Chapter 20 #2
Raven noticed them. When she glanced their way, Jonathon swished his hands through the air, trying to silently tell her to leave the competition.
He realized his mistake as soon as he did it.
Taking Raven’s attention for that one moment caused her to lose focus.
Whitehead unarmed her and knocked her to the ground.
Then he put his foot on her chest and raised his sword in the air.
The crowd cheered, and the announcer proclaimed him the winner of this hand-to-hand combat.
“Sir Whitehead will move on,” said the herald. “Sir Nevar, please leave the field.”
“I’ll kill him for touching her,” snarled Jonathon watching Whitehead with his foot on Raven’s chest and his sword raised in the air. Jonathon was ready to jump the fence and punch the man, but Rook stopped him.
“Don’t,” warned Rook. “She doesn’t seem hurt. Just let her be.”
Raven jumped to her feet, grabbing her sword and hurrying from the field. She ran past Rook and Jonathon without saying a word to them.
“Let’s follow her,” said Jonathon.
“You go. I need to tell Father about this,” said Rook.
“Can you wait?” asked Jonathon. “I mean... give me a minute to talk to Raven first.”
“Fine,” said Rook with a sigh. “Convince her to withdraw from the competition. If she does it now, no one has to know what she did.”
“I’ll try my best,” said Jonathon. “Let me talk with her. Then I’ll meet you at the platform and let you know what she said.”
Jonathon saw Raven sneak into a shed. He also noticed Albert standing outside of it.
“Albert?” he asked. “You’re part of this deception?”
“I didn’t want to be, but had no choice,” said the boy.
“Step aside, I’m going in.”
“Lady Raven told me to guard the shed. I’m not supposed to let anyone enter.”
“I’m trying to save her life, now move aside.” He pushed past Albert, entering the shed, stopping in the doorway.
Raven was standing there in her shift and Lark was helping her dress in her gown. The helm and the fake French surcoat were on the ground. He saw a bag with the rest of her armor in it.
“Jonathon!” Raven held her gown in front of her. “What are you doing here?”
Jonathon stepped inside and closed the door. “I know what you’re doing, Raven, and it is a foolish thing. You need to stop now, before you’re hurt.”
She continued dressing. “I suppose you’re going to tell my father now? I saw you and Rook talking. It’s your fault I was distracted and lost the sword fight.”
“Rook was going to tell Lord Corbett, but I stopped him. I figured you deserved a chance to explain.”
“There is nothing for me to explain.” She bent down and slipped her shoes onto her feet. “I am going to win this tournament, and then I won’t have to marry whichever fool is the winner.”
“Don’t you think that will anger your father? And embarrass both of you?”
“I no longer care.”
“Raven, fast, put on your cloak.” Lark handed it to her.
“Since you didn’t win two events in a row, you will now be forced to compete in the joust,” Jonathon told her.
“That’s right,” she answered, sounding terrified if he wasn’t mistaken.
“You are going to get yourself killed out there. This is not a game.”
“Yes, it is a game,” she told him.
“You know what I mean.”
“Don’t worry about me, Jonathon. I will be fine since I have my armor to protect me.”
“Nay. You can’t do this. I won’t let you.” He was not going to let her risk her life like this.
She walked over to him and smiled. Then she reached up and kissed him on the mouth. “You can’t stop me, and you know it. Besides, I’m doing this for us.”
“Nay. There has to be another way.”
“What way?” she asked, sounding huffy now. “You are not a noble and cannot compete, so I am the one who has to do it.”
“Rook was going to win to ensure you didn’t have to marry anyone, but you convinced your father to remove him from the competition.”
“If you two fools had told me the plan, I would have known what to do.”
“If you had told me your plan to enter the tournament using a guise–”
“Then what?” she asked. “You and my brother would have never let me do this. Just admit it.”
“Well, no, I guess not. But still–”
“Stop worrying. You taught me how to joust. I’ll be fine.” She left the shed with Lark, leaving him standing there alone.
Now he wished more than anything that he had taken the time to train Raven properly. The joust was a brutal sport, and meant for men. No lady, good with weapons or not, would ever survive it. Especially not Raven, since he’d never seen anyone as bad at the joust as she.
Rook stuck his head inside the shed. “I saw my sister leave. Did you convince her to withdraw from the tournament?”
“Nay, I couldn’t,” said Jonathon.
“Well, we can’t let her joust. I guess it is time to tell my father and let him handle this.”
“I wish you wouldn’t. There has to be another way.” If they did this, everything would blow up and everyone’s lives would be affected. Jonathon couldn’t have that.
“Then tell me how, because I’m not seeing it,” said Rook.
Jonathon was about to leave the shed when his gaze fell on the bag with the armor in it. “If Raven doesn’t have her armor, she won’t be able to compete in the joust, will she?”
“Nay,” said Rook. “It is in the rules that every man competing in the joust must have proper protection.”
“Then I’m taking it back,” he said, shoving the helm in the bag and picking up the armor.
“How is that going to solve the problem? She’ll still end up marrying the winner of the competition.
And since I didn’t participate in the second event, I can’t joust, or even be in the tournament at all.
It is a rule that to proceed to the final event, you have to have competed in the first two. Which I haven’t.”
Jonathon saw the tunic with the fake crest on the ground and picked it up. “You haven’t, but Sir Jonathon Nevar has.”
“What are you thinking?” asked Rook.
“I’m going to take over the guise of the Frenchman.”
“Nay.” Rook shook his head. “You aren’t allowed to compete. Besides, you don’t have armor, and I know you won’t fit in Raven’s since it was made for a lady.” He nodded at the armor Jonathon held.
“Nay, I won’t fit in that. I do have my own armor, but it is back in town and there is no time to get it. However, we’re about the same size. Since you’re not going to be using your armor, let me wear it.”
“You? You’re going to win a joust? Hah!” Rook found the thought amusing.
“Mayhap I won’t win, but I have to at least try. I won’t give up Raven without a fight.”
“As soon as everyone discovers who you are, you’ll be imprisoned for posing as a knight. Think of what you’re doing.”
“I no longer care,” he said. “If I have the chance of helping Raven, I will risk my life to do it.”
“How the hell is this going to help her? Even if you did win for some odd reason, you still won’t be able to marry her. You’re a commoner, Jonathon, or have you forgotten?”
“I wish I could,” he said, looking down at the tunic with the French crest in his hand. “I should have spoken to your father earlier like Raven wanted me to. I was a fool, and now I know I’m going to lose her.”
“Then why even do this?” asked Rook. “You will lose everything if you do.”
“I have to do it to prove to Raven how much I really love her. And as for possibly losing everything, it no longer matters. Because without Raven in my life, I will have lost everything that really matters.”