The Emperor and the Knightess

Lucius the First, as well as the other knights, read over the documents carefully. The rules themselves seemed ordinary. Unfortunately, the Acreian men weren’t familiar with the tournament rules, so they read over them and discussed them among themselves.

Lucius the First asked, “So each kingdom is to send 10 of its knights. The Bikpa and Acreian knights will fight one on one, and whoever falls off the horse is the loser and the winner goes on immediately to fight the next opponent. Are these rules typical of a tournament?”

“Yes, your highness. They sound about the same as the ones we have read from the books.”

“Alright. And… each knight is to bring his own weapon… Do we even have any horseback lances?”

He didn’t think so. Why would they have tournament-related weapons when they didn’t even hold any tournaments? And even if they did have them, why would they bring them to war?

Lucius the First began to wonder if he needed to get them made somehow when suddenly, Sir Ainno replied, “I brought one, your highness.”

“Inno? You did?”

Sir Ainno has been with the emperor since they were children. For him to have a weapon the emperor was unaware of surprised Lucius the First. Sir Ainno explained, “The former emperor was very kind when he complimented my skills in spear fighting. He ordered me to travel the middle and southern regions and become a famous tournament knight when I got the chance.”

It was a common occurrence for those knights in the middle and southern areas of the continent to participate in these tournaments to make names for themselves. However, this was a very rare idea in Acreia.

“Then Inno, have you been in a tournament before?” Lucius the First asked.

“I entered a few times under a different name, but not since the former emperor passed away.”

“Oh, I see.”

It finally made sense to Lucius the First. As soon as he became the emperor, Sir Ainno has never left his sight, so he must’ve participated in these contests before his coronation. At the time, Lucius thought Sir Ainno went to further practice his battle skills in the mountains; he never imagined Sir Ainno traveled the continent to enter tournaments.

The emperor replied, “I’m impressed with your preparedness, Inno.”

“It is my duty to serve you as best as I can, your highness.”

Sir Ainno bowed gratefully and considered himself lucky. If Gali the Third didn’t suggest this idiotic tournament idea, he may have been criticized for bringing such a useless and heavy weapon to this war.

Very lucky indeed.

But with Sir Ainno with his experience and weapon, it still didn’t fix the problem at hand. A single knight with a single weapon couldn’t win against ten opponents. Lucius the First didn’t want to step into what was obviously a trap. He especially didn’t want to risk Sir Ainno’s life. Sir Ainno was his treasured knight and most of all, his friend.

Even if he had to waste 10 years waiting for the Yapa Castle to crumble, Lucius believes that it would be worth it if it would mean Sir Ainno’s safety. To the emperor, Sir Ainno was worth the time.

Lucius the First began to announce, “I think that in the end, I will not be accepting this offer…”

“Your highness, this tournament is our chance. It could lead us to a quick win with minimal loss of our men. Please, your highness, trust your knights. Please trust me. You know I can do this. I, Sir Ainno, have never lost a swordfight, I have never fallen off a horse, and I have never missed a mark with my bow.”

Sir Ainno was determined to enter this contest. He was also determined not to lose. Never. No matter who Bikpa sent, Sir Ainno was confident that he was going to win. He was Acreia’s greatest knight after all.

When Sir Ainno appeared to be confident and determined, Lucius the First changed his mind.

When the emperor announced the tournament, the Acreian knights went wild. Some thought it was a joke to spar in the middle of a serious war while the others worried that they didn’t have enough if any, tournament experience to win this.

Lucius the First picked 9 knights who were known for their horse riding and spear skills. Even though Sir Ainno was certain he could win against 10 enemy knights, the emperor knew better.

Thankfully, the weapons were provided by the lord of the nearby Bikpa village who was sick of his own cowardly king. He even offered his own knights to teach the Acreian men how to use the horseback lances.

The Lord said to Lucius the First, “I would love to offer my knights to fight on your behalf, your highness, but I am afraid we won’t win against Gali the Third’s men.”

“I’m sure you have strong knights.”

“Yes, but certainly not stronger than the king’s knights.”

The Lord, who used to be a knight himself, shrugged and explained that Gali the Third loved the tournaments. This was why he spent more money on these contests than on his own military. Tournaments in this kingdom occurred often and the rewards for each were grand. Bikpa was known for the greatest tournament rewards on the continent.

Bikpa was ignored as a kingdom, but its tournaments were celebrated by all the other nations. The greatest knights gathered in this place to show off their skills. The best of the knights was offered great wealth to become one of Gali the Third’s personal guards.

These champions may not have been useful in real battles, but they were the best in one-on-one horseback lance combat. The Lord then explained, “Your knights may be skilled fighters, but their combat experience won’t help in a tournament.”

Only

“I see, but you would be surprised.”

As the Acreian knights practiced with the Bikpa men, they realized that they made a mistake of underestimating their enemies. They were also thankful for whatever tips they could get. Even the briefest practice could be a big help.

Riding a horse while holding and fighting with a lance was indeed very difficult. The horse needed to be ridden at its full speed and the knight had to face the opponent who was coming at him at that same full speed. The horses who weren’t trained in tournaments often stopped in the middle when they saw another horse coming at them. The Acreian knights had difficulty aiming accurately with the lance, which was very long and heavy.

Sir Rabi became frustrated. When he began to fling around his heavy lance easily, the men standing around him ran, fearing that they might get hit. The Bikpa knights who were watching Sir Rabi were clearly impressed. They asked Lucius the First, “Is he a man or a monster?”

“That is Sir Rabi and he is one of my high-ranking knights.”

Sir Ainno looked confident compared to the other Acreian knights, but he also looked grim at the fact that he had to leave his emperor to participate in this tournament. When the Bikpa Lord saw how Sir Ainno rode the horse easily while wielding his lance expertly, he asked the emperor, “Who is he? How can a man be that strong and fast?”

“He is one of my best.”

Poliana watched the scene proudly.