The Brooch of Goldhedge

---Katherine---

Ashley walked over to a woman selling pies and tapped her on the shoulder. "Hello ma'am, we're travelers here and we were wondering if a festival was taking place?" she asked politely. The woman looked up from her pies. She had a kind, motherly face and wore a light blue dress and bonnet. She looked us up and down, and smiled.

"Oh, welcome to Goldhedge, my dears! I'm Naomi. And yes, you're right, it is a festival." A customer approached and asked for a pie. Naomi kept talking while she helped that customer.

"It's an annual thing, where we celebrate a good harvest and whatnot, even if it is a tad early," Naomi laughed as her expert hands wrapped the pie up nicely and handed it to the customer. "Thank you!" she called out to the person. She turned to face us again. "So travelers, huh? You all look awfully young to be traveling alone. Where do you come from?"

"Northbell," I said quickly. "We're supposed to be visiting family. Could you please tell us more about this festival? It seems like a lot of fun."

"Oh, it is a lot of fun, but it used to be better." A strange look came over her face. "There is usually lots of entertainment at night, with magicians, musicians, performers, everything. One tradition we have is a martial arts tournament, and it's really cool to see the skilled fighters of our land." Naomi eyed the swords we carried. "Whoever wins the tournament is crowned best fighter and is awarded the brooch of Goldhedge, a highly prized piece of jewelry. People come from all over the land to compete in this tournament; that's why there are so many people."

"What's so special about the brooch?" Jason asked curiously.

"Do you children know the tale of Augustus and Helena?" Naomi asked us. We nodded vigorously.

"They were the two fabled legendary fighters of Crystallea," I said eagerly. "Both were deemed undefeatable in skill until they met each other. They decided to challenge each other, and the battle went on for days. Finally, they called it a tie. Augustus had fallen for Helena, and she had grown to love him. He asked her to marry him, and she agreed. To seal the deal, he gave Helena his prized cloak and she gave him her brooch, which had been passed down in her family for generations. Wait, is it the same brooch?"

"No, of course not," Naomi smiled. "Just replicas, but made out of the same materials and crafted by the most skilled artisans in Crystallea. Only one is made per year, which makes it all the more special. Helena's hometown was Goldhedge, you know."

"Oh…." We all said in unison.

"I'm guessing the brooch symbolized invincibility and the great skill of the fighter," I said. "That's why so many people desire it."

"Yes, you're correct." Naomi said. Her face took on a slightly angry look. "But for the past three years, the same person has claimed the brooch of Goldhedge. He is arrogant and boastful, saying that he is the ultimate champion and that no one can defeat him. He's even daring to say that he's better than Augustus and Helena both. And everyone knows that Augustus and Helena are the best! No one can surpass them, ever, whether in the past or in the future."

"Who is he?" Jason asked. Naomi shrugged.

"His name is Eric. He claimed to have come from the distant place of Shadowville or something. I've heard that he is good, but no one can win the brooch for three years in a row! Many people think he's cheating in some way, although there isn't any proof. Whenever he wins, he shames the fighters who lose. This man has no sportsmanship whatsoever!" Naomi ranted.

"I don't know much about swordsmanship, but even I can tell that the way he fights is sly and evil. I mean, it's a contest of skill, right? Usually in the arena, fighters are still courteous to each other and play fair. Good swordsmen know when someone is better than them. Contestants do not intentionally harm each other; there's usually minimal injury, and everyone's happy.

"But since Eric appeared, everything's changed. He will purposely stab you or inflict major injuries. The lucky ones lost their fingers and broke their bones. Many others have had to be carried off stage, or require immediate medical attention. I think he's killed two people already."

"That's not right!" Jason exclaimed. "Why doesn't the town do something about it?"

"We can't," Naomi said sadly. "There's nothing in the rules that states someone can't win more than once, or list consequences for bad sportsmanship and the way they fight. What's more, the rules clearly state that everyone attends at their own risk, and no legal consequences will occur if someone gets hurt or killed. We're stuck."

"So Eric is just running wild," Ashley said, anger flaring up in her eyes.

"Every year we wish for someone to come and defeat him," Naomi said. "Everyone does. It doesn't matter who the person is, as long as they can beat up Eric and shame him for good. Heck, they can kill Eric and we wouldn't even care!"

More customers arrived at the stall. Naomi turned to help them. "Sorry for the long rant, darlings. I hope you all have fun at the festival! You seem to be swordsmen as well; maybe one of you can defeat Eric."

We thanked her for the information and continued walking, looking for a place to spend the night. An inn called Patrick's Inn caught my eye, and we walked in. There, we booked the last two rooms available. "There's just so many people," the bartender commented. "You three are lucky to have found a place to stay."

After setting our bags down, the three of us headed out for the town square. We met up with the others and told them what we learned. They were appalled at Eric's behavior too.

"That's just wrong!" spluttered Lucian angrily.

"I hope he gets killed," Aaron said darkly.

"Let's not get too worked up," Rachel said. "We'll see for ourselves tonight, won't we?"

"I guess we will." I agreed, adjusting the straps on my sword scabbards.

As we walked around the town, taking in all of the decorations and vendors, my thoughts remained on Eric and the brooch of Goldhedge. How good was this guy? How ruthless? As a fighter, I couldn't resist watching a tournament or seeing how good another fighter was. Naomi's last words echoed in my head: "Maybe one of you can defeat Eric."

It was a tempting offer. But if Eric is as bad as they all say, it would be very dangerous for a sixteen-year-old girl like me to fight in a tournament against him, even if I was the warrior and one of the chosen seven.