Edward's gaze moved to Sabbas, and he inclined his head slightly. "Of course. I have taken up enough of your time for now, ambassador. My thanks for attending this meeting and speaking with me." he gave Sabbas another small smile, eyes flicking to the servant for a moment, then back to Sabbas.
Biting the inside of his lip, he gave his servant a weary, tensed look; he made a mental note of talking to all of his servants in case this happens again. Sabbas smiled, looking at the king. "You may take up all my time for each second with you has been a pleasure. I look forward to our future meetings," He grinned. "Thank you for meeting with me, it has been a honor and a pleasure. Te veo pronto. See you soon, Your Majesty."
Stepping back, he did not turn his back until he was well far enough to do so. Sabbas did not make haste over to the servant. By the time he was halfway towards him, the servant rushed over then handed the letter with both hands. Sabbas gently took it, looking over his shoulder at the king.
Edward had watched him go, then eventually turned away to keep strolling the garden, his hands clasped behind his back as he walked. He looked at home here, with his golden hair and pale skin; a fine specimen of an Englishman, to be sure, especially in his own garden.
(I was wondering if we should skip to another time where they meet and if so when do you think?)
(yeah we probably should lol. And as for when, I'm not really sure? Maybe they do meet up for fencing?)
(Oh yeah that's a good idea! It works for me.)
(alright! want me to do that?)
(Yeah sure, thanks)
Edward had checked his schedule, and after a few days, sent a message to Sabbas with two potential times that they could do their fencing match. He would allow the ambassador to pick whichever time suited him best. The match would be in a private, enclosed area, with a minimal number of people in attendance. After all, it would not look good if Edward lost this fight to a Spaniard, even an ambassador, and Edward could not count on Sabbas throwing the fight for political reasons. He had to assume that Sabbas would treat this as it deserved to be treated: as a serious match, which meant that so long as the two were evenly matched, either one of them had a chance at winning.
Sabbas chose for their match to be during the third hour in the afternoon with the request of a guard or two being there, but did not specify on the number of witnesses. Ideally, that should up to the king. Really he did not see use of people there witnessing the match, it's really only for him and His Majesty after all. Besides, him and Alejandro used to always fight alone; of course it included reasons with other rapid movements, if you understand his meaning of it.
And he has no intention of winning, but rather, toying and playing coy. It would be embarrassing for the king to lose. Prince Alejandro wrote to Sabbas about King Francisco falling ill and him taking the role as regent. What really stood out to the ambassador was the line, "Win the king's favor, at any costs." While not his initial intention, now it is a game of gain for Sabbas.
Of course a few guards would be in attendance, along with a doctor just in case. Once the time had been chosen, Edward made all of the necessary arrangements, so that they could begin the match on time. When Edward arrived, he was dressed in a simple outfit; more so than his normal one. This was a simple white shirt, and a pair of breeches as well, along with a vest over the shirt. This was so that he had an easier, better range of movement for the fencing match. He wore no crown or circlet, as it would only get in the way.
Sabbas only had clothes that were either a bit smaller than normal or just his size. Why, one may ask? He is not fully sure himself. After taking in everything he had heard about His Majesty and the letter he had received, he purposefully went with wearing the somewhat tighter clothes. A plain white (not his favorite choice of color) linen shirt and dark crimson (a much better choice of color) trousers. Not to mention, he had his servants pin his hair back. He did his best to arrive as early as possible, though he ended up being just on time.
Edward had arrived early, though he did not mind waiting. He had spent the extra time ensuring that his sword was polished and ready for the match, along with double-checking that they would have the privacy needed for this. He did not need nor did he want a large audience; if he lost, it would be too embarrassing. Though of course he was not going to lose. He was not going to jinx this by assuming that he was, either. That was not in the plans for today. He looked up when Sabbas arrived, greeting the nobleman with a quick smile. "Good afternoon, ambassador." he greeted.
Oh how it had been months since he last had a fencing match with someone. Excitement coursed through his veins as the door opened and he walked in. There was an odd sense of silence in the room, and yet that only added on to his excitement. Especially since the king's voice echoed through it. He grinned then bowed at King Edward. "Good afternoon, Your Majesty," He replied. "I am so grateful for you to lend me some of your time again."
Edward smiled again. "I am grateful that you were able to come." he replied, smiling at the ambassador. "Let us see how this match goes, yes?" he flexed his sword gently, doing a few light test swings as well.
Sabbas stopped himself in his tracks. His finger slid up against the blade of his sword. That damned smile, he will be damned if he keeps enjoying it from afar. He just nodded to the king's words. Turning around, he stretched out his arms and legs then gave his sword a few swings. By the time he turned back with a smirk, he responded, "Ready whenever you are, my king."
Edward laughed a little, backing towards the center of the secluded yard. "Shall we have a guard count us off?" he asked, raising his eyebrows a little as he flourished the sword just a little. "So that we both have equal warning for the start." it was more fair that way; better to have a third party count off than to have one of them count off.
Stepping a little bit forward, he took a deep breath. He had to think about it at first. His mind went through all the ways he knows how to count to three, just in case he would somehow end up forgetting such a trivial thing. Then Sabbas glanced over at a guard. "A good idea, Your Majesty," He nodded. "I am ready whenever you are."
Edward nodded to a guard, who stepped forward and counted them off. "One…two…three!" he steppd back as he said the final number, giving the king and the ambassador room to have their duel. During the slow count, Edward kept his gaze fixed upon Sabbas, watching each minute movement that the ambassador made. Once the three was counted off, he did not choose to charge Sabbas, instead circling to the side to see how Sabbas moved, how he responded.
Sabbas strategy in fencing is the same way he approaches life. Always waiting for the other to jump in front of him, then him taking action himself. After all, fencing is his second favorite physical activity; he feels that it is not appropriate to think of the first one at this moment. He took a step back, keeping his eyes on the king. He's used to Alejandro jumping first and attacking. Somehow he though that King Edward would do the same. He slithered while his feet carefully crossed over, one over the other. Should he be taking the forward step first? Or should he wait for His Majesty to get closer?
Edward was a more cautious man, not wanting to just jump at Sabbas without first getting a feel for how Sabbas moved and how he might attack. So he circled around, watching Sabbas's movements with a studious eye. He wanted to get a feel for any issues with Sabbas's range of movement; after all, if Sabbas had any sort of limp, then that was an advantage that Edward could take advantage of.
Ah, so they both are watching the other. That is amusing. Well, Edward is no Alejandro, that is for sure. Sabbas got tired, restless, of the ongoing circling around, the learning of each other's movements. That happens during the action, isn't that so? But at the same time he doesn’t want him attacking to seem like he is doing so on purpose. It's just fencing after all. And yet, he leaped forward with his sword held out ahead of him. No limp, no hesitation, just an energetic Spaniard ready for fenching….among other things.
Edward's movements, once Sabbas charged, were quick, and defensive. He did not yet take the offensive, instead flicking his blade up to block Sabbas's, his gaze staying trained on the other man's face, for the vast majority of the time, rather than the blade in Sabbas's hands. He knew that watching the blade was secondary to watching Sabbas's face; the eyes and expressions could tell you everything about where your opponent was going to strike at.
His lips made an o shape. His eyes lit up with fascination. Sabbas was not able to fight back the urge to laugh a little. Englishmen, what did he ever expect from them? Gently, his blade slid down against the king's. "Vigoroso," He muttered underneath his breath. He maintained eye contact, even though his eyes always give something away. Though he's a bastard, all Valiente men are the same. Nevertheless, he removed his blade and thrusted it below towards the king's lower abdomen.
Edward barely caught the muttered word but, not knowing what it meant, ignored it in favor of flicking his blade, knocking Sabbas's in a quick, decisive motion. His mouth twitched faintly, drawing into a line of concentration as he made a few more offensive moves, testing Sabbas's response to them. He wanted to know how Sabbas would respond to an attack.