Gatekeeper

Ethyn dodged the next two swings of the devastating mace as he mentally berated himself.

'You aren't Silver! Don't tell your moves beforehand!'

The hulking soldier opposite him smiled wickedly. Ethyn tried to deflect the next arc with his sword, but the knight underestimated how much force was in the solid metal ball.

Unable to fully change the mace's direction, Ethyn cried out as the spikes crashed into his left pauldron. Pain radiated through his shoulder.

His vision went out of focus with the pain. The knight fell to one knee. The metal of his armor was dented, and another hit like that one would puncture it without question. 

'Yes, I really should have just stabbed him when he wasn't looking. Now I'm going to die of stupidity.'

A shadow passed across his vision, and he had just enough time to roll out of the way. This time the chain went wide, causing the ball to crash into the stone wall. A chunk of rock erupted off of the corner where the wall turned inward to make the portcullis's arch. 

Debris went flying, causing Ethyn to have to shield his face. Fortunately the giant of Lakyle had to do the same. In the momentary respite, Ethyn formed a plan in his head. It was a bit stupid, but he didn't have a better idea. 

The man was far stronger than he was, and the reach of the mace seemed ubiquitous. It was as if the man had an invisible field around him that did not allow anything to come within the sphere. 

'Fine. I won't come in then.' 

Rather than rush the enemy, Ethyn began a tactic of rolling and circling. The first few tries were exceptionally dangerous. Thankfully none of the soldiers of Lakyle wanted to get accidentally entangled with the giant man, so they gave him a wide berth. 

And as there were too few men of Birle on this side of the portcullis, none of his own allies got in his way either. The only obstacles Ethyn encountered were the poor people who had tried to open the gate before him. It couldn't be helped. 

As he learned to manage the pain in his battered shoulder, Ethyn's vision--and mind-- began to clear. His circling maneuver was working, albeit slowly.

It would have to work, because although Ethyn could wield his sword one handed, it would not have any of his body's weight behind it. He could feel a piece of his armor cutting into his skin as well. That blow had cost him more than his pride. 

The behemoth he was facing suddenly stopped his swing. It seemed he was growing tired of the silly game the knight was playing. 

"Strike already!" he growled at Ethyn. 

"You are doing more than that for the both of us," the knight shivered. 

"Hm." Sweating profusely, the large soldier rolled up his sleeves both to wipe his hands and get a better grip on his weapon. On his forearm, an insidious tattoo of a snake wrapped around his sinewy muscles. 

'A Viper? How fitting...' Ethyn wasn't exactly sure what the marking meant, but he could tell that it was not a symbol of peace and harmony. It meant extra trouble. 

"Time to die," the man swung the ball back and forth experimentally. He could see just how hurt the knight was, and he looked forward to adding another warrior to his long list of victories. 

'At least I'm not the only one who feels the need to try to sound menacing,' Ethyn suppressed a smirk. If the giant man was that confident in his victory, then the injured knight might actually have a shot at completing his task. 

Or he was just fooling himself. If that were the case, Ethyn hoped his death would be relatively painless. 

'Stop thinking like that!' The young man was having a harder and harder time staying ahead of the mace as he moved further into the enclosed space. 

Rather than close in the gap and deal with the knight personally, the giant soldier backed up into the middle of the entry to continue his ranged attack. He might have been able to take down Ethyn with his bare hands, but the Lakilian was not certain about his brute strength against the other man's armor. 

From behind, one of the men from Birle broke free of the fighting and tried to help Ethyn. The brave man surged forward to deal a killing strike, but the giant had fought against too many groups to be unaware of his presence. He altered the journey of the mace to intercept the foe and sent the poor hero flying through the air and to the ground, lifeless. 

'No!' Ethyn's heart clenched. He wanted to run and check on the fallen soldier, but knew that was not a good idea. 'Don't make the same mistake...'

Bending his knees, the knight prepared for another lunge. The swing came a little too quickly and grazed the bottom of Ethyn's boot as he fled. It was a close call. 

Ethyn's head at last bumped into the gate's wooden winch. Pushing against the rods in a circle would wrap the chain farther around the winch to lift the portcullis. Unfortunately, it was a two-man job, and Ethyn had one injured shoulder. 

"Get away from there. Don't even think of trying it!" The giant slung his mace at Ethyn, causing the man to duck between the winch and the wall. 

"Think of what?" The knight asked innocently, peeking up over the winch momentarily. 

The taunt nearly cost him his head. Flying through the air, the spiked ball dug deep into the top of the winch, causing the chains to rattle. Ethyn looked overhead at where they clattered together in their intricately twisted braid before separating to attach to various points at the top of the portcullis. 

  'That was close...but I need him to get closer.' Ethyn gritted his teeth. Stepping out from behind the winch, he placed himself between the wooden wheel and the portcullis wall. The knight was cornered. 

"Oh you don't want me to think about opening the gate? I have already thought about that," Ethyn smirked. 'So much for not telling him your moves...' "If you would come here I would be happy to explain..." 

The giant growled and sent the full force of his mace at the knight. This time Ethyn raised his sword with one hand to mount an attack. His stance caused the Lakylian man to adjust his aim, just like the knight had hoped. 

The giant furrowed his brow, realizing too late his error. The mace caught the braid of chains above the winch and wrapped around it. Before the soldier could recoil his weapon, Ethyn thrust his sword into the mess of chains, preventing the mace from unwrapping. 

"You fiend!" The giant pulled on his handle with all his might. Because his strength was more than that of two men, and the chains gave slightly against the strain. 

That was exactly what Ethyn needed. He pushed his back against one rod of the winch, and it clicked around twice with almost no effort. The gate rose slightly before locking in the new position.

It was barely enough to be above the ground, but the men on the other side of the portcullis had already begun digging a hole when they saw the knight's efforts. The smallest of the soldiers was able to slip through the newly made opening and rushed to help Ethyn in his quest. 

"No!" The giant started forward, but he was not fast enough.

The two men managed to raise the gate enough to let a third in and then a fourth to enter the gate. The tide suddenly shifted. Without his mace, the large soldier had to resort to brute strength. He could handle two men in an even contest, but these men had swords, and the cuts on his arms were becoming deep. 

A fifth man made it through the gap and moved to the winch. The gate flew steadily upwards. A tidal wave of troops overwhelmed the giant and then moved into the keep to reinforce their own men.

'I did it!' Ethyn panted. He leaned back to catch his breath. 'I really did not think that would work...' 

Suddenly a scream pierced through all the mayhem, interrupting Ethyn's respite. His eyes opened wide. The scream could only belong to one person.

"Rose!"