Title: Proving Ground
Author: Korsriddare
Characters: Ephraim-centric, Seth, Eirika.
Rating: K+
Summary: With the Gods as his witnesses, and the Everlasting as his judge, the Silver Knight fights his king.
Disclaimer: Fire Emblem is not mine.
A/N: Dedicated to Kitten Kisses (Wonderful-words). It is her birthday on the 26th! So, I bring you this gift-fic. Happy Birthday! Also, thanks to Mako and wolfraven80 for inspiration. Additional thanks to Kristalla for beta-ing it.

It was a bright and sunny day in Renais. Many would consider it the perfect weather for a stroll in the castle gardens, or for a walk through the city streets. Yet at the moment, most of the castle occupants were in the courtyard, and on the battlements above to watch the courtyard.

It was where the Restoration King faced off against the Silver Knight.

"Sir Seth, you're aware that under most circumstances, drawing a sword upon your king is high treason, which is capital offense, yes?" The teal-haired, recently-crowned King Ephraim of Renais jested as he blocked a vertical strike with the body of his Reginleif.

A grunt was his only reply.

He spared a glance for his twin, who at the moment was nervously chewing upon her lower lip, her concern torn between the both of them. It was, however, quite obvious whom Eirika was rooting for to win, from that occasional look of admiration she cast at his opponent when she took breaks from her worrying.

Her. Most of the female castle attendants. And the majority of the Knights of Renais.

There was an inward chuckle as Ephraim spun his lance overhead before slamming it diagonally at the knight. Such injustice! There he was, the King of Renais fighting for his life (figuratively), and yet most of his sworn knights were cheering loudly for his enemy.

"General Seth! General Seth!"

The blow being easily parried, he had to adjust his upper torso to draw his lance back, while at the same time sidestepping to avoid a quick thrust. The Silver Knight deserved his reputation; he had to admit that to himself. He may be the best lancer in all of Renais, but Seth was amongst the best swordsmen when it came to Magvel; Ephraim was quite certain that a match between the Silver Knight and the Crimson Flash was one which fighters all around the continent dreamt of in their sleep

It was more satisfying fighting him, however, and not getting his rear handed to him within seconds. Then again, it was his intention to best his opposition.

"Go get him, King Ephraim!"

That was from Forde, and Ephraim offered him a wry smile as he blocked another blow. At least he had his own entourage of supporters - Forde, Kyle and a few other knights that were with him throughout the war. Still, it was unfair that in such a momentous occasion of Renais' history, most of the occupants were siding against him.

He turned his attention to the red-haired knight. The man was barely panting, and his composure seemed as assured as ever, the silver sword held single-handedly in front of him. It was quite the sight, truly, and he could admit to himself that it was fortunate Seth was a Renais Knight and not one from Grado. Or the war would have gone really badly. He smirked faintly before going on the offensive again.

They had agreed to spar with Seth wearing his black combat uniform, and Ephraim in his blue armor – not full plate, yet protected well enough; basically what he had worn during the war. Seth used a sword, and he a lance. He had argued that Seth would not have the luxury to strap on a shield all the time whenever danger occurred. That and because he had to give himself a chance in this fight. After all, he had seen Seth sparring with Kyle and Forde both at once.

It did not end well for the latter two.

They had managed to hit each other a few times so far, though none of them were clean hits, and he could count the number of times he had hit Seth with a single hand. Actually, he could count it with a single finger. And the hit was achieved with the blunt end of Reginleif. On the other hand, he could definitely feel a few bruises forming around his form.

Ephraim found himself getting pushed back from the offensive and switched to a defensive stance as the Silver Knight seemed to begin his real attack. It was a duel, not to the death of course, but he could still feel a sense of dread as he warded off blow after blow. There was something foreboding about the advance of the knight, his talent and experience on full display as each swing seemed to be calculated, methodical in their intent to pierce his defense. Each block jarred him down to his bones as he felt the impacts keenly.

Strength and pace.

It was hard to keep up against the attacks. They were getting faster and harder, and each parry, each block drained more of his strength. Ephraim found himself getting slower, even as Seth appeared to be swinging and thrusting even faster. That man was unstoppable, it seemed.

Then again, there was that motivation for the knight to do his best, though it differed from his own.

The king barely deflected a side swipe, even as the knight used the change in direction to arc his blade from the other side, a fast and brutal diagonal swing. He saw it coming, but he was just not fresh and fast enough to bring his lance properly to bear against it. He lost his grip as the Reginleif was flung away. Before he could say a word, he found the metal of the blade by his throat, a faint smile finally showing itself on his enemy's face.

Ephraim held his hands up in defeat, offering a smile in return as he announced, "I yield."

There was a great roar as all those who bore witness to this duel cheered, in both congratulations and awe of the skill displayed. Everyone showed their approval, even if they had cheered the king on instead of the knight. He caught a flash of teal as his twin threw herself at the knight.

"Gods, go get a room, Eirika," he said with amusement as he watched the knight and the princess kiss each other lovingly. Forde started to whistle, though the red armored knight cut it short when the king sent him a warning glare. Ephraim waited for them to pull apart, the couple resting their flustered faces against each other, before he turned to the crowd and raised his voice.

"Sir Seth, the General and Knight of Renais, has challenged me to a duel and emerged triumphant. As such, I find him worthy, and give him my approval to wed my sister - Princess Eirika!"

There was another great roar as the crowd showed their overwhelming approval. Ephraim grinned at the sight. He would only allow someone who could protect his sister to be her husband, and who better than the Silver Knight, the greatest knight of his generation, and possibly in the whole history of Renais?

Ah, the Princess and her loyal Knight. What a beloved romance this will become.