Invincible

• Claire Wilson, Grade 7
• Short Story
• 2022

I was making my usual morning cup of hot chocolate when I saw something glint outside. At first I thought it was just the dew, but as I moved, nothing changed.
I cautiously stepped outside, and found a beautiful sword in the ground. It gleamed, glistened and glowed in the morning sun. The hilt was was encrusted with rubies, sapphires and amethysts, and on the very bottom, a huge yellow diamond. As I pulled it out, I saw that the blade was inexplicably clean, especially considering that it had just come out of the muddy ground.
"Now where could that have come from?" I said to myself, turning the sword over. Even to my inexperienced hand, it felt well-balanced. I held it up, and light majestically bounded off it.
My eyes followed the tracks of the light bounding off it, and came to rest upon a spot just behind a large red gum where the light seemed to rebound from it.
"Who's there?" I called. A figure emerged, clearly female, covered in magenta and silver armor.
Lightning-quick, she struck out at me, with a sword that I had not seen before. I only just brought my sword up in time to parry it.
I struck back, and our swords met, a clang echoing about my clearing.
"Where are you from?" I asked through gritted teeth. She made no answer, only swung her sword again.
This sudden attack frightened me, see, I'd moved here for fear of being assassinated in my sleep. An occupational hazard when your father is the king.
She swung at my leg so suddenly that I could not parry in time, and suddenly I was falling, flailing,.
I fell to the ground, panting, my sword flying out of my hand.
"Who are you?" I gasped.
She took off her helmet, white-blond hair flying out around her.
She looked just like... me.
No, I realised, she was me.
And I couldn't kill her.
If I couldn't kill me, who could?