“My apologies, m’lord. I shall reserve my opinions for another time when they are appreciated and requested.”
Alexander was well aware the statement dripped with sarcasm and thankfully was not followed by the usual mock bow.
As if to break the tension, Alain asked, “Do you know why the king moved the tourney straight into the joust?”
“I confess I know not. There has been no mention of skills testing, unless he has something else in mind. He’s held so many of these now, perhaps he feels the skills tests are too predictable and boring for thecrowd.”
Alexander preferred the skills tests to the joust. Too much could go wrong at the hands of an unskilled rider, and plenty had been maimed for the sake of entertainment. But it was the other games played at these events that sickened him. The young flaming haired lass had not even tried to hide her greed as she singled him out with her eyes and then drank him in like she was already counting the new gowns she would purchase to impress him. Och, but it boiled his blood when parents paraded these young lasses around. The two sitting with her had certainly left little to the imagination of their scheming as well.
The sooner he could return to Loch Fyne, the better. Three days of this. It would be a trying time, but he had been especially requested this time and there was no way to avoid King James when he set his mind to something.
“You’re up next, m’lord,” Alain said.
“Already? Is there no skill in this lot?”
“Aye, besides you, I think not. Maybe we will be sharing a tankard of ale sooner rather than later.”
A welcome thought, that.
Alexander mounted his horse and accepted his armor from Alain then waited as his spear was strapped to his arm and the leather belt pulled taut. He drew a deep breath and sized up his opponent who struggled to maintain his balance as his armor was secured to his legs and chest. Most of the time, Alexander was aware of his opponents and of their skills, but this man was a stranger to him. A young man for whom his father had aspirations. Maybe. In any case, there would be little contest, and Alexander could move on to the next match. If this was the only exercise he would get on this trip, he may as well make the best of it.
The riders moved into position, both with the long fence to their right. When the flag dropped, Alexander kicked his heels hard just as a flash of flaming hair came into his view in the stands. He focused hardon his task, lest he be bested, but the hair distracted him just enough that he could not unseat his opponent and so would require another pass.
Again, he moved into position and this time focused only on the chest of the man before him. He rode hard and closed the distance fast enough to spook his opponent’s horse, unseating the man and earning Alexander a point without having to touch him.
Alexander bowed to the defeated man on the ground who looked utterly bewildered and then urged his horse to move until they stood before the king who clapped and smiled broadly. No one came to place a scarf on his gauntlet, but the owner of the flaming hair now had cheeks to match.
Chapter Two
Knots coiled inher stomach as she watched the black rider retreat to the contestant’s area. Marion sensed great power in him and somewhere among that a formidable determination telling her this was a man not to be crossed. Her earlier fascination turned to wariness.
“Are you enjoying the games, Lady Marion?” a voice asked, startling her from her musings.
She looked up to find the king addressing her directly. For a moment she mouthed soundless words until her mother nudged her with her elbow.
“Speak, child,” she said in a low voice through clenched teeth.
“Aye, Your Majesty. I am very much enjoying the games. My family and I are grateful for the invitation.”
“Aye, that we are,” her father said. “Quite grateful to Your Majesties for such an honor.”
The king’s gaze flickered from one of them to the other then landed on Marion again. “Come. You will sit up here with my wife and keep her company. You there,” he said to a servant standing to the side, “bring the lady a chair.”
Marion didn’t know what to make of such a gesture. It was one thing to be invited to share the king’s canopy, but quite another to be instructed to keep the queen company.
“It would be my honor, Your Majesty,” she said as she walked around to the front row and took the seat beside the queen, offering a shy smile.
The queen herself appeared a timid sort, and who could blame her with her current situation? Marion knew well enough to not speak to royalty unless they initiated the conversation and so she waited what felt like an age before the young woman spoke.
“Do you reside in this area, Lady Marion?”
“Aye, Your Majesty, my family and I have taken a small manor in the town for the summer. Our primary residence is south of Edinburgh.”
“I am glad to hear it and will be grateful for the company,” she said and glanced to her left. “I find that most of those here do not share my interests.”
“May I ask what are your interests, Your Majesty?”
“First of all, if we are to be friends, you and I, you cannot end every sentence with ‘Your Majesty.’ When it is just us talking as we are now, you may address me as my lady.”
