“WELCOME ONE, WELCOME ALL! TONIGHT WE HAVE A very special show at the Castle!”
Somehow Chris has finagled his way into the MC’s role tonight. His voice booms out over the loudspeakers after the last bunch of fanfare has ended. Len and his court, including Jett, are already in the royal box. Layla, Alex, Mags, Penny, Lizzy, and I wait in the arena hallway. Our horses whinny, nervous about the new riders. Eric Taylor, in full Green Knight gear, doesn’t bother hiding his scorn as he twists around on his horse to stare daggers at us.
“You are going to make fools of yourselves,” he says.
“Maybe we should’ve practiced on these horses,” says Lizzy doubtfully, as her horse shakes its head. She looks wobbly in the saddle.
“Steady, Silver Knight,” I tell her.
She insisted I ride out as the Red Knight, saying that way people will recognize me from my video, so we pulled her costume together out of what Jett ordered for me online and other bits and pieces from the locker room.
“You can always quit,” scoffs Eric. “I’m sure they won’t miss one more Girl Knight.”
“We’re more of a gender spectrum of Knights. And I’m going to relish knocking you off that horse,” says Alex loudly. “Think Roller Derby meets the Middle Ages.”
“You’ve not got much more experience out there, Eric,” calls out Layla. “Try to stay on your horse.”
Eric blanches at that thought. Before he can say anything, Chris calls out: “First, fair folks, we have the Green Knight!” Chris sounds almost bored and the crowd cheers lightly.
Eric digs his heels into his horse and gallops into the arena.
“Wish me luck,” says Layla, who’s up next. She pulls her helmet on and sits up tall in her saddle. The Blue Knight’s tunic is big on her, but she holds the reins steady, looking like she belongs there.
“You’ve got this.” I smile at her.
“Next, let’s give a boisterous Castle welcome to a fierce warrior who’s better at horsemanship than anyone in the far reaches of the kingdom, THE BLUE KNIGHT!” Chris’s voice is louder this time and he revs up the crowd.
Layla’s grin is electric as she digs her heels into her horse. She rides into the arena, confident and radiant.
We cheer with the crowd as she does her first loop.
“Next up, all you folks over here in the Yellow section, make some noise for your champion, the very tough, very talented, very tenacious Yellow Knight!”
Alex pops their helmet on their head and grips the reins. They ride out to loud cheers and do a flashy circuit around the arena.
Next is Mags, fighting as the Purple Knight. Then Lizzy as the Silver Knight. Then Penny—looking amazing in the Black-and-White Knight costume with her hair streaming silkily down her back.
Finally it’s my turn. My horse—the ever trusty Shadowfax—and I are alone in the dusty hall that leads to the arena. For a moment, it’s two weeks ago and I’m waiting for my first gallop into the arena.
But this time, excitement, not nerves, grips me.
Chris riles up the crowd and I can feel the buzz of their voices from here. “Last, but never least,” he practically screams into the mic. “You’ve seen her videos. Now it’s time to see her fight again! Ladies and gentlemen, KIT SWEETLY, FIGHTING AS THE RED KNIGHT!”
I kick my horse forward and ride out into the dazzle of the arena. Screams and cheers surround me, amplified a thousand times in the large space. I guide Shadowfax around the arena in a loop, past my grinning friends and a scowling Eric.
“Time to start the show,” Chris yells into the mic. “First, let’s joust!”
HORSES GALLOP DOWN THE PITCH. ERIC JOUSTS AGAINST Mags. She bites her lip, steadying her hand. Although we have the moves and who-wins-what choreographed and planned with each other, Eric’s a wild card. Our primary objective tonight is to stick to our own routines and knock him down as many times as possible.
Which should be fun.
Mags steers her horse down the pitch, lance balanced so precisely it almost skims along the top of the tilt. Eric’s arm shakes as he holds the lance, but his mouth is set in a grim line.
They smash together with a great thud. Eric sways in his seat for a moment and then he slides out of the saddle. Mags’s section goes wild, shouting for her and waving their purple banners.
Eric’s horse goes riding off, and he slinks to the side of the arena.
Layla faces Alex next. They grin as their horses run toward each other. As they did with pool noodles at the laundromat, Alex and Layla come together, their lances barely missing each other. They do two more rounds and then Layla unseats Alex, as they’ve practiced dozens of times.
Next it’s my turn, and I’m supposed to ride against Penny, but somehow she’s slipped into a round with Lizzy. Once they battle, Eric lines up his horse again. So, okay then. Me versus Eric. We’re doing this. I settle my lance against my side and Shadowfax and I fly toward Eric.
It feels like déjà vu—me versus the Green Knight in the arena—but I knock him off his horse on the first try. This time he doesn’t slink away. This time he charges toward me, swinging his sword. It’s not technically time for ground fighting, but if Eric wants a fight, I’m game.
Before I can leap out of my saddle, Lizzy and Layla are at my side. They chase Eric to one side of the arena, and both of them do the complicated dismount and roll that Lizzy’s been practicing for so long. Lizzy charges Eric first, but then she steps aside, so Eric and Layla can swordfight.
Layla’s smaller than Eric, but she’s faster and not shy about tripping him. They fight, swords clattering into each other. Layla sweeps out his feet and then Eric’s on the ground.
The Blue section erupts in cheers as Layla stands over Eric, hands over her head. She yells her triumph and we cheer with her.
We put on a magnificent show. The crowd is totally into it and they roar their approval as Penny catches all the rings with her lance, Alex dominates the melee, knocking all of us down, and Lizzy pulls off a fancy horse trick that I didn’t know she’d been practicing.
I even manage to throw a favor to Jett.
He grins at me, and I swear my heart turns to pudding in my chest.
There’s a grand fanfare when we’re done, and then all six of us slide off our horses and turn toward where the people from Corporate sit. Chris hands me the mic and I wave to the crowd as we all take our last bows.
“Hello, Chicago! I’m Kit, the Girl Knight!” I shout to the crowd. “We hope you enjoyed the show! People of all genders have been fighting for centuries, in places all over the world. But you’ve not heard their stories. Here at the Castle, we think it’s high time for a change.”
Layla, Alex, Penny, Lizzy, and Mags wave from their horses. The crowd goes wild, and the five of them grin so widely I’m certain their faces will hurt tomorrow.
I introduce each of them, and it warms my heart to see a bunch of Girl Scouts on their feet, screaming and cheering for us.
“We’re the new face of the Castle,” I say. “We hope you enjoyed the show and for now, good night to you all!”
We all bow one more time, except for Eric, who stands on the sidelines scowling. Then we ride off.