Fighting the Master of Horses
Istvan Lackfi, on his horse, carried the unwilling Peter Perenyi down the stairs and down another wall way before they busted through a door. There, Lackfi threw him into some grass next to a horse. Lackfi equipped a lance and pointed at Perenyi, “fight me, horseman to horseman.”
Perenyi climbed onto the tall and strong white horse at his side. The horse had a few brown spots across its ass. Lackfi’s horse seemed heavier and was completely black. Perenyi looked around the room and noticed the walls were blue and the light was from a huge glass furnace in the ceiling and so they were not truly outside. “It’s like an outside inside here. Only the grass is real.”
“What are you talking to yourself about?”
“Oh nothing. My fellow Hungarian, I accept your challenge but I’m just a casual horseman anyways. You’re the best horseman in the country, being the Horse Master, so I’m not sure this will be that exciting for you.”
“Well it is not only my skill in jousting that King Lajos appreciated. It was also my husbandry! The way I breed and raise each horse at the Royal Stable in Bacs. Over there, you have Visablanc who is still quite young. Here I have my own personal champion, Angelus Mortis.”
Lackfi patted his horse and immediately Mortis rushed forward. Perenyi quickly equipped his own lance in time to block Lackfi’s first battering strike. So strong, he thought as he nearly fell back off his horse. Visablanc then rocked his body, moving Perenyi back into balance. Visablanc started dancing around the room. Perenyi noticed a few other stalls of horses just watching. Visablanc looked back himself and then felt a rush of energy. He chased after Mortis. Ah, you want to impress your friends. But I’m not that impressive. Lackfi and Mortis came back to cross them and nearly knocked Perenyi off his horse again.
Lackfi teased, “ah hah, but I already know your strengths Perenyi. I am the general of all calvary in Hungary. I did not teach you but the man who taught you. This will just be an exercise for me while everyone else kills you friends.”
“Uh huh,” Pereyni said. The two quickly turned around and charged at each other once again. Pereyni pulled down on his reins so Visablanc ducked lower as they approached. We’ll strike from below!
“Oh interesting, but even though you’re only two gallops away, I noticed.” He threw his green blanket as a blinding tactic against Perenyi who did tear through it. Such fast reactions! Mortis stopped completely and fluttered his front hooves in the air giving Lackfi more height. Lackfi then swung down below at Pereyni’s side, slashing his stomach. Perenyi gritted his teeth and commanded Visablanc to retreat fast. Lackfi kissed Mortis, “top speed”.
Like a dark blur, Mortis dashed around the entire room before ending up in front of Visablanc. There, Lackfi sent a flurry of swings that Pereyni strained to defend himself from. Perenyi noticed Lackfi’s casual and almost comical visage which bothered him absolutely. Lackfi then stuck his lance into the ground and brought it out, sending a wave of dirt over Perenyi. With that smoke screen, he drilled his lance into Perenyi, piercing him off the horse. Pereynyi fell to the ground and Mortis raced away.
“Haahahahaha, well, if I were a loser like you, I would’ve given up now. I didn’t kill you yet, right?” Perenyi slowly rose from the floor. “That’s what I thought, good!”
“I could give up,” Perenyi muttered to himself. He clutched his bleeding side and covered the hole in his chest. “I should’ve died anyways.”
Mortis stood at the other side of the room all proud. Lackfi said, “Sigismund isn’t gonna win whether or not you even did bring a challenge against me! So get back on your horse and let me practice my finishing move on you.”
“Sigismund…right. This whole time, rejected by the Diet, rejected by the Sejm, rejected by Queen Elizabeta, and yet he hasn’t given up. There’s no reason for me to surrender, I should at least die trying.”
“Come on, it’s not that hard to project your voice in this room!” Visablanc rubbed his face on Pereyni’s face. Perenyi hopped back upon him. The horse and its rider roared proudly. The horse audience watched and neighed loudly in response. Mortis nearly growled and took off. “Ah jeez Morty, you got so excited. That means I really have to kill Pereyni now. The finishing move!” Lackfi tugged on his green blanket and then readied his lance arm. “Let’s go Perenyi!”
“Let’s go hunting,” he said, and Visablanc moved forward. “Lackfi! Now that I think about it, what’s so special about the blanket?? I don’t remember the last time I’ve seen you without it.”
“My wife bought it from me all of the way from Aleppo.” He rubbed it against his face very intimately. “If you lived long enough to get one, she would have informed your wife where to buy one. It’s really nice.”
“I don’t care that much! But now I will know what to do with you!”
“What!?”
Now, ten feet away, they were in prime jousting range. In fact their lances could touch now if they were bad at this. Pereyni held his spear back waiting for something. Will we just pass by each other? “Where’s the special move?”
Lackfi grinned childishly. They did pass by with no strike. Then Lackfi dug his lance into the ground and pulling on it, he was able to manually turn Mortis around and throw the two of them in the air. Now Mortis was just above Visablanc nearly about to crash down on him. Visablanc and Perenyi looked back in complete surprise as Lackfi slid off Mortis’ back with a sword in hand ready to decapitate. “Shooting Star!”
Though sensible, a completely unorthodox move would be to throw your own horse to the ground and also throw yourself off of them. A horseman should not do this to their partner, its rude. But in the excitement, Pereyni tossed Visablanc to the curb and fell the other way himself. Then, using one arm he bounced off the ground as Lackfi fell. Pereyni tossed his lance into the blanket wrapped around Lackfi’s neck. The end of his lance stuck into the ground and then Lackfi fell there stuck to the spear.
“What- what have you done? My priceless-”
Pereyni kicked him in the face. The horses looked on, never truly understanding the conflicts humans find themselves in. Perenyi stomped and kicked at him several more times. “Shut up, shut up, shut up!” Lackfi did not put up any defense as Perenyi continued to beat on him. Eventually, Lackfi was knocked out. Perenyi rose and dusted off his hands. “Ah, well, you probably would’ve said I was the least bit satisfying.” Then Perenyi fell on his back on the ground. He spread his arms, relaxing. “But you were the most satisfying to defeat, I shouldn’t move anymore.”
tdwriter 