Ladies and Sellswords

"You look magnificent," he said, "It's not fair to any of these other girls." Her arms around him, he felt her squeeze tighter. "Come on, though," he said, "We shouldn't make them jealous."

She laughed a delightful, genuine laugh and they stepped into the colorful world of Not-a-Ren-Faire. It was what Ben very much expected. He saw the area for games and pulled some money out. Quick elimination: Axe-throwing was too easy, no. Swinging a mallet for what? Hard pass. Ah, here we go! Ben headed toward the tomato alley. A bearded man dressed in motley was at the far side of the rail-lined lane with only his head and arms showing out from wood paneling. He had a hat with jingling bells on his head and "FOOL" taped across it. He was tossing insults at the customers as they threw tomatoes back, failing to hit him. The fool's face was clean and Ben wasn't sure if he wiped up or simply hadn't been hit yet. A small crowd was lined along the two fence railings laughing at the insults while booing and jeering the man.

Ben waited his turn to throw. The guy wasn't bad.

"Sure, you're single by choice ... just not your choice!"

"Sir, you are so ugly, when the dog humps your leg, he closes his eyes."

"Well, ma'am, if you eat some of that make-up you pancake on your face, maybe you could at least be pretty on the inside."

Maggie pulled on Ben's arm.

"I don't like him. This isn't fun," she said.

"I should be humbled before I go and fight other men to the death," he said lightly. Maggie looked anxious and peeled away, walking without looking back at the line to throw tomatoes. Ben finally came up to the front.

"Sir, I saw the girl you were standing with over there. It's like Beauty and the Beast but with reversed roles!"

The crowd ooh'd the insult to Ben's lady and glanced around trying to spot Maggie. She had wandered off and was out of earshot. Ben smiled and reached for a tomato.

"Sir, it's too bad gay Craigslist doesn't exist yet because you look real excited picking up fruit."

Laughter. Ben eyed the distance and threw, barely hitting the wood frame four feet to the left of the guy's head. The fool grinned.

"You were the fat kid who didn't make the team and buffing up is your revenge, right?"

Ben threw again, the tomato sailing over the guy's head, over the entire wooden frame.

"Too bad the only thing you'll get is shriveled tomatoes of your own from the steriods, sir!"

Laughter went around, the crowd turning against Ben for his poor skill. He tossed another tomato, softballing it lightly so it fell well short of the fool. The fool laughed at him, "Here you are with too many muscles to even scratch your own back and you can't throw a tomato 20 feet!"

Ben had two tomatoes left. He picked up the closer of the two, cocked his arm back and delivered it. He snapped up the second tomato and fired it at the fool before the first hit. Both exploded square in the middle of the fool's forehead, showering juice and pulp. The gallery laughed and cheered as he turned and walked away. The fool was a good sport, laughing at himself for buying the act. He was busy delivering his last lines when Ben struck and he couldn't take evasive action. Several people complimented Ben as he walked to find Maggie.

<<TRIAL BY COMBAT>>

Ben was disciplined. He abstained from beer, fried food, and only had some turkey leg for lunch. The Grand Melee was drawing near and he finally excused himself from Maggie's presence. They stood by the door of the Hall of Warriors. The laughter of men and the sound of competitors getting ready trickled out from inside the wooden building. Maggie made a show of undoing the ribbon in her hair. Ben went to both knees and proclaimed his never-dying love for her and how he would bring honor and glory to her beauty. People passing by watched and applauded the two. He arose and walked inside. Maggie went to the viewing stand where she could cheer her champion.

Ben found his gear and suited up. A loud voice called his name.

"GANNON! WELL-MET, MY CLOSE FRIEND AND ALLY!"

Ben turned and saw Theo walking toward him. Theo was fully armored and had a sword strapped his hip.

Fuck, Ben thought.

"Ah, my good Lord Zeremus!" he returned to Theo, "How are you on this fine battle's eve?"

"Hale and hearty with a mighty sword arm!" Theo said loudly. They clasped each other's forearms and gave half-bows.

"Well, shit," Ben said under his breath, "You're playing too?"

Theo nodded, "I wouldn't miss it for anything. And I'm not the best out there either. There's a guy ... I think his name is Evan ... he's a short little bastard and he's fast. He's armed with a short sword and he'll poke you five times before you can get a swing in. You can't parry with a long sword. If you run into him, keep him at arm's distance for your safety."

Ben nodded.

"So," Theo continued, "It's melee, which means everyone fights, the referees are out there scoring kills, and we can pair up early ... unless you want to split up and fight on opposite sides. There's nothing wrong with pairing up. Kahzee and Budyonny will be fighting back-to-back to last longer. They usually don't do this sort of thing but their win over you gave them some confidence. Hopefully those two go out early. After all, there's a group," he said waving at the powers that be, "who keep track of who lasts how long."

Ben nodded and voiced his desire to go it alone. But the two agreed to try not to run into each other early.

Theo left him with one last piece of information, "The first three minutes wipe out over half the field. Those are the guys who shouldn't be there anyway. It'll seem like the whole thing is ending quickly but the experienced guys are going to live. It'll stretch out maybe 15-20 minutes by the end, the last 10 or so will split out and duel one on one. That's the part where it gets interesting."

<<LIFE AND DEATH>>

There were 100 men participating in the Grand Melee. They were armed, ready, and marched out to the field. They stopped in the shade behind the Grand Stand which held the Royal Queen and her Court, as well as those women who gave favors to the warriors. Ben was not intimidated in the least hearing the few thousand screaming spectators still out of view. Fact of Life: Combat is loud. He saw some of the other men look around with uncertainty and he felt more than comfortable.

They formed a ragged line and knelt in unison to the Court watching them from the back of the Grand Stand. The Queen descended the stairs and greeted the warriors, passing down the line and speaking with each for a few moments. She arrived in front of Ben, who knelt like all the others.

"Arise, rogue," she said, smiling at him. She was in her early 50s and held herself with confidence befitting a queen. She was stunning up close, beautiful really, and Ben could see why the others voted her their Queen. Ironically, royalty for this group was elected to serve year terms.

He stood up, eyes deferentially downward. She reached up and took his face in her hands. He looked at her.

"Tis a pity you wear the favor of another," she said with a predatory grin and glanced down at Maggie's ribbon, "I may still seek your attentions after the combat as is my right as queen." She wrinkled her nose at him and stood on her tiptoes. "May luck be with you, Gannon."

Holding his face, she kissed his left cheek, his right cheek, and crushed her lips against his for a several seconds. She stepped back down and greeted the next man who rose to greet her. That guy didn't get kisses. She continued down the line before retreating to the grandstand.

The line fell apart as men prepared for the starting whistle. The guy who had been standing next to Ben looked at him curiously.

"I don't think she knows my name much less given me or anyone I know a smooch," the guy said, "And I've been doing this five years." Ben shrugged in response.

They filed out to the field as fools, jesters, and mounted knights exhorted the crowd, calling for blood. It was loud, hot on the field in the late afternoon, and Ben fought to control his breathing. He was surprised to feel nervousness. He knew he'd settle down within 20 seconds of exchanging blows with someone else but the anticipation got to him. He looked up at the Grand Stand and saw Maggie off to the far corner, watching him fearfully. That broke the spell. He wasn't going to die. He grinned and looked to his left. An older man was staring back him, panicked to be matched up with Ben.

A loud whistle blew and the man near Ben ran in the other direction. The large group of men, in a rough square at the edges of the field, shouted, screamed, and came at each other. Ben watched as he strolled forward. A good way to die was to be anxious and go out early. Within 90 seconds, there were whistles marking deaths and referees wearing basketball zebra-striped shirts tapped combatants with long poles to alert them of their death. The number of fighters dropped. Ben finally engaged the enemy, hitting and killing several armor-plated foes with ease before facing a man who knew what he was doing. They exchanged blows, swords flashing. The man drove Ben back, wielding experience along with his broadsword. Ben saw his chest rising and falling with effort and threw himself forward, knocking the man off his feet with a surprise rush. Ben fell too, sprawling on top of the man. He pulled his knife from his boot and 'slit' the man's throat. A referee spotting the kill and whistled the man dead. Ben got to his feet in time to raise his shield to a sword blow. He recognized the shield.

It was Kahzee. How the man made it this far was surprising and Ben searched for his partner before the next attack. Kahzee seemed alone. Ben grinned and drove Kahzee back, thrusting straight with his sword, driving Kahzee like a sheep. He rained blows on the man, driving him down into the grass before finishing him off with a shot to the head. Ben hit him harder than necessary and he heard the man curse as he pulled off his helmet.

"What the fuck?" Kahzee shouted, angered.

"Shut up," Ben said, more poison in his voice than he meant, "Dead men don't talk."

Kahzee looked half-fearful and half-enraged. He climbed the fence out of the field and walked away, muttering.

Ben turned and surveyed the field. A dozen or so were left. The cheering spectators had zeroed in on a few duels and cheers went up as swordsmen pushed their advantages and attacked. Ben saw no one immediately available to fight and he looked for Theo's light/dark blue mix. He was surprised it wasn't on the field. Had Theo been knocked out?

Ben looked around in time to catch a small figure moving toward him. The armored figure had a short sword. Ben held his sword out in front of him, trying to create the reach to stop the other man. It didn't matter. Speed beat him. The short knight feinted left, cut right, tapped Ben's sword aside enough to get inside his arm. Ben felt the force of the sword hitting his armor. He didn't go down but the referee watching them whistled him dead. He went down to show acknowledgement and the crowd roared approval of the kill.

He sat and watched the last few minutes play out. The short guy, true to Theo's warning, was the last man standing. The Queen descended the Grand Stand with her entourage and a platform was carried out for an award ceremony. There were trophies and medals and titles for the final four men. The crowd applauded at each.

"May we have the sellsword Gannon approach Her Grace?" called the herald. Ben's head snapped up and he got to his feet, surprised. He stank of grass and sweat and his feet carried him up the stairs to the Queen. He knelt as she turned her back to address the crowd.

"Here is an example of one of common birth, born base into the world. His prowess with the sword will prove him an asset as a retainer of our Realm. His loyalty will," she turned and fixed him with a look, "Prove unquestionable."

She took the sword from her personal guard and placed it on his shoulder.

"I dub thee Sir Gannon, unlanded Knight of House Vandros,"

She knighted him with the sword.

"Arise, Sir Gannon, and be recognized."

Ben stood and polite applause broke out from those still left in the stands. A majority of the crowd went back to the devilry and carousing of the Ren Fair. Queen Annabella of House Vandros smiled at him.

"You can thank me later, if you like," she said and walked away.

<<DEFEATED>>

Ben spent some another 10 minutes on the field, talking to some of the other men he'd only met at the other end of a pointy sword. They were a good bunch and no hard feelings were found, despite the melee being fought with swords, spears, fists, and feet. Ben liked the bunch and let his adrenaline come down after the heat of battle. Finally, he turned and walked away after consoling Theo who was caught blind-sided and killed early. He spotted Maggie, still at the fence, giving him his time. She wiggled with excitement, something Ben doubted she did often.

"Sir Gannon," she greeted him with a curtsy and a smile.

Ben bowed, "And you're Lady Andarra now. The rank fits you."

She laughed, put her hand on his extended arm, and they walked, knight and lady, back into the fair.

<<EVER AFTER>>

Maggie, eyes shining with pride, took him by the hand and led him away from the field of battle. She pulled him toward the front of the park and alongside the walls of the castle. It wasn't used for anything more than storage or decoration by the looks of it. The dirt path led to a door tucked into the castle's facade. She opened it, yanked him inside, and shut it. It was dark inside, light filtering through arrow slits and small windows. Boxes, ladders, paint, and other sundry items were stacked in the dusty room. It was doubtful anyone had been in here the past two years. Maggie kicked the door shut and turned to Ben.

"My Lord," she said, her hands fumbling at the knot of the belted cord around his waist, "I have heard how combat whets a great warrior's appetites."

Ben held her wrist to stop her but she pulled out of his grip and undid the knot. Her hand slipped inside the material, fingers tracing his skin down his lower stomach. She looked up at him.

"My Lord has brought me great pleasure battling with my favor. I beg him the honor of providing relief to his post-battle aches." Her hand closed around his swelling cock. Ben's heart thumped in his chest. He was surprised at how easily he got hard. Despite the cheesy sex talk, maybe there was something about fighting for glory. Maggie looked up at him and took her arms out of the dress sleeves. She pulled her dress halfway down her body, now naked from the waist up. She gasped audibly when he took her breasts in his hands and ran his thumbs around her nipples. Her hands worked on him, stroking his hard cock, palming his balls.

"My Lord's broadsword feels stronger than steel," she said, pushing him down onto his back. She tugged his breeches halfway down his thighs and knelt over him. "And I have just the sheath for my Lord," she continued.

Ben might have laughed but Maggie pulled her skirt up. She wore no undergarments. He saw a flash of dark hair before she settled on him. Her hand guided his cock into her, bit by bit. She was already slick and she worked her hips to drive him deeper inside. He felt her body tense up as she took him in.

"Your forge burns hot," he said, enjoying the sensation of her on him, "And my steel warms to the hilt."

Maggie ground her hips into him, working his cock, urging orgasm. She put her hands on her head, her breasts free for his touch. He sat up, an arm around her waist and took a nipple in his mouth. She clutched his head, pulling him into her chest as she rocked her body with him inside. There were no more words. Ben felt her intensity grow as she moved faster, more urgently. Her mouth closed on his and they kissed passionately as she rode him. The sensation of her on him, squeezing him, sliding up and down, was more than Ben could handle. Maggie stiffened, her body tensed and tight. She worked harder, grinding her clit into his body, taking pleasure from him inside her. She sighed and relaxed, collapsing against him. He twitched inside her.

"Oh, My Lord hasn't taken his own pleasure?" she asked and she circled her hips over him. Maggie wasn't shy with Ben any more as she rolled her body, bringing him to orgasm. He came violently, suprised by the force as he unloaded his seed deep into Maggie's body. Wave after wave washed over him and she kept her frenetic pace until he sagged, out of breath, exhausted.

"I see My Lord is drained," she said, slipping off him and curling up next to him, "I shall fetch him ale as soon as I make myself appropriate."

Ben held her, her arm resting on his chest, her head tucked in the nook of his shoulder.

"My knight in shining armor," she murmured, closing her eyes.

Ben listened to her breathing slow. Ale later. This for now. Stretching back, sated, Ben thought about August. He had vacation time. He'd take the week off and head to Pennsylania.

<<THE END>>