by C. E. Swain
"I see you do not have a shield, will you not choose one from these."
He said, as he waved his hand across the ones leaning on the railing beside him.
"No Sir, I do not like them." Menimeth replied.
"Do not like them? How do you expect to win in a fight against a foe?" The captain asked.
"With these." Menimeth said, as he drew his Elvin swords from their scabbards.
They were the finest set of matching swords ever seen by any one at the fair, and they were far better than anything carried by any one in the empire. A hush came over the crowd, and for the next ten minutes, Menimeth mesmerized the onlookers with a style of fighting multiple attackers, of his own design. His swords flashed in the sunlight, and at high speeds, danced around his head and body. At the end of the exercise, he was down on one leg with the other stretched out behind him. One sword pointed straight out in front of him, and the other pointed straight out behind.
When he finished, Menimeth stood up and slid the swords back in their scabbards. Captain Brannor looked at him in amazement, and walked over to where Menimeth was standing.
"You are very good with those weapons you carry, but the style you use is unfamiliar to me, where did you learn it? Not in Alenvale I'll wager." He said
"It is a style of my own design, Captain." Menimeth replied. "And no, I did not learn it in Alenvale, since I have never been there."
"But you compete for the village of Alenvale. Do you have family or friends there?" The captain asked.
"I only know the men I am with vaguely, However, I would call them my friends, and stand at their side when trouble comes their way, Captain." Menimeth said, looking at Captain Brannor.
"We will talk more when the last event is completed I think. You are not a farmer or a merchant, and you have trained on the course many times before, or I am no judge of the skills of warriors." Captain Brannor said, as they walked to the line set up for the next event.
The last contest demonstrated bowmen ship, and once again, four man groups competed. There were four targets set up about one hundred feet from the line, marked by a rope staked to the ground at both ends. On the targets, three circles were painted, and they were placed on the chest of the silhouette of a man in the standing position.
Each contestant was given five arrows, and at least three must hit the target. Some of the men were accurate with the bow compared to the other events, and a few even managed to hit the bulls eye with one of the five arrows they were allowed. The regent's son hit the bull's eye once, and placed all five arrows inside the first two circles.
When it was the time for the last group to compete, which Menimeth was in, he turned to walk to the line. Chanry stepped up and offered Menimeth's bow to him, but he declined, and picked up a bow that was laying there for those who did not have a bow, instead. They were not well made, but were adequate for such a close shot, he thought. Menimeth placed all five arrows in the bull's eye with relative ease, and set the bow back where he found it.
The targets were at the far end of the fair grounds from the gates of the garrison, and Menimeth walked to them with Chanry by his side. Captain Brannor yelled for silence, and everyone stopped and turned to face him. After several seconds, he spoke to the crowd.
"There is one more contest before ending the fair today. The regent is having this small ribbon placed on the center target around the neck, and tied into a bow." He held up the ribbon for everyone to see. "Anyone who can hit the ribbon will be granted one request by the regent, or twenty gold pieces, whichever he chooses. Each contestant will only have the two chances, and you may use your own arrows."
Excitement filled the air, as those who believed they could accomplish the shot stepped forward. No one came very close to the ribbon, but the regents son put one right between the eyes of the silhouette that the ribbon was tied to, and that brought Ooo's and Ahh's from the crowd, as well as applause. When the last man had finished, and all of the arrows had been released, the ribbon was still there.
"Where is the Champion of the fair?" The regent's son asked the crowd." I did not see him take his turn at the ribbon, to thrill us all."
Menimeth stood by the gates, more then five hundred feet from the target. The yells from the other men, who stood waiting for him to come to the line, brought a response from Captain Brannor.
"Will you not at least attempt the shot?" He asked. "Everyone wants to see the ribbon hit, and the request granted, or at least the regent twenty gold pieces poorer."
That received a roar from the crowd, as the men of the fair confirmed his remark.
Menimeth bent down and pulled a few blades of grass from the ground. Standing again, he held them out, and watched them fall. All eyes were on him, and the men parted to allow him passage to the line, but he did not advance. He held out his hand to Chanry, and the boy handed him his bow in its case, and then he removed his cloak for the first time that day, handing it to the boy with a smile. Menimeth turned, and the sun glinted off the golden dragon on his breastplate as he did, and when the crowd saw his armor, the intake of their breath could be heard across the entire fairgrounds. Pulling the Elvin bow from its case, he strung it, and took two arrows from his quiver. One he held in his left hand where he held the bow, and the other, he fitted to the bowstring as he held the bow down. Menimeth looked at the target for several seconds, and breathed slowly as he did. Everyone looked at him, and even the regent's wife and daughter stood on the balcony and watched. Slowly Menimeth raised the bow as he pulled back the arrow and held it steady, aiming at the target. When he released the arrow, he quickly grabbed the other from his left hand, and in one quick move, notched, pulled, and released the second arrow. The first arrow hit the bow at the knot and severed the ribbon. The second caught the ribbon as it dropped, and pinned it to the silhouette just below the target that remained on his chest. Menimeth slowly unstrung his bow, and slid it back into its case, then asked Chanry to retrieve the arrows.
The regent sat with his mouth open, and a look of shock on his face. One of his servants spoke quietly to him, before backing up again, and Falendor regained his composure. Captain Brannor was stunned as well, and he stood looking from the target to the man, and back again. One of the onlookers broke the silence, as he said with amazement in his voice.
"By all the gods, he's a Dragon Warrior!" The man shouted.
This brought a roar from the crowd, as men yelled, and applauded.
"It was truly an amazing shot." One onlooker said.
"I would never have believed it, had I not seen it with my own eyes." Another of the onlookers said.
"Where did he come from?" A man asked his friend.
"Alenvale I think." His friend replied.
"He is not from Alenvale." The regent said, as he walked up to the crowd, followed by Captain Brannor. "Which means he entered the fair under false pretences."
"I never said I was from Alenvale, and the rules never said you had to be from a town, just that it must be represented." Menimeth said. "And changing the rules after the summons is false pretences. You should talk to your man about that, it could reflect back on you, and we would not want that. Would we?"
"You are right sir." Captain Brannor said, defusing any chance of a confrontation before it could begin.
"You are the champion of the fair, and the guest of honor at the banquet tonight, and your friends are invited as well." The regent said with a smile. "Then you will make your choice of the gold, or a request to be granted, if it within my power to do so. Now go and rest, and think about what you will choose."
The crowd cheered once more as the regent turned to walk away. Only Captain Brannor noticed the man wrapped in his cloak, emerge from the trees at the edge of the fairgrounds, and walk in their direction.
"We have an unexpected guest, it appears." He said, as he watched the man move closer.
The regent stopped and turned to look at the stranger who approached. Some of the men who were making their way from the
fairgrounds to their rooms and camps, stopped and looked to see what was happening. Others went on about their business, discussing the day's events, and paying no attention to the newcomer. Chanry stepped in front of his master, and stood there with a look of defiance, holding Menimeth's bow in his arms.
The man approached the crowd, pulling back his hood just before he reached their location. He was around five foot six inches feet tall, and dressed in Elvin silk garments. A circlet of gold with a diamond set in the middle was on his head, and his boots were made of soft leather, that went up to his knees. His blond hair fell down his back, and was tied with a gold clasp at the shoulders.
When he reached the regent, he bowed and gave the traditional greeting of the Elves. Then he turned and regarded Menimeth with large almond blue eyes, and a friendly smile.
"I have not seen an exhibition of marksmanship that good in a long time. And your style of fighting is known in the Elvin Kingdoms, though I have never seen it used until today."
"Thank you sir, you are too kind." Menimeth said, as he looked at the Elf.
"You do not know me then Menimeth?" He asked.
"Have we met before sir?" Menimeth asked. "You know my name, so you must know me."
"I apologize for my manners. My name is Litlorn, son of Loran, lord of the western kingdom of Latrelarn and member of the high council of the Elvin kingdoms." The elf said, as he bowed low before them. "We must talk later my friend, but for now, I need rest."
Litlorn turned, and walked up to the regent. He handed him a scroll and bowed to him before he spoke.
"I have traveled very far, and I am in need some rest. Do you have enough room for a prince of the Elvin kingdoms sir?"
"We would be honored to have you stay, and hope you can attend the banquet tonight. We honor our champion and his accomplishments in the fair today." The regent said. "I will have a room prepared for you right away."
The regent called his servant and gave him his instructions, and then he turned to Menimeth.
"I will send someone for you when the preparations have been completed for the feast."
Then he turned to Litlorn and took him by the arm.
"Shall we retire to the castle now?" He said, as he led the elf away in the direction of the gates.
Menimeth turned to his friends and said.
"We are going to a banquet tonight. We should clean up, and get some better cloths if we are to make a good impression."
"Make a good impression!" Javen said. "I do not believe you can make a better impression than you did with that ribbon."
"Never the less, we should go back to the Red Falcon, and get an ale at least." Menimeth said, as he turned and headed for the inn, with Chanry following close behind.
With new cloths acquired from the tailor, at the shop across the street from the inn in which they stayed, Menimeth and his friends sat in the main room of the Red Falcon and drank a pint of mead. They waited for the summons to the banquet to arrive, and talked about the day's events. Chanry was dressed in the finest cloths available in his size, and looked like a prince's page, while Meni, as everyone was starting to call him because of Chanry, had polished his armor and cleaned his weapons. His cloths had been laundered but he did not purchase new ones, preferring the ones from the White Kingdoms, to the ones he found here.
When the messenger came into the inn, he identified himself to Menimeth, and the companions followed him to the castle. A long table was set up in front of the main hall, and was loaded with all kinds of meats and cheeses, as well as fruits and vegetables from the farms of the west. Singers and dancers made their way around the great hall, as men and women took their seats at the tables in the back, which were set with silver dishes, and golden goblets. The regent sat at a smaller table, sitting higher, and placed where all of the other diners could see him. The chairs around that table were for special guests, but this was the first time in several years that they were used for that purpose. Today however, the table would be full of guests, as well as the regent's family.
The regent sat in the center of the table, facing the guests at the tables below. His wife sat to his left, and his oldest daughter to his right. The regent's oldest son Saesic, and the one who had competed in the fair, sat at the end of the table to his fathers left. Menimeth sat to the regent's right, and at the opposite end of the table from Saesic. Litlorn sat beside Menimeth on the same side as the regent, and in the place of honor. Only the regent's family, or any royal visitors that may be present, were allowed to sit on the side facing the other guests. Kyler, Javen, and Feran, sat facing the regent, and the regents other children sat at the remaining chairs. Chanry sat to Menimeth's right, because he would not be separated from his master for any reason, and in the end, it was allowed.
The platters of food from the long table were brought to the guests by a line of servants that stretched around the room. Every platter was taken to the regent first, then his family and those at his table, before making its way to the other guests below. There was a line of casks sitting against one wall, and servants walked from them to the people at the banquet, with pitchers of mead, ale, and wine
After a short time, the regent turned in his chair, and looked at Litlorn.
"It is rare to see one of the fair race in our realm. How do you find our lands?" He asked
"They are very different from ours, but they hold a beauty and allure of their own, and I like them." Litlorn said, with a smooth flowing voice. He used this way of speaking when addressing a member of royalty in the kingdoms of men. Kings of men thought themselves better than the commoners that were around them, but responded well to the Elvin grace, and flowing speech they could produce.
"You are welcome here for as long as you will stay with us." The regent's wife Aliseain said. She believed that the presents of a prince of the Great Elvin Kingdoms would confirm their royal status, and legitimize their claim to the throne.
"Thank you for the invitation and your hospitality." Litlorn replied, as he bowed his head to her. "You are a gracious host."
"I would love to hear about your home, and the journey you made to get here." The regent's oldest daughter Chrisanna said.
She directed the question to Litlorn, but she looked at Menimeth, smiling as she spoke. She was two years short of her twentieth birthday, and full of sprit. Her hair was blond and straight, with small white flowers in it, and gold ribbons to hold it back. She was wearing a white gown trimmed with gold lace, and a golden belt was around her slim waist. The queenly gown hung to the floor, and showed her to be a woman. Big blue eyes looked out from a very beautiful face, to steal the hearts of the young men who saw her.
"We would all love to hear his story." Saesic said in a mocking tone, as he looked at the warrior across from him. "Surly he has some great tales that would thrill us all, and send the children to their rooms to cower under their covers."
"You are just mad because he beat you in the competitions, Saesic." Chrisanna said. "And I was talking to the prince."
"The trip was mostly uneventful my lady, but I did see a curious sight on my way through the north." Litlorn said, as he looked at the woman beside him. "Small groups of men, all traveling west, it was very odd."
Saesic looked at the elf as he spoke, but showed little interest in what he said. He would steal looks at Menimeth, as Litlorn spoke to his sister, and they were not kind looks.
"Men move west all the time, and there is empty land to be had if you will clear it." Falendor said. "As regent I opened those lands just for that purpose."
"There were no women with them, and they only traveled at night and they avoided the open places, staying in the trees and brush." Litlorn said, as he turned his attention to the regent. "In four days, I spotted more than fifty of these groups." He added. "And they use only the north part of the Empire."
"That is odd, but I am sure it is nothing." Falendor said.
"How did you do that with the ribbon?" Chrisanna ask Menimeth, and looked at him with h
er big blue eyes. "It was the most incredible thing that I have ever seen, you did it so easily?"
"It was nothing, just something I learned from a friend, Princess." Menimeth said.
Chrisanna's smile widened with the bestowal of that title.
"I saw a lot of Captain Brandt in that shot." Litlorn said to Menimeth, with a smile.
"You know Captain Brandt?" Menimeth asked, with surprise in his voice.
"Yes, I met him when he was a guardsman at Dansig in his youth." Litlorn said. "And many times since then. He is also a friend of my fathers."
