Crossed Swords: A Tale of Maid Cordelia

Ch 4: They Come at Her from All Sides

Dawn came easily, and Cordelia awoke to the bright day with a surge of new hope: this was the judgment day of her first test, the contest of swords. She dressed in the leather tunic, quiver, and belt that Farrant had made her from the skin of a buck; the nap was soft against her thighs and stomach and she felt secure and yet completely free when she moved within it. She could run swiftly and bend low to the earth in the buckskin, to examine what berries were edible and which tracks were the wolf's and which the fox's, and she wore the skins with pride, because she had caught the stag which gave her its pelt, and her father had fashioned the cloak and tunic made from it. Her father had given her everything she had used in her training: the feathers with which she fletched her arrows, the moccasins of beaver skin she wore on her feet, the pear-shaped stones she used in throwing long distances, to practice her aim. In the moccasins her feet felt light and she strode as if on air, protected from thorns and brambles.

Pierce and Fira rose early as well; Pierce was now old enough that she, and not Farrant, fixed the terras. The three sipped together quietly by the dim warmth of the hearth-fire that Fira had lit, for by now she too considered herself almost fully-grown and very capable at stirring the red-hot coals with a long reed taper. They both marvelled as they watched Cordelia dress; they saw her gird her weapons – sword, knife and stony wedge-shaped arrowheads – around her waist; and when she was finished, they waited next to one another for Cordelia to bid them each farewell.

To Fira she gave a warm embrace, and said, "Be well, my littlest one, for you are growing the fastest of all of us, and soon will occupy a special place in our father's heart. And you, Pierce" -- she kissed her tenderly and held her hands in hers – "you must guard the house and help Father plow the corn and plant the seed. With every task, you will find yourself closer to the womanhood you seek." She grasped her close and held her tightly against her breast for just a moment; then, with smiles mixed with tears, she left the hut her father had built, and entered the dark forest. She crept low along the edging of brush and shrub, and to Pierce and Fira she seemed like a lioness stalking its first prey.

Farrant had forged Cordelia a sword and a lance of iron, copper, and tin, in strict adherence to Dame Lady Lass' instructions; Cordelia fingered each of them now. The length of the sword could not exceed one cubit, that is, the distance of her outstretched arm, and its weight could not be less than one-half the weight of the one who wielded it. Cordelia had surprised herself with the strength and ease with which she carried the heavy sword on a cincture round her middle; and the rigid but thin wisp of the lance, which could penetrate armor but was light enough to toss with precise aim, she slung over her left shoulder as she walked. Morning had broken and the early sunlight glittered on the dew; Cordelia's footsteps, certain of the path they took, had led her to the water's edge. She crouched and whistled low; from behind her she heard a whinny, and as she turned, Vechya appeared.

She mounted him with ease now. He bowed his head and snorted, and she patted his thick mane. Over the weeks they had been together, Vechya had often borne Cordelia high into the thick mists of Snow's White Breath, and it was into those chill clouds that he would bear her now. She called his name gently. "Vechya," she said, "bear me upwards and ride to the cold mountain. Today is the first of our Judgment Days." Together they rose until below them the waters of the lake seemed like a grassy plain, and before a moment's time, Cordelia, with her sword bared, stood alone in a vast empty field.

Cordelia heard a voice. It seemed to surround her, but she could not see its source, for a dim grey cloud had now obscured much of the morning sun. "Where are you?" she said. "I cannot see. Tell me who you are." To herself she thought, Where is Vechya? Why would he leave me here on the other side of Snow's White Breath, alone, when he knows this is the time of my Judgment? And where is Dame Lady Lass, my teacher and my mother? Why of all days has she chosen this one to abandon me to any stranger, alone in this open field? Then her thoughts changed, and she gained possession of herself. I must not let fear take charge of me, I must become one force with my fear, for if I do not, that defeat will only be the first of many. Inside herself she heard the words of Dame Lady Lass: Master your fear and you will master yourself. She turned in a circle and saw no one around her, but the voice became louder and she could hear it echoing from the icy trees.