Rowan stood outside the courtyard with guards surrounding him, and for some reason he had been brought out there on the king’s orders.

It was only when he saw Alaric approaching, not in his usual magnificent royal robe but instead in trousers with his chest exposed, that Rowan finally understood what this was about, and a faint smirk found its way to his lips as he realized Alaric had taken the bait.

"You finally decided to see it for yourself," Rowan mused in amusement, though his gaze darkened the moment Alaric came closer.

A sword was handed to the king, and another was given to Rowan as well, while Alaric said nothing as he fixed his cold gaze on his younger brother.

"Under no circumstances are you to interfere in this fight," he ordered the guards, who immediately nodded in understanding before stepping back toward the pillars and standing like statues.

Alaric then turned fully to face Rowan, who looked back at him with a blank expression.

"I’m surprised you didn’t send them away... it would look bad if they see their king lose" Rowan teased lightly, though there was a dark glint in his eyes.

"I see you talk too much now," Alaric replied sharply, glaring at him. "I’d like to see if you can still talk after this ends," he spat, and Rowan’s eyes narrowed in response.

Inwardly, Alaric clenched his jaw as he continued to stare him down, determined to teach Rowan a lesson and prove once again that he was the stronger one.

Ever since the visit to the dungeon earlier, Rowan’s words had lingered in his mind. It wasn’t the Drystan he remembered anymore. That Drystan would not have looked at him with such cold detachment, nor carried that same readiness to tear everything down.

Alaric’s pride had been wounded the moment Rowan claimed he had been pretending all those years, and now he intended to find out for himself whether Rowan was truly pretending or simply weak.

They both took their stances, circling each other with sharp focus as they studied each other’s movement while waiting for the first strike.

Alaric, however, was never a patient man.

He attacked first, his sword clashing against Rowan’s as it was swiftly countered.

Alaric unleashed his strength as though he intended to destroy Rowan completely, attacking relentlessly while Rowan defended smoothly, calmly countering each strike as steel clashed against steel. The sound of their swords echoed through the courtyard as they moved, the sun bearing down on them while sweat began to form across their skin.

As Alaric swung left and right, Rowan continued to block with precision, their blades colliding again and again until Alaric closed the distance with gritted teeth. "Why don’t you attack me if you dare?" he demanded.

Rowan said nothing, simply watching as Alaric pulled back and came forward again, their swords clashing in the air and sending sharp sparks between them.

It wasn’t that Rowan didn’t want to attack. He was simply observing Alaric’s movements, and he smirked inwardly as he realized his brother was still using the same predictable patterns, with only minor adjustments that Rowan could already anticipate.

Eventually, he stopped defending and started striking back with force before leaping into the air in a move Alaric did not see coming, landing a solid kick that pushed him backward.

Alaric staggered, and Rowan landed lightly on the ground, his expression calm and unreadable.

Alaric’s gaze dropped to his chest where Rowan’s foot had left its mark, and his teeth clenched in fury.

The fact that the guards had witnessed it only made his anger burn hotter, and without hesitation he charged again.

Rowan noticed his next move instantly, sidestepped cleanly as Alaric’s blade cut through empty air, and responded with a sharp strike that forced him to stumble back, though not enough to knock him down completely.

Alaric dropped briefly to one knee, his fist digging into the sand as he struggled to catch his breath, while Rowan stood a few steps away looking completely composed, as if he had not been fighting at all.

"Same old tricks. I’m getting bored already," Rowan said flatly. 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

"You want to play dirty?" Alaric snapped as he rose again, turning to face him with clenched fists and a tightened jaw. "I’ll let you know you’re mistaken."

Rowan only shrugged, looking entirely uninterested as the fight resumed between them. Their swords clashed again and again, but now it shifted into a mix of strikes, kicks, and close combat, until Alaric finally managed to land a punch directly to Rowan’s chest, right on an old injury.

A smirk formed on Alaric’s face, but Rowan’s expression changed instantly.

His hand pressed against his chest as his eyes sharpened with anger, and in the next moment he surged forward with renewed force, the clash of blades growing more violent until Rowan drew blood from Alaric’s arm.

"Your Majesty!" one of the guards shouted in alarm from the side, while the others immediately began to panic.

"Don’t!" Alaric raised his hand, and the guards immediately stopped in place.

His gaze dropped to the blood dripping from his arm, and he snarled at Rowan before lunging into the next exchange.

Rowan jumped over him and struck from behind with a kick Alaric didn’t see coming.

Alaric then threw an uppercut, but Rowan dodged it and answered with a swift kick to his stomach followed by another to his face. Alaric staggered back, his feet dragging through the sand as he struggled to regain balance, while Rowan pressed forward again and their swords clashed violently in the air once more.

The fight continued like this for several moments, neither of them giving ground, until Alaric suddenly knocked Rowan’s sword from his grip and immediately followed with a very strong kick that sent him crashing to the ground.

Alaric pointed his sword at him, breathing heavily. "Now who’s standing?" he demanded in anger, and without hesitation he raised the blade to strike.

But just as he was about to thrust it down, Rowan caught the blade with his bare hands. The steel burned into his palms, blood immediately spilling, but he didn’t release it. Alaric’s eyes darkened as he pushed harder, trying to force the blade through, while Rowan resisted with gritted teeth.