A big thank you to everyone who's been keeping up with the story and those that have only recently found out.

A review would mean a lot, I appreciate all feedback.

Don't be afraid to ask any questions, I always try to reply.

Enjoy!

Chapter 13: Tragedy

CJ, Archer and Jay all took defensive stances, raising their swords and not letting their eyes leave Solomon.

"I was wondering if you were gonna be able to beat Uma. After all, you wouldn't be worth my time if you couldn't even beat her, you know…" Solomon went on, coming closer as his dark eyes shimmered amusingly.

"Get back!" Archer practically whispered to CJ and Jay. "We have to get across…"

CJ looked back at the still submerged trench. The lack of Uma was encouraging, but it would probably still prove to be a massive obstacle. In any case, Solomon could have his horde of undead on them in a flash. This didn't look good.

"Oh, please stay…" Solomon kept on talking in that arrogant tone of his. "I mean, the fun has only just begun. I have yet to really get my hands dirty in this battle… Mal wasn't that much of an obstacle…"

Jay grunted in anger, and CJ saw how he gripped his sword even more tightly. Thankfully, he refrained from doing anything stupid.

"You, however…" Solomon added, pointing a lazy finger at Archer. "You fascinate me… I hope you do remember our first encounter…"

"When I kicked your bony ass off a waterfall, you mean?" Archer retorted. CJ was thankful that he didn't let Solomon walk all over them.

"Yeah, that time…" Solomon hissed, his smile disappearing for a quick second. "I'm quite eager for a round two… What do you say, sword guy?"

Archer looked back at CJ for a second, before his eyes moved to the submerged trench and the Auradon troops behind it. Almost all the troops had retreated to beyond the city limits, but a small number still remained.

There was a moment of silence, where Solomon's offer loomed over them like a shadow. Archer didn't reply straight away, and CJ and Jay similarly made no sound.

All of the sudden, one arrow flew over their heads and straight at Solomon. His eyes widened for a quick second before he almost effortlessly deflected the arrow with a simple spell. He then gnashed his teeth, before raising his arm and sending a black bolt of lightning over CJ's head at a spot on the other side of the trench. Presumably, this is where the archer in question had stood. There was a loud crash in the distance, followed by a shrill scream of pain.

"Stop!" Archer immediately yelled, taking a step forward.

"Oh, but they do annoy me so much." Solomon lazily replied, raising his hand again. "I'm still waiting for an answer, by the way…"

"What do you propose?" Archer eventually asked, startling CJ somewhat.

"One on one, of course." Solomon answered, lowering his arm. "Mano a mano… A duel…"

"Archer, don't!" CJ urged Archer. Whatever Solomon was up to, it would surely not work in their favor.

"Just the two of us? You'll leave the rest out of it?" Archer continued, not paying CJ any mind yet.

"Definitely." Solomon nodded, his eyes wide and eager. "Let them all see how their greatest fighter compares to me…"

"Don't! Archer!" CJ repeated, panicking a little. She didn't like this one bit, and also obviously distrusted Solomon.

"Deal!" Archer told Solomon, still not even looking at CJ. "Let's do it."

"No! Archer! No!" CJ panicked, dropping her calm charade and beginning to pull on Archer's sleeve.

Solomon only smiled, dropping his trench coat before taking out his two daggers and lazily swinging them around a little.

"Archer! What are you thinking! Don't do this!" CJ hissed, continuing to pull on Archer's sleeve and even kicking his shin.

"You guys have to leave." Archer told her and Jay, not paying attention to CJ's pleads. "Get to the other side and tell everyone to leave! Go as far as you can, while I buy you some time!"

"Archer! No!" CJ repeated for the umpteenth time.

"That's crazy, man!" Jay piped in, his face pale.

"I can win this fight! If I win, I end the war! Even if I lose, I will still buy you all enough time to get out safely! Look around! The battle is lost! We need to regroup!" Archer explained, an almost maniacal gleam in his eyes.

Jay seemed to understand his reasoning, and his look softened somewhat. CJ was having none of it though. "I'm staying!" She immediately said. "I'm staying if you are!"

"You're not!" Archer retorted, though his tone was compassionate.

CJ felt a lump in her throat. She knew that Archer was serious about this, and she knew that he would under no circumstance allow her to be put in danger. She knew that he would not let her stay here in fear of her getting hurt. Following that same logic, CJ did not want Archer to stay and fight either.

There was of course a chance that Archer could beat Solomon. He was, after all, Auradon's greatest swordsman and was armed with a very powerful weapon. But still, Solomon was arguably the most dangerous individual in the entire world, and CJ would rather just have anyone dear to her stay as far away from him as possible.

Aside from what she wanted, she had to admit there was a semblance of reason to Archer's plan. The three of them, and the entire Auradon army, could use all the extra time to retreat that they could get. According to Archer, he didn't even need to win the duel in order to succeed. Still, if he was planning on doing something this dangerous, CJ wanted to be with him when it would happen. She would not let him face this alone!

"Don't be such a freaking idiot!" CJ ranted, feeling the first tears drip down her cheeks. "I'm not letting you fucking die!"

"I might not die…" Archer shrugged, looking over his shoulder at the calmly waiting Solomon.

"Archer, please be reasonable!" CJ practically begged of him. "We have to run! We can still run!"

"You have to run!" Archer stated. "I don't know what that maniac's gonna do, but I can distract him long enough for you and everyone else to get far enough away. That's the least I can do…"

"The least you can do is run away with us!" CJ protested, standing nose to nose with Archer.

Archer's steely eyes rested on CJ's for a few seconds before he turned to Jay. "Please take her with you."

"Not a fucking chance! Don't touch me!" CJ snapped after Jay reached for her upper arm. "You don't get to make this decision on your own!"

"CJ, please…" Archer begged. "This is for the greater good… You have to see that!"

"Stop preaching to me about the greater fucking good!" CJ argued, really getting agitated. "I am not leaving!"

"CJ, please…" Archer repeated. "Don't fight me on this and do as you're told for once!"

Now CJ really started getting angry, though she suspected that this was Archer's intention. He was probably trying to push her buttons and make it easier for her to leave him, but she wasn't going to fall for it.

"I am staying with you! Deal with it!" CJ resolutely told him.

Archer seemed moved, almost to the point of tears, and he kept on staring straight at CJ with those incredible blue eyes of his.

"This is truly moving… But I'm on a tight schedule here, sword guy…" Solomon lazily commented, appearing both amused and annoyed at CJ and Archer's constant bickering. "Last chance… One on one, or I'll have my army cut you all to bits…"

This comment made Archer's stare harden, and he momentarily glared at Solomon before turning to CJ again. "Just think, CJ… I can help so many people escape by doing this… It's what's right…"

"I don't care." CJ reiterated. "I'm not leaving you! And stop trying to change my mind, because you won't…"

Archer opened his mouth, as if he wanted to reprimand her again, but soon closed it. He then raised his hand, and CJ flinched for a second, but was only reaching out to softly stroke her cheek before his hand eventually rested on the back of her head. He stared at her intently, and CJ confidently stared back. That instant seemed to last a life time, and CJ felt as though the two of them were completely in tune at that moment. Still, CJ was somewhat unprepared when Archer leaned in and kissed her full on the lips in view of everyone around them. She again flinched, but did soon give in and kissed him back. She heard Solomon sneer mockingly, and Jay shuffled uncomfortably on his feet behind her.

It was Archer who retracted first, though his face was still only inches from CJ's. He had tears in his eyes, and CJ felt the hand on the back of her head tremble a little. "I love you." Archer said, his breath stocking slightly.

CJ's heart made a weird jump in her chest, like it had a life of its own. One part of her wanted slap Archer, and the other wanted to simply kiss him again. However, this admission from Archer had left her totally flabbergasted, so at the moment she could only feel a blush appearing on her entire face. Was this what true love felt like?

"I love you…" Archer repeated, his hand stroking the back of her head. "So… So much…" He added, as a tear rolled down his cheek. "And I'm so sorry for this…"

This made CJ regain focus, and she simply stared at Archer a little dumb-founded for a second. Then she felt a sudden, stinging pain in the back of her leg, which hurt enough to make her fall to one knee. Archer didn't catch her. No, he had stepped away from her and was walking towards Solomon.

CJ was totally bewildered and looked at her leg, where a shallow, but painful cut was visible just below the back of her knee. She knew what had happened. Archer had secretly cut her with Excalibur, not to seriously wound her, but to make sure that she wouldn't follow him!

"Jay, take her with you." Archer said, his voice hollow.

CJ immediately felt Jay's strong hands below her arm pits, and started struggling wildly.

"No! No! You fucking asshole! Archer! No! Don't! Let me go! Let me go!" She shrieked, struggling with her arms and kicking her legs in defiance. The shallow wound inflicted by Archer had enough effect, and CJ knew that she wouldn't be able to stand on that leg or properly struggle. Jay was strong enough to carry her away relatively easily, and he even tried to be as gentle as possible while dragging her kicking and screaming.

Archer looked back one more time, and CJ saw regret and despair in his eyes. She momentarily stopped her struggling, right as Jay carried her into the submerged trench, and simply looked back at Archer. She tried to make sure that he knew how betrayed she felt with that look, but also hoped that she was able to convey how much she wanted to see him again.

It was probably the most hopeless she had ever felt. Not just because she was dragged off like a sack of potatoes, but also because she was totally unable to help the person she cared about most in the world. All these thoughts flew through CJ's head while Jay pulled her along through the water, still holding her tight so that she wouldn't escape his grasp.

"Wow…" She was just about able to hear Solomon say. "Truly moving stuff… Almost brought me to tears…"

"Let's get this over with." Archer replied, raising Excalibur and pointing it towards Solomon.

"Oh, but you simply must let me savor this moment…" Solomon teased. "All of this took a lot of hard work, you know?"

"Is this all a game to you?" Archer retorted.

"It doesn't need to be a game for me to have some fun…" Solomon smirked. "I am happy you managed to get rid of CJ… After I'm done with you, she's next on the list… After Mal of course…"

"You will not touch her again!" Archer grunted, taking a step in Solomon's direction.

"You won't be there to stop me…" Solomon threatened, also approaching Archer and twirling the daggers in his hands.

From that point on, CJ could no longer distinguish what either Archer or Solomon was saying. Jay reached the other end of the trench, and gently helped CJ up on her feet before slinging one of her arms over his neck and helping her walk further back. CJ felt numb, and didn't even bother to resist. The exhaustion following the battle definitely played a part, but it was the emotional turmoil that mostly took its toll. She tried to keep looking back as much as possible, hoping to keep Archer in her sights. Jay was resolute however, and kept his gaze straight forward and up as he basically dragged CJ along.

"Jay? What's going on? What happened to CJ? What's Archer doing?" Lancelot had approached the two and started asking questions.

Around her, CJ could see only about a few dozen soldiers, who were all looking intently at the frontline and Archer's duel. Large parts of what used to be the Auradon frontline were covered with dirt and soot, and there were still some small fires burning about every few feet. Most of the trebuchets and catapults were either scorched or smashed to pieces, and the few that had managed to escape the battle unscathed had now been abandoned by the troops. The ground below CJ's feet was muddy, trampled and covered in small bits and pieces that she couldn't make out.

"Archer stayed behind…" Jay panted, still with CJ's arm slung across his shoulder. "Solomon challenged him to a duel… Archer is buying us time… We need to evacuate everyone!"

Lancelot looked shocked, and his wide eyes kept shifting from Jay to Archer. "T-that… No… No, we can't do that…" He muttered, making CJ feel a little hopeful again.

"He told us to leave!" Jay insisted. "H-he told us that… He told us that he thought he could win… A-and worst case scenario that he would buy us some time… He told us to run and leave him…"

"T-that's crazy… He wouldn't… Right?" Lancelot's voice trembled as he stepped past Jay and CJ to spectate Archer's situation more closely.

"He was dead serious." Jay countered, still keeping CJ slung across his shoulders. "Now… I know it's not the easiest decision… But… But we need to get out… We have all these wounded, and every second could count. Solomon is preoccupied, and he will not focus on people trying to leave."

Lancelot looked crestfallen, looking back and forth between Jay and the frontline. He swallowed heavily, and spoke again. "Y-you're right… Archer knows the risks… If this is his order, then I will follow it…" He concluded before stepping towards some of the remaining officers. "Evacuate everyone that's still present. Make room for the wounded to leave in our fastest vehicles. Every able-bodied soldier will make for the edge of the city and await further transport. We cannot know how long we'll have, so everything must be done urgently!"

The officers all saluted Lancelot before going about their duties. CJ saw how other soldiers that had been listening in hastily ran off, away from the frontline.

"CJ, you're wounded. We need to get you to a vehicle…" Lancelot told her in a soft tone. Despite all the chaos around them, CJ noticed that he wouldn't look her in the eyes.

"We can't leave him…" CJ pleaded, tears freely rolling down her cheeks. "Please…"

Lancelot again swallowed heavily, but remained steadfast. "Jay, please bring her up to the nearest gathering spot. We'll see from there. I have to overlook the evacuation."

Jay just nodded before pulling CJ along again. She felt like a ghost, the way her body wasn't responding at all. The numbness had still not left, and her throat felt parched. After less than a minute, Jay somewhat rudely deposited her on the ground next to a few other lightly wounded soldiers. He didn't look at her, and hastily scurried off to help somewhere else.

CJ tried to stand back up, but her wounded leg immediately gave out. She wasn't going anywhere. She cursed Archer for being such a selfish prick, but immediately got back to worrying about him when she looked ahead, beyond the trench. She was seated on an elevated position, and could easily see Archer's duel. He and Solomon were circling each other, but CJ had no way of seeing anything too detailed and could also not hear what the two were shouting at each other.

As she watched, she saw the two occasionally step in and clash, though they would always quickly break away from one another as well. They were still testing the waters. CJ waited with bated breath for the fighting to really commence, and her heart was pounding uncontrollably. She knew both Archer's and Solomon's fighting styles pretty well. While Solomon naturally held the advantage on the magic front, she hoped that Archer would be able to counter that with his fighting expertise and Excalibur's qualities.

There was the added factor that Archer was probably quite exhausted after the long and tiring battle, in which he had also been able to defeat Uma. Solomon, on the other hand, had stayed on the sidelines the entire time, and CJ knew that he drew additional strength from the black cauldron. The way things stood, Solomon had certain advantages that might just give him the edge in the fight. These were all CJ's thoughts, and there was no one around her to dispute them, so all she did was increase her own panic.

Further down, the fight started to get more heated. CJ saw Archer trying to take the initiative, moving in with some fast and strong strikes that left Solomon on the defense. The latter's daggers had once belonged to Shan Yu, and were obviously an improvement on most regular daggers, but they were thoroughly outmatched by Excalibur. Still, Solomon managed to dodge and block Archer's strikes relatively easily, though he did not yet pose any sort of a threat in return.

The undead army was unmoving and simply remained at the sidelines, watching intently through their hollowed out eyes.

CJ, despite herself, started crawling down, her wounded leg dragging behind her. It didn't matter that she couldn't walk. What mattered was getting down and supporting Archer.

"CJ! Don't!" A voice called out before she felt yet another pair of hands on her shoulders.

"Let me go!" CJ grunted, trying to shake this new person off.

"You can't help… You're wounded…" The person insisted, pulling CJ back by grabbing her under her arm pits.

CJ was still a little too shaken and numb to sufficiently protest, and couldn't properly fight back with her wounded leg anyway. She was deposited on the exact same spot as before, and CJ was finally able to see who had dragged her back this time. It was Evie. She looked pale and sad, and her cheeks were still wet from many tears.

"We have to wait here… Someone will pick us up…" Evie told CJ with a hollow voice.

CJ was wondering why Evie was acting the way she was, since she had never seen her this somber, but couldn't find it in herself to focus on anything other than Archer at the moment.

"Why did he have to stay behind?" Evie asked, though CJ didn't know if the question was directed at her. "Why did any of this happen?"

CJ still refrained from answering, and simply kept staring at the duel. Both parties were now taking turns attacking and defending. Solomon kept trying to sneak in close to Archer and take advantage of his daggers' shorter range capabilities. Archer, in turn, tried his best to keep Solomon back, and used both his own and Excalibur's strength to stay in the fight. It was thrilling to behold, with both fighters moving extremely fast and using every trick in their respective roster. Beside her, Evie and the other wounded soldiers were equally transfixed by the duel. CJ herself could only breathe slow and loudly, while the others kept making frightened or enthusiastic noises. Evie in particular couldn't go ten seconds without yelping from stress, and she had her hands permanently clasped in front of her mouth.

A gasp erupted from everyone's mouth when Archer suddenly landed a hit, and even CJ sat up a little straighter. Archer had lured Solomon in close, dodged a thrust from one of his daggers, and had struck with Excalibur's hilt, hitting Solomon square on the nose. Even from this distance, CJ could see Solomon stumble back a little, with blood pouring from his nose. Archer tried to press his advantage by moving in, but Solomon still managed to block his advances.

The fight moved back to a stalemate, but still neither Archer or Solomon gave an inch. Solomon eventually managed to graze Archer's shoulder with one of his daggers, but the wound did not appear to be that serious. Subsequently, Archer managed to land a strong kick to Solomon's side that made the latter stagger and nearly lose his balance.

Behind her, CJ could hear how some of the wounded soldiers were being transported, but she remained seated where she was. Someone asked Evie if she wanted to leave, to which Evie replied that she would stay with CJ. She didn't know why, but CJ felt strangely grateful that Evie decided to stay.

Everyone suddenly gasped, and CJ's eyes widened with fear. Archer had managed to push Solomon back again, and had raised Excalibur above his head to deliver a strong strike. However, Solomon had raised one hand and unleashed some sort of spell that conjured up a gust of black smoke that hit Archer and threw him back. CJ saw him make a rough landing on his back, with the smack being audible even from this distance, after which he stayed down for a few seconds.

"Archer!" CJ screamed, trying to get to her feet again.

"Don't!" Evie snapped, pushing CJ back down. Her eyes were wide too, and her lip trembled.

Before Solomon could take advantage, Archer had already regained his footing. The two stood on opposite sides of the circle for a few seconds, before they jumped at each other again. saw how Archer's eyes started glowing a bright blue before he delivered one of his signature air blasts. Solomon caught the brunt of it, but managed to remain standing. He then fired another one of his smoke attacks, but Archer managed to block it with Excalibur this time.

With magic not aiding either one's position, they resorted to a more classic sword fight again. The blow from Solomon's magic had obviously hurt Archer somewhat, as CJ saw him occasionally step back and press a hand to his side. Solomon was also not unscathed, as he continuously had to wipe the blood that was still pouring out of his nose from his face. Both fighters had to be feeling at least a semblance of exhaustion, but still there was no sign of either one giving up.

"We, ehm… We are almost completely evacuated…" A voice spoke up from behind CJ. It was Lancelot, who looked down at the fight with eyes wide as saucers.

"Can we not help him?" Evie asked, her voice a little squeaky.

"I, ehm… I don't know… Maybe… B-but he might… Solomon might send his army after us… Or Archer… I mean… He's alone down there…" Lancelot mumbled, his words sounding empty and hollow.

CJ didn't have to look up at either Lancelot or Evie to know how downtrodden and demoralized they were probably staring down at the fight. She too felt this way. She felt as though she was watching the fight via television, and could only yell encouragements and cringe in despair without offering any real help. From her elevated position, she kept playing both offensive and defensive moves in her head, hoping that Archer would be able to listen through some weird telepathic connection and take her advice.

The sounds of soldiers getting evacuated kept lessening, as more and more were taken away. Their pained cries and the creaking of the emergency vehicles would normally be enough to keep CJ's focus, but she couldn't care less about them now.

"Come on, Archer… Come on…" Lancelot persistently whispered from behind her, while Evie only rocked back and forth on her feet and covered her face with her hands.

CJ made one last hopeless attempt to crawl down, her wounded leg still dragging behind her like a ball and chain, but again she was swiftly pulled back by her allies, who kept insisting that there was nothing she could do.

Below, the constant grunting and ringing of metal on metal was still all that was audible. Solomon was clinging extremely close to Archer, taking advantage of Excalibur's longer range to make it harder for Archer to offensively move against him. Archer kept getting pushed back now, no longer able to deal any sufficient damage as Solomon closed in on him and lashed out with his daggers. It was only because of his conditioning and reflexes that Archer was able to keep fighting, but CJ noticed even from this distance that his movements slowly became more erratic, indicating that he was getting tired.

Everyone around CJ again gasped when Solomon's tactics finally paid off, and he was able to kick one of Archer's legs out from under him before slicing at his upper arm and landing a substantial hit. Archer cried out in pain before ducking and rolling to create some space between him and his adversary. Solomon stayed back for a few seconds, looking arrogant and satisfied while his adversary slowly got back up. Archer's arm was bleeding, but the damage appeared to not be too bad. In any case, Archer soon threw himself back into the fight with renewed vigor, going on the offensive with some heavy slashes from Excalibur.

CJ didn't really feel like herself anymore. It was like she was some spirit that was looking through her own eyes without truly inhabiting her body. She felt her entire body shake whenever she heard the clash of metal on metal, and her hands were trembling so much that she preferred to grab onto the grass below her and simply hold on tight. It was probably a combination of her fatigue after the battle and the tension of seeing Archer fight that made her feel the way she did.

Both Archer and Solomon again tried one of their magical attacks, but both were blocked. The cut in Archer's arm was bleeding quite heavily, and it obstructed his maneuverability, but he was naturally not giving up. At one point he clinched to Solomon, who had to put in a lot of effort to push him off. Archer took advantage by swinging Excalibur just as he was being pushed off, and catching Solomon off guard with a slash to his side. Solomon stumbled back a few paces, clutching his side and grimacing in pain. Archer didn't let up and immediately pressed the attack, but got somewhat reckless and soon found himself kicked in the chest and pushed back.

The back and forth was sickeningly tense to the people watching, CJ most of all. Her heart was beating a thousand times a minute, threatening to jump out of her chest every time Solomon managed to land a hit. Still, CJ was quiet as a mouse, with not a single sound other than some gasps or ragged breaths escaping her mouth. Evie kept on mumbling continuously, though she was mostly repeating the word 'no'. Lancelot occasionally sputtered some undecipherable nonsense, and CJ could even hear it when he was rubbing his hands or grinding his teeth.

Every once in a while, when Solomon would create some distance to recuperate, CJ saw Archer look back and up at her position. He probably wanted to check if most of the troops had already been evacuated, but still made no attempt to get back. CJ could even swear that their eyes would meet during these moments, even though she wasn't even sure if he could distinguish her from this distance.

In any case, Archer did start taking more risks in the fight. He kept lunging at Solomon and started executing heavy swings with Excalibur over more technical maneuvers. This did keep Solomon at bay for a little while, but CJ knew that there was no way that Archer to keep this up for long.

"What is he doing?" Evie whispered. "He doesn't fight like that…"

"He has seen that most of our troops have left." Lancelot answered with a hollow voice. "And he doesn't care if he wins anymore…"

This felt like a stab to CJ's heart. Even after Archer told her that he knew the risks of taking on Solomon one-on-one, she kept on believing he would do his absolute best to get back to her. Aside from the tension and stress, she now felt betrayed.

"He knows he can't win." Lancelot went on. "Even if he beats Solomon… There's the army… and the other villains… He's lost…"

CJ really wanted to try and get down again, but something held her back. In the back of her mind, she realized that Evie and Lancelot would simply stop her again. She also came to the extremely unpleasant realization that she wouldn't be able to do anything helpful anyway. Archer had accepted his fate, and had even cut CJ's leg to prevent her from following him down that same road.

Archer kept on swinging, his grunts audible all the way from CJ's position, and Solomon sufficed with quick blocks and dodges to stay in the fight. He was patient, and that patience was eventually rewarded when Archer lunged again but slipped on the muddy ground. Solomon pounced, and one of his daggers left a deep gash in Archer's upper leg that made him scream in pain.

CJ's eyes widened even more, and the people behind her all gasped and squealed in horror as Archer stumbled back, his wounded leg shaking and bleeding heavily. Solomon didn't offer him a second of respite, and immediately jumped in with his blades swinging. Archer was now definitely on the losing hand, with deep cuts in his arm and leg, and the exhaustion from the battle now definitely coming into play. Solomon's nose was also still pouring blood, but he was apparently able to ignore the pain in favor of fighting spirit.

Archer was on the defensive, and CJ saw how he had to drag his wounded leg behind him whenever he had to move or turn. Solomon tried to take advantage, constantly circling Archer like a predator stalking its prey. He must have gotten cocky, because he tried a relatively simple leg swiping maneuver that Archer actually managed to block. Even with his wounds, Archer was fast enough to lock up to Solomon and raise Excalibur above his head. Solomon immediately raised his own daggers to block an incoming blow, but Archer instead hit him with a magical blast from Excalibur that Solomon was definitely not prepared for. The latter went flying through the air several feet before landing roughly on the muddy ground, where he stayed down for a few seconds without moving.

Everyone around CJ cheered and shouted encouragements to Archer, but she still wasn't able to make a sound. Archer himself did not make an effort to capitalize on his hit, as he instead fell to one knee in apparent pain. Solomon slowly got on all fours and then back to his feet. CJ couldn't discern his expression from this distance, but she did notice that he was clutching his side and moving very carefully. If she had to, CJ would guess that that last blow from Excalibur either heavily bruised or even broke some of Solomon's ribs.

Archer wasn't in a better state though. His wounded arm and leg were both trembling, and his clothes were covered in his own blood. It took him even longer than Solomon to get to his feet, and he could no longer fully raise Excalibur. When the two exhausted warriors did finally approach each other again, they did so very slowly and carefully. Solomon tried another one of his smoke attacks, but Archer only had to slightly raise Excalibur to block the attack. Archer then pushed forward as fast as he could and lashed out with his blade, but Solomon had enough strength to block it. This again went on for a few minutes, with neither combatant really gaining an advantage. Archer's bleeding leg dragged behind him, and he occasionally had to lower his wounded arm, which had grown stiff. Solomon, in return, had to continuously hold one arm down to protect his battered torso while lashing out with his other hand. Solomon did have the advantage that he could move around rather freely on two unhurt legs.

Archer's face kept getting paler and paler, and CJ similarly felt the blood slowly leave her face as she kept looking on. Solomon's new tactic consisted of getting in close to Archer, who no longer possessed the energy or maneuverability to resist him, and lash out with quick and well-aimed cuts. All Archer could do was try to retreat and keep Solomon at bay with Excalibur, but Solomon kept his cool and sufficed in pushing his adversary back. Archer appeared to be on his last legs.

"We have to go…" Lancelot hissed from behind CJ. "He's not gonna hold out for much longer…"

"We need to help him…" Evie stated, her voice almost a pleading whisper.

"There's nothing we can do!" Lancelot practically snapped, and CJ then felt a hand on her shoulder. "There's nothing you can do. Archer would have wanted you to get to safety."

"He's still alive…" CJ mumbled. The first words she had said in about fifteen minutes hurt her throat.

"Still…" Lancelot murmured. "His sacrifice must mean something… We need to leave!"

But CJ could not tear her eyes away from the fight that was still going on, even though its end seemed near. Solomon was now continuously shouting what were undoubtedly insults at Archer, but CJ could still not make out any specific words.

"CJ, please…" Evie added, also starting to pull on her shoulder, but CJ didn't move an inch.

She watched as Solomon came in stronger, momentarily ignoring his painful ribs to deliver some harsh strikes with his daggers that drove Archer back and made him slip in the mud. Two times Archer fell, and both times it took much longer than normal for him to get back up. Archer appeared to have just enough energy to keep Solomon back both times and to scramble back upright, but he started swaying a little as he got back up, and Excalibur trembled in his hands.

Solomon, who also occasionally slipped in the mud and who kept on bending over slightly to alleviate the pain in his torso, did allow Archer these brief moments of respite, but CJ knew that chivalry was not among Solomon's character traits. When Archer did finally approach Solomon again, it was almost agonizingly slow and with some very heavy steps. Archer appeared to put the last of his strength into these hits, which Solomon blocked relatively easily before sidestepping his opponent. To CJ's horror, Solomon managed to move past Archer's weakened defenses, get behind him and slash at his opponent's exposed back, cutting it open nearly from top to bottom. Archer finally crashed to the ground with a dull smack, and his scream of pain broke CJ's heart.

"No!" Both Evie and Lancelot repeated when CJ tried yet again to drag herself down to Archer, pulling her back and grabbing a tight hold of her shoulders. Every part of CJ's body was trembling, and tears were streaming freely out of her widened eyes. Still, after all this, she was unable to produce any meaningful sound.

Archer, meanwhile, got to his knees while feverishly clutching the hilt of Excalibur. The blade sank down in the mud a little as he tried to pull himself to his feet despite all his injuries. His armor and clothes were soaked with blood, and CJ could see him trembling and convulsing. Solomon was speaking again, but CJ could still not make out a single word. From his body language, she could only guess that he was either bragging, or simply teasing his almost beaten adversary. Archer then spoke up a little, and CJ could swear that she heard the words 'lose' and 'never' from up on her position.

Solomon wasn't impressed, and he approached Archer again with his daggers twirling in his hands. Archer very slowly moved towards Solomon as well, but could only weakly swing Excalibur with one arm when time came to pass. Solomon blocked the strike with one dagger before bringing in the other and twisting his blades in a way that forced Archer to let go of his weapon.

There were cries of despair all around CJ when Excalibur fell, with the sword sinking into the mud but still remaining upright. The fight was over, but Solomon still wasn't satisfied. He twisted Archer's remaining good arm behind him, earning yet another pained yell from his downed foe as he was forced to kneel. Before anyone could react, Solomon then forced one of his daggers clean through Archer's shoulder blade, causing more blood to spurt from the new wound and drench the breastplate with the emblem of Camelot.

"Noooo!" CJ shrieked in complete hysteria when Archer completely sagged within Solomon's grasp, both his arms dropping down helplessly next to his kneeling body. Lancelot and Evie had had enough, and started pulling her back as soon as they realized it was all over. CJ's struggling and crying didn't help her one bit, and her wounded leg still didn't move the way she wanted it to. As she was dragged away, she tried her best to keep looking at Archer for as long as possible. Solomon's grin was apparent all the way from her position as he grabbed Archer by his hair and forced his head up to look at him.

For one moment, CJ could see Archer's blue eyes in the distance, and she could swear that they were looking directly at her. But then, at the precise moment CJ felt her heart break, Solomon raised his dagger again before delivering one last showmanship-like slash. More blood splattered on the already muddy terrain of the battlefield, and Archer's motionless body fell to the ground. At that same moment, the shining blade of Excalibur vanished into thin air, leaving only a whisp of smoke. The blade knew what CJ slowly realized, that Archer was gone.