"Marcellus, I know my father said I would be sparring with the guards, but nothing like this," I said as my right hand gripped the gladius sword on my left hip of the belt.
"Yes, boy, I am sure that is what you thought. But plenty of us low bloods would love to hit someone of high standing without having our lives cut short, literally and metaphorically." He had smiled the whole time, and that was why.
"A chance for that I can see as appealing. But I do not think it will end well when this punishment of my father's is over." I eyed him as I drew my sword. "Let us begin."
The moment I said the words, Marcellus waved his hand, and one of the men who had raised his hand drew his own gladius and walked towards me, spinning the blade in his hand at the handle. I drew my own blade, the sound singing off in the courtyard.
"I always wanted to wipe the smirk off that brother of yours, but you'll do just fine as a replacement," the guard said, and then he started taking three quick steps and swung.
It was weird to watch them get in range of my own attacks. Venula had a longsword, so I had to fight past her blade to reach her every time. But with this, I blocked the blade to my left. He kept the attack up as he swung again. I took a quick step back and dodged.
"I did not realize my brother had so much hate from you," I said as I moved under another strike from his sword. Without wasting even a second, my sword swung as I was still in half a crouch from the dodge, forcing him to step out of the way by jumping back.
"Get him!" Marcellus shouted at the soldier as the others began talking and placing bets on who would win.
Our swords collided in sparks from the force we swung at. Each time I felt our swords hit, I knew a few months ago my arm would have felt like gel by now. Step left as he stepped right. A near circle as our blades struck each other in rapid succession. I switched from a swing to a thrust right for his chest, and for a second his blade was about to knock my strike down. But my arm remained steadied, as if our blades never touched. I hit him point blank in the chest as I realized I was grinning.
"Okay, men. Show the lordship what happens if you strike one of us of House Margrave!" Marcellus said, and almost immediately another three were coming at me as the others stared, spreading out to watch and possibly join in.
You have got to be kidding me. Under the overhand swing and side step, the strike from another guard on my left. One behind maybe? I was barely able to think, just react and hope I could dodge in time. The short silver blades kept colliding as I moved repeatedly. My feet were starting to feel lighter, and I felt a rhythm forming. Then another two from the circle joined in, and I was forced to keep going backwards.
"Come on, is this not a little unfair?" I said as I blocked a blow from above.
"No!" Marcellus laughed.
The air left my lungs as I blocked three strikes one after another faster than I knew. My mind was struggling to register all five at once, and I felt one blade skid across the metal strings of the overcoat's arm.
I can't do this. They know it. Another hit on me, the shoulder, and it would probably bruise as I shifted my weight with the blow. I fell backwards under my own feet as they came to a stop around me with large smiles.
"Kill them." That same voice I heard time and time again. It wasn't Eris. It was just so cold and calm. I couldn't be the weakest in this damn family, right? I couldn't be going mad.
"Looks like he's been put down finally. You're supposed to be the one who got that Cavlar scout. Guess you're not so special, and he was just a bad swordsman." The guard from the start smirked as he stood over me speaking.
No. Dammit, no.
"Kindly be quiet, guard," I said, cold and deadly, as I got up in a roll and swung.
The whole group moved, and my sword slashed his cheek, just barely drawing a thin line across it.
"You bastard!" he shouted, holding his cheek with one hand as everyone moved away. "One on one duel, here and now, you high blood slug!"
"Fine by me." I raised my sword between us. We paced left and right, never taking our eyes off each other.
"Both of you, swords down! Last thing I need is one of you accidentally killing each other!" Marcellus shouted as he moved between us. He might have stood at my height, but he had broad shoulders and a heavy frame to support it. He probably weighed near twice my size just by muscle, and the way those green eyes looked at us both made me freeze for a second. He was right. A duel in anger was not a duel. It was animalistic, in the hope to kill even if not said outwardly.
"And I, as son of your Praetor, say let him try." I looked past him and at the guard in his black overcoat that reached his knees, same as everyone else's, with a slight red fabric inside to protect against the metal strings on the outside. But the guard did not look back at me or his commander. His eyes drifted to the wet grass below our feet.
"And you are here by his Praetor's orders, not to command but to be punished and trained accordingly," Marcellus said as he held up both of his swords, two gladius blades, one in each hand, pointing them at both me and the guard. "So stand down, boy."
"No. I don't think I will, soldier." I raised my blade and swung in a shallow arc.
Was I crazy? Perhaps. Was this stupid? Oh, so very much. But damn it all to the depths of Tartarus where not even Hades will enter, I will not be made a fool in front of the house guards like this.
His right handed blade came up in a parry to my swing, and my blade was moved off course as I took one foot back to dodge the lunge of his left sword, letting the sword pass by me inches off. His wrist turned as he took a step into my space, turning the blade for my chest as my sword in hand was still ahead of me, leaving my chest wide open.
"No." The word came out as a whisper, and I blinked. I heard metal collide as my other hand had moved so fast that the block sounded like a gunshot breaking the sound barrier. Marcellus's sword in his left hand went flying across the dark green wet grass.
Everyone went silent watching it. I had moved my arms and sword so fast to block that I not only managed to stop a guaranteed hit, but the force of the block was so sudden it sent the sword from his hand.
"I will not be made a fool by those so far below me." I took a back step, readying my sword, as Marcellus, with only his right hand holding a sword now, came in a high arc from above. I tried to block. I shouldn't have. He had more muscle and mass, and when our swords hit, I was forced back. He transitioned into a wide sideways arc as I staggered.
But this time I blocked and moved as our swords became blurs. One, two, three. Step right. Strike. Parry. Lunge. Step left. His blade meeting mine as seconds ticked into minutes. I was starting to feel my mind calm, the world slow around me, and I swore I could even feel the pressure of the air around me.
"My lordship! Since when could you fight?" he said as we pushed our swords against each other. But I was the one again forced to give and dodge around in a circle around him, the overcoat flaring up by my knees.
And I saw his feet moving without truly seeing it. His sword was being swung as his body twisted to turn towards me, and I felt as if he was slow. Like I could see raindrops fall, like a feather on a light breeze. I parried the low arc of his sword. Silver blurs struck, and mine twisted off the attack and came back again, hitting his side once, twice again as I pulled back and hit his left knee. He failed to block as he tried to recover. I lunged and stopped short of his neck.
"Stand down, commander." My red eyes were near aglow, and when I finally took a breath, that calm feeling faded, leaving me confused about whatever it was I had just done.