Honor

The carriage came to an abrupt halt in front of the garden entrance. Demetri Alexander stepped out of the vehicle, while a short, older man followed suit. The two men were wearing white cotton shirts with black slacks and matching vests. Alexander also wore white gloves, while his companion held a scabbard. Alexander gestured for the driver not to wait for him. After all, anyone entering the Dueling Gardens hardly had a chance of leaving.

After walking through the wrought-iron gate, Alex and his colleague walked quietly through the grounds. He let his mind wander back just an hour ago, where he spent his last, precious moments with his beloved wife, Anora. The couple had been sitting on a bench, surrounded by their very own garden. The many scattered flowers were yet to bloom, but Anora had predicted they would bud soon enough. Seeing her husband in proper dueling dress could only mean one thing. His wife dared not shed a tear, for she was proud of him to make such a sacrifice for her. Alex promised her that he would come back triumphant and unharmed, and that she should wait in the gardens for his return.

As Alex rounded a tall hedge, the circular, paved center of the gardens came into view. To his dismay, his opponent was already on the other side waiting for him.

The previous day, Alex was walking by the city, looking for a present to give his wife. When he passed by the local pub, he heard his wife’s name among the patrons. He walked inside, and found the man standing on a table, fixated on a drunken rave about Anora, most not at all pleasing to any civilized mind. His name was Dominic Nevershire, infamous for his loose tongue and inability to hold his liquor. Enraged, Alex stalked inside and kicked the table, causing the man to tumble to the floor. With his eyes glaring at Dominic’s unfocused eyes, Alex challenged him to a duel.

Dominic, a man of about Alex’s age and height, stood next to his second making final preparations for the fight. He now, in point of fact, seemed completely sober, despite the fact that his long dark hair was ruffled from the night before. He wore a white cotton shirt, black pants, and a red vest. His second, dressed exactly like his companion, held his scabbard. Turning to his own partner, Alex took the scabbard and unsheathed the rapier. The two men walked toward each other, weapons drawn, and stopped within feet of each other. There, they bowed and paced in the opposite direction. It was hard not to notice the cocky smirk on Dominic’s face. After ten paces, Alex swiftly turned and attacked.

Alex had heard of Dominic’s dueling history. While he himself had moderate fencing training and had encountered one duel beforehand, Dominic had, in a sense, lived by the sword. His arrogant attitude had earned him quite the share of challenges from offended gentlemen, especially inside pubs. To date, Dominic had been challenged more than ten times, emerging the winner every time. Alex realized, soon after the challenge was issued, that he was up against a skilled swordsman. He didn’t care; it was his duty to defend Anora’s honor, his own honor, and to clear Dominic’s sad excuse for honor off the face of the earth.

Alex started with a quick horizontal slash, which was swiftly parried. He followed with another aimed Dominic’s sword arm, but that too was deflected. Dominic was grinning from ear to ear, amused by his opponent’s predictable attacks. Stepping back, he opened his arms, exposing his chest, laughing and taunting him. Alex took the bait, and earned a clean cut on his left arm.

Before he could lunge again, the sound of a gunshot blasted through the air. Dominic’s second was wielding a pistol, smoking from very recent use. Behind him, Alex heard his own second crumple to the ground. Turning around, he saw him lying on his back, blood spilling from his chest. Alex was shocked, enough so to not notice Dominic rushing towards him.

Alex dodged Dominic’s surprise attack, sending Dominic fumbling to regain his footing.

The two must have plotted this all along! Alex thought. No wonder Dominic won those duels; he had been cheating! Alex knew that he would be finished if Dominic’s partner aimed for him. But Dominic’s second merely holstered his weapon, directing Alex’s attention back to his opponent. It seemed to him that Dominic wanted to kill Alex himself. Dominic, in truth, had a little honor to hold onto. A little.

Alex returned his attention back to his assailant. When Dominic attacked, Alex defended easily. It puzzled him why Dominic was struggling so much when he did quite well during the beginning of the fight. Then Alex figured it out. When his second killed his opponent’s partner, Dominic would do a sneak attack when his opponent’s back was turned. In fact, Dominic had little knowledge of sword-fighting etiquette and combat, but instead heavily relied on cheating.

Knowing this, Alex grew more confident, as Dominic began losing his edge and getting more and more desperate. The swords clanged and swished, mixed with the occasional gasp of pain from Dominic as he was cut again and again. Soon Dominic stepped quickly out of striking range, looking at his partner. His second nodded in response and raised his pistol.

A gunshot rang out, but Alex felt nothing. A moment later, Dominic’s second fell to the ground, dead. Alex looked around in confusion, and found his companion, still lying on the ground but facing up, his own hidden pistol in his hand. Alex was so relieved to see his partner alive that he didn’t see Dominic’s tackle coming.

Alex landed hard on his back, with Dominic on top of him. He tried to raise his rapier, but Dominic stomped on the blade, shattering it. His sword, though shorter, was still deadly sharp. Looking up, he saw Dominic raising his own sword for the killing blow. Alex quickly stabbed upward as Dominic jabbed his rapier to the ground.

In the garden at Alexander’s house, Anora’s knees buckled as she, spontaneously and inexplicably, wept. Around her, blood-red roses bloomed.