3

You point at his drawstring boots, which are clearly untied and too big for him to begin with. He probably just stole them from the drunk on the ground.

"You're going to pay for that insult!" He runs up to you with his hand out, ready to strike you.

The kid tries to punch you in the face…

The punch ends up hitting you in the face.

It only causes minor damage, though.

You decide to punch the kid back.

Your punch completely misses him. You both have your fists up now in a defensive posture. His friends start cheering him on.

You attempt to hit him with an uppercut…

The kid punches you in the face with a quick jab.

You're feeling wary from that last attack. You stumble; the kid notices and manages to hit you with a huge uppercut. The next thing you know, you're on the ground. The last thing you remember before you pass out is a fist hitting you in the face.

You sigh. "I was at the tavern, and before that, the tournament."

"Why am I not surprised…did you see your father there?" she asks in an almost worried tone.

"Yes, Midnight did great as usual. Sir Robert Gale won," you reply.

Your mother sighs. "Good…he hasn't come home yet. I was getting a little worried."

"After a big win, it's not uncommon for Sir Robert to celebrate. He probably invited him along," you say.

Your mother frowns. "Perhaps, but there's something I wanted to talk to him about."

You shrug. "Want me to go looking for him?"

Her anger returns. "No, I want you in bed like you're supposed to be!"

As you walk away, she looks at your feet. "And why in the heck are you barefoot? Did you lose the new boots I got you?"