Bartender

 Nicolas had his cloak over his head, and few people here knew him. The people did not know the palace. He walked thoughtfully through the streets.

Nicolas entered the Dead Rabbit Inn, where he always went. The bar was empty. There was only one bartender. Nicolas knew that most people had gone to the arena for the final match. So he didn't mind too much. The bartender was wiping glasses with a cloth and looked at Nicolas out of the corner of his eye. Nicolas sat down at the bar, looking in his direction. The bartender looked slightly back. "You are Nicolas, son of the king, aren't you?"

Nicolas was surprised to be recognized and replied. "So what if I am?"

"This is a ghetto place, how did you end up here?" As he said this, he took out a glass and filled it with Sherpsel beer. While filling it, he took a different bottle from under the bar and put it in the beer.

"What's this?"

"My own special cocktail. Try it."

"Are you crazy? Why am I your test subject? Give me something decent. If not, I'll get up and leave." Nicolas was very angry. He knew what he had to do because he was the king's son.

"Okay, okay, I apologize, I was really going to knock you out and kidnap you, but I don't know. I couldn't do it."

Nicolas put his hand on the bartender's collar. "I liked you very much." He gestured to the corner. "There's a team sitting over there all the time, I'm part of that team. We were regulars, I think I'll be your last customer."

"Nicolas, stop, stop!" Nicolas was holding the bartender's collar very weakly. The bartender could have let go if he wanted to. "Okay, okay, okay. Don't tell your father. Let's make a deal."

"I'm not making a deal with you."

"Listen to what I'm going to tell you." The bartender lowered Nicolas' hand. He walked across the bar and sat down next to Nicolas. "You're so weak. I watched you fight with little Hughes outside. He beat the shit out of you."

"What's it to you?"

"And I don't know if you've noticed lately, you've been unnecessarily aggressive, but your aggression is empty. I realized your powerlessness when you grabbed my collar. And right now, if I wanted to, I could take your life in one punch. You are that weak, Nicolas. Let me train you."

"Who are you to train me? And you can't take me down in one punch." Nicolas punched the bartender in the face.