Whomever he truly was, the knight called Sir Camden was, in the end, no match for the Azure Knight. Rage, skill, determination — whatever the cause, in three passes he had been unhorsed twice and taken a powerful jolt to the shield that nearly sent a splinter through his open visor the third. He dismounted at that point, removing his helm and shaking it as if disappointed in its protection, before tossing it away.
Flourishing a bow to both the Azure Knight and the crowd, he shouted, “If it pleases Your Highnesses, let us continue this battle on foot! I do not yet yield!”
He didn’t want to hurt or injure the impostor too harshly — he needed simply to win the battle, unmask him to reveal his true identity and only then could he seek out his beloved, and he didn’t dare do that until he’d neutralised every available threat.
“Coward,” he muttered under his breath, deliberately baiting him as he jumped down in an elegant move from his horse, a little shorter than the other male posing as his brother, yet just as fierce when wielding his stance.
‘Camden’ merely laughed at him, offering another bow before attacking. As before, it really wasn’t much of a challenge for the Azure Knight — the impostor seemed more intent on putting on a show than actually fighting well, and his wide sweeps and telegraphed blows made it all too easy for a skilled opponent to overcome him.
He kept taunting the Azure Knight, though, cajoling, begging, demanding to know who his opponent was. “Do you not feel hot under that metal?” he’d say, “Take off your helm.” Or, “Are you such a coward yourself that you need to protect your head while mine is yet bare?”