The Duel
ALEX STUMBLED INTO the armoury just in time to have a spear hurled at his
head. He slammed the door and ducked. He watched as the point went right through
the door right above his head, He stood up and slowly opened the door, "Why
good evening to you to!" He said, pulling the spear out of the door.
"Oh, it's just you." Said a rather relieved (even
though red-faced) Jared, with a sword in his hand, ready to pounce. He put it
away and sighed, "I thought it was demonic servant girl coming after me."
Alex laughed, "She's not that bad."
"Ha! She was DEFENDING you. Try being on the
OTHER end!!"
"You've got a point, there."
"Yah. So what do you want?"
"I came in here looking for another sword."
"Why?"
"Oh, nothing..."
Jared stuck the sword at Alex's throat, "Tell
me."
"Okay, fine, but first get that sword out of
my face. You're starting to look like Jackie."
"Who's Jackie?"
Alex rolled his eyes, "The servant girl who just
whooped your-"
"Yah, yah... I get it. What's the other sword
for?"
"No telling my father... he'd kill me."
Jared rubbed his neck remember what Jackie had
said.
"I won't tattle. TELL ME!"
Alex suddenly thought of something. Jared was
acting weird ever since Jackie got a hold of him. He was acting more like a
good friend than a bad enemy...
"TELL ME!" He obviously didn't like secrets being
kept from him.
"Jackie claims she can teach me to fight better
than the teachers."
"Ha! They're the best in the kingdom! Everyone
knows that!"
"That's what I said. So she challenged me to
a duel. If she wins, I guess she IS better than those teachers, and should teach
me, right?"
"Oh dear, not YOU! You wouldn't last a second
against her."
"What is this? Jared... trying to protect ME!"
"NO WAY! I'm trying to get revenge."
"Huh?"
"Let me do it! You know I'm better than you at
this, and I want SOOOO bad to teach her a lesson."
"I can't let you," Alex said, turning towards
the racks of weaponry on the wall.
"Why not?!?"
"Because... you'd harm her-" Alex said, smiling,
over his shoulder.
"No I wouldn't!."
"-if she doesn't get you first."
Jared crossed his arms and glared at Alex's back,
as the prince weighed a sword in his hand, trying to find one equally balanced
to his.
"PLEASE?!?!?" Jared cried out, falling to his
knees, putting his hands up in a pleading manner, "I'm begging you!!"
"Okay, fine. Hey, where are your goons - Ah....
Theo and Arcane?"
Jared threw his hands up in victory, then laughed,
"Goons... ha! Those nerds? I oughta tell them that... Goons! That's good!"
In the two hours' time before the grand duel,
half the palace had heard of it. Alex couldn't figure out if it was Jared or
Jackie that had the bigger mouth... all of Alex's siblings showed up at the
sight, along with Jared and his two goons - er - nerds, and lots of the servants
showed up (obviously from Jackie's side). Five minutes before the appointed
time, there were enough people watching to fill Alex's bedroom twice over! (Note...
Alex's bedroom was HUGE!)
When the clock struck four, everyone held their
breath and waited... Jackie wasn't there yet. Everyone has ALSO heard that Jared
(presumably the worlds greatest swordsman *cough*) was beaten by a servant girl,
and lots of Jared's little friends were cheering him on.
Jackie showed up two minutes late. She smiled
when she saw Alex, but then glanced around nervously at all the people gathered
there, "Uh, Alex, what's all this?"
He laughed as he handed her his sword. "Jared
has a big mouth, I guess."
She looked at him, her eyes serious, "Why'd you
tell Jared?"
He felt like a hammer had just hit him on the
hand. WHY HADN'T HE ASKED JACKIE BEFORE INVITING JARED!! He felt like burrowing
in the ground.
Jared rescued him, "Because I'm gonna do this.
Not him."
"What! Why?" Her question was directed at Alex,
but answered by Jared.
"Ha! You've seen him, haven't you? The worst
swordsman ever on the face of the earth! We're supposed to be testing your skill,
so..."
"So you think you're better?" Her eyes narrowed
as she said it. She had never had a friend before, and Alex was as close to
one that she'd ever had. She was NOT going to let this pig nosed little-
"Of course!"
That was it. "Draw your sword," she said through
gritted teeth. Alex's siblings cheered. He smiled to himself... Jackie was AWESOME!
Jared jumped back, wondering if he should be
afraid. He drew his sword and held it nervously in front of him.
Jackie had an amazing mind. In five seconds of
time, she envisioned the whole duel. She also knew, somewhere deep inside her,
that all these people around were making Jared nervous. She decided to show
off and dance a little.
Jared held himself in a defensive stance that
almost made Jackie laugh. She twirled around and balanced perfectly on the tips
of her toes. She sprang in the air and leapt to Jared's back. He thought he
knew what she was up to and spun around to face her, but by then she was already
on the other side. She was twirling and leaping all around him. Jared held his
stance, until he saw that it was useless. He put it down and sighed, "Be serious,
Jackie."
She knocked the sword from his hand and tapped
on his right shoulder with her sword, "Gotcha!" She said, "You're dead. Shoo!"
"That's not fair!"
"Oh really? Anyone else want to challenge me?"
Theo stepped up, "That was very unfair play,
girl. I'll show you!" He leapt from his chair and dived at her. She blocked
his attack and slung him to the ground. The jumped into a full-fledged attack.
Theo would make every move, with Jackie blocking them, flashing him an innocent
smile each time he did so. They stayed in one spot, but Theo was always glancing
over Jackie's shoulder, and was pushing her backwards. Alex watched in horror
as Jared grabbed his sword and ran at Jackie. He screamed, "JACKIE! CATCH!"
and tossed her the sword which had originally been hers. She jumped up the air
and grabbed it, while Jared tried to stop from charging into Theo, who stepped
aside and watched the yellow fatling fly into a thorn bush.
Jackie landed then, after clinging to an overhanging
tree for a while. Laughter at Jared's thorny self erupted around her as she
began twirling both swords in the air, backing Theo into the thorn bush. He
glanced behind him as she knocked his sword out of his hand, and kicked him
on the right shoulder, "Yourf deamf!" She mumbled after catching Theo's sword
in her mouth. Both Jared and his buddy were covered in thorns.
Just then Arcane dived after her. She spun around,
while hearing, "I won't let you do that to my friends!" Being shouted above
her. She blocked his attack by making an X over her with the two swords, then
pushed back on him. He stumbled backwards, but was still standing. Somehow she
managed to keep Theo's sword in her mouth while she blocked each of Arcane's
attacks. Finally, she feinted an attack to his right, then hit his left wrist
with the hilt of her sword, making him drop his sword. She caught it with her
boot, and kicked it upwards. She caught it with her left hand.
Arcane stepped back to look at her. She was a
very odd warrior. She had two swords in her left hand, one in her right, and
one in her mouth. He laughed, but was stopped when Alex walked onto the "battlefield",
and took Theo's sword out of her mouth.
"Thank you. Metal tastes disgusting. You should
try it sometime." She said while Alex laughed.
"I don't think there was any foul play here,
do you think so? No? Good! I declare Jackie the winner!" He grabbed her left
wrist and lifted her arm up with his swordless hand. The crowd cheered. Jacked
put Alex's sword back in its hilt, and handed Arcane's sword back, "You're rather
good." She said, "Keep it up!"
Arcane was stunned.
She walked over the thorn bush and helped Theo
and Jared up. She put Theo's sword back in its hilt, "Good work. You're very
loyal to your friends." Then she faced Jared, who was glaring at her.
"But you definitely should work on concentration.
Never lower your guard." She handed him his sword, and turned back around. She
began walking with Alex back towards the palace, "So? When do you want to begin
your lessons?"
"Excuse me?"
"I suppose you think I'm good enough, now, right?
That was the whole purpose, wasn't it?"
Alex laughed, "You're right. I don't know. You're
the teacher. You tell me!"
Jackie thought to herself, "How about I come
to you whenever I'm free from kitchen duties."
"Oh yah... I forgot..."
Jackie kept walking, trying to sound sure of
herself, but she knew deep down that something was wrong.
Suddenly from behind them, Jackie heard Jared
mumble, "No one makes a fool of me and gets away with it!". She whirled around
and saw Jared running full-speed-ahead towards her, sword aimed like a spear.
Jackie reached back to grab Alex's sword, but he was two feet away from where
she thought he'd be. She spun back around to face her attacker, but it was too
late to try for Alex's sword again. Jared was two feet ahead of her, sword pointed
right at her heart.
To be continued... | 
