By lanternlight and fog, the town of Eldmere trembled.

  Whispers stirred among the cobbled streets. The once-beloved knight, Cedo, had been seen stealing from the poor, tipping over stalls, and mocking the townsfolk. Some refused to believe it. Others locked their doors in silence.

  But as the sun dipped behind the hills, two figures stood at the village square.

  One wore the recognizable armor of the calm and graceful knight, a pink surcoat fluttering in the breeze. The other is a mirror image, stood just as tall, blade drawn, face hidden beneath the familiar falcon-visor.

  “Enough games,” the first knight called, voice clear and calm. “I am Cedo. You’ve worn my face, slandered my name, and harmed those I protect. Show yourself.”

  The imposter laughed coldly. “What if I am the real one? What if you’ve gone mad, brother? You’ve wandered too far from the Vale.”

  The townsfolk gathered cautiously, torn between fear and curiosity. Among them stood Jon, wearing Cedo’s spare armor, his hands hidden beneath a traveling cloak. No one noticed his presence cause after all, Cedo was already on the square. Or so they believed.

  Cedo approached his double, slowly drawing his blade. “Let’s let our actions speak. One of us defends. One of us deceives. The town will know the truth by sundown.”

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  Steel clashed in a flurry of precision. The imposter fought fiercely, mimicking Cedo’s style, but not his grace. Where Cedo moved like a flowing river, the copy was jagged, forced, predictable.

  Jon used the chaos well. He slipped between the crowd, speaking softly.

  “Notice his footwork. Notice the anger. The real Cedo would never strike to wound,” he whispered.

  Villagers began to murmur, eyes sharpening. Fear turned to doubt. Doubt turned to clarity.

  On the field, Cedo disarmed the imposter with one clean strike, then stepped back, offering peace.

  “You wear my armor,” he said. “But you do not carry my spirit.”

  The imposter lunged in desperation—only to be caught off guard as Jon stepped onto the field from behind, lifting his visor.

  Two Cedos. One beside the other.

  The imposter froze. His charade shattered.

  “There are two of them?!” someone gasped.

  Cedo turned to his brother with a warm nod. “Thank you, Jon.”

  Jon (grinning):“Hard to pretend to be someone when he’s standing right next to you, isn’t it?”

  The crowd erupted into cheers. The imposter was taken peacefully, his misdeeds forgiven in exchange for repentance and labor in the town’s granary. Eldmere remembered the day not as the time they feared their hero, but when they saw his legacy double in strength.

  And from then on, a new saying was whispered across the land:

  “Beware the knight you offend—he may have a brother.”