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“Ah, the sorceress has returned!” Mr. Aiken declared. “What will our brave knight do now?”

Winnie, with her hands still bound behind her back—albeit very loosely—was situated in the center of the arena when Matthew launched off his horse and charged toward the sorceress, and together, the two battled out in a pretend clash of magic and swords.

Winnie stood on the sidelines, watching the event play out, knowing the sorceress would eventually pretend to be struck by Matthew before disappearing into a cloud of smoke.

But Winnie couldn’t wait any longer. She hesitated, biting her lip and hoping her actions wouldn’t upset Mr. Aiken or the other staff members. Then she moved toward Matthew herself.

“And now, we have…Uh…” Mr. Aiken hesitated, unsure of what to say off script. “Well, we have the damsel in distress racin’ toward the knight. Not exactly sure what she’s up to.”

Winnie ripped free from her loosely tied ropes, and Matthew stood still, clearly in shock as she ran toward him, his visor still down. She stripped his sword directly from his hands, then turned toward Mrs. Birdwhistle and charged toward the sorceress herself.

“Ah, the damsel…” Mr. Aiken continued, “looks like she’s taking matters into her own hands. Apparently, the knight was takin’ too long to rescue her.” He chuckled, and the crowd cheered.

Winnie reached Mrs. Birdwhistle in a matter of seconds, pretending to strike her side with the blunted weapon. Mrs. Birdwhistle’s eyes twinkled before she shrieked as part of the act, then she launched into a cloud of smoke and ran away through the crowds.

“Ah, and the damsel has defeated the evil sorceress!” cried Mr. Aiken. “But will she accept the brave knight’s hand…even though she sort of rescued herself?”

The crowd laughed and cheered again, and Winnie’s heart swelled. Would she accept Matthew’s hand? Oh, yes, she would.

Standing in the middle of the list, she waited as he strode directly toward her. She could hardly breathe, his clanking armor music to her ears. She waited in place, holding his sword with the tip pointed in the grass, then he stopped just before her.

His face was still covered by his helmet, just like when they’d first met, and he knelt down on one knee before her, reaching for her hand.

“Winnie,” he breathed, only loud enough for her own ears to hear.

She couldn’t help herself. She just had to. “Sorry,” she said, “I can’t hear you with all of…” She paused, waving her hand in front of her face like she had when they’d first met. “This.”

To her utter joy, he laughed within his helmet, then raised the visor, looking up at her. “You came back,” he said, still kneeling down.

Winnie peered down at him, the love in his eyes matching her own. “I did.”

“Why?”

Tears brimmed in her eyes. “Because I’ve fallen in love with a knight. The only knight who could ever rescue a damsel in distress like me.”

His lips spread into a smile, and he blinked as his blue eyes shone with tears. “But I didn’t rescue you.”

Her chin trembled. “Oh, yes, you did.” She sniffed away her emotion, her voice soft as she continued. “I’m so sorry, Matthew. I’m sorry for leaving, for abandoning the festival and your family. For abandoning you. I never should have left, but I want you to know that I’m finally choosing who I want to be—and with whom I want to be.” She stared down at him, wiping away another tear. “And that is you, Matthew…I just hope I’m not too late.”

A moment passed by, and Winnie held her breath, fearing her apology wouldn’t be accepted before Matthew stood, threw off his helmet and hood, and closed the distance between them.

She dropped his sword to the side of them and wrapped her arms around his neck, standing on the tips of her toes as he bent down and kissed her.

Her breath was stolen away, every inch of her heart and soul invested in the knight holding her as firmly and as gently as only Matthew could.

They’d shared many kisses over the last few weeks, each one better than the last, but this one was different. This one answered the questions they’d had from the beginning. This one made their feelings clear, their love for each other apparent.

The crowd cheered around them, thinking this was all part of the show, but Winnie didn’t care. Because she knew this was real. Their love was real. And it would be a love that would last through the ages.

After the tournament had ended, the festival had come to a close, and Matthew and Winnie had both changed out of their period clothing, the two of them returned to the house.

“Dinner tonight?” he asked, his arm around Winnie’s shoulders as they crossed the grounds. “The White Hart, perhaps?”

“Sounds amazing,” Winnie said, wrapping her arm around his waist and holding his hand that draped over her shoulder.

“Would it sound as amazing if Finn were to join us?” Matthew asked, glancing at her sidelong. “He just came all this way and is only here for the weekend…”

“Of course! I’d love to hear that accent of his again.”