Snow White

Chapter 36

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'I knew you wouldn't keep me waiting, Snow White.' Margarita sneered, her voice cackling at the notion of a new challenger. Her heart raced as her hands twirled, slashed and twisted through the air in terror and elation.

Margarita's smile faltered and became a hideous snarl.

Snow glared at her, repulsed by her nerve, by her arrogance, by her egotistical smile.

Margarita cackled the same exhilarated laugh she had always produced when she was thick in the fighting. Snow knew her opportunity was now or never. This wasn't just a fight. It was a fight to the death. Murder or be murdered. Kill or be killed.

Snow was reminded of how angering the Queen caused violence, but it was a little too late for that now. Ever since she was born and became the fairest of them all, the Queen was destined to hate her.

Sliding the weapon from the long, heavy metal scabbard, Snow gripped the hilt in a state of terror, this scenario was what Snow had been dreading all along. Margarita smirked, knowing that she had been practicing for years, whereas Snow had only held wooden swords when practicing.

During the first blows, Snow concentrated on her defence and let her muscles settle to the rhythm of swordplay. Her hands were tiring from the constant fighting, especially her broken arm, but Snow had to keep going. She was fighting for my life now, no longer in the Gone's training grounds. She was fighting the woman who'd recently killed her friend, but who sincerely relished in murdering his attacker in an unfair fight.

After several minutes of attempting to bypass Snow's defences, Queen Margarita lost her short temper and began to batter her as if trying to knock her into the ground. Snow could sense the watchful eyes of passer's by, but this was their fight. The Queen had expected a quick defeat and Snow's easy humiliation, so became angered by the prospect of an equal fight. Her simmering anger for Margarita now boiled. Margarita began to fight for her life. Wounds, injury and victory no longer meant anything to her, she was in for the kill.

Her heart pounded in her chest, fearful for what the future might hold. The crowd, who were either engrossed in their own battles or cheering for their own favourite (which was mostly Snow as Queen Margarita's supporters had either fled, switched sides or were dead), now seemed absolutely silent and Snow could barely hear them. The air rang with the tintinnabulation of the singing metal and the hoarse rasps of their breath.

Snow's weapon slipped past her defences and slashed toward Margarita's throat. Margarita dodged, laughing as if she was having a marvellous time.

She praised loudly, 'Very good, Snow White, you seem to have been practicing.'

When Snow slashed backhanded in return, refusing to play his game of mockery, Margarita thrust her blade vertically and caught it before it cut her in half. 'Excellent, excellent.' She mocked.

Snow blinked, as of coming out of a daze, but continued to go for the blood. Margarita laughed and spouted praise, but Snow wasn't listening. Her purpose was to distract her. It didn't work.

With shields covering their left sides and swords drawn, Margarita began to circle her, sizing her up with her eyes. Snow shuddered, but then was bought back to reality when a massive whack was placed on her left shoulder. They both knew what they were fighting for, like Moses fighting to let God's people go, but the fight seemed to require little of the finesse of fencing and only mild strategy. Neither of them were expecting swords to be their only weapon.

Snow was able to catch the blow with her shield, but the impact still gently winded her. She gritted her teeth, failure was not an option. She pounded into him with her own sword, carelessly charging it into the exposed flesh that she could see. But, with no effort at all, Margarita blocked it with her shield, leaving her sword open for an attack.