The Duel fantasy one off.

[frigidmagi]

The Duel

Jon Micheals Delavan leaned back against his ornately carved chair, dapping his mouth with a red satin napkin. He looked down at his gold plate, and the badly cooked food on it. The gold plate contrasted with the red satin table cover, as did his silver eating implants. His goblet was gold inlaid with dark rubies, darker even than the wine it held. The walls of the dining hall were white marble hang with tapestries. The floor a dark wood, in the center of the room a design was craved. It was all a gaudy mess.
Back home in the Meri Union, not even the High Prince’s hall would be covered in marble, instead it was an honest granite, unadorned saved for captured enemy banners. Nor would the Clans Lords put up with gold plates and silver knives and spoons, or wasting expensive satin on napkins and table cloths. Of course in Meri, the food would taste better.
But Jon Micheals was not in Meri, he was in Lavidaka. Lavidaka was easily the richest nation in the north, has such the High Prince preferred to keep Lavidaka among his allies, even as the King of Lavidaka would rather count the matchless armies of the Meri among his protectors.
The men and women around him, nobles of the Lavidaka court, were dressed in satins, silks and brocades. A riot of colors that seemed to him without sense or match. His own deep green tunic and black leggings seemed dull and almost drab in comparison. It did clash with the doublet and hose wore by the men, thankfully he wasn’t required to wear that. He did pity the women in their heavy dress with volumes skirts.
Behind him a string instrument was plucked signaling the beginning of a song. To be honest Lavidaka’s music more than made up for it’s food. A band of men played together, dressed in tight black leggings and white satin shirts, they each wore black wide brim hats, contrasting wildly with the nobles in the hall. They each carried a different stringed instrument and clearly know how to play them. A fact that was demonstrated has they begun to play.
Jon Micheals nodded his head to the music, the lead man singing was in an old tongue he didn’t know. He tilted his head to the side trying to place it.
“It’s from the south land, it was spoken in the south before the kingdom was unified, the peasants still speak it in some parts. They can be stubborn people in the south.” Whispered his neighbor, a man in a red doublet with silver thread working designs in it.
“What is the song about?” Jon Micheals asked.
“It is set during a civil war, a prince of one of the noble houses fell in love with a princess of a enemy house. They plotted to end the war between their houses, but she was taken by gnolls in a raid. He chased them down and killed them, but she had already died from her wounds. The song is his lament” Came the answer. Jon Micheals could only nod his head has the chorus washed over him.

Ay, ay mi amor
Ay mi morena,
De mi corazón

“Damn, they would do it here.” muttered his neighbor.
“Who do what?”
“You see those two gentlemen approaching each other from across the room?” He pointed with a white leather glove at two young men, both were heavily tanned and dark haired. They wore loose doublets, one wore blue and gold while the other wore orange and white, both with sashes, one red the other purple. Their hoses were black and they wore high boots. Both were carrying rapiers in scabbards. Jon Micheal nodded that he saw them.
“They are cousins, who have decided they hate each other. So in all things they contest each other, they duel often. They are also very good at it.” His neighbor continued. The two men approached the craved designed, a circle with curving intersecting lines dividing it into many irregular sections.
They seemed to be ignoring each other’s presence even thought they were heading straight at each other, their eyes locked at some point beyond and over the other’s shoulder. Has they past each other their shoulders brushed. The one in blue and gold leapt back with a hallow cry of mock surprise. The other one spun facing him, his face set in a haughty expression of dismissal.
“What is this play acting?” Jon Micheals asked.
“An excuse I’m afraid. It would be ill mannered for them to just start hacking at each other in the royal court. Decorum must be kept after all.” came the dry answer.
The blue and gold clad man had stalked back toward his orange and white cousin snarling something low. The orange and white clad man replied by slapping a black glove across his face. The blue and gold clad man stepped back drawing his rapier, the other drew his in mirror image. It was silent for a moment has they saluted each other…
Then the band started up again.
They clashed, testing the other’s defenses with quick slashes and thrusts. The man in orange and white launched a vicious high lined attacked toward his opponents upper chest and face, the blue and gold clad duelist riposted savagely, surging forward to counter. The orange and white one fell back for a moment, before ducking a strike that would have taken in the eye, he turned the duck into a lunge, causing the blue and gold fighter to wrench himself to the side to avoid being ran through. They disengaged and began to circle each other.
The pause barely lasted 3 breaths before they leapt at each other again. Outside the circle 6 men approached each from a different angle. They each carried a small wooden box.
“What’s this?” Jon Micheals asked.
“I believe the King decided to make things interesting for us.” his neighbor replied. The men knelt opening the boxes inside were spinning tops a little bigger than a grown man’s fist each top was placed in line and spin of the wrist sent spinning down it. Soon the circle was filled with a dozen spinning tops.
“The tops are Evedanni make, they will spin for has long has needed. If a one of them steps on or hit’s a top he has lost.” His neighbor leaned forward has he explained unbidden. He didn’t seem to hear Jon Micheals doubting grunt. Jon Micheals was a bit skeptical of the value of such an exercise, in battle threats did not approach from the ankle down.
The duelist were now all but dancing, the music picked up has the tops swirled up and down the lines, even changing directions for no reason Jon Micheals could see.
The blue and gold clad noble flowed around his opponent attacking his enemy’s right side. The orange and white fighter blocked and dashed forward and to the left countering the move. They clashed again drawing up corps to corps for a brief second before a pair of closing tops forced to disengage. The orange and white noble hopped over the tops has they collided push each back the way they had came. The blue and gold duelist twisted away from the strike and lunged at him trying to drive him back.
His orange and white clad opponent side stepped the thrust, slashing at the blue and gold man’s shoulder. His target threw himself back out of range almost stepping on a top, leaving himself unbalance. The orange and white noble hurried forward sensing victory, but a quick riposte forced him back. They struck high and low at each other, both seeking a telling blow.
A top changed direction heading straight for the orange and white fighters foot, forcing him to lift it in a awkward hop, his blue and gold opponent seized the moment and struck. A purple sash floating to the ground, evidence of a near miss. Driven to avenge the lost the orange and white fighter counter attacked with a vengeance hacking savagely at his foe. The blue and gold fighter was forced to the edge of the circle by the sheer fury of the assault.
He wavered on the edge of the circle pinned by the relentless attacks of the orange and white duelist. A trio of tops began to converge on him spinning toward his feet. The Blue and gold fight leapt up over a slash aimed at his waist, twisting in mid air he brought his own blade around slicing the orange and white fighter across the chest.
The freshly wound man stumbled back, his face in a grimace his left hand across the long shallow cut. The music ended with a flourish has the blue and gold victor landed and sheath his rapier.
“Well the priest won’t heal minor duel wounds, it looks has if the young one will have to carry a reminder of the price of losing one’s head.” Remarked Jon Micheals neighbor. Jon Micheals nodded, some lessons were best learned with blood.

[LadyTevar]

Very well-written. Bravo

[Knife]

Good fight scene.

Needs some editing though *god knows I need it too*;

His target threw himself back out of range almost stepping on a top, leaving himself balance.

I'm guessing 'unbalanced' is what you wanted.

I'd also go for a slightly more descriptive way of telling the fight. Throw in some emotion and thoughts and feelings into it. Perhaps some description of the crowd's reaction.

'The man threw him self back, at the delight of the crowd, out of range of the lunge and just managed to avoid stepping on a top. The hastey move coupled with the roar of the crowd, unbalenced him and opened him up for another attack.'

Or something.

Long fight scenes are hard, because you get into the technicals of the actual fight and tend to loose sight of the surroundings and the emotions of the characters.

Good job, though. I don't want it to sound like it sucked. I enjoyed it.

[frigidmagi]

Thanks fixed that unbalenced, balenced bit.

[Grand Moff Yenchin]

Cool decisive counterstrikes, very cool