Free 17878265 by David Page B

deep baritone had been that of Barag son of Borag, who had bullied Loric his entire life.
    All of the townsfolk began talking at once. “Oh yes!” some exclaimed. “Of course it is.” Others said, “I should have known that. I didn’t recognize him in all that armor he’s wearing.” Then the laughter began. “So Loric the Strange-ling thinks himself a knight, does he?” scoffed Barag. “I will feel much safer knowing that he is defending my home,” the bully remarked.
    Loric wanted to crawl under a rock or spur Sunset to top speed and run away. He had not the chance to do either. Barag trotted into his path, thereby forcing him to stop. “I’ll wager,” Barag taunted, “that our good knight couldn’t best me.” Many of the men who had gathered around hooted at the bully’s challenge, some of them already setting odds or placing bets. Laughter ripped the air due their exaggerated reactions to the confrontation.
    Loric detected a faint metallic echo inside his helmet as he calmly commanded, “Stand aside and let me pass, Barag.”
    The larger man mocked him, “Let me pass, Barag!” Additional hooting, howling and laughter followed. “Why, Sir Strange-ling, don’t you feel up to the task? I don’t think you’re man enough to take me on.”

    ****
Loric was holding Barag at sword point, he knew not why....
    ****
The vision was gone in a flash, leaving Loric in the same predicament he had known prior.
    Barag had laid a challenge before him, and people expected him to answer. Loric was
    uncomfortable. He wished he had stayed at home, and he had half a notion of returning there straightway. Strangely, he shrugged off his cowardly notions. In that instant, a change took place inside of him. Perhaps the transformation was brought on by the loathing Loric felt for the bully before him, or perhaps by his own feelings of independence. Likewise, the vision could have provoked it, or the call of battle could have summoned boldness. Whatever the case, he was no longer afraid of Barag.
    Loric pulled off his helmet and glared at his tormentor. There was fire flaring in his green eyes as he sternly informed the bully in his path, “Barag, I am man enough to know not to fight a fellow townsman. Real men test their mettle on a field of battle, in defense of their homes and families. They are able to serve others rather than bending to their own egos, as you are so apt to doing. Now, stand aside and let me pass.”
    There was a disquieted murmur amongst the people. Who did Loric think he was? they had to be wondering. No one had ever spoken to Barag that way without receiving a sound drubbing in return. After all, this was Loric the Strange-ling, ever since Barag had christened him with that nickname. The onlookers fixed their eyes upon two young men, awaiting the outcome of their meeting, as if the entire spectacle had come about solely to relieve them from the boredom of their daily routines.
    Loric had grown in the months since his last encounter with Barag, but the bully still overmatched him in physical prowess. Yet, Loric gulped down his panic, forced his lungs to take air with regularity. He sat straight and tall in his saddle, with his chin up and his long brown hair gently waving in the breeze.
    Barag, however, was the same as he had always been. He was tall with an exceptionally large girth. He had strength far exceeding his size, and he liked to show it off for no better reason than his own amusement. His blond hair was long and looked dirty, as it hung limply across his meaty face.
    “We shall see about that.” Barag said angrily. He tried to grab Loric, who knew Barag well enough to anticipate his move. He spurred Sunset forward, knocking the big oaf to the side. Both horse and rider sped clear of Barag, leaving the larger man choking on the dust he had stirred with his unsuccessful lunge. Once Loric was at a safe distance, he wheeled about and leveled a pitying stare on the humbled brute he had left