The Story Behind
The knight tournament awaits its heroes! The best warriors are ready to fight for shining armor made of pure gold!
Knight Tournaments Instead of Wars
King Gustav was a master of weapons. He conquered all his neighbors and turned his country into a vast empire. The ruler was immensely pleased with his absolute triumph, but wars had become pointless — after all, you wouldn’t arrange a battle against yourself or between two conquered states that had become provinces!
King Gustav longed for the old days when he faced ten opponents alone and won, sending enemy soldiers to their doom. Now he had to be content with tournaments. The king held them constantly!
His Majesty’s Favorite Tournament
Most of all, His Majesty Gustav loved the “Grand Melee” because participants could fight only with melee weapons. No bows, crossbows, throwing knives, or other nonsense! Only weapons of real men, including daggers with which treacherous assassins strike from behind.
The tournament began by warming up the spectators. Soldiers skilled with weapons appeared in the arena and fought — not to the death, but mostly for the crowd’s entertainment. However, sometimes some got hurt — the wounded were taken to the infirmary to be quickly healed and returned to the ranks.
Let the Battle Begin!
After that, the contestants appeared in the arena. They bowed to the king, introduced themselves to the crowd, and the tournament started.
The warriors fought for a replica of King Gustav’s golden armor. Of course, the ruler was not going to give away his own armor, although he suspected he would never need it again.
The Best Warriors
The king officially declared the “Grand Melee” tournament open! Participants entered the arena in the order set by the organizer, and winners advanced to the next stage.
Finally, only four remained, each dreaming of winning a replica of the royal armor. Each had every chance to become the victor or to lose and end up in the infirmary or the cemetery.
Sword Against Spear
Sir Godric Thickhand fought in blue armor. Despite his gloomy expression, which was almost a family trademark, he was excellent with a sword. Even seasoned warriors admired his technique.
The sword master had a worthy opponent: Sir John Mustachio, who fought with a spear. He wore green armor, making him easy to recognize both at the tournament and on the battlefield. John Mustachio disliked close combat but understood that it was how the main issues in war were resolved. The nobleman preferred the spear over other weapons— it helped him keep enemies as far away as possible from his august person.
Club Against Sword and Axe
Sir Arthur Clubbreaker wielded a huge club. A couple of blows from it could smash an opponent’s armor to pieces, along with whatever was inside. However, this weapon suited only those who preferred an extremely slow fighting style, as swinging it like a light rapier was a feat only a giant could manage.
He was to face Sir Winsdale Thickskin, who wore heavy armor! It seemed his armor could even protect against cannonballs! Usually, he fought with a sword but sometimes switched to his father’s axe.
The winners would then battle each other for the right to claim a replica of King Gustav’s armor. It looks like the spectators are in for truly amazing fights! Let’s see who will win…
