A Court of Legends and Myths

Chapter 43 - The Fight

Aelin's POV

They circled each other. She waited for him to make the first move. Sure enough he got impatient and attacked first. He ran at her and raised his sword, she parried. He moved to attack her side, she blocked his attack. Parry. Block. Parry. She stayed on the defensive for another three moves. Then she attacked. Beron had a tendency to leave his left side open, so she attacked there first. He parried her attack. She tested his skill a bit more, drawing this fight out. She sped up her pace, Beron held his own for a bit but then he stumbled. She attacked his left side and managed pretty deep gash on his upper arm, he hissed at the pain. First blood. She got a hit on his sword arm making him drop his sword.

He came at her with his fire, throwing blast after blast. She sheathed her sword and created her fire shield. Just like Rowan taught her all those years ago. She deflected his fire balls easily. He was beginning to sweat. She walked towards him calmly, deflecting his blast as she went, his magic was getting sloppier. The arm she had previously injured had healed completely by this point. He created a sword of fire and ran at her. She unsheathed both her swords, she activated Goldryn's imbued fire magic and parried Beron's attack. Her swords were crossed and his stuck between her two. He reached out with his left hand engulfed in flame and grabbed her right wrist. Thanks to her shield his fire did not burn but as he grabbed her wrist and forcefully turned it she dropped Goldryn. Her strength in her left arm faltered a bit and she broke off the contact between their two blades. Beron kicked Goldryn away and grinned. He believed her to be weaker with her left arm, and believed her right one was injured. She played off of his ignorance.

He attacked her and she faked a stumble. She pretended to be clumsier now that she was fighting with her left hand. She let him move her around the fighting ring, she let him tire himself out. She let him dig his own grave. She was going to show this bastard what she and women and females could do. He attacked again and she parried easily. She went off the defensive. She raised her sword and brought it down on him, he barely blocked it. He was tired now and he was getting sloppy. She kept up her relentless pace, forcing him back. He tripped over his feet and fell to the ground. She was upon him a moment later, knife at his neck. She had pinned him to the ground, there was nowhere for him to go now.

"Stand-down," Aelin told Beron. He stayed silent and she pushed the blade a little into his neck.

A moment passed. Then two. Then three. Finally he relented, he tapped his hand on the ground thrice and surrendered.

She got off him and headed towards her family. At least two of them were grinning like mad men. The other two smiled at her. She high fived Borte who was buzzing with elation. She lived in this moment of joy and pride for a moment before she was assaulted with the cheers and whoops of various Valkyries around her. The females began to quiet and calm and move away as Nesta, Mor, and Feyre came their way. All three of them were glowing with pride, Mor came to her and wrapped an arm around her shoulder "I knew you'd beat that ass to the heavens and back, and boy did you make a show of it!" Mor exclaimed brightly. Aelin couldn't help but smile, the fight wasn't a challenge or that long but she hadn't felt this way in years. Moments like these made her miss the days as an assassin, running atop the roofs of Rifthold with Sam, or across sand dunes on horseback with Ansel, or her sparring sessions with Nehemia. It was easier back then, when so many feared her, when she didn't have so many people relying on her. When she didn't have the heavy burden of a crown. When she could do anything and no one would care.

"It was nothing, really. He's an old cocky bastard whose all bark and no bite." Aelin said to Mor feigning humility.

"He's a powerful cocky bastard that still holds sway and respect in many circles, I don't think you understand what you just did. You just destroyed his archaic and sexist view and opinion on females' strength compared to that of males'. You kinda accomplished what we've been trying to do for so long." Feyre replied.