The Fall of Lancelot

Prince Edward:

Clang clang

Brad swung his axes like a mad man connecting with Sir Ryan's slender greatsword. My royal protector deflected the attacks causing the bandit leader to jump back. Before Brad could even touch the ground, Ryan swung his sword downward with impressive speed for such a large sword.

Boom!

The ground crumbled under the blow sending rocks and dust everywhere. (Such power!) I thought as I looked for Brad's remains. I

doubted the man could survive such a move.

"Hahaha. Doesn't this just take you back? Do you remember the first time we clashed?" Brad asked as the dust settled. He was now a few meters away from Sir Ryan, a trail of fire leading to his position. I figured the man must be a fire user considering my knight commander didn't have an element.

"Brad Lancelot die along with the entire family long ago. It is impossible for you to be him. Stop your lies, bandit." Ryan shouted in anger. After hearing the knight's words, I finally started to remember where I heard the name from.

The Lancelots were a powerful noble family second only to the Royal family. It was said that you could trace their lineage to the start of the kingdom of Mira. Their ancestors once help the hero defeat the dark king. They remained a prominent noble family until a few years ago. The Lancelots staged a rebellion against the crown and were exterminated to its last member. Although this happened when I was still a young boy.

"It doesn't matter if you believe me or not. I will have my rematch today!" Brad roared as he launched one of his hatches. The small ax blurred

as it sailed towards Ryan. I would have difficulty avoiding such an attack, but my royal knight didn't flinch. Sir Ryan turned his head, barely dodging the ax.

Boom!

A bright light erupted from the hatchet, followed by a loud explosion. Out of the smoke came Ryan, seemingly unharmed. I heard the sound of yelling and looked up to see Brad. The man was in the air, grasping his ax that he'd just blown up. He descended on the knight commander like a crazed beast. Ryan managed to block the incoming attack, but that's exactly what Brad wanted. The man locked his axes on the

knights great sword forcing the weapon down, exposing Sir Ryan.

Bang!

Brad followed up his attack with a double leg kick to Ryan's chest. My bodyguard flew back, crashing into the ground like a cannonball. Fortunately, he recovered, but the attack had certainly harmed Ryan. The man was now on his knees, struggling to stand.

"I expected more from you Royal Protector! Hahaha," Brad cackled as he threw both weapons this time. Sir Ryan made it to his feet and prepared himself. I could see a white aura surrounding my knight. Just before the axes reached him, they exploded. At that exact moment, Ryan thrust his great sword toward his opponent.

Whoosh!

A sizeable horizontal blade of pure Ki shot out of Ryan's sword and cut to the explosion. It continued, headed straight for the bandit leader. I could see Brad pull something from his hip. I couldn't tell what it was in the dark. The attack was stopped dead when it reached Brad. The white aura vanished after a second, revealing Brad unharmed. The man was cutting the air playfully with a saber.

"Hahaha, Now that's more like it. I didn't think I would ever get to use this sword again." Brad said as the moonlight danced on his weapon. He asked if Ryan recognized the blade.

"Who the hell are you!?" Ryan asked. It seemed like my bodyguard had recognized the bandit's blade.

"Finally realized it, huh? I told you I'm Brad Lancelots last of my name. You are Sir Ryan, the man that took everything from me." Brad announced as he charged.

Clang clang

The two warriors clashed swords. Sparks flew as the two blades met, creating shockwaves that shook the ground. I was surprised at how easy Brad deflected the great sword with his saber. I was also surprised at how fast Ryan wielded such a heavy sword. It was hard for me to follow the heated exchange between the two powerful men. The two warriors were relatively evenly matched. Every time one of them went in for the kill, the other would find some way to counter. Both Brad and Sir Ryan received injuries. The knight commander got cut on his inner thigh and one on the face inches away from his eye. Brad received a long slash on his exposed chest. I could also see blood dripping from his nose. Ryan had punched the bandit hard in his face.

The battle continued for what felt like hours, but I could tell it was ending. After one last clash, the two combatants separated. Small craters littered the ground. Patches of grass were on fire thanks to Brad's fire element.

"It seems like the life of a bandit has dulled your skills." Sir Ryan mocked. Brad was now breathing heavily. The man looked like he could collapse at any moment. The Royal protector, on the other hand, looked like he could go for another hour if need be.

"I have gotten a little rusty. It has been so easy killing merchants. I haven't had a real challenge in so long. It seems like ill have to end this quickly. Brad said while covering himself in bright orange flames. The knight commander replied with his own white aura. Then they both charged.

Boom!

The tip of both swords met each other, causing a massive explosion. The shockwave was so powerful that it reached the other knights and me. The two men stopped at a stalemate as Ki flared to impossible heights. Neither man budged. Then suddenly, Brad twisted his wrist slightly, and the blade tip slid off Ryan's sword.

Quish!

Brad's saber pierced Ryan's right shoulder. The knight grunted in pain as the bandit twisted the blade. (Oh, no!) I thought, worried about my friend. I couldn't lose Ryan. He was the closes thing to family that I had in this life. I didn't get along with my siblings, hardly ever saw my father, and my mother passed away when I was five. Ever since my tenth birthday, Sir Ryan had been by my side.

"Oh, that looks like it hurts. Here let me cauterize that wound." Brad laughed as his saber caught on fire. My bodyguard screamed in agony. I started to move, but one of the knights stopped me. The man told me to stay put, but it was hard for me to watch helplessly as Ryan struggled. Then something caught my eye. A white aura engulfed Sir Ryans hand. The bandit leader was so focused on his torture that he didn't notice.

Bang!

Ryan struck Brad in the abdomen, causing the bandit leader to go flying through the air. Sir Ryan fell to one knee with the saber still lodged in his shoulder. He shrieked as he pulled the sword out. He laid there for a minute catching his breath. Brad, on the other, was struggling to stand. He managed to make it to his feet before coughing up blood. Brad held his stomach as he wobbled on his feet. Ryan got up slowly, holding the saber in his hand.

"Here, I can not kill an unarmed man as a knight," Ryan said as he tossed Brad his saber. The blade hit the ground right next to the man's feet.

"Hahaha, that's why I hate you, Ryan. A true knight threw and threw. Tell me, why are you like this? Bard asked.

"My father was the same way. When they came for his head he served it to them on a silver plater. He had faith that in the end his loyalty would save him." Brad stated as he bent down to grab his saber.

"I knew better, however, after losing the tournament to you. The support for my house dropped drastically. For the honorable house, Lancelot lost to a commoner." The man continued to talk while staring at his blade.

"My loss signaled the fall of house Lancelot, and the many enemies we made framed my family for treason. This was around the time the king fell into his coma and left his sons in charge." Brad said, staring at me. I felt my skin crawl as the man glared at me.

"The princes of Mira decided to repay our loyalty by executing my entire family. Even the servants weren't safe." Brad said as he looked back at Ryan.

"I can assure you that I knew nothing of this matter. I was only a boy at the time. Your fight is not with me but with my brothers. I can promise you that if you join me, we can clear your family's name." I proposed. If what the man said was true, then there was no reason we should be enemies.

"Ha! Im done being a dog of Mira. I will not go out like my father did. I will die like a true warior fighting to the very end!" Brad declared as he pointed his sword at Sir Ryan. My knight commander readied himself for battle. The scene was somber as we all waited for the actual fall of house Lancelot.

House Lancelot: The Lancelots were a powerful noble family second only to the Royal family. Their ancestors were said to have played a vital role in the war against the dark king. The family produced powerful knights for years and had high status in the royal court.

Brad Lancelot: The last known survivor of the Lancelot family.