Everdog: Tale of the First Female Knight

Chapter 45 - Protector

With 32 remaining contestants, the second round of the sword fighting tournament commenced. Four matches at a time, the paired-up participants concurrently sparred with each other. In the middle of the grassy arena, one colossal knight was hyping the audience with the crimson splatters of his opponents. He sent his first opponent to the infirmary with a fractured clavicle (collarbone) and a busted eye. Raising his sword high in the air, the violent knight finished his current opponent with a brutal pommel strike to the thin helmet.

Rendered unconscious, the beaten man lifelessly slopped to the ground as the referee announced the match to the winning knight. Thrilled by the smell of blood, the audience feverishly chanted. Two medics from the sidelines briskly walked over to the knocked-out fighter with a stretcher (made from white cotton and two wooden poles) and lifted the fallen knight out of the arena. As they silently carried the body out of the ring, the knight's blood-dripping rusty helmet tumbled off the bleeding man's head and rolled over the white dandelions among the grass. Leaving a trail of crushed red stained seedlings, the dented helmet placidly came to a stop.

For most people in the audience, the tournament was a form of entertainment, an escape from their boring and mundane lives. They came to see an exciting performance and a fight without bloodshed was unexciting to them. The general audience weren't the only ones with this kind of thinking. Situated in the tents opposite of the general crowd was Midlands most wealthy and powerful men. They paid for the best seats in the arena and hoped to witness the most exciting fights up close.

"Sir Lee, I heard from people who returned from the gambling pit that a big bid has been placed on a formidable opponent against Sir Williams in the sword fighting sector." A manservant reported to the baronet.

The information about a new knight in town has spread through the participants and it looked like Sir Williams, who has been uncontested all these years, will finally meet his match. A new knight has been traveling around Midlands challenging well-known knights to duels. Defeating them in each of their forte, the knight quickly earned a name for himself in a short span of two years. Known for his calculated and aggressive moves, the knight was always a step ahead of his opponents.

"Sir Merek has not lost a single duel or tournament that he participated in," the manservant informed the baronet as they stood inside the spectating tent.

The familiar name rung a vague image of a face; the baronet was reminded of when he and Sir Williams were traveling around the Midlands. During that time, Sir Lee and Sir Williams made an unexpected stop at a medium-sized village that was being repeatedly raided by vicious bandits. The village had asked several times for help from neighboring towns, but none of them came to its aid. Although only intending to pass by, the two knights couldn't turn an eye after seeing the people in need and stayed for a few months to train the young men in the village to fend for themselves.

Among the many young men that Sir Williams trained was young Merek before he became a knight. The baronet didn't recall much about the young man besides that their encounter was brief. Thinking back, the reason why Sir Lee held some remembrance of Sir Merek could be that the young man had asked to join their travel as Sir Williams's squire, but for some unknown reason, Sir Williams refused to take the young squire in.

"If he is a formidable opponent as people say, then there is nothing we can do besides anticipate for their match." The baronet said knowing not to fret over gossip coming from the gambling pit.

It wasn't uncommon for people to place bids on the contesters in the tournament. They knew it was unlawful, but whose to enforce the law when the officials also placed bids themselves. Some people go as far as placing in one of their knights into the tournament in order to secure biddings. Aware of this happening, the Grand Master Knight sternly warned the cheaters in his speech. If anyone dared to cheat, then it would be at the cost of his life.