Another round, and it ended in a draw. Luke was sweating profusely, and downed gatorade in a large gulps. Both Kiana and Melanie were kissing him, wishing him luck, and trying to give him pep talks, but he was barely registering it due to all the adrenaline. Midway through the next round, Luke got a large opening, and managed to nail Brutus in the arm. As he dropped his shield, Luke knew this was the beginning of a momentum swing, and after a few more blows and parries, he barely connected on a leg shot. Thinking he was finally on equal footing, the fight became a veritable slugfest, with him having the advantage of two arms, though both of them on one leg. Finally, Brutus accidentally opened himself with a big swing, and as Luke went to capitalize, he overextended and slipped on the soft grass. Unfortunately, as he fell forward, he felt Brutus’s sword make contact with his side. Match over. Luke heard cheering as he stood up, shaking the loss off.
He looked up, and saw Brutus extending a hand. He took it, and as he helped him up, Brutus spoke into his ear. “Well done. No one has given me that much difficulty in a while,” he said in a rumble of a voice. “I look forward to meeting you in future tournaments.” He clapped Luke on the shoulder, and walked away.
Rodney came over, and told him how well he had done to take Brutus the distance, as apparently he was tough stuff in these tourneys. He went back to the side, ready to sit down, but was told to keep his armor on, as there was one more fight for him, and fight for 3rd place.
Another fight ensued, and it was somewhat drawn out, but the loser was dispatched to the sideline too. Finally, Luke met the loser in the field, and it took him a little over one round to secure a blow to the body. So he placed 3rd.
Next, Brutus fought another large man, this one stocky but also quick. It lasted three rounds before Brutus really started to dominate, slowly picking his opponent apart, finishing with a head shot. Brutus was crowned the winner, and as they each received flagons indicating their placing, a person called him over to meet with the king and queen. They went to a courtyard with multiple tables, and Luke found himself on the side of the queen. The queen had Kiana sent for by Rodney, and she joined them as they dug into a fine meal of game hens and veggies. During the meal, Marianne gave him special attention, chatting him up, and discussing the tournament. By the end of the meal, she had made her flirting quite clear, and had invited them to another event in one month, which they gracefully accepted.
As lunch broke up, Luke found himself overly full, and Rodney and Joe wanted to go play Tablero. Luke was planning on going with them, but Aramis called him back. “You fought very well out there for a guy who’s never strapped on armor before.”
“Thanks. I’ve been doing Jeet Kune Do and MMA for years, so that helped a bit, I guess.”
“I’d like to help you train, if you’re interested. The Lyton wars are in a month up in Canada, and you’d do well in that tournament.”