The Last Dance (II)

It’s one-two-three
And suddenly
I see it at a glance -

At the Deathwood Tree, the prevailing mood was sombre that morning.

The Tree stood tall in one corner, its silver bark and hanging branches arced over more than half of the clearing. A large crowd had already gathered by the time the sun was high, jostling and pressing against the stakes that fenced off an inner circle - the dueling area. The king's throne was brought out and placed under the Tree, and a hush fell over the crowd as the trumpeter blew a salute.

"The High King Jardeleth and Princess Stelmaryn!"

The crowd parted and fell to their knees as the king and his unicorn strode to take their seat. Stelmaryn followed close behind, trembling slightly as she wove her way through the crowd. She noticed that the crowd was made up of not only Elves, but also the occasional human. Nephamael constantly directed disapproving stares at her, and she averted her gaze. In her haste she nearly tripped over the roots of the Tree, and the leopard glided to steady her on the other side.

"Hear ye, that today we have Jerael of the Neralode demanding trial by combat! The Neralode claims innocence of treachery to the High King! Princess Stelmaryn will stand for the King and Neralode for himself!"

Stelmaryn hugged Nephamael, blinking back tears, hot salty drops that the snow leopard gently brushed away with a paw. The daemon let her hold him awhile, then stepped back and surveyed her with his large amber eyes.

The Elf princess was clad in a simple tunic and leggings. She wore soft boots upon her feet and the only armour she had were arm and leg greaves, emblazoned with the royal crest. She also wore light chain mail under her tunic, and a long dark-green cloak completed the look. Astarael hung by her side, crystal softly glimmering, and at her hip was another smaller dagger. Her father would leave nothing to chance. He would have had her wear a helmet, if not for the fact that the irritating coronet had to be worn even for such a duel. She had accepted a ruby-studded bracelet though, each crystal charged with extra power for use in sorcery.

Stelmaryn drew Astarael and handed the scabbard to Nephamael, brushing back more tears that threatened to fall over her cheeks. The leopard nuzzled up to her and gently licked her face. All this while, Jerael had been led out to the circle, and he armed himself similarly. A page handed him his sword Garscent - Elvish for Blizzard. Nephamael relaxed slightly.

"It's not even ensorcelled steel. Astarael will chop him to ribbons."

Stelmaryn wasn't listening. She was concentrating, falling into a world where nothing else mattered except her and Jerael. And their two swords.

The crowd roared as the Princess of the Elves stepped out into the arena.

***

She’s radiant
And confident
And born to take this chance.

Jerael raised Garscent in a mocking salute. Stelmaryn had no retort save a low growl, a feral snarl that seemed to break something within him. Without warning, Jerael charged.He swung Garscent in a crescent that threatened to cleave Stelmaryn at the waist. She jumped back, then brought Astarael down in a punishing blow that crashed upon Garscent and sent tremors rippling through its wielder's arm.

Jerael backed off, bewilderment showing in those dreamy eyes. That one moment of distraction was enough to cost Stelmaryn, and her opponent suddenly lunged forward. She parried awkwardly as Jerael brought his sword down hard upon her. The clash of steel rang about the clearing, echoing away in the silence as they separated, circling each other warily.

Impulsive by nature, the princess suddenly leapt towards her opponent, but Jerael was ready. He executed a perfect stop-block, as Stelmaryn struggled to cleave his sword with Astarael. Their faces were almost touching each other, and beads of sweat began to fall to the ground.

"I thought you told me something last night? Something about.. oh, love? And how much I meant to you?"

Jerael's whisper was innocently layered with honey. With a quick twist of the blade, he pushed Stelmaryn to the opposite side of the arena, and she stumbled, falling to one knee. Anger like she had never experienced before coursed through her. Without second thought, she raised her hand and made a throwing motion at her opponent.

"Mithro!"

The spell formed a violet ring of fire that flung itself at Jerael. The older Elf's eyes widened and he fumbled for his magic, barely casting a shield in time. The colliding of both magics resulted in a blinding flash of light, which Stelmaryn quickly took advantage of.

"Telsa! Lorni! Quaro!"

As a swarm of golden blades flashed towards Jerael, Stelmaryn swung Astarael.

"Ne'ra!"

Jerael brought Garscent up in a strong parry that sent Astarael thudding harmlessly into the ground. His spell threw up a wall of blue ice, sending the golden blades rebounding back towards the princess. Stelmaryn moaned in frustration as she dug Astarael back out from the ground. Then she made a deft motion with her hand, destroying the spell and absorbing what energy she could salvage.

"Temna!"
"Chira!"

A bolt of blue energy punched towards Stelmaryn as a violet one streaked in the opposite direction. Both Elves fumbled for the strongest shielding spells they knew. While Stelmaryn's absorbed the bolt; Jerael's not only absorbed it, but reflected it back. The princess ducked, wincing as a loud explosion rent the air and a hole appeared in the boundary fence where there was none before.

"Resmar!"

Jerael followed up with a swift attack of hail that pelted Stelmaryn on all sides. She passed her hand in front of her face to form a shield, then lifted Astarael and charged again.

"Ne'ra!"

Stelmaryn crashed into the wall of ice and fell again, dazed. She shook her head to clear her senses and saw Jerael pounding towards her, sword raised.

"Arrathelima Rhodir!"

The complex spell left her, and Jerael was thrown backwards. Garscent was flung into the far corner, where it stood upright, quivering in the ground. Stelmaryn was up and on him in a heartbeat, bringing Astarael up for the killing blow.

And stopped.

***

I taught her well
I planned it all
I just forgot -
Romance!

As she looked down upon her opponent, all she saw was the Jerael she loved. The Jerael who she dreamt would hold her, and kiss her, and make everything perfect in her life. Remorse filled her heart and Astarael wavered.

Astarael, High Elven for fidelity in love. And representative of Death himself.

She let the sword drop as the crowd gasped. It thudded harmlessly into the earth by Jerael's head.

But her senses screamed a warning, and she instinctively threw herself to the ground. The commotion in the crowd had not been for her almost-victory. A Dwarf had run through the hole in the perimeter, into the arena, defying all commands to halt.

He was wielding a great battleaxe.

"Telsa! Lorni! Quaro!"

Stelmaryn sent the golden blades flying towards him as she dove for Astarael - but Jerael was quicker. He tugged the sword free and faced her, double-bladed. Garscent hovered dangerously near, and she took a step back. Behind her, the Dwarf had parried the blades and was advancing upon the Elves.

Both charged at the same time.

"What quarrel do you have with me?!"
Stelmaryn cried out as two swords and a battleaxe descended upon her. The axe thudded into the wooden fence as she parried the sword slashes with her arm greaves. As the Dwarf struggled to free his weapon, she unceremoniously punched him in the face, then spun around and dealt a roundhouse kick to Jerael's jaw.

He staggered back, and Stelmaryn followed with a set of punishing blows - left hook, right hook, a double punch straight to the solar plexus, and a final scissor that dropped him. Stelmaryn took Astarael back from his unresisting hand, then used Garscent to pin his tunic to the ground.

"Ze'rael," she murmured, and violet links fell upon her foe, effectively immobilising him as he glared murderously up at her. Then his eyes widened. Stelmaryn felt nothing but the sharpest of pain as the Dwarf swung his axe and caught her full in the back. The mail turned the blade, but the impact sent her tumbling to the ground, crying out in pain.

"What.. is your.. quarrel.. with me.." Stelmaryn was gasping for breath as her fingers sketched runes for recovery and strength over her chest.

"Can you not see I am hurt enough alr-"

Apparently it was the wrong thing to say. The Dwarf swung the axe again, slicing off part of the Elf's cloak as she attempted to leap away. No blade, not even ensorcelled steel, would stand a chance against a heavy axe. Stelmaryn had to avoid a confrontation at all costs.

"You think you feel bad? How about a Dwarf, who tries so hard to change in order to get the girl he likes, only to find out that she wanted someone else? And that she lied, gods, she LIED, when she loved the Oracle? You never thought for another’s feelings, did you? Or was your whole life just about the Oracle and your precious Jerael?"

Stelmaryn’s mind went numb as the dwarf, face livid with anger, disengaged his axeblade and swung it at her again.

"No girl is gonna like that guy, eh, especially the little elf princess, after seeing all the bad things that he has done?"

Then it clicked.

Yrakka.

The dwarf had been imprisoned by her father, and she had been the one who had tracked his blundering path through the forest and brought him back. To face justice for slaying an innocent peasant. Back then his familiar had been an albino mole. But now...

Whatever dark magic he had used to change its form had warped his mind.

"I’m going to take you now by force! After all, you don’t have your precious Jerael, or your Oracle, any more, do you?"

"How did you know about.."

"There’s nothing you can keep from me now, Princess."

Was he mocking her?

"Either that, or you shall never live to love again."

Stelmaryn parried awkwardly. She felt detached from her sword. It was parrying, it was riposting, it was thrusting, but she thought nothing. Felt nothing. Heard nothing.

All that echoed in her mind was the thought of the Oracle and Jerael. The only two people she had ever loved more than Nephamael.

And so it was that she never noticed the breaking of her binding spell, nor heard Jerael as he sprang up behind her and drove his blade straight into her side.

***

How could you do this
How will we get through this
I never should have let them dance!

It was over.

Blood stained the field of combat, the site of the last dance of death.

The dwarf had long since left, for even he was unwilling to watch as Jerael took out his anger on the fallen princess, kicking her in the back, in the stomach, in the face, as she writhed and cried out, blood flowing out over her body, onto his boots... The crowd accepted the judgement, and drifted away. Yet Jerael didn't stop, continuing to beat the princess with the flat of his blade. No ears save that of the unconscious Stelmaryn were close enough to hear his words.

"Love? You loved me? Ah, fool that you were!"

The king bit his lip until it bled, and the unicorn bowed her head. Neither dared to look as Jerael used his bloody sword to lift the coronet from Stelmaryn's head and flung it away contemptuously.