Untitled by Nicole Stubbs - Prose Honorable Mention
The girl steadily approached her rival, being careful not to drag her feet nor the tip of her sword on the smooth wooden floors. She slowly raised her head from its downward position as if coming up from a deep bow and stared out with an apathetic, blank gaze. Her rival, who was already there, simply looked forward, already knowing what the girl was going to do. Maroon and fuchsia rose petals wafted through the air in small groups of tornadoes, eventually losing both speed and energy thus falling to the ground, a foretelling of a duelist’s future. “You only have one rule.” he stated in a calm fashion, although he was so very aware of his surroundings. “What’s that?” she questioned, curious yet still reserved. Tension hung in the air. The rose petals slowed but nevertheless continue to tumble aimlessly to the ground, devoid of any direction or purpose. “To win.” he replied, with a confidence that implied all the knowledge in the world was his. The girl nodded her head slightly, locking her brown eyes with the blues of her opponent. She lowered her head once again, gathering her thoughts before she took any action. She raised her head from its slightly bowed position and looked at her enemy again.
However this time, there was a newfound mirth in her eyes. Her right hand danced further up the sword’s handle and she carefully laid her left fingers below it then finally tightened all of them around the handle. She took a step to the right and crouched slightly, sliding into her duel stance with ease. He was already in a flawless fighting stance with his left leg in front to spring forward for attacking and his right leg back for defense. She then shifted her weight, took a step forward, lifted her sword. His delicate fingers already in place, he too took a step forward while heaving up his sword.
Their swords clanked together as they simultaneously thrust themselves into a ravaging attack, all the while keeping their remaining strength for defense. The girl quickly tore her sword away from the juxtaposition of weapons. Passing it over her shoulder, she made sure not to allow herself to be open to attack. She placed her feet slightly apart with the joints in her knees, elbows, and ankles bent. She lowered her sword until it was at her hip level and drew the massive weapon back so that the handle was close to her stomach. Across from her, he slid his left leg back and bent his knees to get grounding. He held his sword so that the length was diagonal across his chest, the sharper side towards his rival and the duller side protecting his heart. The deadly tip passed two inches over his left shoulder while the hilt hovered close to his right hip. She charged at him holding her sword next to left her thigh the way one would hold a javelin. With a quick mind and even quicker moves, the boy dodged the attack easily, moving fluidly to the right all while keeping himself guarded. Knowing the girl was behind him, he whipped around, knees bent, attempting to slash the back of the girl’s thighs with his sword. She avoided his tactic with a tight, controlled twirl to the left. Now facing each other, they locked eyes before darting forward to meet again. There was a clash of swords as they closed in on each other, one sword pressed against the other. They boy gnashed his sword against the girl’s then suddenly ripped it away. Knees bent, he pulled back from their meeting only to lean forward and attempt an upward slash across her mid-section. The slash was blocked as secured her left hand at the tip of the sword while her right remained at the hilt. She then hurled her sword against his. The block was successful but a mistake was made. She lacked the space necessary for an attack of his caliber. There was a loss of balance which briefly rendered her open to his next move. Seeing her with only her right foot planted on the now scuffed ground, he repeated his attack, swinging his sword across her other side. The only result was a rose petal split down the middle, cut by his swift movement. It descended to the ground, fluttering like an injured butterfly. She had avoided his sword by crouching so that her right leg was bent and her left one was straight, just as his weapon passed over her cowlick, all while holding her sword. There was a pause in the feud as the boy was overtaken with shock from his blatant miss. The girl let a smirk slide, falling almost messily from her lips. Now facing her, he caught this and stared daggers, an indication that the fight was nowhere near over. He hoisted his weapon across his abdomen in defense to further his point. Abruptly advancing forward, the girl semi-circled around the boy, eyes peeled for a weak point. Upon finding one, her hands and sword became one.
Aiming to slash the boy’s side in a devastating blitz, she jolted forward, ready to bury her sword into his thin waist. Agile and nimble, he simply backed up and floated away from her sword. Now at the ready and with the upper hand, the boy and his sword waltzed back and forth before the girl while her eyes followed like a pendulum. Searching for an opening in her resistance and finding it, the boy surged towards the girl, bounding off of his right foot then leaping majestically yet precisely into the air. He folded his right leg as he jumped while he kept his left straight. His calloused toes were pointed, a sign of his expertise. Clasping the handle of his sword with his hands interlocked, his left thumb on top of his right, he raised it above and past his head, the tip ghosting the small of his back.
The girl, still sentineling the ground, watched her enemy as the light from the window reflected off of his sword a few inches from the hilt. Glistening streaks of brightness exploded across the room. The boy appeared to be suspended in the air as the light emitted from behind him created an unnervingly ethereal image. The majority of the light tangled itself in his hair while the rest cascaded down his body. With light glimmering throughout the once shadowed room, everything seemed to be surreal, in slow motion. Suddenly time was hurled back into motion when the boy, while still flying through the air, whipped his sword from behind his back. The momentum from the boy’s jump in the air allowed for him to deliver an omnipotent blow.
He brought his sword down mercilessly towards the girl’s right shoulder, his whole upper body a willing servant the movement. However, a semblance of falling quickly engulfed him, as he plummeted towards the ground.
Upon realizing what was happening, he unlocked his dexterous hands and rearranged his sword feverishly. With his left hand snaked around the sword’s hilt and his right hand outstretched for bracing himself, he held his sword flat-wise to his stomach, assuring he wouldn’t fall on it. The cause of the change of pace was the girl. She had lowered herself to the ground, formed a ball and aptly rolled away just before his sword crashed down on her. Rolling to the left on bended knee, she held her sword horizontally across her chest as to not hurt herself. Always alert, she raised her head to keep her eye on her competition. The boy was facing slightly away from her, bent over on his knees, the result of using exquisite vigor, only to miss his target. He sat back and drew up his right knee, then the left, twisting his body around to face her completely in the process. He now stood up straight, weapon ready and indigo eyes watching her intently. They watched each other fastidiously while mentally forming what could be unassailable tactics. Although he was still strong, the girl could see the boy’s guard falling to pieces after his numerous deficiencies. Now was the time. Bounding towards him while twisting her sword in a tight wave motion to get it into position, she thrust the full length of the side of her sword under his ribcage. Taken aback by her sudden movements, his own negligence, and overwhelming pain, the boy stumbled a few feet backwards.
Finally, he tumbled over and his feet slipped out from under him, his back falling closer and closer to the wall behind him. A haunting mixture of surprise and respect crossed the boy’s face as he continued to fall. Although he still held onto his sword in his right hand, the girl could see it slipping out as his grip loosened reflexively. His left hand grasped desperately at the air then fell limp along with the rest of his arm. His shoulder blades met the wall and raked down the length of it while his legs collapsed sloppily from underneath him. His head hit the wall after his shoulders and bounced slightly as it descended, each time with a sickening thump. His broken body slid to the floor, his legs sprawled out in front of him and his hands limp at his side.
The girl, although saying nothing, raced to his side, wide-eyed and alarmed by the damage she had caused. She remained vigilant, the handle of her sword still clutched tightly in her hand. The boy raised his head and smiled lambently up at her while she knelt next to him, only slightly taller.
“You did it.” he whispered, his voice hoarse and death lusting after his heart. His ultramarine eyes continued to shine as they stared
into hers. “Thank you. Thank you for all that you’ve taught me.” she said, lowing her head, the significance of the moment weighing down on her. “You may now pass.” he congratulated her, schlepping his left hand and gesturing towards the door with an open palm. “Thank you.” she said yet again, rising from her crouched position. She softly looked down into his eyes and once more smiled a small smile. The boy cocked his head slightly as he weakly flashed a witting grin back at her. The small smile stayed on her face as she strode slowly towards the door that was streaming sunlight. She flipped the dull side of her sword over her shoulder. The door had been opened while the rose petals still continued to fall.
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