Chapter 23:

Ambush

In the days following the ball, it was busier than ever in Arendelle. Dignitaries from all over came to discuss important things with Elsa, and Leon himself was also very preoccupied with his Royal Guard duties. Recently, he had taken on a squire, who he was in the process of training. His name was Grayson, and even though he was very enthusiastic about becoming a knight, he had a lot to learn before he was ready. At the moment, Leon and Grayson were outside in the training fields. Today Leon was teaching Grayson the proper sword striking techniques. There was a dummy made out of straw and cloth, which was used for squires to practice the sword skills. Leon stood in front of the dummy, holding his blade close to his face.

"Now Grayson, when you attack, be sure not to leave a moment open for your opponent to strike. If you do, you could lose your life. This technique is designed to strike quickly, and accurately. Observe."

Leon held out his sword at the dummy, swiping at it three times consecutively. Straw flew out from the dummy with each blow. Grayson looked on in amazement at how flawless Leon's form was. When he was finished, Leon turned to Grayson, signaling that it was his turn to try.

"Remember what I taught you about your stance. It's everything. If your stance is off, your opponent can easily get the better of you," Leon reminded.

He watched as Grayson struck the dummy several times. His accuracy was spot on, but there were some flaws in his technique, which needed to be corrected.

"When you pulled your sword back after the first hit, you left your chest exposed. You also waved your sword too far away. Remember that the strikes have to be quick. If your sword is too far out, it won't be enough time for you to attack again," Leon pointed out.

"Ok. I'll try again. Thank you, Sir Leon," Grayson said.

"That's what I'm here for, Squire Grayson."

After another hour of training, Leon decided to call it a day. Squires had other duties in the castle, so he knew that Grayson should be getting a move on that.

"Do you have clog duty today?" Leon asked.

Grayson groaned. "Yes."

Leon laughed. The drains in the castle occasionally got clogged, so they sent the squires down to unclog them. It was a disgusting job, but it had to be done.

"Don't worry. It'll be over before you know it," Leon said.

"Not soon enough. Have a good day, Sir Leon," Grayson said.

The young squire said goodbye to the knight, running off towards the castle gates. Since it was so nice out, Leon thought he'd go for a walk before returning to the castle himself. As he walked along the castle grounds, he heard a ruffling sound coming from the bushes. When he turned to look at them, the sound stopped. It must just be the wind, Leon thought. But as he continued on his walk, he heard a louder sound from behind. With his mind telling him that it was a threat, Leon unsheathed his sword just in time to come in contact with another man's blade. Upon seeing the man who tried to attack him, Leon's eyes widened in shock. His face was covered with scars, and one of his eyes was missing. He wore long tattered brown robes, which looked as if they had never been cleaned. As he stared at Leon, he smiled at him, showing his disgusting rotting teeth.

"Sir Leon, I presume?" he said.

"Who are you and what do you want?" Leon demanded. His sword was still pushing against the man's blade.

The man pulled his sword back, but still kept the blade pointed towards Leon. "I've been paid generously for your head. I'm here to fulfill my duties and collect my reward. Of course, I wouldn't mind a little challenge," the man said.

"What's your name?" Leon hissed.

"Very well, since you won't live to tell anybody. My name is Gert. I've been in this line of work for many years. You may be good with a sword, but you don't stand a chance against me."

"Gert, I'm going to give you one chance to lay down your weapon, and surrender," Leon warned.

Gert laughed. "Oh, stop that pathetic chivalrous knight crap. It won't work on me. You will die by my hand today, Leon."

Gert charged at Leon, but the young knight was quick to counter his attack. As the blades from their swords clanged back and forth, Gert reached into his pocket, and throw a ball of something to the ground. In an instant, a large cloud of smoke emerged, blinding the area. Leon struggled to see where Gert was at as he held his sword out in front of him. Before he knew it, he felt a swipe at his chest. Leon looked down to see a long cut, oozing with blood.

"Not as good as you thought you were, are you?" Gert taunted. The smoke was still everywhere. Leon couldn't see him. He had to regain the upper hand again fast. If not, Gert's next strike could kill him. Suddenly, Gert charged in from the left, swishing his sword quickly and fiercely. Leon managed to block every move, but the smoke was still too thick to risk attacking head on. As they continued to fight, Leon kept stepping backwards, trying to get out of the smoke. The attacks from Gert's sword were coming so fast, it was hard to concentrate. When he stepped backwards again, he tripped, and landed on his back. Gert's sword came plunging in, but Leon was able to catch it in time to push it back. By now the smoke was fading away, and Leon could see Gert again. The wretched man was pushing his sword down towards Leon's throat. Even though he was old, Gert was very strong. Leon pushed back with all his might, ignoring the pain in his arms as he did so.

"This might hurt a little," Gert sadistically teased.

Then there came the sound of voices coming closer. "Sir Leon!" one of them called. It was Sir William and Sir Christian running towards them. At this, Gert pulled back his sword, and stepped away. There was no way he was going to fight three men at once.

As Leon stood up, he watched as Gert removed another ball from his pocket, creating another cloud of smoke. William and Christian charged towards it, but saw that Gert was gone.

Still shaken by his ordeal, Leon held a hand to his chest to stop the bleeding. To say that was a brutal fight would be an understatement. If William and Christian hadn't come along, he would have been done for. He knew that he needed to find out why Gert attacked him, but for now, he just needed first aid quickly.

A/N: As promised, I'm continuing this story. I hope you liked this chapter.