by Billy Wong
"Now who's being pessimistic? We'd have the advantage of teamwork... well if it was a single dark elf."
They were quite rare these days, or so Theo heard, but similar things did tend to flock together. The two continued their search for game. They had just spotted a buck, and Theo carefully drew back his bowstring, when a bloodcurdling cry rent the air. The deer sprinted off. In his surprise he accidentally let go of the arrow, which thudded into a tree behind where his target had just been. "The hell was that?"
Rob gazed with anxious eyes towards the sound. "Just some beast, I'm sure."
"Think maybe it could be a dark elf?"
"Oh, cut it out!" Now that an actual unknown threat presented itself, thoughts of killing or even meeting it seemed to be the last thing on his mind. "Let's go back to the manor."
"But if it is just a dangerous beast, we might save others from it if we take it down."
"It's too risky. Even considering you are a skilled swordsman, we have no idea what this creature is like. If there are reports of it troubling people later, my father's men will handle it."
Theo exhaled in disappointment. "All right, fine." There was a time when Rob would have readily gone with him to find out what made that frightful noise, even if he was scared. He supposed his friend had learned caution with age, and wondered how long he would manage to hold onto the adventurous spirit of youth. Then again, there were people who continued to explore the world and live life to the fullest even in their later years. He counted those folk the lucky ones.
#
A few weeks after returning home, Theo injured his knee and had to take a break from training. That aggravated him greatly, for not only did it put a halt to his improvement, but he wanted to be ready to challenge Claire whenever she should visit and this made it impossible. His next meetings with Sophie were more uncomfortable than ever after that conversation at her home, and they could barely even talk to one another. He dreaded how things would be if they did get married. Unrest in the country grew as trade suffered at the Hierarch's will. All the while, Ailune further strengthened its forces. Theo took solace in exchanging letters with Claire, learning of her victory in a grand tournament and Lily's continued progress under her tutelage. He wished he had good things of his own to tell her, other than how his knee slowly recovered.
Months passed before he got the news he waited fervently for. Claire wrote that she was coming back to Egrent, if not for the most pleasant reason. Her ruler sent her to meet King Darius again, and ask in person if he would comply now after seeing what defying the Hierarch meant. Theo wondered if his father's pride would make him adamant in refusing. The economic situation upset many and put pressure on the throne to give in, but no king who fit the title bent to the demands of another lightly.
Claire arrived in the throne room with Theo already present. He waved to her, getting a smile in return, but couldn't do anything more before she knelt before the king and looked up in that same uncowed manner. Damon started to request that she state her name, but Darius interrupted. "We can dispense with the formalities. I know why you are here, Lady Claire of Taltis."
"What is your answer, then?" she asked.
"To deploy troops in a threatening manner towards Fian would cast Egrent as a questionable neighbor. Yet the people demand I do whatever it takes to restore our prosperity."
"That is a nonanswer."
Darius glowered at her impertinence. "I am aware. I would ask you a question."
"Go ahead."
"It would be an uneven contest if Egrent were to challenge High Waloros to battle, and it seems unlikely we could convince you to trade openly again with swords. However, you are a proud warrior. Would you be willing to represent your nation in a duel to settle this argument?"
Her eyes looked sorely tempted, but she said, "I don't have the right. Even if I did accept, the Hierarch isn't bound by my word. If I lost, he would not be forced to honor our wager and lift his edict."
"True, he has no strict obligation to. But how would High Waloros look in the eyes of the world if he went back on a deal offered by his personally selected agent? There is a chance he would humor us for the sake of his image. I still challenge you."
"You challenge me?"
He nodded towards Gunther. "Of course, just as you represent the Hierarch, I will be represented by my champion."
Claire locked gazes with her proposed opponent and slowly smiled. "I really shouldn't. The Hierarch's wrath will be upon me if I fail. But this is too fine an opportunity. On the condition you understand a victory won't guarantee the action you desire... I accept."
"So what's this fight for?" Theo dared to ask, making everyone look his way. "Just bragging rights, if the trade restrictions aren't at stake?"
She smiled. "They're at stake. At least, that's what we'll say the fight is officially over. I just can't promise my lord will respect my word. But King Darius, if I win, you'll send those soldiers to the border as we ask?"
Darius replied, "Of course. Egrent's king will keep his word, even if certain others may not."
"I will tell him that if I lose. I would like him to honor my promise too, to salvage some of my pride at least."
Claire pulled the spear off her back, and Gunther drew his massive greatsword. Everybody else retreated to the edges of the room while they began to circle. Even with her heels, he towered over her. Theo didn't know who to root for, and felt genuinely torn. Gunther was his swordmaster, and friend, and loyalty to the country demanded any citizen of Egrent support him much less a prince, but Claire... was Claire. He'd be lying to himself if he thought he could ever take satisfaction at the sight of her defeated.
"You're courageous, girl," the king's champion said. "No fear in your eyes."
"Thank you for the compliment. I could say the same about you."
"Why should I be afraid?"
She burst forward, ducking under his sword as it swept across. Her speartip rushed at him low, grazed him as he twisted away. He touched his hip, frowned at the blood that stained his fingertips.
"Fast!" someone behind Damon said, stating the obvious.
Gunther probed her defenses with his sword, making powerful yet measured cuts that let him always quickly retract the blade. He was taking this seriously, and didn't want to leave openings he didn't have to. Meanwhile Claire evaded with the fluidity of a snake and struck back at wild angles mid-dodge, making Gunther move frantically to turn the point aside or avoid it. Not just fast—her speed was dazzling, if Gunther could barely keep up. Theo could scarcely believe it. As amazing and once seemingly unbeatable as his teacher was, she appeared to have the advantage.
The end of her spear passed by Gunther as he sidestepped. He started a counterswing. She turned the pole so the crossbar was horizontal, used it to hook him and pull him forward towards her. Losing the space to use the sword properly, he tried to punch her with the hilt. She leaned back from the blow, kicked him in the knee at the same time. He fell to a kneeling position and she brought her foot up, then down in an axe kick. Her boot crashed upon his neck, driving him to the ground, and she raised the spear. He rolled aside, slashed as he came up to keep her back. The blade fell inches short of her face, and she eyed it unflinching as with disdain while it passed.
Gunther sprang at her with a growl, his strokes fast and hard. For a moment Theo feared for him, thinking he grew desperate and might make a perilous mistake. But then he saw that Gunther hadn't abandoned his skill, still keeping his offense tight so he could move his sword back to guard at a moment's notice. He just attacked with more urgency now, as he must have realized he wasn't going to win with a defensive approach. Now Theo's concern shifted to Claire as she retreated, for he worried those impractical shoes of hers might impede her now that she was no longer in complete control. Gunther drove her back, her features tense unlike before.
"Now you see the strength of Egrent!" one of the bolder advisors shouted. "As if the king's champion could ever lose to a woman in such a
ridiculous outfit." The gaunt man smirked in delight as she bumped up against the throne and Gunther cut at her belly.
Claire jumped high over the whooshing blade, landed atop the seat. Gunther adjusted and aimed the backswing higher. She leapt over it too, whipped her spear down as if it was an axe with the crossbar its head. He raised his sword high to block, and for a split second seemed to hold her suspended in the air. She kicked forward with both her legs. Her heels smashed into his face, making Theo wince. Yet Gunther hardly missed a beat. He grabbed her by the ankle an instant after she connected and hurled her across the room. Somehow she landed on her feet, albeit in a crouch.
"You're very good." Gunther wiped blood from his nose and blinked one eye repeatedly trying to restore what must be impaired vision. "If only I could have met your grandfather in his prime."
"Why do you want to meet him, when you have me?"
"Because you're still-"
She darted at him. "Still not big enough game for you? Let's see about that!" He blocked her charging thrust, wrenched her spear up out of the way and chopped at her shoulder. She seemed to disappear from in front of him and reappear next to him kicking at his side. He caught her ankle again. Before he could throw her, she jumped on one leg and freed herself with a twisting kick to his solar plexus. She had scarcely landed before he answered back with a kick of his own. His huge boot slammed into her chest, probably squashing a breast flat judging from where it landed. Instead of showing much pain, she just gritted her teeth as she was knocked sliding back a step.
They were both so amazing, Theo thought. In his enthusiasm about his training, he had begun to wonder if he might be close to being able to beat them. But it seemed like he had a long way to go. Still, that he'd improved noticeably was cause for celebration.
Spear and sword rang like frantic music at the middle of the chamber, their wielders' speed and control in spite of that speed mesmerizing. Much smaller though she was, Claire somehow didn't seem that much weaker; yet Gunther didn't seem much slower either now that he went all out, both closely matched enough that they fought to a standstill where they stood. Getting in close, he managed to catch her with a fist that snapped her head around and might have knocked out most men. Yet, blood oozing from a split lip, she just scowled and answered back with two punches of her own. She hopped back from his attempt to merge her skull with his hilt, thrust at his leg. He batted the spear down and stomped on it, pinning it to the ground. He might have asked what she would do now without her spear, except she then hit him with a left hook and freed the pole as he stepped off it. She lunged stabbing at his chest, but he deflected it and his riposte sent her scrambling back.
"You're very good," she said, parroting his previous words. "If only I could have met you in your prime."
"Are you implying I'm past my prime?"
"Appearances would indicate so."
"Hmph. I'll show you the value of experience, whelp."
She spun her spear around in her hands so that the head and crossbar became a blur—whether in an actual technique or just a tactic to intimidate him, Theo didn't know. She plunged forward, the front of the spear an indistinct cloud. Gunther seemed to waver between evading and meeting her attack, then stepped towards her with a downward chop aimed at the spearhead. He must figure her grip to be loosened moving it like that, and sensed an opportunity to disarm her.
His blade missed her spear and her, cracking the floor as she sidestepped. She had used the unusual tactic to distract him from her movement. Her point pierced his shoulder. He bellowed, grabbed the shaft and lifted her up. She let go of the pole and hooked an arm around it instead, slid down it to warp his visage with a powerful falling punch. He spun stumbling away, recovered into a massive slash as she pursued. She hopped back, but not fast enough. The sword tore across her ribs, and Theo's heart skipped a beat.
She clutched the wide gash, blood running through her gloved fingers. "You are truly a worthy opponent. I admit"—Theo couldn't believe what he thought he would hear—"my grandfather would give you the utmost respect!" Oh. She dashed at Gunther, not hesitating one bit though red spotted the floor behind her. She launched into a flurry of jabs and slashes, even faster than before as if she became a living storm. Gunther parried and dodged like a madman, yet cuts began to appear on his arms, sides and chest. He couldn't defend against her completely, only stave off a telling blow. But the accumulation of minor hurts would slow him sooner or later and then...
He caught the spearhead, the edges slicing into his palm and fingers, and yanked her forward while swinging his sword. She ducked it, but he grinned. He let go of her spear and brought his empty hand hurtling at her jaw in an uppercut. Theo thought for sure she would be knocked out, if not badly injured. Had he been wrong for not giving his support fully to Gunther, and feeling so conflicted? He supposed it didn't matter. The outcome remained the same, the better warrior victorious in the end.
To Theo's shock—and everyone else's if the gasps that filled the chamber were any indication—Gunther's punch missed Claire. Or rather she had dodged it, too swift for most to register. She spun around him smoothly as liquid and hammered a fist twice into his kidney. He turned attempting a backhand with his hilt. She stopped it by stabbing through his forearm, then punched his elbow while it was so immobilized. Theo grimaced at the terrible crack it made as Gunther dropped his sword. Showing incredible willpower he flung her away from himself using the mangled arm, the spear ripping out of it, and reached down for his blade with his good hand. She ran right back and flew into the air, knee seeking his face. He took it on his unbroken arm, but it still staggered him back from his weapon. She ran after him. He drew a dagger and stood his ground fearlessly to meet her. He leaned aside from an upward thrust, tossed the knife at her. She caught it and threw it back. He swatted it away—but before he could make another move, the point of her spear touched his throat. Gunther froze.
"Failed gambit." Claire smiled. How had she beaten him so quickly once she got serious... Theo might have thought her nigh invincible if he hadn't seen her injured so badly before. "My win. You have my respect too. To push me this far says only good things about the people of Egrent and the warriors they produce." She retracted the spear, faced the king and bowed. "I suppose the question of whether the Hierarch would honor my word will not be relevant."
Gunther staggered back to lean against the throne, as if all the strength left him with his defeat. He was quite battered too, of course. "I've shown the nation's weakness," he muttered, sounding positively dejected.
Even though he hadn't been certain who he wanted to win, Theo felt terrible to see his teacher like this. "You lost because you were past your prime," he said lamely in an attempt to console him.
"I'm more skilled and experienced now than I was when I was twenty or thirty. If I had my current knowledge in my twenty-five year old body... I still don't think I could beat a beast like that. She was taking it easy before... that wound which would have given many a stern warrior pause, it just woke her up."
Theo thought Claire might be offended by the term "beast," but she didn't seem to care. "This is the strength of High Waloros. Will you honor our agreement then, great king?"
Darius nodded, looking admirably calm under the circumstances. Appearances however did not always say that much. "Of course. We will station troops near the border as you requested."
"I'm grateful you are true to your word. I hope our countries will continue to have a fruitful relationship in the years to come."
Chapter 5
Damon, who had crept up beside Theo at some point, whispered, "Do we have a fruitful relationship now? And if so, fruitful for who?"
"You can't be the winner in every negotiation just like you can't in every battle," Theo said. "I guess this was kind of both."
Claire took her leave, flashing him a pained smile on the way out. The brothers stayed to watch their father try to convince everyone things would be fine, and the kingdom's reputation woul
d not suffer greatly for bending to High Waloros's will. Nobody resisted the Hierarch's demands for long, Darius argued, so why should Egrent lose face among others who easily could or already had found themselves in the same position? Still, the way it happened was somewhat disheartening, as reflected by Gunther's persistent melancholy slouch while the healers treated his wounds. Egrent had thrown the gauntlet, and they'd lost.
"So do you still think she's your friend?" Damon asked Theo. "It seems like Mother turns out to be right."
"I don't see how. What did she do wrong? Father challenged her and she accepted as a warrior would; should she have lost on purpose for our sake then? She could easily have killed Gunther if she wanted and didn't. I'd say that at least says something for her."
Damon frowned. "You think sparing him makes her a good person? It was practical, that's all. I'm sure she figured if she killed him, it would foster more resentment among us and make us harder to keep under foot. She just acted like she did to keep up the image of High Waloros as a benevolent uncle."
"Maybe there's weight to that, but I don't know what she's done that makes you think she isn't good. She has a job to do and does it. If one of us was challenged to a duel to settle some important matter with another nation and won it, would that make us evil?"
"Evil, no," his brother said after a moment. "But not that nation's friend either I'd think."
"Friends can have disputes and still remain such. Besides, we're talking about different things. You're saying Claire might not be Egrent's friend, and that may hold some merit. I imagine for her work she has to maintain an unbiased view towards other countries and not overly favor one or another. But I was talking about her being my friend, and I think she is."
"A close enough friend to risk ruining your marriage over?"
He gave a light shrug. "It's not as if I had a great relationship with Sophie in the first place, or want us to get married. More and more, I feel like I don't want us to."
