Chapter Three #2
Maximilian didn’t have time for his father’s histrionics.
He simply grunted and turned back to his steed, mounting the animal as he prepared to move out.
The field marshals were waving him over, so without another word, he spurred his horse toward the field, leaving his father behind.
Disgusted at his stubborn son but also feeling uncertain due to the man’s disbelief over the heart revelation, Claudius headed toward the lists.
Maximilian was well aware that he’d been rude to his father.
He didn’t much care. He knew the man had come to see him married, and, knowing it was something Maximilian had no interest in doing, he’d made up another lie about his health.
As Maximilian had pointed out, it wasn’t the first time Claudius had done that to create leverage in a situation.
Maximilian didn’t know whether to believe him or not.
But this time, his father had brought someone with him who was directly involved in the situation.
Someone meant to force Maximilian into submission.
The widow was here, and she was with Addax, more than likely already in the lists.
He didn’t have any real interest in seeing her, but on second thought, perhaps he needed to simply so he could be prepared when they were introduced.
He donned his helm at the mouth of the arena but didn’t lower the visor because he was looking at the lists. He was looking for Addax.
The man wasn’t difficult to find. Then he spied the woman sitting beside him.
A young, beautiful woman.
Maximilian was peering so closely at her that he almost missed the start of his bout.
*
“See the green shield on that tunic?” Addax said, pointing to de Wolfe as he took up position on the west side of the arena.
“The knight is William de Wolfe, and he serves the Earl of Teviot, so he is wearing Teviot’s standard.
They call him the Wolfe, not simply because it is his name, but because he is as cunning and deadly as a wolf. ”
Emmeline was listening to him intently, looking at the man he was pointing at. A very big man with a big lance, seated upon a big horse as the chaos of the tournament field went on around them.
“He seems quite fearsome,” she said.
“He is,” Addax said, turning to the eastern side of the arena, where Maximilian was making an appearance. “And that knight is your betrothed, Maximilian. With the blue-and-white shield.”
Emmeline’s head snapped in that direction. She could see a knight astride a fat horse, with several servants and squires following him.
So that’s him, she thought to herself.
Her apprehension returned.
As Emmeline watched, a few of Maximilian’s men broke away and headed toward the lists, yelling to the crowd and demanding they give encouragement to their liege.
The crowd responded by howling, like dogs, and when de Wolfe lifted a hand to acknowledge them, they went mad and cheered.
Emmeline looked around curiously at the people around her, some of them bearing small banners with the same colors de Wolfe was wearing.
“What are they saying?” she asked Addax.
He glanced over his shoulder as well, watching the crowd in their excitement. “Since de Wolfe is called the Wolfe, they are howling like wolves,” he said. “Evidently, they have already chosen him as their champion of this bout.”
She looked at him. “Do they do that for every favorite competitor?”
He shrugged. “Mostly.”
“Do they do it for you?”
He nodded. “Every time I compete,” he said without a hint of boasting. It was fact. “You see, every competitor has a moniker, something that makes them more appealing to the crowd.”
“Why is that?”
He glanced at her, grinning. “Would you cheer for a man named John de Vere with the same enthusiasm you would cheer a man called the Wolfe or the Bringer of Nightmares?” he asked.
“People come to the tournament to give them a taste of something beyond their daily lives, my lady. They come to see glory and greatness and excitement not easily found. Giving a knight a nickname is to make him something fabled and immortal, don’t you think? ”
She nodded. “I do,” she said. “What do they call you?”
“The Black Dragon.”
Emmeline smiled. “I like that,” she said. “It sounds very mythical and strong.”
“Thank you, my lady.”
“What do they call my betrothed?”
Addax’s gaze moved over to Maximilian, who was undoubtedly upset that the crowd’s favor had gone to de Wolfe.
“Your betrothed is known as the King of Chaos,” he said.
“We have other competitors known as the Curse, Hades’ Wrath, and the like.
My brother is known as the God of Vengeance.
Those sound more exciting than boring Christian names, don’t they? ”
Emmeline nodded with some enthusiasm. “They do,” she said. “It sounds to me that the tournament is more than simply a man proving his prowess.”
He looked at her. “What do you mean?”
She shrugged, watching Maximilian as he prepared to take his lance. “It is about entertainment, too.”
He grinned. “Very astute,” he said. “It very much is about entertainment. The more you entertain, the more people will return and spend their money. And the bigger the purses become.”
“Then this is a financial endeavor.”
His gaze lingered on her for a moment. “You know something of business, my lady?”
Emmeline smiled weakly. “Given what my husband’s family has done for generations, I have helped my husband manage the mining operations on our lands,” she said. “He taught me how to determine how much product is mined and how much it should be sold for, so I do know something about making money.”
Addax smiled in return. “Impressive,” he said. “To address your statement, aye, this is a financial endeavor for many of us. There is much money to be made, and men who cannot make their fortune any other way compete for just that purpose—to earn a fortune.”
“Including you?”
“Including me.”
“And has it been successful?”
His smile grew. “Verily,” he said. “Now, let us see how successful it will be for Max.”
That bout was finally ready to begin. On the field, the marshals were moving away from the guides, and someone dropped a big yellow flag.
Suddenly, the horses were charging toward one another and the crowd were on their feet.
Because they were on their feet, Addax and Emmeline were forced to stand.
The roar of the crowd grew to a crescendo as the lances were lowered.
The knights drew closer, and there was a deafening crash as de Wolfe’s lance made contact with Maximilian’s left arm and shoulder.
Splinters from a broken lance went flying, and Maximilian was booted off his horse, flipping over the back of it and ending up laid out in the dirt on his stomach.
The spectators went wild.
“Damnation!”
Emmeline and Addax heard the curse, turning to see that Claudius had come up behind them just in time to see his son splayed out in the dust. Before Emmeline could greet the man, he reached out and grabbed her by the arm.
“Come with me,” he said. “Come along, now. Get moving.”
Emmeline was trying, but she was standing on the hem of her dress. Addax was trying to help her follow Claudius, who was tugging on her enough to pull her off balance. Addax was forced to steady her, following the woman and Claudius from the lists as the man mumbled angrily to himself.
Addax wasn’t sure why he was following, only that he didn’t like the way Claudius was behaving.
The man was furious, clearly at Maximilian, but he was taking it out on Emmeline, who was doing her best to be obedient.
He followed the pair out of the lists, into the street that surrounded the arena, and back into the area where the competitors were.
Just as they arrived, Maximilian was coming in from the arena under his own power, but his men walked on either side of him, making sure he wouldn’t fall.
Addax headed toward him, intercepting him before his father could get to him.
“Are you well?” he asked. “Did you break anything?”
Maximilian was pale. “I am well,” he said gloomily. “I just had the wind knocked out of me, but nothing is broken.”
“That is good.”
“De Wolfe cheated!”
Addax shook his head. “He did not,” he said. “I was in the lists, Max. I saw the run, and it was clean.”
Not having Addax’s support in such an accusation shut Maximilian down fairly quickly, but he was still shaken and embarrassed.
“I could not see well through my visor,” he said, shifting tactics because he certainly wasn’t going to take responsibility for his failure. “But I could see the lady in the stands with you, and it was very distracting. You should not have put her in my line of sight.”
Addax lifted an eyebrow. “Aye, she was there,” he said sarcastically. “Her and hundreds of other people screaming and waving their hands, so you cannot single her out as the sole distraction. Accept it, Max—you were simply bested. It has happened to all of us.”
That was true, but Maximilian didn’t want to hear it. Upset that Addax wasn’t supporting his complaints, he spied his father as the man headed in his direction, dragging the lady with him. Before Claudius could say a word, Maximilian pointed a finger at him.
“Had you not come to harass me right before my bout, I would not have been unseated,” he said angrily. “This is your fault.”
Claudius frowned. “My fault?” he repeated, aghast. “You have been on the tournament circuit for years, and the best you can do is fall flat on your face on the first run? I am ashamed of you.”
“Good,” Maximilian said dramatically. “I am glad you are ashamed. Mayhap you’ll go home now, and take that woman with you. I never wanted you here in the first place.”