Word Count: 90,004
Summary of Events:
Chapter 29:
All of the Iøsenräl men gathered to practise battling and . . . things didn't exactly go too well. Many of the horses were unprepared and quite afraid of the combat, and not all of the men were even too terribly good either. Thårijn ended up sustaining an injury at the hand of his oldest brother Jägen, and Æliyäu then set the men to doing other work while he helped Thårijn get to a doctor.
Chapter 30:
Æliyäu, Villäm and Vånnä gathered together and discussed the outcome of the practise battle and some better strategies to accomplish what they needed to do, among other things. Thårijn and Bæjern went out to the pasture and practised battling with just their horses, but Græshädå and Nättrinne — Bæjern's mare — also decided to do some other things. Æliyäu then went to visit Helännä and found out her ability to speak was weakening and he wondered if she might die before the men would be ready to leave.
Excerpt of the Day:
"Thårijn crossed over the road and charged headlong into the line before him, Helännäri making contact with one of the shields. He and the man whose shield he'd hit stopped and battered at each other's shields. Thårijn swung his sword over the man's head and then made a move to ride away, but the other rider kept on with trying to battle him, so he had to stay and keep fighting.
"The stroke over your head," Thårijn said. "Was my pretending to sever your head."
"Oh," the other rider said, and turned and rode back to his rally point.
Thårijn swung Græshädå around and saw that all had dissolved into chaos before either side could reach the road. Men were off their horses and trying to catch them, horses were bucking and running, and two stallions were even fighting with each other, having cast their masters aside — masters who were now hesitantly attempting to get a hold of their horses.
It appeared that only Græshädå was well trained enough to succeed, either that or Thårijn had been the only one keeping his horse's head where it ought to be. But did all of them know where their horse's head ought to be? What it ought to be focused on?
As Thårijn watched from above, the men down near the road for the side that were technically his opponents had managed to get gathered into file again and looked like they were going to try and get across the road.
That meant another charge would be coming from up behind him. Thårijn rode Græshädå down the sloe and around the line of mares and geldings. Thårijn managed to break up the stallion fight by charging at the two horses and spooking them into separation, then he called all of the men on his side down in the valley to form up into file, and they all followed quite neatly.
Thårijn then manoeuvred Græshädå around to lead the charge, but Jägen charged up to him, sword drawn and eyes blazing. Thårijn swung Græshädå around more and blocked Jägen with his shield.
Jägen swung at Thårijn ferociously, but Thårijn managed to block the blows with his shield and swing back, blocking things with his blade as well. After awhile Jägen brought his sword down like an axe on Thårijn's shield.
Thårijn tried to get a blow in on Jägen's shield, but Jägen was fighting with his sword arm to Thårijn, so his shield arm was across his horse from Thårijn, and much further to reach — especially being as he was on his off side.
After a few more blows Thårijn saw Jägen swing back his sword and didn't get his shield up to block fast enough; the blow collided with his helmet and then pain tore across his right cheek and most of his upper lip."
Jägen: jah-genn
Nättrinne: naht-reen-ay
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