If, by some miracle of a chance, Nate could become a knight and find a baron to sponsor him, then he would be of just as equal standing and rank as Sir Claude, only less experienced. Then, if her father would allow, she could transfer her vow from marrying Sir Claude to marrying Nate. It seemed like the perfect plan, but it would take a miracle and a lot of convincing. If Malcolm recognized Nate for who his grandfather is and he might think it unwise to dub him a knight with such an awful family tree? But, Malcolm is a very forgiving, gracious person. Was there some hope?
The victorious knight was given his prize: fifty pieces of gold. Second place only received five pieces of gold, then most everyone in the audience got up to leave. Kiara and Nate, however, stayed in their seats until the rush to get out of the arena was over.
Kiara looked to Nate and gave him an awkward smile, while he did the same and quickly turned away.
“Did you like the tournament?” Kiara asked, lacking anything better to say.
“Yeah, I did… Did you?” Nate answered, looking back to her.
“Sort of. I thought it was kind of boring towards the middle, but it was something to do…” Kiara shrugged and looked off towards the list as squires and servants cleaned up the mess of broken lances. “…What do you want to do now?” she asked with a sigh.
Nate shrugged as well. “There may be another tournament going on somewhere else. And there’s still a lot more tents to browse. Which do you want to do?”
“Hmmm… What tournaments are left?”
“I’m not sure. Probably axe fighting, sword fighting and archery. But that merchant lady said the archery is saved for tomorrow. They may have sword fighting later this afternoon.” Nate glanced up to the sky and noticed it was just about lunch time, “Are you hungry? Maybe we could find something to eat?”
Through all of this thinking, Kiara didn’t even notice that her stomach was rumbling a bit. The small samples she was given earlier did not quench the intense hunger that gnawed at her. “Yes, I little. But, do we have any money left for food?”
Nate picked up his bag that he had set between his legs during the tournament and rummaged through to try and find his money pouch. He grumbled and growled in his throat as he discovered something unfortunate. “Those soldiers back at Tau must have gotten into my bag and stolen what was left of my money. I’m broke… And they took my herbal ointments and bandages, those devils!” Nate complained with an angry scowl.
Kiara hardly knew what to say in response to that. They had nearly nothing to sell that was of no importance. They would need the bow and arrows for protection and the blankets for sleeping on, at least until they got to the castle. So, they had nothing left but the clothes on their backs.
“We might as well just leave and go off to hunt down something outside of town,” Nate suggested, standing himself up with a grunt of discomfort from sitting down so long, rubbing his sore back and bottom. Kiara lowered her eyes to think of some other way.
Just then, a horse whinnied loudly outside of the arena, and the idea hit her.
“We could sell the horses,” she exclaimed, catching Nate by the arm. He might have been willing to leave the festival, but she wasn’t. He turned around, looked to her, and then nodded his head thoughtfully.
“Yeah, we could. We don’t really need them anymore and I’m sure a knight would appreciate a couple of good warhorses… Alright, let’s go.”
Nate then proceeded to hop down from one bench to the other to the walkway and Kiara followed. However, she did not have a lively spring in her step as she had before the tournament, due to the atrociously uncomfortable seats, each step making her ache.
The two travelers sold their horses to a nearby stable merchant, whom they noticed on the way in. A few pieces of his merchandise were waiting in the coral to be sold. Nate was able to bargain for three pieces of gold, which was better than nothing, but probably not near what two life-saving horses were worth. If it weren’t for those animals, Kiara and Nate would be dead by then.
With about one piece of gold, they bought for themselves two metal mugs and two loaves of bread for lunch. Nate didn’t want to spend too much. That three pieces of gold would have to be stretched out over the next day or so and he had a special idea in mind where to spend most of it. They walked down to the creek and Kiara scooped fresh, cool water into their mugs while Nate spread out a blanket for them to eat their small meal on.
“You’ve changed a lot over this past trip,” Nate commented after swallowing a bit of the bread in his mouth.
Kiara looked at him peculiarly and tilted her head. “How so?”
“You don’t talk as much anymore. It used to be that I couldn’t get you to shut up and now I can’t get you to talk.”
Kiara giggled at the truth in that statement. “I guess I’ve learnt to hold my tongue a lot better.”
“I hope it doesn’t have to do with me yelling at you back when we were hunting that one day?”
She had to think for a moment, but when she finally remembered, she shook her head quickly. “No, no, no. I’ve forgiven you for that. You had a right to be angry at me… I guess I’ve just had a lot on my mind for the past few days. I’m sorry if I’ve worried you.”
Nate shrugged and scoffed. “Me worry? No, I just happen to notice it’s a lot quieter than it used to be… Well, I guess I just want to make sure you’re alright, that’s all. If there’s something wrong, you can tell me. It’s not like I’m going to go blabbing to anyone.”
Kiara smirked and looked down to her half eaten loaf of bread. “I do hope you don’t tell anyone everything…” she mumbled.
“What do you mean?” Nate asked with his mouth full.
“Well, how I’ve told you that I don’t want to marry Sir Claude, but I’m obligated to and all of that… When we get to Aleph, please don’t tell my father how I’ve spoken and behaved? I’ve been very unladylike on this journey and I don’t want him to be ashamed of me.”
Nate gave her a smirk, then gently lifted her chin up so their eyes could meet. “I promise not tell a soul of what you have confided in me, nor to tell of any inappropriate things you’ve done…” he slowly withdrew his hand and gazed at her whimsically. “But, I don’t believe you’ve done anything or said anything to be ashamed of.”
Kiara was silent as she stared back with just as dreamy a look. She could think of a few things she had done in the course of the past week that would give her father a reason to be a little enraged.
She looked back towards the festival and let out a sigh as she took another bite of her bread. “You know, you’ve changed a lot, too.”
“Oh, really? How did I do that?” Nate asked with a teasing tone that made Kiara giggle again.
“Well, for starters, you don’t seem to hate me anymore,” she said, glancing back at him with a sly look.
“Did I ever hate you before?”
“You sure acted like it. Sometimes I even wondered why you would want to stay with me when you got annoyed with my ramblings.” Kiara rotated the loaf in her hands anxiously.
“Oh, believe me, I thought about leaving you to die out there a couple of times,” he admitted with a slight chuckle.
Kiara quickly looked up with surprise.
“But,” he continued, “I knew I couldn’t and I would hate myself for all eternity if I did. It wouldn’t have been right of me to do that to you. And like I said before, I had a promise to keep and I tried to make a habit of keeping my word.”
Kiara grinned and bowed her head to hide her blushing cheeks, then looked back to the bustling festival, not more than ten yards from where they sat. Nate smirked back at her and watched her cheeks redden.
“I never hated you… I probably never will, just so you know,” Nate said with all seriousness.
Kiara looked back to him with a gentle smile. “So why did you act so mean and rude to me before?”
Nate sighed and shook his head, his eyes fixed on hers like he was in some sort of dreamy tranc
e. “I have no idea, to tell you the truth. I guess my heart was so hard and cold back then that I got used to acting that way all the time, regardless of who I was around.”
“And how is your heart now?” Kiara asked, her eyes sparkling with sentiments of love just as much as his were, but neither could read it in each other’s faces.
“You tell me,” he replied coyly.
Kiara giggled and finally had to look away towards the blanket. “Well, you’re much kinder now and more considerate. You seem to show how you feel more openly than before… Like, for instance, I can tell you don’t feel comfortable in this crowd.”
Nate blinked a few times, then glanced between her and the festival. “Do I show it that much for you to notice?” Kiara nodded. “Then everyone can tell, too, I suspect.”
“No, I don’t think so,” she said. “And even if they could tell, it’s not that big of a deal. Everyone is being very nice and welcoming to you anyway… But, what I can’t figure out is why you feel uncomfortable here, but fine in Deceiver’s territory. Over there, you walked proud and bold like you were the Deceiver himself…”
“Please, don’t liken me to Deceiver. I don’t want to be anything like him.” Nate’s attitude turned sour and injured, looking away down the creek. Kiara pursed her lips together and grimaced at the pain she had just caused him.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean that. I just was saying that you acted very confident down south and in this part of the land, you seem self conscious and withdrawn, that’s all… Oh, please don’t be mad at me. I didn’t mean to upset you,” Kiara reached over and laid her hand upon Nate’s muscular shoulder, “You are nothing like Deceiver and you never will be… Please forgive me for offending you?”
Nate was silent for a while, then he breathed deeply and turned back to give her a weak smile. “Yeah, I forgive you… I guess I just haven’t gotten over it yet,” Nate said softly, taking her hand and stroking the top of it with his thumb contemplatively. “And you’re right. I don’t feel all that great in this kind of setting and around these people.”
“But, why? I think they’re wonderful. They’re much safer than the people who are loyal to Deceiver, anyway. Don’t you feel more at ease since you’re around people who aren’t going to steal you blind or harm you?” Kiara watched their joined hands. Her hand was pale and soft, while his was covered in calluses and faded scars, tanned by years of traveling in the harsh sun.
“I feel relieved that I don’t have to be fighting off men that would disrespect you in some way, but I guess I feel like I don’t belong.”
It never occurred to Kiara that he would feel that way. He was born in this kingdom. He grew up here for most of his childhood. But, if he had spent most of his life in Deceiver’s territory, perhaps that he would be more at ease among thieves than honorable people.
“You will always belong here, Nate,” Kiara said softly, looking up into his eyes with pure sincerity. Nate lifted his own eyes and felt that he didn’t know what to say in response. He kept a loose grip on her hand, wishing he could have held her so much closer than that. She wished their hands could have stayed like that forever.
For what seemed like the first time, a silent force passed between them. It was a sensation that sent shivers up and down Kiara’s back. Nate hardly knew how to react to such a feeling. His body quivered anxiously and he felt courage surge in him, urging him to do something he wanted to do for a very long time, but was unable to before. It would have been the perfect timing, the perfect place and perfect circumstance. No one was watching, he could do it and not get noticed. Kiara sensed what he wanted to do, seeing his eyes dart between her eyes and her lips, she didn’t mind. And even if she did mind, her body was frozen under his gaze and she couldn’t will herself to move. Her heart pounded within her chest with such force that she thought she would faint. She was excited, but at the same time frightened out of her mind at what she felt would happen next.
Nate’s grip upon her hand grew tighter and her began to gradually lean in closer to her. But, he couldn’t reach half way to her before some shouting came from the direction of the festival.
The commotion snapped Kiara out of her trance and she broke the gaze to look at what was going on. She couldn’t see, but it sounded like another tournament was taking place closer towards the creek. Nate closed his eyes and sat back into his place, scolding himself for even trying to kiss a princess.
“What’s that?” she asked, feeling a bit breathless from the moment they shared. Nate released his hold on her hand and took a nervous bite of his bread loaf with a shrug. Kiara, undyingly curious, stood up to get a better look
“It sounds like maybe they’re holding another contest. Do you want to go see?” she invited, still holding the remainder of her bread loaf in her hand. Nate didn’t reply, but kept shoveling bread into his mouth so as to avoid sticking his foot in it by saying something stupid and inappropriate.
Kiara recognized his ashamed expression and quickly leaned down to kiss his forehead as a sign that everything was still ok. He quit chewing his bread and almost looked to have stopped breathing as Kiara giggled and ran off to investigate what all the noise was about.
When Nate finally came to, he swiftly wrapped up his loaf of bread, gathered up the blanket and stuffed everything in his bag before running after her into the festival.
Chapter 17
Nate caught up with her just outside a small fenced off circular arena, already packed and crowded with spectators. Nate had to squeeze himself through the people to get to Kiara, who had managed to push her way towards the front.
He came up behind Kiara and put one hand on her shoulder to make sure she wouldn’t run off again. What was causing the commotion was indeed, another contest. This time, knight went against knight with their swords. The men were dressed in full battle armor, hacking away at each other with swords covered in a tight fitting wooden sheath to prevent any serious injuries. They were allowed no shields, which made the competition that much more difficult to win. Most knights relied heavily on their shields and the advantage of having a steed to mount so they were allowed leverage over their opponents. In a tournament, the use of either was against the rules. The competition was based solely upon the experience and skills of the knight. This was the third match in a ten-match contest, leading up to a final confrontation between the two top competitors.
The crowd was very rowdy, shouting and cheering for their favorite fighter. Kiara, who was not a fan of pointless violence, watched in silence, her face wrinkled as if she was expecting blood to shoot out at her at any moment. Nate observed the knights’ strategies and techniques like an eager child, willing to learn. He had already trained himself in sword combat through experience, but to watch it from a third person point of view was very informative.
As usual, Kiara grew bored after a short while and wished to do something more exciting than stare at men fighting while eating the rest of her bread loaf. But, for Nate’s sake, she stayed put. When she occasionally glanced up to make sure he was alright, she could see a passionate glimmer in his eyes that he had before. She loved to see that he was happy and at least enjoying himself, so she wouldn’t dare drag him away to go shopping at the market place like she really wanted.
The competition was over after a long hour of standing up. The most skilled knight won the battle by use of harsh gorilla tactics that he must have learned from real experience in wars or battles. Kiara knew that some knights, though talented, never got to see real action on the battle field due to so many long periods of peace that reigned in Malcolm’s kingdom. The only way knights could sharpen their skills was by constant practice on their own or at tournaments like this.
The first place winner was awarded forty pieces of gold, while the second place was given only five pieces of gold.
The losing knight, though a valiant fighter, was very disgruntled and rather upset about his failure. Instead of bowing to his opponent with dignity, he only nodded his head and
stomped out of the ring in bitterness. Nate shook his head ruefully at the sore loser, but applauded the victor. Kiara did the same, only to show that she was paying attention.
The crowd dispersed back to the market place.
“You really do admire those knights, don’t you?” Kiara asked as she led the way back to the merchant tents, hoping to maybe persuade Nate to buy her something from the vendors.
Nate shrugged in response and followed her, trying to hold his head up confidently as they walked through the crowd. “Yeah, I guess I do. I wanted to be one, but I doubt there’s any way to become one now. I’m too old to start training and I have a bad reputation.”
They passed by Gwen’s tent and they waved a greeting before walking on to tents they hadn’t visited yet.
“I don’t think it’s too late. You could get a pardon from Malcolm and explain that just because your family tree isn’t impressive doesn’t mean that you can’t do great things for him and the kingdom,” Kiara encouraged, entering a wood carver’s tent to look at the artistic designs engraved upon tools and decorative items. Nate followed behind, not interested in any of the merchandise.
“Yes, I could try to do all of that, but the chances of it actually happening are rather slim. Boys start training to be squires when they’re eight or nine years old. I should have started that year we were exiled. It takes five or more years to actually become a squire, then when they get to my age, they should be knights already. I’ve got ten or eleven years to catch up on. By the time I can actually serve Malcolm, I’d be thirty.”
“So? Sir Claude has to be in his forties and he still serves Malcolm,” Kiara said, putting an strange-looking spy glass up to her eye to look through.
“Forty? And he wants to marry you? You might be a widow before you’re twenty-five!” Nate exclaimed, making Kiara giggle.
“That doesn’t sound too bad. Then I’d be free again.”
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