The Last Dance (29)

Definite shout out to all the people who guessed what John's smirk was for; a few of you even got it right. Kudos! I had fun writing this chapter of course, but I can't wait for the next when I finally get to write about... the ball!! Yay! I'm sure you're all as excited as I am, or perhaps more since I actually know what's going to happen muahah. Enjoy!

Comment and Vote?

Cheers,

xo.

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Recap:

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I grimaced slightly and stood closer to Mira and Lily, who were talking with just as much excitement about the Balls.

Great, both conversations I wasn't particularly interested in participating in.

"Why so quiet Cee? Aren't you excited? How far do you think you'll get?" David asked rapidly, without giving me a chance to answer anything.

"You know, I don't think I've ever actually seen you joust Cee, when do you practice?" Luke cut in.

I smiled lightly at them, about to answer when John cut in, a huge smirk covering his face...

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Chapter 29 - Tourney

"You want to tell them or should I?" He said gleefully.

Though I knew it was childish, I couldn't help but punch him lightly on the shoulder since he was obviously enjoying this way too much.

"Tell us what?" David asked suspiciously.

John looked at me once to see if I was going to say anything, and when it was obvious I wasn't his smirk grew even wider.

"Jousting is the one thing our Celia can't do."

I shrugged like it was no big deal when everyone's jaw dropped open.

Besides being a little embarrassed it wasn't a huge deal. No one could be good at everything, not even me, though it wasn't for lack of trying.

"How did you know about that anyway?" I asked John curiously while the others recovered.

He grinned. "I saw you attempt it once a long time ago. Priceless" He said with a chuckle.

I frowned. "You mean to say you saw me fail at something and didn't make fun of me for it?" I asked sceptically.

That didn't exactly fit with the impression I had of him before we became friends.

"I was going to, but then you looked so upset after I couldn't bring myself to do it" He said sheepishly.

I almost cringed, caring more that he'd seen me upset than being bad at something, until I remembered things had changed.

And even before they'd changed he'd had the decency not to do anything about it.

Impressive.

"You mean you actually had a heart back then?" I said with fake surprise.

He rolled his eyes at me even as a faint smile tugged at the corners of his lips.

"Shocking isn't it?" He said sarcastically.

That got a laugh out of the others, reminding me of their presence. Strange, I always seemed to forget people were around when I was talking to John.

"Well, come on then Johnny, let's go sign up on the lists" Luke said before dragging him away.

When they were far enough away Mira and Lily each grabbed a hold of one of my hands.

"While they are doing that, we have to go start picking out dresses for the ball."

My eyes widened and I immediately tried pulling away from them, ready to run away if I had to, but their grip on my hands stayed firm and kept me in place.

I pouted, trying to figure out what I could say to get out of this, as they forcibly pulled me in the direction on the castle.

"Is it really necessary to look now? The Ball is still a week away" I reasoned desperately.

The last thing I needed was an afternoon getting fitted for gowns and picking out colors. I shuddered at the thought.

Mira tsked at me while Lily shook her head.

"The Ball may be a week away, but it's also five days long, and it will take time for all those gowns to be made"

They both laughed at the sullen expression on my face while continuing to pull me towards the castle tailors.

***

The next few days seemed to almost melt away as everyone in the castle became increasingly excited about the upcoming tourney and High Ball.

Quintaines lined the field from one end to the other, keeping the practice courts full from dawn to dusk with potential applicants.

A large circular area was roped off with stands erected halfway around.

Pavilions in all colors littered the grounds from the castle to the village, with their banners snapping proudly in the wind.

For my part, I spent the hours hiding out in my forest glade, they only place I could find even a modicum of quiet.

Mostly I stayed out there to avoid the burden of getting gowns for the ball.

I thought the one day I'd spent there would be the end of it, but I was sadly mistaken. If anyone caught sight of me I would be dragged off for fitting after fitting.

Like I really cared what I would be wearing, girls dressed up so they could find husbands, and I most definitely was not looking to get married.

I wished I could slow down time, freeze it somehow on the moments when I could just laze around with Mira and Lily, watch the boys practice their jousting, or duel with John, but of course it couldn't last, and all too soon it was the day of the tourney.

***

The sky was clear and promised to be a warm day, good conditions for the matches to come.

Despite the fact that I would only be on the sidelines, I couldn't help but be feel excited for the day's events.

The stands were already filling with court ladies and the men either too old or inexperienced to compete.

All the fiefs were represented, their standards flapping proudly in the gentle breeze.

Many I'd never seen before; a white stag on an brown field, a bronze helm inside a green wreath, and so many more they looked like rows of glittering jewels planted in the earth.

Farther away across the field I caught sight of the banner for fief Etrian; a red mare rearing against a blue background; meaning that Anna and Charlie would be around here somewhere.

I thought with a pang how I'd left things between us, when she'd been right all along.

And of course, raised higher than all the rest, the Realms golden banner baring the sword plunged partway into the ground against a rising sun.

I worked my way through the milling crowds, weaving in and out of knights frantically arming up.

The tent flaps were closed when I approached, and I carefully pulled one to the side, making sure I wasn't interrupting anything.

John was sitting at the edge of a chair holding his head between his knees. His gaze flickered up once briefly to meet mine before falling back to its original position.

I let the flap drop shut behind me as I made my way tentatively into the makeshift room.

Just as I got near him, he sprung up from his seat, a cheerful expression plastered across his face; obviously for my benefit.

I grimaced to show him I wasn't buying it, and his face immediately fell into a slight frown.

"Nervous?"

He scoffed.

"Of course not" He said before he half turned away from me, busying himself by polishing the shield laying across a little cot with the rest of his armour.

I rolled my eyes at his back, hearing the lie in his words.

"It's okay to be nervous in your first tourney you know."

"I'm not nervous" He insisted "It's just... there's a lot of people out there" He finished with a shrug.

Ah, there it was; the real problem.

"A lot of people to make a bad impression on?" I guessed.

He turned to face me and nodded wearily.

Now that I could see him properly I saw how pale his complexion looked, and the faint bags under his eyes.

"It's not that I expect to win or anything... but suppose I get unseated in the first run?"

"That won't happen. I've seen you practice, you'll do just fine."

He half smiled. "Think so?"

"I know so" I said with a wink.

He laughed and began pulling his chainmail on.

Once he was all armoured up he walked over to a basin of water and splashed his face a few times before turning to me again.

"Wish me luck." An 'I'll need it'  seemed to be implied.

"That reminds me! I brought you a good luck charm."

He looked momentarily stunned while I pulled out a thin white gold chain. Hanging from it was a ring of mine set with an amber jewel.

I felt suddenly embarrassed at the gesture and handed it to him awkwardly.

His face broke into a smile, the first I'd seen all day, as he took it from my grasp, his fingers brushing lightly against my own.

I felt myself blushing slightly as he put it around his neck and tucked it under his armour.

"Thanks Cece" He said quietly and leaned down, brushing his lips against my cheek. "But you're the only luck I need."

I bit my lip as my face grew hotter and watched as he walked out of the pavilion, the flap falling back into place behind him.

In the quiet left behind him I could hear my heart beating rapidly and stayed inside a few moments longer to compose myself.

When I walked out my eyes sought him out immediately, to find him talking to a group of knights.

Whatever doubt and weariness had shown in his face before was gone now; replaced with a confidence I'd never seen before.

He talked easily, and smiled often, seeming to charm his guests while playing the gracious host.

It was obvious they felt comfortable around him, and not intimidated by his being the Prince.

This was the first I'd seen of him really playing Prince. It made me realize how different he always acted around me and all our friends. Even now though, I couldn't see him as my Prince, he was still just John.

He caught my gaze for a moment and a smile tugged at the corner of his lips while he continued in his conversation.

I shook myself out of my reverie and headed towards the stands so I could find a good seat.

I kept a lookout for Anna, but still couldn't see her anywhere in the milling crowds. It was especially hard to from here since most people had begun to make their way over to the stands.

A waving hand caught my attention and I made my way over to Mira and Lily. The seats filled up around us rapidly, clearing the view before us.

Across from the field a scoreboard was set up, with all the participants and their opponents for the first round.

On either side a few riders were cued up on their horses, while the rest took seats around the scoreboard, away from the main audience.

Sitting at the very top of the stands were the King and Queen, and right at the edge of the field was a panel of three judges. In the case were no contestant lost his seat after three runs, the judges would chose a winner based on the power of blows and marksmanship.

A trumpet blew in three short bursts signalling that the first match was starting soon. The loud talking changed to a quiet buzz of anticipation as the last people without seats hurried to find some.

The first two riders walked their horses into the arena, while an escort held their banner up high for the audience.

There were scattered cheers from the fiefs the men belonged to. Two heralds met each of the riders while they mounted up and donned their helms. The banners were exchanged for lances while the heralds recited a quick overview of the rules.

Finally, the list was cleared and the first trumpet blared signalling the first run.

On cue, the riders charged towards each other, their lances held steady between them. They both crouched low in their saddles, gaining moments before coming together in a loud crash.

Loud cheers rose up from the crowds as they screamed for their favourites to win.

The second run had the challengers crashing together in an explosion of lances, splinters flying through the air to scatter the ground.

Finally, on the third run, one of the men was unhorsed, and the other declared winner. I cheered along with the rest of the crowd as the matches continued.

Occasionally I saw familiar faces, and cheered all the louder when both David and Luke had their chance in the lists.

David unhorsed his opponent on the second run, while Luke was declared winner for technique when neither he nor his opponent left the saddle.

On several runs Mira and I leaped from our seats to cheer louder when a rider did exceptionally well. Lily winced and covered her eyes whenever a rider flew from his saddle to land with a heavy thump on the ground.

Men took their defeats graciously and took places among the crowd to watch the next match.

It was near mid morning when the hush fell over the audience. I stopped talking abruptly to see what had caused the sudden quiet when my eyes fell on John entering the lists.

Of course, this was the most anticipated of the matches. Many people had never before seen the Prince of the realm. I could understand now why he'd felt so much pressure this morning.

The stands were unnaturally quiet as he rode into the field, as if everyone held their breath. Sir Corry had the honour of holding his banner and stood proudly beside him, either unaware or unbothered by the lack of noise.

A herald rode out to meet them; going through the same motions he had for the other riders.

The field was cleared again and I waited at the edge of my seat for the trumpet to sound.

Finally it did, and silence was replaced with the thundering of hooves pounding down the field.

They came together in a fearsome crash, both lances shattering on impact, to loud cheers from the audience, which had seemed to regain its voice.

The men rode back to their starting lines and were handed fresh lances.

Again, the trumpet blared, and again the riders charged down the field.

I crossed my fingers, and waited anxiously for the impact. I saw John's opponent slap back into his saddle and only barely manage to keep astride.

It all came down to the third run. I watched tensely as both men once again rode to their starting positions.

Another silence enveloped the crowd as the trumpet sounded once more.

Both horses raced down the field, faster than either of the runs before. They collided right in the middle of the field accompanied by another rain of splinters from John's shattered lance.

I thought it would be up to the judges then, but to the surprise of many he didn't veer away from his opponent.

Keeping up his momentum John met his opponent with his shield up. His opponent lifted his shield up only a fraction of a second too late, deciding the match as he flew out of his saddle.

A deafening cheer, louder than all the rest rose from the stands, swelling with intensity like a wave.

Scattered cries of 'Hail the Prince' ripped through the air and were quickly taken up by the audience in a loud chant.

Mira and I had leapt to our feet and hugged each other in our excitement, screaming the chant with all the rest and laughing from relief.

John dismounted and walked over to the fallen knight, offering him a hand up from the ground.

The knight stood up and they shook hands before heading off the field in opposite directions.

I could tell, from the roar of the crowd, that regardless of who won today's tourney, it was this match that would be the most remembered.

Only when the next riders had cued up did the audience finally begin to settle down again.

I kept my eyes on John as he rode up to his friends, receiving praise and slaps on the back. I would have gone down there to congratulate him myself if there was any way for me to get out of the stands.

After a few moments his eyes turned to the stands and immediately met mine.

I smiled at him from across the field and saw him wink in return, putting a hand up to his chest where the chain I'd given him rested.

***

The matches continued well into the afternoon as more and more riders were defeated. David made it through three more matches and was finally unhorsed in his fifth while Luke only made it to the third.

John surprised us all, with one victory after another, and never failed to have the audience jumping to their feet in applause.

After every match he would grin up at me from across the field earning me raised eyebrows and nudges from both Lily and Mira. Fortunately, they were the only ones who seemed to notice.

It wasn't until near the end, when the tourney was winding down to the last four matches, that John was finally beaten. And even then, he didn't lose his seat; only losing from the judges decisions.

He bowed to the audience from his seat and walked out of the field with his head held high to a cheer nearly as loud as from one of his wins.

He still looked for me in the stands, shrugging slightly at his defeat, but his smile wasn't dimmed in the slightest. I knew he was happy for having made it so far.

We were bathed in the light of sunset when Mason Friedan was named Champion of the tourney. He was a young man with armour not nearly as rich as many of those he'd defeated. He'd become a crowd favourite early on, winning his matches gracefully and often quickly.

There was a short ceremony in which he was met by the King and Queen who presented him with a garland for his victory. John stood by his parents and greeted the young knight like an old friend.

As Champion he was allowed to make one request of the King as a reward. When he couldn't think of anything, the King offered him the honour of being squire to the Prince.

He looked overwhelmed at the offer, eyes shining in delight at the idea as he was given the title before the entire court.

After the ceremony everyone made their way to the back of the castle where rows of tables had been set with food and attendants circled around with glasses of wine and sparkling cider.

Musicians had been hired for the entire week and played soft melodies so that the castle guests could talk and mingle.

I was able to lose Mira and Lily quickly in the groups of partiers and walked along the castle wall, trying to duck out early before I was missed.

I had almost escaped when an arm wrapped around my wrist, stopping me from going any further.

With a grimace I pulled my arm free and turned to face a smirking John.

Of course.

Who else would it be?

"Trying to run away are we?"

"I would have succeeded too if you hadn't so rudely stopped me" I grumbled.

He laughed and turned to speak to the man slightly behind him, who I only just noticed standing there.

"You'll have to excuse Cece, social gatherings make her grumpy."

"Only because it's an excuse for palace ladies to stand around and judge me" I said haughtily.

He grinned and pulled his friend to his side so that I could see it was his new squire Mason.

"Mason, I'd like to introduce you to Celia Rhodes, our resident Lady Knight" He said with a half smile.

"Nice to meet you Mason, you were excellent in the lists."

"Thank you. May I ask why you didn't ride?"

"I'm afraid it's not one of my talents."

"And thank goodness for that, we men need to salvage our pride somewhere" John cut in.

The three of us talked for a while, Mason acting more relaxed around the Prince by the minute. I suspected it had something to do with the fact that I didn't treat John anything like a Prince.

Now that I thought of it, that may have even been the reason why John introduced Mason to me before anyone else.

"Well John, if I've humoured you enough, I'd like to make my escape now. I'll need all the time I can get to mentally prepare myself for tomorrow"

Both boys laughed. "Alright, I suppose I can let you go now. I should probably go act like a Prince now and greet all the high lords and ladies who are no doubt trying to plan my wedding to their daughters as we speak."

His tone was light, but I still caught the undertone of worry in his voice. It had brought uncomfortable feelings to me as well, but I tried my best not to let them show.

"Until tomorrow then Celia" Mason said with a quick smile.

"Unfortunately" I muttered with a frown.

"'Night Cece, try not to rip up your gowns in the night."

"Would that get me out of attending?" I asked hopefully.

"Not likely. I'm sure you're friends have extras hidden away, and my mother would be happy to lend you her old ones" He said with a smirk.

I walked away grumbling under my breath about that ball. Whatever else might happen over the next five days of the ball, one thing was certain.

John would never let me live down wearing all those dresses.