CHAPTER 1 SCREECH HEARD ROUND THE REALM The year was Twelvity-Five A D The sounds of battle rang out across the land CLANG Take that Blunder shouted CLANG And that he shouted CLANG And that he shouted again Blunder and Thud two nine-year-old knights sparred in Open Field This grassy area was just outside of Village Town where they lived Blunder swung his mighty broad sword He struck furious blow after furious blow Thud raised her shield She easily blocked strike after strike
Clang Take that Blunder said Clang And that he said Clang And that he said again
Blunder kept attacking furiously Thud kept blocking easily She simply ducked behind her shield and waited Each of Blunder’s blows came a little slower than the last And they made a little less of a clang too clang Take that Blunder huffed clang And that he huffed clang And Blunder didn’t even have the breath to finish his war cry The tip of his sword dropped to the ground He groaned as he struggled to raise it for another blow His arms felt like rubber They looked all jigglely too That’s when Thud struck She lifted her hammer above her head Then she brought it down with a BOOM The ground exploded at Blunder’s feet
Blunder was thrown backward He landed with a THUD His sword went flying from his hands It landed on top of him with a THUMP Blunder squirmed like a worm under the weight of his mighty sword He didn’t have the strength to get out from under it He was trapped Thud walked over to him She pointed her hammer at Blunder and shouted Yield Never he replied Thud poked Blunder in the shoulder with her hammer Ouch that hurts he cried
