Startled, she pulled back slightly. That was what he was thinking? About that accursed joust? “He cheated,” she snapped, knowing exactly who he spoke of.
“Cheated?” he echoed, surprised.
“I saw him,” she insisted. “I saw what Julian did. He couldn’t defeat you with a lance, so he rammed his horse into yours, and your horse fell on top of you.”
Edward sighed softly. “Ellie.”
“His horse hit yours and then yours fell onto you. If he had not turned Storm, if he had not hit his horse into yours–”
“He was trying to get control of it.”
Elora froze, replaying the incident in her mind. Julian’s steed had backed, and then he had yanked on the reins, sending Storm into Edward’s horse. “No. He was trying to win. Just as you were.”
“It was hard enough seeing through the rain. Controlling the horses was almost impossible,” Edward replied softly.
“You struck him with your lance twice.”
Edward’s face fell stoically. “I wanted to win.”
“You hit him twice in his shoulder. Hiswoundedshoulder. It was retaliation. He was angry.”
“He should have been angry. No noble knight would have done what I did, hitting his wounded shoulder like that.”
Elora’s stare moved over her brother’s face, his strong jaw, his piercing gaze. What was he saying? During the joust, she’d known he was aiming for Julian’s shoulder. She had been furious with him, but now… he was injured, and he needed her. “Edward…”
“It wasn’t his fault, Elora.” He looked away from her, and his lips tightened. “I wanted to win just as badly as he did. I needed to defend my title. Undefeated champion.” He shook his head. “I’ve never seen anyone joust as well as him. I’ve never seen another with the skills he has.”
“You were scared,” she whispered, trying to justify the indefensible. She stroked his arm to reassure him. Suddenly, her hand stopped as another theory occurred to her. If he would do that to win, had he done other things? “Did you break his lances? Was it you?”
“No! No. I would never go that far.” He looked at her, a haunted look in his eyes. “But I thought of it. For the first time ever, I had a true challenger. He had beaten Osmont and Mace, as well as others. I wasn’t sure if I could beat him.”
She scowled, considering his words. She loved Edward, but that didn’t make what he did right. “You should have tried your best. Matched his skill with yours.”
Edward chuckled humorlessly. “Said like a true warrior.” He stared straight ahead as if reviewing the joust. “Yes. I should have. I should have faced him with honor and with confidence. But when Mace told me he was injured…” He shook his head, blond locks swaying around his face. “It was an easy, sure way to win.”
She shook her head. “What you did was wrong. But that does not make what Julian did right. He purposely hit your horse with his. He hurt you. He could have killed you.”
Edward squeezed her hand. “He hurtyou. You saw an easy way out, too. You used my injury to put space between you and Julian, to force Julian away.”
Elora began to shake her head to deny his words.
Edward tightened his hand until she stopped shaking her head. “Because you knew I would not let you see him. Because you knew you didn’t have a future with him.”
Tears rose in her eyes, blurring his image. Her mind denied his accusation. She had seen what Julian did. And yet, Edward’s words rang true.
“He did nothing wrong,” Edward stressed. “The lightning frightened the horses. He was only trying to steady his steed.” He lifted up on his elbows to be closer to her. “Ellie, he didn’t do it on purpose. He never intended to hurt me.”
Her lower lip trembled. She visualized the joust again in her mind. She heard the rain and the thunder. She saw Julian’s horse stumble, and he jerked the reins to control it. She saw it clearly for the first time. She saw it the way Edward described.
Julian had not meant to harm Edward. He was trying to get control of his horse.
More tears filled her eyes, and her throat closed. She had said horrible things to Julian. She had accused him of cheating. She had said he was not honorable. She recalled the look on Julian’s face, his disbelief, his hurt. Her heart broke for him. And still, there was one thing that eased her troubled mind. “At least he achieved his destiny. He’s a champion now.”
The door quietly opened. Sarah stepped in. “Pardons, m’lord,” she whispered. She glanced at Elora, who stood to greet her. “You both should know Sir Julian forfeited his win. Sir Edward is still the winner of their joust.”
Elora gasped a hitched breath. Julian had forfeited? Disbelief crawled through her. It was his dream to be an undefeated champion. He had worked hard to achieve that. She shook her head in confusion. “Are you certain?”
Sarah nodded.
