Page 19 of The Shipwreck
“The first brother, Eldred,” she told the little girl, “was very arrogant and boastful.”
“Arrogant?”Kimbery asked.
“Like this,” she said, and Brandr heard her striding about the room, probably with her arms crossed and her nose in the air.“Anyway, Eldred had never been defeated in battle.So when this new warrior challenged him, he accepted, saluting his foe with a cocky flourish of his blade.They began to fight, exchanging blows back and forth.”
Brandr could hear her scuffling about and grunting as she recreated the battle with an invisible sword.
“But Eldred was so sure he would win,” she said, “that he started to grow careless.And when he relaxed his guard and wasn’t paying attention, his sister ducked underneath his arm.With the hilt of her sword, she delivered a hard jab to his chin and knocked him flat.”
Kimbery cheered.“What about the other brothers?”
“Grimbol, the second brother, had a nasty temper and was quick to anger.Once he saw Eldred defeated, he immediately drew his sword and rushed in.He meant to slay the warrior who’d dared to humiliate his older brother.”
“What’s humiliate?”
“Make a fool of.She’d made a fool of his brother, and it made him angry.But his rage proved his own undoing.He began to slash haphazardly and—”
“What’s hap-, hap—”
“Haphazardly, in a reckless manner, with poor aim.Most of his blows swished through empty air, and every time he missed, he grew all the more furious.But his sister used his own fury against him.When he lunged at her, she dodged aside and pushed him forward, driving him face-first into the dirt.”
Kimbery clapped her hands.“Then what, Mama?”
“The third brother’s name was Osbern, and he was a cheat.He’d watched the stranger outwit and outfight his brothers, and he wanted his turn.But instead of waiting for a challenge like a man of honor, he attacked his sister while her back was turned.”
Kimbery gasped.
“Oh, she wasn’t surprised.She knew all about Osbern’s trickery and expected such shameful behavior.She leaped out of the way, and the point of his sword plunged into the mud beside her.Ignoring all the rules of chivalry, he dove at her, intending to wrest her to the ground, where he could pummel her with his fists, like the dishonorable dog that he was.But she was light and quick, and she skipped out of his reach.One clever slice of her sword, and Osbern fell to the sod with his trews around his ankles.”
Kimbery giggled.“What about the last brother?”
“When it came time to battle Wilfred, her last brother, the warrior woman tossed off her helm and showed her face.”
“Why, Mama?”
“Because Wilfred believed that women were made to be the servants of men, and she wanted him to know exactly who was getting the better of him.”
“What did he say when he saw who she was?”
“He called her bad names.”
“What bad names?”
“They’re so bad, I can’t repeat them.”
Brandr smiled at that.
“But the other brothers—Eldred, Grimbol, and Osbern—were as angry as bees when they found out they’d been beaten by their own sister.So they yelled at Wilfred to clout her soundly.”
“Oh, nay, Mama.”
“But try as he might, Wilfred couldn’t lay a hand on her, for she was nimble and strong.You see, while her brothers had lain lazily about, boasting of their skills, she’d spent long hours practicing.She eventually managed to smack his arse with the flat of her sword and sent him crashing into his other brothers.”
Kimbery laughed long and hard.“Smack his arse!”
The woman couldn’t help but laugh along, which made Brandr grin.
“Aye.And when she’d defeated them all, a servant who’d seen the entire battle ran to tell their father.Her father was so proud of her, he gave her a beautiful jeweled sword as a prize, saying that it was she who should rightfully inherit his lands.”
