Here is Day 2’s results of the challenge. Enjoy!
Breathing heavily, Bree shifted her battle stance and gripped her sword more firmly. This opponent was proving tougher than she’d anticipated. She gritted her teeth. He wasn’t going to get the best of her. She knew she was one of the best knights in the realm, but she still felt like she had to prove herself at every chance she got. People who didn’t know her laughed at the idea of a Lady Knight. Most believed that it was impossible for her to of any real use to the realm.
Her opponent lunged. Bree parried easily enough, but mentally shook herself. This was no time to be thinking about anything except the fight. She knew better. She kept a closer eye on her opponent’s movements.
The arena was eerily silent considering the crowds that filled the stands. All she could hear was the distant sound of people outside the arena and the clink of her own armour and that of her opponent’s. A bead of sweat dripped down her forehead from beneath the heavy helmet she wore. She wanted to get this tournament fight over with and take a long soak in the local bath house.
She looked her opponent over carefully, trying to pick out his weaknesses. He was taller than her, but other than that, she couldn’t tell much about him under the armour. However, she didn’t need to know much about the man himself, simply his fighting style. She’d noticed that he favoured his right side, leaving his left open more often. That could be her opportunity – if she feinted to his right, but switched at the last moment to go for his left side, she might be able to get the upper hand. It wasn’t the easiest move to pull off, but Bree was confident in her abilities with complex sword manoeuvres. Sword fighting was by far her best skill as a knight.
Decision made, she prepared to put the plan into action. She circled to her right and her opponent mirrored her moves. She grinned under her helmet. Perfect. The afternoon sun was now in his eyes. Rookie mistake.
With a loud cry, she leapt forward, swinging her sword in a wide arc towards his right side. As she’d predicted, he immediately moved to parry the blow. With a deft wrist movement, she changed the direction of her sword swing, now angling for his weaker left side.
Her arm jarred as his sword appeared to block the blow with blinding speed. Shock ran up her spine and she quickly spun away to assess the situation.
How had he parried that? His sword had moved so fast, she’d been unable to track it with her eyes. She wished she could see his face, read his expressions. Sword fighting was so much easier when you could gauge their reactions.
The swordsman took a step towards her and she braced herself, readying for an attack.
Within a second, he was right in front of her, bringing his sword down towards her shoulder. Bree barely parried the blow, gasping as the shock of the blades clashing together reverberated through her body. Her arm began to ache.
A second later, his pommel came into view and slammed into her helmet. Dazed, she stumbled, tripped and fell onto her back. She was vaguely aware of the sword pointed at her heart as she struggled to get breath into her lungs.
“Do you yield, Lady Knight Bree?” her opponent asked, his voice deep. She detected a tinge of amusement in his words.
“I y-yield,” she gasped out. Her lungs were still protesting the lack of oxygen.
Stepping away from her, he raised his sword to the crowds, the signal that he was the victor, that his opponent had acquiesced. A huge roar reverberated around the arena as the gathered folks cheered.
Wincing, Bree pushed herself to a sitting position. Her head pounded with the movement and she had to stop for a moment.
A gauntleted hand appeared before her.
“You fought well, Lady Knight Bree,” her opponent said softly. “It was an honour to battle you.”
She considered refusing his hand, but made the mistake of looking up at him. He’d taken his helmet off. She was breathless all over again for a completely different reason.
This one was slightly longer, running to 700 words! Let me know what you think in the comments!
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