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He studied Mierna’s face from afar, trying to gauge her true intent. It was difficult to tell if she was bluffing, and he soon realized that she was beingveryserious. If herdiscarding the flowing clothes wasn’t enough, the way she held the sword definitely did it.
Whether he felt admiration for her courage, or jealousy about how she was bare in front of everyone, it was all difficult to unravel. The one emotion he felt very strongly, though, was suspicion. It didn’t make sense how a princess was so ready to participate in such a thing. With her toned arms and legs on full display, he had no doubt that she was capable. But why?
What would make a royal family train their princess so vigorously?
Knowing she was a Nymph, he worried that her ability to dematerialize into water would give her an unfair advantage regardless of sword wielding skills.
Clearing his throat, he ensured his voice could be heard far and wide.
“Arthur, you can step aside. I shall allow the princess to take your place.”
Everyone continued to look at him in silence as Arthur dragged himself out of harm’s way, resting behind a pillar so that he saw nothing. He looked pained and worried, but there was nothing he could do.
“For the sake of a fair duel,” continued Travus, “no one will be using their gifts or magic. Please take your places.”
Mierna kicked off her shoes and walked to the center of the courtyard. His best guard followed and poised himself before her. She stood in a stance unfamiliar to Travus. It was not a formal technique, and he wasn’t sure what to make of it. Yet, Mierna looked confident and steady, and everyone watched in surprise as she raised the sword single-handedly, ready to take on her opponent.
Travus called out once more, but in another language altogether, the native tongue of elves.“Do not injure her. Your only goal is to disarm her weapon.”
His knight yelled back in acknowledgement.
Travus nodded.
“You may begin.”
He’d barely blinked before Mierna had shot forward with a high swing, one that his knight barely managed to dodge before blocking her next attack. Her sword of silver-rock clanged sharply against the knight’s black-iron blade, their edges filling the air with screeches.
The knight tried to find an opening, but it was a difficult task while trying to keep his head intact. Though he was deflecting each strike that Mierna inflicted, maintaining his speed was proving to be difficult.
It was becoming obvious to Travus that his best fighter was already beginning to tire out. But Mierna? She’d just warmed up.
A particularly forceful swing from Mierna forced the knight to jump away a good distance from her and crash into a wooden post, and he took the chance to catch his breath before rolling away from her high lunge. Mierna’s sword dug into the post, but she slid it out easily while swinging it around for momentum. She swiveled on her heel and walked toward him.
The knight charged at her, and she dodged him in a flash while tripping him. He was sent rolling across the ground as his sword went in the other direction away from him, and Mierna was upon him in an instant with her blade ready to slice down.
“Stop!” Travus yelled. “Stand down! Both of you!”
Though he knew that his knight’s armor of black iron would barely dent, he still felt it risky to let the fight continue. Seeing Mierna’s agility against his knight’s strength, he understood that she was more than capable of knocking his helmet off and slicing his neck if it came down to it.
Mierna’s sword remained frozen in the air as she glared down at the knight. Slowly, she stood up to move away from him.
The knight, perhaps due to his ego, took the chance to swipe at her ankles with his arm. She fell to the ground but not with a harsh impact. She simply rolled off and stood up once more, now more enraged than ever.
“You fool!” Travus yelled at his knight who scrambled away for his sword. Not only had he disrespected a literal king’s order, but disrespected Mierna’s decision to surrender despite having the upper hand.
His knight had chosen his fate.
Light on her feet, Mierna charged with her sword swinging so fast that it was barely visible, throwing the moonlight’s reflection everywhere as she unleashed her full physical potential. Travus watched in awe, unable to understand how anyone could be so skilled even without magic.
But he couldn’t lose his knight. Without a thought to spare and a second to waste, he flew off the railing and charged towards the two of them, raising his gauntlet-clad arm to redirect Mierna’s sword right as she swung down at the knight’s head. Pushing the knight out of the way, Travus planted himself before her.
“It’s over, Mierna,” he said sternly. “You’ve won. Stand down.”
“He chose to attack when it was over,” she growled through gritted teeth. “If he wants to fight to death, let us.”
Something about her was different, as if she was trying to let off steam for something else entirely. Her eyes held a festering bloodlust and her supple skin glimmered brightly under the moonlight. He wondered if this was what happened to Nymphs when they were pushed to their limits. Mierna was replacing her purpose with another form of satisfaction, and frankly, it was terrifying. There was a chilling darkness in her eyes that resembled what he saw in the mirror.
She swung once more, and Travus smacked the sword away with controlled strength. The blade was sent flying, and he grabbed Mierna’s shoulder before she could zip away from him and tackled her to the ground. His cape fell around them to shield her from the world.
