The next morning arrived beneath clear skies, the air carrying a quiet charge of excitement and anticipation.

By the time Eric and Drac finished the last of the preparations, people from both Hillford and Lowmere had already begun to gather at the grounds. They came in small groups at first, then in larger numbers.

Despite all the help they had received the previous night, the two had barely slept. The final adjustments- tightening ropes, reinforcing posts, clearing the remaining water- had stretched well into the early hours.

Now, as the crowd continued to grow, Eric stretched his arms above his head, a satisfied sigh escaping him as his joints gave a series of soft pops.

Drac, standing beside him, wordlessly handed him a cup of steaming tea.

Eric accepted it with a small nod of thanks, Drac then turned slightly looking at Lysanne who was standing a short distance away with the thermos in her jands, speaking with a few of the women. She glanced briefly in his direction, gave him a small smile before returning to her conversation.

Earl Castermere arrived soon after, accompanied by Chelsea, Lysanne, the twins, and the supervising panel. Their eyes swept across the grounds, taking in the restored venue, the people gathered without division, the quiet hum of life that had returned.

The previous night’s events had already reached them. The people themselves had explained what had transpired, and though no one said it aloud, the shift was evident in every glance exchanged among the panel members. The hope of Eric’s victory was restored.

"So," Lysanne said as she approached, her gaze settling on Eric, "you’ll be judging, won’t you?"

A few nearby youngsters turned toward him at that, curiosity lighting their expressions.

Eric blinked, then broke into a grin.

"Hmm? What are you talking about?" he said lightly. "I’m not going to just sit and watch- I’m playing."

The reaction was immediate.

"Eh?!"

A few laughs broke out, and the attention shifted instinctively to Drac.

Drac, as expected, simply shook his head once.

Eric chuckled under his breath before turning toward the supervising panel and making his way over.

"Esteemed panel members," he began, his tone respectful but relaxed, "I have a request."

They looked at him attentively

"I know this is sudden," he continued, "but for these two days, may I ask you to take on the role of judges- alongside Earl and Lady Castermere?"

There was a brief pause.

Then Chelsea smiled first, warmth lighting her expression.

"I’d be delighted."

Thaddeus gave a small nod, and the rest of the panel followed soon after, their earlier hesitation giving way to agreement.

"Very well."

With that settled, the final preparations fell into place.

The murmur of the crowd grew louder, anticipation building as more people gathered around the marked grounds. Children edged closer to the lanes, adults lingered in small groups, and the earlier hesitation that had once defined them seemed to have softened into something far more natural.

Eric stepped up onto the platform, glancing once across the crowd.

A small breath left him before he raised his voice.

"Listen up, everyone!"

The chatter didn’t stop immediately- but it shifted, quieting in waves as heads turned, attention gradually settling on him.

Eric let his gaze sweep across the crowd once more, taking in the faces turned toward him, some eager, some curious, a few still carrying the remnants of hesitation from the days before.

Then he smiled.

"For the first time in a long while," he began, his voice carrying clearly across the grounds, "Castermere stands together."

A ripple passed through the crowd and Eric didn’t linger on it.

"So today," he continued, a hint of playfulness slipping into his tone, "we celebrate that."

"And since all of you seem to have far too much energy," he added, glancing pointedly at a group of youngsters who had been whispering among themselves, "we might as well put it to use."

That earned a louder reaction.

"Let’s see what you’ve got!"

"Don’t cry when you lose!"

Eric’s grin widened just a little.

"We’ll start simple," he said. "The first events are for the children."

At that, the younger ones immediately perked up, some straightening where they stood, others suddenly looking far less confident.

"The hurdle race will be first," Eric announced. "Those who wish to participate please line up at the starting marks."

There was a moment of stillness and then chaos.

Children rushed forward all at once, some tripping over their own feet in their haste, others arguing loudly about who was supposed to stand where.

"That’s my spot!"

"No, it isn’t!"

"You’re standing crooked!"

"That’s because you pushed me!"

A burst of laughter rose from the adults watching.

"Stand straight!" Someone shouted.

"You call that running? Fix your stance first!"

"Don’t embarrass us out there!"

"That’s your own child!"

"Exactly why I’m saying it!"

Even Eric had to look away for a second, pressing his knuckles lightly against his lips as he tried to hold back a laugh.

Drac, beside him, remained unmoved but the faintest shift at the corner of his mouth gave him away.

Eventually, after much shuffling, arguing, and two minor disputes that were resolved purely because someone got distracted, the children settled into place.

Eric raised his hand.

"Ready-"

One of them started running.

"Oi! I didn’t say go yet!" Eric called out, barely managing to keep his tone steady.

The child froze mid-step.

Laughter erupted.

"Get back!"

Grumbling, the child returned to the line.

Eric shook his head slightly, then tried again.

"Ready... set. Go!"

This time, they ran properly or at least something resembling running.

One stumbled over the first hurdle entirely while another jumped far too early and nearly collided with the next.

One simply ran around the hurdles instead, earning immediate protests.

"That’s cheating!"

"No, it’s smart!"

"Get back here!"

The twins were, unsurprisingly, at the center of the chaos.

Leo sprinted ahead with surprising speed, only to stop halfway and turn back noticing as how Nico was the "smart" one to walk past the hurdles.

"Nico! You’re doing it wrong!"

"I’m not!"

"You are!"

"Jump over them!"

"I don’t wanna!"

The few kids who were in the front started fighting amongst themselves as well and grabbed each other just as they were closer to the finish line and ended up tumbling over together.

In the end, neither of them won but neither of them cared. By the time the race ended, it ended in such a messy fashion that the crowd was laughing their heads off and the ones at the end line couldn’t decide who exactly won.

Still cheers followed for everyone alike.

"Good job!"

"You didn’t fall this time!"

"That’s improvement!"

"That one did!"

"Don’t point!"

The next event began almost immediately after.

The children’s tug of war.

A rope was brought forward, its center marked clearly, though that did little to ensure fairness.

"Divide yourselves properly," Eric instructed.

They didn’t.

One side had more making the other complained.

"Then take two from there."

"No, not him!"

"Why not?"

"He’s too strong!"

"He just fell over in the race!"

"That was on purpose!"

The adults couldn’t catch their breath because of everything as they were too busy either cheering or laughing. Eventually, somehow, the teams were formed.

The two sides grabbed the rope and pulled.

The cheerinh started immediately and the kids dug their toes and heels into the ground to keep their side from losing.

"Pull!"

"I am pulling!"

"You’re not pulling enough!"

"You’re not either!"

The rope shifted unevenly, then suddenly lurched to one side as half the group lost balance again.

The "winning" side didn’t even realize they had won as they were busy arguing because they had fallen face first into the next team.

Eric let out a soft breath, shaking his head slightly as he watched.

"And here I thought it would be easy."

Drac folded his arms looking at everyone and said, "It’s funny."

Eric chuckled, "That’s one way to put it."

As the events continued, Eric noticed as how the people were even more charged up, they didn’t even care of they were cheering for the kid of Hillford or Lowmere. They were just either teasing or laughing or cheering.

Eric stood at the edge of the grounds now, no longer directing, simply watching as the energy carried itself forward.

The laughter from the children’s events lingered even as they were ushered aside, some still arguing over who had actually won and who had been "cheated."

The rope was dragged away, the hurdles cleared, and in their place a sturdy wooden table was brought forward and planted firmly at the center of the grounds.

A few of the older youths stepped closer immediately, curiosity flickering across their faces.

Eric stepped forward once more, rolling his shoulders slightly before raising his voice.

"Alright," he called, glancing around at the gathered crowd. "Now that the little ones have embarrassed themselves enough-"

"That wasn’t embarrassing!" One of the children shouted from behind.

"That was amazing!"

"It was cicrus," someone from the crowd corrected.

Laughter broke out again and Eric chuckled under his breath before continuing, "-we move on to something a little more serious."

He placed a hand over the table.

"Arm wrestling."

That got a reaction, quite a loud one at that.

"Oh, now we’re talking!" 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

"Move aside, I’ve been waiting for this!"

"Time for the real men’s game!"

"We’re also participating!" One of the women spoke as she stepped ahead pushing her sleeves up to her elbows.

The men whooped while some teased back.

"Go home, if you hurt your wrist. Who will cook?"

"You can say that after we smash your egos to dust." A few more women stepped ahead crunching their fists.

"Say that again!"

"Let’s have a go at it and see."

The men accepted the challenge readily.

People began to gather more tightly now, forming a rough circle around the table. Sleeves were rolled up, bets, spoken or otherwise, began to form, and the earlier lightness shifted into something more energetic.

"Line up," Eric said. "We’ll go one by one.en and women will have their fair chance!"

The first few matches were quick, despite the women being less in number they managed to smash the fists of a great number of young men who challenged them.

Cheers and jeers followed each outcome, the crowd growing louder with every round as confidence, and ego, began to take over.

"Next!"

The game followed in the same fashion until Drac also stepped ahead, Eric frowned, he hadn’t noticed when Drac disappeared from his side to stand in the line.

Facing him was a middle-aged burly man, who looked twice Drac’s size.

"Hope you don’t harbor any ill will, Your Highness." The man spoke with a smirk and Eric smiled sweetly simply saying.

"Likewise."

The man didn’t understand what Eric meant but without him knowing almost everyone had put their money on Drac winning because they had seen the glimpse of Drac’s strength just last evening.

Drac took his place silently, resting his elbow against the table, his expression as neutral as ever.

His opponent smirked slightly, settling in.

"Don’t hold back," he said.

Drac didn’t respond.

"Ready. Go."

Slam!

The man’s hand hit the table with a dull thud before he even realized what had happened.

There was a moment of silence till he realised and the people around him shouted.

"What?"

"That was too fast!"

"Again! I wasn’t prepared." The man shouted.

The man blinked, shook his head, and tried again. Eric called for the Go again and it didn’t yield any different result. The man’s fist was down again, faster than earlier.

The crowd erupted.

"He didn’t even move!"

"Gotta give it to His Highness’s guard."

One after another, challengers stepped forward, reluctantly and lost.

"Who’s next?" Eric called.

The youngsters weren’t even pretending to go ahead.

"No way! We have seen just yesterday!"

"That guy is a monster, I’m not sacrificing my hand!"

Drac remained exactly the same through all of it. His face didn’t betray any expression.

"Even Reggie can’t do it?"

"What do you say Reggie?"

"The leader of your gang won’t even give it a try?"

"Too scared to lose face!"

The people then started effing on Reggie who simply let out and exasperated sigh and then sat down in front of Drac. Reggie was slightly on edge, he knew this guy couldn’t be taken lightly but he also knew people were looking. His eyes ran over everyone and met with a pair of pink orbs. The orbs shifted instantly to his land over his opponent.

Reggie didn’t look in her direction again as he put his hand out. Drac clasped his hand without exerting too much force in the grip since he was facing a normal human.

"Ready. Go!" Eric shouted.

Reggie prepared to stand his ground but just like others he also lost before he could realise.

He didn’t want to humiliate himself by calling a rematch so, he simply stood up and walked back to his group.

Eventually, the murmurs shifted.

"...Alright."

"Let’s see him try against His Highness."

That drew attention immediately and eyes turned towards Eric.

Eric raised a brow, a small smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

"What do you say Drac?"

Drac simply glanced at Eric, "It’s up to you... Your Highness."

Eric smirked and stepped forward, rolling his sleeve up as he took his place across from Drac.

The two young men looked at each other, apart from the challenge and thrill there was a glow in their eyes that made even the air around them heat up quite literally.

"Try not to hold back." Eric spoke in a low voice.

"Master will scold me if I break your arm." Drac spoke nonchalantly making Eric’s smirk deepen.

"I’ll explain it to him."

Drac seemed to ponder for a moment before he said, "Then, I’ll match to your level."

Eric sighed, he knew whatever he did, Drac would never go all out unless he had to destroy this whole territory. He was a Dragon after all.

They clasped hands and the crowd leaned in.

"Ready. Go!"

This time, it didn’t end instantly.

Their hands remained locked in place, neither moving, nor giving. Their hands shuddered with the sheer force exerted by each man. The muscles on their arms stood taut.

The tension was clear even through the crowd who watched with rapt attention.

"They’re not moving..."

"Who’s stronger?"

"Is this a stalemate?"

Eric’s jaw tightened slightly, a faint strain showing now.

Across from him, Drac remained steady, not even showing the signs of being tired after winning so many matches.

The sweat dripped down the sides of both of their faces and the people stood on the edge.

Then there was the sound of a cream as the table couldn’t bear the pressure from the two men and ended up cracking.

"What the hell?!"

"Who won?!"

"That didn’t count!"

"It was a tie!"

"No way!"

Eric shook his hand once, flexing his fingers before letting out a small laugh.

"... Let’s call it even."

Drac gave a slight nod.

The energy lingered even as the broken table was cleared away, replaced now by a row of targets set at a distance across the field.

The crowd shifted again, spreading out as bows were brought forward.

"Archery next!" Eric called.

This time, the excitement carried a different tone.

Those who stepped forward did so with a certain intent, adjusting their grips, testing the weight of the bows, gauging the distance with narrowed eyes.

Arrows were handed out and the archers took their positions, some waiting for their turn.

The first few shots were scattered.

Some struck the outer rings.

Some missed entirely.

A few landed true.

Each attempt drew its own reaction- cheers, groans, teasing remarks that carried far less bite than they once would have.

When Lysanne stepped forward, the crowd shifted attention, instead of cheering they watched their future ruler stand there looking confident and dashing.

She took her position with practiced ease, her posture straight, shoulders relaxed, breath steady as she nocked the arrow. For a brief moment, everything seemed to still around her, the murmurs fading into the background, the movement of the crowd slowing, even the wind feeling less intrusive.

Then she released.

The arrow sliced cleanly through the air and struck close to the center of the target.

A murmur spread through the onlookers, low but unmistakable.

"She’s good..."

"Again."

Lysanne did not react to the voices. She simply reached for another arrow, her movements unhurried, as though the result had already been decided in her mind. She drew the bow once more, held for the briefest of moments, and released.

This time, the arrow landed even closer.

The murmurs grew, no longer casual but attentive, eyes fixed on her with a growing sense of recognition. By the time her third shot found its mark with near-perfect precision, the tone of the crowd had shifted entirely.

What had begun as curiosity had settled into respect.

Reggie stepped forward soon after.

There was no announcement, yet the space between them seemed to tighten, the earlier ease giving way to something quieter, more deliberate. He avoided her gaze at first, focusing instead on the bow in his hands, adjusting his grip as though grounding himself in the familiarity of the motion.

Then, just before he took his shot, his eyes flickered toward her.

Only for a moment.

Just long enough to acknowledge.

He drew the bowstring back with firm control and released.

His shot was strong, clean, and precise- striking close to the center, though not quite matching hers. It was enough to draw a reaction, enough to be noticed, and more importantly, enough to stand beside her effort without diminishing it.

Neither of them spoke yet, when Reggie turned Lysanne faced him. Usually they would glare at each other but this time it was more of a neutral state which broke quickly.

Eric, who had been watching from the side, stepped forward then, a faint smile tugging at his lips.

"Let me try," he said lightly.

Eric accepted the bow, testing its weight briefly before settling into position. His stance was not as refined as Lysanne’s, but it carried a quiet steadiness of its own. He drew the arrow back, exhaled, and released.

The arrow struck closer.

A louder reaction followed this time, voices rising with renewed energy.

"What is our Prince not good at?!"

"Competing against His Highness is unfair!"

Eric allowed himself a small smile before preparing his next shot. The second arrow flew straighter still, narrowing the difference further, drawing the crowd deeper into the moment.

By the final round, the margin between them had grown so slight that it barely felt like a loss at all.

But it was enough.

Eric won the archery game. Drac noticed the way Eric glanced at Lysanne before turning and walking over to him.

"What was that?" Drac asked as Eric handed him the bow.

Eric looked at him and then sighed, "That was me saving my ship."

Drac tilted his head confused and Eric patted his shoulder with a word of advice, "Get it together before she gets snatched away, my friend."

As the sun dipped lower, casting long shadows across the grounds, the energy of the festival began to soften.

The games for the day had come to an end, yet no one seemed in a hurry to leave. People lingered in small groups, talking, laughing, replaying moments that had already begun to settle into memory. The earlier hesitation that once defined them had faded into something far more natural, something unforced.

Eric stood at the edge of it all, watching quietly the results of his efforts. But it wasn’t done yet, tomorrow held even more fun moments that he and everyone looked forward to.