Chance awoke a little before dawn. Alyssia was in her normal position, curled up on his chest. He could hear the captain moving around in the main room, so he figured he should get up.

He carefully lifted Alyssia, sat up, and turned in the bed to place her on the pillow in the warm spot his head had recently left. He smiled to himself as she shifted and snuggled down into the soft, warm spot.

Pulling on his breeches, he opened the door to say good morning to the captain, except it was not the captain in the main area. Two men were carefully going through their bags that they had packed and set out the night before.

They turned and looked up as Chance entered the room. They glanced at one another and then the older one straightened up and lifted a truncheon. He pointed it at Chance and said, “There has been a report of items going missing from the Governor’s House. A witness has said that they saw you sneaking around and casing the place yesterday. We are here to search your things.”

Chance decided that he probably should have the captain in on this so he yelled out. “Captain Herrera, could you please step out here.” He could hear the captain stirring in the other room. “You should have notified us before you started digging through our packs. Without us observing, and only you doing the inspecting, who knows what we could be accused of.”

At this point Captain Herrera stepped into the room, “What is going on Chance? Who is being accused of something?”

“I walked in on these men going through our packs. They informed me of items going missing from the Governor’s House and that a witness saw me ‘casing the place yesterday’. More than likely they saw me wandering aimlessly around the inside of the wall wasting time before dinner.”

The captain turned to the two men. “You men will step away from the bags now. You will also empty your pockets. Chance, you know what should be in the bags. Take a look. If you find anything that should not be there don’t touch it but leave the pack open so the item or items are visible.”

“Here now! What do you mean? We are in charge here! You are under investigation not us!” The man raised his voice and lifted his truncheon.

“You are a city guard by your dress and not even a non-commissioned officer. I, on the other hand am a captain in the King’s Army. By Royal Decree, I outrank anyone in the city guard. So you will please do as you are told before I have you whipped for insubordination.” The captain responded with steel in his voice.

“Chance, go ahead and look through the bags.” The captain said and then stepped over to the weapons rack and picked up his sword, keeping his eyes on the two guardsmen the entire time.

“Now. Empty. Your. Pockets. Put the truncheon down as well, you have no need of it.” He commanded as the he pointed his sword at the two men.

The two men complied with the command and began to set the contents of the pockets onto the side table next to them.

Chance found a small silver jewelry box in the bottom of the bag that contained the camping gear. Doing as the captain had suggested he did not touch it but left it exposed to the room.

“Captain, there is a small silver jewelry box in the bottom of the camping bag.” Chance explained.

“Alright, here is what we are going to do. Chance, I want you to step to the door and yell for the First Sergeant. Wait for him at the door and bring in when he arrives.”

Chance did as he was told. He was surprised though with how quickly the First Sergeant came running.

The First Sergeant stopped and saluted as he entered the room, “Sir! How can I be of assistance?”

“We found these two guardsmen going through our things this morning and when we caught them they said they were investigating a theft from the Governor’s House. They were investigating us because a witness said they saw Chance ‘casing’ the residence yesterday. Chance has found an item in our bag that we do not recognize, he made sure not to touch it. It is in the bag over there. I ask that you get two of your tracking dogs to take the scent and find out who in the room touched the item last.”

“Here now! Are you accusing us of putting it there?!” The guardsman exclaimed.

“That is exactly what I am saying. I have known Chance for many years and he is not a thief. We are even now on our way to the capitol to enroll him in the War Academy.”

“It will be as you say, sir. Let me call the dogs.” The First Sergeant said as he stepped towards the door.

Chance could hear the loud bellow of the First Sergeant as he called for four privates by name. He heard the jingle of their chainmail armor as they ran to obey his call.

Shortly the First Sergeant and two soldiers came into the room. “Captain, I have sent two men to rouse the dogs and their handlers. I also have these two here to help maintain order.” He said as the two new soldiers snapped a salute to the captain.

Returning their salute with an “At Ease”. The captain returned his focus to the two guardsmen.

The dog handler and the dog arrived a few minutes later. The First Sergeant explained to the man what was needed and pointed out the item in question. Nodding, he went to the fireplace and grabbed a pair of tongs. Using them carefully, lifted out the jewelry box and set it on the ground away from the men. He then brought the dog over to let him sniff it. After a bit of time sniffing the box the man commanded the dog to “Find ‘em.”

He then led the dog to each man in the room starting with the First Sergeant. The dog sniffed him briefly and the turned to the next man. This continued on through Chance and the captain until finally the dog stopped and sat in front of the guardsman who had remained quiet this whole time. The First Sergeant commanded the two privates to place the two men under arrest. They began to protest and struggle but the First Sergeant pulled out his bully stick and knocked each of the men upside the head. They staggered, stunned by the blow and were disarmed and their hands were bound behind them.

“Take them to a cell”, I will question them later,” he told the two privates. “Gentry, thank you for your time and the use of your dog.”

“Nothing but a thing, First Sergeant. Louise was happy to do it. Weren’t you Louise?” the man said as he patted the dog on the side and then lead her back out of the house.

“I apologize sir. I don’t know what is going on but I will get to the bottom of it and send a report to you in the capitol.” He turned to Chance. “Don’t forget you have a duel this morning after breakfast. You have about two hours before it begins.” He then turned and picked up the silver jewelry box and left them alone.

“Well, that was some start to the morning.” The captain said shaking his head. “Something is going on here. We don’t have time to investigate it now though and will have to wait for the First Sergeants report. We need to be on our way to Grensmar.”

They had asked the Staff Sergeant, that had shown them the quarters initially, to have their horses brought around and for their packs to be loaded. They planned to head to the Mess Hall for breakfast and then they would take care of Chance’s duel before they headed out of the north gate of Hargest and get on the road to Grensmar.

They were sitting at one of the smaller officer tables in the corner of the Mess Hall after a satisfying breakfast. Alyssia was currently curled up in Chance’s cloak pocket after enjoying some eggs and bacon from Chance’s plate.

“Chance, you were the one challenged right?” Captain Herrera asked as he sipped the last of his coffee.

“Yes. I did antagonize him a bit but he did put forth the challenge.”

“What criteria did you set for the duel?” the captain asked.

“I specified practice blades to yield or incapacitating strike. I also asked the First Sergeant to be the judge.” Chance clarified.

They finished off the last of their drinks and rose to head towards the dueling circles, so Chance could stretch and warm up prior to the duel.

As they approached the dueling circles, they could see a quite a few people already there. Most were standing around the center circle and a few were active in their own duels. Guessing that there was already a crowd forming to see the match they headed to the center circle.

As they approached the First Sergeant stepped out of the crowd and waived them over. Looking around, he lowered his voice, “The governor has made what was supposed to be a somewhat friendly duel, into something a bit more than it was. He is saying that his family’s honor was stained by a commoner. He was overheard last night telling his nephew to put you in your place and to put you down hard if necessary.” He glanced around again to make sure no one was near, “I was not sure why he was making such a big deal over the issue, until the problem this morning. I had wondered about the charges brought against our prior Captain, it just did not seem like him but there was all sort of evidence against him. The evidence was found by those same two guardsmen from this morning and they provided the condemning documents as well.” He glanced around again. “I am a loyal King’s man and have been for fifteen years. There is something going on here Captain. First our captain and now someone has attempted to frame you or your companion.” He turned to Chance, “You best watch yourself young man. They will probably try to injure you.”

The thought was new to Chance. He was just thinking of this as a somewhat friendly duel to settle a grudge over him having caused Phillip to have to do additional drills. The thought that this could end up with someone hurt caused him to stop and refocus.

“Captain, will you hold my cloak and watch over Alyssia for me?” Chance asked as he lifted Alyssia out of his cloak pocket and handed her to Captain Herrera.

Be careful. He could feel Alyssia’s concern through their bond.

I will Little One. As he pushed confidence and love through the bond back to her.

The captain leaned in close to Chance as he took his cloak and Alyssia, “If you feel you are at risk of injury don’t hesitate to stop them however you need to. I would avoid using your bond if at all possible but if it comes down to it, do not hold back.”

“First Sergeant, do you have the practice blades we will use? I will need a medium length sword and parrying dagger if you have them. If not, then two swords of the same length and style would be preferred.”

He watched as the First Sergeant stepped over to a weapons rack and came back with the sword and parrying dagger that had been Chance’s first choice. They were carved wood shaped to resemble a standard army sword and dagger. The grip was wrapped in leather and there was a basic wooden cross guard to protect his hand. The dagger was similar in design to the sword but only about a span in length.

“Here you go. With how the Governor is making this into an honor match, I would suggest that you inspect both of these weapons and Phillip’s as well. Just remember that Phillip’s second has the right to inspect your weapons if he so chooses. I know that this was supposed to be a soldier’s duel, but with what might be on the line you might want to treat it as an honor match.”

Chance took the wooden practice sword and dagger. He hefted them then swung the sword a few times. Turning to Captain Herrera, “Will you be my second?”

The captain nodded, “I would be happy to.”

Chance took the practice blades into one of the unused dueling circles nearby and began to work his way through sword forms to prepare himself, both mentally and physically.

“Son, it is time.” The First Sergeant said as he walked over to the edge of the dueling circle Chance had been warming up in. Turning to the captain the First Sergeant asked, “Do you want to inspect Phillip’s weapons?”

“Yes please.”

Chance and the captain joined the First Sergeant and walked over to the center circle. The crowd parted as they made their way to the edge of the circle.

“Wait here.” The First Sergeant said as he stepped into the circle. Chance could see Phillip and another man standing on the far side of the circle.

The circle was the largest one of all of the circles. The ground was stone paving, that looked to have been roughed over to provide solid footing for the fighters. It was approximately ten lengths across with the edge of the circle being raised stone that stuck up about one span.

“There has been a request by one the Seconds to inspect the weapons to be used. Will the Seconds step forward and bring the weapons to be used today with them?”

Phillip looked to up in shock. “There was no mention of Seconds or of an inspection of the weapons. This is not an honor duel.”

“Never the less, the challenged has set a second and that second has requested to inspect the weapons. Will you comply or forget your challenge?”

“I will comply. The young man needs to learn his place and to respect his betters.” Phillip replied and sneered at Chance.

Chance watched as Phillip removed the sword belt and dagger he had been wearing and took another set from a bag at his feet. He handed the second set to the man with him and exchanged a close word with him before he directed him towards the First Sergeant.

Chance handed Captain Herrera the practice blades he had been using earlier so he could take them for inspection.

The captain joined the two men in the middle of the circle and they exchanged weapons.

Chance watched in shock as Phillip’s second proceeded to bend the blades and hit them on the ground a few times. The last span of the sword broke off on his last swing at the ground.

“What do you think you are doing?” the First Sergeant bellowed.

“I am sorry. I thought I detected a crack in the blade and did not want the young man to fight with a blade that was not trustworthy.” The man replied with a smirk. “Looks like someone will have to get him another practice blade.”

“Private Green! Go get the young man another practice blade.” Phillip’s second yelled.

“Yes sir!” A man responded and moved towards the weapon’s stand.

Captain Herrera had completed his inspection of Phillip’s weapons. “There appears to be additional weight added to this sword.”

“Yes it is a weighted practice sword, the center of the blade is filled with lead to increase the weight to that of a normal sword.” Phillip responded. “I use it to strengthen myself.”

“This weapon is not acceptable. You will need to find another.” Captain Herrera responded.

“It is a practice weapon. There was no mention of the fact that it was not to be weighted.” Phillip responded smugly.

“Is that the stance you wish to take in this?” the captain asked.

“Yes.” Phillip replied.

“Very well then. First Sergeant, I would request a similar blade for Chance then since his blade has been broken”, the captain replied.

“This is my personal practice weapon. It is not one from the armory and I don’t believe they have one like it.” Phillip said snidely.

“I have one for the young man to use.”, another young man said. The crowd seemed to flow away from him as he stood there with a large grin on his face. He looked to be a noble as well if his clothes were any indication.

“Vincent! You stay out of this!” Phillip said as he turned to face Vincent.

“Really Phillip, I told you I would find a way to repay you for the problems you have caused my family.” Vincent said with a grin. Leaning over he pulled a practice sword from holder on the pack at his feet. It looked to be identical to the one that Captain Herrera was holding.

“Here you go captain, the young man may use this one.” He handed it over to Captain Herrera to inspect. The captain returned Phillip’s practice sword to him and took the one offered by Vincent.

Looking it over he thanked the young noble and walked over to Chance.

“Take a few swings with this one and let me know if will work for you.” The captain suggested, then whispered quietly, “You might want to do a fancy pattern with the sword to show a bit of skill to put a bit of a scare into your opponent. Here actually, why don’t you finish off with a swing through the remains of the first practice sword.”

Stepping back to give Chance room, he picked up the remains of the broken practice sword and held it up and out to his side but in front of Chance.

Chance swung the sword several times to get a feel for the additional weight, then proceeded to spin it in a complex pattern complete with rolling it over in his hand and flipping it from hand to hand and continuing the pattern. With a final flourish, he swung the blade horizontally into the remains of the practice blade that the captain was holding. The broken sword was shattered and the captain was left holding only the handle and maybe a half of a span of sword.

“This will work. It is almost identical in weight to the swords I am used to. Not to mention the added weight will definitely let them know that you have made contact.” Chance said with a grin.

He glanced over and Phillip was looking a little ill. It did not seem like the idea of being hit with the weighted sword agreed with him.

“Alright! Enough of this. Seconds are the weapons agreeable?” The First Sergeant called out.

Both Seconds responded in the affirmative.

“This duel is to be considered completed when one combatant concedes, submits, or a blow is landed that would be considered an incapacitating amount of damage. Is this clear to both duelists?” The First Sergeant said as he looked to Chance and Phillip for confirmation.

Both men called out, “Yes First Sergeant.”

“Very well. Enter the circle, come to the middle, salute one another, and then step back three paces.” He commanded.

Chance focused on Phillip as they squared off and waited for the First Sergeant to signal the beginning of the match.

Chance had made up his mind that at first he was going to be on the defensive and see if Phillip was actually any better than he showed the afternoon before.

As soon as the First Sergeant dropped hand and stepped back from between them, Phillip sprang forward. His sword was raised above his head, in preparation for a strong overhead attack, and his dagger was reversed in his grip and held low at his side.

Chance stepped quickly to Phillip’s sword side, taking the dagger hand out of play and changing the aiming point for the overhand attack. He brought up his own sword and hit Phillip’s sword with the flat of his blade as it came down and deflected it to the side to Phillip’s left side changing his momentum farther away from Chance.

Instead of following through with his dagger to Phillip’s wide open side, he stepped past him and pivoted on the ball of his lead foot and turned such that he was now behind Phillip.

Phillip realized that he had over-extended himself, ducked his head and pitched himself forward. Making sure of where his blades were he continued his forward momentum into a somersault taking himself out of Chance’s reach. As soon as his feet came back around to the ground he planted them and shoved off with his legs to the side and into another roll. As he completed his second roll he sprang to his feet and pivoted on his heel to turn himself around to face Chance.

Chance stood where he had finished his pivot watching Phillip as he rolled and scrambled to recover and try to avoid an attack that was not coming. “Phillip, I thought we were dueling with swords not practicing our tumbling.” He remarked with a smirk.

Frustrated and slightly embarrassed that Chance had not even seen the need to follow through with an attack while he was struggling to avoid one and on the ground, he aggressively stepped towards Chance but this time with a little more control.

Chance sensing that his opponent had realized that this was not going to be a duel with someone cowed by his title settled down into a defensive stance. His dagger hand and foot were forward with his legs slightly bent and sword hand back and down at his hip. Both weapons were in a forward grip and he was turned at the hips such that his body was towards Phillip but his hips were side on to him.

As he got close enough to Chance, Phillip went into a series of sweeping sword strikes that brought the full weight and momentum of the weighted blade into play. Chance caught the strikes on his sword or deflected them. While it seemed he was focused on the sword he made sure to maintain focus on the Phillip’s offhand. He had seen this fighting style before and had trained against it several years back when one of the soldier’s in the Kings Army in Mern had been trained in it in a previous enlistment for a neighboring city.

The tactics, Chance knew were to cause him to focus solely on keeping the main weapon from striking him and allow for the offhand to sneak in close and strike him low and hard in the abdomen or lower chest.

Chance kept throwing of Phillip’s planned attack though by continually moving and rotating towards Phillip’s sword side keeping the dagger out of play.

Deciding he had played with the young man long enough, Phillip stepped aggressively into a sweeping overhead strike towards Chance’s Dagger side for the first time, thinking to cause Chance to turn his head to ensure that the sword was blocked. This would allow him to step close in and stab with his offhand dagger.

Chance, knowing that this was coming, had been maintaining his blocks only with his sword. So when Phillip’s swing began, Chance had switched his grip on his dagger such that the blade of the dagger was down his forearm in a reverse grip.

Catching the sword on the dagger blade along his forearm and stopping it against the handguard, he brought his sword up as Phillip’s dagger was coming in towards his stomach. Catching the dagger on his blade, he pushed it wide and twisted his wrist to break Phillip’s grip on his dagger and brought his sword back in line to deliver a sharp stab to Phillip’s midsection.

“STOP and step back!” the First Sergeant called.

Chance disengaged from Phillip and backed away as Phillip pitched forward and dropped to his knees holding his stomach.

“An incapacitating blow has been delivered. Chance is the winner.” The First Sergeant called out.

Chance turned to find the captain and saw him talking with Vincent so he walked over to return the practice sword to him. “Thank you for the loan of your practice sword, sir. I greatly appreciated it. It is a nice sword.” He handed it to Phillip and turned to Captain Herrera, “You probably should look into get a few for the armory back in Mern. I am sure Dad could help you out with getting them made.”

“It was my pleasure; Chance was it?” Vincent responded with a grin. “I was just telling your captain here about Mr. Phillip and why I take every chance I can to interfere in his plans.”

Chance laughed, “Well I am glad you did. I don’t believe that a normal practice blade would have held up to the abuse delivered by the heavier practice sword he uses.”

“They do not. That is why I invested in this one here.” He said as he lifted the sword. “Well, I must go and tell my sister the good news. Have a safe trip and keep in mind my warning Captain Herrera.” With that he turned and walked off toward the gate into the city.

At that point a corporal walked up and handed a small pouch the captain. “Your winnings sir.”

“Thank you Corporal, have a good day.” Captain Herrera said as he flipped a small silver to the corporal.

Catching the coin and then offering a quick salute the corporal disappeared back into the remaining crowd.

“I had them bring the horses over to the side of the practice field along with a few supplies from the mess. We should be heading out.” The captain said as he directed Chance towards the gate that Vincent had gone through.

“Do you think there will be any repercussions to me winning?” Chance asked.

“Normally, no. Something is not right here as you and I have seen and based on the what both the First Sergeant and Vincent have said.”

Taking his cloak back from the captain as they walked towards their horses. What do you think Alyssia? Do expect trouble as well.

I do not know Chance. I think it is better to be safe than sorry though.

Do you want to stay with the captain for now or do you want back in my cloak pocket?

I think I will stay here in his satchel for now. I was worried for you and that has left me sleepy so I think I will rest a bit.

Ok. Sleep well.

“We will cut across the city rather than stay to the main roads through to the gate this time.” The captain said as they mounted up.

They had no issues as they made their way out of the city and onto the road to Grensmar. Happy to put Hargest behind them.