Chapter 57

Adrian’s attention was on the Prince’s opponent. The Prince managed to unhorse him, though even in Adrian’s eyes, he couldn’t help but notice that the opponent seemed to adjust himself in the final moments to allow the fall. 

Adrian truly couldn’t blame him, it was the Prince, after all, he would probably do the same. 

He could only hope his own opponents wouldn’t be royalty.

Then, his attention shifted toward Dexton, who had just broken a lance against an opponent. 

While his opponent had missed his mark, he remained firmly in the saddle. As they rounded about, Adrian saw Bron quickly hand another lance to Dexton. Once again, their lances were leveled forward.

Tension rose, and then, impact.

Thwack!

This time, both lance tips found their targets, but because of the earlier hit, Dexton’s opponent was unhorsed! 

He won!

Adrian clapped, Dexton hadn’t disappointed him after all. The victory reminded him of his own upcoming joust, so Adrian promptly stood up just as he finished his food.

“Ugh... hopefully I won't puke this up,” Adrian thought, taking a final sip of a milky, sweet drink before heading toward the arena.

---

Dexton was examining the emblem in his hand when Adrian found him.

“Great job.” Adrian said, startling the knight.

Dexton straightened and bowed. “Milord, I didn't disappoint you...”

The knight sounded a bit emotional. Adrian sometimes forgot the young man was only 21, and his youthful face was currently full of pride.

“So you did not.” Adrian clasped him on the shoulder, then looked at the emblem in the knight’s hand and whistled. “Your first emblem. What are you going to do with it? You could sell it back for quite a bit of money.”

Dexton hesitated. “If I could keep it, I would... but if the knight offers to buy it back, I suppose I would agree.”

Adrian rolled his eyes. “Don’t sell it if you don’t want to. Don’t worry about the 'later.' Now...” 

Adrian looked out toward the field. “It's time for me to suit up.”

--

Thea watched the game with interest as the grounds were being cleaned for the next jousters. She had to admit, while she was merely curious before, she now truly wondered how Lord Harrow could have come up with such a game.

She was among the ladies seated beside Lord Jayson and Her Grace, Princess Skyla, who were currently engaged in a game of chess.

“You can tell me, you didn’t see that move, did you?” Lord Jayson goaded the princess. As a distant cousin of the Attareus family, he could afford such boldness, Thea thought.

Princess Skyla harrumphed. “Childish. I saw it coming, I just didn’t think the attack would lead to significant results.”

“And yet, you are the one without a rook now, while I still have both.” Lord Jayson said with a leisurely smile.

It was faint, but Thea caught the glare the princess shot toward him. Every so often, an older lady joined their conversation to discuss the match, and Thea resolved to truly ask Lord Harrow how to play the game later. 

She smiled faintly to herself, perhaps she would ask for something more, as well.

“My chances are getting higher and higher against you, Princess. Maybe it’s time to call Lord Harrow again and finally beat him.”

“I doubt it. Besides, I'll be the one to beat him.” The princess responded, moving her knight. Lord Jayson, anticipating the move, slid a pawn into position to capture it.

“Lord Harrow is participating in the jousting, right? When is he due?”

Almost on cue, the knights appeared on their horses alongside their sigils and banners. One banner displayed a broken sword buried in a field. 

Thea looked at the Baron of Harrowfield before glancing at his opponent. She was only faintly surprised, Cedric had told her he had a "little surprise" for the new man she was paying attention to. 

Seeing his opponent, she was still taken aback.

“Sir Harold, the Knight of Precision, is his opponent?” The princess asked, raising a brow.

“Heh... luck is not on Lord Harrow’s side today. Maybe we’ll get him to play a game sooner than later,” Lord Jayson commented.

Beside Lord Harrow and Sir Harold, Prince Leoford was also present, though the crowd seemed to cheer more loudly for the Knight of Precision. 

It couldn’t be helped, it was well known that Sir Harold was a noble from the West who had trained with elves, a rumor Thea had heard and believed to be true.

The horn blasted and the horses galloped. It was a spectacle that made one hold their breath, and Thea finally understood why people loved the joust. 

Then came the explosion of wood and splintering lances. Several knights fell from their horses, including Prince Leoford’s opponent. 

Thea’s brows rose when she saw Lord Harrow still mounted, his lance was destroyed, and he quickly grabbed another from his knight before rounding for another tilt.

His shield was heavily dented, while Sir Harold still cut a fine figure despite his own lance being shattered.

Another round followed, more lances were destroyed, and to the surprise and delight of the crowd, Lord Harrow, a relatively unknown lord, managed to hold on. 

Even through Thea’s untrained eyes, she could see why Sir Harold was called the Knight of Precision, his hits were incredibly accurate and thorough, while Lord Harrow’s aim was slightly off.

Despite this, Lord Harrow remained in his saddle. He threw aside a broken shaft, shaking the tension from his shoulders before grabbing a fresh lance. By this point, they were the only two left on the field, moving onto their third lance.

Their horses surged again. Thea thought this would be the end for Lord Harrow. 

There was a massive impact, the Baron’s arm flailed back momentarily, and he let go of his lance, but he grabbed the reins and pushed on. His shield was a wreck and his chest plate was a bit dented, but he held on!

Meanwhile, Sir Harold actually looked unsteady on his horse.

“He’s tenacious.” Lord Jayson commented.

Another round began, the fourth lance, and likely the decisive one. Their war beasts thundered across the field, lances leveled, and then..

Thwarck!

The lances exploded on impact and, to the shock of the entire assembly, it was Sir Harold who tumbled off from his horse!

Lord Harrow had won!

The crowd fell into a momentary, stunned silence before Lord Harrow took of his helm and raise his hand, the crowd erupting into a deafening roar. 

It seemed the Knight of Precision had met a man who simply refused to break.

--

Adrian removed his helm with a groan. His body was aching and a little numb, and his head felt dizzy, but a wave of warmth washed over him until he felt fine again.

He had won.

Tucking his helm under his arm, Adrian guided his horse back toward the staging area. He noticed the crowd’s lingering surprise and, after a moment’s thought, he smiled and raised his hands high! The spectators seemed to love the gesture, and their cheers reached a deafening roar.

Adrian slowed his horse, allowing himself to enjoy the attention. He didn't normally like being the center of notice, but this wasn’t his territory, and he likely wouldn't return here for a long while once the tournament ended.

Soon he reached the starting point and dismounted. “Nice job, Furley.” Adrian said to his horse. 

The animal neighed and nudged his hand, clearly looking for a treat.

“Make sure he eats well,” Adrian told Bron, who took the reins. Dexton, who had assisted him during the joust, approached with a grin.

“As expected of milord! You’ve beaten a famous knight.”

“I intend to win the whole thing, so I’ll be beating plenty more famous lords and knights.” Adrian replied. As Dexton helped him strip off his armor, Adrian clicked his tongue at the sight of the dented chest plate. 

“Make sure this gets fixed, otherwise, I’ll have to settle for a standard set.”

Dexton nodded and handed the plate to a servant to be sent to a trusted blacksmith. Adrian stretched his limbs, some ache remained despite the healing, but overall, he felt physically fine, his mind however was a little tired.

Soon, another servant approached him, this one dressed in much finer clothing. “Lord Harrow... for defeating my master’s knight, he sends this.”

The servant bowed and presented a large emblem. It featured a prominent arrow set against two mountains. Adrian searched his memory for the symbol, but he couldn't place it, there were simply too many houses in the kingdom to keep track of.

“Neat.” Adrian took the emblem and examined it, noting it was made of more than just gold. 

He felt a flicker of pride, holding it like a trophy of his achievement. Now, he truly understood Dexton’s excitement.

As the servant turned to leave, Adrian spoke up. “Tell your knight that if he wants this back, he can come for it.”

The servant looked surprised, gave a quick nod, and departed.

“Will you continue to watch the matches, milord?” Dexton asked.

“Of course. Lord Corvus and Lord Bennet haven’t tilted yet, and I plan- how can I help you?” Adrian cut himself off when he noticed yet another servant in fine clothing approaching.

“Lord Harrow, Lord Jayson Edwards requests your presence, provided you are able.”

Hearing that, Adrian was nearly tempted to fake a coughing fit or a sudden injury, but he resisted the impulse. 

It wasn't easy. 

However, he wanted to keep watching the games, and he certainly didn't want to earn the disfavor of a Duke’s son.

“Lead the way.”

His joust was over, yet as he followed the servant, he found himself bracing more than he had when he’d faced the Knight of Precision. 

Truly, socializing with those higher rank than him was the more formidable enemy.