| |
“OKAY, BUT DO YOU need to do three events?” Dresden asked as they walked across the dusty tournament grounds.
People were everywhere. Noblewomen cast furtive glances their way and noblemen poorly hid their surprise at seeing Regulus. Young men caroused and winked at giggling young women. Servants hurried to do their masters’ bidding and freemen shouted to each other as they finished constructing rough arenas and stands with benches for the audience. The air was rank with the smell of horses. A lord whose name he’d forgotten cast a suspicious glance his way, but Regulus squared his shoulders. He had every right to compete.
Regulus stepped around a pile of horse manure. “Define need.”
Dresden rolled his eyes. “I get the joust. What’s the point if you enter a tournament and don’t joust, right? Sword makes sense, even if it’s a touch risky. Archery, though?”
“I’ve been practicing so much, I’d like to see how I do,” Regulus said, a little defensively.
“Archery has never been your strongest point.”
“Then there’s room for improvement. If nothing else, watching the others will give me some ideas.”
“You are a strange man.”
“I suppose you would know, wouldn’t you?”
Dresden snorted. He pointed at a group of men. “Looks like Estevan is getting up to mischief already.”
“Oh?” Regulus looked as Estevan threw a knife at an oak tree and stepped back. “Should have known we’d find him throwing knives. Likely gambling, too.” They ambled toward the group to see how his opponent would fare. Regulus stumbled.
“Is that—”
“Adelaide,” Regulus breathed. Adelaide strode to the post were Estevan had stood moments before. Her blue dress parted as she walked, revealing black boots and fitted breeches. A boy stuck several knives in the post.
“She’s not...throwing knives...is she?” Dresden asked.
Adelaide pulled out one of the knives, hefting it in her hand.
Regulus waved his hand. “Khastallanders teach women to use daggers and throwing knives. So...”
“So she thought she’d compete against Estevan?” Dresden shook his head as they stopped at the edge of the group of bystanders.
Adelaide adjusted her stance, raised her arm. She threw the knife. With a flash of reflected sunlight, it arced through the air and buried in the tree with a soft thud, less than a palm’s breadth from one of Estevan’s knives. She tilted her head to the side, then grabbed another knife. The onlookers, most of whom had been talking and several laughing, had fallen silent. She threw the next knife, then threw the rest as quickly as she could pull them from the post, which was impressively fast. When she finished, she leaned back on her heels, crossed her arms, and grinned at Estevan.
All her knives had landed close to Estevan’s. Three of her knives were practically touching his. Estevan stared at the tree, jaw slack. Silence. Regulus looked back and forth between the knives and Adelaide’s jubilant expression. Her eyes sparkled over her confident smile. Regulus’ heart squeezed strangely. Etiros, I’m in love.
“Let’s hear it for the lady,” one man shouted. The rest of the congregated men cheered, and Adelaide blushed and gave a small curtsy. A few of the men looked downcast as they handed over coins to jubilant friends.
“We have a new winner,” said a man with gray-flecked black hair. He handed Adelaide a handful of coins. “Most impressive, m’lady.”
Adelaide pocketed her winnings and crossed over to Estevan with a smile. “Excellent throwing.”
“You too,” Estevan said slowly, jaw still slack. He shook his head and smiled. “I’m sorry. That was...spectacular. Congratulations, Lady...?”
“Belanger.”
“Lady Belanger.” Estevan’s eyes went wide. “B-Belanger?” Regulus watched in amusement as terrified realization dawned on Estevan’s face.
“Yes...?” Adelaide chuckled awkwardly.
Regulus walked up to them. “Lady Adelaide.”
She looked up and beamed. “Lord Regulus!”
He smiled. “I see you’ve met another of my knights, Sir Estevan Wolgemuth.”
Estevan bowed, although his face was red. “It’s an honor to meet you, my lady, even an honor to lose to you. Reg—Lord Hargreaves speaks highly of you.”
“Does he?” She pushed some of her hair back behind her ear, momentarily hiding her face.
“Never letting you live this down,” Dresden whispered to Estevan. Estevan scowled and went to retrieve the knives from the tree.
Sir Gaius and Lady Minerva came up next to Adelaide. Sir Gaius chuckled and shook his head. “I knew you threw knives, but by my sword, that was something to watch.” Minerva elbowed him. “What? Swearing? Your sister just gambled and threw knives against a man she didn’t even know, I think I can be forgiven for an innocent oath.”
Regulus bowed. “Sir Gaius. Lady Minerva.”
“Lord Hargreaves,” they said in unison as they bowed and curtsied.
“Dresden and I were on our way to see the jousting arena.” He looked at Adelaide. “Perhaps you all would walk with us?”
“We would love to,” Adelaide said.
Regulus smiled. “Excellent.” For a moment, he hesitated. He offered her his arm. She placed her hand in the crook of his elbow and stepped closer to him. Close enough her skirt brushed his leg. He cleared his throat and started toward the jousting arena.
Dresden and Sir Gaius and Minerva fell behind them. Regulus suspected this to be on purpose, probably a design of Dresden’s. But he couldn’t think of anything other than Adelaide’s hand on his arm.
“I thought Estevan was the best knife-thrower I’d ever met.” He chuckled. “I may have to re-evaluate.”
“That wasn’t exactly ladylike, I suppose.”
He looked down at her in surprise. “What? Why not?”
She looked up, brow creased. “Gaius is right. I gambled and threw knives in competition against someone I didn’t even know. Not things ladies are supposed to do.”
“Why?”
Adelaide wrinkled her nose. “I don’t know why. I’ve been asking for years and no one will tell me!”
They laughed and Regulus felt warmth spread through his chest.
“It truly doesn’t bother you?”
Regulus shrugged. “Can I be honest?”
“All right...”
“It was beautiful.”
Adelaide tripped forward and he caught her shoulders. She leaned into his side for the briefest moment, and his lungs squeezed. She steadied herself, returning her hand to the crook of his elbow. He swallowed hard. Forced himself to breathe.
“There was a rock,” she muttered.
After a moment, Regulus continued. “I saw beauty. Confident dignity in your posture. Sophistication in your movements, grace in the arc of the blades. I saw nothing unladylike. Just elegant, mesmerizing strength. You know your own capabilities, and that confidence is attractive.”
Adelaide looked at him sideways, a smile dancing at the corner of her lips. “Attractive?”
His face heated. “I...um...” Panic rose in his chest. Had it been too forward to say that?
“I suppose you called my confidence attractive,” Adelaide said, her voice thoughtful. “So, there’s room for debate on whether I am attractive.”
Their eyes met. In unison, they just...stopped walking. Stood there. So close together. Her lips parted slightly, and he felt the sudden, strong urge to lean down and kiss her.
“No,” he whispered, his voice hoarse. “No debate. Not from me.”
“If we’re being honest,” she murmured, “you’re pretty good-looking yourself.”
His heart thudded. “Better without the scar, I’d imagine,” he said without thinking.
She cocked her head to the side and grinned. “I like it.”
He ran his free hand through his hair, then rubbed the pommel of his sword. His scar? She...liked it?
A woman cleared her throat in an obvious attempt at getting their attention. Adelaide reddened as they stepped back from each other and her hand slipped off his arm.
“Having a good conversation, are we?” Minerva said as she walked up to them with Dresden and Gaius. Dresden winked at Regulus. Hopefully Adelaide hadn’t noticed.
“Yes, actually,” Adelaide replied. “Ahpak, bes bahda dahlen ped, hei neah?” Regulus recognized the Khast but didn’t have any idea what she had said.
Minerva giggled and responded in Khast.
Whatever Minerva had said made Adelaide’s cheeks darken. “Kop reho!”
That he thought he understood. Best guess? Shut up.
Minerva held her pregnant stomach as she laughed again.
Gaius looked at Regulus with sympathy. “They do this sometimes. It’s most unfair.”
“Maybe you should learn Khast,” Dresden said.
“Minerva tried to teach me, but I fear I’m a poor student.” Gaius wrapped his arm around Minerva’s shoulders, and Regulus envied how comfortable and at ease they looked, with her shoulder tucked between his chest and arm.
“Shall we continue?” Adelaide asked, looking as if she had recovered her composure.
“Right.” Regulus nodded. “Nearly there.”
