The second morning of the contest.

You wake up feeling sore, but the pain is greatly reduced. Cold, wet cloths have been laid across your back, soothing the lines left by last nights punishment. Ulfric must have tended to you while you slept. You knew he didn't want to punish you. This was his way of making up for it, you suppose.

"You're up" says the familiar voice of your master "How do you feel?"

He comes over to your side and lifts the cloths to inspect you. "You'll be right as rain in no time." he says, his tone relieved. "You really must be more careful. Sir Langley is a dangerous man when his temper gets the better of him" he explains.

You consider explaining just why you had your "accident" but think better of it. Ulfric would never take the word of a serf over that of a knight. You take some solace in knowing that Langley plan has been foiled and that Ulfric has a fair chance in their upcoming duel.

You get dressed and go to help Ulfric get ready. You find he's done much of the work himself.

"Are you ready for your fight against Sir Langley?" you ask.

"He's withdrawn from the contest" Ulfric tells you "apparently he turned his ankle last night on his way back to his tent. I guess everyone is having accidents these days" says Ulfric, trying to break the tension.

"Horse shit!" you think to yourself. The cowardly bastard knew he stood no chance against Ulfric on his best form. Instead, he's pulling out from the contest to avoid being embarrassed.

"I guess so" you say out loud, replying to Ulfric's comment, giving him a smile. You feel the tension between the two of you lessen a little. "So, does that mean you win?" you ask. Ulfric shakes his head.

"I'll be fighting Sir Langley's opponent from yesterday, as he's back in the contest since Langley's withdrawal." he explains.

You head to the field and once more the atmosphere of excitement envelops you. Soon, you can't even feel the lashes on your back and are quickly enthralled by the combat. Ulfric's opponent, Sir Thomas, seems to be quite strong. You wonder if Langley pulled the same dirty trick to win against him too. The battle commences and the two knights clash. They seem to be quite evenly matched. The crowd is pumped by the amazing display of swordsmanship as the two vie to gain advantage over each other.

Your heart stops when Sir Thomas thrusts his blade into Ulfric's sword side shoulder, finding a gap between his pauldron and breastplate. You see a thin trickle of red escape from his sleeve; clearly the blade must have pierced his shoulder. Quickly, Ulfric changes his sword hand and just barely parries a finishing blow from his opponent. He backs away quickly and circles. around his opponent, swinging his blade in his off hand.

The two continue to battle and to your surprise, Ulfric seems to gain the upper hand. Thomas struggles to parry blows coming from the left side, while Ulfric doesn't seem to struggle so much using his off hand. More blows are landed by both sides, but it's clear Thomas is getting winded. Eventually, Thomas falls to his knee and yields. The crowd roars with applause and Ulfric's name is chanted by the spectators. The two knights emrbace one another respectfully and Thomas concedes his defeat with great humilty, raising Ulfric's good arm to salute the crowd. Ulfric makes his way back to you, beaming with pride, but a little pale. He removes his gauntlet, his hand covered with blood. You quickly remove his armour and prop him up, rushing him back to his tent to tend the wound.