by pkristen » Sun Jul 07, 2013 2:35 am
by P. Kristen Enos
Copyright 2013 - P. Kristen Enos (I own these characters and their drama.) Part of the "Creatures of Grace" story collection.
* * *
When the beautiful blond folded her arms and leaned back just slightly, Gino realized that he had reached the end of Lydia humoring him. As they stood alone in the hallway, he couldn’t tell if her time limit was shorter or longer than usual.
Making one last effort for the evening, he said, “The evening is still early. Surely, you can’t be turning already.”
She looked at him with her standard cool expression with the barely curved corners of her mouth. She stated simply, “Her majesty had pardoned me for the evening. I am now on my own time. Is there anything you wish of me before I go, sir?”
The woman was savvy enough to not be outright rude and dismissive of him. After all, he was of higher class and standing than her, even if he was the bastard son of the king. Yet, he wasn’t about to abuse his privileges and order her to do something she didn’t desire.
And he couldn’t deny that her aloofness just made her even more madly attractive.
He then took a step back and said, “Not at all, Lydia. Have a pleasant evening. I will see you tomorrow.”
“Thank you, sir,” she said with a curtsey before proceeding on her walk to her room.
Once she had turned the corner out of his sight, he let out a heavy sigh. He knew he could go back to the hall and find a far more willing companion for the night, providing she wasn’t already setting her sights on any of the visiting men who had more money and power than him.
Taking a deep breath to fortify himself, he started to take a step back towards the grand hall. He turned the corner and nearly walk right into Queen Sophia, who had been standing there, within earshot of the unsuccessful seduction.
He bowed repeatedly and deeply. “I-I’m sorry, Your Majesty. I’ll be more careful in the future.”
Her regal expression was just as cool at Lydia’s but without even the faint curves of a possible smile. “Gino, may I have a private word with you?”
He blinked in surprise. He couldn’t remember if she had ever uttered his name before. But he definitely knew she had never talked to him directly before. “O-Of course, My Queen. Where shall we go?”
Minutes later, they were in one of the sitting rooms with the door closed and locked against any potential interruptions or eavesdroppers.
Gino was too nervous to know what to do, except to not sit down. Not unless she gave him permission, which she didn’t.
Sophia sat herself down in one of the plush chairs and studied him for a moment. Then she said, “I had heard that you were quite the ladies’ man. Was that an exaggeration or is Lydia just unusually unimpressed?”
He opened his mouth but was again caught in not knowing what to say. The queen was not known for her sense of humor and he didn’t want to take a chance to sound flippant and disrespectful by not giving her a serious answer.
Seeing him struggle, she held up her hand to dismiss her question and calm him. With the same motion, she showed that he was allowed to sit in the chair across from her.
As he settled himself with just enough relaxation to be comfortable but to still be attentive and alert, he noticed that she continued to stare at him with unblinking intensity.
After a moment of silence, she asked, “Do you know why Bianca is the only living true heir to the crown?”
He shook his head honestly. “No, ma’am.”
“About five years before you were born, the red death hit this city. That same epidemic also took the lives of Bianca’s other brothers and sisters that were born to your father and myself. What the public does not know is that I had also became ill but I was one of the few people to survive. Yet the damage was so severe that I haven’t been able to conceive anymore children. We don’t know if this is a permanent condition or my body just needs much more time to heal… And then you were born.”
She paused, clearly a little shaken by what she was about to say next, her gaze dropping for a moment. “I admit my disdain for you has been a reflection of my feelings for what went on between your father and mother. I did shed tears when your mother passed but my anger did not pass.” Her calm demeanor returned as she looked him squarely in the eyes.
“I know you are concerned about your fate should your father pass without having made arrangements of money and security. And I fully admit I have stood in the way of that. I never viewed you as family but I realized that perhaps I have been literal in my definitions.”
As what she said sunk in, Gino felt his nerves suddenly ease in surprise and anticipation.
“Gino, to be part of this royal family, your priority is to be loyal, defend our reputation and to preserve our core integrity. We may have occasional lapses, but we make up for that. So with that I need you to prove that you can indeed be a true member of our family. Once that happens, you have my sworn pledge to have your father sanction as a true lord of the court with money and property in your name… I’m certain that change would make you much more attractive to women like Lydia. Are you interested in such a challenge?”
“Yes, of course, Your Majesty. Tell me what I need to do.”
“As you know, this tournament is to determine the fate of our royal line. And we unfortunately have a circumstance that risks permanent, public ridicule with having Princess Alexis participate in this contest. She must not win.” She gave him a pointed look.
He frowned as he mulled her words. “What can I do about that? I’m not participating in the contest.”
“You don’t need to. You just need to be able to distract her enough that she won’t win.”
“… How?”
“That’s your challenge,” she stated. “Now, I am turning in for the night. I look forward to being able to call you son.”
Once the queen had departed, Gino sat in the quiet room, his physical stillness not reflecting the frantically churning wheels of his mind.
* * *
“That’s her? Seriously?” Sir Reginald commented over his mug as the three men huddled at their table in the hall. He was a rugged man with a brawny frame with thick brown hair and beard.
It was the morning where all of the suitors and their champions gathered for the drawing of matches for the first round of tournaments. Though the men had only met in this trip, all of them had come from countries far away, they had become fast friends.
“Well, she is the only woman here who isn’t carrying a serving tray,” remarked Sir Jacob as he wiped the traces of foam from the thick black curls of his beard. He was a tall and gangly man but carried himself with a sure-footedness of a warrior.
“A shame. She’s actually better looking the one we’ll be fighting for,” he tsked.
Jacob let out a hearty laugh and said, “You must not like women with a little meat on their bones. A full woman should bare many children.”
“You know, I’ve heard that but if that’s true, why is Princess Bianca the only royal heir? If this royal house is a fertile line, she should have several brothers and sisters.”
Being a clean-shaven man of tall and wiry stature, Sir Jiro commented, “Word has it that the king has sowed his seed elsewhere. At least once. There’s a bastard son that’s part of the court.”
Reginald was now very interested. “Ah! A crown that isn’t limited to the regular boundaries of marriage. I had heard the women in these lands were uppity. They must know their place after all.”
“Well, all of them except that Princess Alexis… Which one do you think is her champion?”
The three men studied the handful of extra men that shared her table with her father.
“I’ll bet it’s that scraggly one,” Jacob remarked. “It’s always the one that seem the weakest but they turn out to be the toughest fighters.”
“Hmmm. True.”
Suddenly, the crowds start to hush as the entourage of the city’s king entered the room to begin the task at hand.
Duke Gideon was particularly pompous as he led the servants who carried the boxes of one hundred and seventy three markers that will be drawn to determine the matches. It took ten servants to carry in the wooden display boards that would show the progress of the tournament matches.
An hour later, Reginald and Jiro had their markers drawn and were introduced to their different opponents.
Finally with about a third of the contestants still being unmatched, Gideon drew Jacob’s marker and the competitor stood in acknowledgement and anticipation to see who he would be fighting later that week.
Gideon reached into the box, pulled out the marker and barely hid a grimace. “Princess Alexis will be the other participant in the sixty-seventh match.”
The woman in question took a breath and stood up from her seat in acknowledgement.
She and Jacob gave each other an acknowledging nod. However, the man then frowned when he noticed no one else at her table stood. “Excuse me,” he called out. “Who am I going to actually fight on the match?”
The woman looked at him squarely and said, “You will be fighting me, Sir Jacob. I will represent myself in this tournament.”
He blinked and the hall was quiet as everyone absorbed the announcement.
Gideon cleared his throat and called out, “Sir Jacob, has clarified everything for you?”
Frowning slightly, Jacob looked from the duke to the hosting king and back to the visiting princess. “King Gustavo, I refuse to fight a woman. Even in friendly combat. I request a champion be appointed for her majesty.”
The king who had been watching the ceremony quietly tried to hide his squirm. He then stated firmly, “I will not interfere in a participant’s decision to represent himself… or herself. I would think she has a greater risk than you… No insult intended, Princess Alexis.”
She casually shrugged in response, having gone through this argument before in her home tournaments.
“Sir Jacob, you may choose to accept the terms of the match, or forfeit the win to your opponent.”
The knight looked around the room, as if searching for someone to give him support or guidance, but he didn’t seem to find what he was looking for.
“Your Majesty, I respectfully forfeit.”
* * *
Slamming the study door behind him, Gustavo was so furious that he was ready to spit venom. He whipped off his crown and flung it against the nearby wall, letting it ricochet to some obscure corner in the room.
The tentative knock from the other side of the door reminded him that Gideon had actually been right behind him.
“Enter!”
Sure enough, the door creaked open and the duke carefully peered in. “Sire, may I enter?”
He growled, “Of course! And lock the door behind you!”
Once the bolt was in place, he roared, “We cannot have that woman win because of fucking forfeitures!”
While Gideon was relieved that there was agreement, he was much more concerned at how his king’s face was beet red. “Sire, you’re not looking well. I suggest you take a deep breath and calm down.”
Gustavo flashed a glare to shut him up, which worked. Even though his facing was turning more and more red, he spoke forced his orders out as he pressed his hand against the pain in his chest. “I want you to announce a second place purse of a thousand gold coins and a third place purse of five hundred. Also, announce that we’ll redraw all of the matches before each new round. – And enlist every single man in the royal guard as late enrollees. Offer a hundred coins if someone wounds her in a match. A thousand and property if they beat her. And spread the word to the other participants but be careful to keep it from Alrik and his allies. The last thing I need is a real war breaking out over this! … And…. And…”
“Si-Sire?”
Focusing on his attention within, Gustavo gulped deep breaths as he worked his way to the nearest chair and settled himself. His labored breathing was the only sound for several minutes as they both waited to see what would happen next.
His face not quite as red as before but still covered in sweat and panting mildly, Gustavo motioned for a drink from the bar. “Don’t tell anyone about this. Especially Sophia. I don’t want her to worry… Do you have any questions about my orders?”
Gideon thought for a moment as he handed over a glass of wine. “What if they wound her mortally?”
Gustavo drunk the entire glass before he answered, “They may do whatever they need to. But they should not be obvious. And if there’s anything additional you can think of, you have my permission to proceed… I’m going to take a nap so I think I’ll miss lunch. Wake me for the tournament kick off.”
* * *
While he would have loved to enjoy a final lunch feast, Sir Jacob knew his forfeiture meant giving up the hospitality he received as a tournament participant. In the royal stables, he checked that he had securely packed his belongings on the back of his horse.
He wasn’t at all happy about how this turned out. He didn’t expect to win the tournament but that top prize wasn’t always the benefit. These events were always good opportunities to prove your skills and get the interest of people looking for the services of body guards or soldiers. And it doesn’t hurt getting the attention of the ladies too.
Now he was broke and lucrative job opportunities would not be easy to find. Survival isn’t a problem but living off of hunting and sleeping on the ground without pay to enjoy luxuries was… annoying. He wanted a life of property and money and it always seemed just out of his reach.
“Sir Jacob.”
Recognizing the duke, he paused and gave him a nod. “Hello, sir. I will be gone within the hour.”
“Actually, I’m here to see if you would be willing to stay,” he said, “under special circumstances.”
“I’m listening.”
“We regret that you had to bow out under such embarrassing circumstances. However, I wanted to let you know that we’ll be doing a second draw for additional participants tonight. We’re adding a second place purse of one thousand gold coins and a third place purse of five hundred. Plus, we’ll be redrawing matches with each round now. And I’d like you to consider reentering now that you know everything that would be expected. However, a second forfeiture cannot be allowed should you decide to rejoin the tournament all things considered. Are you interested?”
* * *
Dressed in the royal gown she had worn at the declaration ceremony, Alexis stepped into the royal box and noticed how the other attendees eventually paused in their conversations to give her an acknowledging greeting of another royal. She wasn’t fooled by their placid graciousness, knowing that most would just as readily greet her with a hostile glare if it weren’t for the need to be polite. Her father and Sven were nowhere to be seen, most likely studying opponents from the side and talking strategies.
She then saw Bianca sitting in the front and motioning for her to take the empty chair beside her. While the seats were the best possible, front row and center of the box, they were also placed right in front of the hosting king and queen, Bianca’s parents and Alexis’s mortal enemies. She now fully understood the gripes her brothers had shared about the times they had to win over future in-laws.
As she sat down, she couldn’t shake the feeling of awkwardness of what this may look like to the men who would be battling each other for woman beside her. She could have sworn she felt glares from almost every direction, from the front, sides and behind. Especially from behind.
Bianca leaned over and whispered, “Congratulations on your win.”
Alexis rolled her eyes at the tease and responded, “It’s déjà vu. It happens every time whenever matches are first drawn. But it also means when I do have to fight, I’m going to face someone who out to win at all costs.”
The hosting princess frowned in concern but then commented brightly, “Well, let’s just enjoy today’s matches and take it one day at a time.”
Though she did think the comment was naïve and short-sighted, Alexis regarded her attempt at being positive and genuinely sincere with a small smile. With nothing else to say, she relaxed in the chair, took an offered chalice from a servant, and waited for the first match to begin.
(To be continued)