knightlymanner (knightlymanner) wrote in _fracture_, @ 2014-04-13 11:33:00 |
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Entry tags: | brett, chapter 2, finn, lavel |
The Challenge
Who: Brett and Finn
Where: By the scoreboards
When: Afternoon
By the time the last rounds were ending of the hand to hand combat, Finn was patched up and mentally getting himself focused for the next task at hand. He was dutifully ignoring what had happened with Lindsey and her reaction, because he didn't want to focus on it or the rejection. He could think about when there wasn't a tournament to win. As he watched the last men walk away from the match, the knight in dark armor having bested his opponent, his eyes cut to the placement boards, watching that man's coat of arms move to the same level as his own, marking them as two of the best. When the knight passed him he smiled, all warmth and sunshine in his blue eyes. "So you're the man to beat then?" he asked, seeming as if he was enjoying every second since he was.
Brett stopped as he was spoken to, and turned toward Finn. He knew of the man, of course. Had been watching his progress as keenly as Finn had apparently been watching his. Yet, whilst Finn took the approach of sunshine and smiles, Brett was anything but. Instead he was like a dark looming cloud. The only similarity between them was the colour of their eyes, though the look in Brett's was anything but friendly. "Guess I am. You'd be the newcomer. Got sick of England, from what I hear," he replied. He'd done his homework. He wondered if Finn had done the same in return. There would be interesting tales if he had done. Brett Trent, the mystery who had appeared in Lavel a decade ago. Who had quickly distinguished himself as a force to be reckoned with, even going to far as to gain the King's favour. Five years in the King's inner circle until suddenly it had all gone wrong. Brett knew what the stories said. That he had disobeyed orders. That he had gone off the rails. That he people had died as a result. There would be the whispers that Brett must have been in league with the witch to have avoided a beheading. Then the tales that they had tried to burn him at the stake, but even the flames couldn't kill him, just left him horrifically scarred. That Brett was some kind of a demon. The stories got wilder every time the locals were let loose in the tavern - which was often. These days you had to dig pretty deep to find the truth amongst the lies. Brett didn't even try and bother.
Finn wasn't afraid. He didn't get afraid like that. No over an opponent. That was how some addressed competition. It helped to strike fear in hearts of many, but not Finn. He'd bested the monsters and demons back home. "One never tires of their home lands," Finne corrected. "But I had run out of challenges. There were rumors that a scorned knight here needed to be taught a lesson." Light against dark. And he knew who the man was. It was impossible not to considering he was one of the best as well as being one of the feared.
Brett laughed at that. It was a rare sight - and not a pleasant one, given that I was a laugh of disbelief rather than pleasure. Still, it made his blue eyes sparkle and a his mouth turn up into a smile on his handsome face. "You think you're going to teach me a lesson?" he asked, actually amused by that. From what he'd seen, this guy was good. They were certainly a match, but not more than that, in his opinion. This guy was just full of bravado. Trying to do to him what Brett had done to Adam earlier in the day. Brett had heard it all before, and now it was just funny.
Finn stood up just a little bit taller and raised an eyebrow. "You don't think you have anything left to learn?" he asked, smiling despite the darkness of Brett's laugh. He crossed his arms over his chest and shrugged. "That might be your downfall."
Brett's smile faded into a glower. "Everyone always has things left to learn. I think you're really damn arrogant, though, thinking that you have something that you can teach me. What are you - twelve?" he quipped. Doubtful, but if the guy was twenty, then Brett would be damn surprised.
Finn just smiled more. "Nineteen, but yes, I do," he said, as comfortable in himself as ever. "And you...aren't you close to retirement?"
Brett's face grew longer. "Sure - I'll an old man walking with a stick," he dead-panned. "Three legs, just ask the Sphinx. "I can still whoop your ass."
"Well you aren't all the way to a stick yet," Finn said, frowning a little at the next phrase. "You can still what?"
Brett gave him a long look. His expression conveyed that Finn should know what he was talking about, which hid the actual truth: that Brett had slipped up with modern terminology. Brett knew that, but he wasn't going to miss an opportunity to make Finn feel stupid. "I'm gonna beat you," he explained at last.
Finn still frowned despite that look. "What does beating me have to do with an ass?" he asked frowning still. The man was even weirder than the French. After a moment though Finn shook his head. What a bizarre man. Maybe the rumor were true.
Brett stared harder, meaning it this time. Even after all this time, he still had difficulty with the whole language thing. He was fluent, but that didn't mean that he'd forgotten the way he used to speak, or that when he slipped, other people could understand him. He considered explaining, but decided against it. "You know what? It doesn't matter."
Finn shrugged as well, ignoring the stare with ease. "You've been in France too long my friend. They've corrupted you." He smiled a little and patted the man's shoulder.
Brett looked pointedly down at his shoulder, then at Finn. "I am not your friend," he said, darkly. "I am not interested in being your friend. If you want to try and make lifelong buddies whilst you are here, then that's your call, but I? Am not one of them. You'd be better off pointing your attentions elsewhere."
Finn held on for a moment before really pulling away. "It's your loss. Though you might want to consider what's left here for you when this is all over. There might be more waiting across the channel." Finn kept smiling, amused with himself.
Brett had considered that before. It wasn't like he'd landed in Lavel already fluent in archaic French, after all. And he'd been studying in England. It would have made sense, especially after everything had gone wrong here. Yet, Brett stayed. He couldn't leave. If he had little chance of getting back home here, then he figured he had no chance anywhere else in this world. Adam's appearance only confirmed that opinion. It sounded as if Lavel were some kind of gateway. "So, you're not just here to see what the French competition is like. You're here to poach knights for your own King then?" he asked, raising a brow. He purposefully made it sound like an accusation, even though he had long lost any real loyalty to Lavel's King.
Finn just chuckled. "Not ones that would upstage me on the field of battle," he said shaking his head. "But a knight with nothing left to lose? He's a useful tool that my King might find useful. I know I would. Despite the fact that he's getting on in years. But wouldn't you rather die in England than here?"
"I don't intend dying at all. Not for a very long time." After all, he was only thirty-six years old and for all that life expectancy was generally reduced in this time period, he hadn't suffered through the childhood diseases and conditions that most had and he was still in good shape. Unless someone got the guts up to really take a knife to him - and given that most of the locals seemed to think that he was either unkillable due to a deal he'd made with the devil, or that to try and kill him would bring down a curse on themselves, he very much doubted that would ever happen - he intended to live a long, long life.
"Yes, don't we all. But you could go out with honor," the younger knight said, which he knew that the man didn't have here if the rumors were true. But despite how God-fearing they were in England, he had a feeling they would write off most of the rumors without proper proof, which there didn't seem to be as much of as there were stories. "Think about it," he said with another smile.
Brett laughed at that. "I gave up on 'honour' before you were old enough to pick up a sword," Brett spat. He wished it wasn't true, but these days he did what he had to to get by. As often as possible, he tried to ensure that that was honest and decent, but he knew it wasn't always. Living in a place where everyone hated you, where every door was closed in your face, honour was not something you could cling to.
"Which is all the more reason to consider a change," Finn said smiling again. "Might be nice to fight with you rather than against. Not that I won't enjoy fighting against you, but you get the idea."
"The answer is no," Brett said, firmly. "The answer will always be 'no'. I will see you when they pair us off against each other. By all likelihood, that will be in the joust," he said, glancing at the boards.
Finn's eyes went where Brett's did, not reading into the no and how it would always be no because he was sure that wasn't exactly the case. Men's minds could be changed, but if the man was that staunch in the moment, the argument wasn't worth it. He nodded, crossing his arms over his chest. "Yes. Seems that way. I'm looking forward to it."
Brett allowed himself the barest of smiles. "It will be a good challenge," he allowed, somewhat formally. A formal acknowledgement that Finn was a worthy opponent. After all, Brett did actually like these contests. If he ever left Lavel, if Adam found them a way back to the hotel, then this, this was something that he would really miss.
Finn liked that smile, knowing what it meant and nodded himself. Brett was a worthy opponent as well. "I look forward to it," he said before patting the man's shoulder again. "I'll see you on the field. Consider my offer."
Brett had considered the offer. Considered it and rejected it. Pretty point blank, in fact. Finn clearly wasn't someone who was used to rejection. Given his skill and his obvious looks, together with his age, Brett wasn't surprised about that. Plus, he had probably been born with a silver spoon in his mouth. Well, he'd have to learn to face rejection sooner or later. Brett was just ensuring it was sooner. "Til then," he said, inclining his head as his name was called for his next bout.
"Best of luck out there Sire," Finn said as Brett was called again. "I'll see you soon enough," he added before starting away. He had another portion of his tournament to get ready for if he was going to see the knight again.