The Crownlands, 293 AL.
Lysander.
"I you do need to fight, and can't have professionals do it for you, make a show of it. Teach each and all that see the costs of fighting you."EquitesLysander Asimachos.
EquitesLysander Asimachos.
"You will not be reconciled?" asked the Lord, looking from one man to the other.
"No. I will show this fop the true meaning of being a knight!" Ser Halder said forcefully.
He drew his sword and his dagger, pointing his swordpoint to the ground, denying the knight a quick way to determine his reach, and extended his dagger in front of him.
"They used to call me 'the adder', back when I duelled." he said with a smile.
"I would name you weasel - snakelike, but also soft!" Ser Halder replied, earning him a snicker or two from the guests who were now standing outside in the late evening summer sun.
"You are making many mistakes this evening, Ser Halder." he replied with a smile.
The knight laughed and swung his sword to connect with the dagger, knocking it out of place. But it was back to parry when he tried to strike again.
"You will die today, Asimachos." the knight growled and swinged again, which he parried with the dagger.
"I have heard that from better classes of men than you, Ser Halder." he said with a smile and parried another strike, moving quickly, pacing back and forth, never letting his feet be still. The school of the light sword called for constant footwork. Designed for cobblestone streets or even fighting in plowed fields, a light and small step allowed you to move without looking even on uneven terrain, allowing you to move forwards or backwards at a more rapid pace than someone not used to the same training.
"Shut up, you bastard!" the knight growled and swung wildly, knocking the dagger out of place again, but finding it rasied more quickly than he could with his sword when he tried to use the open defence to his advantage.
"Your first mistake was insulting me. I am sure your Lord father invited me partially to inquire if I could provide you with a position in my or the Captain's organisation." he parried a bit more forcefully and raised the sword for the first time, using it with a short, whipped backhand swing - using only the wrist - to remove a silver button from the velvet west of the knight, who parried a bit too slow with his much heavier sword. The clenched teeth of the portly Lord, who looked very displeased seemed to confirm that assumption.
"Your second mistake was to challenge me without armour." he said with a smile and whipped the sword back as the knight backed out of range - too slow, or not long enough. Being tall and wielding a long, light sword gave him a range advantage that he had hidden well so far. Another button flew away from the knight's west.
"With armour, this would have been much more equal. You might even have won - it is hard to penetrate armour with a light sword." he said with a smile and parried a heavy swing with his dagger and cutting off a third button and then quickly retreating out of range. The knight growled, too angry to see that he was being toyed with and at a serious disadvantage.
"Your third mistake was to go into a duel with me wielding only one weapon, and nothing to parry with." he continued, matter-of-factly and parried yet another trust. Many of the guests were now quite intrigued by the fight, as they were seeing a Braavosi-style fight against a Westerosi knight, and the former winning clearly. Despite many of them originally being on Ser Halder's side, there were laughs at his quips and at the buttons flying. A truly martial people, who appreciated skill with arms and a good fight, or in this case, when it was not a good fight, a good show. "A shield or a dagger could not have been that far away. Or even a stool from the hall. But no, you were too arrogant for that." he said with a smile as the furious knight swung again. This time he parried with the basket-like hand protection of the dagger. The good steel of the knight's sword dug into the softer bronze of the protection - and stuck. It was just a moment before the knight could yank his sword back, but he used it to use his sword like a whip, using his wrist again to open a shallow gash on the swordarm of the knight.
Ser Halder roared and swung, but he backstepped, not even parrying this time, and used his superior range to again whip his sword to open up another shallow gash on the swordarm of the knight.
"Your fourth mistake was making me angry enough to care about you." he said coldly. "And the more than two thousand gold dragons you have stolen from your father's estates when you were the caretaker for them." he said, low, but slow and well articulated so that everyone could hear it. The knight paled and winced as he parried a thrust and hit his swordarm in the same manner again. Then he suddently went on the offensive, using the dagger to move the knight's sword to the side and then whipping his sword over the swordarm of the knight several times, until blood was flowing and the weapon slipped out of the knight's hand as he grabbed his right arm with his left hand, trying futily to stem the pain and blood. He stepped forward and for the first time in the fight, he let one foot cross the other as he took a step forward and swung his right hand to use his basket-shaped swordhilt as brass knuckles, hitting the knight over the nose and upper teeth. A crunch of bone and teeth being broken could be heard, and the knight dropped to the ground, unconcious. He watched the man for a second or two, placing his blade over his chest, to a few gasps from the assembled guests behind him, some of which turned into laughs as he flicked the blade and removed another button, this time upwards so that he could catch it with his dagger hand.
He took out a handkerchief to wipe the blood of the blade and hilt of his light sword and turned around to bow to the Lord and his guests.
"My apologies, Lord Greenfield. I have evidence, of course, but I did not want to bring it to your attention in a public setting." he said, eying the guests. "He spent it mostly on gambling, but also whoring and drinking." he said, sheating his sword and dagger and nodding towards Lieutenant Clegane. "He was actually decent at cooking the books, but it was nothing I have not seen before."
The Lord was a picture of dissapointment and bad mood, scowling. "I apologise for my son,EquitesAsimachos." the Lord said. "I had my suspicions, but did not want it to be true." the Lord looked up towards him. "I am grateful that you did not kill him."
"Don't thank me yet, Lord Greenfield." he answered with a grimace. "I have cut certain tendons and muscles in his arm. While he will heal, I doubt he will ever have the strength in his hand to wield a sword again."
Note: Images by my good friendJohn.