The Crucible Chapter 13: Again, a roswell fanfic

Title: The Crucible

Disclaimer: I don't own anything

Author's note: So this is another song fic chapter. The song is "Beauty From Pain" by Superchick. Also, I am going to do something very unusual for me and actually request reviews on this chapter instead of just saying you can review if you want to. Reviews that say what you thought of the chapter and all that... Basically, it is because this was one of my favorite chapters to write (I actually brainstormed the idea for it and outlined the chapter long before I had started writing the earlier chapters) and I wanted other people's opinions. So don't be afraid to tell me it is horrible if that is what you think, I would like an honest reaction.

Oh, and I know nothing about sword fighting, so the fighting part of this chapter might be a little weak.

crucible: an object made stronger as it is passed through fire

Chapter Thirteen: Again

Day 12

The lights go out all around me
One last candle to keep out the night
And then the darkness surrounds me
I know I'm alive
But I feel like I've died

"Take a sword, Ava, and let us see how you fight."

Tess stared around the room she had just stepped into. It was a small arena. A few rows of seat encircled a center ring. The seats were filled with different members of the Resistance; some she recognized, some she did not. Standing in the center ring, his back to her, was General Khai. He held a sword in one hand, swinging it expertly through the air.

Tess turned to Sria. "You want me to fight?" she asked, worried. Although she had learned the techniques for fighting, she had never put her knowledge to the test. And now they wanted her to fight Khai? She was still upset from the previous day, and although her arm and chest had been completely healed, she was still sore and tired.

Khai turned and faced her, a smirk fixed firmly on his face. "The Queen was trained in fighting. All of the Royals were. As you continually claim that, despite you human half, you are still the Queen…show us. Fight."

Sria nodded encouragingly and stepped away from Tess, taking a seat in the first row. Tess walked down the steps slowly, well aware of the fact that everyone's eyes were trained on her. She stepped into the ring hesitantly and looked around.

"I've taken the liberty of procuring the Queen's sword," Khai said, his voice full of mocking reverence.

A young boy, perhaps eight or nine, stood up and hurried forward. He was clutching a long, thin blade in his hands. He paused before Tess, his eyes wide, and slowly extended his arms, holding out the sword.

Tess took it, and held the sword in her hands. The blade was a thin silver strip of metal, whittled to a fine point at the end with razor sharp edges on the side. The handle was made of a dark red metal. It was a simple sword, without elaborate design.

It felt heavy and awkward in her hands. She shifted it slightly, unsure of what to do.

And all that's left is to accept that it's over
My dreams ran like sand through the fists that I made
I try to keep warm but I just grow colder
I feel like I'm slipping away

"The Queen trained and fought with that sword before the Zan's fall," Khai said. He turned and gestured to the crowd. "There are healers here, should we get hurt." He noted the anxiety that jumped into Tess' eyes and said, "It is not uncommon for those training to revive mild injuries." He shrugged at Tess and said pointedly, "Only mild. I assure you, I have no intention of orphaning the Heir." As always, his voice filled with reverence as he spoke of Alex.

Tess licked his lips and nodded. "Okay," she said quietly, nervous.

Khai extended his own blade towards her, lifting the point so that it was slightly higher than his waist. Then he bowed stiffly, bending his upper body over his sword.

Tess frowned, assuming that the bowing was some sort of ritual. She stared down at her own sword. Was she supposed to do the same?

"Extend your sword, Ava," Khai said impatiently. "We cannot start the battle until you bow."

She did as she was told, moving awkwardly. Her bow was clumsy, ungraceful. She could not see the others in the room as she bowed, but she could practically feel the contempt in Khai's eyes.

As she straightened up, Khai advanced slowly, his sword in front of him. He swung it at her twice, but she blocked both blows. She managed to twist her sword so that the tip caught under his hand guard and she yanked backward.

Khai lost hold of his sword for a moment as it jumped from his fingers, but he caught it again and jabbed forward. Tess, unprepared for the sudden attack, frantically lifted her blade to catch his. The flat edge of Khai's sword smashed into Tess' blade, and she dropped the sword as pain shot up her arm.

The occupants of the room shifted slightly, their eyes betraying their apprehension. How could this weak hybrid be their Queen? Were they already doomed by fate? They looked away from the training area, embarrassed and worried.

After all this has passed
I still will remain
After I've cried my last
There'll be beauty from pain
Though it won't be today
Someday I'll hope again
And there'll be beauty from pain
You will bring beauty from my pain

"You hold your sword too tightly," Khai said contemptuously. "And you are to heavy on your feet. The Queen was taught how to fight. How could you have lost so much knowledge and skill?" He stepped backwards and stared at her, demanding an explanation.

"I forgot," Tess answered quietly, picking up her sword as the blood rushed into her face. "But I'll remember." She held her sword in front of her and looked to Khai. "Again."

Khai hefted his sword into the air and sent a ripple of electricity down the blade. He spun the sword quickly, and the two blades clashed. The energy on his sword jumped to hers and ran up the blade to the handle, and then to her hand, burning the skin.

Another murmur ran through the onlookers. One of the healers shifted in his seat as though to stand. The man next to him caught him by the arm and shook his head. If the Queen was to be any use to them, she would have to learn to fight without being healed. Relying on healers only made a warrior or a monarch weak.

Tess gasped in shock and dropped the sword again. "What was that?" she asked, gingerly touching the burn of the back of her hand.

"When you fight," Khai said derisively, "you will be fighting those who have extraordinary skill. They will be able to channel energy through their sword. I explained this to you. Surely you remember?"

"Yes," Tess snapped, reaching down and lifting her sword. Although she would not admit it to him, it hadn't made sense to her at the time. Now that she had seen what Khai could do, she understood the words of caution that he had directed at her.

My whole world is the pain inside me
The best I can do is just get through the day
When life before is only a memory
I wonder why God let me walk through this place

She held the sword in her fist, willing her grip to relax slightly, and struggling to ignore the pain in her burned skin. She looked up at Khai and abruptly swung her sword at him, attacking without warning.

Khai lifted his own sword and stopped her easily. He shoved the blade back and she faltered, taking a few quick steps to regain her balance. Khai quickly rained a succession of blows down on her, and she barely managed to bring her sword up in time to block them. She tried to channel her powers down the length of the sword, but only managed to send a few sparks on to the metal. They exploded close to the handle of the sword, causing the blade to fly from her hands yet again.

Khai gave a short barking laugh and said, "You can't just use your powers, Ava. You have to know how to control it. Channeling energy along a sword takes concentration, skill, training, power, and experience. None of which you have." He glanced up at the clock on the wall. "Shall we call it a day?"

"No!" Tess snapped. She retrieved her sword and lifted it carefully. "Again."

Khai stared at her for a moment, then suddenly lifted his left hand and sent a bolt of energy from his palm. Tess, unprepared for the attack, was hit directly in the chest and sent sprawling back across the floor. The sword fell from her hand as she gasped for breath. She struggled slowly, painfully, to her knees, and stared up at the man looking down at her.

"Pathetic," Khai said. "You have to always be prepared for any attack." He shook his head in disgust. "Give up, Ava," he snarled. "You can't lead us. You aren't a queen anymore." He sheathed his sword and turned his back on Tess. "Without Zan, you are just a human half-breed." He paused and wiped the sweat from hsi forehead. "You didn't even know enough to stay inside when we were under attack. You're naivete and inability to think logically could have ruined us all."

And though I can't understand why this happened
I know that I will when I look back someday
And see how you've brought beauty from ashes
And made me as gold purified through these flames

Tess stiffened at the mention of Max and of the attack the day before, and resolutely pulled herself to her feet. "I haven't dismissed you yet, Khai," she growled.

The others in the room fell silent at that, looking back and forth between the blonde alien and the General. Who would win the power struggle?

Khai looked at her and shook his head. "I don't need you to dismiss me. I can see perfectly well that you are not fit to fight."

Tess wiped the blood from her lips. She took a moment to breathe, allowing her tired body a brief instant of rest. Then she lifted the sword again and held it in front of her, pointing the blade at the General. She raised her eyes to meet those of Khai and ordered one sharp word.

"Again."

Khai paused, then shrugged and drew his sword again. He swung it in a wide arc, then brought it crashing down towards Tess. She raised her own sword to meet his, blocking him. The force of the blow sent her stumbling backwards. She managed to regain her balance and quickly took a defensive stance.

"You fool!" Khai hissed as his blade sliced through the air. "Why do you continue?" Tess ducked the blow and jabbed her own sword towards Khai's knees. He jumped back and brought his blade down on hers. She grappled with the sword, barely holding on to it.

"Why?" Khai asked again, suddenly kicking out at her. His foot hit her in the chest, and she fell to the ground, winded. "You can't win this!" He flicked the tip of his sword up so it was pressed against her throat. "All you are is a waste of my time!"

Tess swallowed and stood up, her sword hanging loosely in her hand. Khai turned to go again, but Tess called him back with her one-word refrain.

"Again."

"Why?" Khai asked coldly, spinning on her and attacking quickly. She blocked two of his blows and then struck her own. He parried her jabs and pushed her back across the room. "You will never be able to learn. You will never be able to lead. You are nothing without the King!"

Another murmur rippled through the crowd. Khai may be blunt and discourteous, but he spoke what they all believed.

"Shut up!" Her face flushed with fury and exertion, Tess beat her blade down on Khai's sword. Khai stumbled away from her and quickly regained his footing, preparing to attack.

But Tess did not give him a chance to take the offensive. She moved towards him, raining a serious of sharp blows down on his blade. He had to work furiously to block her.

"Max is nothing!" Tess hissed as she forced her sword sideways. Khai moved his quickly to block her, and she changed direction mid-swing, pushing her sword towards his chest. Khai too changed the direction of his sword, barely managing to stop her before she had stabbed him.

"Don't speak ill of Zan," Khai warned, twisting his wrist, and causing his blade to smash into the side of Tess' sword. The petite alien staggered backwards. Khai then brought his sword swinging towards her face. She lifted her sword, blocking his blow. The power behind the attack caused pain to shoot up her arm and she stepped back, gasping.

Khai took her momentary faltering as an opportunity to attack with his powers. He lifted his palm and a whirlwind of blue energy pulsed from his hand, flying at Tess.

She lifted her sword quickly, catching the energy on the silver blade. The blade was forced backwards, her own handle hitting her hard in the chest and she stumbled again in shock and pain.

"Zan is the king," Khai continued as he swung his sword at her. "You are the one who is nothing."

The audience suddenly began to watch with more interest. Something had jumped into the sapphire eyes of the young woman in front of them, something that reminded them all of the Queen they had once known.

Here and I am at the end of me
Trying to hold to what I can't see
I forgot how to hope
This night's been so long
I cling to your promise there will be a dawn

Tess blocked the attack, struggling to regain the upper hand. "He is a pathetic excuse for a human, and an even worse excuse for an Antarian," she snarled, circling her sword quickly, and making two rapid jabs at Khai. "He abandoned you! Don't you get it? He isn't coming. He doesn't care."

Khai blocked the first jab, but the second nicked the skin on his arm and he jumped back, surprised. "That isn't true," he said angrily. He needed to believe that Zan was coming. They all needed to believe that their savior would come. "He'll come. We need him."

"We don't need him. I don't need him," Tess spat, blinded by rage and fury. She clashed swords with Khai. The smash of metal caused vibrations to move up both swords. Tess continued her onslaught.

"With or without Max, I will always be the Queen!" Tess declared. And then, quite suddenly, she knew what to do. Instinctively, she reached deep inside herself, bringing all of her power and all of her strength to the surface. She channeled her power through her hands and along the length of the blade, making it dance with blue and green light.

Then she attacked.

The sword hit Khai's sword, and the energy flowing along the blade exploded as it made contact. There was a flash and the sound of metal hitting metal, then the combined force of Tess' blow and the power radiating from her hands shook Khai's sword from his grip. The General's blade leapt into the air and crashed to the ground.

The energy from the explosion hit Khai full in the chest and forced him to his knees. Breathing heavily, Tess stepped forwards and flicked the tip of her sword up so that it was pressed against Khai's throat.

A silence fell over the room as all eyes turned to Tess. Khai swallowed apprehensively, watching the blonde hybrid as she stared down at him. She held his gaze for a moment, then backed away and allowed her sword to drop by her side. She walked over to Khai's fallen sword and lifted it, then extended it out to the General.

Khai stood stiffly and took the sword, his eyes still wide with disbelief. He held it loosely in his hand while Tess lifted her own blade and pointed it at him.

"Again."

Next Chapter: Phoenix Rising

Due: Sunday 12/25 (Christmas!)