Janus3003
Skyrim Marriage Counselor
And another story written for class. This one had a 1,000 word limit.
The people’s chattering quieted down as the local clergyman stood and began asking the Lord’s blessings. Hans heard little of whatever the priest had to say. Though Hans was an experienced swordsman and knew that Johannes had never even held a sword until six weeks ago, he could feel his heart pounding.
The priest continued, reminding the audience (and informing the newcomers) that Hans stood accused of murdering Johannes’s brother Herman. As the available witnesses were insufficient to determine guilt or innocence, the conflict would be resolved with a trial by combat, for surely the Lord would grant victory to the innocent and rain His fury upon the guilty.
“God favor the right!” the priest concluded. Hans and Johannes unsheathed their swords and the duel began.
God favor the right. The priest’s words repeated in Hans’s mind as Johannes closed in on him, firmly holding his sword over his shoulder. Hans circled away from him, keeping his sword in motion and continually changing his guard and stance.
Johannes roared angrily and slashed down at Han’s head. Hans countered by raising his sword high and striking horizontally. His blow offset Johannes’s, and the tip of his sword sliced cleanly across Johannes’s face.
God favor the right. As Johannes screamed out in pain and clutched at his face, Hans moved in close. He impeded Johannes’s sword arm, gripped his own sword halfway down the blade, and plunged it into Johannes’s chest.
Johannes’s screaming stopped. He gasped, choked, and stared at his opponent with a mix of surprise and malice. The crowd let out a mix of excited cheers and mournful cries as Hans removed his sword and let Johannes fall to the ground.
God favor the right. As Hans cleaned the blood from his sword and left the arena, he didn’t hear the congratulations being given him. He heard Johannes’s father weeping, his mother’s dumbfounded stuttering, and the accusations of diabolical treachery from his wife Helena.
“Murderer!” she cried. “Murderer!”
Helena was quickly offered assurances that the Lord had revealed Hans to be innocent and her husband a liar, and she was ordered to watch her tongue.
Finally the arena was behind him. After washing himself and changing into clean clothing, Hans went to Mass, the words of both the priest and Helena ringing in his ears, the sight of Johannes breathing his last still fresh in his mind.
As Hans kneeled in the church, he prayed for the welfare of Johannes’s family, his soul, and the soul of Hans himself. Though the world believed otherwise, he now had the blood of two men on his hands. He hadn’t meant to kill Herman, but the man’s insult had triggered Hans’s anger. He had intended only to teach Herman a lesson for humiliating him, but he was soon caught up in his rage and when he finally regained his senses, Herman was dead. Johannes had been the only witness.
God did favor the right, Hans thought. Johannes was innocent, and he’ll be welcomed into Paradise. I will be damned for eternity.
He stood and left the church. He was weeping before he reached the door, and the townspeople praised his piety and the loving respect he held for his treacherous accuser.
Hans did nothing to correct them.
The Duel
Hans stepped out into the judicial arena, his hand resting on the longsword hanging at his waist. His accuser Johannes glared at him, his knuckles white as he tightly gripped his own sword. Though the morning was beautiful and the weather pleasant, the people gathered at the makeshift arena were of mixed attitudes. Hans and Johannes were silent and anxious, as were the tribunal, and some friends and family of the two combatants. The rest of the crowd appeared to be mostly local townspeople who were excited to watch a good fight.The people’s chattering quieted down as the local clergyman stood and began asking the Lord’s blessings. Hans heard little of whatever the priest had to say. Though Hans was an experienced swordsman and knew that Johannes had never even held a sword until six weeks ago, he could feel his heart pounding.
The priest continued, reminding the audience (and informing the newcomers) that Hans stood accused of murdering Johannes’s brother Herman. As the available witnesses were insufficient to determine guilt or innocence, the conflict would be resolved with a trial by combat, for surely the Lord would grant victory to the innocent and rain His fury upon the guilty.
“God favor the right!” the priest concluded. Hans and Johannes unsheathed their swords and the duel began.
God favor the right. The priest’s words repeated in Hans’s mind as Johannes closed in on him, firmly holding his sword over his shoulder. Hans circled away from him, keeping his sword in motion and continually changing his guard and stance.
Johannes roared angrily and slashed down at Han’s head. Hans countered by raising his sword high and striking horizontally. His blow offset Johannes’s, and the tip of his sword sliced cleanly across Johannes’s face.
God favor the right. As Johannes screamed out in pain and clutched at his face, Hans moved in close. He impeded Johannes’s sword arm, gripped his own sword halfway down the blade, and plunged it into Johannes’s chest.
Johannes’s screaming stopped. He gasped, choked, and stared at his opponent with a mix of surprise and malice. The crowd let out a mix of excited cheers and mournful cries as Hans removed his sword and let Johannes fall to the ground.
God favor the right. As Hans cleaned the blood from his sword and left the arena, he didn’t hear the congratulations being given him. He heard Johannes’s father weeping, his mother’s dumbfounded stuttering, and the accusations of diabolical treachery from his wife Helena.
“Murderer!” she cried. “Murderer!”
Helena was quickly offered assurances that the Lord had revealed Hans to be innocent and her husband a liar, and she was ordered to watch her tongue.
Finally the arena was behind him. After washing himself and changing into clean clothing, Hans went to Mass, the words of both the priest and Helena ringing in his ears, the sight of Johannes breathing his last still fresh in his mind.
As Hans kneeled in the church, he prayed for the welfare of Johannes’s family, his soul, and the soul of Hans himself. Though the world believed otherwise, he now had the blood of two men on his hands. He hadn’t meant to kill Herman, but the man’s insult had triggered Hans’s anger. He had intended only to teach Herman a lesson for humiliating him, but he was soon caught up in his rage and when he finally regained his senses, Herman was dead. Johannes had been the only witness.
God did favor the right, Hans thought. Johannes was innocent, and he’ll be welcomed into Paradise. I will be damned for eternity.
He stood and left the church. He was weeping before he reached the door, and the townspeople praised his piety and the loving respect he held for his treacherous accuser.
Hans did nothing to correct them.
