Chapter Eight #4
The enormous knight, which she learned from Beau was the legendary Kieran Hage, closed in on the victorious knight and, within three very heavy blows, knocked the sword right out of the man’s hands.
The weapon clamored to the ground, and the knight, rather than throw up his hands and surrender, as was expected, began to run around the pen to keep away from Kieran.
Fortunately, Kieran didn’t chase him because he’d already won the bout, but the now-defeated knight wasn’t apt to surrender so easily.
He began to insult Kieran, calling him names even as the field marshal declared Kieran the winner.
But that didn’t quiet the defeated knight.
He kept up a steady stream of jibes and insults even as the field marshal told him to get out of the pen.
He did, but he was going to make sure Kieran knew what he thought of him.
Kieran was over near the pen exit, simply standing there and watching as the defeated knight was practically dragged out of the pen.
But as the defeated knight came close to the victor, Kieran’s enormous fist shot out and clobbered the defeated man right in the face.
He went down, and the crowd went wild.
William and Paris stood there and laughed as Kieran was awarded the beautiful sword that he’d knocked out of the other knight’s grasp.
As the hapless defeated knight was carried out of the pen, no longer victorious, Kieran handed his newly acquired sword over to William as he prepared for the next competitor, who made it a little further than the previous knight had.
He lasted several minutes, but in the end, Kieran’s strength and skill ran him into the ground, too.
After Kieran’s second victory, Addax turned to Emmeline.
“Now do you see why I withdrew?” he said, his dark eyes glimmering with mirth. “I have no intention of losing my Spanish-forged sword to Hage. He’ll have a collection of ten or twelve swords by the time the day is over.”
Emmeline nodded in agreement. “I completely understand,” she said. “Does he get to keep the swords of his opponents?”
Addax nodded. “He does,” he said. “The same thing happens in the joust. If a knight is unseated by an opponent, his opponent is awarded his horse.”
Emmeline was listening intently. “This is a fascinating world you are part of, Sir Addax,” she said. “And an expensive one if you lose your sword or your horse.”
Addax chuckled, returning his attention to Kieran as yet another knight entered his pen. “More than you know,” he said. “As I said – I have no intention of losing my sword, and I most assuredly will not lose my horse.”
“What if Sir Kieran jousts?”
Addax shook his head. “He will not,” he said. “That is not his strength. The joust requires agility that he does not possess.”
“But you do.”
Addax looked down his nose at her. “Of course I do,” he said. “Have you not seen me joust?”
She fought off a grin because he already seemed insulted by the answer to come—an answer he already knew. “Nay, I have not,” she said. “It is my greatest regret.”
She sounded quite sincere in her statement, causing Addax to grin again. “Of course it is,” he said. “But tomorrow is the last day, when the champion shall be crowned, and you shall have your chance then.”
“Excellent,” she said. “I will be able to sleep better tonight, knowing my opportunity is not lost.”
He looked at her, chuckling. He liked her sense of humor.
Emmeline started to laugh in return, but, quite suddenly, her expression seemed to change.
Her smile faded. She was looking at something over Addax’s shoulder, and when he turned to see what it was, he immediately understood what Beau had trying to be discreet about.
Maximilian was standing at a neighboring pen with a woman on each arm.
And he was having a grand time of it.
Addax’s smile vanished as he beheld the man, laughing and even kissing the women.
His right arm was bandaged up, but that didn’t stop him from using his left arm most effectively.
He clutched one of the women closely while the other one cozied up to his right side, avoiding the wounded arm.
Seeing him also told the tale of where Maximilian had been the night before.
There was no need for more of an explanation.
“Let me fetch your husband to you, my lady,” Addax finally said, fighting down his irritation with Maximilian. “Remain here with Beau, and I will bring him.”
But Emmeline put a hand on his arm. “Nay,” she said, preventing him from moving away. “Leave him.”
“Leave him?” Addax said, shocked. “Are you serious?”
She looked at Addax pointedly. “I am,” she said. “My lord, my husband has made it clear what this marriage means to him. It is a business arrangement. Fetching him to me will not change that.”
Addax looked at her, struggling to keep sympathy for her plight off his face. “What he is doing is not right,” he said quietly. “He married you, and he should be here, with you.”
Emmeline shook her head, forcing a smile.
“He unexpectedly married me yesterday,” she said.
“I have had the night to think about this, Sir Addax, and I have come to a conclusion. I can either let his behavior destroy me or I can simply accept it. And I refuse to let it destroy me. It’s come too close to that already. ”
Addax sighed faintly, thinking the entire situation was just horrible. He wondered if he could even give her any shred of hope that it wouldn’t always be like this. “It is early in the marriage still,” he said hesitantly. “Mayhap with time, he will change.”
Emmeline snorted softly. “I doubt it,” she said. “You have known him for a long time, have you not? Do you truly believe he will change?”
Addax couldn’t lie to her. “I do not know,” he said. “Truthfully, I never knew he was capable of behaving as he has, so I do not know anymore.”
Emmeline shrugged, trying to pretend that it didn’t bother her when, in fact, it did. It bothered her a great deal. But she wasn’t going to let the melancholy win. She’d let it win last night, and it had almost killed her. Therefore, the best thing she could do was be brave about it.
Show courage!
“Mayhap he will change, or mayhap he won’t,” she said after a moment.
“I suspect he will not, but in either case, the man cannot be expected to immediately amend his ways. He had a life before I became his wife, a life he was happy with and a life that does not include me at the moment. I do not wish to interfere with that because it will only make us both miserable.”
Addax looked at her in disbelief. “Is this how you view marriage, also?” he asked. “Something that does not require any loyalty?”
Her smile faded. “Of course not,” she said.
“Every woman yearns for a marriage with a husband who will be faithful only to her. I yearn for that also, but Maximilian has made it clear he has no such yearnings. However, that does not mean I will not be faithful to him. I must live by my own convictions, and that means my loyalty is only to Maximilian. I would never entertain lovers.”
“But, my lady, I—”
“Nay,” she said quickly, cutting him off.
“Addax, I know you mean to help, but I still have to live with myself. My honor is important to me even if it is not important to my husband. What he chooses to do is his own decision, but I choose to be faithful to my marriage, even if he wishes to carry on with others.”
Addax couldn’t keep the pity off his face now. He’d never heard anything so sad or, quite honestly, so noble. “You deserve better,” he said hoarsely. “You deserve a man who is worthy of your convictions. I am sorry it is not Max.”
“As am I.”
As they stood there in a desperately somber moment, each one of them realizing what the future held for her, Maximilian spied them from the other pen and lifted his hand, waving happily.
It was a brazen, oblivious move on his part.
As if he wasn’t surrounded by women in full view of his wife.
Emmeline forced a smile and lifted her hand in return as Addax simply turned away.
He couldn’t stomach the audacity.
Addax found himself looking at Beau, who had the same expression of disgust that Addax surely must have himself.
Beau had seen Maximilian, too. Maximilian, just married, who was proudly walking about with women who were not his wife.
When their eyes met, Beau shook his head and walked away, heading over to William and Paris. That left Addax alone with Emmeline.
“My lady, may I ask a question?” he said when Beau was gone.
Emmeline’s smile faded as she watched Maximilian walk off with his two women. “What is it?” she asked.
“Tomorrow, I compete for the championship of the joust,” Addax said. “The only favor that I have carried at this tournament, so far, is a small dagger that my father gave me. It is the only thing I have of him, so I always wear it when I compete so that I feel him with me.”
“Oh?” she said, her thoughts shifting from Maximilian to the mysterious dagger. “May I see it?”
“It is with my possessions in my tent,” Addax said. “But I would be glad to show it to you. It is called the Qara Ejder.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means the Black Dragon,” he said. “You see, my father was called kaara ejadar by our people, and that is the name I adopted on the tournament circuit as a way of keeping him alive. The small dagger is representative of the kingdom, and the throne, that should be mine.”
Her brow furrowed. “Your father was the king?”
“He was. I was his heir.”
She blinked as if shocked by the information. “You have spoken of your country before, but I failed to understand that… Are you a king, my lord?”
He shrugged. “I should have been,” he said. “Had Kitara not been sacked by my uncle and our enemies, I would have been.”
She stared at him. Then she suddenly dropped into a curtsy and lowered her gaze. “I… I am so sorry, my lord,” she said, sounding nervous. “I did not realize your position. I never meant to be disrespectful.”
He frowned, reaching out to pull her to her feet. “Stop that,” he commanded softly. “I am not a king. At least, not in England, so please do not treat me any differently. I only told you because we were speaking of the dagger. But I must ask you a question.”
Emmeline still seemed a little nervous in his presence. “Go ahead.”
“May I carry your favor tomorrow to take me to victory?”
Emmeline was surprised. “Me?” she said. “You want something from… me?”
He nodded. “If you will give it.”
She wasn’t sure what to say to him. Her nerves at learning of his true heritage faded as she looked over the crowds of clamoring admirers. “But… but surely there are a hundred maidens who would love for you to carry their favor,” she said. “Why not ask one of them?”
He shook his head. “I never carry an unmarried woman’s favor, lest she think that it means more than it does,” he said.
“I have no desire to find myself betrothed because of a misunderstanding. It is, therefore, my routine to ask a favor from the wife of a friend. It is much less messy that way, and I am certain Max would not mind.”
With that explanation, the entire mood of the conversation changed as Emmeline’s features lit up with delight. “In that case, I will give you a token, of course,” she said. “What should it be? A kerchief? A jewel?”
“Anything you wish.”
Emmeline’s gem-colored eyes glittered at him. “I will think of something,” she said. “And… thank you. I am most honored that you should ask. I’ve never had a knight ask for my favor before.”
Addax could feel something stirring in his chest. The way she was looking at him was warm and friendly. But there was something more to it. He wasn’t sure what it was, but he knew it wasn’t healthy. Or honorable.
But, God, it felt good.
“I am the honored one, my lady,” he said. “To be clear, it does not mean that we are betrothed.”
Emmeline laughed softly at his jest. “I understand completely,” she said. “Does it at least mean that we are friends?”
“Absolutely.”
They smiled at one another, though Addax was having trouble looking at her.
Now that the question of the favor was settled, he realized he felt rather giddy about the whole thing.
Carrying the favor of this lovely woman was a proud thing, indeed, and looking at her made him want to blush.
It was a strange sensation, indeed, and one he didn’t want to entertain or navigate, so he simply changed the subject.
It was safer that way.
“Now, shall we watch Hage disarm another opponent, or would you like to see something else?” he asked.
Emmeline pointed toward the village. “Would it be possible to find the man who makes the coffins again?” she asked. “I find that I am rather hungry.”
Addax nodded. “Of course,” he said. “Let us go and be gluttons together. Just coffins?”
“Fruit pies if we can find them.”
“I suspect we can.”
With a grin, she looped her hand into the crook of his elbow, an innocent gesture that meant nothing other than the fact they were heading in the same direction and he was escorting her. It wasn’t improper in the least, but a common action.
Still… Addax felt her hand on his arm like a branding iron.
God help him, he loved it.