Here's the deal—I'm Dude. Legendary mercenary, universally adored (at least by myself), and incredibly good at accidentally stumbling into heroics. So you can imagine my irritation when Guy walked into Eldoria's grand banquet like he owned the place. He's basically my opposite: armor polished to perfection, hair annoyingly neat, and an expression so stiff you could sharpen swords on it.
The banquet was in honor of Princesses Aurora and Seraphina, who were supposedly grateful to whoever had "saved the kingdom." Obviously, they meant me.
Guy had the nerve to disagree.
"Out of the way, Dude," he said, practically glowing with arrogance. "Royalty deserves a hero, not a clown."
I smirked, throwing my arm dramatically around his polished shoulders. "Lucky for them, I'm both."
The princesses watched us bicker with barely contained amusement.
The rivalry quickly devolved into a spectacle of epic proportions. Guy recited poetry so dry it could choke a dragon and showed off precise swordsmanship. Meanwhile, I dazzled with knife juggling—only accidentally setting fire to one curtain—and regaled Princess Seraphina with hilarious tales of my heroic failures.
"Is comedy your only strategy?" Guy muttered, trying desperately to hide his envy as Aurora giggled.
"Only when facing your unbearable seriousness," I quipped, winking at Seraphina. She laughed, and Guy's jaw clenched so hard I feared it might crack.
Things took a sharp turn when bandits rudely interrupted, crashing through windows and generally ruining everyone's evening.
Princess Aurora and Seraphina were kidnapped amidst the commotion, forcing Guy and me into the world's most awkward alliance. Guy meticulously plotted every move, boring me half to death, while I decided to wing it, naturally.
"One can't simply 'wing it' against seasoned criminals!" Guy protested, looking appalled.
"Watch and learn," I grinned, charging headfirst into the bandit lair and nearly tripping over a rock. Guy followed, muttering curses under his breath.
We fought like two cats tied together—me improvising spectacular moves and jokes mid-battle, and Guy correcting my form even as he knocked bandits unconscious.
"Would it kill you to swing that sword properly?" Guy yelled, dispatching a thug with surgical precision.
"If it bores me to death first," I retorted, disarming another foe by pure luck.
Against all odds, we rescued the princesses in a dazzling display of chaos and order. Relief quickly turned into heated looks and playful whispers, tension sizzling in the air.
"Fine, maybe your chaotic style has some merit," Guy conceded, cheeks flushed with embarrassment—and something more enticing.
"And your stiff method can sometimes work," I laughed. "But let's agree—we both look damn good doing it."
The princesses giggled, stepping close. Aurora's eyes glittered mischievously. "Perhaps it's time you two stopped arguing and learned to share."
Seraphina nodded, her gaze wickedly inviting. "We're more than willing to mediate."
That night beneath the stars, rivalry melted into passion, laughter turned to moans, and four hearts found an unexpected yet perfect harmony. Turns out, even your rival can be part of your most epic adventure.