Chapter 9: The Arena

Another difference between fairies and humans is made clear.

 The arena was there for entertainment, usually.  I was never interested in it.  Seeing fairies hurt each other held no enjoyment for me.  However, being a trial by combat made this fight a court matter, and I was required to attend.  I wondered if I would have or not, if I’d had a choice.  I wanted to know how Lumenovus did, but I felt sure he’d lose.  I didn’t want to see him in pain, and I didn’t want to see him die.  Well it didn’t matter anyway, because there I was.  My half sisters were there to watch as well, by choice.

 “Good people of the Luna fairies,” the chamberlain said from the center of the arena.  “Welcome to a most unusual, historic event!  As many of you know, a thief was apprehended in our raspberry fields on the day of the pollen parade.  As a few of you may know, this was no ordinary criminal, but a human!”  Some gasps confirmed that no, not everyone knew that.  “A mortal human, in our arena!  I can attest to it, dear friends.  I saw him bleed with my own eyes.  If we were to cut off his hand as we would any common thief, he would lose that hand, and possibly his life!  Our king, in his infinite compassion, has instead decided to give him a fair, fighting chance.  The first trial by combat in ages!”

 The crowd cheered, and I wondered if any of those idiots stopped to think that this was not a fair chance at all.  The chamberlain held his arms up for silence.  “Furthermore, the criminal made an additional request, which has been granted by our king’s overwhelming generosity.  He wishes to fight with not a sword, but the very walking stick he was brought in with.  Unimaginable, what he will do with a mere stick!  I hope it adds to your excitement.  If not, then consider this.  You are about to witness history in the making.  An actual human, in our arena!  For one of our combatants, this is a fight to the death!”

 He left the arena, and flew to his place in my father’s balcony.  “Raise gate one!” he cried.

 The gate lifted, and Simon strutted into the fighting field amid cheers.  He drew his sword and made a few grand sweeps, then flew a lap around the fighting area.  Hovering in front of the balcony, he looked at me and winked.

 “Raise gate two!”  Gate two rose.  Lumenovus stepped out into the sun, and stopped, just standing there.  No one cheered for him.  No one said anything.  People were too busy looking at him.

 Simon was looking at him too.  He saw Lumenovus look at me.  When I smiled and gave a small wave of encouragement, Simon looked over his shoulder and smirked at me.  He knew to look.  He’d caught me...  ‘Caught you’?  That’s what he thinks.  Don’t be ashamed, Lumenovus is your friend.

 Simon landed and walked up to him, and they exchanged a few words.  I had never seen talking in a fight before...  I wondered what they could be saying.

 Then, suddenly, Simon swung at him!  What I saw dumbfounded me.  With his stick, Lumenovus knocked his strike away, and hit him in the side of the head with the other end.  He gave it a follow-through spin, and jabbed Simon in the throat.  He did all this in less than a second.

 Without a shred of self control, my hands went to my mouth in gleeful surprise.  I had never seen anyone move like that.  I wondered if anyone ever had.  It looked like he had hurt Simon...  Could I dare hope my new friend might win?

----

 After Pinvey and her sisters left me, the day passed slowly and uneventfully.  I waited for Lavender.  She didn’t show.  I still didn’t believe what Pinvey had said, not exactly at least.  Lavender had been drunk, I remembered.  Maybe for whatever reason she did feel ashamed of visiting me the next morning.  Or it could be her shyness, now in full control without the help of wine.  Let it go, I told myself.  Enjoy it for what it was, then.  You still had a nice visit.

 Later the following morning, I could hardly believe what I saw when Lavender did come to visit.  She was a sight for sore eyes...  The single friendly face I had seen since being captured by the fairies.

 She did more than visit.  She helped me again.  Above all else, she managed to get my staff permitted in my fight.  Having something familiar evened things out very much.  She also explained how fights worked, usually.  If I could manage to not get my throat cut, it sounded like maybe I’d have a crazy chance to make it through this.  All I had to do was make that fool Simon yell ‘yield’.

 Then she brought Pinvey up.  I almost panicked, or maybe I did panic a little.  I was relieved to hear they weren’t close, and that Lavender didn’t seem to know much about what had actually happened.

 I got to express my admiration of Lavender to her before she left me.  I was glad for that.  I could not believe anyone would think Pinvey was more attractive than her in any way.  I couldn’t believe how down on herself such a lovely girl could be all the time.  It was only a gift of words I had for her, but they came from the heart.  I could see she sensed that, and it gave me a nice feeling.

 Finally I was ushered to a waiting area.  After hearing the chamberlain give a speech, I saw Simon enter the arena and show off for the crowd.  When my gate opened, I took a couple steps out and stood there.  What was there to do?

 I looked up at Simon hovering in the air, and my eyes fell on Lavender sitting in a balcony.  However this went, I hated that she was going to see it.  She gave me a little smile and wave, and I could tell she was wishing me well with all she had.  Simon looked back at her, then landed.

 He started walking toward me.  “I knew it!” he said when he was near enough.  He’d seen the glance between the princess and myself.  “I knew you two were sweet on each other.”

 “What do you care?” I asked.

 He gave a sly shrug.  “Oh, I don’t, really.  You might care to know though, she happens to be one of my favorite f**k-toys.”

 My grip tightened on my staff, as I remembered the bitterness that had crept into her voice when she was telling me about him.  He’s tormented me my whole life, she’d said.

 “She spent the whole day with me yesterday actually, instead of visiting you.  Five times, I think?  Buddy, she couldn’t get enough!”

 I just waited, sizing him up.  I had wondered how this would go.  I didn’t know if he had realized it when he was manhandling me or not, but I was much stronger than him.  I just hadn’t fought back.  I was sworn off of violence, except for when there was no choice.  As now, with him waving a sword around, wanting to ‘slice me up’ as he’d said.  But would my strength save me?  I had never seen them fight, I knew nothing of their technique or abilities.

 “I’m just saying, I hope you’re not planning on anything with her.  The poor thing is practically in love with me.  Not that any of our women would touch you.  Not even the ugly ones.”

 When he realized I wasn’t buying into talking to him, he struck.  A clumsy blow, from the side.  I deflected it and gave a counterstrike, and as he tried to regain his balance, I gave him a good jab in the throat.  He fell backward with his hand to his neck, coughing.  I looked up at Lavender, and the expression on her face was one of the most rewarding sights I’d ever seen in my life.  I bet she’s wanted to do that for a long time.

 I turned my attention back to Simon, still struggling to catch his wind.  “What...  The devil...  Do you think you’re doing?”

 “Fighting,” I said.  “Didn’t you want to kill me?  I wasn’t supposed to make it easy for you, was I?”

 He stood, now gravely serious.  “I’m not going to make it easy on you, you filthy beast!”  He drew nearer, nearer...  I readied myself, still nervous.  He might have thrown such an easy first strike because he didn’t see me as a threat, I warned myself.  “I’m going to cut you until you can’t move.  Then I’ll take my time, giving you little cuts and pokes, so you die slowly.  Right in front of her.”  He may mean business this time.  Then came another clumsy swing, this time overhand.  I deflected it to the ground, and jabbed him in the ribs to gain some distance.  He was so off balance from that, I moved in and struck again.  Then again and again.  Had he ever been punished, I wondered, for all the terrible things he must have done to everyone?

 I had him up against a wall, so I backed off.  He just was no good at fighting, I was relieved to know for sure now.  Even with a second chance, to use the best of his ability, he was easy to read.  How long is he going to get beaten like this?  A full day?  How to make him yield?

 He came after me again, in a fury this time.  He actually ran straight at me with his sword pointing out in front of him, yelling.  I sidestepped him, keeping my staff up on guard, and tripped him.   As he fell I dropped my staff and followed him down, grabbing his arm and putting it in a joint lock.  He struggled, and realized quickly how well I had him.  “Say you yield,” I said.

 “Ha!  To a mortal!  Never.”

 I increased pressure, and he cried out.  This one was not used to pain.  “I said yield.  Or I’ll break your goddam arm.”

 “You wouldn’t dare.”

 I added more pressure.  Calmly, I said, “I’ll see how far it goes before it snaps.”

 “Yield!” he screamed, and the crowd went absolutely wild.

 “Good people!” the chamberlain yelled over the cheering.  “I can’t believe what we have seen here today!  Who knew what fury rested in the heart of the beast!”  He talked on.  I didn’t care.  I was free now.  I looked up to Lavender.  She had her hands to her face, and she was crying.

----

 I couldn’t believe it.  I had been so certain I would see the traveler die.  It seemed illogical for a mortal to defeat an immortal.  What a surprise he gave Simon!  He moved fast, far faster than even our best fighters.  Simon was one of the best himself, after all.

 After Lumenovus blocked his first blow, I thought of the pile of thorns he had snapped off the briars.  None of us could do that, we would need a saw.  What was the extent of his strength?  No matter how Simon attacked, Lumenovus made his defense and counterattacks look effortless.  Just when I was wondering when Simon would yield, Lumenovus manhandled him to the ground and made him yield.

 I wept with joy because Lumenovus had survived.  I wept with satisfaction since no matter what happened for the rest of my life, at least I would always be able to treasure the image of that b*****d getting beaten up.  By someone I cared about, at that.  Mostly, I wept with relief.  I didn’t have to see my friend slowly murdered in front of me.

 Then, “Look out!” I yelled, but too late.  Simon had grabbed his sword from the ground, and swung at Lumenovus, catching him on the wrist.  He pulled his hand away, looking at it in annoyance.  He grabbed his staff, but Simon had already fled through the gate, which they closed immediately after him.  The traveler looked at his hand again, dripping blood.

 “Are there any new challengers?” the chamberlain asked.  Lumenovus looked up in surprise.  Did he think he was just going to fight Simon?  Of course, no one told him anything other than that Simon was going to kill him...

 No one challenged him, though.  Who could blame any of them?

 “Stranger from another land, you may leave the arena, and go revel in your victory!”  I watched him until he was out of sight, then ran to my room.  I knew he would want cloth for his wound.

Reviews

[Sarah]

When you say Lumenovus did all of that within a second, I'm not sure if you're exaggerating or trying to be literal. If it's literal, I think that would take a few more seconds than just one. Either way, it's unclear to me.
I find the shift in voice odd because it begins with Pinvey and back at the briars. Just felt awkward and forced, but I did enjoy seeing the fight from both perspectives. And, as you warned me about, I agree that the fight was too easy for Lumenovus. Especially since it is stated afterwards that Simon is one of the best. All he seemed to be able to do was throw lousy and clumsy attempts. I think a little more action and fairness between the two would make for a more epic battle and engage the reader even more. I was kind of surprised that Simon had struck his after he yielded, but I guess no one would care considering they were cheering for him and the fairies make the rules. I'm curious as to how deep the wound is since Lumenovus doesn't really show any emotions towards it other than the fact that it's dripping blood. Must not be such a bad gash. Either way, it's a good chapter that keeps me wondering!

[Christopher Miller]

A second was meant to be literal. With martial artists that's well within the realm of possibility. Things won't remain so easy for long.
I did struggle with the break in chronology. I felt the need to share what Lumenovus experienced after Pinvey left. You had even wondered yourself about it before. Perhaps the chapter break should be moved, or some of that section moved. That's something else I'll look at if I revise this, thank you.