Here's the fight you've been waiting for!
Chapter Twelve
The Fight
Edmund hurried into his clothes and dashed outside, grabbing his sword. What was he doing? It was cold dawn, and he was going to jump into freezing water?
"Phillip! I'm sorry," Edmund panted when he ran into the stables, "I can't saddle you. I'll have to ride you bareback!"
Phillip had been sleeping and he snapped awake. "Y-yes Sire," he said groggily.
When Edmund hopped on the horse and gave him a quick kick, Phillip woke fully up and galloped out to the beach.
"They're gone!" Edmund cried.
"Who, sire?" Phillip panted.
Edmund didn't answer and leapt off Phillip and waded partway into the freezing water.
"Niara!" Edmund cried, and without thinking.
Two heads emerged once again. Jylese turned, fury in his eyes. Releasing Niara, he charged at Edmund with a knife in hand. Edmund cursed at his luck. Jylese swam four times faster than he did.
"So you've returned, Son of Adam!" Jylese grinned evilly.
Niara screamed. She swam after Jylese and grabbed his tail. "NO! You can't kill him!"
Edmund wished he could take everything back. He quickly retreated back onto land.
"Coward!" Jylese roared, shooting like an arrow through the water.
"How do you expect me to fight, with me so skilled on land and you so skilled in water?" Edmund challenged, feeling stupid.
Jylese grinned again. "With all due respect, sire, I shall come onto land."
Jylese sacrificing such a thing was strange and Edmund took a wary step backwards. Jylese stepped out of the water. Edmund blinked. Jylese stepped out of the water. Edmund stared in wonder at the suddenly grown masculine legs, the same color as Jylese's disappearing tail.
"Where-where did you g-get legs?" Edmund demanded, quivering with fear.
"It is a curse I've had for a while," the male nymph smirked. "Each time I touch land I get legs to replace my tail and when I go back in the water my tail returns to me. So, Son of Adam, shall we fight?"
Jylese flipped the knife expertly in the air and caught it. Edmund took another step back. With a such a knife, Jylese could move quickly and stab him, whereas Edmund would be slow with his long sword.
"To the death for the maid," Jylese laughed.
"You cannot do that. If you win, you have murdered," Edmund said through gritted teeth.
"Not if you willingly fight me and agree to fight to the death," Jylese countered.
Edmund glanced at a worried Niara floating in the foam, drenching herself in tears (not that she already wasn't wet). Did he really want to fight for her, even if they would be separated if he won? It all seemed strange to work out, but for some reason, Edmund didn't want to think.
"I accept, nymph," Edmund said coldly.
"Good. Let us begin," said Jylese.
Without warning Jylese lunged upon Edmund. Having always spent time in water, how was he so skilled as to walking upon land? Edmund stumbled back, shocked.
"Is this what they train the Kings of Narnia?" Jylese taunted and slashed Edmund's arm.
Edmund cried out in pain and tried not to grip his arm, or else he would become vulnerable to the crazy male nymph.
"It would've been your heart that was slashed had I not been so eager to have a good, long fight," Jylese whipped himself away and stood a good distance from Edmund.
Edmund roared and charged at the nymph, who dodged quickly and shot around, sending a deep cut on Edmund's back.
"Surely you can be a lot faster!" Jylese cried as Edmund fell onto the sand.
Edmund suddenly jumped up and stabbed at the nymph, cutting off a piece of flesh on Jylese's shoulder. The knife flew from the nymph's hand and landed two feet away. The nymph yelled in pain as blood began pouring out. Using his left hand, Jylese vigorously punched Edmund, who fell back and lost his sword. The sword reeled towards the water, as Edmund and Jylese were on a small inclination.
Jylese smacked Edmund again, and he fell hard to the thick sand. Edmund quickly rolled on the sand out of the way and stumbled to his feet, but as he stood up, the knife cut through him and into his chest.
Niara screamed. Jylese smirked. Edmund fell. Without another word, Jylese withdrew his weapon, spat on Edmund, and slipped back into the water.
Jylese swam towards Niara with a triumphant look on his face. She shrank back, her arms behind her in fear.
"He is dead, as you have observed. Now, you shall come with me," Jylese ordered.
"NO!" Niara cried out, and whipped Edmund's sword from behind her, driving it into the nymph. She had retrieved the weapon after it had fallen from Edmund's grasp and it fell towards the sea.
She gasped as Jylese's eyes clouded over and he fell back, never to disturb her again. She stared at her hands, now covered in blood, with the sea water starting to wash it off.
What had she done? She had killed Jylese…but he had killed Edmund, it only seemed right. Edmund! Niara darted to the surface, feeling miserable.
She wrapped wet arms around her beloved Edmund, gone forever.
"I've destroyed him. He did it all for me, only to lose," Niara sobbed, feeling lower than the tiniest grains of sand at the bottom of the sea.
She pulled herself to the sea and found Jylese's knife resting on the white sandy bottom. The nymph's body had washed away, never to be found by her race again. Sobbing all the while, Niara took the knife and went back to Edmund. She positioned herself over him and cried out,
"You have given yourself for me, and I love you. I only hope to see you again, when we can finally be together." Niara held the knife at her throat.
There was loud roar.
I know there wasn't much fighting action, but I just wanted to get to the point.