Blinding Beauty (14 page)

“
I think that we will be late if
we do not hurry.” Without another word, he placed his hands around
her ankle. Blue fire briefly danced around it until he let go.
Taking her hand and then placing it in his arm a little more firmly
than necessary, he strode out the door, dragging Isa along with
him.

He still hadn’t spoken by the time
they’d reached the stands, but Isa knew all she needed to know. He
had seen her failure to grow, to thrive in her new position as
queen, and the disappointment on his angular features was written
as clearly as with parchment and ink. He also knew the fire in her
eyes was fading. If he was disappointed in these things, how could
she ever get him to share what was bothering him so with King
Rafael? How could she prove she was worthy to know?

CHAPTER
FOURTEEN

One and the
Same

Disappointed with Ever’s disappointment in her, Isa sighed
and studied the stands around her. The stands themselves formed
three quarters of a full grand arena, with the fourth side missing
completely. The palace guests had already filled the majority of
the stands by the time Ever and Isa were seated. The men elbowed
one another and pointed at the gathered competitors at the bottom
of the arena, while the ladies made faces at the biting wind that
blew in from the northeast and mussed their hair.

For once, Isa was thankful to have
been singled out as a guest of honor, for that meant being
sheltered in a tent-like covered box in the center stands with the
royal family. She slipped the princess a small smile, and to her
delight, the girl sent her one back.

Princess Olivia had also changed
since the tea, and was now dressed in a sunset orange gown that
matched her mother’s. Isa nearly smirked to herself. The princess
put up a good show of being timid and submissive, but after
watching her up close, Isa knew that whatever her fate, Princess
Olivia was unlikely to go quietly.

The queen was busy chatting in low
tones with one of her ladies-in-waiting, and the king was nowhere
to be seen. Which reminded Isa, neither was her brother.

“
Where is Launce?” Her question
seemed to briefly pull Ever from his dark musing, enough for slight
misgivings to flick across his face.

“
He’s with the other
competitors.”

Isa stared at her husband blankly
for a moment before his words sank in.

“
Wait, he is truly competing in
the games?” Panic and anger filled her as she stared at Ever in
disbelief. “He can barely lift a sword properly! You said so
yourself! What in the blazes is he doing in the games?”

It was Ever’s turn to look
startled as the salty language fell from her lips, but at the
moment, Isa didn’t care. “Isa, others can hear you. Please keep
your voice down. You heard the king invite him last
night—”

“
And I didn’t think you would be
foolish enough to allow it!” She wouldn’t have cared if the whole
kingdom heard her, except that she knew her words could affect
Launce. “And I know this wasn’t his idea!” she hissed. “Everard, if
he gets himself killed out there for the sake of your
curiosity—”

“
The games are not designed to
kill!” Ever raised his own whisper slightly in defense, and Isa
sent him her most withering glare in response. Ever ran his hand
through his hair, a sure sign that he felt guilty. “I’m sorry, Isa.
But...” he paused and closed his eyes, as though admitting
something against his will. Still, his words were slow, as though
he were choosing them with great care. “Something is wrong, but I
do not yet know what. I needed eyes in the stables. He’s already
gathered useful information. As soon as we know what Rafael is up
to, I will pull him out.” He finally looked at her directly, his
gray eyes probing her for any sympathy she might harbor. “I
promise.”

Though the look he gave her
threatened to soften her heart, Isa couldn’t quite voice
forgiveness yet, or her blessing. If he would just tell her what
was wrong, they might have avoided all of this. But for all the
repentance in his eyes, Ever was clearly not ready to share all of
his worries with her yet. Isa finally turned sharply to stare down
at the competitors on their horses, searching for her brother. She
couldn’t find the Fortress’s colors, and from a side glance at her
husband, she knew he was thinking the same thing.

“
So, Everard, are you ready to
watch the Maker choose the heir to my throne?” the king’s voice
boomed and made Isa jump. Ever’s only response was a grunt, but
Rafael didn’t seem to notice. Instead, he walked to the edge of the
large wooden platform they sat in and made a flicking motion with
his hand. In response, trumpets blared, and the chattering in the
stands died.

“
It’s not every day that we get to
see the Maker in action!” Rafael called out, his voice echoing
through the arena. “But today we have one of the Maker’s very own
holy men to guide us through the journey of choosing my next heir,
the future husband of this kingdom’s precious flower, my daughter.”
He turned and threw Princess Olivia an adoring glance before
turning back to the people.

“
The contestants will be competing
in three events. A joust, a melee, and the final contest, which
will be announced at the end. The general regulations will take
precedent in combat. May the Maker’s man win.”

The crowds roared as a herald
announced the first contestants, and the king sat down with a thump
in his chair between Queen Monica and Ever, a satisfied smile on
his face.

“
It seems you couldn’t care less
for the first two events,” Isa heard Ever murmur to the king.
“Usually you can’t wait for the combat.”

“
And miss the fun of the holy
man’s challenge?” Rafael shook his head and clapped Ever on the
shoulder. “Oh no, the first two events are merely children’s play.
The third event will truly tell me who the Maker has
chosen.”

“
So my brother is fighting for no
true purpose?” Isa blurted out, unable to conceal her disgust any
longer. The king looked at Ever, his wide smile wavering on his
face.

“
Of course, it is important for me
to see the combat skills of the future king as well.”

Ever snorted at Rafael’s mention
of combat skills, and Isa took a deep breath to prevent herself
from saying anything she might regret. The insincerity in the
king’s voice was thick, and Isa tried to satisfy herself with
ignoring him and studying the competitors below.

Isa had never seen a tournament
before. The Fortress never held them, not that she would have been
important enough to watch one until recently. Still, she’d heard of
the violence they often showcased. In Soudain, she’d had neighbors
who traveled and witnessed them in other lands. The town boys would
run through the streets reenacting scenes of bloody carnage as they
pretended to run each other through with long sticks. As the first
contest began, however, Isa realized with some relief that the boys
had indeed been exaggerating.

“
This is a joust,” Ever leaned in
to explain as the first round was begun. “There will be two men,
one on each side of the divider. They will ride towards one another
and each will attempt to knock his opponent from his hose. When a
man falls from his seat, he is disqualified.”

“
This is ridiculous. I’ve never
heard of anything so barbaric and pointless in all my life.” Isa
crossed her arms.

“
They were once meant to help
knights practice their battle skills, but I agree. To make them
public makes light of war, which is why we don’t host them at home.
You need not worry though. They are not allowed any further combat
besides the initial attempt.”

“
That doesn’t guarantee someone
couldn’t make a killing blow.”

“
Their lances have been checked by
the games keeper beforehand. Nothing sharp is allowed upon the
field. This is simply a test of skill, to see who would be the
victor in an actual battle.” As Everard spoke, Isa grudgingly found
herself slightly relieved that there were such rules. Still, the
horses rode fast and hard, and even with the rules, the palace
healer was called out onto the field often. Isa was thankful to see
that Launce was not among the contestants during the first match.
Not that it would make a difference when he fought. She didn’t want
him fighting at all.

Holding her breath, Isa suffered
through joust after joust for Launce to ride out onto the field for
his turn.

“
Where is he?” Ever muttered. Just
then, the herald paused as he read the names, looking
confused.

“
The next contestants are Josepha,
Earl of Faunton of Giova, and... Armand.”

Whispers moved through the stands.
It was unheard of for a rider to list only one name. This
contestant not only listed just a single name, but also claimed no
place of origin, nor a family name. Just Armand.

Which happened to be Launce’s
second name.

Of the two men that rode out onto
the field, neither wore the Fortress’s colors. The first wore
Giova’s red and gold, but the other was dressed in the most
peculiar armor Isa had ever seen. From Ever’s expression, he
thought it no less bizarre. The knight’s armor, from head to toe,
was made of a polished bronze, so bright it hurt to look at in the
afternoon sun, and his horse was the largest and fiercest she had
ever laid eyes on. Despite her anger, Isa was sure her eyes were
failing her completely, so she leaned over and whispered to her
husband, “Could that be—” Before she finished speaking, however,
the knight in question fumbled his weapon so badly it fell into the
mud.

“
It is,” Ever said, rubbing his
temples in wide circles.

The copper knight now had the
attention of King Rafael, who had until then been talking with the
queen and ignoring the tournament in general.

“
Who is this?” he asked Ever, his
mouth falling open as he peered closer.

“
He wears no kingdom’s colors,”
Ever said, glancing at Isa. If the king had been paying attention,
he might have realized that Launce was the only contestant who had
not yet been announced, but from the way Ever had looked at her, it
appeared that keeping this knowledge from Rafael would work best to
Launce’s advantage.

Isa’s breath sped and anxiety made
her stomach flutter as she watched the copper knight make his way
to the end of his lane. Their mother would faint if she could see
Launce right now. There was a reason her family had never
apprenticed him out to the blade smith who had requested him as a
boy.

As the signal was given, and the
two opponents positioned themselves, Isa found herself fervently
whispering prayers of Launce’s preservation.

The signal was given. Launce’s
opponent sped forward, poised, sleek as a fish through the water as
the two men approached one another. Launce sat straight up, and it
was easy to see that he struggled to hold his weapon properly. As
they raced forward, Isa fought the need to close her
eyes.

The two met in the middle.
Launce’s opponent’s weapon landed with a solid thud directly into
Launce’s chest. Isa cringed as his opponent’s weapon splintered
upon impact. Launce fell from his horse, landing on his shoulder at
an awkward angle. He lay there for a long moment, but when he stood
unevenly and limped off the field, Isa finally let out a sigh of
relief and sat back in her chair, suddenly exhausted. She could
hear the chatter around her begin about the unfortunate, unusual
knight, as the king declared the winner, but she couldn’t care
less. He was alive, and that was all that mattered.

The next sport was ground combat
with the sword, but instead of a duel between two men at a time,
all of the contestants would participate at the same time,
according to Ever. It was easy to pick Launce’s bright copper suit
out as the contestants tumbled around the ring. Isa sent up a
prayer of thanks as Launce stayed near the outside of the ring, and
the other competitors seemed to leave him alone. She wondered if
they’d figured out early on just how helpless he truly was with a
sword.

“
If he would have just allowed me
to train him, this might have turned out differently,” Ever
mumbled.

“
My guess is that he had no desire
to even be a part of this,” Isa replied, pausing for Ever to
challenge her assumption. But he did not. “So it should not matter
whether he wins or loses.”

“
It doesn’t,” Ever said, “but he
might have been a little less humiliated in the
process.”

To Isa’s great relief, the king
announced a winner soon after, and declared that it was time for
the third and most important event. Guards herded the contestants
out of the clearing, and the king raised his hands once again. Isa
noticed a gleam in his eye as he spoke, one that seemed just a bit
too bright.

“
This will be the final and
greatest challenge of them all! Three days, the contestants will
have, to lay claim to my daughter’s hand and to my throne. Three
days and three of these!” He held up what three apples that
appeared to be made of solid gold. “Whomever shall present me with
all three of these apples, given by my daughter’s hand, shall be my
heir, chosen by the Maker.

“
Before your eyes, you will see
His hand working through the holy man as has not been done in
thousands of years.” Isa felt Ever stiffen beside her. His jaw was
set like stone, and the gray in his eyes was nearly eclipsed by the
blue flame that leapt inside them.