Grizzly waited until all of Ryan's tears were spent before he spoke.
"Do you want to know why I go by Grizzly?"
He took a drag from his cigarette.
Ryan's voice was still raspy.
"Why?"
The old man had a smile form as he remembered.
"My sister always said I fight like a bear looking after its cubs, even though I told her it was the mama bears who do that."
Ryan just listened quietly.
"When I told her that, she just shrugged and said I was the only good papa bear. After that, she started calling me Grizzly, and it stuck ."
Grizzly's smile faded as he continued.
"We were on a mission one day, me, her," his jaw clenched really hard, "my best friend, he used to be a Knight in his previous world."
It took Grizzly a few seconds to get the rest of the story out.
"Up to that point, he believed in honesty, chivalry and courage."
He gave a bitter laugh.
"When the odds were against him, he ran, like a coward."
The old man looked like he was lost in the past.
He was brought back to reality when Ryan spoke.
"What was her name?"
"Olivia, she was quick and serious, kind of like you."
He gave Ryan a quick jab in the shoulder.
Grizzly seemed relieved as he lit another cigarette.
"I got lucky. I met the Dwarves, then I met Aleksandar and Eena."
Ryan frowned for a second.
"Why are you telling me this?"
"You deserve to know that you aren't alone. You saw that fight as a failure. I don't, Eragon doesn't, Bell and Eena don't either."
Ryan looked down as he processed Grizzly's words.
"I just wanted to be better, but I failed."
Grizzly scoffed.
"Would a failure stand up for others?"
Ryan was silent as he looked at Grizzly.
"Ryan, if the outcome means that you keep others safe, to me at least, it doesn't matter how you do it."
After a minute of silence, Bjorn's voice boomed.
"The fight of the boy-no, the man of the Blood Rose, was but a taste of what is to come!"
The crowd started cheering.
"I present to you Sten, not only my most trusted, but also the most fierce warrior that walks on the Earth!"
The crowd lost their minds as Sten walked into the middle of the arena.
He wore the same loincloth as in the trial.
Grizzly put on his leather jacket and gloves.
"Ryan, I want you to watch this. I am fighting for you."
Ryan nodded as he stood up and took his place at the barred window.
When the crowd died down, Bjorn continued.
"I have a treat for all of you! The bear of the Blood Rose has graced us with his presence!"
As Grizzly stepped out, he was met with a mix of cheers and boos.
He lit a cigarette and, as he walked, he looked up at Eena.
He smiled at her, and she smiled back.
Bjorn spoke again.
"The terms of this fight are simple! His life and the life of Ryan," at his name the crowd started cheering again, "for the lives and freedom of the Orcs!"
At the last part, the crowd died down, and murmurs could be heard.
"Listen to me! The loyalty of two great men is worth the work of the green-skins! Grizzly has connections to the Dwarves and their mighty weapons!"
The crowd started cheering with less enthusiasm.
"Are these my people? A people so afraid of loss that they can't enjoy a fight of our mightiest?"
The cheering grew louder.
"Is that all you can muster? Give Sten the power he needs to prevail! Give him the way of Steel so he can give you the way of Blood!"
The cheering grew to a deafening roar.
"The way of Steel! The way of Blood!"
Grizzly looked at the crowd that was almost foaming at the mouth.
He couldn't relate to them at all.
He took a long drag and walked into the centre with Sten.
He studied the warrior and saw no weapons.
"What's wrong, Underjarl, where is your axe?"
Sten scowled at Grizzly.
"I know of your power, Bear. I don't need weapons to defeat you."
Bjorn's voice boomed again.
"What are your terms?"
Sten looked at the crowd.
"Unarmed combat!"
They cheered.
Bjorn looked at Grizzly.
"Do you agree?"
Grizzly nodded.
"Sten of the Viking Clan! Are you ready?"
Sten raised his right fist into the air and roared.
The crowd became even more rabid at his display.
"Grizzly of the Blood Rose! Are you ready?"
Grizzly gave Bjorn a small salute.
"Begin!"
Before Sten could react, Grizzly flicked his cigarette at his eye.
The crowd went silent at his dishonour.
He missed, but the flinch was all Grizzly needed.
He gave him a straight left punch on his nose and followed up with a right hook.
Sten was flung from his feet with Grizzly's punches.
As Sten stood up, Grizzly ran as if for a tackle.
As he ran, he grabbed Sten around his waist and scooped him up.
He held Sten in the air and ran to the wall of the arena.
He slammed their mightiest hero against the wall.
This caused the crowd to boo at him.
Grizzly heard the wind get knocked out of his opponent.
He then started unloading hits to Sten's face and body before he could recover.
He kept going until he saw that Sten's eye became blank.
He knew he had won.
Now it was time for the show.
He grabbed Sten by the neck and lifted him off his feet.
Grizzly slowly walked to the centre of the arena.
He held his fist in the air as he carried Sten.
This made the crowd start throwing objects into the arena.
When he was at the centre, he dropped a limp Sten to the ground.
The hatred of the crowd was palpable.
Just as it seemed that violence would erupt, Bjorn spoke.
"Silence!"
The crowd refused to listen.
Bjorn jumped from his box into the arena.
He walked next to Grizzly and held up his hand.
"He is the champion! He won, and it was a good lesson for Sten and all of us! Do not expect honour in a fight without honour!"
The confused crowd seemed to calm down.
"You cheered for a fight where the Amazon used a similar tactic, and you wish to rebuke the Bear?"
The crowd's boos became quieter.
"Sten gave no restrictions, and he was given no quarter! This failing is upon us and not him! I fear that our lives have been too easy for us to react in this way!"
The boos turned into murmurs.
"The Bear was victorious because he relies on himself and his people! I feel we should follow his example! Do not see the loss of the green-skins as a loss! See it as a way to regain the strength we lost!"
The murmurs were then replaced with silence.
Bjorn let go of Grizzly's arm.
"Go see to Ryan. He didn't look good when he won."
As Bjorn walked away, Eena also jumped out of the box.
She wasn't graceful.
As she landed, she tumbled a few times.
She ran to Grizzly and covered him in a hug.
The kiss she gave him caused the people in the crowd to either whistle or shout curses.
The two of them walked to the room Ryan was waiting in.
Eena walked in first and started inspecting Ryan.
"Are you hurt anywhere?"
In this proof of her care, Ryan started crying again.
The strength left his legs, but she caught him before he could fall.
She held him and patted his head.
"There, there. It's ok, I'm here."
She just held him until the tears stopped.
Grizzly lit another cigarette and spoke.
"He took it hard because of how he had to win."
She nodded and looked at Ryan.
"Ryan. How are you feeling right now?"
He removed himself from her embrace and sat across from her.
"I'm not sure. I wanted to fight honourably, but I fought like a monster, and I feel pain in my chest."
Eena smiled as she leaned forward.
"That pain is from misplaced expectations."
He frowned.
"What do you mean?"
She took a deep breath and began speaking.
"Because of your past, you tried to correct yourself to a very high standard. What you failed to grasp was how far you have come."
Her words caught him off guard.
"How far have I come?"
With a smile, she explained.
"You have friends, you have me and Grizzly, and we care about you very much. You also care about us. Why else would you fight for Eragon?"
For a moment, Ryan felt conflicted.
He still felt the shame and pride from the fight in his heart.
Eena hugged him and whispered into his ear.
"You saved Eragon's life. Be proud, because I am."
As if on cue, they heard a banging on the gate.
Ryan heard Eragon's voice.
"Let me in!"
Ryan smiled for the first time.
He wiped his tears and went to open the gate for his friend.