The Goblin's Crown

Chapter Nineteen: Pain is My Teacher

Llinos paced The Hollow's arena floor, his large dark eyes darting back and forth among the three of us. "This is how our lessons will work, My Queen. I will attack you and you must stop me. If I hit you even once with my sword, you lose." He unsheathed his sword once again, but the blade sparked as it exited the sheath, transforming from golden needle to a plain, blunted piece of wood. Little more than a tree branch. "And trust me, you do not want to lose." He swung his now wooden sword towards Ib, pointing it towards his chest. "You, Changeling, will help me demonstrate."

Ib blinked at him, sniffling. "Me?"

"Did you really think your tutor services was going to be enough to get you back in my good graces, Ib?" Knut scoffed. He looped his free arm around Ib's neck. "Play the practice dummy. Let me beat you bloody. Then we'll be square." Knut pushed him forward. The man nearly tumbled face first into the dirt.

"You?" Ib stared at Knut with big puppy eyes.

Knut peeled off his jacket and tossed it into the dirt as Llinos handed him the wooden sword. "Me." He took a few practice swings, getting used to the weight of it. "Let me make something perfectly clear to you. I understand that you can't lie to Mab. I understand that you are still her slave in every conceivable way. I am not doing this to punish you. However, nearly having to watch Matilda be drawn and quartered...her flesh peeled from her bones..." His pleasant voice turned into the growling of a dog. "It has caused me an unholy amount of distress. So, brother, you will help me protect her from Mab by helping me teach her how to protect herself. With words and with skill." Knut shifted into his fighting stance, a posture halfway between a fencer's and a beast accustomed to crawling on all fours'. Without giving Ib even a moment to ready himself, he lunged forward, swinging the blade down on Ib's shoulder hard. There was a popping sound followed by Ib's pain filled scream.

Ib fell to his knees, gripping an arm no longer fully attached. He ground his teeth against the pain and tears flowed down his face.

"Now, I know you're faster than that." Knut snickered, circling around him. "Hurry and pop it back in. I haven't got all day." He teased.

Ib un-tucked his shirt and pulled the bottom up to his mouth to give himself something to bite on. With his shirt wedged between his teeth, a quick violent jerk and a muffled scream of agony, he popped his arm back into place. Then promptly spilled his guts onto the arena floor. "I hope you're not this rough with Matilda." Ib laughed weakly, wiping spittle from his mouth with the bottom of his shirt. He winced as he rolled his newly put-back-together arm, shooting me a playful grin, "Though I'm sure she likes that sort of thing."

"Knut, break something this time, would you?" I shouted, though he wasn't wrong.

"As you wish, My Queen." Knut cackled, leaping forward with the wooden sword. This time Ib was ready for him. He catapulted himself backward, bouncing off his hands and back onto his feet.

"You see, My Queen, Ib is like you," Llinos muttered beside me, his voice low with words meant only for my ears. Ib ducked out of the path of Knut's swinging sword. The wooden blade passed so close to his head the wind off of it rustled his hair. "His human body has been magically strengthened. He's been gifted long lasting life and beauty, but also a fae's agility and speed. He even has a little bit of magic so he may travel at will between all the kingdoms." Knut grabbed Ib by the back of his shirt's collar and Ib leaped up, spinning in the air just so that his body slipped out of his shirt, and he landed bare-chested behind Knut. "Through decades of practice, he's grown accustomed to these gifts, learned to use them to his advantage." As Knut brought his sword down at Ib's head, he caught it in one hand and wrenched it from his hand. He tossed it away like a toy, a smug smile on his lips.