Adventures of Jessa: the Adventures Continue

6

"Jessa, I know that he fights really well, but please, please tell me that you aren't going to accept Ricardo as part of your guard." Sorsha begs after the try outs are over and they are going over each candidate.

Jessa gives her attention to Sorsha, "Why? Like you said he's a decent fighter." Better than she expected actually. She can definitely tell that he took extra lessons from Kristoff.

"He's got problems with females, especially female fighters." Sorsha tells her and that makes it so that Jessa holds still.

"Then why the hell did he try out to be in my guard?" Jessa demands.

"He was bragging about how he would get into the future queen's guard. It's all about status, Jessa."

"You didn't go full out against him, Sorsha, why not?" Kallen asks this question.

"I was trying to be like Jessa, she never went full out against us. Still doesn't, although, I think she is finally doing so with Prince Dhiren."

"Ricardo!" Jessa yells out.

"Yes, princess?" Ricardo steps forward.

"I need to see you fight again. You'll go against Sorsha again." Jessa tells him and then turns to Sorsha, "Don't hold back. I want to see just how good he is. I want to see how he handles being beaten by you."

"Yes, if that's what you want." Sorsha says but is very confused.

"This isn't like you, Jessa." Dhiren says going up to her and wrapping his arms around her waist.

Jessa relaxes against him. "No, but I will not tolerate someone that won't accept help from those that are better than him and Sorsha most definitely is. She'll be the ones putting the guard through practice most of the time."

"Is she?" Dhiren asks amused.

"Yes, when we won't be under watch from royals."

Dhiren chuckles.

This time Sorsha is far more brutal in going against Ricardo. It is quickly evident that he is far outclassed by the slender female.

"Father, you have any more of those restoratives on you?" Jessa asks without even taking her eyes off the now unconscious Ricardo.

Kallen chuckles as he hands the restorative to Jessa.

Jessa promptly helps the unconscious elf by giving him the potion.

He in turn almost throws it all back up.

The angry look he directs at her is quickly lost once he realizes that it's Jessa that gave him the potion.

"Tell me, Ricardo, how did you think to hide your dislike of female leadership from me if I had chosen you to be on my guard. You know that I fight with my guard in sparring matches. Sorsha still fails to win against me. How will you tolerate going against me?"

"I-I ah, I don't know, Princess."

"Jessa, I don't like titles. I have to say, if it weren't for your attitude you very well would likely be on my guard. The problem I have, Sorsha will be in charge of my guard. If you can't follow orders from a female, then I can't have you on board. Because if it isn't Sorsha that will be giving you instructions it will be ME. Sorsha has been very generous in how she handled you in the past. It was much more difficult this time, wasn't it?"

"Yes, Pr, uh, Jessa." Ricardo changes what he was going to say when Jessa gives him a nasty look. He hangs his head down as the meaning of her words penetrates his foggy mind.

"If you think you can over come that major short coming I would like you to be on my guard. But," Jessa waits for him to look up. "I won't tolerate any insubordination. You will be kicked off faster than I can spit if I find out you have given Sorsha any or you give me any."

Ricardo stares at Jessa in shock. He thought for sure that Jessa wouldn't give him a chance.

"Made another one speechless, love?" Dhiren says coming up to her.

"You know how much I love doing that." Jessa tells him standing up.

Dhiren chuckles, oh he knows, all too well he knows.

"Jessa, is giving you a chance because she sees the possibilities in you. Don't make her regret her decision." Dhiren tells the astounded elf that is still lying on the ground.

"Yes, my prince."

Jessa goes to the other recruits and calls out the names of those that she's selecting. Then Dhiren tells the two that he wants.

"Those that weren't chosen, I have to say, you all did well. I know that my father will be having some mighty fine guards to help in the coming war. You all did far better than I expected and so you have nothing to be ashamed about." There is a bit of snickering heard from Dhiren's guard.

Jessa looks at them and then smirks as she turns back to the ones that didn't make the cut. "Those that were laughing at you, they've had to go through years of fighting with me before they finally started shaping up so that they finally are almost to where I want them to be."

She hears some muttering from said group but ignores them.

"Keep up the training and listen to General Brightblade. He will help you become better. We don't have time for slackers to be on the guard at this time. War is coming, one to be equal to the last great war. You might be the difference between Silva surviving or being destroyed. Just think of that next time you spar."

"Jessa," Kallen and Dhiren say low voiced.

"Yes?" Jessa replies raising one eyebrow.

They just sigh, "That's what I thought." Jessa then turns back to the failed candidates. 
"Thank you for trying out, perhaps next time you'll make it. Dismissed."

No one said anything about Jessa being the one to dismiss the candidates.

"Jessa, before we go, can we see you and Prince Dhiren spar?" One of the candidates dares to say.

Jessa smiles brightly at this as she turns to her husband. "What do you say, love?"

"Damn, I was hoping I wouldn't have to this soon." Dhiren teases her before nodding.

The candidates and indeed all the elves close up around the ring wanting to see one of the legendary sparring matches.

By now they know how they are going to spar. 

Jessa takes in her staff and Dhiren takes up his swords.

The deities that left return to watch the first sparring match of the new gold dragon's.

They are able to move even faster than before. There are shocked exclamations coming from each of the elves as they watch their new crown princess and their crown prince fight each other. It doesn't look like a friendly match at all. It looks like they are seriously trying to kill each other.

Even the deities that had stuck around watch in awe. Jethro is smiling like a proud parent. The Ancient one and Zira also look on with a proud smile on their face. Kaiston and Fate watch no little in awe.

"When she fought me, I thought I was doing okay against her, but this, this is far more than she used against me." Kaiston mutters, not realizing that he spoke out loud.

It is Zira that responds. "Jessa never uses more than she needs to to win. She was going easy on you when you fought, she doesn't like to ruin peoples egos completely if she doesn't have to. I have a feeling that she just might have to with the crown princes of your people."

"There's no way they are any where near her level."

Jethro just smiles rather smugly. He thinks so too, he'd seen the twins fight and hadn't been all that impressed. If they are the champions of the sun elves, they are in trouble in more than one way.