Fiori grinned at that, clearly pleased that Levi had managed to retain his sword, and swung again in a fury of blows. He was clearly holding back- most of his moves in battle were intended to wound and he'd promised not to hurt Levi- but his pace was relentless. Every movement was calculated, not leaving an opening wide enough to exploit, until he swung both blades outwards in front of him to back Levi even further into the corner. His stance was unstable, completely open to attack with his swords flying forward.
Levi caught the opportunity, ducking away from (hopefully) the line of Fiori’s swords. As he recalled in his training, he swung his leg sideways toward’s Fiori’s unstable stance, hoping that his aim was precise enough to hit Fiori’s knees and unbalance him enough to make an offensive attack. If he did succeed, he would be able to take advantage of Fiori’s vulnerable side. Of course this was all hypothetical depending on Fiori’s reaction to Levi’s kick.
Levi hit Fiori's knee hard and he could feel it buckling beneath the pressure. He used his last few seconds standing to grab Levi's shirt, pulling him down to the floor too. Once they were both on the ground he shook off his surprise and rolled on top of Levi, pinning his hands above his head. His grip was loose.
Levi laid there stunned for a few moments to compose himself. Once he caught his breath, (but not his rational thoughts), he tested how tight Fiori’s grip was on his wrists. His adrenaline would inevitably get the better of him: finding that the grip was loose, he yanked one hand away and jammed his thumb in Fiori’s eye.
Fiori pulled his head away when he saw the hand flying toward his eye, far enough that it wouldn't fuck up his eye. Not far enough to avoid getting hit, as he soon found out. He cried out in pain and tightened his grip on Levi's wrist, quickly getting the other one under control so Fi could loom angrily above him without having to worry about getting his eyes gouged out during a simple bout of sparring. He scowled down at Levi, panting heavily, and let out a rumbling growl. "Yield."
Levi struggled again, trying to writhe his hands out of Fiori’s grip, and ultimately failing. Finally he gave up and relaxed his muscles. He looked up to his face and squinted. “Fine,” He spat, reasoning there was nothing else to do in this situation.
Fiori didn't get up or relax. Instead, he pinned Levi with one of his harshest glare, the one that made the new recruits cry when he leveled it at them. "This was supposed to be sparring, yes?"
Levi’s breath hitches and shuttered, “Yes…I believe this was a sparring.” He balled his hands into fists out of anxiety and discomfort, mostly stemming from the glare, “Was I wrong?”
"You tried to stab your thumb into my eye. Do you not know what sparring is, or do you think I'm a man who goes back on his word?" Fiori loosened his grip slightly, waiting for Levi's answer. He'd promised not to hurt the slave unprovoked, hadn't he done that? What had made him feel the need to lash out?
“I think,” he managed out, lightly determining how much Firori had lessened his grip. “I don’t know how to answer that.” Either option would make him seem dumb or disrespectful, so it was true: he didn’t know what was best to say.
"Then I think you're smarter than you let on." Fiori let go of Levi's wrists and stood, snatching up his swords and putting them smoothly back into their spot. "And I think you do not know of my code. I do not lie, nor do I break oaths. I have already pledged not to hurt you without cause. You are safe here, so long as you do not hurt me." He gave Levi a pointed look. "Now put away your weapon, and we will find an appropriate punishment."
Levi pressed his lips together nervously while he managed to stand up and put his sword back where he found it. Would this kingdom’s punishments be similar to his own home’s? He doubted it, based on the cultural differences he’d learned already.
Fiori kept him fixed with a heavy gaze, leaning up against the wall as he waited He was still slightly tense, ready to grab Levi and force him back into a hold if he tried to escape or turn the weapon on Fiori. "If we were in your kingdom, how would you be punished?"
Levi walked towards Fiori with his arms swinging at his sides, “We mainly have a prison to keep the menaces of society, but non-fatally hurting someone in a sparring never facilitated arrest,” he spoke with a sliver of confidence, mostly from being nervous, “There is no punishment for that.”
Fiori raised a skeptical eyebrow and ushered Levi out the door. "There is no penalty for attempting to seriously injure royalty in your country?" he asked once they were in the hall, walking behind Levi to keep him moving forward. He didn't touch the collar. "Your monarchy must be in tatters."
“No, that’s not what I meant,” he huffed, almost stammering, “We don’t spar with people outside of the Royal court, so injuries are almost always accidental. It’s usually just strained limb or something,”
"Then answer my question. How would you punish someone who laid hands on your royalty?" The typical punishment here was a lashing, but Fiori already knew his slave wouldn't be able to take it without serious injury. Justice would probably be kinder in his kingdom. Something he could more easily withstand.
“Well..” he swallowed, “It would likely be taken as an assassination attempt, which would mean…execution by exile.” The importance and high regard of family and connection followed through to the royalty. If anyone attempted to assassinate their family—the king, queen, or princes,— the perpetrator would be exiled into the wilderness without a friend, supplies, or clothing.
Fiori's natural look tightened into a frown. He couldn't exile Levi, that would be the same as letting him go free in the hot but easily survivable climate. Still, there might be another way. One that didn't involve bodily harm. "Exile is…. heavy. This was an assault, not an attempt on my life." He didn't know why he felt the need to reassure Levi but here he was, doing just that. "Are there any other punishments? Perhaps those about commoners who attempt to injure each other?"
Levi glanced to the wall to think, reaching up to the collar around his throat, which was getting unbearably uncomfortable and heavy. His shoulders ached. “Well, usually prison time or physical labor, or both. Our court system is pretty complicated. It depends on a lot of things.”
Fiori was surprised to hear that they didn't use corporal punishment, but he kept his expression carefully blank as he considered all his options. He watched his slave pensively and then, when he noticed Levi was messing with his collar, beckoned him forward. The locking mechanism was easily undone if you weren't the one wearing the damn thing. "Would you like me to take that off for you?"
Levi walked closer to Fiori, using the wall to steady himself with a free hand, “Please,” He exhaled with relief. Well, more with hope that it actually would be taken off.
In rare cases, citizens were either branded or executed for heinous crimes. In the time Levi was ruling prince, he only once had to determine the punishment for a murderer, who was later taken miles away from the main city and hanged. Levi had nightmares about it for weeks, and he was glad that the religious court system took on most of the cases and distribution of punishments.
Fi had overseen many an execution. He'd been a general while they were at war and that meant executing the occasional traitor or fugitive. It still hurt him, even after all these years. The pain in their eyes, in their voices, written plainly across their faces. But he did his duty, and tried not to dwell on them too much. He could still name them and often heard their voices haunt his dreams.
He reached forward and carefully unlocked the collar, letting it fall to the floor with a loud clang of metal against stone. Levi's neck was chafed. He couldn't help but trace a finger over the raw skin, frowning. Slaves were well treated by his people, even an iceblood was treated with a basic level of respect once he was put in chains. "You're hurt. Who brought you here?"
Levi exhaled a breath of relief as the collar fell off from his neck. He swallowed when Fiori touched his neck, resisting the urge to flinch. It reminded him of being manhandled by the captain, and that alone made him uncomfortable once again, even though he knew the prince was less threatening at this point. “I don’t know who the first men were, but they said captain of the guards took me from the carriage to the bath.”
Even if he did learn the names of the men who took him from his home, his foggy brain would never remember it; he’d barely eaten anything since the supper he had in his own dining hall.
"I know Dion, he would not hurt you like this." If Dion had wanted the slave hurt, Levi wouldn't be standing here with all four limbs. This was too small scale to be anyone with real power, so it must've been the slavers. Still, it didn't make sense for them to handle their goods so poorly. Fiori gave Levi a once over, fully taking in the sores around his piercings and the bruising at the front of his throat from having the collar tugged on. A dim surge of anger crept through him. "Do you know anything about the men who captured you? Perhaps their appearance or their voices?"
