Sarah squeezed her back. “I was worried about you when I couldn’t find you in the market. I was afraid your brother would have me drawn and quartered.”
Elora removed her traveling cloak with trembling hands and passed it to Sarah, who put the cloaks away.
Elora was shaking so badly that she had to pace the room and wring her hands. She couldn’t let Edward see her so disheveled. She tried to calm herself with deep breaths.
“I was worried you were hurt. I was trying to find you when some ruffian grabbed me.” Sarah hmphed. “I bet he’ll never do that again.”
Elora grinned, even though the entire event wasn’t very funny. She was grateful Sarah was safe and unharmed. Her racing heart had slowed to a normal beat again, and just in time. They needed to prepare for the parade. For it, they had chosen her newest gown, a beautiful blue velvet dress with golden leaves embroidered on the long sleeves.
Sarah sat her down and began to plait her messy locks.
Elora stared at the table before her without really seeing the basin of water atop it. She again thought of the knight. “That knight. Did you know him?”
“The one who saved us?”
The thought of the knight saving them, of what he had risked by doing so, sent a wave of awe through her. Her breath caught in her throat. “Aye.”
“Ahhh,” Sarah said slyly, twisting a strand of Elora’s hair. “He was very handsome, was he not?”
A smile tugged at the corners of her lips as she remembered his smiling blue eyes.
“And brave!” Sarah added. “He saw you safe and returned heroically into the fighting for me.”
“And then went back for the leather maker!” Elora placed a hand over her heart and sighed softly. “I hope the knight was not injured. I felt guilty leaving without thanking him.”
She had been disappointed when Martin, the leather maker, had returned before the knight. She couldn’t argue with his logic when he suggested taking them back to the citadel. Still, she had wanted to see her rescuer again.
A hopeful idea came to her, and she twisted around to look at Sarah. “Did you recognize him? Do you know who he was?”
Sarah grinned knowingly, placing the thin veil on Elora’s head. “Nay. But I can find out.”
“Speak with Martin and his wife. Ask around, but delicately. Don’t let anyone know I am inquiring.”
Sarah tilted her head, studying her. “You were quite taken with him.”
Elora straightened, her cheeks flaming bright red. “I—I wouldn’t say ‘taken’ with him. I just… I would just like to thank him for his bravery.”
“He doesn’t know who you are any more than you know who he is.” Sarah stood back, inspecting Elora’s hair with her hands on her hips. “Mayhap, he is searching for you, too.”
A thrill shot through Elora at the thought, but then she wrinkled her nose and began to shake her head.
“Imagine,” Sarah continued, “a brave, skilled, handsome knight searching the village for you. How romantic!”
“Sarah!” Elora chastised. “Let us simply find him, so I can thank him before you have the two of us married.”
Sarah grinned. “It would be so romantic.”
Elora could think about romantic scenarios in secret all she liked, but she knew they were far from reality and would never happen to her.
The day was beautiful, and the sun shone brightly as if it realized its job was to make the knight’s armor sparkle. The gentle force of the wind blew away the dust the horses kicked up.
Elora made her way to the wooden stands. She arrived to hear the end of Lord Yves’s welcoming proclamation and quickly inched forward between the other noblewomen to stand at the edge of the wooden fence.
Lord Yves’s voice boomed across the open arena and stands. “…A solemn mission for all who gather here, be they great or humble. Nay, it is an oath. A binding task set upon all who attend these festivities…” The sides of the field were crammed full of spectators who stood elbow to elbow and some even closer. The crowd was so massive there was barely any standing room.
Lord Yves’s voice dropped. Silence engulfed the audience, and everyone leaned forward to hear his next words.
“…The thing you must do above all else…”
