I Think I've Got You Beat
A/N Here's the next one and it involves a tournament. For those Shrek fans who've seen the musical in Seattle, you know how badly Shrek wanted to be a knight as a child. Let's just say it could happen. You never know what's gonna happen.
Artie wondered what was going on with amazement.
Shrek was sparring in knight armour with Snowgre and was awesome at it.
Snowgre was having a hard time keeping up with his cousin.
"You'd better stop now if you don't want them to find out." Snowgre whispered.
"Good point Snowg.
Let's stop for now." Shrek whispered to him resheathing his sword.
"Why were you guys sparring?
It was amazing.
Is it anything to do with the tournament?" Artie replied.
Snowgre was worried at that.
"How did he know that?
I'd better warn Shrek about that.
I know how bad he wants to enter to prove that he could be a knight." He thought.
"No we were just fooling around." Snowgre replied to him.
Artie had this feeling his guess was right.
Fiona saw Shrek come out of the shower.
He needed it after the work out he'd had with Snowgre.
There was a huge tournament in Far, Far Away and he intended to enter it.
He just hadn't told the others yet.
Not even Fiona knew what he was planning.
He'd only trusted Snowgre because he understood.
"It'd been my dream to be a knight growing up, seeing the world.
Maybe ogres can be knights.
It would be funny if I beat the other knights and the look on everyone's faces when they see that I beat them." he thought.
He then got dressed back in his normal clothes.
Fiona noticed he was quiet at dinner.
"Honey is anything wrong?
You're never this silent." she asked him.
"No honey I'm okay." he answered eating a weed rat skewer.
"I wish I could tell them.
But they'd laugh and make fun of me like my Dad did when I told him I wanted to be a knight." he thought as he drank some wine.
Snowgre saw him still up after everybody had gone to bed.
He found him working on something.
"What's that?" he heard him ask as he was holding something.
"Hey Snowg.
Just my shield from when I was a kid.
I'm trying to spruce it up for the tournament.
I'm glad this is a secret.
If the others found out, they'd laugh at me like my Dad used to." Shrek answered him.
"I don't think so not from the way Artie saw your so called training.
He said you were awesome!" Snowgre replied.
He nodded as he yawned.
"Why don't you get some sleep sire?
Let me work on thy shield." Snowgre said playfully.
"R-Really?
You'd really be my squire for the tournament?" Shrek told him.
"Well yeah.
You've done so much for me like giving me somebody to talk to.
I figured why not?" Snowgre told him.
"Thanks Snowg you don't know how much this means." he said.
"I know." Snowgre replied watching his cousin go into the house.
Snowgre smiled looking at the shield.
It had no crest on it.
"Hmm... He didn't do it.
Or maybe he was afraid.
The shield is part of the knight's armour but the crest shows who he is, right?
Well the others and I know who Shrek is.
Loyal, brave, trust worthy, caring.
All the things you'd look for in a knight.
I have an idea..." the ogre teen thought beginning to paint.
Artie watched his friend curious.
He would be at the tournament in the morning.
He then went back in the house.
It was the crack of dawn and Shrek was up along with Snowgre.
"Did you finish the shield?" Shrek asked him clad in a suit of dark green armour.
He had the sword he'd found in the Dragon's Keep when he rescued Fiona.
That's what he was going to use in the tournament along with the mace and chain.
"I did but close your eyes okay?" Snowgre said.
Shrek then put his visor down for a moment.
"It's okay.
You can look now." Snowgre said.
Shrek gasped in awe.
"Snowg... it's awesome!
Did you really paint this?
You've got real skills." he exclaimed.
On the shield Snowgre had painted Shrek in armour riding a dragon with flames blazing forth from it's mouth.
There was a sun flower border around it.
"I-I'm glad you like it.
The crest is supposed to reflect the knight's inner self, right?
So I used what I think of you, loyal, brave, caring and put those into a crest.
Because even if you don't win, you're still a knight to me." Snowgre replied.
"Thanks Snowg." he said hugging him as they went to Far, Far Away.
"Guys have you seen Shrek this morning?
I woke up and he wasn't beside me in bed." Fiona said.
"That's weird.
Snowgre isn't here either.
Something's going on.
I wonder what." Artie thought as he and the others had breakfast.
"Maybe they went ahead of us to the tournament.
You know how Shrek is." Donkey suggested.
It all made sense to Artie.
"He's... right.
He's probably there as we speak." he told them as they left in the onion carriage.
Snowgre watched as Shrek stood there while Snowgre prepared his lance.
Snowgre noticed him looking out at the crowd.
"You're a little nervous aren't you?" he told him.
Shrek nodded as he climbed onto a horse with his helmet on so he wouldn't scare it.
"A little. This is my first ever tournament.
I'm glad the others aren't here." he replied.
"Don't worry about the people out there because they're here for you andd the other knights.
Besides it's no different from when we were six." Snowgre told him handing his shield.
"Yeah you're right Snowg.
Thanks." he told him taking his shield from him.
Artie scanned the crowd from the podium where he, Fiona and the triplets were.
"Do you see him anywhere?" Fiona asked.
"No, not yet." he told her.
"Maybe he went to get a drink." Donkey told him.
Artie sighed as he heard the regal fan fare which meant he had to speak to the kingdom.
"I declare that this tournament is open!" he yelled as people cheered loudly.
Snowgre watched as many knights won or lost their rounds.
But soon it was Shrek's turn.
Artie and the other members of court along with the rest of the kingdom wondered who this strange knight was.
"It's too bad Shrek's not here.
He could probably figure out who that knight is." Artie told them.
Snowgre laughed hearing that as he joined Artie and Fiona.
"What's so funny Uncle Snowgre?" Spam asked him.
"It's nothing little dude." Snowgre said watching Shrek take care of the guy he was up against so easily.
But Artie gasped seeing the olive green armoured knight's shield.
It was the one Snowgre had been working on last night at the swamp.
"No way.
It is Shrek.
Why didn't he tell us?
Was he ashamed or something?" he thought smiling.
Fiona wondered what he was on about.
She watched as during the rest of the tournament, the olive green armoured knight kept winning his matches.
"Who is he?
He's good!
I can't believe Shrek's missing this." Fiona told them.
But then Artie panicked.
The next challenger was Lance.
"Oh no.
He's toast." he muttered under his breath.
Lance smiled seeing Artie nervous.
"I know who you are under there ogre.
You may have saved the worm's butt by taking him from Worchester but I'm gonna enjoy beating you." Lance whispered so only Shrek could hear.
"Bring it on." Shrek replied.
Fiona wondered why Artie looked so nervous during this match.
But Shrek took care of Lance easily by knocking him off his horse with ease.
Artie was surprised at that.
"Wow he beat Lance.
He's awesome!
It's too bad Fiona doesn't know who that olive green armoured knight is her husband." he thought.
Shrek saw Snowgre join him as he dismounted his horse.
"Man you were awesome!
You should've seen Fiona.
She was cheering for you all the way." he told him.
"Yeah I know Snowg." Shrek replied hugging him.
They watched as Artie put a wreath around a knight.
"It's okay Snowg.
I don't care that I won.
It was awesome." Shrek said hugging him.
He then removed his armour and hid it along with his shield in a bag he'd brought with him.
"Come on we'd better get to the castle in case Fiona gets worried." he told him as they laughed talking about the day's events.
Fiona wondered what had her husband in a good mood at the feast.
"Where did that cool knight go Mommy?
The one in the green armour." Meatballs asked Fiona.
Shrek laughed hearing that as they ate.
Artie smiled.
He knew his friend had been the knight Meatballs had been talking about.
"He could be closer than you think." Shrek told him.
Fiona gasped realising what he'd meant.
"So he was the strange knight in the olive green armour!
I should've realised it seeing the shield." she thought as she drank from her goblet.
Later Artie and Snowgre were with Shrek.
Fiona realised her husband was wearing something around his neck.
It was a medal from the tournament.
"You deserve it man.
You were awesome.
You beat knights half your age and size.
Did you... want to be a knight?
When you were a kid?" Artie said.
"Aye I did.
I wanted to be a knight so I could have adventure and help others but people broke me down like my parents." Shrek replied sadly.
Fiona understood hearing that.
She hoped that his parents would be proud of their son as he was...
Wow that was a cool chapter with lots of action.
I guess Shrek got to live his dream after all.
I'm gonna write the next one soon.