Chapter 36 : What Strength Costs
Cassian moved first.
He launched forward with sharp, decisive confidence — the kind that came from years of knowing your own ability. Steel rang against steel, and for a brief moment it looked as though he had found his opening.
Rudravaan smiled quietly.
Fenlor had blocked it clean. He looked at Cassian from behind the locked blades — and smiled back.
"Now we're talking."
He drove a kick into Cassian's ribs. The impact sent Cassian skidding back several feet. He hit the ground — then stood right back up, rolled his shoulder, and came forward again as if the blow had meant nothing.
The spar that followed was furious. Neither man held back. But as the exchange wore on, something became clear — Cassian was gaining ground. Bit by bit, he pushed Fenlor back, reading his rhythm, cutting off his angles, until Fenlor had been cornered against the edge of the yard.
"Looks like Cassian has this," Morvyn said, arms folded.
"No!" Henry shot back. "Fenlor's going to win!"
They both turned to Rudravaan.
"Who do you think wins?"
"Wait until the end," Rudravaan said.
He already knew.
Cassian pressed harder, seizing the moment. He drew back and drove a full-powered blow straight into Fenlor's gut — everything behind it, nothing held in reserve.
The sound that came back was wrong.
Not flesh. Not impact. Something closer to striking iron.
Cassian staggered back, his arm rattling from the collision. The dust settled.
Morvyn and Henry held their breath.
Fenlor stood exactly where he had been — still upright, still smiling, one hand resting lazily at his side.
"How—" Cassian stared. "How are you still standing?"
"Sorry," Fenlor said, almost cheerfully. "That was just my blocking practice. Warm up, really."
Then he shifted his stance.
It was a small movement. Subtle. But the air around him changed entirely. Cassian felt it before he understood it — the man standing across from him now was not the same man he had been fighting.
Fenlor moved.
The strike came fast — faster than anything in the exchange before it. Cassian threw everything into the block, barely catching it, his arms screaming from the force. He knew immediately, with complete certainty, that he could not stop a second one.
He raised his hand.
"I surrender."
Fenlor straightened, looking almost disappointed. "Come on — it was just getting interesting."
"Then how about a spar with me?" Rudravaan said from the side, his tone as easy as if he were suggesting a walk.
Fenlor didn't even look at him. "No thanks."
Fenlor walked over to Cassian and extended his hand. "Hey — you're really strong."
Cassian took it and shook. "No. You're the strong one."
Fenlor grinned and turned away, jogging over to Morvyn and Henry. He grabbed Henry by the shoulder and looked between the two of them eagerly.
"So? How was I? Good?"
As Fenlor pressed them for answers, Cassian stood where he was — and for the first time since arriving, he truly looked at the people around him. The easy laughter. The way they moved with each other. The warmth beneath the strength.
He hadn't noticed it until now.
A hand landed on his shoulder.
"Hey." Rudravaan's voice was calm. "You're spacing out."
"It's nothing," Cassian said quickly.
Rudravaan studied him for a moment, then looked ahead. "Don't let it weigh on you. Train enough, and you'll get there." He paused. "Besides — that brat over there participated in a rebellion in his own kingdom."
Cassian turned sharply. "A rebellion?" He looked at Fenlor — still laughing, still arguing with Henry over who had been more impressed. "How old is he?"
"Around your age."
Cassian said nothing. He watched Fenlor for a long moment — and slowly, quietly, understood. That kind of strength didn't come from talent alone.
Rudravaan's gaze drifted to Fenlor as well. Something shifted in his expression — subtle, but present.
"That is how life goes," he said quietly. "Some grown men spend their days in comfort, living however they please — doing whatever they wish without a second thought." His voice remained low and even. "While somewhere, an innocent child grinds himself to the bone just to feed himself and the people he loves."
His hand closed into a fist at his side.
The silence that followed was heavy.
Then Rudravaan seemed to catch himself. His hand loosened. He exhaled slowly and glanced at Cassian.
"Forget what I said." He turned. "Come — I'll show you around."
They walked through the kingdom at an unhurried pace, Rudravaan pointing out this building and that, offering brief words where words were needed and nothing where they weren't.
After a while, Cassian spoke.
"Emperor — I've wanted to ask this since I first heard about you from Emperor Lukas." He kept his eyes forward. "He said you are the strongest man he knows. If that is true — then how did you lose in the first place?"
Rudravaan glanced at him. "That's not something you need to know."
Cassian didn't push. He simply nodded and let the question go.
They made their way back inside. Rudravaan led Cassian to the study where Morvyn was already buried in documents.
"Morvyn." He stopped at the door. "Look after him. Walk him through the finances and help him find his footing."
Morvyn looked up, glanced at Cassian, then gave a small nod.
Rudravaan left without another word.
He made his way to the training ground. Fenlor and Henry were still at it. Rudravaan stopped at the edge.
"Hey, Fenlor."
Fenlor turned. Rudravaan walked toward them, unhurried.
"I have work. What do you say?"
Fenlor smiled. "Ha. I was just thinking it was about time I put my training to use."
"Then I'm going with Fenlor!" Henry said immediately.
Rudravaan looked at him. "Do whatever you want, brat."
Henry grinned. Fenlor looked back at Rudravaan.
"So — what's the work?"