Elegy for a Star

Mairaela kept her spear upon her shoulders, using the leverage to windmill the end of it around and around, spinning her opponent’s weapon with it until it came free from his grasp and clattered to the ground. With the pole of her staff she swept one ankle to the side and with his legs parted, she brought the haft up to strike her opponent in the sack. Of course, he fell over immediately, clutching himself, and Mairaela was considered the victor.

She smiled toward the stands where Tess, Joyona and Miren sat. It was her third victory of the day. She was a piss-poor archer outside of the Void, but she still had her spear. No one seemed to know how to counter her superior reach. Mairaela was used to taking advantage of that. If only she didn’t use her bow for the fight during the Week of Conflict. She may have actually won if she just stuck with her spear.

“Why?” Her opponent whimpered, holding his sore balls, “Gods, I’m going to puke.”

“You weren’t wearing a cod,” Mairaela explained, “A mistake that you won’t make again, I’d bet.”

She left the arena, freeing it up for those waiting, and made her way to the rest of her party, taking a seat on one of the elevated benches.

“You’re so mean,” Tess laughed, “I can’t believe you did that.”

Mairaela brought a hand to her mouth and tried to stifle a laugh, “I couldn’t help it. My mentor taught me that one. I don’t get many occasions to pull it off, unfortunately, so that was cathartic.”

Joyona nodded her head, keeping her eyes on the approaching fight.

“Thanks for coming,” Mairaela said to Joyona with a soft smile.

The Evigkin nodded once more, keeping her stare directly ahead, “You fought well.”

Tess looked past Joyona to say to Mairaela, “We’ve got to be earning some points now. Hopefully the Captain will be happy.”

“Not sure. We’re probably still in a deficit,” Mairaela sighed, “I can’t imagine a week’s probation and stabbing someone in front of the whole Corps only brought us down as much as three spars will get us.”

She could feel the Winter Fey’s stare and turned her head to look at her, “Why don’t you make yourself useful and do a spar or two?”

Miren smiled back at her.

Gods, she hated that smile. All Winter Fey smiled in the same way, like they were superior.

“Let me see if they have my weapon,” Miren said, rising to her feet and maneuvering down the stairs to head to the staging room.

Mairaela didn’t expect Miren to actually go. She watched the Winter Fey’s graceful walk. She was catlike in her movements. For a moment, Mairaela forgot her hate.

“Mairaela?” Tess asked, “Why are you so…”

Mairaela shot her a look.

“Why give her such grief? She hasn’t done anything,” Tess said softly, changing her wording.

“Why don’t you?” Mairaela replied, “They wanted to enslave humans, Tess, and for some? They did. The Summer Court saved most of them.

“Do you know how many they killed?” Mairaela frowned, “There were two other entire Courts, now all but extinct. They slaughtered a good portion of the Empire and stole hundreds of miles worth of land, converting the people there into their slave trade.”

Tess was quiet for a time. The fight in the arena concluded and before Mairaela knew it, Miren was stepping out into the field.

“Did Miren do that, though?” Tess asked.

Mairaela felt ashamed. Tess was right, but it was impossible to let go of this judgment and hate. All Winter Fey were the same in her experience. Deceitful and cruel. She would not lower her guard around Miren.

“Is that a rapier?” Tess asked, squinting to get a good look at what Miren was wielding.

“A blunted one,” Joyona replied.

Her opponent was a woman with a battleaxe. She looked like a smaller Joyona, with darker hair. The bell rang for things to begin, and it was over before Mairaela knew it. Miren slipped forward and before the axe could even be raised to where it needed to be, the opponent had a rapier to her throat. The bell rang again.

Miren called out, “Can I have another? I’ll fight both of the fighters from the next match.”

Mairaela’s eyes widened, “She has a lighter weapon, so the axe was easy, but two opponents? She may be fast, but one of them will get a strike off, if not both.”

Her opponents approached, one from either entrance while Miren stood in the center. On one side was an opponent with a sword and shield. On the other was a man dual wielding two large, stone hammers. All too swiftly the bell rang and both warriors charged Miren at the center.

Miren didn’t wait. She charged the man with the shield. She kept her profile small by standing sideways, but the longsword came at her at a horizontal angle. Miren slipped back, evading the edge. She was so graceful and balanced. She came back, poking with the rapier, though it struck the man’s shield. A vertical slash came her way this time and Miren sidestepped it with ease.

Two hammers came at her from behind, but Miren slipped around the longswordsman. The man with the hammers had to halt his attack, lest he risk harming his ally. It didn’t matter much, since Miren took that as an opportunity to rake the blunt blade all across the sword-and-shield wielder’s back with a series of seven slashes all performed in a single second.

The swordsman frowned as he was defeated, but Miren lifted a heeled boot and kicked him in the upper back so that he flew into the man with the hammers. As the large fellow tripped over his comrade and stumbled toward Miren, she brought the point of her blunted rapier to his neck and pressed it forward just as he caught himself. Were it a real weapon, he would have had a blade slicing through his throat and brain stem. He was done.

The bell rang.

Miren tossed the rapier down into the dirt as her two opponents collected themselves. The Winter Fey hopped the wall and continued to the stands, returning to her seat. Mairaela, Tess and Joyona were all quiet for a moment, before Tess gushed, “That was fucking amazing, Miren!”

The Winter Fey just smiled at the woman, “Thank you. I only wish it was worthwhile in the Void.”

“Your gift doesn’t apply to it?”

Miren shook her head, “Sadly not.”

Mairaela decided to speak up, “What would you do against a spear with a rapier?”

“You mean what would I do in a fight against you?” Miren asked.

“Sure,” Mairaela responded.

“I would run,” Miren replied, “A rapier won’t beat a competent person with a polearm.”

“Oh? I’m competent?” Mairaela asked, dripping with sarcasm.

Miren nodded, “More than. I was extremely impressed.”

Mairaela was stunned. What was this? Weaponized kindness? She tried to think of how this could be used against her. What deception could benefit Miren here?

For a while, Tess beamed and squealed in excitement over Miren’s victories, until she looked to Joyona, “Do you want to take a turn?”

“I’m tired,” Joyona replied, rubbing her eyes.

Miren spoke up, “It might be good practice for fighting while exhausted in the Void.”

Joyona nodded, “Alright.” The giant stepped down from the stands, shaking them as she went, until she made it to the staging area.

Tess sighed, “I wish I could help. I’ve been practicing my sorcery day and night, but…”

“You’re a Wyrden, Tess?” Miren asked.

Tess let out a sigh, “I’ve been successful in-...” She recalled the response that the others had when they saw her casting in the Void, “Um.. in my room, a couple times.”

Miren’s eyebrows raised, “Interesting. I thought Captain Maupoissant said you were incapable.”

“She doesn’t know,” Tess spoke softly, “I’m not sure what to tell her. I’m very inconsistent, but I’m learning.”

Mairaela smiled, “Joyona’s up.”

Joyona stepped out without a single weapon. Mairaela had some concern as she thought “Was she so tired that she forgot?!”

Her opponent was a small man with a sword and shield, the most common combination. When the bell rang, it was clear who was going to win. Joyona charged the man, screaming in a rage, and immediately the swordsman began to run. Joyona’s lengthy stride had her upon him in moments, grabbing the back of his head in one hand and bringing it into the dirt.

She stopped there, the man rolling onto his back and wiping dirt from his eyes. The bell didn’t ring, so Joyona looked to the judge and spoke aloud, “Then I’d crush his head.”

There was no response at first, and Joyona pointed down while lifting a foot, “With my boot.”

The bell rang.