Page 51 of The Queen's Crown
Rainer threw another punch. This time he managed to hit Markis in the stomach. Markis hunched forward but quickly straightened, once again bouncing on his feet. The two men eyed one another, two animals each seeking blood.
“I love when Rainer challenges someone,” Lottie said. “Since being crowned king, he’s rarely had the chance to fight.”
“You enjoy watching this?” Sabine always hated it when one of her brothers fought.
“Yes.” Lottie smiled and glanced at her. “Rainer has a natural talent for fighting. It really is amazing to see.”
Markis swung but Rainer turned, so he missed. Rainer countered with a strike to Markis’s head.
“They’re holding back, right?” Sabine whispered. “So no one will get hurt?”
Lottie laughed. “I doubt it. Don’t you have brothers?”
Sabine nodded. “I have four.”
“Then you know when they fight, they don’t hold back.”
“What if they get hurt?” In the last fight, it looked like the one had a broken arm and nose.
“Other than a few bruises and some scratches, my brother has managed to come out mostly unscathed. He’s also never lost a fight. My dad trained his sons to be warriors. That’s what Rainer is.” She peered at Sabine. “Does this side of him scare you?”
“No.” And that was the truth. She found his ability to fight so well fascinating. Karl had trained his entire life to be king, so his fighting skills were lacking. But Rainer…the way his body moved, the muscles along his torso, and the speed with which he fought could only be accomplished from years and years of training.
“Then what made you upset?”
“He’s fighting Markis, and I fear he’ll be injured. As his sister, I’m surprised you allow him to do this now that he’s king.”
Lottie laughed. “No oneallowsRainer to do anything. He does as he pleases.”
Markis managed to hit Rainer’s shoulder, and the king stumbled backward a few steps.
“When do they stop?” Sabine asked.
“When one is too injured to continue.”
Sabine didn’t think she could stand there and watch this any longer.
“Do you know why the guards wear masks?” Lottie asked.
She’d considered it many times. So far, she’d only managed to come up with one possibility. “So no one knows who they are so they can’t be bribed?”
“That, and so no one sees their bruised faces.”
Rainer swiped Markis’s legs out from under him. Markis landed on his back, rolled out of the way, and jumped to his feet.
“I’ve never seen a fight take this long,” Lottie said. “Rainer is going to be thrilled.”
“Why is that?” She would have expected him to be upset.
“Markis has a different way of fighting. It’s challenging Rainer. My brother will want to learn Markis’s ways and teach it to his soldiers.”
Markis spun and then punched Rainer’s stomach. Rainer wrapped his arm around Markis’s neck, flipping him to the ground. The two men continued in this manner for the next several minutes. Finally, another soldier called the fight, raising both of their arms in a tie.
Relief filled Sabine.
“Interesting,” Lottie said. “I’ve never seen a tie called before either.”
Rainer and Markis went over to the side, talking together while another pair entered the ring and began sparring.
