Chapter 56

Adrian spent the afternoon out among the town and the tents, where the people were livelier than ever. The betting pools were already open, and Adrian had Bron place a bet for him on the tourney.

Although the list of competitors wasn't final yet, with more newly arrived knights and lords still registering, Adrian, being a lord who had arrived a few days early, didn’t need to line up. 

People already had a good idea of who would be participating. Though only the famous lords and knights were widely known, Adrian learned for the first time of someone called the Knight of Precision. 

Apparently, he was a noble from the west who traveled often and was renowned for his great skill in jousting and supposedly trained by the elves.

Bron returned and, as Adrian expected, reported that Adrian wasn’t a well-known contender. His title, the Butcher of Laluga, was spreading though, Adrian suspect it came from his guards, but people didn’t think much of it. 

This suited Adrian perfectly, as he didn't like the title anyway.

Afterward, he sparred and toured the grounds before the grand feast began. 

It was larger and louder than the feast held to welcome the royal family, which Adrian liked, it allowed him to be more inconspicuous than usual.

That is, until trouble found him.

“You gave it to the princess?”

“It was my honor to give it to the princess…” Adrian said. Lady Thea chuckled faintly at his effort to hide his dry tone.

“You’re not used to speaking formally, are you? You’re so stiff.”

“I have much to learn.” Adrian replied.

“It’s alright, you can be casual with me. Seeing as you’ve sort of connected with the princess, Lord Harrow’s demeanor is surely acceptable no matter what.”

Adrian took her up on the offer and gestured with his head toward the lord glaring at him from a distance. “What’s the deal with you and Lord Cedric?”

Lady Thea covered her mouth. “Wow, you really went right into it?”

“I’m just doing as the lady demands.” Adrian smirked.

“Hm…” Lady Thea tilted her head at that, then answered, “We used to play together as kids when our families met. Sometimes we would sneak out and just spend time… together.”

Adrian raised a brow at the word "together," sensing an underlying meaning, but he didn’t speak out.

“And during my sister's wedding… he asked me to marry him.”

“And you declined.” Adrian finished for her.

“And I declined. He’s been acting like the same eight-year-old brat ever since.” Lady Thea smirked.

“And now you’re here with me instead of socializing with other ladies or with him… bringing unwanted attention to me.” Adrian looked at her.

Lady Thea chuckled. “Oh, I’m sure the great Lord Harrow, Butcher of Laluga and creator of a game that caught the interest of the princess and a Duke's son will do just fine.”

Adrian was about to speak when he noticed Lord Cedric approaching from the corner of his eye with a small retinue. “Oh, your hopeless lover is coming over.”

Lady Thea chuckled again. “Oh, you are such a delight, Lord Harrow. Teach me the game sometime, yes? If you'll excuse me then…”

Adrian tried to leave as well, but Lord Cedric had already arrived.

“Lord Harrow… how did your talk with the princess go? And Lord Jayson? I heard you spoke with them this morning.” Lord Cedric said.

As Adrian had already been asked this several times, he gave his standard answer. Then, one of the lords beside Cedric, a friend, it seemed, spoke up.

“Lord Harrow, you’re participating in the jousting and melee tomorrow, right? Why don’t we make a bet?”

“I’ll have to decline.” Adrian said quickly, wanting no part of their company.

That seemed to take the lord by surprise, causing him to stutter. Lord Cedric spoke up, sneering.

“Is Lord Harrow scared?”

“No, just not in the mood to entertain these type of things.”

That seemed to anger the group, though Adrian didn’t regret not entertaining them, and try as he might, his lips couldn’t help but curl at them. Before they could speak again, Adrian cut them off.

“Please tell me you won’t say something along the lines of, ‘You don’t know who I am,’ or, ‘You’re going to regret those words.’ Or, heaven forbid, ‘Good luck tomorrow, we have something planned for you’? Cause I read those lines on the book, tales of knights and lords.”

By the way the lords stiffened, it seemed he had hit the mark. Adrian let out a long sigh, like a father tired of his children’s antics.

“I look forward to tomorrow, lords. If you’ll excuse me…”

Adrian expected them to call him back, but was thankful when they didn’t. It seemed his words had affected them more than he anticipated. He hoped they wouldn't try to pay him back later, but at this point, he was just waiting to see what they had in store.

The grand feast continued, finally ending in the middle of the night before the next day arrived.

----

The second day began with the jousting. It was early morning, and a massive surge of people already surrounded the arena.

The lists were set for six tilts, meaning twelve competitors would ride at once. When the turn order was announced, Adrian found himself in the third heat, after twenty-four others had already tilted, while his knight, Dexton, was in the second.

“So, how much are you lot betting that Dexton loses?” Adrian asked his guards as they made their way toward the noble stands.

“I’ve already wagered half my coins that he won’t last past two lances,” Bron said, being the most outspoken of the bunch. This drew a round of chuckles from the others. 

Dexton stared flatly at the men before speaking. “If I lose and shame my lord, I will simply work harder… and make sure you guards follow my new training.”

The laughter stopped instantly, replaced by groans, while Dexton let out a laugh.

“Don’t worry, guys.” Adrian consoled them, though a smirk played on his lips. “If I lose as well, I’ll truly make sure everyone trains just as hard as I do. Try to keep up.”

That silenced Dexton’s laughter, while the other guards huffed a laugh, suffering was acceptable if everyone’s on it. They knew all too well how relentlessly their lord could push himself.

Soon, only Adrian and Dexton remained as they entered the noble seating area. Because they were running a bit late, they had to settle for seats at the edge, which suited Adrian just fine. The jousting began shortly thereafter, six men against six, all clad in fine armor with their emblems emblazoned on their near their shoulder plate.

Emblems were a sacred tradition in the Kingdom of Sunhaven, supposedly started by one of the first knights of the kingdom. 

In a joust, if a knight unhorsed his opponent, he would receive that knight's emblem as proof of victory. Some knights would sell these tokens back to their original owners, while others kept them as trophies of their combat achievements. 

Adrian had commissioned emblems for himself and Dexton, though his own had only cost three pounds to strike, he knew its true value lay in the name of the House it represented, not the emblem materials itsel.

The thunder of galloping hooves soon filled the air as lances were leveled and the first impacts commenced.

Thokk!

“Hoo!” 

“Take him down!” 

“Come on!”

Adrian clapped when he saw a knight in green, who looked nearly dazed after the first pass manage to unhorse his opponent on the second by catching him completely by surprise.

The matches moved quicker than he expected. Soon, Dexton rose from his side and gave a deep bow. His casual attitude was gone, replaced by the grim focus of a warrior.

“I won’t shame you, milord.”

Adrian clasped the man’s shoulder. “Good luck.”

As Dexton departed, Adrian turned his attention to the last pair still jousting. They were on their fourth lances now and it was clear both were at their limits. Their horses charged one last time, the lances exploded into a cloud of splinters as it hit their shields and chest and both men were thrown from their saddles simultaneously. The crowd roared at the spectacle.

The match ended in a draw.

While servants hurried to clear the grounds, Adrian leaned back, feeling a bit hungry. He contemplated walking to the stalls himself but realized he might miss Dexton’s turn. Then, remembering he was a lord, he signaled a passing servant.

“Oh, hey… can you do me a favor? Buy me some roasted meat and something to drink. Keep the change.” Adrian fished a few shillings from his pouch and handed them over.

The servant blinked at the generous tip and bowed quickly and hurried off.

The food arrived just as the next set of knights grabbed their lances. Looking at the large, greasy half-chicken on his plate and the heavy tankard in his hand, Adrian hesitated. 

He just now realized if eating a heavy meal right before his own match was a good idea, but then he simply shrugged and took a bite.

The jousting resumed, but everyone’s attention was fixed on one of the twin princes, Beoford. 

He wore the most ornate armor Adrian had ever seen, more suited for decorative armor than for protection. The crowd cheered louder for the prince than anyone else. A horn blasted, horses galloped, and then impact.