Kingdom's Quest (12 page)

Gavinaugh knighted Garamond as a Knight of the Prince, and another companion soul joined the army of the Prince.

Garamond insisted that his new friends stay with him while in Thecia, for his manor was large and had many rooms. He shared all that he owned with them, as well as his knowledge of the knights Gavinaugh would face in the days to come. They were all very grateful.

The following day, Gavinaugh faced his next opponent, and the fight was over quickly, for his skill far surpassed that of the other knight. Once again he refused to kill him, and the officials had a mind to eliminate him. By now, however, Gavinaugh had become a favorite of the crowd, and the influence of their cheers was too much to overcome, so he was allowed to advance without even a warning.

Each day Gavinaugh fought and was victorious until only one knight remained for him to defeat—Sir Bavol of Whighton.

Word of the mighty Sir Gavinaugh, who fought for the Unknown Lord, had spread not only through all of Thecia, but throughout the surrounding regions. On the last day of the tournament, the seats, the aisles, and the gates were all crowded with bystanders hoping to see the final contest. Distant thunder rumbled as the sky threatened to release its rain from the dark clouds above, but Thecia and its citizens did not care—the excitement of this event overshadowed the discomforts of any possible inclement weather.

Under the north gate to the amphitheater, Weston, Sandon,
Garamond, Keanna, and Julian readied Gavinaugh and Triumph both, for the final duel was to be fought on horseback.

“I have watched Sir Bavol for two years and dared not enter the tournament before now because of him,” Garamond said as he secured Gavinaugh's breastplate. “He is not only very skilled, but deceptive besides. The mounted duel is his forte, and you will be at a disadvantage since you are left-handed.”

Gavinaugh's five friends stood before him, and he could read the concern on each of their faces. He smiled broadly at them all.

“What do you find so humorous, Gavinaugh?” Weston asked, a bit perturbed.

“I have never had so much fuss over me in all of my days as a knight,” he said with a laugh as he mounted Triumph. “I think I shall have to find more tournaments to fight in.” His humor seemed to ease the tension.

“May the Lords of—” Garamond stopped himself. “May the Prince be with you!”

“And with you!” Gavinaugh replied.

Weston, Sandon, and Garamond made their way to the seats that were reserved for them near the nobility as Keanna walked beside Gavinaugh into the amphitheater at the sound of the trumpets and to the deafening roar of twenty-five thousand cheering spectators.

Bavol entered from the south gate and raised his hand to accept the adoration of thousands. He was a powerful-looking knight with jet-black hair and a beard to match. His steed was two hands taller than Triumph, which added to his dominating stature. When Gavinaugh saw that many were shouting his own name, he stopped Triumph near the towering stone pillars and began to dismount.

“What are you doing?” Keanna asked, alarmed at his actions.

He continued to dismount. “It is wrong for these people to lift any man other than the Prince up like this,” he replied, walking beside Keanna to the center of the arena.

Along the way, Keanna kept looking over at Gavinaugh, as though she could hardly believe he would do such a thing.

At the arena center, Gavinaugh left Triumph and walked Keanna to the side of the arena, and the cheers of the crowd subsided into a rumble of muttered conversations.

“Thank you for all you have done to help me over the past few days,” Gavinaugh said.

Keanna opened her mouth to speak but could not form any words. The crowd hushed as Gavinaugh bowed to her and then returned to Triumph. The reaction from the people and the nobility was clearly one of confusion and amazement.

When Gavinaugh reached his steed, he mounted and prepared for the fight. The herald announced the knights, and they separated for their mounted passes. Each man drew his sword, and the trumpet sounded.

The men charged full speed toward one another, their gleaming blades before them. Gavinaugh could feel his mighty Triumph pounding the ground beneath but could not hear it, for the shouts of the crowd flooded the amphitheater and overwhelmed all other sounds. Since the injury to his right arm years before, Gavinaugh hadn't been in battle with Triumph and so didn't know how the horse would respond to his being left-handed. But the steed seemed to understand his limitation.

At the final moment, Triumph crossed over before Bavol's horse, and Gavinaugh was able to strike a forceful blow upon Bavol's breastplate that nearly sent him to the ground. Bavol cursed and recovered quickly. He positioned his horse to regain his right-side advantage, but
Triumph instinctively repositioned himself for Gavinaugh's advantage time and time again. Bavol's frustration was obvious as he tried to engage Gavinaugh across his body. Gavinaugh took advantage of Triumph's brilliant maneuvering and landed blow after blow upon Bavol.

At one point, Gavinaugh saw an opening in Bavol's guard and brought a wide, powerful slice across his body. Bavol's only response was to bring his sword up just in time to stop what would have been a deadly cut across his neck and chest. The clash was near the hilt and so strong, however, that Bavol's sword broke in two. Bavol cursed again and threw the shattered remnants of his sword to the ground as he galloped to his squire to receive a new sword.

The thunder from the sky was replaced by the thunder of spectators pounding their feet upon the stone steps of the amphitheater. The sky began to break, letting spires of sunlight through the dark clouds.

Bavol turned from his squire and charged ferociously at Gavinaugh again, but this time he hesitated at the engagement and drove his horse right into Triumph. As the horses collided, Bavol lunged at Gavinaugh, and horses and men all fell to the ground in a heap of clashing armor and flailing hooves. Gavinaugh rolled away from the fracas, hoping that Triumph was all right. He began to stand, but out of the corner of his eye he caught the shadow of a deadly blade arching toward his head. He brought his sword into a protective position above and behind him in time to stop Bavol's cut. Bavol recoiled and struck again, but Gavinaugh ducked, turned, and executed a quick and shallow thrust that penetrated Bavol's thigh just above his plate armor. Gavinaugh then fully recovered to a standing defensive position.

Both men were breathing heavily. To Gavinaugh, Bavol looked angry and frustrated. The injury to Bavol's thigh did not appear to hinder the man at all, however, and he attacked Gavinaugh in a steady advance of cuts and slices. Gavinaugh was momentarily taken by the strength of Bavol's blows and tried to adjust. This knight was one of the best Gavinaugh had ever faced, and for a moment he wondered if he
would survive the day. The crowd had worked itself into a near-frenzied state during the course of the fight, and Gavinaugh found it difficult to concentrate. Bavol's energy and attack seemed endless as his blade pounded into Gavinaugh's. One of Bavol's cuts was so strong that it slammed into Gavinaugh's sword and continued into his shoulder. His shoulder plate bore the brunt of the blow, but Bavol's sword glanced off and hit his head just above his ear.

He could feel the blood oozing down his neck as he made a gallant effort to recover. The crowd shouted wildly. Gavinaugh continued his retreat from Bavol's tireless attack, which put him up against one of the stone pillars. Bavol made a massive two-handed crosscut that crashed into Gavinaugh's sword. Gavinaugh could not maintain his grip as his weapon tore loose from his hand. He stepped backward in retreat and tripped over a corner of the foundation block the pillar was set upon. Gavinaugh was lying on his back without his sword. The crowd quieted as Bavol covered him and raised his sword for the final deathblow.

Gavinaugh glanced toward Keanna, who was just below the seating for nobility. She had fallen to her knees and covered her face with her hands. All the kingdom seemed to stop, and the next moment stalled its arrival. Gavinaugh thought of the Prince and the compassion He had shown him.
How foolish to end my mission in a way such as this!
Gavinaugh saw Bavol's sword descending from above in a two-handed plunge, but strangely, he was not afraid. His mind had transitioned to a state he had never experienced before.

The blade came down, and Gavinaugh rolled just far enough for it to miss its mark. He rolled back and grabbed on to the hilt of Bavol's sword with his left hand. Bavol pulled his sword upward and away for another strike, but Gavinaugh held tightly to the hilt, using the movement to lift him from the ground. He was catapulted to a standing position and carried his momentum forward. He swung his right elbow forward with all his might into Bavol's jaw, and the blow sent the man
reeling backward. Gavinaugh made use of the time to recover his sword and faced Bavol once again.

“You have only prolonged your death!” Bavol shouted as he rubbed his jaw and prepared to attack again.

The cheering of the crowd was once again deafening, but this time Gavinaugh did not hear them. He had discovered the strength of the Prince, and there was no one who could strip him of that power. He took a swordsman's stance that portrayed his renewed confidence and viewed the coming fight with anticipation.

Bavol attacked as before, but this time Gavinaugh did not retreat. His blade flew faster and more accurately than ever, and his domination in the fight was undeniable. He began a methodical advance and realized that he could take Bavol down in an instant—he was relying completely upon the training he had received from the Prince. He did not want to kill Bavol, but he knew that the man would not submit until his last breath.

Bavol's countenance of assurance changed to one of desperation as he seemed to realize the shift of momentum in the fight.

Gavinaugh paused in his attack. “Yield, Sir Bavol, or you will surely die.”

The men were breathing heavily, and sweat ran down their faces and bodies. There was now more sun than shade, for the clouds in the sky were few.

“It is you who will die this day!” Bavol lunged forward and attacked, but Gavinaugh anticipated the move, deflected his cut, and plunged his sword through Bavol's right arm. Bavol screamed but did not drop his sword. He transferred it to his left hand and attacked again. Gavinaugh defended and made a thrust into Bavol's shoulder. Before long, Bavol was bleeding from multiple wounds, but he would not yield.

Bavol attempted a final weak attack, but Gavinaugh easily deflected the cut and quickly followed with a blow that Bavol could not defend. The swords collided and Bavol lost his grip. His sword flew
from his hand, and Gavinaugh advanced to prevent him from recovering it. Bavol grabbed his right arm to staunch the blood flowing freely from the wound. There was no fight left in him. The crowd erupted into an ovation that did not subside.

Bavol fell to his knees before Gavinaugh. “You must kill me to end my shame,” he said weakly.

The crowd began to yell, “Death with honor!”

Gavinaugh turned to the seats of the nobility and held up his hand to quiet the people. After a moment, all were silent as they waited for Gavinaugh to finish the contest and become the champion of the Tournament of Lords.

“People of Thecia, why do you need the death of a man to make a champion victorious?” he shouted. He turned so as to talk to everyone in the amphitheater. “Let me tell you about the death of a Champion who made His
Followers
victorious! I fight for the Unknown Lord. You have ignorantly given honor to Him through the statue in the Court of the Lords, yet you do not know Him. I have seen Him and will testify before all of Arrethtrae that He is nobler than any lord in any land, for He is the Son of the King and the Prince of Arrethtrae. By Him was this kingdom established, and through Him this kingdom will be saved. He came to teach us of the King and of the Code, but for the truth He spoke, He was hung upon a tree. People, hear and believe this—He is now alive, for I have seen Him face-to-face, and there is none like Him in the entire kingdom.”

Gavinaugh turned and looked down at Bavol. “There is no shame in losing to the sword of the Prince. There is only shame in choosing not to follow Him.”

Bavol looked as though he were about to fall, for his wounds were beginning to overcome him. Gavinaugh motioned to Bavol's squire just as the knight fell sideways. Gavinaugh grabbed him and gently laid him on the ground. His squire and two other men came to help.

Bavol looked into Gavinaugh's face and grabbed his arm. “Tell me
of the ways of the Unknown Lord that I may teach them to my people at Whighton.” Bavol's words were strained.

“I will, good knight, and you will have reward a thousand times that of this tournament!” he said, inspired by the heart of the man. He stood and allowed the other men to care for Bavol.

The Duke of Thecia rose from his chair. The tournament officials motioned for the crowd to hush again.