* * *
The Silver Knight cursed as his missile missed its intended target. He had planned this attack down to the last detail. Nothing had been left to chance. Every strike of his axe was placed precisely upon the great tree to guarantee that it would fall straight and true upon the Evil and his abomination. But the tree now lay in the lake beside the bridge, having only scraped it as it fell, and he could hear Lord Stansbury laugh as he rode away victorious from the field of battle.
The Silver Knight looked at Lord Stanley’s Abomination where the tree had grazed it and smiled just a little. There it was. Just a scratch or two where there had never been one before. He picked up his axe and walked back into the misty woods. He had not won this day… but this was not the end of things.