Bella – The joust
My father was scornful after the incident, but he wanted to keep the rumours to a minimum so treated me as normal in front of anyone that we came across. My father was a cold man and we rarely spent time together anyway, so it didn’t make much difference. I kept thinking about John, and being locked in those prison cells. I daren’t ask, but I heard that he was been spared his life in return for his silence about the real reason that he was down there.
It had sparked a new desire in my father to get my eyes gazing towards more suitable men, men that he would be happy for me to be with. He cared a little about my own happiness, as long as his daughter married someone who wouldn’t be an embarrassment to him, he’d be happy. That’s why he set-up a jousting tournament which would involve some of the finest bachelors around, namely the three Sanyek brothers.
They were coming over to the castle for the tournament, but it was clear it was for me to spend time with more suitable suitors. Not that I cared too much, they were three men I was more than happy to spend my time with. That wasn’t always the case, this has happened before and my father has arranged days with men that I couldn’t stand the sight of, so this was a welcome change. Also, I did enjoy the battle of the joust, it was a fun way to spend the day.
The three brothers would be there; just they wouldn’t be competing against each other, which was never allowed. I was looking forward to watching them trying to impress, but their battles wouldn’t be much of a spectacle. They tried to keep it a secret, but men of the prince’s authority often played with a loaded dice so to speak. Their lances would be heavy and solid, whereas their opponent was given a lighter and hollower lance. The crowd were never aware of the difference. It just meant that the prince’s couldn’t get hurt too much; the same couldn’t be said of their opponent.
It was a clear, beautiful day and my father knew how to put on a show. The whole village loved these events and being able to cheer the knights on like a mob. It was my job to meet and greet the knights and wish them luck for the day. I was rushed through the lower-level soldiers who were used for such events to spend more time to speak to the more esteemed members of the day. I came to the three brothers and smiled, they all smiled back.
“Which one of you is going to impress me the most today then?” I always had fun playing people against each other, everyone is so competitive. “I’m sure that’ll be me” said Isaac, the alpha male of the pack. It didn’t surprise me in the slightest that he’d be the one to talk first.
“I’ll try my best” said Ralph, always one step behind his bigger brother. He was sweet, but he wasn’t as strong in mind or in body as his other two brothers. I always thought that he might be a different man when he was on his own, he relied on them too much.
“And what about you Josh?” I had to ask him directly, he was shy and I always made him feel a little awkward which I played on. He looked like a god in his armour, I wondered how the sheer weight of the metal needed to cover his body wasn’t too heavy, but one look as his muscles would give the answer to that, no problem for him. “I just want to win the contest for you princess” I knew he liked me, I could see it in his eyes, when he had the heart to look at me. A huge goliath of a man who would take anyone in this place could barely look at me, I found that strangely nice.
“Well, just make sure you don’t get hurt. I was hoping we could spend some time together later.” Isaac winked at me, Ralph smiled and Josh stared straight ahead. I was escorted to my place next to the king in the stands, ready to watch the jousting unfold. Usually I’d be interested in all the contests, but not this time. I was impatient to see the brother’s in action. Usually there’d be a tournament involved between the soldiers, but at times like this it was just an exhibition to show off prince’s and higher ranking members of the army. A one-on-one battle to happen before my eyes.
The first up to go was Isaac, desperate to impress. I knew he liked me, he’d told me a few times before but I always wasn’t too sure how I felt myself. I liked him, but his arrogance was a bit of a turn off, but there was a lot about him that I liked. As he lined up on his starting spot, he looked up towards me and smiled before drawing down the grill on his helmet. The countdown started and hush grew over the crowd so they could hear the announcer. When he gave his starting orders, the crowd would instantly cheer and support their rider. In tournaments they were free to support who they liked, in these kind of battles, they needed to support the high ranking jouster.
You could hear and feel the thud of the horse’s feet beneath the crowds, and it was like a heartbeat. As the two riders got closer and closer, you’d hold your breath waiting for impact. It was such a rush, even though Isaac had the more powerful lance, there was still a good chance he could get hurt. Just before impact, I could see Isaac was in control, sometimes riders could have perfect control over the heavy lance and the heavy horse, Isaac had that, his opponent didn’t. He drew it up and hit his opponent squarely in the chest and instantly knocked him clear off the horse, perfect shot. His opponent was receiving attention on the ground, but looked fine except for the big dent in his armour. Isaac was riding around, soaking in the applause.
Next up was Ralph, he also looked up to make sure I was watching. I gave him a little wave of encouragement. The usual hush descended on the crowd and the starting orders were given. Right from the start you could see that Ralph was battling with both lance and animal. In these instances, it’s enthralling to watch as you’re left on the edge of your seat wondering if they’d be able to sort it out in time. As they got closer, it was clear that Ralph hadn’t been able to sort his problems. He was hit in the shoulder and his opponents lance smashed into a thousand pieces on impact. Ralph fell to the ground an immediately tried to get up and was assisted by some servants. His opponent didn’t gloat, it was the wise thing to do. He’d just embarrassed a prince, he just wanted to get out of the spotlight.
Next up to the field was the mysterious Josh, who almost looked as big as the horse itself. Most men would carry the lance under their arm the whole way; it was heavy and hard to control. Josh was just holding onto the middle of it while he manoeuvred into his spot. Tucking it under your arm and keeping it in place was a job for two hands, but not for Josh. He didn’t look up at me, he looked straight ahead with a serious expression on his face.
The horse he was on was as black as night and one of the biggest I’d ever seen. It was a formidable sight, I can only imagine what his opponent was thinking at the other end. He started riding and with one hand, tucked the lance under his arms, and drew his hand to the bottom of it into the correct position. All men struggled with the lance, but to Josh it looked as though he was moving a toothpick. His horse was fast, and the sound of its hooves galloping along the ground was loud, and felt like and ever-increasing heartbeat. His opponent was in control too, his lance was raised and aimed directly at Josh, and it looked like one of those moments where both men could be hurt.
In one motion, Josh swept his lance across, knocking this opponent’s lance to the side. Josh swayed his head making sure it was avoided, before thrusting his lance straight into the face of his opponent. It was horrible and exhilarating to watch in equal measure. His opponents head snapped back in vicious fashion, and his body went limp. The horse continued for a few steps until the poor man’s lifeless body dropped off the side of the animal. He was immediately seen too and carried away. I hoped at that moment it was just a bad concussion, I wasn’t too optimistic; it was a sickeningly powerful hit. Josh didn’t celebrate, he never did. He just rode back to the stables, victorious, as he always was.
After the games, a feast was held for the royalty and the high ranking army members involved. Josh was greeted by a myriad of various people all congratulating him on his battle. He treated it with humility, not wanting to gloat too much and expressing concern for his opponent who he annihilated. He seemed to dislike the attention and it was amusing watching him trying to usher it away, he just wanted to sit down in peace. When the admirers had moved on, I was still looking at him. He looked back and smiled, I smiled back. Isaac loved the attention, trying to pretend that his performance was as impressive as Josh’s. He was lauding his perfect shot and how he wishes that he could enter a tournament. Ralph on the other hand, was left on his own, feeling his shoulder every now and again which was obviously still sore from the blow he took.