by A. J. Bell
His eyes lit up as hope was peering on his horizon. “Does your sister agree to that?”
“You’ve my word that she does; in her heart, she desires to be your wife.”
Without hesitation, he took the parchment and stamped his ring on the wax, then quickly rolled it back up.
On the way back to the castle, I said nothing. I had just promised my hand in marriage to the man who had trained me in battle skills. There was no going back. Our shields would be splintered in the jousting arena, and only one of us would win. I had done a great job messing up my life so far; I was hoping not to regret my latest choice.
Although a joust wasn’t a fight to the death, casualties did happen, and if I didn’t want to be one of those casualties, I needed to practice earnestly and take this challenge seriously. Unlike my preparation for the Squires’ Competition, this time I would have no help. Richard was training by himself and for his own benefit to win the battle.
We were only a week away from our departure date, and my mail armor wasn’t even complete. Father supplied swords and shields for the men of Andora who were watching the borders, so it was hard for him to find time to work on my armor. So Ghad had taken over the project – thus the delay. I prayed that he had learned enough from Father about how to make Clouds, well enough to keep me alive with a breastplate and backplate as my main defense.
Two knights would come to Andora to guard the borders for as long as Richard and I would be gone. Apparently, names were drawn to fill up the matches for the tournament, and our names were two of the ten chosen to participate in the joust.
I had seen Richard practicing every morning while doing my rounds. The man was a muscle monument and wasn’t afraid to show what he had gained through so much training over the years by practicing shirtless in the middle of the day. A spectacular sight to see! More than once, I found myself gawking at him, daydreaming of the times he held me in his arms, his soft lips on mine. Thankfully, I didn’t ride alone. Wise Orman brought me coldly back to reality every time with comments like: “You will catch a fly with your mouth wide open,” “Give the man some privacy,” or “I bet he loves the fact that you – John – are admiring his assets.” I would blush immediately and hide my face after being caught.
Richard was skilled in many weapons, but his best were the shield and the sword. It was fighting with the sword that had earned Richard a few Lion Heart medals before. But this time, it wasn’t honor he sought after; this time, he wanted the other prize, the one that was offered only to him – me.
I was just as good with the sword as he was. Or at least, I hoped so, since that’s what we’d use to fight each other if we were still standing after we were thrown down from our horses with the lance. Of course, at the end of the lance, there would be a safeguard shaped like a ball that prevented the pointed end of the spear from impaling the knight from side to side like a roasted pig over a camp fire. The test was endurance and aim, using the couch technique, in which the lance was held under the arm to steady it. Hitting it right on the center of my opponent’s chest would give me a better chance that he would take the fall instead of me. Most knights start their training as pages on piggyback rides with a small wooden stick, which helps them to gain the balance needed for when they move to their training as squires. They upgraded to wooden horses on wheels, followed by training on small ponies, and then, subsequently, they moved to the real warhorses. None of that had been part of my training.
To help me improve my battle skills, Dash built a quintain. A quintain consisted of a dummy and shield, suspended by a swinging pole, with wooden arms sticking out from every side. Whenever I would hit it, the impact would make it rotate. My main focus was to keep its rotating arms from knocking me off Stardust. He had also added heavy swinging sand bags, so if the wooden arms didn’t knock me off, there was a possibility the sand bags would. I used the quintain to practice some of my sword-fighting skills as well. Whenever I would hit one of the arms with Heaven, it would spin around and could either hit me on the head, on my stomach, or buckle my knees if I didn’t react fast enough to deflect the rotating movements of the wooden arms. Dash and I had also had a few pretend fights that left him with a gash on his stomach and a few bruises here and there, so we decided not to do that anymore and just train on the dummy.
Orman didn’t even try to fight me. He said he didn’t trust me with a sword or any kind of weapon because I tended to get carried away by the rush of the moment, as if I went away and someone else stepped into my body during combat. He confessed that it was a bit bloodcurdling to see me like that. I knew exactly what he meant. When I had a weapon in my hands, especially when I grasped Heaven, a bolt of power ran through my entire body. All fear vanished and all that was left behind was courage with a sharp blade and the determination to finish whoever crossed my path. As bad as it sounded, I didn’t think twice about killing. I was worried that Richard’s efforts to win my hand in marriage would light up that kind of fire in me during the match, and that I might not be able to refrain myself from hurting him.
I wondered if I should just let him subdue me and let him win, but the few traces of integrity that I had left would disappear if I did so. I said we’d let fate decide, and if I let him win, it wouldn’t be fate – it would be me, deciding against my own word.
Fate will decide. If he defeats me, then he will have me. That’s all I can offer him – a fair fight.
“You should be practicing yourself,” said Richard, sharpening his blade in the light of the campfire burning outside his tent, “instead of wasting your time watching the techniques I never taught you.”
“I’m not spying on you if that’s what you think I’m doing.”
“I saw Ghad working on your armor yesterday, still unfinished. John, you’ll need to test it before we go.”
“Ghad has learned from the best, and I’m sure the armor will be ready in time,” I said, stirring the fire with a branch.
“You don’t look worried about the tournament at all,” he said, staring at me.
“I don’t see why I should be,” I replied calmly.
“You promised me your sister’s hand in marriage; her future is in your hands, and you’re acting as if it doesn’t matter.” His eyes were looking towards my window in the castle. If he only knew that he could find me sitting next to him.
“You’re a good man, and we both know that. The woman who marries you will be very blessed to have you, even more if that woman is my sister.”
“Do you think she is awake right now?”
I froze with his question.
“I need to see her.” He stood up and began walking towards the castle.
“My Lord! I’ll go and make sure she’s awake; you can wait here for her,” I said, trying to sound calm and serene.
He looked at me, suspiciously. “No need for that, John, you’re no longer my squire to do my bidding. Besides, I want to speak with her alone.”
The problem was that unless I got into that room before he did, he would be speaking to no one. I allowed him to take a few steps further before I ran like a mad person towards the opposite end of the castle, and went in through the servants’ door. My chambers were completely opposite from that door, but with a little bit of luck, I could beat Richard to my room. I mean, he was walking and I was flying, if such a thing was possible for a human.
As I was about to turn onto the staircase, I froze. Richard and my father were talking about Elle. Richard’s back was towards the stairs so he couldn’t see me, but my father did.
“Dear Richard, why don’t you come back tomorrow when she’s awake for sure?” asked Father.
“I really need to speak with her,” pleaded Richard, “but I won’t go and seek your daughter if you don’t approve.”
“It’s all right,” I mouthed, marking every word for my father to understand. “I need a few minutes.” I ran up the stairs, reached my door, and bolted it behind me. I began undressing myself, tossed my dirty masculine clothe
s below my bed, and slipped into my sleeping gown. I washed my face quickly and began brushing my hair when he arrived and knocked on my door.
Chapter 34
I looked quickly around my room and noticed my trousers were sticking out from below the bed.
Richard knocked again. “My Lady, it’s I, Sir Richard. May I speak with you?”
“I’m coming!” I yelled and ran next to my bed to fix the mishap. A task not as simple as it looked. Somehow, the seam of the trousers got caught on a splinter at the foot of my bed and began to unravel. The more I pulled, the more it came undone, and the more I struggled to hide it.
Richard knocked yet again. “My Lady, if this is a bad time, I can come back–”
“Not a bad time!” I said, struggling to pull the trousers free. Finally, I gave up, took my bed’s quilt, and threw it on top of the mess. Then I ran to the door and opened it, almost out of breath. “Good evening, My Lord,” I said.
“Is everything all right, My Lady?” he said, looking behind me into my chamber. “It sounded as if you were struggling.”
“Yes, everything’s fine,” I reassured him. “It’s a struggle getting out of a corset to get ready for bed,” I added. He chuckled at my comment. It was good to see his dashing smile. “Is there anything I can do for you, My Lord? Or did you come all the way here to hear stories about cruel corsets?” He chuckled again.
“I take it that you aren’t angry at me,” he said seriously.
“Angry?” I repeated. “Why?”
“Because of the way I left you by the pond the other day.”
“It doesn’t matter. I wasn’t very thoughtful in the way I answered your question.” I shrugged.
“I shouldn’t have acted so selfishly either. I just thought I didn’t have a chance to tell you how I felt about you because my father got to you first.”
I took his hand and invited him to come in. “I have something for you,” I said, walking him to my window. He sat down on the ledge and waited while I went to my dresser and pulled out a folded handkerchief that I handed to him. He stared at the handkerchief in his hand and then back at me. “Unfold it, silly!” I said.
His face saddened when he beheld his mother’s ring – the white gold band with its two shimmering heart-shaped diamonds in it.
“I thought I’d never see it again. After, I went back and searched for it, but couldn’t find it,” Richard said.
“I pulled it out after you left. I wanted to come to your tent to give it to you–”
“I’m glad you didn’t do it. I wouldn’t be able to face you again if you had seen me the last couple weeks,” he said, ashamed. If only he knew how many times I’ve seen him half-dressed and drunk – although not as bad as this last time – he would surely die of shame.
“What if my brother isn’t who you think he is?”
“What do you mean by that?” he asked.
“If he had lied to you–”
“You mean you didn’t agree to marry me?” he asked, disappointed.
I smiled. “Is that thought keeping you awake at night?” He nodded, a little embarrassed. I touched his face softly. “Think about it no more. I’ll be your wife if fate favors you.”
“I will need more than favor… anyway, in what manner has your brother lied to me? There’s nobody else in this kingdom who I’d trust more than John. I’ve known him since he was fifteen-years-old, and over the years, he has earned my deepest trust and friendship.” His words made me feel even guiltier than I already felt before speaking with him. He looked at me inquisitively. “Is there something you want to tell me?” he asked.
It was too late. My courage had run out the window, leaving a coward behind. He asked again, but I replied with another question. “Will you stay tonight?” I blurted out. Even I was surprised by my request.
He seemed confused. “I don’t think it’s appropriate for me to stay with you,” he said with a playful tone in his voice. “Although, we could always lock the door to keep Mother Greta out.”
“I didn’t mean it that way.” The way he smiled assured me that I was blushing. “I meant if you want to linger… we can go downstairs by the fire and talk.”
“Talk?” he repeated. How stupid I must’ve sounded to him when he was hoping I’d make a much different offer. “I would love to stay with you and talk.” He took my hand, kissed it softly, stealing a sigh from my lips in the process, and then we walked downstairs together.
We sat on the couch right in front of the fireplace. At first, we both were quiet, but after a few awkward minutes, he broke the ice. “Has your brother told you the story of how I rescued him from the thieves of Danedge?”
That was a story at least five years old. “Rescued him? That’s not what he would say,” I added.
“Really? Well, let me tell you my version of the story, and you can be the judge since you know both of us.” It was interesting to see the world the way Richard did. I was about to learn many things from him that I wouldn’t have imagined on my own, and it turned out, I didn’t know him as well as I thought I did.
The “rescue” from the Danedge thieves happened right after my eighteenth birthday. Father had allowed me to create Heaven without Richard’s knowledge. Squires were barely allowed by their knights to even carry a knife, so I kept Heaven hidden until that day. Richard began his narration. “We were going to visit a friend of mine–”
“I heard it was an old girlfriend,” I interrupted.
He ignored my comment and continued to narrate the story. I knew the truth. We had gone to see an old girlfriend. I remember being furious because I had to sleep outside while he was in the tent, getting to know better his so-called friend. Just thinking about it made me furious again.
“On our way to Danedge, we encountered some fellows seeking trouble,” he said. The Danedge were people much like the Gypsies, knowing no law and following no rules but their own. Yet, they were Everlanders. Their leader, Lord Danedge, once got into an argument with Queen Umah, and King Tobias had sided with her. Ever since that, they rebelled against the Crown and swore they wouldn’t intervene if someone ever tried to bring it down; yet, King Tobias didn’t see them as a threat, especially after the Queen’s hanging. I can’t blame them for being angry; dealing with her almost cost me my life. “Some of them were in the trees hiding, while some were among bushes by the side of the road, and we didn’t see them until it was too late. There was also a group of about five of them blocking the road, their swords ready to fight if we didn’t hand over our belongings. I thought: Five against one, bring it on! I took them down in almost no time.” On this point, he was right. “But then, the other ones emerged and the true action began. One of them could’ve killed your brother, but I stopped the blade that would’ve pierced his back with my own blade. Unfortunately, saving your brother’s back, I left my own unguarded–”
“And you got stabbed instead,” I said, remembering what had happened as vividly as if it had only been yesterday. Of course, I didn’t see the attacker that would’ve killed me because I was giving him my back. What I remembered was Richard falling to the ground with a knife in his back. That’s when I took care of all of the Danedges that didn’t run away with Heaven’s blade. That’s why I thought I had saved him. “So you see, I saved your brother by risking my own life. Although my wound wasn’t very deep, I was the one who ended up with the worst part.”
“But you also got comfort in the arms of your Danedge lady while John slept outside in the cold after caring for your wounds. Somehow it doesn’t seem fair–”
“Those were other times. I was different then,” he said seriously. “I’ve done many things I can’t be proud of, and now that the consequences are catching up with me, there’s nowhere to run. If I had made the right choices, you would be my wife now, carrying my child, instead of Grace.” He was upset with himself. I could hear it in his voice.
“You’ve never been a coward, My Lord. You’ve always weathered the storms that have c
ome your way and survived. You have never run and hid! And this time, it won’t be any different. Whether you defeat John or not, you’ll still win a wife.” He kept quiet, so I decided to change topics. “Tell me about yourself growing up, before John came into your story. What do I need to know about you?”
“Where should I start…? Well, I was raised in Abilene by Madam Kressie–”
“Where was your father?” I was surprised by his answer.
“He didn’t take my mother’s passing well,” he said. “It was my fault she was dead. Uncle Darius offered to take me with him, when I was still a newborn. My aunt, Princess Tanya, was also expecting Dorian and about to give birth, but she wanted to care for me anyway. She couldn’t do it, though, since she passed away a few days after Dorian’s birth. Madam Kressie then ended up with two newborns to care for along with a three-month-old daughter – Jane. I stayed there until Father took me back to Stoneburg. Then I became Sir Humle’s apprentice and lived in Humle Manor.”
“Sir Humle?” I asked. “Lady Grace’s father?”
“The same.”
The silence ruled again until Ghad came running into the room. “It’s time!” he said, alarmed. “Wake Mother Greta. The baby’s coming!”
Richard ran up to get Mother while I followed Ghad back to the servants’ quarters. Although they weren’t my servants, those habitations were the best choice for Meav, who was trying to avoid climbing the stairs unnecessarily. She was lying in the bed, screaming in pain. Minutes later, Mother came into the room, with Rosie following her closely. Mother sent Rosie to get warm water while I gathered clean rags, and then Mother kicked the men out of the room. Everyone was awake, including Shewhite, who sat in front of the door to guard it. Richard wasn’t happy that we had asked Ghad to leave his wife. I knew why. His father was on the other side of the door when Richard was born, and because Richard’s mom died instantly, he never got to say goodbye.
