Alphabet Soup

Yield

Yield

        Sir Benedict dismounted from his horse once he reached the secluded clearing where the duel would take place. He tethered his noble steed to a nearby tree and fed him an apple from his satchel. As the light brown horse munched on his reward, his rider gave him a gentle pat on the head. They had ridden through fairly rough terrain from dawn until noon to get here; Tempest would surely need a thorough brushing and a long rest tonight.

        Satisfied that his companion could now have a brief respite, Sir Benedict unsheathed his sword and began to polish it. He would give Sir Cedric until the sun began its nightly descent. If he did not arrive by then, Sir Benedict would assume that he had forfeited the duel. This was highly unlikely since Lady Ariana was quite the prize. One did not simply find such an alluring woman every day.

        As he prepared himself for the possibly fatal duel, Sir Benedict reflected over his dear lady’s virtues to give him courage. Her manners left nothing to be desired: she performed all of the duties expected of a proper woman with grace and elegance. Her melodious voice often made songbird stop and listen whenever she spoke. These and other traits made Lady Ariana the most sought after young woman in all of Glanchester; however, it was her aging father’s nearly overflowing coffers that truly attracted the majority of the town’s men to her. 

        The mere thought of such selfish motives sickened Sir Benedict. It was reasonable to expect a lady to perform some duties: cooking, cleaning, raising children. Any special talents that she happened to posses were a bonus. To pursue a lady because of her father’s immense wealth made about as much sense to Sir Benedict as praising a cow for the crops which the farmer produced. The sweet smiles Lady Ariana cast his way made her more desirable than any riches ever could.

        Just as the sun neared the peak of its path, Sir Cedric rode into the clearing on his pitch black stallion. After easing his way out of his leather saddle, Sir Cedric tethered his stunning stead next to Tempest. The two horses whinnied at each other, doubtless beginning a positively enthralling conversation. Sir Cedric appraised his opponent with his penetrating green gaze before addressing him. “Are you sure you want to go through with this?”

        The twenty year old man nodded solemnly without the slightest hint of hesitation. He offered his gloved hand to his adversary. “Shall we duel until the other is unable to continue?”

        “Agreed.” Sir Cedric firmly grasped the outstretched hand and shook it. The two men prepared their swords and entered fighting stances. They would duel for the honor of courting Lady Ariana until one of them either gave in, was knocked unconscious, or perished. 

        Soon, the sounds of metal striking metal filled the clearing. Sir Benedict concentrated on parrying the oncoming slashes, conserving his energy. He only made offensive strikes when Sir Cedric left an opening. He couldn’t quite manage to land any blows, but he kept the other man on his toes. Sir Cedric’s powerful slashes posed quite a threat. It took all of Sir Benedict’s speed and cunning to avoid having his blood spilled like a drizzling of crimson rain on the ground.

        It wasn’t until both men began showing signs of fatigue that the first droplets of blood sprinkled the earth. They were both covered in sweat, forced to slow their strikes to accommodate their aching muscles. Sir Cedric faltered first; he could not block Sir Benedict’s shining blade as it was swung towards him. He could only deflect it, changing its course from his chest to his left arm. The resulting cut tore into his muscle, forcing a wince of pain through his lips.

        Sir Cedric retaliated as soon as he got the chance. By then, he was sporting two new cuts, a long, thin gash on his abdomen and a small would in his side. He sent his weapon crashing down only his opponent, leaving Sir Benedict with a deep wound that gushed blood onto his formerly white tunic when he failed to deflect the blow.

        Gasping for breath and badly wounded, Sir Benedict desperately tried to regain his advantage. He poured the last of his strength into a rapid barrage of strikes. He swung his blade through the air with as much speed as his protesting muscles would allow. He landed a series of blows in quick succession: a cut on the chest, a shallow wound on the abdomen, a nick near the throat when he aimed too high. His strength was failing fast, making it increasingly difficult to strike honorably. 

        At last, Sir Cedric made a decisive move. He feinted towards his opponent’s still bleeding wound only to strike fiercely at his dominant arm instead. Sir Benedict gave a yelp of pain, dropping his weapon as if it had suddenly morphed into a venomous serpent. Within moments, Sir Cedric had pressed his blade up against his adversaries throat.

        The killing blow never came. Sir Benedict stood there with his eyes squeezed tightly shut for what felt like an eternity before the ice cold metal shifted away from his neck. He slowly opened his eyes to behold his opponent sheathing his sword. His own sword was put away soon after. Despite losing the honor of pursuing Lady Ariana, Sir Benedict was satisfied with the outcome of the battle. He had fought well; there was nothing else he could have done. However, it was almost unbelievable that he was still alive.

        “Why didn’t you finish me off?” Sir Benedict inquired curiously. He pressed his hand against his chest wound, applying pressure to it until the stream of blood ceased to flow. This would require medical attention, no doubt.

        Desiring more time to ponder his response, Sir Cedric asked if his former opponent needed help returning to Glanchester. Sir Benedict could not afford to resist the offer of assistance, so the two men agreed to travel home together at a leisurely pace to avoid reopening their wounds. Unable to stall any longer, Sir Cedric responded to the best of his ability. “It did not seem right to smite down someone who fought so nobly. Although Lady Ariana is out of your reach now there are plenty of women who would be most fortunate to be wooed by you.”