The knight claiming to be Sir Camden grinned widely, but in a strangely good-natured way, as if he was merely looking forward to light competition and not tearing the Azure Knight’s heart to shreds. He clapped his helm on, arrogantly leaving the visor up.
Above, the Princess rose again, clasping both hands to the rail surrounding her seating, and leaned forward, the better to see. She dared give no sign of approval to either knight. Playing to the crowd, stamping and screaming, the false Sir Camden raised his hand and waved before swinging up into the saddle and accepting a lance.
“CHARGE!” came the command, and the two knights thundered toward one another.
He trembled minutely before reining in his emotions and straightening up, hating how the impostor had even brilliantly mastered his deceased brother’s emotions — that smile there was the ghost of the one that Camden used to send his way when he was up to no good, and it staggered Isaac now to see it after all this time.
Nodding at the charge, he dug his heels into Button’s sides as he charged forward on the command, looking forward to knocking the brute off of his own horse far too much, and thus hopefully winning the competition. Discovering his true identity was just another task to add to his never-ending list.
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!”