Of Magic And Men
Chapter Four

Peter needed time to process what was going on around him, this was a huge shock to his system. Without realizing it, he started to pace back and forth in front of Merlin’s hut.

“Okay, think rationally about this.” He murmured to himself. Why couldn’t this be real, his feet treading on solid ground, his lungs breathing clean air, and most importantly someone needed his help. He had never been one to turn someone away who needed him. Breathing a deep breath, as was seeming to happen more frequently, he calmed his nerves. He decided to listen to what Merlin had to say, at which time he heard a small thud coming from the hut beside him.

Peter hurried back inside, there he found Merlin on the ground in the middle of a coughing fit, flashbacks oh his mother came to mind. He rushed over to assist him, Alaya kneeling beside her father grabbed under one of Merlin’s arms, Peter did the same on the other side. Together they lifted Merlin back into bed.

“Thank you, Peter.” Alaya voiced as she tucked her father into bed, refusing to make eye contact with Peter.

Peter knew how hard it was to see a loved one in such rough shape, she must have a lot of weight on her shoulders. Merlin had finally stopped coughing and settled into the bed, he seemed exhausted. Peter and Alaya left the tent to let Merlin rest a while. Once outside Peter looked at Alaya and opened his mouth to speak, he wanted to console her but was quickly cut off by her shushing him. The elf turned away and motioned him to follow. She must want to wait until we are further away to talk, so as not to disturb her father. She must care deeply for him, Peter marked mentally. Together they made their way to a dirt patch surrounded by a thick rope boundary. When Alaya stopped she was in front of a weapons rack covered in wooden practice weapons. Grabbing two of the wooden swords, she paused only for a moment then turned to face Peter and tossed one of the swords at Peter’s feet.

“Pick it up, I want to see what makes you so special, farm boy.” Back to farm boy, was it? Peter watched as Alaya entered the ring and took an aggressive stance.

He had never used a sword before but assumed it would be similar to how he held his dagger. He bent over and picked up the makeshift sword unsure exactly what to do, he made a few slashing motions to get a feel for the weight and length. Knowing that he couldn’t keep her waiting forever, he too entered the ring. As soon as his last leg touched down inside the ring, Alaya was on him, attack after attack, blow after blow. She was not giving him any time to recuperate or recover. He backed up and stumbled over the rope, falling on his behind.

“What in goddess’ name was that!” Peter called from the ground. Alaya just pointed the sword in Peter’s face. “Get up, this is exactly what I was trying to tell my father, living in the human realm can only make you weak, you have no training! How are we supposed to rely on you when you don’t even know how to defend yourself!” Alaya was yelling, obviously frustrated by Peter’s lack of experience. She was right, Peter needed to prove himself to be worth the effort. He may not know how to block a blow but he did know he could take her down if given the chance. He stood back up and took the best defensive stance he could muster. Alaya came for him again with a strike following a strike, not giving any opportunity to rebuttal. Then he saw it every four or so attacks she would raise the sword to prepare for a downward blow. He knew this would be the only time he could act, one, he had to time it perfectly, two, each blow hurt, three, but he had to stay focused, four. He quickly ducked out of the way, dropping to the ground and swinging his leg out to meet hers. As soon as her legs were swept out from under her, he stood and offered his hand.

“You’re right I don’t know how to use a sword or defend myself, so teach me.” Alaya looked absolutely stunned at this turn of events, she was now the one sitting in the dirt. She had to give him credit, to take her down so effectively was impressive. Maybe she should give him a chance. She reached up meeting her hand in his, he helped her up.

“Okay Peter, I will teach you, but I will give you no breaks, you need to learn and quickly.” Peter smiled and nodded in return, and just for a minute, the smallest sliver of a second, she seemed to notice how attractive his smile was. Then the thought was out of her mind and it was time to focus on training.

They fought long into the afternoon; Peter tried to learn as quickly as possible, eventually, he got to the point where he could actually block one of Alaya’s attacks, this was promising. At sundown, Alaya told him he had done enough for the day and it was time to sleep, they would see Merlin in the morning, and ask what was next on the agenda. Peter was sore, so, so, so, sore, he could barely lift his arms to stretch as he made his way back to his tent. He was incredibly proud of himself, improving so much in such a short time, Peter allowed himself his pride only temporarily, for he knew he would have to get much better before he could keep up with Alaya. Peter crawled stiffly into his comfortable little cot and fell asleep almost immediately, with but one thought crossing his mind before he did so. What exactly did Merlin and Alaya need help with? Then he was gone.