A few hours later and Kurt found himself being brought to a large
empty room just below the throne room, but above the dungeons and their
foul odors. Up high on the walls, there were large crystal windows, with
purple drapes fluttering all the way down to the ground. Large pillars with
fires blazing were set up in a semi-circle around the main area.
Looking around the room, Kurt cocked an eyebrow slightly and he turned to Graydon, his right hand on his hip as he used his left to indicate the entire room with a sweep.
"You said my friends vould be able to vatch us fight to make sure it is done fairly." He said. "But zhere is no one in here und even if zhey vere here, zhere vould be no room for us to battle properly." Graydon pointed to the sidewall that seemed to be made of white marble, smiling faintly at Kurt's mistrust.
"That stone is cut very thin on the other side." He explained. "They can see everything perfectly." He explained. "I assure you, I am keeping all of my promises." He said. "As for promises. . ." Turning to a small table covered in red velvet, he lifted the velvet and revealed Kurt's rapiers. "Take one or both, it makes no difference." He said, stepping back.
Kurt walked up and slowly picked up both of his rapiers, lifting the blades into the light and narrowing his eyes, trying to see if there was anything amiss with the blades or hilts. He twirled them around a bit, listening to the wind singing as if he were playing two flutes.
When he was satisfied that his blades had not been tampered in any way, he took his left rapier and rested it back on the table, wrapping it lightly with the red velvet. Turning back to Graydon, he indicated his head towards the keys he still had in his pocket.
"Vhat about zhis collar?" he asked, cocking an eyebrow slightly. Graydon tossed him the keys and he caught them easily, slipping them into the lock and turning it, the collar falling off with a soft click. Rubbing his neck, Kurt tossed the keys over to Graydon.
Slipping the keys back into his pocket, Graydon walked up to another table and lifted up his bastard sword. The blade was black and covered in green etchings, some of them looking like runes to Kurt. The hilt was twisted red leather and the pommel ended with an onyx. Turning to Kurt, Graydon swiped his blade once to his side, smiling slowly.
"Are you ready to begin?" he asked, arching an eyebrow slightly. Looking at Graydon's feet, Kurt smiled faintly and he nodded, leaning back on his heels slightly as his hand tightened around his rapier's hilt.
"Ja, I'm ready." He nodded. The words had barely left his mouth when Graydon charged at him, his sword held high. Kurt performed a back flip, dodging the first two swings, and he kicked out at the third, knocking the blade away as he teleported to the other side of the room.
"Now zhat vas not very nice!" he said, shaking his head as he got into the en garde position. "You should have vaited for me, mein herr." Without a word, Graydon charged at him, swinging his sword with both hands.
A loud clang rang out as both their blades collided. For someone using a blade thinner and smaller than Graydon's giant and thick bastard sword, Kurt was able to hold his side up with ease, even smiling at Graydon whose face looked strained.
"Vhat is zhe matter, mein herr?" he asked, tilting his head to one side. "Ve have only just begun!" He teleported behind Graydon and kicked him in the back, sending him sprawled on the ground. Laughing, he backed up and waited for Graydon to get up, smiling and baring his teeth at him.
Graydon charged at him once more, swinging his blade from side to side swiftly. Kurt looked as if he was dancing around him as he placed his hands behind his back and dodged the blows, leaping over his head and landing in a crouch.
"Mein Gott! If I had known I vas fighting an arthritic elephant, I vould have offered to vear a blindfold to make it fair, ja?" he laughed, standing up and flicking his rapier from side to side.
"You won't be laughing for too long!" Graydon snarled standing up slowly and wiping his mouth clean of blood and spittle. Smiling wickedly at Kurt, he slowly started to walk in a circle towards Kurt.
Narrowing his eyes slightly, Kurt walked in the opposite direction, the two of them circling each other with their blades held readily. Graydon lashed out first and Kurt deflected the blow, the two of them lashing out four times before going back to their deadly circling once more.
Teleporting, Kurt appeared above Graydon and slashed down on his shoulder, forcing Graydon to throw himself to the ground and roll away to avoid a deeper cut than the one he received. Kicking out at Kurt's feet, he almost knocked him onto his back but he teleported and reappeared a few feet away, crouched down.
"Nice try, mein herr. If I vas not a teleporter, zhat may have knocked me on mein ass!" he laughed, standing up and running at Graydon. Before Graydon could react, Kurt leapt up and flipped over his head, landing behind him with his rapier ready. Turning around, Graydon looked at Kurt with narrowed eyes but a wide smile that showed his teeth was on his face. Softly, he started to laugh.
"Vhat is so funny?" Kurt asked, bracing himself for anything. Their blades connected and they both pressed forward, their noses almost touching as they looked into each other's eyes.
"I was just thinking about all the trouble I've gone through to finally get you and Raven in my clutches." Graydon explained, pressing harder on his blade. Kurt pressed against his own, but he found that for some reason, he couldn't get it to match Graydon's. Seeing the look of surprise on Kurt's face, Graydon laughed and pressed harder.
"You see; I have my own personal vendetta against you and your damned mother!" Graydon explained calmly. "Your mother killed my father in his sleep! The bitch slit his throat and his blood soaked the entire bed!" He had Kurt nearly kneeling on the ground with the amount of pressure he was using.
"You're probably wondering why you can't push back right?" he asked, looking into Kurt's eyes. "Well the answer's really simple." He bit down hard and spit something out onto Kurt's face. Looking down at the ground, Kurt saw a fake tooth broken in half; powder had been stored inside of it. His eyes grew wide in realization as he looked back up at the leering Graydon.
"I let that muscle laxative fall into your wine when you made me try your glass! You won't be able to move at all in a few more minutes!" Kicking out, Graydon sent Kurt sprawled on the ground on his back, pressing his sword against his throat, nearly breaking the skin.
"Now I can have my revenge on you and mother!" he said, his eyes glittering once more.
"Mutter?" Kurt asked.
"Yes," Graydon nodded, "my mother." Graydon smiled slowly, his eyes laughing with him. "How are you, brother?"
Looking around the room, Kurt cocked an eyebrow slightly and he turned to Graydon, his right hand on his hip as he used his left to indicate the entire room with a sweep.
"You said my friends vould be able to vatch us fight to make sure it is done fairly." He said. "But zhere is no one in here und even if zhey vere here, zhere vould be no room for us to battle properly." Graydon pointed to the sidewall that seemed to be made of white marble, smiling faintly at Kurt's mistrust.
"That stone is cut very thin on the other side." He explained. "They can see everything perfectly." He explained. "I assure you, I am keeping all of my promises." He said. "As for promises. . ." Turning to a small table covered in red velvet, he lifted the velvet and revealed Kurt's rapiers. "Take one or both, it makes no difference." He said, stepping back.
Kurt walked up and slowly picked up both of his rapiers, lifting the blades into the light and narrowing his eyes, trying to see if there was anything amiss with the blades or hilts. He twirled them around a bit, listening to the wind singing as if he were playing two flutes.
When he was satisfied that his blades had not been tampered in any way, he took his left rapier and rested it back on the table, wrapping it lightly with the red velvet. Turning back to Graydon, he indicated his head towards the keys he still had in his pocket.
"Vhat about zhis collar?" he asked, cocking an eyebrow slightly. Graydon tossed him the keys and he caught them easily, slipping them into the lock and turning it, the collar falling off with a soft click. Rubbing his neck, Kurt tossed the keys over to Graydon.
Slipping the keys back into his pocket, Graydon walked up to another table and lifted up his bastard sword. The blade was black and covered in green etchings, some of them looking like runes to Kurt. The hilt was twisted red leather and the pommel ended with an onyx. Turning to Kurt, Graydon swiped his blade once to his side, smiling slowly.
"Are you ready to begin?" he asked, arching an eyebrow slightly. Looking at Graydon's feet, Kurt smiled faintly and he nodded, leaning back on his heels slightly as his hand tightened around his rapier's hilt.
"Ja, I'm ready." He nodded. The words had barely left his mouth when Graydon charged at him, his sword held high. Kurt performed a back flip, dodging the first two swings, and he kicked out at the third, knocking the blade away as he teleported to the other side of the room.
"Now zhat vas not very nice!" he said, shaking his head as he got into the en garde position. "You should have vaited for me, mein herr." Without a word, Graydon charged at him, swinging his sword with both hands.
A loud clang rang out as both their blades collided. For someone using a blade thinner and smaller than Graydon's giant and thick bastard sword, Kurt was able to hold his side up with ease, even smiling at Graydon whose face looked strained.
"Vhat is zhe matter, mein herr?" he asked, tilting his head to one side. "Ve have only just begun!" He teleported behind Graydon and kicked him in the back, sending him sprawled on the ground. Laughing, he backed up and waited for Graydon to get up, smiling and baring his teeth at him.
Graydon charged at him once more, swinging his blade from side to side swiftly. Kurt looked as if he was dancing around him as he placed his hands behind his back and dodged the blows, leaping over his head and landing in a crouch.
"Mein Gott! If I had known I vas fighting an arthritic elephant, I vould have offered to vear a blindfold to make it fair, ja?" he laughed, standing up and flicking his rapier from side to side.
"You won't be laughing for too long!" Graydon snarled standing up slowly and wiping his mouth clean of blood and spittle. Smiling wickedly at Kurt, he slowly started to walk in a circle towards Kurt.
Narrowing his eyes slightly, Kurt walked in the opposite direction, the two of them circling each other with their blades held readily. Graydon lashed out first and Kurt deflected the blow, the two of them lashing out four times before going back to their deadly circling once more.
Teleporting, Kurt appeared above Graydon and slashed down on his shoulder, forcing Graydon to throw himself to the ground and roll away to avoid a deeper cut than the one he received. Kicking out at Kurt's feet, he almost knocked him onto his back but he teleported and reappeared a few feet away, crouched down.
"Nice try, mein herr. If I vas not a teleporter, zhat may have knocked me on mein ass!" he laughed, standing up and running at Graydon. Before Graydon could react, Kurt leapt up and flipped over his head, landing behind him with his rapier ready. Turning around, Graydon looked at Kurt with narrowed eyes but a wide smile that showed his teeth was on his face. Softly, he started to laugh.
"Vhat is so funny?" Kurt asked, bracing himself for anything. Their blades connected and they both pressed forward, their noses almost touching as they looked into each other's eyes.
"I was just thinking about all the trouble I've gone through to finally get you and Raven in my clutches." Graydon explained, pressing harder on his blade. Kurt pressed against his own, but he found that for some reason, he couldn't get it to match Graydon's. Seeing the look of surprise on Kurt's face, Graydon laughed and pressed harder.
"You see; I have my own personal vendetta against you and your damned mother!" Graydon explained calmly. "Your mother killed my father in his sleep! The bitch slit his throat and his blood soaked the entire bed!" He had Kurt nearly kneeling on the ground with the amount of pressure he was using.
"You're probably wondering why you can't push back right?" he asked, looking into Kurt's eyes. "Well the answer's really simple." He bit down hard and spit something out onto Kurt's face. Looking down at the ground, Kurt saw a fake tooth broken in half; powder had been stored inside of it. His eyes grew wide in realization as he looked back up at the leering Graydon.
"I let that muscle laxative fall into your wine when you made me try your glass! You won't be able to move at all in a few more minutes!" Kicking out, Graydon sent Kurt sprawled on the ground on his back, pressing his sword against his throat, nearly breaking the skin.
"Now I can have my revenge on you and mother!" he said, his eyes glittering once more.
"Mutter?" Kurt asked.
"Yes," Graydon nodded, "my mother." Graydon smiled slowly, his eyes laughing with him. "How are you, brother?"