A Kind Of Bravery: A Mulan Retelling [1st Draft]

10. Harriet and Garreth

Chapter Ten:

Harry and Garreth

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"I accept your challenge," Harriet said, and as soon as the words passed her lips, a sword was thrusted into her hands by one of the onlookers, but no armor came for her or for Garreth. They would be sparring unprotected by metal or defenses of any sort.

Harriet kept her eyes on Garreth as she tried to prepare herself mentally for the challenge she was about to face but she couldn't ignore the sound of murmuring from the crowd and the clinking of coins. She swallowed, her mouth dry as she realized what they were doing. They were making bets.

Harriet's grey eyes met Garreth's dark ones, and Harriet had never felt so small as she did in that moment. His stature was gigantic compared to hers, even his head was two times the size of hers and unfortunately it had nothing to do with his massive ego, though the ego probably didn't help.

Harriet gripped her sword tightly, taking a small degree of comfort in the cool metal under her fingers. She gnawed on her lower lip before beginning to move her feet, being careful not to cross her steps in such a way that would give Garreth an advantage.

Garreth began to follow her lead, moving in a circular motion across from her. Harriet grit her teeth and watched Garreth's every move, waiting for his muscles to twitch, to signal when he would move.

If there was something she had learned from fighting bigger than her for the past nine years, it was that sometimes a small stature could be used to your advantage, and she intended to use her slight figure for all it was worth. She might not be as strong as Garreth, but she knew she could outlast him by avoiding his swings long enough to tire him out.

She was just contemplating her plan when she saw Garreth make his move. The man lunged forward, his sword going for her neck, but she was quick to bring her sword up to meet it, her ears ringing at the sound of the clang of metal.

Her hands gave a twinge of pain at the feeling of the cold, vibrating metal, but she ignored it in favor of bringing her hand down and pushing his sword away from her. The swords scraped against each other but Garreth soon took a step back, watching her in the way that she had been watching him earlier.

They started to circle each other again, and the next time Garreth striked, Harriet was ready. With a leap she jumped away from his wild swing, landing with her feet facing him just to the left of where his sword was, where she had been a moment ago.

Garreth countered by bringing his sword up and sideways, almost hitting Harriet, but she spun out of the way in time to parry his sword with hers, pushing with all of her might against his sword. He quickly brought his sword back, instead trying to aim for her legs, but by the time his blade got there, Harriet had already darted away.

They continued to move, following the motions of the only dance Harriet had ever liked or understood. This dance didn't include silly gowns or hair pieces, but in this dance, missing a step didn't just mean embarrassment.

As Garreth once again lunged at the spot where one of her major arteries would be, Harriet felt a small spot of worry break into her adrenaline filled mind. He wasn't just fighting to win, he was fighting to seriously harm her. However, his face didn't match his actions. He looked oddly calm, but wild-eyed at the same time.

Harriet felt a sudden need to bring her eyes to the cool pair of blue ones that she knew were watching, but she refrained. It would not do her any good to get herself killed when she wasn't looking.

With her attention completely on Garreth, her heart thumped as he missed her by a hair-width with his next swing. Harriet's breathing sped up as she moved faster, but her mind was moving faster than both her body and her breathing.