An unforseen battle. [DANTE]

[Dante Grixis]

Dante's blade struck the stone inches from Arthur's throat. He was forced off of the Prince and fell to the floor hitting his bad knee hard. He howled in pain and gripped his knee feeling warm blood stain his fingers. He swung with both blades at where the Prince was laying but they came up short. He dragged himself into a standing position, wincing in pain and readied his blades.

"You're a sneaky little bastard." Dante growled. "It's a wonder you never became an assassin yourself."

It was true, Arthur was Dante's equal in every way it seemed. Should they have been allies they would have been an unstoppable fighting team. But as the situation was they were not only equals but also opposites. They came from completely different ends of the socio-economic spectrum and were allied with opposing forces. Perhaps they were going to fight like this until the end of time.

[Prince Arthur Pendragon]

"I am pleased to say that i have morals and standards," Arthur replied, practically spitting out the words. He was breathless, tired and in pain- although he doubted it was as much as Dante was in.
The fight had finally came to a gradual rest, with Arthur standing one side, and Dante facing back at him. Blood was pooling on the floor by Dante's foot, and it reminded the prince of his leg injury, gained from the pair's first battle on the Kingsway all those months ago. The damage had been repaired easily despite Arthurs reluctance to stay in bed!

He took a long look at his opponent. Most other times it had been Arthur who had come off worst, but this time it seemed he was out on top. The revelation gave him an extra boost of confidence, and he rushed towards the assassin swinging his katana wildly.

"You're in pain and losing boy. All you have to do is agree to end this ridiculous feud and i'll let you live. Your choice."
He was close enough now that he could easily have cut his throat, although he guessed Dante would have defended it anyway.

[Dante Grixis]

Dante batted the strike to the side a followed up with a stab of his own. The connecting blades caught them in a lock, their faces inches from each other, separated only by sharp steel. He stared hard into the Prince's eyes.

He growled a response, his voice raspy, quiet, evil. "I would rather die a thousand time's over then surrender to you. I would rather suffer eternal torture than let you win." He shoved hard on the katana with his own blades breaking the lock and putting a small bit of distance between the two of them.

He took a quick step forward and his blade flashed out towards Arthur's shoulder. If it his his mark he could force the Prince to his knees and finish this never ending battle.

[Prince Arthur Pendragon]

Arthur was tired. Tired of fighting and tired of this fool of a boy. Could he not see how ridiculous he was to keep attempting to take his life and to keep failing?

In the world of chivalry, where Arthur liked to think he spent his time, admitting defeat was no big deal. In fact in a situation such as this, Arthur would have gladly agreed his opponent was the greater combatant and the pair would have become firm friends. It had happened before and had he been in Dante's situation he would have done it now. But Dante was no knight, and he was here until death- no matter whose that might mean.

"Will you just give it up?" He asked, lightly parrying the assassins blade away. It was an easy block and he figured the boy must be tiring with his injuries. He made no attempt to fight back, merely content with blocking.
"Why not leave. Rest. Heal." He asked, holding his weapon up to show he was not going to attack. "Then we fight on my terms, in the royal training grounds. To the death."
It was a serious request and to show his true sincerity he pulled a gauntlet from a rack nearby and threw it onto the tiled floor before him.
"Do you accept my challenge?" he asked.

[Dante Grixis]

Dante was breathing heavily as he listened to the Prince's proposal. An interesting gambit. If they were fighting on fair terms he might win. No, he would win. He sheathed his blades and took a step out of Arthur's blood circle, just in case the boy lapsed on his code of chivalry. His leg ached and he wanted to kneel down to take the weight off it, but he didn't want it to look like he was submitting to him. He winched through the pain and pulled his hood off to wipe the sweat from his face.

He realized that this was the first time the Prince had ever seen his face. It was interesting as they had been within arms reach of each other every time they met, but his face was always shadowed or hidden. "What are the terms?" He asked. He would listen to the rules that the Prince laid out and debate on them. He was almost surprised at himself for even listening to this proposal. Desperate times called for desperate measures he supposed.

[Prince Arthur Pendragon]

Arthur found it difficult to smother his surprise as the assassin actually seemed to be considering the suggestion. It had been just words when he proposed the idea, but now it was becoming more of a reality and the prince had to consider what the terms would actually be. He managed to cover his shock though and replied slowly.

"One weapon each, supplied by the castle. I don't want you bringing any surprises with you." It was the only way Arthur could see to make the fight fair. Poisoned blades and hidden weapons would prove terrible for him and it would have been ridiculous to agree to fight an assassin when the weapons were not matched.
"You must have your face on show at all times and agree to being searched before we enter the arena." Again, Arthur was thinking logically about how Dante might choose to tilt the odds in his favour.
"Other than that- Just a simple fight to the death."

Arthur lowered his blade and sheathed it, although he was still on edge and ready to pull it back out should the assassin break the temporary truce and attack. It wouldn't have surprised him at all, the boy had already proved he hadn't a decent bone in his body.

[Dante Grixis]

Dante listened to the boy's proposal. He was smart, he wouldn't let anything that might give Dante the upper hand into the battle. It would be pure skill at play in this battle. The thought about the proposal, he could defeat the boy even in a fair fight. He began to nod in acceptance but stopped. "I want amnesty for any crime I've committed if...when I win." He said locking eyes with Arthur.

After a moment he extended his hand to shake Arthur's. "Do we have an accord?"

[Prince Arthur Pendragon]

Arthur took the boys hand with a grimace- half smirk and half frown. It seemed an unusual gesture for an assassin to make, so perhaps after all he did have a shred of decency in him. Of course his hand could have been concealing some kind of weapon laced with a deadly poison, but Arthur didn't think that the boy had the strength or time to set it up.

"Amnesty?" Arthur frowned. It was not something he had considered, for should the prince be killed the king would certainly have the man hung for treason. Still, Arthur agreed that his crimes would be forgotten with a nod. The boy wouldn't win anyway, and if he did, then Arthur would not be around to feel the consequences of a deal break.

"We have an agreement. But you will be killed on sight if we find you breaking any of the terms."

He let the hand fall silently.

[Dante Grixis]

Dante slowly let his hand fall. He looked over the Prince once more and began to leave and paused. "Strange, one of our lives is about to end with thunderous applause." He began limping towards the door again, leaving a few blood dropplets behind him every few steps. "I'll find out about the set date through the Brotherhood, I'm sure someone there will hear about it soon enough." He called back across the room without looking back. He opened the doors and exited, closing behind him with a dull thud.

As he limped home he knew that once his leg was healed he would have to begin training. This would be the most important fight of his life, it would decide if he continued living or not.

[Prince Arthur Pendragon]

Arthur gathered dropped weapons in silence. The hall was empty- the few soldiers who had been there were long gone now, before the fight in fact. Arthur was glad they hadn't seen their prince fight an assassin it would have been embarrassing for them to know that a price had been put on his head. Goodness only knew what the king would have done had he known.

Arthur had never mentioned the countless attacks that Dante had made to his father. He knew only too well what Uther would have done. Killed everyone in the slums most likely and despite the way Arthur acted sometimes, deep down he knew tha majority of the Lows were innocent and simply born into a life of hardship and suffering.

The door to the weapons room was completely destroyed, it was going to be hard to explain and Arthur made a mental note to have it repaired as soon as he could. As for the rest of the place, well except for a broken table and lots of scuff marks in the thick dust, there was nothing to betray him to anyone.

With a sigh, the prince of Camelot closed the door to the weapons room as best he could. It hung on one hinge and the splintered wood lay about the floor rather than where it should be.
All he had to worry about now was the impending fight and how he was going to explain it to his father...