Cantrell Chronicles

When You Can’t Win For Losing, a Cantrell Chronicles Update-Chapter Eleven

Erik rolled out of bed when his phone went off. Text Message. He checked it, expecting it to be today’s schedule. Instead, it was from Kayleigh inviting him to join her in the home gym.

Kayleigh still wore the silky white robe over her nighty of the same material, only the robe was long.  She was still panting from working out, he surmised.

“Interesting outfit you have on, do you always workout in your jammies?” he said with a smile. “You summoned me here, Milady?”
“Yes. I challenge you to a duel, good sir.”
Erik smiled for a moment, not taking her seriously, then he gazed at her lovely face. She was dead set on this notion. Raising her wooden sword in the air, she called out, “En Garde!”

“Oh, okay,” he said. “If you insist. You do know I’m better skilled than you.”

“Oh, you think so, do you? Let’s just see about that.”

“See, you always do this to me,” She cried, as he brought his strength to bear on her sword.

“Have you had enough?” he asked as she sat on her knee.

“Oh, you’re not getting off that easy.” With that, as if taken over by a demon, she was on her feet and fighting him as if this was a duel to the death. Yet, she could not parry his thrust.

“Hey, this is not a serious duel, this is for fun, or did you not get the message?” Surprisingly, she got the upper hand, and he was suddenly on his knee.

As she had, Erik sprang into action, extending the distance between them so he could regroup.  Unfortunately, Joey entered the room for his daily workout.  He glanced at them both, shrugged and sat on the machine to begin working his various muscle groups. “Don’t mind me,” he said. “Carry on.”

He did so, but so did she. In a flash she managed to knock the sword right out of his hands. Erik lay helpless on his back. Sure doom had this been a real duel.

“Well, congratulations, Milady. I know now should I have to leave the castle, you will be fine, should any marauders break in. What a relief to my mind that is, too.”

“Woo, I need a shower after that.”

*~~*~~*~~*~~*

When Erik stepped out into the hall, he saw his father and Aaron dueling away. Was there a memo I missed? Did Dad decree a new holiday or something? “Don’t go anywhere, Erik, you’re next,” Baron Joseph said, as he quickly took down his firstborn. “The more I think about it, the more I’m certain James was merely making sure our Joe was properly trained.”

“May I change, first?”
“Sure but make it quick.”
Erik changed into a more giving set of clothes. Standing before his father, one arm behind his back, his golden sword at the ready. “The point of this exercise is for me to evaluate your abilities," Joseph said. Erik nodded his head.
“I am ready to be assessed, sir.”

“En Garde!”

Come on, son. Take me, take me!”
Erik lunged at his father, only to be caught in his father’s lair. Superior swordsman as he was, Erik ended up losing his balance, and for the second time in the same day, landed on the floor, pleading for mercy.

Erik quickly pulled himself off of the floor and hugged his father fiercely. “Good lesson, Dad, thank you. I really needed that.”
“It is never a good idea to get overconfident in your own skills. I’m afraid you were starting to allow your growing skills to get to your head. You needed to be knocked down a peg or two.”

“Well, just so you know,” Erik said, seeing Kayleigh walking down this hall toward the staircase. “This is the second time today I have been put in my place.”

*~~*~~*~~*~~*

All of this time Erik wasn’t the only one learning his skills. Adrian, too, was hitting numerous milestones.

Still, later on his mother asked if he might be up to dueling with her. “Sure, Mom, just be gentle with me. I can’t go tomorrow evening looking all battered and bruised, it would beg too many questions.”

“En Garde,” she said, raising her sword.  

For a short time, Erik held his own. Then, just as he'd witnessed in Kayleigh, it was if inside his mother another power took over and she went at him with a vengeance, flipping the sword right out of Erik's grasp.

Sadly, not for lack of trying, Erik was defeated for a third time today.  As he pulled himself off of the floor, he was very sorry to see his sister had witnessed his complete defeat.  He stood there paralyzed in his humility and seriously began to rethink if he should even go the Starlight Accolades Show, what was the point? Just to be humiliated yet again? 

All for now, thanks for reading!