Fight Against Fate: Chapter 8

“So are you stubborn? It has to be that right?” Felix said pacing around in the infirmary. It was the middle of the night and at the moment there was only the two of them present. Others had long since left having been bandaged up and allowed to leave. The small torchlight that they had flickered in the room casting long shadows.

Alec was on one of the beds, his head down and body heavily bandaged. Despite how torn his clothes were, he was still wearing them at the very least. Felix had carried him out of the arena and it turned out he had a mild concussion but nothing more than that. He would recover in a few days with medicine and be ready for the tournament in a week’s time. 

“Stupid. Headstrong. Stubborn. Prideful. Did I say stupid? Cause that’s all you. All of this and more. Jeez Alec. You could have got more than hurt. You know that right?”

“Yeah.”

“Yeah? That’s all you’ve got to say?” Felix walked back to him, standing over his friend. “That’s all you have to say after what you pulled?”

“What do you want me to say Felix?”

“How about you start with what the hell you were thinking? I told you to take the weights off! You could have won that fight but you did it your way! Lee could have done real harm to you. You could have thrown everything down the drain. All our preparations, all our training, your dream. All of it!”

Felix huffed, his chest heaving and out of breath. His face was red from the outburst and realized how hard he had been clenching his fists. Alec stared at him and then looked beyond him toward the window and into the night sky.

“I thought I could do it,” he said softly. “Thought I could win.”

“You thought wrong. I don’t think you were thinking at all really.”

Alec looked toward the ground again and looked at the floor. He didn’t say anything more and Felix just stared at him. He continued to remain silent and Felix shook his head. Scoffing he stormed out through the door and walked outside. He passed through the hallway and felt the night air finally.

He found himself wandering through the streets of Roxa. There were parties, drinking, fighting all of it. It was so much livelier than back home. By now in their village everyone would be asleep or getting to that point. The elder would be giving his last few stories before making sure that curfew was enforced.

But sneaking out past curfew was something that he and Alec had done all the time. Leaving the safety of the village and risking getting in trouble or worse just to look up at the stars. To wonder what was up there and dream of what they’d do once they were heroes. The stories that people would tell about them. All of it.

Felix looked up there now. Things had been easier back then. As he walked, he left the street and made his way toward a courtyard with a fountain in the center. In the center was a statue, a man in full armor and skirts. He had a sword pointed toward the sky and a shield at his other arm. A single flame was emblazoned on that shield.

“The Hero of Roxa,” he said to himself.  He tried to imagine Alec in the same position.

He was dragged out of his thoughts by a voice, loud and annoyed. He looked toward the noise and watched two figures work their way around the courtyard. He recognized one, Dio’s face permanently in a scowl. He was wearing a simple tunic with bandages on his shoulder and pants; his sword was at his side but he didn’t look like he’d done any fighting.

The woman that walked beside him was the same height as him. She had twin brown braids down her back and knowing blue eyes. She wore a long tunic ending in a skirt that went to her knees and long boots. She had two long knives at her hips, tied to her belt. A peaceful expression juxtaposed to the deep frustration of Dio.

“First your sister seeks me out to challenge and then you come to dictate my destiny? No one does that. I am fated for great things and I get to choose what that will be Roxanne.”

“You say these things but do not accept that your choices will lead you to such a path,” she replied softly. “You are destined to become more than just a hero. More than what you can even imagine. What makes you believe that my predictions are not true?”

He whirled around and pointed a finger at her, his scowl turning into actual anger, “First your sister challenges me to a fight and now here you come. If I didn’t know better I would swear that you both came here to psyche me out for the tournament. But you have more honor than that don’t you?”

She was unphased by this outburst and merely bowed her head to him. “I’ve seen many things in the future. My sister has as well. I only reveal this part of your destiny to you because it was meant to be done. And like me meeting you today, you have someone to talk to. I will see you during the tournament.”

She walked past him and Dio watched her go, going to shout something but she was already gone. She walked past Felix and smiled at him, dipping her head in his direction before going back to the city proper. Felix watched her go, confused entirely but looked at Dio who saw him and scoffed lightly.

“Dio.”

“Felix.”

“Who was she?”

Dio looked at where she had walked but she was long gone. He looked at Felix and shook his head, “She’s no one that matters. I saw Alec’s performance in the tournament. He hasn’t changed much at all.”

“You’ve changed a lot though. You used to be one our best friends.”

Dio stared at him and then toward the statue of the hero. He stared at where his eyes were meant to be and said, “I couldn’t live up to my fate by staying with you and Alec. I had to move on. For all of our sakes.”

Dio walked away from the statue, walking past Felix.Felix moved without himself even being aware of it and grabbed Dio’s arm. Dio turned to look back at him and for the barest of a moment Dio thought he would get into a fight with Felix. He’d never seen him fight before.

“You’re the friend who left him. Abandoned him. He’s been as obsessed with beating you, as he has been winning this tournament. More than anyone else he wants to prove you wrong. And once he gets the chance he’s going to do it. The next time you fight, he’ll win.”

Shaking his arm free Dio smirked, “If Alec even gets that far I’ll be looking forward to beating him again.”