Fallen Grace (The Death Dealer Book 1) (7 page)

Drake cut in, saying, “Why go to Escion for a horse when the King’s horses are by far the greatest in the kingdom? We have plenty for you here in Ursana that my father will gladly give away as a present to one so fair.”

Grace saw exactly what the knights were doing and found the spectacle rather amusing. The men in Arganis saw her as simply Grace; a pleasant girl who was their friend, as well as the only child of their old lord. She was no prize for them. Watching Tristan and Drake vie for her attention and affection was something new for her, but she could not say it was completely unwanted, especially after the way Katherine snubbed her. Forgetting what happened the night before, Grace’s mind returned to Drake’s dancing and Tristan’s kisses.

Both were handsome, prize-winning knights. Drake was lean and tall, with black hair that hung into his brown eyes. He had a friendly face and she had yet to see him frown. Tristan was equally as lean, but a bit shorter. He let his brown hair grow out a bit longer, yet he was not nearly as friendly-looking as Drake...he had a serious air about him. Grace respected both men as fighters and wondered what they saw in her.

Grace fought back a bit of laughter and composed herself. “My poor horse is a noble animal who was spooked. There is no need to replace her.”

“
If the lady insists,” Drake said. “Allow me to escort you to the jousting for the day. Your cousin is in the first round against the ‘unbeatable’ Sir Benjamin of Salatia. I am sure you do not want to miss that.”

Tristan cleared his throat. “But Drake, you are expected for the first round in the archery tournament today. You mustn’t be late. I will escort Lady Grace to the jousting.”

Grace saw Drake clench his hands, but the smile never left his face. “Right you are, Tristan.” He bowed to Grace. “I shall see you later, my lady.” He stalked away; clenching and unclenching his fists.

“
Shall we?” Tristan held out his arm and Grace gratefully took it.

“
First I must change and put this ointment on.”

“
Of course.” Tristan led her toward the guest wing. “I had hoped to see you yesterday, but it appeared that old man had all your time to himself. That is most unfair to those of us who are young and looking to court.”

Grace avoided his eyes. She didn’t dislike his attentions, and admittedly he was a handsome man. All the games of the high court world in Ursana were still new to her, though. Succumbing to feelings that weren’t genuine seemed unwise and potentially heartbreaking later. Still, she had no way of knowing how young knights such as Tristan felt about these sorts of things. So rather than sharing her true feelings she only said, “He is a seasoned knight and can shed light on all the traditions and rules of the tournament.”

“Yes, Henry certainly is a learned man. But please, allow me to entertain you today, even if it be alongside Henry. For you see, Grace, I am quite taken by your beauty, your gift of shyness and of course, your quiet nature. It would break my heart to not spend as many of my waking minutes as possible with you.”

Tristan stopped walking and turned Grace to face him as he spoke all these words. Flattery…what a strange beast. She searched his face for any signs of insincerity and saw none, but there was a certain hardness and stubbornness in his face. Undecided on Tristan’s exact motives, Grace permitted him to kiss her cheek.

“Afraid someone will catch us?” he asked; resuming their walk.

“
A reputation is easy to destroy, good sir,” was all Grace said in return, though she was not concerned with that at the moment. She was more interested in understanding Tristan and the feelings he claimed to have for her.

~*~*~

Grace arrived on Tristan’s arm to the jousting ring and scanned the crowds for Henry. A day alone in the company of Tristan was a daunting task, as the young knight didn’t seem concerned about being caught and judged by other nobles. Grace, however, still cared and had no interest in becoming more of a social pariah than she already was. Her search for a chaperone was not in vain. She spotted Henry waving to her from the second row of seats.

“
There is Henry of Egona. Let us sit by him.”

“
As the lady wishes.” Tristan led Grace up to sit by Henry.

Henry was shocked to see Grace with Tristan. He hoped she would not get involved with the knights of the court. He respected her because she was different from most of the women who turned out for the tournament, but seeing her with Tristan made him sigh inwardly. He feared if she grew fond of a knight like Tristan, and he fond of her in return, then Katherine would easily sink her talons into Grace. He tried to hide his worried face from Grace as she came toward him. No use fretting over something that hadn’t yet come to pass. “Grace dear, have you and Tristan come to join me? Please sit, children.”

Grace took a seat between Tristan and Henry.

“
Child, I saw your cousin’s manservant, Donald this morning in the stables. He told me about the accident with your horse. I do hope you are all right. It is not nearly as bad as I feared. The way Donald went on, I thought all the bones were broken in your body.” Henry touched one of her bruises gently and then patted her hand. “Though those bruises hide your beauty.”

“
Yes, it is not as serious as Cassandra and Donald are making it out to be; just a scratch.”

Henry patted her hand lightly again and turned his attention to the ring. “This is going to be an excellent match. Calvin is a real natural at jousting, and Benjamin is one of the King’s best. You should be proud to have your cousin competing against a valiant champion such as Benjamin.”

“I am proud of him.” Grace paused. “Yet I worry for Calvin at the same time.”

“
Why is that?” Henry asked; his face jovial and his manner merry. Grace wished hers was the same.

“
Have you ever killed anyone, Henry?” Both Henry and Tristan stared at Grace. Nothing could have prepared them for the question she laid before them. Knowing an explanation was needed, she continued. “I ask only because one day, my dear, sweet cousin could go to war, and he may kill or be killed upon a battlefield. I wanted to know, from a seasoned knight, what is waiting for my cousin.”

“
Child...” Henry touched her cheek softly as a father would. “Do you worry no one will mourn Calvin? Obviously you and your kin will, but you should not trouble your mind with these thoughts. They are dark and dreary for this beautiful day Ciro has blessed us with.”

“
The tournament brings to mind thoughts of war. I want to know what sort of pain my cousin will go through if he should have to kill. Can there be remorse for killing an enemy?” Grace truly did wonder about what would happen should Calvin go to war, but now she only wanted absolution for what happened to her in the dark watches of the night.

“
What silly questions, girl!” Tristan attempted a laugh, but a stern look from Henry stopped him.

“
As a knight of this realm, you too should be asking these morality questions, boy,” Henry said. He took hold of Grace’s hands. “When I was twenty, I went to the Nareroc Islands to help quell an uprising. My squire, who was months from earning his shield, was along. An island native nearly killed him when we were taking the night watch over our camp. To save my squire, I slew the man. He was the first man I ever killed. At the time, I told myself he was the enemy and I was right in my action. But as the years have gone by, I think of the man from time to time and wonder who mourned him, and if my action changed their lives. I saved a friend’s life by ending another’s. Sometimes those are the choices before soldiers; to kill in order to save. Should Calvin see war, this will be before him.” Henry forced a smile, though it was a sad one. “Right or wrong, I did what I felt I had to, and no more can be asked of any man. Is your mind somewhat eased?”

Grace nodded. For right or wrong, she snuffed out the life of a man who threatened someone else. Like Henry, she would now carry the memory until the end of her days.

Tristan said, “The match is about to begin. I, for one, would like to end this most depressing of conversations while the world laughs around us.”

“
Yes!” Henry laughed. “Whole months are dedicated to death and dying. Let us enjoy these days of merrymaking!”

As Henry turned his attention away, Tristan slipped his hand over Grace’s. Grace looked at him with raised eyebrows, but Tristan was looking toward the ring where Calvin and Benjamin appeared at opposite ends. Tristan acted as though this was normal. It didn’t feel normal, but Grace said nothing in objection. Strange as it was, it wasn’t unpleasant.

She turned her attention to the ring; forgetting Tristan’s hand. The herald announced the knights and the two made ready. Grace inhaled deeply and sat upright. This was an important match for Calvin. She had heard from her uncles that a knight’s standing could easily be determined in his first tournament. So far Calvin had won his matches in the joust and sword, but he also competed against lesser noble families and other newcomers to the tournament. A match against Benjamin would show the people what he was really capable of. If he was able to break Benjamin’s lance and score a few points, it wouldn’t matter if he lost. It could possibly show that Calvin was able to hold his own, even with legends like Sir Benjamin of Salatia.

She watched anxiously as the flag went down, the horses charged forward and the lances were lowered. Every second that ticked by took an eternity, until there was a crash and Benjamin’s lance made contact with Calvin’s right shoulder. A point for Benjamin. This meant nothing; Calvin still had a chance to recover and get a point on the other knight.

Again they squared off across the ring. The flag went down and the horses charged once more. Grace watched in slow motion as Calvin’s lance hit Benjamin squarely in the chest with a loud crash. Everything moved far too quickly after that. The next thing Grace saw was Benjamin lying flat on his back and the crowds cheering. Calvin had just unhorsed the finest jouster in the kingdom. Calvin won. All the people were cheering; amazed someone finally unhorsed the famous Benjamin.

Grace jumped from her seat; lightheaded with delight. “I have to go see him.”

“I’ll take you down to him,” Tristan said; taking Grace by the hand and leading her off to where the knights were.

Grace could barely speak. Her excitement was overflowing and it seemed to take forever to walk to see Calvin. It took even longer when Tristan stopped her; pulling her aside as they moved through the stables toward the knights’ area.

“Your cousin did well. No one has unhorsed Benjamin since his first tournament.”

“
I knew he could do it. Calvin has been training his whole life.”

Tristan nodded and suddenly, with no warning, pulled Grace into a kiss. It only lasted a moment, but felt a good deal longer to Grace. Tristan pulled away and continued to lead Grace over to where Calvin was. She was as breathless and shocked as the first time he kissed her. Were these things normal in the court? The boys who stole kisses in Arganis did so after much hand-holding and blushing. It was never so quick or treated like it happened all the time. Tristan looked back to Grace and winked, and stopped her three more times before reaching Calvin to get a kiss.

However, once she saw Calvin she forgot about Tristan’s kisses and rushed at her cousin to throw her arms around him. He hugged back with his left arm. Grace pulled away and moved to hug Donald. It was a bit of his victory as well.

“
Grace, will you be joining us at the sword fighting ring? Calvin is to fight there in less than ten minutes.”

“
Would I miss seeing Calvin win again? Of course I will join you.” She turned to Tristan. “Will you join us?”

“
I am afraid not. I have my own jousting match soon.” He gave Grace a peck on the cheek. “But we shall see each other later.”

Grace blushed, knowing Calvin and Donald were staring intently. The boys she grew up with were not used to seeing Grace being fawned over by men. “I do believe our young Grace is becoming a woman,” Calvin said with a laugh, and then he and Donald started toward the sword fighting ring. Grace trailed them, scowling a bit; knowing they would never let up on the teasing.

~*~*~

Calvin was fighting against Tomas. The knight who Grace saw win the day before had advanced far, and proved to be a worthy opponent. Grace had no doubt of her cousin’s victory, though. The knights stepped into the ring and then it hit Grace: Calvin was not going to win this time.

He held his sword in his left hand. He was taught how to fight with both hands, but his right was dominant. It puzzled Grace why Calvin would switch sword hands now. She looked at his right arm and saw that it hung helplessly at his side. The fight began and Grace knew it was already lost for Calvin.

Calvin’s right arm became dead weight and he could not use it even to block. Grace looked away to spare herself from watching Calvin lose. The fight ended quickly and Calvin stormed from the ring. He was far enough ahead in the sword to stay within the tournament, but he would need to win his next match to stay in. His next match was scheduled in half an hour. Grace and Donald followed him closely all the way back to his chambers.

~*~*~