The Duel

Dan woke up late into the evening with his entire body sore with pain, his joints and muscles screaming at the strenuous activity they had been subjected to. To him, this was far more exhausting and unbearable than working the stables. Though exhausted, Dan knew that this was not enough for him to improve; he would have to do much more to attain what he sought in life.

He got out of bed and moved towards the door; hunger had become an insatiable desire. He wanted to eat and then give the much-desired rest to his body for it to begin repairs. As he slowly moved out of his room, the cold wind of the north brushed his face, and he felt the chill take over his body. He slowly made his way to the kitchen of the castle to fill his stomach.

The maids were still cleaning up the food and cleaning the utensils when he entered; the boy, without glancing at anyone he grabbed the loaves of bread on the basket. He then began to stuff his mouth full. To him, this was a rarity; good food was rarely found in the north for the smallfolk, and only the lords and ladies had the privilege of feasting.

As he stuffed himself, Dan remembered that tomorrow was to be the feast and the plentiful food that he would be able to eat then made him optimistic and willing to bear the sufferings of tomorrow. Dan began planning the work he had to do; he knew it would be worse tomorrow, for he had to work harder.

The headache Dan had felt still continued to pester him; he did not know why but he felt that it would hamper him in the coming days. He knew something was wrong with him, but he could not say with certainty what it was that was happening to him.

After getting his fill, Dan walked back to his room; while on his way, he saw the preparations still being made for the feast as he came across many of the workers still setting up large tables and stands all around the yard near the banquet hall of the castle.

Dan finally reached his room and sought the bed just as the headache became too much to bear for him again.

...

The following day brought with it a promise of a better tomorrow; the warmth brought by the son finally awoke Dan from his slumber as he slowly got up from bed and moved towards the yard to begin his daily practice as was told to him by Garth.

Dan slowly walked into the yard to find Benjen Stark with his entourage chuckling and swinging their swords at the dummies. When Dan slowly approached them to introduce himself to Benjen, he was suddenly stopped by one of the other children.

"Hold it right there, shorty. Why are you coming here?"

"Master Benjen, I was told to serve you, sir; I have come to do as told." Dan ignored the boy stopping him as he shouted for Benjen to hear his words. Benjen, who was busy swinging his sword, finally stopped and looked towards the boy. He then began approaching him as he motioned for the others to follow behind. Finally reaching them, he looked at the boy and said.

"What makes you think I want you around me? You see, I have seen you around the castle; you're that stable boy who cleans the dung of the horses and helps the stable master. Are you not?"

"Ye...Yes"

"Do you know what a squire or even a person who serves lords comes from?" seeing the boy not answer, Benjen continued on his tirade.

"They are highborn, knights rarely come from smallfolk, and that will likely remain the case; my father's cupbearer is the son of Lord of Bear Island, and the knights that surround him are from renowned houses of the North. You, on the other hand, are a weakling, your swing the other day was an absolute disappointment. Yet you think yourself worthy of aiding me."

Dan had by now begun looking into the ground with the shame that had built up in him due to Benjen's words. To him this was humiliating and he wanted to run away but he could not do so. Seeing the boy's actions Benjen relented a little.

"Alright I'll give you a chance, you see Alfred here is the weakest among us and if you can even land a hit on him or injure him in anyway then I'll concede that you are worthy to serve me and be by my side. If you agree then shall we begin?"

Dan nodded and then slowly walked away to pick up his wooden sword, after taking it in hand he strode towards the other end of the yard and took up position. He began to stare down his opponent Alfred, the tension in the air between the two had now reached its peak. Dan was scared and also hopeful, he had never fought before so this was a fresh experience for him. This was more than just a duel for him, it was about survival, everything was at stake here.

"CHARGE" and with that command both the combatants began to run closer to each other. Dan used his full might to swing at Alfred but Alfred was faster as he dodged to the right. Alfred then began position himself with his swing coming right at Dan's head. Dan scurried to the side and rolled in the dirt. His hasty movements did him no favour as he was now in an extremely vulnerable position.

Not wasting the opportunity Alfred charged at him sword in hand, due the distance created Dan saw an opening to save himself. He hurriedly kicked in Alfred's direction making the boy slow down and stop to avoid the kick. Using this to his advantage Dan, ran over to his initial position. He then waited and gathered breath as all the soreness in his muscles began to reappear leading to his body becoming lethargic and his movements getting slower.

The entire exchange was very fast paced and it had exerted Dan, he knew he had to end this fast if he wished to not be defeated utterly humiliated. He charged at Alfred in a last ditch effort to land a blow on him. Alfred now grew tired of this charade and just stood there expecting the same old technique. This time he did not dodge it entirely, he just twisted his body a little and struck with great power. The blow landed true and completely decimated Dan as he fell and fainted right there from the impact on his head.