Finally we are on the last chapter for the fair. It has a fun ride but I think we're ready to move on. But first Clint has to say a couple goodbyes.

Chapter 8- Tournaments and Confrontations-

The archers had about an hour to practice before the demonstration and while it was fun, Clint was ready to get to the main event. The wizard was very excited as he directed the roustabouts in setting up the targets. Apparently the whole archery competition was his baby and he was ready to step it up a notch this year. He wanted to put Larkspur on the map for archers and based on the chatter Clint had overheard he would succeed. It was exciting to be a part of that.

Finally it was time to show their stuff. The helpers cleared out the seating behind the target board, a tall wooden fence that was propped up against the shorter wooden fence that enclosed the arena. It was for everyone's safety that no one sat in the direction they would shoot. All the people who begrudgingly moved would return after the archery demonstration in time for the final jousting. After everything was set up, Jack led the archers out onto the field before the pavilion where the "royal family" was seated. Clint saw the two couples he met before and when the older woman waved regally at them, Clint risked a little wave back that made her smile and fan herself.

Jack, in full costume with his hat, robes, and staff, announced the three archers in his squeakiest voice. Clint didn't really listen because he got lost in all the flowery words, but he took the full courtly bow that Richard had taught him when Jack waved him forward. Behind them, Clint could hear the fairgoers cheering when the King rose and gently ordered them to display their skill. Only then did Clint and the others turn around.

When Clint scanned the audience, the first person he saw was Wendy's dad. The man was huge, loud, and had two of his sons on his shoulder. Not shoulders, he had both boys balanced on one shoulder while he pumped the air with his other arm. The next person that Clint noticed was Wendy who had her fingers in her mouth to whistle loud enough to bring every dog in the state to her side. Then Clint saw Logan. The mutant wasn't cheering or drawing attention, but he was grinning and when he noticed Clint looking at him, the man tipped his hat in acknowledgement. Since Clint had first walked out into the ring at the circus, he had done literally countless shows but not one cheer from anyone in all that time made Clint's heart pound like a simple tip of a cowboy hat from Logan. Later he would stress over it, wonder why he liked Logan's quiet nod more than Wendy's enthusiastic whistle or Dan's shouts, but for now, it was show time.

The first trick was simple enough. The three archers spread out in a line before the target, and then they shot through three midsized hoops to reach the target. Despite aiming for different hoops, they all hit the same target. Clint's arrow hit a bullseye, but he didn't rub it in. Next, Clint stepped up to shoot a line of paper targets of decreasing size all lined up on a board the jester brought out and hug on the wall.

"Our Champion will demonstrate his speed and accuracy against these targets," the wizard intoned. "Notice that the size of these targets grows ever smaller until the last which is only the size of a quarter. Watch as Sir Summers strikes each one in the exact center!"

Clint stepped up and waved his bow at the crowd, not as dramatic as when he'd performed as Hawkeye, but still playing to the crowd. Then he turned to the targets. He could shoot up to three arrows at once and hit his targets, but that had seemed like over kill so he hadn't mentioned it. Instead he took a deep breath to center himself and let his hand drop to the quiver at his hip. He fired each arrow as quickly as possible, hitting each target in succession until he reached the tiny slip of paper at the end. The angle at that point threw him off a little, but he still hit inside the target. He shook his head to clear it and turned to wave at the audience. Two of the fair employees grabbed the board and carried it over to the edge of the field to let people see closer up.

Amid the cheers, the jester, Jason, and his partner, Tim, prepared for the juggling act. Clint was excited for this trick. The five of them had practiced as much as they could to get the timing right. The jugglers were quite talented, and Clint thought they'd have been welcome at the circus but they had normal jobs outside the fair. Jason was a physics professor and Tim was an accountant, though they met most weekends to practice all sorts of tricks. Clint appreciated seeing "normal people" enjoying the sorts of things that he had done for a living.

They kept the trick pretty simple. Tim and Jason would juggle only six small beanbags of three different colors, tossing the bags back and forth only one at a time to give the archer a chance to pin the bean bag to the wall. Jack had been supportive, insisting that it wouldn't matter if they missed as long as they had fun. Clint of course, never missed. Richard usually hit his targets in practice, though he couldn't always hit them right to pin them to the wall, instead knocking them to the ground. Theodor was actually pretty good, but refused to do more than a few practice runs. Honestly, it pissed Clint off how dismissive the jerk was. Everyone else was just having fun and showing off a really cool sport, but Theo just turned his nose up at the whole thing. Clint didn't know why the guy even bothered to show up if he didn't like it so much.

The archers lined up and pulled out their brightly fletched arrows. Clint had called purple and no one argued considering he was covered in the color. Richard had green and Theodor had orange. Jack called for silence so the archers could concentrate and a hush fell over the crowd. Clint could hear the wind and even some bird song. He took a deep breath and waited for the jugglers. As agreed, they started with a couple tricks, tossing the beanbags fast and frequently to get the crowd's attention before they slowed down and tossed one purple bag in a slow gentle arc. Clint nailed it to the wall. The jesters picked up the pace for a minute again while the crowd cheered. When things settled down they repeated the cycle with a green bag. Richard hit it but didn't pin it to the wall. The crowd still went wild. They repeated the routine for Theo who pinned his target neatly. At Clint's turn, he hit his bag again, pinning it right above his first. Richard pinned his last target, making the big man cheer and dance for a moment. Theo missed his last beanbag completely, but since Jason hadn't planned to catch it anyway, the bag still fell to the ground. No one seemed to care as people jumped up to cheer for the archers.

Next was Richard's trick with the mirror. Clint held the little hand mirror for him and cheered with the crowd when Richard hit in the black all three times. The teacher was a really easy going guy that Clint really liked. Maybe if Clint's teachers had been like Richard, the teen would have put more effort into keeping up with his lessons.

Finally it was time for the paint balloons. Two big men carried out a large white poster board covered in water balloons filled with different colored paints. The archers lined up and when the wizard gave the signal, with the king's permission, they fired arrows as fast as they could at the balloons, making them explode, covering the board and grass in a shower of bright colors. Clint smirked to himself as he settled into the rhythm. Richard and Theo were both hitting the board okay, and did manage to hit the balloons more times than not, but each arrow from Clint's bow resulted in a splash of color. It made him a little smug.

The whole show was more fun than the circus because here he wasn't wearing a mask. No one in the audience thought he was a fake, using tricks to make his arrows hit. That had been a problem before. One time a stuck up college kid, a real bookish type, had cornered Clint after a show and explained in great detail how he was cheating with magnets, mirrors, and angles. It had only been Clint's second solo show and it had hurt for someone to doubt how hard he had worked to get good enough to even be considered for a slot. Barney had never gotten his own turn in the ring, but Clint had after hours and days of nonstop practice. Now, at a Renaissance fair in Colorado, people were cheering for him, for his skill, not as an act they paid for, not as a circus freak, but him as a person. It was intoxicating and more than a little frightening. He couldn't hide behind the mask or the shadows of the tent. Suddenly, it was all too much and he kind of zoned out as they finished and moved to bow to the audience and the royal pavilion. A couple of the ladies tossed their handkerchiefs and Clint regained his internal balance enough to catch one and bring it to his lips with a cheeky wink. He wasn't sure whose it was, but they all giggled and flapped their fans in front of their faces so Clint figured it doesn't matter. Finally, the Wizard sent them back to their families with a wave and a hearty thank you.

When Clint turned to leave, finally feeling the weight of a full day, Jack caught his arm. "Just a minute," the old man said. He pulled out a business card. Jack's name and number are on one side in fancy writing with the fair's logo on the other. "Take this. If you're around here next year, give me a call and I'll save you a place in the contest or whatever you want. Thank you for everything. You made this year very special."

Clint felt his face heat up and he rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "It was nothing," he tried to brush it off. "I just like archery and needed some extra cash, ya know? But I had a lot of fun. This has been the best day of my life, seriously."

"Well, be that as it may, thank you," Jack said earnestly, and then his voice rose back to his squeaky wizard voice. "I wish you well, young traveler. Never hesitate to call on the great wizard, Jack!" He left after a final pat on the back, laughing quietly to himself.

Clint shook his head as he made his way back to Logan and the Corduroy family. Wendy immediately gave him a big hug and all her little brothers wanted a high-five. Dan huffed and complemented him on "a very manly display". Clint ate up the attention, which was much easier to accept one on one than the crowd had been, and looked over to see Logan's reaction.

"Good shooting, hawk," Logan said with a nod and a grin. "Better than the circus."

Clint beamed and found a spot on the grass, surrounded by friends to watch the rest of the jousting show. It was pretty interesting, watching the men control the long lances as they raced across the field on horseback. They cheered for the white knight as he stood up for honor and country against vile dark knight who jeered at the crowd and insulted the king. Clint and Logan exchanged looks when the knights abandoned their lances to fight on foot with their swords. Their choreography wasn't terrible but Clint rolled his eyes at the slow telegraphed moves that would be ridiculous in a real fight.

By the end of it, Clint was a little hoarse and yawning. Two of Wendy's brothers had fallen asleep, not even stirring when Dan and Wendy picked them up. Dan declared it time to go and told Wendy to say good bye. It was really awkward trying to say good bye with everyone watching.

Wendy avoided looking at Clint as she kicked the ground a little. "Hey, thanks for today. I thought this thing was going to be kinda lame, but it was fun."

"Yeah, I know what you mean," Clint said, avoiding looking at her too. "Today has been the greatest and meeting you was really cool. Thanks for cheering me on and stuff."

Wendy laughed. "Gosh, listen to us. We sound like nerds." She stuck out the hand that wasn't holding up her little brother. "Good bye Francis. It was a blast."

She was probably expecting him to shake her hand, but they were at a Ren fair so he took it and bowed over it, planting a gallant kiss on her knuckles. "It was. Good bye, Wendy."

Wendy laughed again, waking up her brother who growled at her before settling back down. "See you around. If you're ever in Oregon, look me up."

"Will do," Clint promised but he knew that she knew that they would probably never see each other again. It was sad, but that was life and Clint was more than used to saying good bye from all the years traveling with the circus. He had learned to enjoy the time he had and not dwell on it, mostly.

Logan stood next to him as he waved at Wendy as she and her family tromped up the hill, heading to the exit. "You did good, bub," the mutant said, placing a hand on the archer's shoulder. "She was a good kid."

"Yeah," Clint agreed, watching her a little wistfully. Then he shook himself. "I don't want today to end," he admitted softly. "Not just because of Wendy," he groaned when Logan raised an eyebrow. "It's just, today was so awesome. How could anything compare to this?"

Logan laughed. "You're young," the old man teased gently. "Give it time, you'll have more days like this. I promise."

Clint narrowed his eyes at his guardian. "How do you know?"

"Because I'll make sure of it. You've had a hard life so far, but give me a chance, and I'll try to make up for it. It doesn't have to be all fighting and espionage. Learn to be a kid."

"Wow, that makes you sound so old," Clint teased. But he grabbed his bow and the various bags they had accumulated to get ready to go. "But all that age must give you some wisdom, right? I guess I'll just take your word for it."

"Keep it up, short stack and you're walking back to the hotel," Logan growled softly, but the twinkle in his eye belied his tone.

They kept up the back and forth banter as the pair made their own way back to the entrance, now exit, of the fair. It was surprising how easy it was to joke with the other man. Clint snarked at his mentors and the other adults at the circus, but it had never felt this easy and harmless. Clint decided not to think about why that was right now, when he was so happy and relaxed. He yawned as they started walking through the parking lot to the bike and laughed when Logan teased him about needing a bedtime.

Clint started to retort when Logan raised a hand, stopping suddenly. Clint immediately went on alert, scanning the area for danger. They were at the far end of the parking lot, where the open field butted up against a line of trees. Logan had picked the area despite the availability of closer parking because it was so remote. There were still cars parked around, but no one was coming this way at the moment.

"Come on out, boys," Logan said sharply.

The jerk brothers stepped out from behind two cars. "Well, there goes our ambush," Theodor Wilcox said as he approached the pair from the front, letting his brothers circle around behind them. "But I guess it will be more fun this way."

Clint glanced at Logan, expecting him to be angry at the attack but the man was surprisingly calm. He put down the bags he was carrying and crossed his arms. Clint copied the older man, though he kept a hold of his bow, and gave the three bullies and unimpressed look.

"We're going to beat your ass, Francis," Thomas, the youngest jerk brother spat, twisting Clint's name into an insult. Considering how Clint already felt about his middle name, the hit missed the mark and he just sneered at the older boy.

"We're going to finish what we started earlier for making fools of us," Tim added angrily.

Logan shot a look at Clint at that comment. The teen just shrugged, just now remembering that he hadn't told Logan about the scuffle that Fury had broken up. He turned to the bullies. "The only ones making fools of you are yourselves, stupid," he shot back. Beside him, Logan sighed.

Thomas glared, speechless and raised a fist, but Theodor waved him down. The boy didn't look happy but he followed his brother's lead. "Tell you what," the oldest Wilcox said pleasantly, "If you give us your winnings and any other money you have on you, we'll leave you and your freaky guardian alone. No hard feelings." His tone turned icy and his expression hardened. "If you refuse, we'll beat the shit out of you and take your money anyway. Then we'll call the cops. I bet they'd be real interested in a couple of muties running around like normal people."

Clint saw red for an instant and clenched his jaw so hard it ached to keep from screaming at the man. He really hated bullies like this; the ones who picked on anyone they thought was weaker than them, just so they could turn around and convince the authorities that the victim deserved it. He checked Logan's reaction out of the corner of his eye. The mutant hadn't moved. He didn't look angry, just resigned. He probably had to deal with nonsense like this all the time. Clint got his temper under control. If Logan could deal with the trash talk, so would he.

The brothers, who were all taller than Logan and quite muscular, were obviously used to getting their way and didn't know what to do when their victims weren't intimidated. Tim was the first to get edgy.

"Theo," the middle brother whined, "quit stalling and let us at these freaks. I don't care about the money, I just want to show the kid that he's not so hot."

"Excuse me," Clint said with a smirk, "I am totally hot stuff. Wendy seemed to think so." Then, because he could never keep his mouth shut, he added, "Too bad she thought you were an eyesore."

Thomas snarled at him and leaped forward, swinging a fist at Clint. The younger archer dodged, which unfortunately put Logan in the jerk's path. This didn't stop Tommy, who apparently thought that one target was as good as the next. He swung at Logan with the intent to break the small man's jaw. If the hit had landed, he would have shattered his hand, but Logan didn't give him a chance. He grabbed the boy's arm and twisted it behind him and lifted it up so Tommy had to stand on his tiptoes to avoid breaking his wrist.

"Ow, ow, ow, damn it," he cursed. "Let me go, you freak!"

Logan growled deep in his chest and the boy stilled, his eyes wide as he realized they might have bitten off more than they could chew.

Tim, however, hadn't come to the same conclusion. He rushed Logan, his fists up in a sloppy boxing stance. "Let go of my brother, you piece of shit!" he shouted as he sent out his fists in a one-two jab.
Logan let one fist hit his shoulder, but caught the other in his free hand. Tim had a split second to recognize his mistake. Then, in a whirl of limbs that even Clint couldn't follow, all three brawlers went down in a heap with Logan as the obvious victor. He had Tim pinned in the grass with one knee in the young man's back, leaving his hands free. He used one hand to hold Timmy on his knees with his arm still pinned behind his back. With other hand, Logan pulled his cigar out of mouth to puff on it.

"My hands are full," the old fighter said calmly, "so why don't you deal with the last one. I'll keep these two out of the way."

Theo was livid, his face actually turning an interesting shade of red. Clint however was staring at Logan in surprise, his mind spinning. Why was Logan telling him to fight? The first time they met, Logan was breaking up a fight and he had insisted that Clint avoid trouble at the fair. Had he changed his mind because of what the jerks had said? Clint mentally shook his head. No, the mutant was as calm as ever, keeping both brothers pinned without effort, though Tim looked like he was having a little trouble breathing. Then Logan raised an eyebrow and jerked his chin at the eldest bully.

"He's all yours, show him what you can do even without a bow," Logan elaborated and suddenly Clint understood. He was floored by the realization that he man trusted Clint to fight his own battles, and now that it was just one against one, it would be fair.

With a cocky grin, Clint carefully put his unstrung bow out of the way. He needed to find a case for Princess, he thought. He didn't like leaving her laying in the dirt, she deserved better. He dismissed the irrelevant thoughts as he turned to face his opponent. He rolled his shoulders and cocked his head. "Thanks, Logan," he said to his guardian, who nodded in understanding. "Are you ready?" he asked the jerk, who had turned to a purple that even Clint wouldn't like.

"You little bastard," the college boy shouted as he flung himself at Clint. "I'm going to teach you a lesson you will never forget. I'm going to break your arms so you never shoot again." He swung at Clint, and despite his rage, the young man had surprisingly good form. Clint guessed that he took classes at his fancy college, and was probably a bully there too.

Clint ducked under the first punch and hit the bigger man in the stomach. Theo coughed as the air was forced from his body. Clint had never had the benefit of formal training, had never practiced fighting like he did for archery or swordsmanship. But he had learned all he needed from his rough life. He picked up the basics pretty quickly at the orphanage where his small size had left him open to all kinds of abuse. He refined those skills at the circus, fighting for his place amongst the roustabouts and other followers. Barney had taught him a lot a first, but after Jacques tapped Clint for apprenticeship, those lessons had dried up. So, Clint picked up different styles watching the adults fight for money, drink or women. He learned every dirty trick and cheap shot he could and now he brought those lessons to the fore.

Once Theo caught his breath a little, he swung hard at Clint, who dodged under again and nailed him right in the solar plexus. Theo's eyes bugged as he lost his breath again, but they blazed with fury as he tried to swing at Clint even as his body wanted to curl up.

"Don't let him catch a'hold of ya," Logan pointed out from his spot on the sideline.

Clint resisted rolling his eyes as he backed away from the bully's thrashing. Once he was out of reach, Theo gave in to bending over and clutching his chest. Clint took the opportunity to step forward and, using his momentum, nailed him hard in the face with a strong right that sent the bigger man off his feet, though he was already wobbly from lack of air. Clint might be small for his age, but he had built up considerable strength from all the hours he spent with his bow. The college boy snarled and kicked out at Clint, aiming for the boy's knees, but Clint was too fast and agile from his practice on the trapeze. He considered kicking the jerk in the crotch, but decided to take the high road with Logan watching him.

"You should stay down," Clint said, a little more out of breath than he expected. His heart was pounding from the adrenaline but his hands were steady when he brought them up in a defensive position.

Theo clambered to his feet and spat blood from where his teeth cut the inside of his cheek. "You are asking for it, brat," he tried to snarl, but it came out as more of a gasp.

The bully charged at his target, now swinging with both hands. Clint backed up as much as he could, but he ran into a parked car. He saw the fist coming and tried to move, but it clipped him on the side of the head hard enough to make him see stars. Archery had obviously been good to Theo's upper body too.

Clint threw himself to the side, rolling until he could get to his feet again, and turned to face his opponent. Theo still couldn't catch his breath and he was pissed. But he didn't have the breath to go chasing after Clint. If he'd been alone, this would be where Clint hightailed it and hid until the aggressor forgot about him. But he wasn't and Logan was watching. The teen wracked his brain for an idea of how to finish this. It didn't look like Theo was willing to back off anytime soon.

"Stop messing around and get that kid!" Tim shouted from under Logan.

The mutant wasn't amused by his captive's outburst and leaned a little harder on the young man's back. "Aim for his jaw," Logan advised. He tapped the place he meant with a finger on his own face.

Clint nodded. He'd seen men go down from shots like that with dislocated or even broken jaws. He waited until Theo came at him, swinging wildly. He dodged inside the other man's reach and swung hard with his left into the bully's stomach. Theo folded like a collapsed tent and Clint swung his right into the man's jaw, hitting the exact spot Logan had indicated. He was Hawkeye, he never missed.

There was a sharp pop and Theo's jaw slid out of its socket. The oldest Wilcox howled and crumpled to the ground holding his face. He tried to curse but all that came out were garbled sounds.

Clint backed up, a little horrified of what he had done. He was used to being pushed around, used to being on the other side of the whimpers. He wasn't sure he liked this side. He jumped when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Good job," Logan complemented him. Behind them, Tim and Thomas looked frozen as they stared at their brother moaning on the ground. Logan ignored all of them as he took Clint's hand and examined it for damage. "Next time, keep your wrist straighter. You're lucky you didn't snap your wrist. We'll work on that."

Clint blinked at him, suddenly exhausted as the adrenaline faded. "Huh?" he huffed.

"You did good," Logan repeated, turning Clint so they were face to face. "You fought fair, fought smart, and protected yourself. Now maybe these bullies will learn to be more careful who they pick on." He huffed and looked over to where the younger brothers were finally helping Theo to his feet. "Nah, people like them don't learn. Anyway," he went over to pick up their stuff. It was kind of astounding how much they had acquired in a day. "Let's get goin'. It'll be real late before we get back to our hotel. We'll pick someplace on the way to stop and eat."

Clint rubbed his stomach which was churning uncomfortably. "I think I'm good for now," he admitted sheepishly. "Too much junk food."

Logan nodded and led the way to the bike. Clint stole another glance at the Wilcox brothers, watching them stumble away with their tails between their legs. Then he turned away, decisively giving them no more mind. Instead he followed his new guardian and mentor, already thinking of the future.

"Could you teach me that move you used?" the teen asked, hurrying to catch up.

Logan just laughed.