Guardian of Narnia

Chapter 17

"Keep a firmer grip on your sword," Alex instructed. "But don't hold it too tightly. You want it to be able to flow while you use it."

Alex walked around, fixing a few grips of the Narnians. When they were all set, she showed them a few basic fighting techniques. The Narnians copied her movements, some slowly, others moving faster. Alex went through the group, offering tips and helping to improve skills. After almost an hour, she smiled.

"Now that you all have some skill," she said, "how would you like to put it to the test?"

The creatures looked amongst themselves as Alex pulled out one of her swords. Trumpkin stepped forward.

"I'll have a go," he said.

"Are you sure?" He nodded and held his sword ready. "I'll let you have first move."

The Narnians formed a circle around the two. Alex and Trumpkin stared at one another for several moments before either moved. Trumpkin rushed forward and swung his sword at Alex. She stepped to the side, letting his blade slice through air. Trumpkin tried to get another swing, but Alex blocked it with her own sword. Trumpkin swung his sword at her over and over again, trying to land a blow, only to have every attack blocked. Neither of them lost or gained ground in the fight.

Alex finally took a swing of her own. Trumpkin barely managed to dodge it. He stared at his friend for a moment before running at her. He tried swinging at her legs but Alex simply jumped back. He took a swing at her stomach. Alex bent back and used her foot to knock out Trumpkin's legs. The dwarf stumbled slightly, giving Alex an advantage.

Moving quickly, she disarmed the dwarf and had her sword pointed at his throat. Trumpkin froze in place, knowing he had lost. The Narnians cheered for Alex.

"Well done, Trumpkin," she said. "You do well on your defense, but I might suggest you work a little on your offense." She smiled at him, making him smile back a little in response. Alex looked at the Narnians around her. "Who's next?"

~

Caspian walked out of the How alongside the Kings and Queens.

"What's going on?" Lucy asked.

They all looked to their left and saw a large circle of Narnians.

"Let's go have a look," Edmund suggested.

The four walked towards the circle. A few Narnians saw them coming and made a small path for them so they could see. When they reached the middle of the circle, they stared. Alex was fighting Glenstorm. Alex had only one of her blades out, the other still on her back, while Glenstorm had out his large sword. The centaur swung his sword at her, the force of his swing causing her to take a few steps back. Alex looked up at her opponent.

She suddenly ran forward, swinging her blade at Glenstorm's front legs. He reared up, deflecting her swing. The two locked blades when Glenstorm's hooves landed back on the ground. They stared at one another for a moment before Alex pushed her sword to the side. Glenstorm was surprised by her action and lost the grip on his blade. The sword fell from his hands and clattered to the ground. Alex was quick to pick it up and spin around to point them both at the centaur. They held eye contact for another moment before he slowly raised his hands.

The Narnians cheered for the elf as she handed Glenstorm's sword back to him. He nodded to her and stepped out of the ring.

"Anyone else?" Alex questioned.

"We'll have a go."

Caspian looked to his side. Peter and Edmund had smiles on their faces as they stepped forward, pulling out their blades. Alex chuckled.