Chapter 156

The princess was anxious. She was trying to hide it, but it was still obvious to those who knew her best. Since Eli had known her most of her life, he certainly fit in that category. Even from the far end of the arena, he could see how white her knuckles were as she squeezed the railing in front of her, and even when she sat down, the rigidity in her back let him know she was tense.

He wished she would calm down. While there was always a small amount of danger involved in a jousting tournament, none of the Representatives were willing to actually harm one another as Landon’s gesture to help Gavin up off of the ground should’ve assured her.

But Kit wouldn’t be able to relax until they were all back at Castle Wrenbrook safe and sound. He hoped there would be no more jousting tournaments during the Choosing if Kit was going to be so concerned the entire time. The point of the event was to give her an indication of the strength and sportsmanship of each of her remaining men, not to give her heart palpitations for an entire afternoon. Kit’s consternation was a genuine sign of how much each of the remaining Representatives meant to her.

She was gorgeous. It was difficult for him to take his eyes off of her at all, and jousting in front of her had proven to be challenging with those sparkling blue eyes burning into the side of his head so intensely he could feel them through his helmet. Princess Katrinetta looked lovely in anything, but in a long orange gown, her hair blowing in the autumn breeze, and her cheeks pinked from the sunlight, he couldn’t imagine her ever looking more beautiful. It wasn’t the first time he’d had that thought, though, and she’d surprised him many times by proving him wrong. Thoughts of the first time he’d seen her undressed came to mind. He pushed them away before his state of distraction became even more burdensome than the unbearable condition from before he thought of her nude.

All he had to do in order to change his disposition was turn his head to the right and take in Queen Rona. His stomach churned just thinking about her, let alone looking at her, sitting there on her royal dais, that look of smugness about her. At least she wasn’t glaring at him now as she had been earlier, when he’d won his second match. He was well aware that Rona hated to be ignored, and since she’d gone to all of the trouble to send for him early that morning, to make sure he understood his primary objective was to lose as quickly as possible, it was no surprise she was angry now.

Of course, he had said he would do his best to honor her wishes, but even before he began the tournament, he knew he couldn’t possibly throw it. In the past, there had certainly been times when he’d done whatever Rona asked in order to protect Kit. Now, with the opportunity to actually compete in a jousting tournament, something he’d never gotten to do before, his pride wouldn’t allow him to roll over and die, especially since he was fairly certain the only person who would be punished was him—and not the princess.

Rona was out of hand anyway. He shifted back and forth slightly on the balls of his feet trying not to let his muscles tighten up as Danyen and Drake prepared for their first pass at each other. In the past month, Rona had been biding her time, trying to detect exactly how deep the duplicity within the castle ran, and while she was starting to figure some of it out, there were people she would never guess could possibly be plotting against her who would be the first to stab her in the back. Eventually, this would all come to a head, and Eli only prayed that Kit wouldn’t be harmed in the process, though he was certain it would take an emotional toll. How could the princess plan a coup against the crown when she couldn’t watch a jousting tournament without squeezing the armrests so tightly she was bound to have bruises on her hands?

They’d find a way, though. It had to happen. The more investigative work Eli did, the more he began to realize just how dire the situation was in the realm. Money was coming in by the carriage load, but it appeared as if very little was being used for public works. It may have been going out just as quickly but not to take care of the citizenry. Exactly what Rona was doing with it, he couldn’t be certain. But he’d find out. And as for the citizens who were being taxed beyond their breaking point without benefit of a queen who would do what was needed to make sure they had what they needed in order to survive—navigable roads, clean water, enough money left over from their hard work to keep a decent home, feed their children, and survive—many of them were beginning to grow weary of an inefficient crown.

Kit was the hope of the realm, and now that she was beginning to see that for herself, Eli would do whatever was needed to ensure that she was able to claim the crown, sooner rather than later, even if it meant the ultimate sacrifice for him.

But not today. Today, he wasn’t doing the queen’s bidding. He would fight for his own honor and his family name, and while he was fairly certain he could beat just about any of the other Representatives, a quick glance at the man standing to his right made him nervous. Cassius was much taller and broader than Eli. It was also apparent he’d been around horses his whole life. Eli was sure he’d have to face off against the Representative from Warchester Keep eventually, and when he did, defeating him would be a real challenge.

The two contestants currently at odds collided on opposite sides of the tilt, and Danyen’s lance splintered into the air. Drake’s fell from his hand and skidded along the top of the tilt before falling to the ground, almost tripping Danyen’s dappled stallion. The horse recovered, and the queen awarded one point to Danyen. It annoyed the hell out of Eli that the princess wasn’t allowed to score the match herself, but at least she’d been allowed to choose a victor in the last round.