Chapter 258: What A Silly Thing To Say

Chapter 258: What A Silly Thing To Say

The two drow siblings of the minor House of Stemme looked over each others flamboyant apparel. Their bright silk clothes had to be visible to the crowds below in the coliseum, nothing less was acceptable. Mark and Jane had waited four years for this moment. Today was the day.

Mark nodded in satisfaction at his sisters bright yellow dress, Perfect.

Jane walked around Mark, eyeing his pink jacket and silk white pants, Itll do for today.

Its never good enough for you, Mark rolled his eyes.

Jane smirked and kissed him on the cheek, Satisfaction is the first sign of a dreary mundane life.

Dammit,shes right, Mark thought.

Now, lets go show the world what theyre missing, Jane patted his back and walked down the hall.

Mark rolled his shoulders, cleared his throat, and followed her. They reached the halls end and stepped out into the

Announcement

Towers balcony. The coliseums crowd cheered at the sight of them. Many of the merchants and commoners alike held up banners of Undergrowth and waved them in the air.Updated from novelb(i)n.c(o)m

Mark leaned over and whispered into his sisters ear, They love us.

Lets not keep them waiting, Jane smiled and walked over to the speaking-trumpet that rested at the edge of the balcony.

The enchanted 20 ft trumpet curled around the grey tower and leaned out to the crowds a hundred feet below. The magical instrument amplified the speakers voice and allowed even the farthest away guests to hear a heralds showy voice.

Jane took a deep breath and yelled into the speaking-trumpet, Dearest guests, after four long years, welcome back to the 277th annual Great Cities Tourney!

The crowd roared in approval, their voices echoing across the titanic coliseum.

I am Jane and this is my brother Mark-

And together we are the extraordinary siblings of House Stemme! Mark yelled. Ready and willing to dedicate our all to be your Heralds for this epic day!

Jane wrapped her arm around her brothers shoulder and waved to the crowds, The Great City of Undergrowth is honored to host this years tournament! Many of you have traveled from all over the realm for this momentous occasion, eager to support your citys team, to watch the greatest talents of this young generation battle in a series of magical challenges, or maybe youre just here for the amazing food and wonderful entertainment!

Whichever the case may be, you are in good hands, for the City of Thorns has it all! Mark spread his arms wide. So, without further ado, allow us to introduce our brave and talented contestants! From the Western Gate, the sons and daughters of our Great City, the spearhead leading the next generation of magic, ~Teeaaam Undergrowth!~

The Western Gate rose open to the rumbling of cheering voices echoing the citys name over and over. Calex Thorn stepped out into the warm sandy arena and waved politely to the adoring fans. Veronica Sientia and Damian Parvus followed close behind, smiling wide and waving with both hands. Heather Navis stepped into the arena last, she strutted on the sand with the pride and nimbleness of a cat. Heather held her head up high and simply soaked in the admiration of her cheering fans.

And from the Northern Gate! Jane yelled. All the way from the icy Rupture Mountains, give it up for the champions of last years tourney, ~Teeaaam Frost Rim!~

~~~

Hollow Shades team waited below the coliseum, in a private training room. Vayu, Cornelius, and Tauri had already gone up to their viewing box to watch the tourney in the lap of luxury with the other aristocrats. Loh and Ismene had stayed behind with the students to coach them one last time before their first Challenge.

Despite the healing spells and treatment, Ismenes body hadnt healed fully. Her age and the wounds suffered from the dragon attack had taken a toll on her body. She rested on a chair and let Loh go over the tactics with the team, only speaking up when she deemed it necessary.

As Loh spoke Freya furiously wrote down her words on a small notebook she carried around in her pocket. Callum asked a few questions about one tactic or another and Sylvie simply listened with a large smile on her face. Stryg heard none of it, his attention lay above them.

Stryg could hear the crowds cheering from the coliseum above. They chanted the names of Frost Rim with fervor while others chanted for Undergrowth. He had never heard so many people in one place, not even in Hollow Shades Festival of the Gods. It was unnerving. He subconsciously reached for the hilt of his sword, Nameless.

Nervous? Gale asked.

Hm? Sylvie glanced at her. Whats up, capn?

I just W-well Gods, I hate doing this stuff Freya trailed off.

Uhh, capn? You okay? Sylvie asked.

Huh? Yeah, Im totally fine. Actually, I just wanted to see if youre fine. You know, after all that happened Its best if we all have a clear head before walking out there.

I agree, Sylvie nodded.

Sooo are you okay?

Yeah, why wouldnt I be?

Freya rolled her eyes, I dont know, maybe cuz you found out your boyfriend had a fianc, who also turns out to be Frost Rims team captain!

Oh Yeah, that did suck, Sylvie admitted. She smiled wide, But Im fine now, really. I dont let stuff like that faze me, especially before going into a battle, thats just plain stupid. Like you said, we gotta be focused.

Wow, thats really mature of you actually, Freya said, surprised.

Thanks!

So whats your secret?

I dont get it.

I mean, Id beat the shit out of my boyfriend if he did something like that to me. How can you manage to stay so calm?

Oh, thats easy, Sylvie said cheerfully. I have this really great technique, it works with everything.

Well, dont leave me hanging, what is it?

Its pretty simple really. Every time I feel bad, sad, angry, or anything like that; I just take all those feelings and shove them really deep, deep down, and ignore them.

....Im sorry, what now?

I get what youre thinking, Sylvie chuckled. Its gotta be hard trying to ignore all that stuff. But actually, its not. All you gotta do is be happy.

Freya narrowed her eyes, Um, how can you be happy when youre mad?

Easy, just smile and laugh whenever you feel bad. The key is pretending to be happy. The longer you pretend, the easier it becomes and someday youll wake up and realize you really are happy.

Freyas eyes widened in shock, ...But-

Hey, the heralds just announced the Murktonians, were up next! Loh announced.

Time to go, Sylvie jumped to her feet and headed for the door.

Um Sylvie Freya bit her lip.

Hm? Sylvie glanced back at her.

Ever since I met you Youre always smiling and laughing, Freya mumbled. Are you Are you actually happy? A-are you okay?

Sylvie cocked her head to the side and slowly smiled wide, Obviously. What a silly thing to say.