Reluctantly they followed Ned's advice and found out the whereabouts of Canto. He stood outside the gate to the castle checking Fluffy's saddle and collar. When the youngsters came around the corner of the gate he scowled at Fred. "Haven't ya enough sense to take care of yer cantankus?" he asked the boy.
Fred stopped in his tracks and blinked. "Um, yes?" he guessed.
Canto pointed at Fluffy's saddle. "Ya see what's wrong here?"
"Um, no?" Fred replied.
The old dwarf rolled his eyes. "If yer not riding the beast than why is he carrying that saddle around on his back?"
Fred shrugged. "Because it's comfortable?" he suggested.
Canto lifted the saddle and showed sore spots along the skin. "Does that look comfortable to ya?" Fred cringed and the girls looked aghast at the raw skin. "Ya have to get his saddle off once in a while and rub him down with-"
"-a brush?" Fred finished.
Canto raised an eyebrow. "Aye, a brush. Most any will do, but it's best to use an-"
"-old one?" the boy added.
The dwarf folded his arms across his chest and glared at the young man. "Is there something ya know that yer not telling me?"
Fred dug into his pockets for five minutes before he found the brush. He held it out to Canto, who took it in hand. "I got that from an old woman who said it could be used on cantankus, and Ned said it was enchanted."
Canto examined the brush and nodded. "Aye, and they're both right. This is an ancient dwarven cantankus brush used when the beasts were still the steeds of war." He pointed at the bristles, and for the first time Fred noticed there was a pattern to them. "This tells what spell is attached to the brush."
"Which spell is attached to it?" Pat asked him.
"Speed. Brush any creature's skin with this and it'll make them much faster for a short period of time," Canto replied. "But it works best on cantankus because they don't have much hair to slow them down in the first place."
"So it's safe to use this brush?" Fred wondered.
"Aye, but not until he's healed a bit." Canto released the saddle strap and grabbed the saddle. He hefted it off the animal and into Fred's arms. The young man nearly collapsed beneath the weight. "Otherwise you'll just hurt him more. Don't forget to take that collar off him like ya do yer own. Those can scrape the neck and give them some bad sores."
Fred blinked, and crossed his eyes when he glanced down at his own collar. "I can take this off?" he wondered.
Pat narrowed her eyes at the young man. "Wait, are you telling us you haven't taken that thing off? What about when you've taken a bath?" she asked him.
"What bath?" he replied.
Pat shrank away from him, and Ruth covered her mouth to stifle her giggle. Canto chuckled and patted Fred on the back. He fell over atop the saddle. "That's a fine warrior. Baths are for the weak and the women."
Fred cringed and Ruth stepped away from Pat. Pat's hands balled into fists and she glared at the dwarf who stood nearly a foot shorter than her height. "Did you just compare women to weaklings?" she questioned him.
Canto folded his arms across his chest. "Not all women. Dwarven women are a robust lot and Ah'll admit elven women can fire arrows with the best of 'em, but human women are frail creatures."
Pat rolled up her sleeves and marched up to stand toe-to-toe with the dwarf. She growled through her grinding teeth. "Would you care to test my skill against yours?" she challenged.
Canto raised an eyebrow. "My ax against yer sword?" She nodded. "Very well. The first to draw blood wins, but no attempts at mortal wounds," he scolded. "Meet back here in ten minutes?"
"Agreed," Pat replied. She spun on her heels and marched toward the castle. Ruth rushed after her and Fred sat back on his haunches to glare at the dwarf.
"Why are you fighting? We're supposed to be on the same side," Fred reminded him.
"It's a matter of honor," Canto calmly replied. There was a mischievous smirk on his lips. "And there might be something more on her mind. Has she always been this short-tempered?"
Fred shook his head. "Yeah, but she never wanted to fight somebody to the death because she was mad at them."
Canto pulled at his whiskers and hummed. "Ya may want to have Ned here in case things get out of hand."
The young man nodded, picked up the saddle and hurried off to inform his master. He went to Ned's room and knocked on the door. Ned opened it wearing a nightcap and his usual garb. "What's the matter?" he asked his apprentice.
"Canto and Pat are going to duel in ten minutes, and Canto thinks Pat might be serious about hurting him," Fred hurriedly told him.
Ned's sleepy eyes shot open, he whipped the cap off his head and stuffed it into his cloak. "I take a short nap and find the world is falling apart," he grumbled as he passed by Fred. "Come along, and leave the saddle in the room."
Fred tossed the saddle inside and darted after Ned. The old castor could walk swiftly when the need arose, and they soon reached the courtyard to find Canto just inside the gate with the head of his ax against the ground. He leaned against the handle and nodded to Ned. "Good morning," he greeted.
"Not from what Fred tells me," Ned countered. "What do you intend to achieve by challenging that girl to a duel?"
"She challenged me," Canto argued. "And Ah intend to find out what has her feathers ruffled."
Ned raised an eyebrow, but at that moment Pat stepped through the doors with Ruth behind her and her sword at her side. The scabbard glistened off the early morning sun as she faced off against her adversary. Ruth slipped over to Fred and forlornly shook her head. "I tried to talk her out of doing this, but she wouldn't listen," Ruth whispered to Fred.
Ned stepped between the two duelists and held up his hands. "A moment of clarification, if you will humor me. Who is in the wrong?"
"He is."
"She is."
Ned's face drooped. "I see. Well, under the circumstances the differences of opinion must be settled by this not-so-deadly combat. You both agree not to kill each other?" They nodded, and Fred and Ruth were aghast that Ned was allowing this to happen.
"What are you doing?" Fred hissed at his master.
"The combatants need silence," Ned scolded his apprentice. "Let me tell you the rules of such a duel."
"We know the rules," Canto insisted. "We're not to kill, and the first to draw blood wins."
"Ah, but what about the backwards rule?" Ned countered. Everyone in the company stared at him in bewilderment. "Didn't think so. That is a rule where you must both fight while walking backwards, to ensure a fair fight if one has a greater skill going forward." Canto rolled his eyes and lifted his ax. Pat followed suit and pulled her sword from its sheath. Ned dropped his arms to his side and sighed. "Very well, duel to the blood if you must, but don't go whining to me if one of you loses a limb." Ned shuffled over to the pair of watchers and shrugged. "I did the best I could, but they're both too stubborn to listen to reason."
"That was reasoning?" Ruth wondered.
Canto let out a battle cry and Pat pointed her sword toward him. The combatants charged each other and their weapons clashed and clanked against the other. Pat had the superior speed and reflexes, but Canto was a seasoned veteran of countless fights. He swung his ax without wasting a movement, and before long he had the upper hand. Pat blocked and parried, but each swing of his mighty ax brought her closer to fatigue. Canto swung down and she blocked his blow, but the heavy force brought her to a knee. The dwarf twisted his ax head and the curved extended edge grabbed her sword. He swung his ax over his head and pulled her sword from her hands. Pat fell to the ground and Canto pointed his weapon at her head.
"Do something!" Ruth pleaded with Ned.
Ned frowned and stepped toward them. "Canto!" he called out to his friend. "She's lost! Let her be!"
"In a moment," Canto insisted. He dropped his ax to his side and knelt in front of Pat. "What bothers ya, girl?" Pat turned her head away, and Canto frowned. "None of that now, girl. What's bothering you that you want to prove yourself in this foolish duel?"
"What do I have left to prove? My destiny's fulfilled," she grumbled to him.
"Is it? And not even in yer twentieth year," he quipped.
Pat whipped her head back at him and glared at the dwarf. "Don't mock me. I've trained my entire life to lead the army of Galaron, and now the city is ruined and the battle is done. What have I to do?"
He nodded at the three spectators. "They might need yer sword. Ya would be better with more training, and Ah can provide that," he promised her.
The young woman looked up into Canto's eyes. They were serious. She glanced beyond him to her three companions. Ned smiled and gave a nod while the other two waited with baited breaths. She sighed and shrugged. "What do I have to lose?" she asked them.
Canto chuckled. "What indeed?" he agreed. He held out his hand and she grudgingly took it. Canto helped Pat up and Ruth came up to them with the warrior girl's sword in her hand. Pat smiled and took the weapon back. "That's a fine sword ya have there," Canto complimented her. "Who was the maker?"
Pat sheathed her sword. "An ancestor," she replied.
Ned sniffled and wiped an imaginary tear from his eye. "What a beautiful ending to a duel."
Fred turned to him with a frown. "No thanks to you for stopping it..." he mumbled.
"But Pat wouldn't have found new meaning in her life," Ned countered. He wrapped an arm around Fred's shoulders and pulled the young man against his side. "And speaking of life meaning, we are very behind on your studies."
Fred shrugged. "That's what happens when we fight dead armies all the time," he pointed out.
"We'll soon remedy your deficiencies along this journey," Ned promised. "In the meantime rest is needed. The journey starts tonight."