“Gadzooks, look at that crowd!”
Weimar and Syras watch the line of attendees ranging from commoners to nobles file into the stands already. There were several guards in chainmail and grey cloaks checking the attendees and taking the nobles with VIP passes into their rightful seats.
" I warned ya,” Syras grumbled. “Two is company, but three is a crowd.”
Sangrid shook her head. “Oh, quit yer whining. Ah know a secret passage under the Noble’s seats. ”
“I do, too,” Syras protested. “But I am sure you’ll compromise everything by being here.”
“Oh, ye don’t know what ah am capable of.” The female archer chuckled as she took them to the side.
The two boys exchanged surprised glances as she took them to the stables. Weimar’ s hazel eyes darted around the stables, seeing various breeds of horses being tended to by the stable hands. As Sangrid advanced, her hand still clutching a hand of the other teen’s, a stable boy glanced her way.
“Miss, you are not permitted to be on these grounds,” the boy explained as he crossed his arms. He was large and well built, with somewhat long dark brown hair and a matching eye color.
“Ah know, ah am only coming to see mah father,” Sangrid explained.
“Who are the other two?” The stable boy’s eyes glanced at Weimar and Syras.
“Oh? These ninnies? They are mah brothers!“Sangrid smiled and glanced at them, her eyes narrowing as if to say ′ shut up and play along’. Getting the message, the boys complied.
The boy let them proceed. “Very well, make it quick.”
Sangrid nodded in thanks as she pulled her companions toward the edge of the stables.
“Ninnies? Really?” Syras sulked.
“Aye, ye both are a buncha big ninnies to meh,” Sangrid stated , smirking as she went to the side connecting the stands and stables. She removed a piece of granite and unveiled a hole in the wall.
" So we are not going to see your father?” Weimar asked a baffled expression plastered on his face.
Sangrid laughed as she tossed her maroon hair to the side. “Wow, ye are a ninny. Ah only gave the poor lad that cock and bull story so Ah can sneak us both in.”
“Umm..” Syras bore a concerned look. ” I could have snuck us in without this meaningless detour.”
“Ah, quit yer whining!” Sangrid snapped. ” Ye will thank meh once ye see the seats.”
“I sure hope so.”
Syras sighed, still sulking . Weimar could feel the boy’s ego become wounded.
Sangrid slipped inside the hole and quickly disappeared like a rabbit. Syras went in next,motioning for his buddy to follow. Thinking of no other plan, Weimar entered.
“Lads, please hole up the entrance,” Sangrid requested.
“But how will we return, smart one?” Syras retorted.
“Ah have more than one exit route,” the girl responded.“Now hurry yer arses and close it!”
Weimar decided to do just do it to avoid further complications. As soon as he closed it, a tight darkness engulfed the tunnel, giving him the creeps. The only thing that lit the way was the light from the end of the tunnel ahead. It didn’t help that the weather was slightly overcast. It was not even ten seconds later when Weimar felt something crawl on the back of his left hand. Startled, he gazed at the hand and in the pale light, he made out the vague shape of an arachnid with a fat, dark body.
“Spider!” Weimar shrieked as he waved his hand frantically.
Sangrid stopped and turned , putting a hand to her lips. “Shhhhh!”
“Sorry about that.” Syras sighed, shaking his head.” My friend there is scared of a little harmless spider.”
“Well, tell him to suck it up and follow meh!“she snarled.
Knowing better than to argue, Weimar crawled his way silently to after Syras and Sangrid to the surface. He was surprised to see that rather than them appearing under the Noble’s seats. They had appeared right in the middle of the stands!′
“Zounds!” Syras seemed to have similar thoughts as his friend.
“Aye, I told ye I knew where ah was going,” the girl explained with a smirk. “Would ye prefer yer spot under the seats with poor visibility or mah own with the best view?”
“Ok, we got it,” Weimar confessed. He couldn’t help, but smile at this gal’s tomboyish nature. “I am grateful for your help, um...Sigrid?”
“Sangrid,” she corrected with a sigh.” Good, now sit down and enjoy the show.”
The three teens took their seats and waited for the show to begin. Weimar’s gaze wandered around the arena, landing on various banners from different kingdoms. There were yellow ones with black checkered spots, blue ones with sword markings, and even a icy blue one with a wyvern on it. What kingdoms were they again?
Hurrrooo!
The blast of the trumpet startled Weimar out of his reverie. That signaled the beginning of the joust.
“I hear there is a melee portion after the joust,“Sangrid informed the boys.
“There normally is,“Syras agreed.“Not only that, but there will be a melee combat tournament with volunteers. Each team will have up to five people. 16 teams will be required for them to start the match.”
“For real?” Sangrid’s eyes emerald eyes lit up.
Syras smiled once more. “Aye, but I don’t think a melee is any place for a girl like you.”
“Oi! Did ah hear ye correctly?” Sangrid stood up and grabbed the startled boy by the collar, lifting him up slightly. “Ye want to see meh beat yer sorry arse? Maybe that will change yer mind.”
“Oh no, it’s fine,” Syras stammered. The poor boy looked convinced enough.
“It better be,” she groused with a sigh, giving the agile teen a leering look as she set him down.
The first match was set to begin. It was between Sir Varden of the Kingdom of Runesanne and Sir Tarren of the Skagos Kingdom. Both contenders got onto their horses and got their lances ready.
“Who do you think will win this?” Syras smirked. “I say Sir Tarren.”
“Why him?” Weimar frowned.“I will go with Sir Varden. ”
“Ah will agree with yer friend,” Sangrid chimed in. ” Sir Tarren had displayed his talent with a spear during the Goblin Wars so he has this match.”
“Yes, but a spear and lance are not necessarily the same thing,” Weimar countered.
At the sound of the trumpet, both knights charged at each other, their lances raised. Both lances were broken on each contender, resulting in a tie.
“Two more rounds,mates, “Syras whispered in glee.
After retrieving new lances from their squires, the knights went for the second round, only to end up with the same result as the first.
“Well, this next round should break the tie,” Syras commented.
At the sound of the horn, both knights charged at full speed to each other. Weimar and Syras held their breaths as the lances were raised.
The crowd let out their cheers as Sir Varden was unhorsed. Weimar stared in shock as his companions smirked at him.
" Sorry, but it doesn’t matter if you use a bloody spear or a lance,” Syras boasted.“Your precious Sir Varden landed on his arse right there.”
Sangrid laughed as Weimar sulked. His light brown eyes wandered to the next contenders setting up with their horses at the end of each side. His eyes widened when he saw Sir Robin Globar’s standards on one of the competitors. On the other was the mark of a gold lion on a red background.
“Hey Weimar!” Syras burst out. “Look! Your father is over there!”
Weimar’s eyes shot to the where his friend was indicating and noticed a figure assisting the knight with his equipment. Squinting, he noticed the figure and realized that Syras was correct. Recognizable by his lean build and brown beard, his father was helping the knight onto his horse. That left little doubt about the identity of the knight.
“Yer father?” Sangrid’s eyes widened. ” That man squiring for Sir Globar?”
“He is not a squire,” Weimar responded. “He just takes care of Twilight.”
The Outerwood girl smiled. “Wow, that is still cool.”
“I wish my father was just as cool,” Syras murmured wistfully.
“Of course he is.” Weimar tried to cheer his friend up. “Isn’t he part of the Aislundian infantry? That is quite an honor.”
The horn cut off their conversation as Sir Globar and his opponent took their sides. Sir Globar was donning the standard of his signature robin flying in a yellow and white checkered background while his opponent bore a red standard with a gold lion.
“Is that Sir Lyman?” Sangrid breathed out.
“Must be,“Syras nodded.“Why? You plan on marrying him?”
“Ah, shaddup!” The girl elbowed him.
“Och! I was just playing!” Syras chuckled.
Soon, the match ended with Sir Globar as the winner.
Weimar smirked. “I knew it.”
“We all did,“Syras agreed. “He is unbeaten.”
“He is quite something,” Sangrid agreed as well, her bright green eyes wide in fascination.
Before the next contenders could take their spots, a man and a woman went over to them. Judging by their manner of dress along with the gold chains and earrings on the woman, Weimar deduced them to be of noble stature.
“Excuse me, but are you supposed to be here?” the man asked.
“What kinda question is that?” Sangrid turned to face the man and the woman. “Of course we are! I bought these spots with meh own coins!”
“Really?” the woman frowned. ” You lot look like piss poor peasants to me.”
" Excuse meh?” Sangrid stood up to her full height, towering over both adults. ” If mah father hears about this...”
“Your father?” the man raised a brow.
“Ye heard of Lord Boreal?” Sangrid smirked.
“Oh, please accept our humblest apologies,” the man bumbled and before long, he and his wife left the trio alone.
“Is Lord Boreal seriously your father?” Syras asked his eyes widening in surprise.
“Does it look like ah am a daughter of a lord?” Sangrid’s green eyes flashed.
" Well, you sounded convincing,” Weimair pointed out.
“Of course ah did!” The girl smirked
“Guys, Sir Mordgard is up!” Syras blurted.
They turned to see the massive, intimidating knight take his position. He was bearing the purple and red standard of the Massalan kingdom. There were various rumors about him committing war crimes during each war, but how he does it really sent shivers down Weimar’s spine. He looked at over at Sir Mordgard’s opponent, Sir Aron, a tall brunet- haired boy of about 16 who hailed from the Elysan kingdom. His standard shone blue stripes on a white background with a falcon flying across the whiteness.
“I don’t think the newcomer has much of a chance against Mordgard,” Syras whispered.
“Ah agree,” Sangrid murmured.
Weimar held his breath as the horn sounded. The knight, who’s height seemed about midway between 6 and 7 feet, aimed his lance forward as he charged to meet his opponent. As soon as their spears collided, Sir Aron’s lance, causing cheers to emit from the crowd. However, blood spurted from the knight’s neck and into the stands.
Sangrid shrieked a bit as some vermillion colored liquid landed just a few feet from her. Weimar and Syras stand up and gaze at the fallen knight in horror. There was a commotion going on within the stands as Weimar tried to get a closer look at Sir Aron. He saw the young knight lying prone on the ground with blood staining the green of the grass. Sir Mordgard stood with the guards who were over the boy.
“Is he...dead?” Sangrid mouthed.
“I don’t know,” Weimar murmured.
Soon, a group of men donning grey and black cloaks with hoods covering their faces entered the arena. They left hoisting Sir Aron’s body on their shoulders.
The Night Brothers,Weimar realized with a jolt.
“Gawds, he is dead,” Sangrid whispered, her eyes tearing up.
" We don’t know that. ”
Weimar tried to brighten the mood, but he knew that the presence of the Night Brothers proved him wrong. An official went up to the crowd. He raised his arms to quiet the bickering crowd before he spoke.
" Unfortunately, we have a death in this competition. This is not the first time this has happened in the history of jousting though events like these are very rare. This incident that occurred today was due to carelessness on Sir Aron’s part. His visor wasn’t properly fastened. Anyhow, the show must go on. Up next, is the three way melee between Sir Mordgard, Sir Globar, and Sir Varyn.”
The crowd just clapped in response as the three teens stared in ashen silence.
“How sharp must that lance have been to cut through flesh?” Syras whispered.
“Those things are sharper than they look,“Weimar pointed out. “Besides, with a knight the size of Sir Mordgard packs more of a punch.”
" He did that on purpose,” Sangrid murmured.
“Sangrid!“Weimar scolded.“Don’t make assumptions on that level.”
“Ah know he did,” she hissed.“That boggin’ monster!”
Weimar turned his attention back to the event to see the three contenders enter the middle of the arena. The line separating the jousters was removed, opening up the arena for a three way melee. One of the knights, Sir Varyn, made his way to the stands and threw a couple of flowers into the audience. One of them happened to land in front of Sangrid, who snatched it up with glee.
“Gawds, it’s mah lucky day!“she crooned, her expression different from a few minutes earlier.
" It’s just a flower, big deal,” Syras shrugged.
“Ye guys won’t understand-ever.” The girl sighed as she held it close to her.
Weimar watched three banners being raised. One of them was Sir Globar’s robin, the other was Sir Mordgard’s purple and red painted one, and the final one was Sir Varyn’s carnivore plant with a green background.
Who decides these banners? Weimar wondered.
The horn blew as the three melee participants encircled each other. Then Sir Varryn and Sir Globar turned on the other knight.
Weimar smiled. “Sir Globar has got this!”
“Aye, I agree, mate.” Syras smirked at him.
“C’mon, ye two.” Sangrid sneered. “Sir Varyn will make mince meat out o’ them both!”
“Keep on dreaming,“Syras countered, chuckling..
Sir Mordgard was holding his own against the two knights, He used his shield to parry the attacks and also to bash it against the helms of the other knights. Sir Varyn was knocked back by force of the blow. As he landed on his back, the knight from the Ashford kingdom stared up as Sir Mordgard raised his battleaxe to eliminate him, until it was blocked by Sir Globar’s sword.The clang of the weapons meeting was so loud that Weimar was sure the people outside the arena had heard it.
“Come on!” Weimar clenched his fists in anticipation. He glanced to the side and noticed Syras biting his fingers while Sangrid had her fingers to her cheeks, her green eyes wide in anticipation. Sir Globar aimed for the the bigger knight’s legs, getting nicks on the armor. The massive knight went down hard as Sir Globar stood over him, pointing his sword at the other contender’s throat. After about a minute, Sir Mordgard yielded, thus making Sir Globar the victor of the tournament.
" Zounds! He won! Did you see that? Sir Globar won!” Weimar leapt out of his seat.
“We have eyes, mate!” Syras leapt up and hugged him.
“Laddies,” Sangrid muttered, glancing at them with a smile.
Soon, Sir Globar was giving his victory speech. Weimar then had a thought go through his mind so he decided to share it to his friends.
" Hey, lads?” Weimar asked.
Both Sangrid and Syras turn their faces to him.
“Do ah look like a lad to ye?” Sangrid groaned.
“What is it, mate?” Syras asked.
“I was wondering...” Weimar began.
“C’mon, get it out, we don’t have all day,” Sangrid interjected.
" Do you both think I could become a knight some day?” he breathed out.
Syras and the girl exchanged glances and burst out laughing.
" How does a pig boy like you become a knight?” Syras howled with laughter. “Did it ever cross your mind that you may be a tad bit delusional?”
“Well, it was worth a try,” Weimar muttered dejectedly.
“Well, now let’s get to the best part.” Syras was eager to move on, grinning intensely. ” We need five people. We already have three, so two more left. I really want that cash prize. Where shall we look?”
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Woah, that was quite an adventure these kids had at the joust. Let’s see how they fare in the melee...that is if they can find two more people.
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