“There is no need,” I responded, still breathless.
“I shall do it anyway.”
That evening, Branford made good on his promise.
*****
Branford joined Ida and me in the stands the next day to watch the tournament. His mood did seem to improve markedly in tandem with the number of times he partook of my flesh. He was still somewhat aloof and…well…surly, especially when Sir Leland, the knight with the blue griffon symbol, was fighting and winning more matches. Sir Parnell managed to win the final joust and would go on to the final round of hand-to-hand combat in the morning along with Sir Leland and another knight from Peaks—Sir Rylan. Ida was beside herself with pride, especially since Parnell was competing in his own lands. The home crowd cheered their lord as he rode around the edge of the arena, and Ida held her pennant up high, waving it frantically as he took off his helm and blew her a kiss. She squealed, earning her many disparaging looks from the other nobles near us, but she did not seem to care or even take notice.
“I want to check on Romero,” Branford said, “but I will first congratulate Parnell on his win.”
“I have his carrots here,” I said. “I would like to get away from the crowds for a while. I could meet you at his stall.”
“Ida, would you accompany Alexandra to the stables? I would rather not have her wandering around alone. I shall be there shortly.”
“Of course,” Ida said with a smile. Branford leaned over and kissed my cheek before taking his leave of us. Ida and I made our way through the crowd and down the platform’s wooden stairs.
“Oh! My pennant!” Ida suddenly exclaimed. “I left it on the bench.”
“Go ahead and retrieve it before it is lost,” I said. “We can meet in the stables.”
“Are you sure? You could come with me.”
“I would rather not go back through the crowds,” I explained. “I can already see the stable door from here, and I will be perfectly fine for a few minutes.”
“I will be quick,” she promised and then disappeared back into the crowd.
I walked into the barn and was immediately assaulted by the intense smells surrounding the horses. I had entered the opposite side of the building this time, and Romero's stall was at the end closest to me. I could not help but smile at his impatient nicker when he saw my approach. I reached out and stroked his nose as he gobbled the carrots out of my hand.
As Romero enjoyed his treat, I became aware of a group of three men at the far end of the barn. There were so many stalls, and the barn was so long, I could not hear what they were saying, but I could see the three of them tilting back tankards of—presumably—ale and laughing loudly. One tall man with short cropped, blond hair seemed to be directing the others in conversation and laughing the loudest. He leaned against the side wall of the stall, facing my direction. The other two had dark hair and were older than the first. They were likely all competing knights though I could not see them well enough to identify them. I assumed they were celebrating the outcome of today’s games. They quaffed their drinks and looked inside the very last stall on the same side of the barn as Romero’s quarters. As they peered inside the stall, they would laugh heartily and often.
I tried to ignore them though I did notice they seemed to glance over at me frequently. I tried to keep my focus on Romero as I fed him his snack and wondered what was taking Ida so long to join me. The knights were still speaking to each other as they stood near the opening to the last stall in the row, but I still couldn’t make out any of their words. Their laughter grew suddenly louder, and I let myself look over to them.
As I looked, another knight—one I had not seen before, with long brown hair tied at his neck—rose from the stall where he had been hidden behind the dividing wall. He stood there a moment, staring at the ground before laughing loudly and taking a few steps backwards. I could tell his hands were moving, but the wall of the stall blocked my view, and I could not see exactly what he was doing. The tall, blond knight leaning against the wall of the stall clapped one of the dark-haired knights on the back. The knight quickly removed his sword and scabbard from around his waist and then entered the stall, dropping down below the edge of the wall and out of my view. Laughter and cheering ensued again.
Confused, I tried to ignore the rowdy group as Romero finished his carrots and nuzzled his fuzzy nose against my palm, looking for more. It tickled my skin, and I squelched a giggle. He allowed me to scratch the top of his nose and run my hand over the smooth hair along his neck before he bored of me and went back to his bucket of oats. I took a step back from the stall gate and looked down to the laughing knights again.
All four of them were now standing outside the stall, and the dark-haired knight was again donning his sword. They spoke louder now, and I could make out some talk about meeting at Sawyer Inn later in the evening. With their plans made, three of the four left, but the blond one stayed behind. He was still looking into the stall. At once, he finished his drink and threw the tankard into the straw.
“Make yourself presentable,” the knight said, seemingly addressing the ground inside the stall. “Then fetch my horse from the farrier.”
With that he turned on his heel, briefly glanced at me through narrowed eyes, and walked out of the stable.
As my curiosity got the better of me, I walked slowly down the line of mostly empty stalls. When I reached the last one, I looked inside and gasped at the sight before me.
There was an angelic-faced girl there, perhaps two years younger than I. Her short, dark hair was hanging in her eyes, and her face was covered in sweat. Her simple dress was torn in the front, exposing one of her young, rounded breasts. She was curled up on her side and used one hand to try to cover the top half of her while the other worked to pull the skirts of her dress down to cover her bare thighs. I could see the remnants of what must have been her undergarment, torn into shreds on a pile of dirty straw. Tears were streaming down her face.
And that is when I realized what the knights had been doing.
~End Book 3~