by CarrieVS » Wed Feb 26, 2020 4:12 pm
It is Renier who spies the way up at last, a steep stair cut into the cliff so cunningly that it can only be seen from the right angle. They climb cautiously and as silently as they can, half expecting cries of discovery and a hail of missiles from the tower to rain down on their precarious position. But they don't seem to be detected, even as they reach the top and find themselves within a half-circle of wall, partly ancient, largely rebuilt with very recent mortar. The tower, also heavily repaired, stands between them and the gate and they hurry across the small stretch of open ground to stand in its shadow.
Remains of another stretch of wall line the clifftop, some of the fallen stones half choking the stair so that it is even harder to spot from the top than the bottom. That is, doubtless, why the renegades did not rebuild the rear wall, trusting to the cliff for sufficient defence.
The fort is not unguarded, but the guards are few, posted around the main gate, and unwary of an incursion from their rear. The cousins are able to slip inside the tower, unseen. A couple of servants within are easily cowed by the appearance of five strange knights, and subdued without a sound. There is no sign of their knightly masters yet.
When they do return, at first they are in triumphantly high spirits, laughing and joking, laden down with loot and captives. The spoils include all the cousins' squires and horses, along with the Lady Ermeline, and Rashad's brother Sir Ikram. None seem to be harmed, even Ikram: he is not so great a fool as to put up a fight, single-handed, against six knights, any more than he is fool enough to go chasing after will-o-wisps by dark.
Sir Dagobert is with their foes. Silent and glowering, he alone among them is not cheerful. He follows Renaud more like a dog than a knight, but once he has dismounted and for the moment has nothing else to occupy him, he stands cradling the accursed green stone in one hand, staring at it.
The gate guards and the robber knights' squires have the captives in hand, and Renaud orders them to take them into the tower and lock them up, calling loudly for the servants to come and help. He is quite taken aback when the cousins throw open the door and pile out into the bailey with drawn blades in their place.
But he recovers himself quickly. He signals his knights not to attack, though they all draw weapons, and with a humourless laugh bids them welcome to his castle.
"I'm afraid it seems we have you outnumbered." He glances at the bound Ikram. If he was with the rest of them, they'd be six knights apiece. "Well, never let it be said I'm unfair. Pick your champions: one of you can face me, and the other," he smiles, "fights my good friend here." He gestures to Dagobert, who moves to stand beside him, showing no sign of recognition to his cousins. "If the rest of you move, so will my brothers."
Sir Renier steps forward without hesitation. Coenwulf and Adele look at each other, and Adele takes her place as the second champion, opposite their spellbound cousin. And from the rear of the cousins' group, Leufroy walks forward to stand in front of the two knights.
Renaud raises an eyebrow, "You aren't quite the champion I intended to fight. You won't do the rest of them any good by telling them to turn the other cheek, because I certainly don't mean to."
Leufroy nods. "You are men of war. You're going to fight, so let us ask the blessing of St Michael upon it, and make it a true trial of justice. If your cause is right, the Lord will see you victorious."
"Indeed He will. Alright then, Father: say your prayers, and we'll let the one duel stand for all." He waves Dagobert away. "Is it the big one who means to fight me?"
Renier hefts his axe, but the Reverend holds up a hand, "No, cousin, there can be no such weapons as that in this fight. Take a plain axe, and trust in God before magic." He turns back to Renaud, smiling benevolently.
Renaud laughs, "Clever priest. The same goes for me of course, but I seek only just retribution, and I don't fear to face any of you, with or without Froberge." He unbuckles the famed sword form his hip and hands it to his squire.
The prayers and blessings are said, the archangel is invoked, and the two knights face each other. Renaud is a big man, but still dwarfed by the massive form of Renier, who has forgone the protection of a shield and wields a massive two-handed axe.
The moment the duel begins, Renaud charges in and lands a fair blow, which is turned by his opponent's armour. Somewhat to his surprise, Renier is not even staggered. Before Renaud can recover, the giant's axe cracks his shield to find an opening in both his guard and his plate, and chops his legs out from under him. Blood begins to trickle, but he struggles to his feet even as Renier opens a second wound on his shield arm, and stands firm.
They weave and fence for a while, the renegade limping and marking his steps with crimson drops, but not dangerously weakened. Finally, Renier's axe lands a ringing blow which does not penetrate his helm, but stretches him groaning on the floor, too dazed to try and rise.
Renier has not a scratch on him. Who can argue with so clear an expression of God's will? Renaud's brothers surrender to the king's justice and release their captives, and to the victor the spoils: his squire allows Renier to take the enchanted sword, and the fabulous horse Bayard submits to his new master as well. Renier chivalrously tends his foe's wounds, which seems to do little to mollify Renaud once he is brought round sufficiently to comprehend.
Rashad approaches his brother, speaking in Arabic. "I'm sorry, Ram. We shouldn't have left like that, on such a foolish fancy."
Ikram sighs, "I was thinking much the same, and that I'd always credited you with better sense, until you all came out of that keep. But now I see it was the will of Allah - all things told we had rather better of it this way than the six of us fighting them at our camp. I think it's me that's had the fool's part in all this."
Dagobert stands apart, staring at his green gem.
He does not react immediately as Rashad approaches him. "Cousin, how have you come to this?" he asks. "The Sir Dagobert I know would never follow such a man as that! And still less would he stand staring at some trinket once defeated, with neither a fight nor a word. Can't you see that thing is poisoning your mind? Cast it off, cousin."
Dagobert finally looks up, blinks a few times as though confused, clutches the gem on its chain to his chest with one hand, and then draws his sword and rounds on him with a wordless cry of rage.
Rashad backs away, but only to drag his own weapon from its sheath and snatch up his shield, suddenly furious at his cousin. Renier looks about to step in, possibly to grab one knight in each massive hand and push them apart - or bang their heads together - but Rashad snarls at him to "stay out of this," and he holds back.
Rashad lands a blow that staggers Dagobert, and perhaps because he will still not release the green stone, no more to throw out an arm for balance than to take up a shield, he goes down heavily and gets up favouring his left foot. Before he can fully recover his balance he is knocked down again by the enraged Arab, this time stretching his full length on the ground and he rises with blood streaming from his nose.
But minor wounds seem only to spur Dagobert to greater anger, and he redoubles his attack. Unable to land a blow with any effect, Rashad is driven back and back until his opponent manages to trip him. He falls, and though unhurt it is his turn to be sent sprawling again as he fights to regain his feet.
Dagobert thrusts at his opponent's side and draws blood for the first time, but Rashad contrives to roll with the blow and leap back up, slightly wounded but getting his feet firmly planted before the battle is rejoined. Though Dagobert's blade finds its way through his armour again, he stays upright, but the wounds and the continued exertion are starting to tell. Already this brawl has gone on twice the length of Renier and Renaud's duel, and both knights are tiring but neither has yet gained a decisive advantage.
They trade blows a little longer to no real effect, until with a great crash the pair collide, swords locked between them, grappling with each other. Somehow, neither falls, but Rashad wrenches his blade free, pulling Dagobert's weapon clear from his grasp, and inflicts a deep scratch before dancing back to take up his guard again.
Their squires, like everyone else, are simply watching, so Dagobert is forced to dive to the ground to recover his blade, and Rashad takes full advantage of the circumstance to drive his point home in the back of the ensorcelled knight's left shoulder.
A heavier flow of blood begins to pool beneath the prostrate Dagobert. He still tries to rise and gets halfway to his feet before falling back to his knees, his sword falling from his hand again as he falls forward in a swoon.
Several of the spectators, from both parties, who have equally been watching this furious bout, gasp as Rashad thrusts his sword at the unconscious knight's neck. But he merely lifts the chain of the emerald necklace and pulls it over Dagobert's head, flicking the gem a couple of feet away.
He staggers backward a few yards until he comes up against a wall, and sits down heavily, panting for breath. Leufroy approaches the fallen jewel, calling upon the Lord to cleanse the unclean and cast out its evil. The unearthly glow fades, leaving a mere green stone. Leufroy picks it up and places it in a box, showing no sign of the enrapturement that had inflicted his cousin. Then he tends to the stricken Dagobert, binding his wounds as best he can and saying a prayer over him. He returns gradually to consciousness, but seems little less distracted than before. Instead of staring at the gem he simply stares at the ground.
Rashad watches sullenly without a word. This is not what he intended. Even if Dagobert is free of the accursed stone after all, he knows that for a moment he had his cousin at his mercy and showed none. For a moment he might have killed him, if fortune and good steel armour had not prevented it. Renier approaches him, meaning to see to his cuts, but receives such a look of daggers for his pains that he baulks and leaves him to Leufroy's ministrations, which Rashad suffers with neither complaint nor thanks.
A Combustible Lemon wrote:Death is an archaic concept for simpleminded commonfolk, not Victorian scientist whales.