Allow it

Despite the very real possibility that Lady Trina could lose her life this day, or even worse, you must trust in her and give her the chance to defend her honor; to do less would be to insult her yourself. "Sir Magnus," you say.

"Sire," Magnus says, his voice uncharacteristically subdued.

"Inform the crowd that there will be a rematch between the final contestants; that Abdul remains the victor of the contest, but that a personal matter must be settled before the tournament may resume. Do not say more."

"Aye, Sire," Magnus says, and goes to address the crowd.

"Wilfred, go to fetch my sword," Trina says to her squire, and he bows to her and runs off at a full sprint, clearly eager to be away from all the drama which has unfolded. You see that Abdul issues to same command to his own squire with merely a gesture.

"It will take some minutes for them to return," you say. "I therefore command that this field be cleared, and we will reconvene here in one quarter hour. If one of you chooses not to return, it will be taken as surrender. Is this understood?"

"Yes, Sire," Trina says, bowing to you.

"It is understood clearly, Your Majesty," Abdul says, and you can see no hint of his true emotions in his dark eyes.

You accompany Lady Trina back to her tent; she did not ask you to do so, but you felt the need nonetheless. Once inside, she removes her helm and lets the chainmail hood underneath drop back, drawing in a deep breath which comes out shaking.

"Trina, you need not do this," you say to her. "Let me forbid this duel, as King; I will take the dishonor upon myself."

"I am grateful, Sire, but this is a thing I must do," she says.

"Honor is sacred, and I would not deny you that... but I also cannot bear to see you face the consequences should Abdul prevail, whether they be life or ****. It is not my place, I know; but this is -"

"No, it is not your place," Trina says, and you hear the unconcealed anger in her tone. You are too surprised to react, for a moment - she has never spoken to you in this way!

"My Lady, I -" you begin, but again she cuts you off.

"Hear me now, Xavier," she says, turning her fierce eyes upon you. "Are you so naive to think this is the first time I have fought this duel? You know nothing - nothing! - of the trials I have faced in my life! Abdul made a fair move to win our match, even a bold and clever move, and yet you saw the reaction of all present, a reaction which you yourself shared. Would the crowd have done aught but cheer had I been a man? No, they took pity upon me instead, and looked at Abdul with scorn for daring to treat a woman so; even a woman who freely challenged him in fair combat! In that moment, he was the only one upon that field or in those stands who did right by me. I respected him for that, and I would have said so given the chance!"

"That does not excuse -"

"I am not finished!" Trina shouts. "More men than I can count have sought to win me to their beds, thinking that it is somehow their right simply because I am a woman and should be subservient to them - or even expecting me to be delighted that they find me so desirable that they would grant me the honor of a good fucking from a real man! Did you know that the first man who taught me the sword was also the first one I killed? He decided that he could demand my body as payment for his lessons, and so I showed him that he had taught me far better than he imagined. I left him with his own blade sheathed in his gut. This Abdul Hai el-Anwar of Al-Mansoura, he is but the latest among dozens of men who have thought that my cunt was their due.

"This is not just a matter of honor," Trina continues. "No, it goes far beyond that, Xavier. This is a battle that I fight every day of my life, and I do it for my very soul. Because this is who I am - I am not a prize to be won, a whore which the man who bests me may claim. Nor am I a comely maid who plays at being a warrior, waiting for some man to show me my place. I am Trina of Sarawynn, a woman who wields sword and shield in your service, but first and foremost in the service of what is right and good in this world. I am this above all other things; it is more to me than to be a Lady of Elyssia, more than to be Sworn Protector of the Crown, even more than to be the woman who loves -"

She stops suddenly, frozen, the last word unsaid but hanging in the air nonetheless.

You stand still for a long moment, and then silently drop to one knee before her, bowing your head as if she were the Queen and you were her subject.

"Sire, what are you doing?" Trina asks in a whisper.

"I am humbled before you," you say, not looking up at her eyes, "because you speak true... I have never fully realized what you have had to endure, and though I have now been enlightened, I know also that I cannot ever truly understand. There has never been anything in my life which meant so much to me as this does to you, and because of this I can have nothing but the greatest admiration for you now, my Lady. I swear to you,Trina of Sarawynn, that I will stand by your side in this trial; and if that means I must stand and do nothing, then that is how it shall be. I ask only one thing... if the man you face today should prove victorious, what would you have me do then? Whatever you require of me, it shall be yours."

Trina is silent for a long moment, and then you see her hand reaching out to you. You take it and allow her to help you rise... but instead, she drops to her knees along with you and then draws you in to kiss you. Not with feather-lightness as she did before, in the mill; no, this time she kisses with true passion, pulling you close and savoring every moment. Her full lips feel soft and sensuous as they did before, but even more so as she embraces you with all the fervor of which she is capable; and for a moment, even the steel breastplate which divides you seems like no barrier at all, and you could swear you feel her heart beating next to your own.

At last she pulls away, looking you in the eyes with neither shame nor regret. "If I fail," she says quietly, "then there is one thing you can do, Xavier. I beg of you... take my life. Do not refuse!" she insists, as she sees you about to speak. "To be dead by your hand would be a fate far preferable than to give of myself to that man as I have sworn to do... and if I were to deny him now, then indeed I would have no honor. For that same reason, I could not turn my blade upon myself, nor fall upon his sword. But if another does the deed, then my honor remains untarnished. Please, Xavier... promise me that you will do this if the worst comes to pass. If you speak true when you say that what I may need of you is mine, give me this!"