Part Ten: The Duel
Eve ran forward, fighting her way toward Caspian. She was vaguely aware of the shouts and cries around her, but she drowned them out. She had almost reached Caspian when she felt someone trip her. She went sprawling, narrowly avoiding falling on her own sword. Rolling over, she found herself looking into a set of black eyes. Helpless to defend herself, Eve felt his sword tickle her neck.
"Rapscallion!" a shout went up from behind the black-eyed man. The crowd parted and Captain Brough came into sight, rapier drawn. His eyes blazed as he surveyed the man before him. The sword lifted from Eve's neck as the man whirled to face Brough.
"Captain Brough," he said scathingly. "Last time we met you were on the other end of my sword."
"But as I remember, Fabian, I escaped unscathed," Brough replied, blue eyes flashing. "You however…" He surveyed the long scar that ran down the length of Fabian's pallid cheek. "I'll give you a matching scar today. That way you won't feel so unbalanced."
Fabian spat on the ground before Brough's feet. "Unlikely." The two men began to circle.
Eve felt strong arms grasping her and pulling her to her feet. She looked up into Caspian's face. "You're safe," he whispered gratefully, pulling her close.
"Yes, yes, I'm fine." Eve smiled up at him. She quickly turned her attention back to the circling men.
Fabian made the first move, leaping forward, his long black hair flying out behind him. Brough jumped to the side, parrying the blow with skilled ease. He drove his sword at Fabian, but his blow was blocked with a resounding clank of metal. The two sent their blades flying at each other and soon the swords were only flashes of silver as they flew expertly through the air. Fabian stumbled once on a shield that had been dropped by a fallen soldier. Taking advantage of his error, Brough stabbed forward, catching Fabian in the sword arm. Fabian grimaced, but surprised Brough by tossing his sword to his left hand and wielding it with as much skill as his right.
The stream of blows and blocks began again and the air was filled with the ringing of metal. The crowd had gone quiet, watching the two rouges battle. Their faces were puzzled as if they didn't know which man to root for.
Eve watched in fear, her body tense. Though she didn't like Captain Brough, she knew him to be a good person. He had, after all, brought his men in to aid Glenshore's own army. She felt ashamed for having accused him without evidence.
As the two men dueled, Fabian seemed to be gaining the upper arm. He kept pushing Brough back further, nearing the edge of the crowd. With a swift blow and a calculated sweep, he knocked the sword from Brough's hand. He sliced his sword down toward the fallen man, but Brough was too quick. He rolled across the ground, dodging the blow and grabbing the sword of a fallen soldier that lay nearby. He pulled the blade up just in time to block the blow from Fabian. Fabian continued to beat down upon Brough's sword as the Captain lay helpless on the ground. Suddenly, Brough kicked out a foot, unbalancing Fabian. Fabian fell clumsily to the ground, dropping his sword. In a flash, Brough was back on his feet, retrieving his own rapier. He flourished it forward, catching Fabian's sword as the man struggled to his feet.
Once again the two opponents circled each other, studying the other's face as if trying to guess their next move. Brough swung his sword down and then up again, each time receiving a block from Fabian. The determined look on his face reassured Eve as she watched from the sidelines. Brough began a complex series of blows, knocking Fabian's sword around and almost tearing it from is grasp. With one more twirl of his blade, Brough knocked Fabian's sword aside and out of reach, bringing his own sword up to his opponent's neck.
Fabian held up his hands. "Once again, my dear Captain, you have beaten me."
"And now I believe King Glenshore will welcome you into his dungeons," Brough replied, nudging Fabian toward the king's guard with the blade of his sword. Fabian looked angrily at Brough.
"Don't have the guts to kill me, do you?" he snarled. "Coward!"
Brough's eyes flashed and with a sudden movement, he started to bring his sword down on Fabian. Eve leapt forward, grabbing Brough's arm before he could execute the blow.
"Stop!" she cried out.
"Eve!" Caspian and Philip both yelled at the same time.
Brough turned around, looking at Eve with smoldering eyes. "Why did you stop me?" he asked.
"Haven't enough people died already?" Eve asked gently. "I thought you were a fair man. Was I wrong?" she challenged, glaring up at him.
Brough glared back for a moment and then sighed, lowering his sword. "Aye, I am a fair man," he replied. "Which is why I have decided to let you go."
Eve raised an eyebrow. "You were going to try to stop me?" she asked.
"Eve, come on." Caspian had approached, glaring at Brough. "Are you the one who kidnapped Eve?" he asked angrily, his dark eyes flashing dangerously.
"I am," the Captain returned with a challenging tone. Eve feared Caspian would duel Brough. She touched his arm.
"It's alright, he did not harm me." She looked pleadingly up at him. Caspian kept his eyes set on Brough, his hand rested on the hilt of his sword. "Cas?"
Caspian returned his eyes to Eve, letting out a deep breath. "Fine," he snapped. Turning, he called out to Philip and Trumpkin. "We should leave."
"Wait!" Caspian turned around as King Glenshore appeared. He was favoring his left arm, but his eyes shone with a happy light. "My King it is an honor to meet you. Thank you for your aid in battle. I will be forever grateful. Queen Eve as well, I see, is a very skillful fighter."
Caspian turned his eyes swiftly to Eve and then back to the king. "That she is," he returned. Eve smiled proudly to herself.
"Are you sure you must leave right away?" King Glenshore asked. "I know we are in no condition to entertain, but you can at least rest up before beginning your journey."
"That is kind of you, but I believe we should leave now," Caspian replied, placing a protective hand on Eve's shoulder.
"Of course." The king bowed his head. "It was a pleasure meeting you, Eve."
"And you. Give Fiona my goodbye," she requested. She turned to Captain Brough, pulling an object out of the bag Philip had returned to her. She flipped him small, black bag filled gold coins. "For your troubles," she said shortly. She turned to Caspian and Philip, smiling at them. "I'm ready to leave," she said softly.
The company turned, heading down the disheveled streets of the city and out of the gates. Eve looked back, watching as the form of Captain Brough disappeared into the distance. She could have been mistaken, but she thought she saw him smile.
The walk back to Caván was long, and dusk had long fallen by the time they reached the surrounding woods. They made their way back to the silver pool, lining up to jump into it.
"My ring!" Eve cried out. "I had forgotten. I lost my ring. I'm not sure when…"
"I found it." Caspian pulled the ring out of his pocket, handing it over to Eve. She thanked him, clasping the chain around her neck. "Now," he said, "let us leave this place."
The chilling sensation of the pool felt like a rush of cold water on a hot, summer day. Eve relished the cool feeling for the second that it lasted. Then she was standing on the stolid, never changing ground of the Wood Between Worlds. She sat back against a tree, feeling suddenly weary and sore. Closing her eyes, she let the silence of the forest wash over her. For once she found the utter silence calming, a relief after the defending roar of the battle.
She was aware of someone sitting next to her, but she kept her eyes shut, breathing in deeply. Sleep flooded over her and before she knew it, she was deep in sleep, dreaming vague and cloudy dreams. She heard the cries of a dozen beasts and saw foggy shapes shifting in and out of view ahead of her. She tried to reach them, to help them, but she could not seem to come near to them. The dream slowly faded until Eve began to awaken. She found herself sitting against the tree, Caspian sitting next to her, fast asleep. His arm rested around her waist, holding her close. Eve sighed, leaning her head against his shoulder and shutting her eyes.