Iyrmen walked away.

“I’ve got someone else in mind,” Adam said, hopping onto his feet, grabbing his axe. “Hey, Jonn, get up.”

Jonn, who had remained mostly silent while his other companions had spoken to one another, threw his eyes up towards Adam. He stood, approaching the square.

Jonn stared at the only other Half Elf in the Iyr. He, who had been abandoned by his Order, had walked around the land. He had been lost, and when he came face to face with Adam, he lost, not just the bout, but any purpose and pride he held.

Adam was not quite so prideful.

‘No,’ Jonn thought.

It wasn’t that Adam wasn’t prideful, and though he would constantly say and do things that portrayed him like an idiot, it was that his pride was secure. His pride for the Rot family, giving up the freedom to use the weapon he most enjoyed using, and his pride for his sister, even if it meant he would act like a fool.

Everything outside of that was irrelevant.

What did Jonn have pride for? His Elvish blood? That he was once part of an Order? That he was an Expert when he was so young? All of these paled in comparison to Adam’s achievements so far, but Adam didn’t take much pride in any of these things. Even being an Expert, it was merely a means to an end, and was only indirectly related to his pride.

Adam’s pride was his family and friends.

Jonn had watched Adam for months. He had seen Adam give away weapons, magical weapons, which he spent thousands of gold on, one of which had been given up by some mysterious figure who he was uncertain of, and yet he knew that blade was something even the King would covet. All Adam wanted to do was to stay within the Iyr to take care of his sister, though Jonn wasn’t sure why, he understood that it came from a place of loss too.

Adam had lost before, Jonn was certain of that. Not just to Jarot, which he would often grumble about, but a greater loss.

Jonn’s greatest pride was himself, what he was, what he had accomplished.

Adam’s greatest pride was his sister, who did not share even a single drop of the same blood.

‘Could I have the same pride?’ Jonn wondered, drawing his sword. A reason to live beyond himself, one which he had lost all that time ago when he had been abandoned. Adam chose his pride, and had stuck to it. Jonn may have been abandoned, but he had abandoned his oaths too, something he could have held even after being abandoned by his order.

Would Adam abandon his sister if the Iyr abandoned him?

Jonn hadn’t been sure about Adam all that time ago, but he was certain of the answer now.

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Adam vs Jonn Round 2. No Lightsear, no puthral armour. Just magic and axe.