Awaiting Redemption

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Wow, I'm bright.
I just challenged Prince Caspian over here to a duel without having a sword at my side.

"Right," I muttered, eyeing the spot where my sword sheath should have been. I looked up at Caspian who was holding Peter's sword at the ready, "I need a sword."

He handed over Peter's sword, otherwise known as Rhindon, and I took it. I spent a single moment admiring Rhindon's shiny blade and the script that adorned it. I guess I must have zoned out because the next thing I heard was Prince Caspian clearing his throat in an attempt to bring me out of my thoughts.

I nodded and stood with my feet at the ready. I opened up my body as clear invitation for Prince Caspian to take the first strike. And he did.

He lunged to the right side of my body and I successfully clanged my sword against his, dodging the attack. The crowd was obviously skeptical about the duel, but they honestly had no reason to be.

Back home, there are only four levels of fighter in fencing: scholar, free scholar, provost, and master, ranking from lowest to highest respectively. In our last in-school tournament, I was ranked as a provost fighter, with only two students ahead of me, out of a couple hundred. That's pretty damn good, if you think about it.

Our swords continued to strike each other, and our bodies remained in constant motion, twisting and turning to avoid the other's violent blows. But then the nostalgia, excitement, and confusion inside me welled up to a point where it burst through in our fight and evidently caused me to strike Prince Caspian faster than what he could keep up with.

Eventually, I turned my body and kicked him down to the ground while my left handed rotated his sword out of his wrist's control and into my own hand.

Atajo: In the Spanish schools of fencing, the idea of taking control of the opponent's blade, essentially a prise de fer.

Gasps escaped from the gathered people and I found that I was holding my breath. As I slowly began to breathe normally again, I lowered both swords. Prince Caspian remained on the floor, gazing up at me with an astonished look in his dark brown eyes.

I shuffled to carry both swords under my left arm and held out my right hand as an offer to help him up off the floor. He took it and stood up, waiting for me to give him his sword back. I did, and as tradition calls upon us to do, we stood a few feet apart from each other and bowed in acknowledgement that the duel was now over.

Simply put, I had kicked his ass.

Now, if your King had just been defeated in a duel by a girl, how would you have reacted? I'm guessing no one knew how to take this news, so everyone was as silent as a mouse. Aslan thought this the right time to intervene, and majestically walked between Caspian and I as we all faced the audience.

"Ladies and Gentleman, I would like to introduce you to Dame Commander Andrea Picoult, formerly of California. I expect all of you to make her welcome, for this Narnia that she has come into, is much different then what she is accustomed."

I swear to you it was like a sitcom. Nearly everyone had nodded in agreeance to Aslan's statement.

"Andrea, I think it is time we went for a walk. We have much to discuss," Aslan commented and walked down the stone steps, with me close on his tail (quite literally...) I followed him down the stairs, out of the courtyard, through the city walls, and we didn't stop until we reached the woods.

"Aslan," I began, "if you don't mind me asking, how many Narnian years has it been since I was last here?"

"Over 300 years has passed, Andy. And much has gone on since then. I'm not sure even I know where to start, but the time has come again for your talents on the battlefield. Because this time I am afraid that the power of the Narnians will not be enough."