Of Love and Valor

21: To The Death

I stand opposite Restrivek on a field with boundaries marked by stones. The grass is cut short here, thanks be to Heaven. Members of my squadron and the Molongun tribe stand around the edges of our dueling ground, each holding a torch to supplement the light of the full moon above.

"What would you have the terms of the duel be?" Alderon asks the zaikaritim, his face like stone. Zelphinon stands glowering beside him. I flash him a small smile.

"All veapons, to ze deatt," his uncle replies with a calculating sneer. Alderon's eyes meet mine, and I nod. I will take this on. He sighs heavily and places a hand on Zelphinon's shoulder.

"So shall it be. Fighters, do you understand and agree to the terms?"

"Yes," I agree immediately, showing no emotion.

"Brazen, foolish girl," Restrivek scorns. "A pity you vill not live to regret your mistake. I accept ze terms."

"Zen let ze duel begin!" the zaikarit uncle declares. Restrivek charges at me immediately, katana drawn. I wait until the last second to leap cleanly out of his range. He has trouble stopping himself from breaching the boundaries of the dueling grounds, but barely manages it and then comes barreling towards me again. I dodge again, this time darting low and tripping him. Somehow, he manages not to fall, but he stumbles nearly to the opposite edge of our makeshift arena.

"Do you know any attacks, little girl, or only evasion?" Restrivek taunts me, although this time he chooses a more prudent approach. We circle each other at the center of the dueling ground, prowling like tigers.

"I suppose you shall find out," I reply smoothly. He lunges for me. I evade him narrowly, leaving a shallow cut on his right arm in the process.

"You little snake." He attacks again and again, and I dodge as narrowly as possible each time, always striking in the process. Sometimes I feel my blade break skin, but that's largely not my intention, which becomes blatantly apparent when a large section of his tunic falls to the ground, leaving his back bare.

"Vhat in blazes?!" one of the zaikaritim exclaims. "You make a mockery of our most skillful fighter!"

Restrivek is similarly enraged and swings his katana at me heavily. This time I engage him with two of my larger knives in a frightful crash of metal on metal. Our blades meet a few more times before I catch his katana between my knives and fling them and his katana out of bounds, as I have done in Academy duels before.

"Do you fight to kill or zhust to humiliate?" Restrivek hisses as he draws his own large knife. I'm waiting just out of his reach, bouncing lightly on the balls of my feet.

"I have heard it said that a man can die of wounded pride," I answer airily. He slices violently at me and I dance just out of his reach, then dart around him during his recovery and shove one of my smallest knives deep into his calf muscle. He bellows in pain and swings his knife forcefully at my head. I barely manage to parry with another knife. My taste for dragging this out is waning.

"Hold still, you little vitch," he growls, turning clumsily on me. His slashes are rapid and violent. Again, I evade all of them narrowly, each time slicing at his clothing. Shreds of it accumulate in the dueling grounds, and soon he is left with scandalously little coverage.

"Ve must put an end to zis!" one of zaikaritim protests.

"Terms are to the death," Alderon reminds him with eerie calm. "Unless you would like to forfeit?"

"She could have ended it long ago."

"So you admit our female champion is superior to your male fighter?"

Meanwhile, Restrivek makes another foolhardy charge at me and I punish him by dodging and tripping him again, more forcefully than before. This time he topples to the ground, and I leap on top of him, twisting one of his arms painfully behind his back and placing a blade against his throat.

"Any last words, Restrivek?" I ask him with the slightest of smirks.

"I'm not beaten yet," he grunts, trying to push himself up. I twist his arm tighter, and his movement causes my blade to scrape his neck. Blood begins to trickle down. I tap the knife in his calf with one foot, pushing it in deeper and causing him to scream.

"I'll give you an opportunity to reconsider. I am in no rush for you to die."

"You've made zat qvite clear, and I don't understand vhy."

"Your zaikaritim must decide now what is more important: Their honor, or your life. I await their decision. Know that if you die, it is because they, and not I, have willed it."

One of the Molongun women throws herself at the feet of the zaikaritim, pleading in their native tongue. Moments later, a couple others join her. The zaikaritim are frozen with indecision for what seems like forever. Restrivek begins to whisper prayers for the stars to watch over his loved ones.

"All right. Have off. Perhaps it vas rash to make zis a duel to ze death," the zaikarit uncle declares, though the words obviously taste sour in his mouth. "Azerai is clearly ze victor. Zis duel is over." I carefully get off of Restrivek and take a few steps back, ready to complete the post-duel pleasantries and clean my knives. Restrivek shakily gets up, and then, without warning, flings a knife at me, which grazes my arm as I leap to avoid it. Those gathered around the dueling grounds erupt with a cacophony of noises.

"Restrivek. I believe your zaikarit declared the duel over," Alderon's voice slices through the chaos.

"If her tactics vere fair play, zen zo is zis," Restrivek retorts, flinging another knife in my direction. This time, I am ready for it and dodge much more effectively, while loosing several of my own knives at him. Each of them hits its mark in his torso; he didn't even have his clothing to protect him. His eyes are wide with shock as blood begins to leak from his wounds around the knives.

"You had to know that something like this would happen, if you chose to attack me again after the duel was terminated," I remark sadly.

"Now you're both in violation of the sacred rules of dueling!" one of the zaikarit shouts.

"Just Restrivek. Azerai is protected by the self-defense clause pertaining to violations of dueling procedures," Alderon corrects him. Another zaikarit is poring over a scroll and, after a few moments, mutters something in his native tongue that, judging by the satisfied expressions on Alderon's and Zelphinon's faces, must have confirmed Alderon's claim. Zelphinon and I lock eyes for a moment, and then he comes into the dueling grounds, approaching Restrivek.

"I come as a healer," he says, loudly enough for everyone to hear, then continues more quietly. "I may be able to keep these from killing you, if you cooperate with me."

"Aren't you ze vun...ve vould have executed...if I von?" Restrivek questions incredulously. Zelphinon supports him as he begins to sink to the ground.

"Yes, but that doesn't matter. Nor does it matter that you acted in such a treacherous, dishonorable fashion while dueling with one of my comrades. You are hurt. I can help you. Will you allow it?"

Restrivek nods weakly. Zelphinon beckons for me to join him, which I do, and I begin to act as his assistant in treating my opponent's wounds. Around us, the tribe members are in an uproar. Then one of the women who had been wailing in front of the zaikaritim approaches us. She asks Zelphinon a question in their native tongue, and he nods. She begins to tear strips off of her clothing and give them to us as bandages. Zelphinon and I still travel with healing plants in our pockets, and we work quickly and quietly.

Around us, the uproar is fading to stunned silence. A glance reveals that the rest of our squadron is watching us proudly. The members of the tribe who are present are incredulous, slack-jawed. I notice Alderon and his uncle exchange a few words, too quiet to hear regardless of language. Then the uncle approaches us.

"I am not vun to often or easily admit zat I am wrong," he begins solemnly, with uncharacteristic humility, "but Zelphinon, I have miszhudged you. I did not do right by you years ago, and I vas more zan prepared to wrong you again. Please accept my humblest apologies. You have shown your true character tonight, and I hereby declare ze accusations against you to be fallacious and zerefore null and void. Velcome back to ze Molongun tribe. Velcome home, Zelphinon."