Britt braced herself as her mount charged across the field, again holding her lance aloft as she carefully aimed for Maleagant’s shield.
The impact was worse this time. Instead of numbness Britt’s side burned as if she had been hit by a sledgehammer. Maleagant didn’t seem to feel Britt’s lance, but Britt was almost popped from her saddle. She hit the back of her jousting saddle, its raised rim biting into her lower back.
Britt coughed, feeling significantly more pained as she turned her horse and trotted back to Kay, ignoring Maleagant’s sneering laughter.
Sir Kay had his arms folded as he studied Britt.
Even though he couldn’t see her eyes Britt looked away, embarrassed by the knowledge she still hadn’t done as Sir Kay said to.
She couldn’t help it. She was weighed down by the knowledge of what a loss would mean.
“Britt.”
Britt looked to her foster brother. “Yes?”
“That man down there in the armor,” Sir Kay said, pointing with a thick finger.
“Yes?”
“That’s Lancelot.”
“What?”
“You are not riding to trounce a tyrant. You’re riding to toss Lancelot from his horse like you have always wanted.”
Britt started to protest. “I never wanted to throw Lancelot.”
Sir Kay interrupted, “Britt, that is Lancelot,” he said before he walked off.
Britt thoughtfully turned her charger, staring at Maleagant at the far end of the field. The soldier raised and lowered his flag, and Britt’s mount leaped into a canter.
Britt leaned forward slightly, squeezing her legs and urging the horse to go faster. It complied, and Britt thundered down the field at a crazy speed. She was on Maleagant in an instant, and this time it was different.
When Britt felt her lance hit Maleagant’s shield, she pushed. She pushed her feet down in the stirrups to give herself something to strain against as well as the saddle and used that force to lean into Maleagant. The superior velocity of Britt’s charger made it more difficult to aim, but it also gave her a great deal of more force when she hit Maleagant.
Every muscle in Britt’s body burned as she pushed in spite of the painful blow Maleagant landed on her shield.
A split second and it was over.
Maleagant was knocked from his saddle and went sprawling over the side of his horse, falling to the ground with a clang.
Britt couldn’t feel her left arm anymore, and she had to prop the lance up on her saddle as her right arm trembled from the exertion.
Kay walked back to Britt as men hurried to Maleagant’s side. Cheers exploded from Camelgrance, and Guinevere cried and clasped a hand to her chest.
Maleagant’s men rolled Maleagant onto his back, removing his helm for him. Slowly they sat him up. The fallen knight briefly held his head before he narrowed his eyes and snarled at Britt, “Who are you, champion? I demand to know.”
Britt couldn’t have asked Maleagant to perform any closer to the dialog Merlin had prepared.
As Kay reached her side and held her horse, Britt removed her helm. “I am Arthur, King of Camelot, wielder of Excalibur, and ally of King Leodegrance.”
Maleagant roared and struggled to stand.
Britt dropped her lance on the ground and pulled Excalibur from its scabbard, using it to point at Maleagant. “I have beaten you twice now, Duke Maleagant. I thought you to be a man of your word, but if you are not I will trounce you a third time, this time with the aid of my men,” she said, thrusting Excalibur towards the sky.
On cue three different hunting horns from three different directions were sounded. In three different parts of the forest, knights on horseback emerged from the trees, barely visible in the shadows, and spread like three great companies disappearing deep into the forest. On the forest perimeter there were glints of metal where sunlight reflected off armor and weapons.
Entirely alone, Merlin walked some feet away from the forest. He waved his staff over his head, and fire exploded from the tip, igniting in orange flames that were at least twenty feet tall.
Maleagant stopped muttering under his breath and stared at the forest with wide eyes.
“Do you understand what I am saying, Duke Maleagant?” Britt asked, cuing her charger closer to the cheater. “Leave, or this third time I will not be so generous in letting you live,” Brit said, swinging her sword down in an arc to again stab it in his direction.
Maleagant scrambled for his horse, his men right behind him. “You shall regret this, beardless youth!” Maleagant promised as he rode off, leaving behind tents and equipment.
Maleagant and his accompanying knights urged their horses faster when the hunting horns were blown again. They disappeared, riding off in the direction of Duke Maleagant’s lands, and Britt slumped in her saddle.
“I can’t believe they bought that,” she said, sliding Excalibur back into its scabbard.
“Merlin is a fox,” Sir Kay said in explanation.