William’s arm moved downward so the teeth of the back of his Seox blade caught the blade of Eoghan’s knife.The teeth were intentional and purposeful, and did exactly as William desired.
Eoghan yanked his knife back, but it was too late.In a twist of his wrist, William locked Eoghan’s knife in place, and with an unexpected snap, the blade popped out of Eoghan’s fingers.
With his own blade now free, William closed in and gave a light hammer strike with the knife hilt to Eoghan's forehead in a mock temple hit.Normally devastating, William’s light tap was more like a sharp flick on his skin.
“Three,” William announced.
The crowd jumped and yelled “Huzzah!”as William backed away, his arms raised in the air.Eoghan stumbled back and fell onto his arse as he cursed to himself.
“Aye, William,” Eoghan said, rubbing his head.“’Tis three.Did ye need to hit so hard?”
“Count yourself lucky, cousin,” William said as he wiped his hand across his bloodied, sweat-stained face.“At least ye dinna have to go back to your new bride with a bloody nose.”
He held out his bloodied hand to Eoghan, who grasped it.With a tug, he helped his cousin off the ground.They grinned at each other as the crowd cheered and readied for the next round of combatants.
Ailith gasped and grabbed Muire’s hand when William thrust his blade against his cousin’s neck.
What is he doing?Surely he won’t kill his cousin?
The entire fight had kept her on edge.The two men seemed to take it so seriously when it was merely a game.How could pounding on each other and drawing blades be a game?Whenever she had to do something like that, it was to save her own life!
Then William tapped the butt of his knife against Eoghan’s head, and they were smiling as William helped Eoghan off his arse.
What had she just seen?A bloody fight that ended in smiles?
“Did ye love that, Ailith!William won!”Muire gushed.
“Do they do that often?I mean, fight that hard?”
“’Tis but swordplay, Ailith.Naught more than a wee game.Men do it all the time.Show off their skills and for a wee bit of practice, ye ken?”
She did.But weren’t games more like the Highland games she attended each year?With hammer throws and stone puts and a caber toss?
Maybe that was later in time.Maybe in the Middle Ages, especially the early Middle Ages, this was what men did, something more akin to tournaments with jousting and melees, where men fought hard and nearly to death.
The predecessor of tournaments, perchance.
Either way, Ailith didn’t care for it at all.Her heart was in her throat, and her stomach flip-flopped the entire time.Yet the fight reminded her of the recent times when she had been set upon by the Morays and how she had done exactly what William was doing – finding something to use as a weapon.The only difference was that she tried to find a staff-style weapon.Watching William, however, set her mind to a different purpose.
The ability to use any weapon on hand.Including ones such as swords and knives.
She smiled to herself, and William turned toward her.
A girl had to be prepared, after all.
William and Eoghan embraced in a back-thumping hug to show the crowd and each other that no ill feelings existed between the two men.Rumors flew faster than falcons, and it wouldn’t do to have people believing any fractures existed in the clans because of an entertaining contest.Afterward, Eoghan joined his sister Betris and other dewy-eyed lassies.
Ailith walked past the cousins with an odd smile, one that William was beginning to recognize, and she grabbed William’s hand, entwining her fingers in his.
“William, may I speak to you for a moment?”Ailith asked.
There ‘tis,he thought.
He saw a spark in Ailith’s eyes and had the sense this was a conversation better had alone.
“Aye, my wife,” William answered, returning her smile.Then he tapped Eoghan’s shoulder.“Will ye excuse us, cousin?”It would be an easy request, given the blonde-haired lass presently pushing her breasts against Eoghan’s arm.
“Aye,” Eoghan said as he raised a bushy eyebrow at them.The slight smile he wore on his face did not seem to reach his eyes.“Ye’d be a fool not to jump when the lord of the manor calls ye.”
