As the swords came downward a third time, William changed his approach and shoved upward hard as he rushed into Eoghan.The move jerked Eoghan’s sword out of his hand and stopped with his blade against Eoghan’s throat.One slight move would draw Eoghan’s blood.
“Point is mine,” William said with a smirk.
The crowd cheered again.
“Aye, William,” Eoghan grumbled as he shuffled to retrieve his blade from the ground.“Ye learned a new move since last we crossed swords.”
Eoghan spotted a shield hanging on one of the tents and decided to show William one of his own new skills, so he quickly stepped in and slashed at William's side.William knocked the blade away as Eoghan backed up.
“‘Tis three attacks for me,” Eoghan said.
William lowered his blade.“Pick another.”
Eoghan picked up the round wooden shield.
“A shield?”William said with surprise again.
Eoghan smirked at him.“The Lord is my strength and my shield.”
“The game ispicks, notdefend,” William grumbled.
Eoghan’s expression hardened.He did not reply but immediately moved for William.William wanted to take advantage of Eoghan's poor choice of weapon and shifted for a hard swing from his right.Eoghan blocked William's blade easily enough, and William realized his mistake.Eoghan was allowing him to attack so William would have to pick a new weapon.
William stepped in again, this time to knock the shield out of Eoghan's hands.Eoghan not only blocked William’s blade but drove near and backhanded William in the face with the round piece of wood.
Pain ripped along William’s cheek and nose as his head snapped backward.The crowd gasped and then, as the shock wore off, they cheered.
William stepped away and pressed a finger to his nose.A large drop of blood covered his fingertip.
So Eoghan’s going for blood.
Glaring at his cousin through watery eyes, William struck again, but Eoghan retreated, raising a hand.
“Hold, cousin,” Eoghan said, panting.“Two points for me, and ye attacked three times.Ye need to pick a new weapon.”
William pursed his lips.“Aye.”William sheathed his sword, looking around for a new weapon.There wasn’t much to be had.
He strode near the barn again and, in a moment of inspiration, picked up a bucket of water with a rope handle.
“Are ye going to milk me or fight me?”Eoghan teased, as the crowd laughed.
William charged fast, swinging the bucket by the rope handle high into the air.The bucket came down hard at Eoghan who presumed it an easy block and lifted his shield.
The bucket was filled with water, adding to the weight, and it smashed into the shield with enough force that it destroyed the bucket but also broke the shield in half and ripped it from Eoghan's hand.William then held nothing but the rope, yet he didn’t stop.While Eoghan’s attention was on his broken shield, William quickly rushed in and slapped the man across the face with the coarse rope.
Eoghan's face was a frozen, stunned mask, and from his expression, William could tell he was unsure if that counted as a point.The crowd fell silent as they tried to figure out what had just happened.
Slapped by a rope?What manner of weapon was that?
“Two points for me, cousin,” William confirmed.
Eoghan looked from his broken shield to the destroyed bucket upended on the ground and then at his empty hands.
“New weapons for us both?”Eoghan asked.
“Aye,” William answered as they each reached for their knives.
Eoghan was the first to move, feigning a lunge to the left, then at the last second leaped to the right as he slashed for William’s side.Eoghan was aiming more for William’s tunic, not intending to cut William deeply.
