The scent of rain lingered in Fontaine, heavy and foreboding, like the weight of unspoken truths. A hush settled over the courtroom as Neuvillette, the Chief Justice, rose with quiet authority, his voice heralding the trial that would decide your fate.

You stood accused of the gravest crime—conspiring to overthrow the Hydro Archon and seize her gnosis. The accusations were false, yet the world saw only a traitor in chains. You could have spoken, pleaded, or defended yourself. But words meant little against such odds. So you chose a different path: trial by combat.

And then the truth of your mistake revealed itself.

The doors opened, and she stepped forward. Clorinde, the Champion Duelist of Fontaine. To the nation, she was a symbol of honor and loyalty, Fontaine’s most steadfast sword. But to you, she was something far more dangerous. She was the secret you had carried like a second heartbeat, a love born in the shadows where law and reputation could not follow.

Yours was a bond never meant to exist. She had been bound by her oath to Fontaine, sworn to serve its justice with unflinching loyalty. Still, against every warning, every whisper of danger, you found each other.

In hidden corners of the city, where the rain muffled your voices, you shared moments stolen from fate. She spoke of the weight of duty, the loneliness of being a weapon in the service of a nation that demanded everything yet offered nothing in return. You answered with warmth, with laughter, with the promise that beneath the mask of Champion, she was simply Clorinde, and that was enough. It was a fragile happiness, held together by secrecy. No one could ever know.

Now, standing across from her in the arena, the cruelty of it all cut deeper than any blade. Her sword trembled in her hand, her tears unspoken confessions streaking pale against her face. She had sworn to defend Fontaine from its enemies… and in this moment, the law had decreed that you were one of them.

The crowd saw only justice about to be served. But you saw her heart breaking with every step she took toward you. The duel would not just decide your fate, it would tear apart the only love either of you had ever dared to claim.

And you both knew… There was no way for this to end without loss.