The Summer Vacation
Chapter 36
Written by rachel76m
Edited by Don Kaufman

We wake up in the morning to get ready for my big test in the arena. I put on all of the armor pieces this time. It is time to put on the game face and concentrate. I’m curious how they will schedule it if a person enters in different categories. I put my satchel on my shoulder as before.

Once we see that we are dressed and ready for the day, we walk down to the main dining room. We see more of the guests arriving behind us. We take the same seats as last night. Once everyone has gathered together, King Tierion stands up to make an announcement.

“Richard has signed up for some events in the arena. We hope he does well. This will be a test for him to see if his lessons have paid off. We wish him success as he competes with our knights and warriors. Wizard Renard, please give the morning thanks.”

Renard stands up, “Thank you, my King. Maker, we just thank you for this time of rejoicing and competition. We get to see our knights and warriors compete against each other. We hope and pray they don’t get hurt, except for lack of strength and some pride. We realize there is always someone better than the next person. We thank you for this food. May it give us the strength we need today, Thank you, Maker.”

Everyone responds, “Thank you, Maker.”

The servers come out and deliver the plates to us. We see it is a little bit different each day. Sometimes they have the grill flavor or a different set of spices with different vegetables, fruits and meat. Amber and Cobalt have their fill of nuts and fruits to keep their energy up until they need some more from my satchel. Everyone enjoys the meal very much. Hopefully, the pace will be right. I’ll probably need a bite from my food bag by midmorning.

We exit the dining room and the inn once we are done. The men walk to the arena to find their seats. Some of the ladies follow them as well. The rest of the ladies do some walking down the avenues where the portable shops are located and see what else is available.

I walk up to the table and receive the schedule and look at it. Sir Halgren looks at it too.

“I’ll keep you straight, Richard. I’m only participating in one event, the sword fighting.”

“Thank you, Sir Halgren.”

“Since you don’t have a sword and shield, there is a selection available along the wall if you need one.”

“I’m used to using just a sword, Sir Halgren. I’ll start out with a shield and see how it goes. I will probably drop it if it hampers my style.”

“Don’t worry about it. Some of the knights will drop the shield as well. It will depend on the situation you find yourself in.”

“Okay.”

I walk into the arena and see areas marked off by rope into large squares. I walk over to my first event of the day, the metal star throwing. There are ten people in the line with forty more contestants waiting their turn. One by one we throw ten stars at a target provided on a table nearby. The distance is about five paces. It appears my aim is quite good compared to others. Our scores get added up, that was the first heat. I walk over to the next contest, the wrist bow darts. Again it’s the same thing. This time, my score is better than average of everyone else.

I find the schedule is set according to the number of people who signed up for each one. There must have been about one hundred people who signed up for the ‘easy ones’ like the wrist bow darts and the metal star throwing.

Sir Halgren directs me to the spear throwing next. I’m in the second group of the first round here. I see we have two throws each at the long distance and the target. I see several methods of throwing styles. Most of them have two or three steps up to the line before throwing it. I will use the one I was taught, the javelin style with maximum arm movement.

I see the chalk lines on the ground with the distances indicated. When it is my turn, I pick up a spear from the rack and carefully find the balance point quickly. I then move my right hand behind it a little bit. I walk up to the line and turn around, I walk away from it with four long steps. I know the armor will hinder me, but everyone is wearing armor to make it even. I get my breathing right and do my three steps quickly, I land on the left foot and swing my right leg and shoulder forward to thrust the spear forward at the angle I need. My right foot lands behind the line. I see the spear fly through the air. I hear gasps from the crowd. The point lands and sticks into the ground. The measuring crew verifies the distance and calls it out.

“The distance is 88.4! This throw is the fifth best of the day!”

Everyone cheers when they hear the distance.

I get some hands to the shoulder from some people around me.

“That is a great technique and your first try with our spear.”

“Thank you. The day is not done yet.”

“Of course, Richard, you have one more throw before we do the targets.”

“Okay, Sir Halgren.”

I take another spear from the rack nearby. I do the same preparation as last time. When I throw the spear, we hear a bunch of cheering in the crowd. When it sticks into the ground, I see it is about a foot further than the first throw. Everyone cheers again.

“That is not bad, Richard. It shows you are consistent. You will be a contender in the later rounds.”

“Yes, Richard. They average the two distances for your score. Now it is time for the target, Richard.”

I stand in line behind the other knights and warriors. I guess the distance from the line to the target is about twenty-five yards. However, the target is very large. It is stacked bales of hay, with colored ropes anchored in the hay. This way there is no guess work if you are in or out of a certain point.

“This is a total point of the two throws, Richard.”

“Okay, Sir Halgren.”

I see the competition in front of me. I see signs above the bales indicating value of the areas. It is 5, 2 and one going out from the center. I see several of the contestants getting ten easily. Most of them are getting seven for a total.

“Don’t worry about it. In the later rounds the distances on the bales get narrower to make it more difficult.”

“I understand, Sir Halgren.”

My first throw at the target hits within the five, but near the rope for a two. I do the same thing with the second throw. It lands on the other side and does the same thing. I manage to get a ten for a score.

“You better improve, Richard. Or you will be out in the next round.”

“It is tougher than it looks. Is there a way to practice before the next round?”

“You won’t be able to, Richard. Most of them practice before this festival started.”

“That makes sense, Sir Halgren. Oh well, I hope the distance throw will make up for it.”

“That’s what most of them hope for, Richard. We’ll have to wait and see what the competition does today. The next contest is the staff fight.”

“Okay.”

We walk over to the area. We see there are only twenty knights and two dwarf warriors doing this one. I get paired up with a knight who is my height and build. Half of the group does the balance beam. The other half is on the ground within a roped square.

I take a staff from the rack nearby. They’re all the same length, diameter and weight. I see them spread out and doing some practice spins. I do the same thing to get used to the feel. We get called up a pair at a time.

I think to myself. Remember Richard, don’t do your best moves now. Everybody is watching what you have.

I see the first two contests before I do my sparring. I see that if you disarm someone of their staff and it lands on the ground, you’re the automatic winner. The other is with the colored red cloud appearing when you hit someone. The first one to ten hits is declared the winner. The top eight winners in points from both contests added move onto the quarter-finals.

I enter the square. Immediately we hear the cheering get louder. We both stay focused on each other while we hear the cheering. We get into position when the referee announces the start of the match.

“Get set . . . go!”

We start going at each other with the standard sparing of hitting the staffs five times each. “Clack! Clack! Clack! Clack! Clack!”

We break apart to get our bearings. The knight comes in with a side swing. I stop his movement with my staff. “Clack!” I then turn my staff and swing over and bring his staff on the other side of him. I take my raised end and hit him on the arm. A red cloud appears then disappears, one point for me. He comes up with his staff and hits my leg. A red cloud appears then disappears, one point for him.

We back away from each other and smile at each other. Everyone cheers when they see the exchange and the results.

“Now, let’s find out who is best, Richard.”

“Let’s find out.”

We go at it again. I get him out of position and do a double hit quickly on his arm and leg. He continues on and tries to get me out of position. He does and hits my arm. However, I’m able to block his hit on my leg. We back away quickly while we try to catch our breath. I’m ahead by one point. The score is three to two. Everyone cheers that I’m ahead.

The knight comes in quickly. I block and return the hits evenly. Then he tries for a move to get me out of position. He quickly gets two hits on me. Now it is four to three, his favor.

I back away to catch my breath. Then I come in quickly once he gets one breath and catch him off guard. I come in with a flurry of hits. He blocks them all. I do a maneuver to get him off his feet. It exposes me, which I hope he goes for. He jumps up to avoid being hit in the leg. I bring my staff to a defensive position quickly. I block his first hit on my right side. Perfect.

I turn his staff around like I did the first time. This time I do a quick three hits in a row. Now I’m ahead six to four. We break apart to catch our breath. Everyone cheers out loud after that flurry.

“You’re good, Richard.”

“So are you.”

He comes in quickly to gain the advantage back. He gets two hits on me to tie it up.

This is it, Richard. I must do a flurry to end this or disarm him.

We go at it again. We hit each other on the arms quickly two times in a row. We back away to figure out the last move. Everyone cheers that they are seeing a great fight.

We come in again, and we hit our staffs together looking for an advantage. Then I see the opening. We continue the sparring, then I slip my staff between his hands, I lift it up and force the staff out of his hands, it falls to the ground out of his reach. Automatic ten points. Everyone cheers to the outcome. We look at each other while we catch our breath.

“That was good, Richard.”

“Thank you. I couldn’t wait for a hit.”

“I was doing the same thing, Richard. You reacted first before I did.”

We step out of the rope area. We go to a nearby table to get a quick drink of cold water. We get in line for the balance beam part of the contest. This time I’m paired up with a different knight.

We approach the end of the beam. The top of the beam is about 2 feet above ground and two feet wide. The beam length is about twenty feet long.

“There is only one rule here. Get your opponent’s feet off the beam and onto the ground. It is a simple win of five points that gets added to your score. If your staff end touches the ground for you to gain your balance, you lose. Therefore, the staff end must be on the beam.”

We shout together, “Yes, Sir.”

We step up on the ends of the beam. We get into our starting positions.

“Have you done this before, Richard?”

“I have, Sir.”

“Good, let’s find out who is better.”

“Get set . . . go!”

We get closer. I lead with my left foot this time. He does the same thing. We do the simple exchange of hits to feel each other out. After hitting the staffs five times, we back up to get our bearings. We come in close again like before. Then all of a sudden he switches his feet. He is hoping for an advantage. I must stand my ground. He then comes with a low swing to get me off my feet. I jump up quickly and land on the beam. I then do the same to him when he is out of position. He tries to jump up and miss my swing. When he comes down, his right foot just catches the edge of the beam and falls to the ground. I’m the winner. I jump down to the ground and help him up.

“That was good, Richard. You stood your ground.”

“Thank you. Have a good day with the other contests.”

“You too, Richard. Watch out for the final eight. Some of the knights and dwarf warriors are very good.”

“So I have been told.”

Once the staff combat is over with, the top eight are chosen. There are six knights and two dwarf warriors in the final eight. I’m included in the group. We are given a break until after the noon repast.

“Richard, there are only sixteen contestants for the sword fight. We’ll have the first two rounds in the afternoon after the quarter-finals for the staff combat.”

“Okay, I see it is time to do the next two rounds in metal star throwing and the wrist bow darts.”

“Yes, Richard.”

I walk over to the wrist bow darts for the second round. After the second round, the top 32 move onto the next round. This is the same for the metal star throwing.

I see the targets have changed and are further from the line for both contests. I make sure my aim is very good in both contests. I hit the bulls-eye three times. The rest are in the second ring. I do the same with the metal star throwing.

“That’s good Richard. You should be in the later rounds. It will be tougher again later. The next time the targets will be in half with the same distance.”

“Okay.” I walk over to the spear throwing. I find out I’m in the final sixteen out of fifty who entered for the spear throw.

There are five people in front of me before I’m up. I see some of them being inconsistent. I can see the disappointment in their faces when the average is 10 points less than their maximum distance.

I swing my right arm in a circle a few times to keep it limber. When it comes to my turn, the crowd cheers again. I take the spear and get ready for my throw. I get into position. I breathe in and out to get into rhythm. I take the three steps and heave the spear into the air. The crowd cheers as it sails through the air. It lands and sticks into the ground.

The measuring crew measure the distance and yell it out loud. “The distance is 88.5!”

The crowd cheers when they hear it.

I take another spear to do another throw. The crowd cheers again when it is sailing through the air. It lands and sticks into the ground.

The measuring crew measure the distance and yell it out loud. “The distance is 89.8!”

The crowd cheers again when they hear it.

“Whew! Yes! A good average!”

“That’s right, Richard!”

“Excellent, well done!” Yell some, knights and dwarf warriors.

“You will be tough to beat!”

“But there is still the target practice.”

I walk up to the target practice. I see the ropes have narrowed some. My effort this time must be more accurate now to move onto the next round.

When it comes to my turn, I grab a spear and put my hand behind the balance point. I stare at the target. Think of the arc, Richard. You saw it the last time you threw it. A little higher and to the left a bit. That’s it. I see it now.

I take my three steps and throw the spear. It lands just within the bulls-eye. Five points. Everyone cheers. I take another spear and get ready. The first spear is taken out of the bales of hay.

I talk to myself again. That’s good Richard. One more just like that.

Everyone gets quiet. I take my steps and throw the spear. “Arrggh!” Everyone cheers as the spear flies through the air. The spear just lands within the bulls-eye again. Everyone cheers louder.

I get a lot of hands to the shoulders.

“Well done, Richard!”

“That was great!”

“Thank you.”

I step over the table where there the mugs of water are kept. I pick up a mug and drink it all slowly.

“It’s time to finish the metal star throwing and the wrist bow darts.”

“Okay, Sir Halgren.”

I walk over to the areas. I find out I’m in the top 32 in both contests. Now it is time for the difficult shots to determine the top eight of the groups. When this is done, it is time for the noon repast.

I see the targets are now cut in half and at the same distance. We each take our turns at the line. I take aim with my wrist bows. I hit the bulls-eye six times and four in the next ring. I walk over to the metal star throwing contest. I look at the targets to get my mind in the right frame mind set. I throw the stars one by one. I hit the bulls-eye six times and the second ring four times. Everyone cheers that I did well.

When I get done with both rounds, I find myself in the top sixteen of both groups. The next time we do this, the targets get partially blocked. This is just like we did in preparation for the battle on the star ship.

We step up to the line again. I see some of the knights and dwarf warriors miss the target. When it comes to my turn, I think of the obstacle course that Sir Halgren and I did together. All of my darts hit the targets. Five are bulls-eye and five are in the second ring. I get the same results with the metal star throwing.

I breathe easily and turn around. I get a big grin from Sir Halgren. I hear the crowd cheering me on.

“Am I in the final eight in both of these contests?”

“You are, Richard. You stayed consistent. Were you thinking of the obstacle course we did?”

“I was, Sir Halgren.”

“I thought so.”

“Come, it is time for the noon repast and some rest.”

“That sounds very good to me.”

We all walk up to the royal seating area. The winners all give a quick bow to the King and the Lords and Ladies. I see that three dwarf dragons, two knights and a dwarf warrior were able to win their contests so far. We then turn and leave the arena. Some people come up to me and congratulate on my skill so far. I tell them the real tests begin this afternoon.

We make our way back to the inn. I stop by our camp and meet Swiftwind and Thunder.

Hello, Swiftwind.

Hello, Richard. I hear a lot of cheering for you. Did you do well in the contests?

I did, Swiftwind. I made it through all of the rounds this morning. I will be in them this afternoon. The competition will be tougher this time. The sword fight will be the last event of the day. Tomorrow will be the final if I make it then.

We make sure their booth is filled with food and water.

Thank you, Richard.

You’re welcome, Swiftwind and Thunder.

Have the squires let you have a romp here to get some exercise?

They have, Richard.

That’s good. Have a good night’s rest. I’ll see you tomorrow.

See you tomorrow, Richard.

Sir Halgren and I continue walking back to the inn. Amber and Cobalt are sitting on my shoulders humming a merry tune to help lift my spirit up.

When we get inside, we see everyone gathering in the dining room. We take our same seats as before. Soon we are gathered together. King Tierion stands up. “Well I’m glad to say our soldiers have performed well. This afternoon will narrow it down to the top four in each group. It looks like we’ll have close scores for overall fiefdom awards.”

Everyone claps their hands. King Tierion looks to Renard and nods his head. Renard stands up again and gives the thanks to the Maker.

We are delivered a great noon repast. It helped us regain our strength. When we get done, we leave the inn and walk back to the arena. It is time to find out who the final four in each group will be. The fifth highest in each contest automatically receives a ribbon.

I find out the first round of the staff combat is first up for me. We get into position on the beam. We both lead forward with our left foot. We come in closer to each other. My opponent immediately goes for a low swing. I jump up quickly, I find I have to put my staff end on the beam to help keep my balance when I land. I duck quickly when we come back with another side swing toward my chest. I immediately swing my staff around to get him to jump up. He jumps up just as quick. But while I’m still squatting down, I insert my staff between legs while he tries to recover. I move the staff and push his right leg off the beam. He loses his balance and falls off the beam. We hear a lot of people cheering when I win that part.

I jump off the beam and help him up. I extend a hand, he grabs it. I pull him up for him to stand on his feet, “Are you all right, Sir?”

“I’m fine, Richard. You proved you have a good sense of balance. I was trying to find your weak point and exploit it.”

“Good luck in the next part, sir.”

“Thank you, Richard. The same to you.”

We get in line for the ground combat part. I get paired up with a different knight.

We get into our positions. We start battling once we are given the word. We hit our staffs like before, feeling each other out. Soon he gets me out of position. He goes for a hit on my back side. I take my staff and move it so that I can block that backside hit without turning my body. We struggle against each other with our strength. I reposition my body so I can swing my staff around in a large arc and pin his staff end to the ground.

The crowd cheers when they see that defensive maneuver and turn it into an offensive move. I quickly hit my other end of the staff and hit him on the arm and leg quickly. Everyone cheers that I’m ahead two to zero. He backs off to get himself ready for the next parry.

“That was good, Richard. I didn’t expect that block.”

“Thank you, Sir. That was good effort to get me out of position.”

“Thank you, Richard.”

We smile at each other as we come in closer again for another parry. We do the usual hits again. This time I try to get him out position. He soon blocks my effort. He comes in quick and hits me two times to tie it up.

We back away from each other to think about the next move. He comes in again. I defend his hits quickly, but then he gets the staff out of my hands and flies through the air. “No!” I yell.

The crowd ‘gasps’ when they see it fly in the air. I jump after the staff before it hits the ground. The knight is amazed that I’m going after it. I grab the staff as I kneel down and swing the staff around and hit both of his legs. He falls to the ground. “Ooof!”

Everyone cheers when they see they result. Now I’m ahead four to two.

We get up to plan the next set of moves.

“That was unexpected Richard. If the staff had hit the ground, I would have won.”

“I know, sir knight.”

We stare at each other while we smile. Everyone cheers us on. We come in closer for another parry. This time we are even. We hit each other three times in a row. The score is seven to five.

We break apart to catch our breath. We come in for another parry. We hit each other two times. Now the score is nine to seven, my favor. The crowd is cheering that I’m about to win again.

I can’t let this happen. I must get that staff out of Richard’s hands. If I do, I must prevent him or hit him from going after it.

We get close again. The crowd cheers again. We do another exchange of the parries. Soon, he has the staff out of my hands again. This time it is up in the air and behind him. I have seconds to go after it. As soon as I decided to go after it. He comes in for a swing to hit my legs. The crowd ‘gasps’ when they see the hit coming. Some of the royalty members stand up about to shout a ‘stop’ to the fight. I dive forward and over his staff. I roll forward and catch my staff before it hits the ground. I swing it around behind me and hit his left side.

The crowd cheers wildly. The royalty members smile as they sit down to catch their breath. Everyone else tries to catch their breath as well when I snagged the imminent defeat and potential injury and turned it into a win.

We turn around and face each other. We nod our heads together and smile to each other. We then leave the squared rope ring.

Amber and Cobalt fly around above me as some of the knights congratulate me. I see four of them have thoughtful faces and talking to each other quietly away from us. Amber and Cobalt are very happy that I won.

“You are now in the final eight, Richard. You are making last year’s champions very nervous now.”

“I’m thankful to make it this far. But, I’m not looking toward tomorrow, Sir Halgren. I have one more to do today.”

“Yes you do, Richard.”

Now it is just four matches left. I’m in the third match. I watch the competition in front of me. I see the winners are very good. But first, I must do the beam contest before I do the ground contest.

The knight that comes up on the beam is like Sir Cargan from Evenshard Kingdom.

I get into position on the beam, so does the other knight. We take a few spins of the staff in front of us. He leads with his right foot. I lead with my right foot. We get closer and closer. Soon we start hitting our staffs. He comes in with a low hit. This time I get my staff end down quickly to block it, but my staff end is just below the top of the beam. The staff rattles in my hands. This guy is strong. It is a good thing I used the beam to help me.

The knight sees it. “Huh? That’s clever, Richard.”

“Now I know how strong you are, sir.”

We back up to get ready for the next parry.

“It will be strength against finesse.”

“We will see who wins, sir.”

We smile at each other. The crowd wonders what will happen next. Some say I will win, others say I will lose. The crowd cheers again as we get closer to each other.

My only hope is to use his weight against him.

I try to match him strength for strength. Our staffs hit four times before we back away again.

Wait a second Richard. I’m the Omega Unicorn. I have the strength of twelve unicorns. Should I use them all? No, I need to keep it fair

We come in close again. This time he swings for my legs. I jump up to miss the swing. I have to use my staff to keep my balance when I come down. He comes in high. I duck underneath the swing. I bring my staff around and aim for just below his knees. This causes him to jump up higher than he expected. I stay in a crouched position. As soon as he lands the left foot on the beam. I insert my staff between his legs and push his right leg to the right. He loses his balance and falls off the beam. He quickly steps off the beam and lands on his feet and almost falls down. I jump down to the ground to help him back up.

He smiles at me. I smile back at him

“Good luck on the ground fight, sir knight.”

“The same to you, Richard.”

The crowd cheers wildly again.

I get in line and wait for the ground portion of the staff fight. Sir Halgren whispers to me.

“Be careful, Richard. This one is just as strong as your last opponent.”

“Okay, Sir Halgren.”

We come into the squared rope. Once we hear the command, we step forward and get closer together.

“I came in third last year, Richard. I’ve seen your moves. I’ll have to be careful with you.”

“I have seen yours as well, sir knight.”

We come in quickly. Our staffs hit five times really quick. We back away to catch our breath.

We come in close again. This times he comes with a swing from his left side. I do a midair gymnastic cart wheel over the staff. While I’m upside down, I hit him on the side with my staff.

He yells, “No!”

He continues to swing around full circle hoping to hit me. I block his hit with my staff in front of me when I land. I take my staff and swing it vertical to pin his end of the staff down. I then hit him on the arm and leg quickly. I back away from him.

I’m ahead three to zero. Everyone cheers wildly.

Everyone sees him getting mad, but he tries to calm down. He gets encouragement from the other knights nearby.

“Don’t let him rattle you, Sir Trayson.”

“You can even it up.”

We face each other again. I can see the determination on his face. We come in close again. Our staffs hit four times in a row. Then he uses his strength to pin my staff end down. He smiles as he gets the advantage. Once the staffs are horizontal, I slide my staff in quickly, he moves his feet and body back to avoid the hit. He is now off balance and falls to the ground. I tap him on the back side while he is in the air falling down.

The score is now four to zero. This time there is laughter heard among the cheers.

He gets up very mad as he stands up. “Arrggh! That is humiliating!”

Then the referee shouts out loud. “It’s a fair move and hit, Sir Trayson.”

“I know it is. I have used it myself!”

I give a quick look to Sir Halgren. We smile at each other quickly. He nods his head up and down. I blink both of my eyes two times quickly.

His friends try to signal to him to calm down. He tries to when he sees their hand gestures.

“That’s it, Richard! Grrr . . . !”

I’ve got you now, Sir Trayson.

He comes in very fast and strong this time. I block all of his hits as I get pushed backed. When he comes in for an over head smash, I duck and roll away quickly.

“No!” He yells.

He continues the downward swing and loses his balance. I hit him on the back and both legs quickly.

Now the score is seven to zero. His friends try to look, but they can’t. They know he lost all self-control this time.

The knight regains his composure, while everyone in the arena is laughing and cheering.

He turns around slowly and tries to remain calm. He looks at me carefully and ponders his next move. Why should I try? I must get at least one point before I lose this match.

We come in close again. He comes in with a flurry of strikes. I block them all successfully. We back away to regain our breath.

I talk to myself again. Come on, Richard. It is time to end this. He has come unglued.

We come in again. This time in the midst of the flurry of hits, we hit each other quickly. However, he gets one hit to my three hits. We back away.

The crowd cheers wildly for the outcome. We are both panting hard. We look at each other and nod our heads at the same time. We leave the squared rope ring.

I walk to Sir Halgren. “I need a good break after that one.”

“I know you do, Richard. When you get done with the metal stars and the wrist bows, we are having a full half-mark rest before the sword fight.”

“I like the sound of that.”

I walk over to the water table. I grab a mug of cold water and drink it quickly. I walk over to the roped area for the metal star throwing and the wrist bows. However, there is only one setup for both events. I see they have added real obstacles near the targets. You can see only half of the targets exposed to hit. There are also four barrels put out near the line. The barrels are two stacked to make it about ten feet tall. However, the targets are directly behind it on a wall about twenty-five feet away.

I get a whisper from Sir Halgren. “There will be walls for the final four.”

“This is just like in practice when I arrived here.”

“That’s right, Richard.”

We smile at each other.

The referee steps up to explain the situation. “As you can see, we added a problem solver here. Even though six targets have direct line of sight, the barrels are making it more difficult. The top four scores move onto tomorrow’s semis and finals. You must hit these targets behind the barrels, two times each. It is your choice how you do it. We’ll have the wrist bow darts up first.”

We get in a line of eight. I look down and try to block out all sounds. I imagine a snowball fight or a pine cone fight. I remember the intensity of it.

Sir Halgren has a smile on his face when he sees my tactic.

~~~000~~~

Meanwhile in the stands, people are wondering what I’m doing before I’m up.

“What is Richard up to, Telgon?”

“I think Richard is putting himself in a fight situation, Durlond. I heard from Sir Trenton that he is more accurate when he does this.”

“I hope so. Our bets have been riding very well now.”

~~~000~~~

Sir Trenton, Sir Valmar and the other knights from Thryson Kingdom are smiling when they see my determination.

“The crowd is going to go crazy if he hits all bulls-eyes, Sir Trenton.”

“I know, Sir Valmar. We are picking up some nice spending money from the Castle Commanders if he makes it all the way.”

~~~000~~~

I don’t pay attention to the cheers from the others in front of me. Soon I hear my name is called once the darts are removed from the targets.

“Richard Moore, Outside Helper for Thryson Kingdom!”

Everyone cheers me on. I block out their cheers. I raise my head and aim my wrist bow darts at the first two targets. I release the darts, I pinwheel the targets. I load up the wrist bows again. I pinwheel the next two targets. I do it again for the next two targets. Everyone cheers when they see the results. I then get down on the ground and sit between the barrels. Everybody wonders what I’m up to. They have never seen this from the other knights.

I load up the wrist bows, I turn my wrists forty-five degrees and cross the angles. My right wrist bow is aiming at the left target, and my left wrist bow is aiming at the right target.

~~~000~~~

Everyone sees what I’m about to do now. They hold their breath. The Thryson knights are smiling knowing what the outcome will be.

~~~000~~~

I release the darts. The darts cross paths and hit the opposite targets at the same time. I pinwheel the targets dead center.

~~~000~~~

Everyone cheers when they see that.

~~~000~~~

The knights that are on the ground watching me, can’t believe what they are seeing, except for Sir Halgren. Amber and Cobalt are cheering wildly in the air.

~~~000~~~

I load up the darts again on the wrist bows. I take aim and release the darts. I pinwheel the targets again.

~~~000~~~

Everyone cheers wildly.

~~~000~~~

I lean back and lie out on my back to release the intensity. I see Sir Halgren over me with a hand reached down to me. We smile at each other. I take it and he helps me up. We give each other a quick hug and break apart.

Some knights come up to me and congratulate me.

“That was very good, Richard.”

“You have a very good aim.”

“Thank you very much.”

“Good luck tomorrow, you’ll need it.”

We soon find out who are in the top four. There are one knight, two dwarf warriors and I moving on to tomorrow’s competition.

~~~000~~~

Soon I get back in line for the metal star throwing. The top four move onto tomorrow.

This time I’m sixth in line. I do the same tactic to get my mind in a snowball or pine cone fight again.

I don’t pay attention to the cheers at all. It comes to my turn again. I have two stars in my hands. Once my name is stated again, I look up and see the targets. I throw the star in the right-hand first back handed, and it hits the second ring. I throw the star in the left hand, and it hits the second ring. I grab two more stars for the next set of targets. I do the same thing. This time I hit both bulls-eyes. I do it again on the next target.

When it comes to the barrels, the people wonder if I will get on the ground to throw them. I don’t do that at all for my first two throws. Most of the knights stand where they want to be then they throw the stars at the targets at an angle.

~~~000~~~

Sir Trenton and Sir Valmar are talking to each other quietly.

“Come on Richard, you can do it.”

“Remember what you did the last time in practice.”

~~~000~~~

I run up to the barrels. I use an overhand throw on the metal star. It spins through the air and hits the target dead center. I get behind the other barrel and aim for the opposite target. I throw it overhand. I hit the target on line between the bulls-eye and the second ring.

I then sit on the ground.

~~~000~~~

Everyone wonders how I”m going to get a metal star to the targets from there.

~~~000~~~

I get behind the right barrel stack. I peek around the right side. I side arm the throw to the target behind it. It hits the center of the target.

The knights can’t believe I did it like that.

~~~000~~~

All of the knights and Royalty members of Thryson are cheering me on. So, do most of the crowd.

“Come on, Richard! One more center hit!”

~~~000~~~

I stay in concentration mode. I know I can’t throw it with my left hand around the left barrel stack. I must use my right hand and cross two barrels.

I stay sitting on the ground and move further right of the right barrel until I’m clear for a throw and still behind the line. Everyone sees what I’m about to do. They get quiet when I’m about to throw it.

Once I’m sure of the angle of the throw, I do a side arm throw. The star spins and hits the edge of the center circle and the second ring. I lie on the ground again exhausted. Sir Halgren helps me up again. Everyone gets quiet to hear the results from the referees.

The referees walk in close to determine the actual score on the targets. They shout out the results. “Three stars are in the center. The fourth one is in the second ring.”

Everyone cheers out loud for the results. After the last two dwarf warriors went, I am among the top four. There are two knights, a dwarf warrior and myself for tomorrow’s competition.

We finally get our midday break. I pick up my satchel and put it on my shoulder. Sir Halgren directs me to a tent on the grounds. I walk inside and see the knights and the two dwarf warriors who are participating in the sword fight. I see we are sitting apart from each other and into their own thoughts. Sir Halgren and I sit on a bench with a table. I put my satchel on top of it. I take out the food bags and put them on the table. Amber and Cobalt immediately open it and take out what they want to eat. I see a squire come up to us and put two mugs of fruit juice on the table for us and pitcher. Another squire comes and puts some bowls of cut up pieces of fruit as well.

“Thank you, squires. I definitely need it to regain my strength.”

“You’re welcome, Richard.”

All four of us eat and drink in silence for a quarter-mark. Then Sir Halgren speaks up.

“If you make it to the final four, count yourself fortunate. There are some very good swordsmen here in Thryson Kingdom. There are even better ones at the Regional Festival.”

“Then I’ll be glad to earn a ribbon for fifth or fourth.”

“That’s right, Richard. I think you have a better chance to be first in the other contests. The previous champions have never seen your tactics that you have done here. You took them by surprise.”

“I do have a few more moves for the staff fight that I haven’t shown yet.”

“Save it until you really need it for a win. Especially if you make it to the finals.”

“Okay, Sir Halgren.”

We continue to eat and drink the food provided to us until we hear the call to assemble on the field. The crowd cheers as we come out of the tents. We walk over to the racks where the shields and swords are located. I see the swords are all the same. However, there are different types of shields. Most of the knights are picking the shield they like the most. Soon, I’m left with six to choose from. I pick each one and look behind it. They all have a strap and handle behind it. Some of the shapes are round, long oval, square, rectangles and the standard single point on the bottom with two points on top. I try to remember the shield I used in my sword defense class that I earned that is part of the third degree for the purple belt.

I pick up the long oval shield. I put it on my left arm and grasp the handle. I pick up the wooden sword next. I get away from the others and do some practice swings to get used to it. Yes, it has the same weight as a real sword. Hopefully this wood is strong enough to withstand the hits.

We see there are eight rings set up. I walk over to the designated ring for my pairing. I push the button on my helmet to protect my face. I leave the visor up to see clearly. Amber and Cobalt sit on my shoulders until it is time to fight.

“Good luck, Richard. We hope you win your two matches today.”

“We will see, Cobalt and Amber.”

Amber and Cobalt fly off of me when I enter the roped square arena. I see a similar sized knight in front of me. Then we hear the rules from the referee in our ring.

“This will be ten hits only to the body. If you drop the sword, you can go and pick it up and continue with the fight. The colored red cloud will appear if a hit from the sword touches the body. Keep yourselves under control at all times. We know the heat or the fury of the fight will happen. We’ll be watching to make sure no one gets injured. Do you understand this?”

“Yes Sir!” We shout at the same time.

We walk around each other spinning our swords in our hands. We come in closer each time. Soon we are battling. We use our shields to block our hits. After an exchange of five hits on the shields each and trying to find a weak spot, we back away to regroup.

The knight looks at me and smiles. “This not working out, Richard. How about we lose the shields and go sword to sword? Are you game?”

I smile back at him. “Why not? It will make it more interesting.”

“It sure would.”

We toss our shields out of the squared rope ring. The crowd cheers that they will see a bigger change in tactics this time.

We walk in circles and get closer to each other. Soon we are within striking distance. We bring our swords together forming an ‘X’ pattern hit. We push against each other to test our strength. We push each other away at the same time. Just when I step back, he comes in with a slice hit to my left side. I turn left a bit and get my sword into position to block it, my blade is pointing upward. We struggle strength to strength again.

I then push his sword tip down to the ground. I swing up to touch my sword to his arm quickly. He hits my lower leg just as quick. The hits produce two red clouds of smoke. We are tied, one to one. We back away to catch our breath.

We smile at each other while we get closer again. Our swords meet again like before. He then swings his sword in a circular arc. He succeeds in getting my sword out of my hand. It flies to a corner of the ring. I run after it to pick it up. He is right behind me hoping to hit me on the back side. I’m not going to make it.

I fall to the ground and get my feet between his legs. I trip him to the ground.

“What?! Ooof . . . !” He lands on the ground.

I then reach for my sword and get up and around quickly. I hit both of his legs quickly before he gets up. I back away quickly and let him up.

The crowd cheers when they see I’m ahead three to one now.

“That was good Richard. I like the tactic.”

“You’re welcome, sir knight. Are you ready for another parry?”

“Of course, Richard.”

~~~000~~~

“Richard is combining his martial art training with the sword, Sir Trenton.”

“Yes he is, Sir Leland.”

“I’m glad they tossed shields aside.”

“So am I, Sir Valmar.”

~~~000~~~

We keep at it again. Soon, he is ahead four to three. We break away again to catch our breath. We come in again and swords meet. This time I initiate the arc swing. I force his sword point into the ground as deep as possible. I come up and touch his arms one time each. I back away and let him take his sword out of the ground. The score is five to four in my favor.

“Hah, hah, I love it, Richard.’

“I thought you would.” I smile at him.

We come in again. This time we do a quick parry. He quickly gets both of my arms. The score is now six to five his favor.

Everyone is cheering loudly for their favorite fighters.

We come in again and our swords clash. I do a maneuver to get him out of position. He quickly recovers that we both have our swords pointing at each other’s chest. We touch the chests and back away again. The score is seven to six his favor.

I have to do a quick succession of hits this time. Come on Richard. Think of a tactic. Yeah . . . that’s it.

We come in close again. This time I take the aggressive stance and push him back with each hit. I quickly turn my body and do a half-circle swing. He blocks the hit. I slice downward and touch his leg. He sees the opening I created. He comes for a hit. I get under his arm and grab it. I throw him over my back and he lands on his back.

“What!? Ooof . . .”

The crowd cheers wildly.

I quickly hit his body two more times. He blocks my third attempt and rolls away quickly and gets up to face me again.

A lot of people groan that I didn’t get the third hit.

“Pant . . . pant . . . You almost had me, Richard.”

“I know. Now the score is in my favor, nine to seven.”

“This will be close, Richard. We have fought very well.”

“Yes we have, sir knight.”

We circle each other again while we catch our breath. Once we are within reach, our swords clash again. Our swords are locked now. We struggle to gain the advantage. We are each trying to pin the other’s sword to the ground. He quickly pushes away and comes back at me quickly. He hits my arms. Now we are tied, nine to nine.

Everyone cheers again. They know it can go both ways now. We circle again to do it for the last time. Soon our swords clash again. I quickly do the arc swing again to pin his sword to the ground. Just before I get there, I quickly come up and touch his arm.

The crowd cheers wildly that I win.

We look at each other smiling.

“I had a tactic if you pinned me again, Richard. You took me off guard by not going all the way.”

“Thank you, sir knight. Good luck next year. I probably won’t be here.”

We approach each other and put hands to our shoulders.

“That’s okay. It just shows I need to prepare myself better.”

We step out of the ring. We see that everyone is almost done, except for two matches. I see Sir Halgren won his match. I walk over the water table and get a quick drink of water.

Amber and Cobalt land on my shoulders. “That was great, Richard, you won.”

“Now you need to win one more for tomorrow.”

“We will see, Amber and Cobalt. How long was your fight, Sir Halgren?”

“I ended the fight quickly, Richard. He was no match for me. This was his first tournament setting.”

“I see. Let’s watch the last two matches.”

“My thoughts exactly, Richard.”

All three of us walk over to the matches while I was still drinking the mug of cold water.

We see the competition is very good. It doesn’t take long for the two matches to end. Now we are down to eight contestants. We are given a break of one-quarter mark before we start the quarter finals. I find out that both dwarf warriors were eliminated in the first round. The pairings are announced. The knight who is opposing me, walks up to me and stares at me. I stare back at him.

“Do we just use swords, Richard?”

“I did in the first round, sir knight.”

“That’s good, Richard. Shields will only slow us down.”

“I agree, sir knight.”

“See you in the ring, Richard.” He turns around and walks back to get his mug of cold water.

Sir Halgren steps to my side. “He came in fourth place last year, Richard.”

“How is third through fifth place determined, Sir Halgren?”

“Your number of hits before you lose the match.”

“Thank you for telling me, Sir Halgren. Amber and Cobalt, I need you to do me a favor and send a message.”

“What is it, Richard? Who are we talk to?”

“Tell Sir Trenton and Telgon this message. This is the time not to bet everything on me. Keep a reserve if I make the final four. If I make it, then I will go for points to place third at least.”

“That’s a good tactic, Richard.”

“Thank you, Sir Halgren.”

“Okay Richard.” Amber and Cobalt take off from my shoulders. Cobalt flies to Sir Trenton. Amber flies to Telgon. They whisper my plans into their ears. They nod their heads up and down in agreement.

Soon we hear the call for the last round today. I walk into the ring with just my sword, so does the other knight. Once everyone has stepped into the ring. We hear the call to begin the fight.

“Get set . . . go!”

We circle each other to feel each other out. Our swords clash to test our strength. We then push ourselves apart.

“How far did you go in your round, Richard?”

“I won, ten to nine.”

“So did I, Richard.”

“That means we are fighting what we have left over from that fight.”

“That’s right, Richard. This fight will now be a test of endurance.”

“Yes it will be, sir knight.”

We continue circling and getting closer to each other.

The crowd cheers for another great fight.

Once we are within range, our swords clash. Soon we are exchanging hits on our arms and body. We break apart to catch our breath. Our arms are now hanging down from exhaustion. We hear the score from the referee.

“The score is four to four.”

“We are tired, Richard. Pant . . . pant . . . pant . . .”

“That we are, sir knight. Pant . . . pant . . . pant . . . we didn’t block quickly enough.”

~~~000~~~

“That’s a good idea from Richard, Sir Trenton.”

“Yes it is Sir Valmar. However, it is too late to change the bet for this round. Let’s hope Richard wins this round. Then we can adjust it for tomorrow once we know who are in the final four.”

“Okay, Sir Trenton.”

~~~000~~~

“Why is Richard counting himself short, Telgon?”

“Look at him right now, Durlond. Both fighters are exhausted now. They both went the maximum distance in points in the previous round. They both won ten to nine.”

“I see, let’s hope Richard wins this round. We can do a different bet tomorrow for different possibilities. Besides, Sir Halgren is very good. He could win the matches tomorrow.”

“Yes he can, Durlond. It will be a rare feat to have them claim first and third places tomorrow.”

“That’s right, Telgon.”

~~~000~~~

We get closer again. We bring our swords up in front of us. Once we are within striking distance, we start clashing again. Once we feel exhausted again. We break apart to catch our breath.

“The score is now eight to eight!”

We nod our heads to continue on. We circle each other again. We trade blows again. Once we have hit each other two more times, we back away. Everyone gets quiet to hear the score.

“We need to replay the crystal recording to determine who had the tenth hit!”

We walk over to the water table to get another drink of water.

“I don’t care who wins, Richard.”

“Same here, sir knight. We gave it our best.”

The referee comes into the ring to announce the winner. “The winner is Richard Moore!”

Everyone cheers and yells with great joy.

The referee puts up his hands to quiet the arena down.

“Richard won the tenth hit by the slimmest of margins. He hit his opponent just before the knight returned his hit.”

The referee takes the crystal and replays the fight really slow. He enlarges the image for all to see. They see Richard hit his opponent’s arm, then it glows a red cloud just before he got hit and the red cloud appears on his arm.

Everyone cheers again.

“Good luck tomorrow, Richard.”

“Thank you, sir knight.”

I walk over to the racks where the swords and shields are kept. I dropped the sword off there. I see the shield I used has been returned already. I walk over to the ring where Sir Halgren is battling his opponent. Soon, Sir Halgren wins his match.

Everyone cheers that Thryson Kingdom has a King’s knight and the Outside Helper in the final four. The other two are knights who came in first and second last year.

I grab a mug of water and hand it to Sir Halgren.

“Thank you, Richard.”

“You’re welcome, Sir Halgren.”

Amber and Cobalt fly over and sit on my shoulders after I put on my satchel.

Everyone starts to exit from the arena. As we get the near the ground exit, Sir Trenton and the rest of the King’s Knights and Dwarf Warriors congratulate us for being in the final four.

“I got your message, Richard. That is a good strategy for tomorrow.”

“I also had Telgon know as well, Sir Trenton.”

“That’s good. The real concern will be the staff fight. That will be the toughest for you to win.”

“I still have some moves I haven’t shown yet.”

“Save them until you need it for the last match. You need to catch them off guard again.”

“Okay Sir Trenton. I’m ready for a good soaking in a tub or have a rub down.”

“See our healers for the rub down, Richard.”

“I need it too, Sir Trenton.”

“You both have a full mark until the evening repast.”

“Thank you, Sir Trenton.”

We walk to our campsite and fine the healer’s tent. We walk inside, and they see our tired faces and bodies.

“Take off your armor. It will be easier.”

We take off our armor with their help. Then we lie on the tables. We are given a good rub down from head to toe. Soon, we feel every muscle is relaxed. We sit up on the tables. They give each of us powdered drink to help the muscles tonight when we go to bed tonight.

“There is no need to pay us. Everybody has donated enough money already. We will make a good profit this week.”

“Thank you. We’ll probably be seeing you tomorrow.”

“Yes you will, especially you Richard, with all of those contests you have entered in.”

We carry our armor back to the inn. We are too tired to put it back on. It feels good with the weight off us. We deposit our armor in the room. We take our clothes off and put them in the drawers. I take out the good set of clothes for the evening repast, so does Sir Halgren. We wash ourselves quickly with the soap, washcloth and the bowl of water.

“We’ll need a proper wash tomorrow, Richard.”

“Yes we will, Sir Halgren.”

We walk down to the dining room. We are given some praise from all of the royalty members, Castle Lords and Ladies present.

Once we sit down and get quiet, the thanks is given to the Maker. The meal is brought out to us like last night. It was a very delicious meal to enjoy. It definitely helps us to regain our strength. Once we get done with the meal, we exit the inn and walk toward the arena. I do another song with the toryli and the group of musicians there in the arena. Everyone has a grand time dancing on the grass and seeing the colorful lights again. Amber, Cobalt and I glow a golden color again. Everyone enjoys seeing the mountains light up like a crown. We see both nebulae and the twin moons in starry night.

We all give thanks and praise for another wonderful day. We walk back to our rooms to get a good night’s sleep.

~~~000~~~

Meanwhile in a tent that is located in a fiefdom’s camp. A plot is being laid for tomorrow.

“Is the staff ready for tomorrow, Sir Whasphel?”

“It is, Sir Claxton. I broke the staff in half. Then I used the reassembled spell on the staff. It will break when you do an overhead smash.”

“That’s great. There is no way he will be able to win the final bout. He will be defenseless and humiliated with two broken pieces. I will be the champion for this week’s staff fight. It will put us in control to win, and the overall points for our fiefdom despite his possible success in the darts and metal stars. The staff fight is worth more points than those two put together.”

“I really doubt he will win the sword fighting contest.”

They both laugh together, “Hah, hah, hah, hah. . . .!”

Then they both go to bed in their tents and dream about the success they will have tomorrow.