Part IV
Chaos reigned for a long moment before Masters banged his gavel again, restoring order. All eyes were on Xander as Giles walked over to him and pulled him to an unoccupied corner of the room. He took a deep breath, then asked the first question that came to mind: "Have you completely taken leave of your senses?"
Xander took a deep breath, then replied coolly, "Maybe. . .but I'm your best shot, Giles. I've got a pretty good read on that bastard Travers, and he wouldn't agree to let you go back to England if he thought that you'd win there. He's counting on you refusing to let me fight. . .he knew damned well that I'd be the only one here you could recruit as a champion, and that you'd never ask me. Well, you don't have to. . .I'm volunteering. . .and I like my chances of beating Lance Beefcake over there than you having to beat the best of Europe. . .am I making any sense here, Giles?"
Reluctantly, Giles nodded and replied, "I see your point. . .but Xander, this won't be pistols at sunrise, or with any other modern weaponry for that matter. You have to choose an archaic weapon, and the fight will go on until one party yields or is rendered unconscious or dead. Walters is young, but he has been trained with all of the ancient weapons. . .and you haven't. Despite your acquired talents, I don't see how you could possibly prevail."
Xander grinned ferally and replied, "I've got a few tricks up my sleeve. . .and I can win for the best reason of all, Giles." He looked over at the anxiously watching Slayers for a long moment, then looked back at Giles and elaborated bluntly, "I can. . .I will win. . .because I have to."
Giles looked at Xander, and briefly considered the two years he had known the young man. Xander was exasperating beyond words at times, and his missteps had occasionally led to near-disaster. But he was fiercely loyal to his friends, and Buffy would have been dead several times over if Xander had not put his life on the line for her, and the recent incident with the Sisterhood of Jhe proved that Xander could help greatly even when all of his friends were trying to keep him out of the fray for his own good. He looked into Xander's eyes, and he could see the intense determination burning there. After a long moment, he nodded, and they walked back to the waiting Watchers.
After a long moment, Giles locked eyes with Masters and intoned formally, "I accept the offer of Alexander Harris to act as my champion in the Test of Honor." He turned to the fuming Travers and asked coldly, "Unless you have any further objections, Quentin?"
Travers glared at the former Watcher, then looked at the young man who had so upset his calculations. He hadn't counted on this. . .but, really, what was there to worry about? The boy might have acquired some fighting skills, but Walters had the benefit of years of Watcher's training with weapons, and was a good four inches taller and fifty pounds heavier. Besides, there was no valid reason to disqualify Harris. He looked back at Giles and replied, "By all means, Rupert. . .I just hope this doesn't lead to the boy being harmed. . .let it be on your head if it does."
"That's enough, Quentin!" snapped Masters, who turned to confer with the other Watchers for a moment before turning back to Xander and asking quietly, "Mr. Harris, this body has the utmost respect for you and your accomplishments on behalf of the cause. . .but are you sure you understand what you are volunteering to do? This fight is not necessarily to the death, but records show that individuals can and have died in the course of these judicial duels."
Xander looked down for a moment, then looked at the concerned face of Masters and replied, "Thank you for asking. . .but I understand what I'm doing. . .and I've risked my life before for far less. . .let's get to it."
Masters nodded and replied, "Given the time frame and other requirements of the test, I would suggest that the Sunnydale High school library is the appropriate location to conduct the Test of Honor. We shall reconvene there in one hour. This hearing is adjourned." The Watchers collected their belongings and departed. Quentin Travers stared contemptuously at Xander and Giles for a long moment, then walked out, Walters at his side.
Wesley, looking bewildered, walked out shaking his head as the rest of the audience crowded forward. Joyce reached Xander first and hugged him tightly for a moment, then broke away, looking into his eyes and whispering, "Be careful," before turning and rushing out the door in obvious distress.
Xander watched her leave, then turned to Buffy, who was watching him with an apologetic look on her face as she commented, "Sorry about that, Xander. . .she's just being Mom."
Xander blinked, thinking about the lack of attention from his own mother; indeed, that she probably would not note his absence from the Harris home that evening. . .assuming that he didn't come home in a body bag, of course. He smiled and replied, "Tell her thanks when you see her. . .you're not going to tell me I'm being crazy, are you?"
Buffy laughed and replied, "Since when has that ever stopped you? Master vampires, Incan mummies, Apocalypse demons. . .nothing stops Xander Harris when he puts his mind to something. . .and I'm not even going to try." At that, she walked over to him and grasped his hand, squeezing it tightly and looking into his eyes for a long moment before letting go and walking slowly out the door.
Angel quietly glided over and commented, "Well played. . .I don't suppose you'd like to let us in on how you're going to take out that no neck for Giles, would you? The rest of us could always use some pointers."
For once, Xander appreciated Angel's dark humor. He grinned and replied in a fairly good Irish brogue, "Ah, but that would be telling." Angel smiled and departed after Buffy.
Oz and Willow walked up, and Xander could see that Oz was concerned. He grinned and commented, "Oz, you're looking kinda worked up. . .I think you might even be about to complete a whole paragraph."
Oz smiled faintly and replied, "Watch your back. . .anyone that that Travers guy trusts is trouble."
Xander nodded and looked over at his oldest friend. Giles and Oz watched her intently, expecting her to be more upset than anyone at the prospect of Xander participating in the duel, but there was only a small smile as she called out, "Hey, Xander?"
Xander looked at her and replied, "Yes, Oh Great and Annoying Defense Attorney?"
Willow smiled more broadly, then replied, "Kick his ass." Without another word, she took the arm of a startled Oz and led him out of the room. Giles followed, shaking his head in bewilderment. Xander smiled and started to leave himself, only to remember that he was still not alone. He turned to see Faith watching him with a curious smile. He grinned at her and commented, "You're a free woman, Faith. . .you should head on out of here. . . join the others in preparation for my great gladiatorial moment."
Faith's face turned serious, and she asked, "What do you have up your sleeve, Xander? No way Red would be that calm if she didn't know something. . .and whatever it is, it's not a sure thing. . .you're still risking your ass on this thing. . .why in the hell are you doing this?"
Xander laughed and replied, "What, rescuing you and Buffy from the clutches of Wesley the Weasel isn't enough? He's going to get you killed, and without you guys around the life expectancy of everyone in Sunnydale will be about the same as that of a pack of condoms in Madonna's nightstand." He enjoyed her genuine laugh at that wisecrack, then concluded, "I owe both of you. . .and Giles. It's certainly worth risking getting my ass handed to me over, wouldn't you say?"
Faith frowned, then replied, "Maybe. . .but I think there's something else, Xander. If you're going to put your ass on the line, you owe it to yourself to be honest with yourself about why you're doing it. . .and to bounce it off of at least one person before you go ahead and do it. Since I'd be on the run or looking at life breaking rocks without you sticking your neck out for me. . .I'm volunteering."
Xander looked at her for a long moment and wondered at the contrast from the angry young woman he had confronted only three nights before. After a moment, he nodded in assent, then began, "I've decided that Cordelia might have had a point when she said I was the one in the group without anything special to offer-"
"Bullshit!" snapped Faith. "Weren't you listening to what those tweed types were saying? You saved my ass. . .hell, you might have saved the whole damned world by doing what you did that night! Isn't that enough for you to forget about what that bitch said because she was pissed off at you?"
Xander smiled involuntarily at the ferocity of Faith's defense, then replied, "Yeah, Faith. . .I know I did a good job that night. . .and I got my revenge on Cordelia. . .on several fronts." He smiled ruefully as he favored Faith with a mock leer, causing her to chuckle in spite of her concern. He continued, "But let's face it. . .it was nothing that you, Buffy, or even Giles couldn't have handled without breaking a sweat if the apocalypse hadn't been distracting you. . .hell, I bet Willow could have conjured something up to stop Jack and his buddies in their tracks. It's not like I wasn't scrambling to get help wherever I could. . .you just were all too busy. I was the last option. . .and I almost didn't pull it off. You could have died that night. . .you all could have."
Faith snorted and replied, "So what's your point? We've all had a lot of close calls. . .life on the Hellmouth, right? The point is, you came through. . .so what's to feel inadequate about?"
Xander met Faith's angry gaze unflinchingly and replied, "Faith, this is something that I can do that none of the rest of you can do: not the Slayers. . .not the Watcher. . .not Dead Boy. . .not even the witch and the werewolf. . .just me. It's about time that I really started carrying my weight around here. . .and if it means I get beaten to a bloody pulp in the process. . .well, it's nothing you guys haven't done plenty of times before." He looked down, then looked back at her and concluded quietly, "I can do this, Faith. . .I just need for you to trust me. . .I know that's tough for you."
Faith looked away for a long moment, then looked back and replied, "You know, I've been thinking about what you said on the stand, Xander. I'm not going to apologize to you for not throwing myself into your arms and declaring my undying love for you after our little get-together that night. I am what I am, and you've got issues of your own when it comes to the whole hearts and flowers thing." Xander winced as he remembered that Faith had heard the whole story about Willow, Cordelia, and Oz, and blushed as Faith continued, "I should have been more up front, though. . .you've always been straight with me, even when it didn't track with what you might have been feeling at the time." Xander nodded, thinking about how he had tried to stop Faith from going after Angel when he had concluded that the vampire had not been the one who attacked Giles, as Faith continued, "I didn't want to hurt your feelings. . .I'm sorry about that, O.K.?"
Xander started to reply, then stopped short when Faith gave him a pointed look and interjected, "I'm not finished." She took a breath, then continued, "Anyway, what I'm trying to say is. . .I trust you. You may seriously piss me off at times, and if you think I'm going to be your portable R & R from now on, you've got another thing coming, soldier boy." Xander could not restrain himself from laughing at this, and his reaction was mirrored by the smile on Faith's face as she concluded, "But, you've been up front with me, and that counts for a lot, as does pulling my reckless self out of some serious jams. So if you're determined to get beaten on for the greater good. . .go ahead, but watch your ass. . .we all want you to stick around." She nodded at him, then walked out of the room without looking back.
Xander let out the breath he had been holding, and felt pretty damned good about things for the next twenty seconds. . .before remembering he still had to go twelve rounds with the walking anatomy chart in the very near future. Suddenly feeling more than a little ambivalent, he left the room.
* * * * *
The small group had re-convened at the library, and most of the objects had been cleared from the main floor area, with the exception of the long reading table. Resting on that table were a remarkable assortment of medieval weaponry; in each case, a matched pair.
Xander and Walters stood waiting on the floor, glaring at each other. Masters walked down from the upper section, where the other occupants of the room were watching intently, and called out, "Mr. Harris, you may now select the weaponry to be used in the Test."
Xander nodded, and casually walked over to the table, where he first examined a razor-sharp broadsword that was easily four feet long. After a moment, he put it down and commented, "What, and mess up my carefully selected wardrobe?" A murmur arose from the waiting audience, only to die down as Masters gave all of them a hard look. Xander next picked up a huge flail: the spiked ball hanging from the chain had to be at least five inches across. He looked at it. . .hefted it, then dismissed with, "Naw. . .too Monty Python and the Holy Grail." He looked over his shoulder and noted the tense expressions on his friends' faces. . .except for the small, secret smile on Willow's. He next examined a pair of cesti, the spiked fighting gloves used by Roman gladiators, but quickly put them down with a shudder as he commented, "And Evander Holyfield thought he had problems." He reached out and grasped a six foot long quarterstaff, hefted it, and commented, "Well. . .I don't think I can live up to the standards of Gabrielle, but this looks all right to me. . .let's boogie, Watcher Boy."
Walters flushed and walked over to get his own weapon while Giles and Buffy looked on in shock. Admittedly, the weapon Xander had chosen was less likely to inflict fatal damage, but they had never seen him so much as pick up a quarterstaff, much less fight with one. Giles knew that it was a subtle and difficult weapon to master, though Buffy had picked one up for the first time and thoroughly trashed him with it. . .Slayers were always a special case. He looked over at Willow and saw the smile there. . .had she taken leave of her senses? He looked at Xander, and saw the clumsy attempts to get the feel for the weapon. His face fell, and he wondered, * Is Xander going to get badly hurt. . .only to lose anyway and hopelessly tangle up the whole thing with the Council. . .I should stop this. * He looked at Xander, and the young man met his eyes. While his body language remained disjointed and uncoordinated, Giles could see the confidence in his eyes, and-against his better judgment-Giles held his tongue and waited for the Test to begin.
Masters watched Xander with misgivings, then looked over at the arrogant pose of Walters and sighed, then called out, "This is to be the Test of Honor, on behalf of Rupert Giles and the Council of Watchers. At this time, either combatant may withdraw without loss of honor." He waited, and after a moment, Xander slowly shook his head. Walters remained mute, and Masters nodded and continued, "So be it. . .the Test begins. . now."
. . .to be continued
As always, comments are welcomed and desired
Chaos reigned for a long moment before Masters banged his gavel again, restoring order. All eyes were on Xander as Giles walked over to him and pulled him to an unoccupied corner of the room. He took a deep breath, then asked the first question that came to mind: "Have you completely taken leave of your senses?"
Xander took a deep breath, then replied coolly, "Maybe. . .but I'm your best shot, Giles. I've got a pretty good read on that bastard Travers, and he wouldn't agree to let you go back to England if he thought that you'd win there. He's counting on you refusing to let me fight. . .he knew damned well that I'd be the only one here you could recruit as a champion, and that you'd never ask me. Well, you don't have to. . .I'm volunteering. . .and I like my chances of beating Lance Beefcake over there than you having to beat the best of Europe. . .am I making any sense here, Giles?"
Reluctantly, Giles nodded and replied, "I see your point. . .but Xander, this won't be pistols at sunrise, or with any other modern weaponry for that matter. You have to choose an archaic weapon, and the fight will go on until one party yields or is rendered unconscious or dead. Walters is young, but he has been trained with all of the ancient weapons. . .and you haven't. Despite your acquired talents, I don't see how you could possibly prevail."
Xander grinned ferally and replied, "I've got a few tricks up my sleeve. . .and I can win for the best reason of all, Giles." He looked over at the anxiously watching Slayers for a long moment, then looked back at Giles and elaborated bluntly, "I can. . .I will win. . .because I have to."
Giles looked at Xander, and briefly considered the two years he had known the young man. Xander was exasperating beyond words at times, and his missteps had occasionally led to near-disaster. But he was fiercely loyal to his friends, and Buffy would have been dead several times over if Xander had not put his life on the line for her, and the recent incident with the Sisterhood of Jhe proved that Xander could help greatly even when all of his friends were trying to keep him out of the fray for his own good. He looked into Xander's eyes, and he could see the intense determination burning there. After a long moment, he nodded, and they walked back to the waiting Watchers.
After a long moment, Giles locked eyes with Masters and intoned formally, "I accept the offer of Alexander Harris to act as my champion in the Test of Honor." He turned to the fuming Travers and asked coldly, "Unless you have any further objections, Quentin?"
Travers glared at the former Watcher, then looked at the young man who had so upset his calculations. He hadn't counted on this. . .but, really, what was there to worry about? The boy might have acquired some fighting skills, but Walters had the benefit of years of Watcher's training with weapons, and was a good four inches taller and fifty pounds heavier. Besides, there was no valid reason to disqualify Harris. He looked back at Giles and replied, "By all means, Rupert. . .I just hope this doesn't lead to the boy being harmed. . .let it be on your head if it does."
"That's enough, Quentin!" snapped Masters, who turned to confer with the other Watchers for a moment before turning back to Xander and asking quietly, "Mr. Harris, this body has the utmost respect for you and your accomplishments on behalf of the cause. . .but are you sure you understand what you are volunteering to do? This fight is not necessarily to the death, but records show that individuals can and have died in the course of these judicial duels."
Xander looked down for a moment, then looked at the concerned face of Masters and replied, "Thank you for asking. . .but I understand what I'm doing. . .and I've risked my life before for far less. . .let's get to it."
Masters nodded and replied, "Given the time frame and other requirements of the test, I would suggest that the Sunnydale High school library is the appropriate location to conduct the Test of Honor. We shall reconvene there in one hour. This hearing is adjourned." The Watchers collected their belongings and departed. Quentin Travers stared contemptuously at Xander and Giles for a long moment, then walked out, Walters at his side.
Wesley, looking bewildered, walked out shaking his head as the rest of the audience crowded forward. Joyce reached Xander first and hugged him tightly for a moment, then broke away, looking into his eyes and whispering, "Be careful," before turning and rushing out the door in obvious distress.
Xander watched her leave, then turned to Buffy, who was watching him with an apologetic look on her face as she commented, "Sorry about that, Xander. . .she's just being Mom."
Xander blinked, thinking about the lack of attention from his own mother; indeed, that she probably would not note his absence from the Harris home that evening. . .assuming that he didn't come home in a body bag, of course. He smiled and replied, "Tell her thanks when you see her. . .you're not going to tell me I'm being crazy, are you?"
Buffy laughed and replied, "Since when has that ever stopped you? Master vampires, Incan mummies, Apocalypse demons. . .nothing stops Xander Harris when he puts his mind to something. . .and I'm not even going to try." At that, she walked over to him and grasped his hand, squeezing it tightly and looking into his eyes for a long moment before letting go and walking slowly out the door.
Angel quietly glided over and commented, "Well played. . .I don't suppose you'd like to let us in on how you're going to take out that no neck for Giles, would you? The rest of us could always use some pointers."
For once, Xander appreciated Angel's dark humor. He grinned and replied in a fairly good Irish brogue, "Ah, but that would be telling." Angel smiled and departed after Buffy.
Oz and Willow walked up, and Xander could see that Oz was concerned. He grinned and commented, "Oz, you're looking kinda worked up. . .I think you might even be about to complete a whole paragraph."
Oz smiled faintly and replied, "Watch your back. . .anyone that that Travers guy trusts is trouble."
Xander nodded and looked over at his oldest friend. Giles and Oz watched her intently, expecting her to be more upset than anyone at the prospect of Xander participating in the duel, but there was only a small smile as she called out, "Hey, Xander?"
Xander looked at her and replied, "Yes, Oh Great and Annoying Defense Attorney?"
Willow smiled more broadly, then replied, "Kick his ass." Without another word, she took the arm of a startled Oz and led him out of the room. Giles followed, shaking his head in bewilderment. Xander smiled and started to leave himself, only to remember that he was still not alone. He turned to see Faith watching him with a curious smile. He grinned at her and commented, "You're a free woman, Faith. . .you should head on out of here. . . join the others in preparation for my great gladiatorial moment."
Faith's face turned serious, and she asked, "What do you have up your sleeve, Xander? No way Red would be that calm if she didn't know something. . .and whatever it is, it's not a sure thing. . .you're still risking your ass on this thing. . .why in the hell are you doing this?"
Xander laughed and replied, "What, rescuing you and Buffy from the clutches of Wesley the Weasel isn't enough? He's going to get you killed, and without you guys around the life expectancy of everyone in Sunnydale will be about the same as that of a pack of condoms in Madonna's nightstand." He enjoyed her genuine laugh at that wisecrack, then concluded, "I owe both of you. . .and Giles. It's certainly worth risking getting my ass handed to me over, wouldn't you say?"
Faith frowned, then replied, "Maybe. . .but I think there's something else, Xander. If you're going to put your ass on the line, you owe it to yourself to be honest with yourself about why you're doing it. . .and to bounce it off of at least one person before you go ahead and do it. Since I'd be on the run or looking at life breaking rocks without you sticking your neck out for me. . .I'm volunteering."
Xander looked at her for a long moment and wondered at the contrast from the angry young woman he had confronted only three nights before. After a moment, he nodded in assent, then began, "I've decided that Cordelia might have had a point when she said I was the one in the group without anything special to offer-"
"Bullshit!" snapped Faith. "Weren't you listening to what those tweed types were saying? You saved my ass. . .hell, you might have saved the whole damned world by doing what you did that night! Isn't that enough for you to forget about what that bitch said because she was pissed off at you?"
Xander smiled involuntarily at the ferocity of Faith's defense, then replied, "Yeah, Faith. . .I know I did a good job that night. . .and I got my revenge on Cordelia. . .on several fronts." He smiled ruefully as he favored Faith with a mock leer, causing her to chuckle in spite of her concern. He continued, "But let's face it. . .it was nothing that you, Buffy, or even Giles couldn't have handled without breaking a sweat if the apocalypse hadn't been distracting you. . .hell, I bet Willow could have conjured something up to stop Jack and his buddies in their tracks. It's not like I wasn't scrambling to get help wherever I could. . .you just were all too busy. I was the last option. . .and I almost didn't pull it off. You could have died that night. . .you all could have."
Faith snorted and replied, "So what's your point? We've all had a lot of close calls. . .life on the Hellmouth, right? The point is, you came through. . .so what's to feel inadequate about?"
Xander met Faith's angry gaze unflinchingly and replied, "Faith, this is something that I can do that none of the rest of you can do: not the Slayers. . .not the Watcher. . .not Dead Boy. . .not even the witch and the werewolf. . .just me. It's about time that I really started carrying my weight around here. . .and if it means I get beaten to a bloody pulp in the process. . .well, it's nothing you guys haven't done plenty of times before." He looked down, then looked back at her and concluded quietly, "I can do this, Faith. . .I just need for you to trust me. . .I know that's tough for you."
Faith looked away for a long moment, then looked back and replied, "You know, I've been thinking about what you said on the stand, Xander. I'm not going to apologize to you for not throwing myself into your arms and declaring my undying love for you after our little get-together that night. I am what I am, and you've got issues of your own when it comes to the whole hearts and flowers thing." Xander winced as he remembered that Faith had heard the whole story about Willow, Cordelia, and Oz, and blushed as Faith continued, "I should have been more up front, though. . .you've always been straight with me, even when it didn't track with what you might have been feeling at the time." Xander nodded, thinking about how he had tried to stop Faith from going after Angel when he had concluded that the vampire had not been the one who attacked Giles, as Faith continued, "I didn't want to hurt your feelings. . .I'm sorry about that, O.K.?"
Xander started to reply, then stopped short when Faith gave him a pointed look and interjected, "I'm not finished." She took a breath, then continued, "Anyway, what I'm trying to say is. . .I trust you. You may seriously piss me off at times, and if you think I'm going to be your portable R & R from now on, you've got another thing coming, soldier boy." Xander could not restrain himself from laughing at this, and his reaction was mirrored by the smile on Faith's face as she concluded, "But, you've been up front with me, and that counts for a lot, as does pulling my reckless self out of some serious jams. So if you're determined to get beaten on for the greater good. . .go ahead, but watch your ass. . .we all want you to stick around." She nodded at him, then walked out of the room without looking back.
Xander let out the breath he had been holding, and felt pretty damned good about things for the next twenty seconds. . .before remembering he still had to go twelve rounds with the walking anatomy chart in the very near future. Suddenly feeling more than a little ambivalent, he left the room.
* * * * *
The small group had re-convened at the library, and most of the objects had been cleared from the main floor area, with the exception of the long reading table. Resting on that table were a remarkable assortment of medieval weaponry; in each case, a matched pair.
Xander and Walters stood waiting on the floor, glaring at each other. Masters walked down from the upper section, where the other occupants of the room were watching intently, and called out, "Mr. Harris, you may now select the weaponry to be used in the Test."
Xander nodded, and casually walked over to the table, where he first examined a razor-sharp broadsword that was easily four feet long. After a moment, he put it down and commented, "What, and mess up my carefully selected wardrobe?" A murmur arose from the waiting audience, only to die down as Masters gave all of them a hard look. Xander next picked up a huge flail: the spiked ball hanging from the chain had to be at least five inches across. He looked at it. . .hefted it, then dismissed with, "Naw. . .too Monty Python and the Holy Grail." He looked over his shoulder and noted the tense expressions on his friends' faces. . .except for the small, secret smile on Willow's. He next examined a pair of cesti, the spiked fighting gloves used by Roman gladiators, but quickly put them down with a shudder as he commented, "And Evander Holyfield thought he had problems." He reached out and grasped a six foot long quarterstaff, hefted it, and commented, "Well. . .I don't think I can live up to the standards of Gabrielle, but this looks all right to me. . .let's boogie, Watcher Boy."
Walters flushed and walked over to get his own weapon while Giles and Buffy looked on in shock. Admittedly, the weapon Xander had chosen was less likely to inflict fatal damage, but they had never seen him so much as pick up a quarterstaff, much less fight with one. Giles knew that it was a subtle and difficult weapon to master, though Buffy had picked one up for the first time and thoroughly trashed him with it. . .Slayers were always a special case. He looked over at Willow and saw the smile there. . .had she taken leave of her senses? He looked at Xander, and saw the clumsy attempts to get the feel for the weapon. His face fell, and he wondered, * Is Xander going to get badly hurt. . .only to lose anyway and hopelessly tangle up the whole thing with the Council. . .I should stop this. * He looked at Xander, and the young man met his eyes. While his body language remained disjointed and uncoordinated, Giles could see the confidence in his eyes, and-against his better judgment-Giles held his tongue and waited for the Test to begin.
Masters watched Xander with misgivings, then looked over at the arrogant pose of Walters and sighed, then called out, "This is to be the Test of Honor, on behalf of Rupert Giles and the Council of Watchers. At this time, either combatant may withdraw without loss of honor." He waited, and after a moment, Xander slowly shook his head. Walters remained mute, and Masters nodded and continued, "So be it. . .the Test begins. . now."
. . .to be continued
As always, comments are welcomed and desired