The Vampire & Her Witch-Chapter 746: A Knight’s First and Final Weapon

As much as Ollie wanted to settle things quickly and quietly, there were some things that were unavoidable. The room that the captive knights stayed in was under constant guard and while they had luxurious quarters, they were still prisoners. If Ollie wanted to take them to a courtyard to settle matters with Sir Rain, he needed to ensure that there were sufficient guards to watch over the men while he focused on his duel.

While Harrod was happy to fetch more men to stand guard for Sir Ollie, the young knight had failed to give any instructions about keeping things quiet. Because of his oversight, by the time Ollie and the captive knights arrived in a flagstone yard that Nyrielle’s army used for training, the entire square was packed with soldiers who had come to watch. And from the sounds of the chatter when they arrived, the men were already placing bets, though the form of the bets seemed a bit odd.

"Two silver pennies says Sir Ollie ends it on the first blow," one man said, holding up two clawed fingers.

"Four silver tails says Sir Ollie kills the fool outright," another man added, jostling his way forward.

"I’ve got a silver penny that says the human won’t even scratch Sir Ollie before the duel ends..."

The bets were as varied as the soldiers placing them, but no one seemed to have two bits of silver to rub together to wager that Ollie would lose.

"Where are the weapons, kitchen boy?" Sir Rain said, looking around the square and frowning. "Don’t tell me that we’re going to fight with those padded wooden sticks like children?"

"A knight’s first weapon is his last weapon," Ollie said, taking a fighting stance in the middle of the square and holding up his fists. "When swords lay broken and armor torn asunder, a knight will fight with his bare hands until there is no life left in his body," he quoted. "Didn’t you learn this from your teachers?"

"Foolish nonsense from men who have never known battle," Sir Rain spat as he squared off against Ollie, raising his own fists in a fighting stance that was more appropriate to brawling in bars than fighting a duel. "Did you learn that from Master Isabell’s poet husband? It seems the sort of thing he’d say."

"I learned it from Lord General Thane," Ollie said, speaking loudly enough for the crowd to hear his words over the steady patter of the winter rain. "A knight who serves his lord or lady should be ready to defend them at all times, whether he is armed or not. You’re Lord Owain’s personal guard aren’t you?"

"So what of it?" Sir Rain said. "You think I walk about unarmed when I’m protecting Lord Owain? You think yourself a knight but what kind of knight would ever be caught without his weapons? If you want to fight like knights, return my sword to me or fetch me another one. Then we’ll see who the real knight is!"

"You don’t understand," Ollie said. "You’re Lord Owain’s personal guard. My Lady killed your predecessor and if she wants your life, she’ll come for it herself. I will not take your life today because it doesn’t belong to me. But I will teach you a lesson about manners and how to behave like a knight."

"Damn it," Sir Rain hissed beneath his breath. He’d been hoping for a chance to get his weapons back, even if he couldn’t get his armor. If he had a sword, he could kill a soldier and take their armor so long as they were close in size, but without a weapon, what was he supposed to do? How could he use this moment to fight his way out of this demon infested nightmare?

"Fine," Sir Rain said when he realized there was likely nothing that he could do to escape. "But no witchcraft! On your honor as a knight, Sir Ollie," he said, twisting the word ’sir’ in his mouth until it sounded like an insult instead of an honorific.

"Of course, no witchcraft," Ollie agreed before scanning the crowd. Harrod stood close by Sir Hugo and Sir Carwyn but both men looked incredibly uncomfortable surrounded by the Eldritch soldiers of Lady Nyrielle’s army. It didn’t help that the men were excited, cheering and shouting to place wagers on the outcome of the duel.

What must this look like, Ollie wondered, to the men who had been born and raised to be proper knights? Would they look down on this as a savage spectacle? Would they think less of him, and by extension, Lady Ashlynn because of this? All because he couldn’t hold it in when Sir Rain poked and prodded at him.

But whatever the two knights thought, he realized, Ashlynn wouldn’t care. She would fight when she had to, she would stand up for her people if they needed her to, but she would be prouder of the fact that Ollie was standing up for himself. Once he realized that, everything else that weighed on his mind became much, much lighter and his path out of this moment became clearer.

"Sir Carwyn," Ollie shouted. "No one here is truly neutral but you are the least involved. Will you stand as witness and arbiter of our duel?"

"Me?" the captive knight said, blinking in surprise and pointing at himself as if there might be some other Sir Carwyn in the training yard. "I’m your prisoner. Why not one of these other men?"

"Because they aren’t knights," Ollie said with a trace of a smile tugging at the corner of his lips. "But you are. And I heard that you fought an honorable duel with Captain Barsali," he added. "Since he called you an honorable champion and a respected foe, I’m willing to put my trust in you to keep matters fair."

"You say that," Carwyn said, striding forward from the crowd. "But if you break the rules and use witchcraft, what could I do to stop you? I’m not much of an arbiter if I can’t break up the fight."

"Just say the word," Ollie said, locking eyes with Harrod through the rain. "The men here will pull me back if need be. But you’re the one who decides when matters end."

"Fair enough, Sir Olle," Carwyn said, giving the young man a strange look. In his first encounter with demons, Captain Barsali had stopped the fight short of slaughtering his men because he demanded a duel. When he’d won, rather than slaughtering Carwyn’s men, he’d brought them back to this fortress to receive healing and care. Carwyn himself wouldn’t be walking now if not for the actions of the witch, Heila.

Now, for the second time, he was watching a demon, a witch who had once been human, insisting on a fair fight between knights. That same witch even ordered his men to restrain him if Carwyn judged the fight unfair.

Just what kind of world was this? The captive knight briefly wondered if he’d fallen into a bizarre world where everything he knew had been turned upside down. Sir Rain was illtempered and uncouth, hardly reflecting the ideals of his station. At the same time, the demons and witches treated him with the greatest respect and courtesy. Just what was going on here?

But no matter how much the strange situation gnawed at his mind, he forced himself to focus on the task at hand. Stepping forward, he placed a hand on each of the men’s raised fists, looking from Ollie’s pale eyes to Sir Rain’s dark gaze and then out over the crowd, ensuring that no one would interfere the moment he said the word.

Finally, after a deep breath, he released both men’s hands and leaped backward, shouting at the top of his lungs.

"Fight!"

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