Chapter 206 We Have A Winner
Trixie’s POV
By the time the last competitor stepped up to the starting line, the entire arena had changed. The earlier laughter, the chatter around the banquet tables, the children running through the grass chasing balloons, all of it softened into a low murmur that rolled through the crowd like distant waves.
Twenty warriors had entered the course that morning. Nineteen had already run. Some finished strong. Some fell short. A few failed within the first minutes when exhaustion finally caught up with them.
But now, everything came down to this last run.
The sun hung high above the arena walls, warm light stretching across the stone floor and the green grass near the banquet tables. The air smelled of roasted meats and fresh bread from the long celebration tables nearby, but hardly anyone was paying attention to the food now.
All eyes were on the course.
I leaned slightly against the railing of the viewing platform, the maroon fabric of my dress brushing the stone as I shifted my weight. Coban stood behind me, his hand resting lightly at my waist while Caden stood to my right, arms folded across his chest. Neither of them had taken their eyes off the arena.
Below us the warrior rolled his shoulders once, shaking out the tension in his arms.
Kevan stood not far behind us and gave a low whistle. “Well,” he muttered. “This one’s either about to impress the hell out of us or eat dirt halfway through.”
Mark snorted quietly beside him. “He’s made it this far.”
Darien leaned forward slightly, resting his forearms on the railing. “He looks steady.
Lucian’s gaze flicked briefly toward the final obstacle tower rising high at the far end of the arena. “That last section will decide it.”
He wasn’t wrong. Every competitor who had run today had reached the King’s Reach obstacle completely drained.
Some never made it past the first ring. Others fell halfway through the swing. Only two men had even touched the rope at the end. Neither of them had rung the bell. Which meant the tournament still didn’t have a champion.
Not yet.
Behind us, a burst of delighted laughter broke out from the grass where the children were playing.
I glanced over my shoulder just in time to see a cluster of balloons lift higher into the air again.
Cassian and Atlas sat right in the middle of the chaos, tiny hands lifted as they watched the balloons drift upward like they’d been released from invisible strings.
Children ran beneath them trying to grab them. Kael crawled after one that bounced across the grass, clapping his hands every time it floated away again.
Even some of the women nearby had stopped their conversations to watch the little display. For a moment, the bright colors floating above the grass made the entire arena feel lighter.
Then a horn sounded. My attention snapped back to the course.
The final competitor exploded forward from the starting line. The crowd roared immediately.
He sprinted hard across the opening stretch, boots pounding the packed earth before launching himself at the first wall. His hands caught the top edge smoothly and he pulled himself up in one powerful motion, swinging his legs over and dropping to the other side without losing momentum.
“Strong start,” Caden said quietly.
The warrior hit the next obstacle. It was a low crawl tunnel, without hesitation, he dove through the narrow space and bursted out the other side already moving.
He cleared the balance beams quickly. Scaled the cargo net. Swung across the rotating bars with controlled precision. The crowd cheered every time he landed clean.
My heart started beating faster as he reached the mid-course climb.
His arms were already shaking slightly. Everyone’s did at that point. But he didn’t slow down. He gritted his teeth and hauled himself up the rope climb, reaching the top platform faster than most of the men before him.
Kevan leaned forward behind us. “Okay,” he said. “That’s impressive.”
The warrior dropped from the rope climb and immediately sprinted toward the final section.
The tower loomed ahead. Forty feet high. The rope ladder hanging beneath it swayed slightly in the breeze. The man grabbed the ladder and started climbing. The entire arena began to quiet.
Even the children’s laughter faded as more people turned their attention toward the towering final obstacle.
Step by step he climbed. Higher. Higher. Until he finally pulled himself onto the top platform.
The King’s Reach stretched out in front of him.
Five massive rings hung over the open air between the platform and the finish tower. They swayed gently, moving just enough to make every jump dangerous.
The warrior wiped sweat from his hands against his pants. The arena fell completely silent.
He grabbed the first ring. The metal creaked slightly under his weight as he swung forward. Then he launched. His body flew through the air. His hand caught the second ring.
The crowd gasped.
He swung again. Third ring. His fingers slipped for half a second. A ripple of tension moved through the crowd. But he held on.
Caden murmured beside me. “Control”
The warrior pulled his legs forward and launched again.
Fourth ring. His body swung harder now, using the momentum to build distance. He skipped the fifth ring entirely.
Gasps erupted across the arena.
Instead, he launched straight toward the rope hanging from the finish tower. For a terrifying moment it looked like he might miss it. Then his hand caught the rope. The entire crowd exploded into cheers. The warrior locked his legs around the rope and started climbing. Every muscle in his arms strained as he pulled himself upward the final ten feet.
Below him the arena roared. Even the children had started shouting now, jumping and pointing as they watched. Cassian and Atlas clapped wildly, golden sparks flickering faintly around their hands.
The warrior reached the top. One final pull. His hand slammed into the heavy steel bell.
CLANG.
The sound rang out across the arena. For half a heartbeat there was stunned silence. Then the entire place erupted.
Cheers. Shouting. Applause thundered through the stands and across the banquet grounds.
The warrior dropped back onto the platform, breathing hard as the timekeeper called out the final result.
“Three minutes and twenty-eight seconds!”
Kevan laughed behind us. “Well damn.”
Mark grinned. “Fastest run of the tournament.”
Coban’s arm tightened slightly around my waist as we watched the crowd celebrate below.
A new warrior had just earned his place among our ranks. And judging by that run. He’d earned every second of it.