Chapter 9
The Elves, who had seen their Princess enter the high gates with the men, stared incredulously at them as the group rode along a cobbled path. Diana led the way to the main courtyard where she knew her mother would be overseeing the warriors hone their sparring skills.
As soon as she spotted her, Diana went to greet her mother and her royal advisors while Kal found a tree to sit under, hoping to find some solitude. He ignored the glances he received from Hippolyta and the rest of the elves as they talked. He just wanted to find some peace for a while. Lately, peace was an elusive thing for Kal. Soon enough, Diana came over to him but didn't sit down. There's probably another surprise, I know it, he thought sourly. He wasn't to be disappointed.
"They don't believe you are who you say you are. They want proof that you are indeed Kal-El, champion knight."
Kal wanted to throw up his hands up in disgust, but held down the impulse. Barely. "Do they propose I bring my father back here to vouch for me? What do they want me to do?"
Diana looked at him askance for a moment, as if at a child who had spoken rashly. The look chastened him somewhat as he realized how he must sound. "Look, I'm sorry, Princess. I didn't mean to be rude, but..." he trailed off, failing to find the words to explain himself.
No, she thought. He didn't mean to be rude. That wasn't the type of man she was beginning to know. It must be terribly difficult to be banished from his people and put into a situation he surely didn't understand. And every new piece of information he learned surprised and angered him, and for some reason she didn't comprehend, it was important that Kal wasn't angry or disappointed with her. So far she had failed miserably on both counts. What hurt the most, though, was that since he learned that she was royalty, he refused to call her by her name. He would only address her as "Princess". He never said it derisively, but her title put a distance between them that saddened her more than she cared to admit.
Perhaps she should have confided in him more. No fighter wants to go into battle without knowing the circumstances under which he must fight. She thought it prudent, at the time, to be circumspect in what she revealed to him, but perhaps that wasn't the best approach. She didn't understand all of it herself, but she could share what she knew. If she treated him as a partner in this quest instead of a vassal...After this "test", she resolved that she would have a talk with him and straighten things out. She was too used to being a princess, cordial but distant, and not used to being a person, a friend.
She tried to inject a little compassion into her voice as she explained what was required of him. "No, what they want is a test of arms. They would like a demonstration of your skills against our most skilled warrior."
He almost smiled at that. "Why do I get the feeling that your people's most skilled warrior just happens to be you?"
Diana's smile was grim. "Yes, you are correct."
"When?"
”Right now, if you are ready."
Resigning himself yet again, he rose and followed her to what appeared to be a weapons tent. The weapons, however, were not made of steel, but of a deep brown wood with blunted edges and points. Hefting one and handing it to him she informed him "These are made from a special wood from the arcadia tree. It's a tempermental and stubborn wood, but once fashioned into a weapon, it's weight, balance and strength are that of steel."
He hefted the sword and marveled that what she said was true. It's weight and balance were just like steel. She took a sword and shield for herself while he did the same. The shields were an assortment of different styles. While Diana had chosen a smaller, rounded shield, Kal chose a rectangular type that he was more used to. Diana chose a helmet, but Kal did not. He didn't like to be impeded and helmetless he felt less constricted. His opponent glanced at him questioningly at this decision, but shrugged her shoulders as if to say "As you wish".
A circle of elves had formed in a cleared out area made of dirt. This was obviously a training area and it looked as if it was used regularly. There were barely enough elves present to form a wide enough circle since only warriors were allowed to make it. Children and elders stood a few paces back. The circle parted briefly to allow the two combatants entry. Queen Hippolyta looked on from an ornate, high backed chair that stood on a dais just outside the circle. Dressed in her royal robes with her crown upon her head, she would have a clear view of the battle.
Once they were in the circle, Diana spoke very softly so that only he would hear. "I suggest you don't hold back. You will be judged on your performance. If you don't show them you are, you will most likely be executed--and I will be forced to be your executioner." With that, the elven warrior stepped back and fell into her ready stance. He merely nodded his head in acquiescence.
The last thing on Kal-El's mind was holding back. He was frustrated with the way everything was going lately. Nothing had been straight-forward since he was banished. Everything was either fogged with prophecies or tainted with magic.
Not only that, but the people around him had been--not exactly lying to him, but not telling him the whole truth either. No, he corrected himself. It wasn't that 'people' had been withholding information, but that it was Diana who was not completely honest with him. In their short time together, he felt he was beginning to bond with her. Now he knew that not only is she a princess, but a princess engaged to a prince! She was also entangling him in something he understood very little about and she wasn't very forthcoming about it. The more he understood what was going on, the less he liked it, too. She never really lied to him about anything, but it certainly felt as if she had. His ignorance of the situation and his feeling of general helplessness was maddening.
Frustration began to turn into rage, but the knight held it in check. This was no time to let his emotions distract him. He had a worthy opponent in front of him, if the elf stories he heard were true. One mistake could mean his life, wooden swords or no. He could sort out his emotions later. He too, fell into his battle stance.
A command was shouted in a language foreign to him, but he understood it as the call to begin. They circled each other warily at first, trying to feel each other out. Diana struck first. She was fast! And if the blow to his shield was any indication, she was much stronger than she appeared. His counter was blocked and he marveled again at her speed.
His shield arm did not even bend when I struck it, noted the startled princess. His counter to her attack was immediate and without hesitation. She did not doubt who he was, and she had heard stories about his prowess, but that was nothing when faced with the real thing in a real battle. He was not holding back as far as she could tell. He was true to his word, as she knew he would be.
Having gotten a feel for each other's abilities, the fight began in earnest. Thrusts and swings were announced by the clanging of shields. The speed and power with which the blows were delivered and parried awed the spectators and the ring of warriors alike. Footwork and technique were perfect. They had never witnessed such an exhibition. Perhaps most incredibly, no blow had yet struck it's target. All of the numerous blows were blocked. The speed of their defenses was only rivaled by the speed of their attacks. The rain of blows fell so swiftly and crashed so hard that some of the onlookers well behind the action glanced up at the sky as if looking for thunder. Their mumbling turned into cheering and open admiration of the skills displayed by these two warriors. They cheered for their princess, of course. It was a matter of pride. Princess Diana was royalty, but she was still one of them. They also cheered the stranger who had come from far away and was giving their best warrior all she could handle. It was something none of them had been able to do and they admired his efforts.
The fighters had gotten past their awe of each other and were now only concentrating on striking a clean blow, not to mention keeping the other's blows away. They were both smiling, though they both had concentration etched into their faces. Battle came to each of them naturally and they revelled in it. It was what they excelled at, what they were born to do. And they did it with joy.
He was now relaxed and confident. His objective was clear. Win.
She had finally found an opponent worthy of her very best efforts. It was glorious.
One can glean much of the character of an opponent from how he fights, even if that gleaning could not be put into words. She could see his honor and courage. She could see that this was a man who might be down for awhile, but would never give up. It was something that she admired and respected. She was impressed despite herself. It gave her hope that while he may be angry and frustrated with her of late, there was still a chance that things could be made right between them.
The fight went on for many minutes before she saw her opening. His shield arm was tiring. She could see he was holding it a little lower than when they had started. Now was her chance. She feinted high at his head and suddenly shifted her attack lower towards his unshielded leg only to find his shield in the way of her blade yet again. He wasn't tiring. It was a ruse! She recovered quickly, but the moment before her counterblow struck his left arm, she could feel the thwack of his blow on her thigh. Fortunately for her, he had turned his blade at the last moment, striking her with the flat of it instead of the edge, something she had done as well. That was still going to leave a bruise on her leg, but she took solace in the fact that his arm would be hurting too. They broke apart, readying themselves to start their battle anew.
From above the queen shouted "Hold!", and both combatants immediately stepped back and lowered their weapons. The clearing was silent, as the fighters stood staring at each other, a smile of exhilaration on their faces. They saluted each other, turned as one and strode towards the dais on which Hippolyta was enthroned, her advisors standing around her. The ring and the spectators broke up into various groups as they excitedly discussed what they had just witnessed.
(Written by Guest Writer: Ronnie K.)
