An Outlaw's Honor by Terri Brisbin

Author:Terri Brisbin
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: Medieval
Published: 2020-06-12T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter Eleven

Le Govic moved closer to the railing and held out his lance in her direction. His mount snorted and tried to rear up, as obnoxious in his behavior as his rider. Le Govic’s smile now was more a leer than anything else. Knowing she must play her part while she prayed for the outcome she needed, Annora reached into her sleeve and pulled out the small wisp of veil that Margaret, God bless the woman, had urged her to take.

“Sir Laurence,” she said, nodding at him as her stomach threatened to rebel. “I wish you a successful battle.” And may your opponents drive you to the ground and batter you to pieces. With her false smile firmly in place, she reached over and tied the token on his offered lance.

“I will bring you—us—great honor, my lady,” he called out. She tried to control her reaction to his words, especially his use of the word honor, but thought the wince might have been seen. Her father’s rough pinch to the back of her arm told her so. Annora straightened up and nodded.

Though the cheering from the crowd watching covered most of what he said, Annora’s father whispered into her ear. In every word, she heard the sound of her father’s desperation, for clearly, he was involved in something that was about more than this affair. Even more dangerous than tying her future to that of Le Govic.

Something dark swirled around them here at this momentous gathering. Something that seemed to involve the very balance of power among kingdoms and nobles. A whispered word here. A suspicious glance there. Small conclaves where words were guarded. Oh, something was going on here at Lord Yves’s tournament, and Annora knew her father was in it deeply.

Soon, the thunderous pounding of the horses’ hooves echoed in her own heart, and she turned her attention to the two knights there on the field. Le Govic was bigger than his opponent, but the other knight did not hesitate to charge him. She prepared for the crash of the lances into armor as they drew closer, and even knowing it would happen did not diminish the shock of it.

Gasps, shouts and cries filled the air as those watching jumped to their feet as they waited to see if either man would fall. The crowd’s keen disappointment echoed across the lists as both men kept their seats, lances unbroken, and looked none worse for it. It took little time for the le Govic and Sir Robert to return to their starting places and begin their charge once more. Annora held her breath and prayed.

Le Govic injured so that he could compete no more. She would have wished for a more permanent end, but she dared not tempt the Almighty with such a plea. So, le Govic knocked senseless on the ground, with possibly a broken arm, was what she asked for instead. Truly, any injury that would prevent him from fighting with Thomas or hinder his chances of winning against the man she wanted to win.

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