Page 88 of Picking Up the Gauntlet

“You will have left him no choice. With all the nobles here today, if he let Jonathon get away with it, he would probably be stripped of his title and mayhap even his lands and castle.”

“That wouldn’t happen.”

“Oh really? Well, what do you think is going to happen once the rest of the nobles tell the king what your father did? You are putting him in a very uncomfortable position.”

“Oh no,” said Raven, feeling the tears welling in her eyes. “I never asked Jonathon to do this, I swear. I don’t even know why he is out there.”

“Could it be because he loves you and is trying to keep you from getting hurt or possibly killed?” asked her mother in a knowing manner.

Raven’s attention flashed back to the tiltyard. She saw the men charging at each other in the first pass. Jonathon’s lance broke on Whitehead and he was awarded a point. Everyone cheered and she breathed a sigh of relief.

“Do you really think that is what will happen if he wins?” asked Raven, not wanting to believe it.

“I know so,” answered Devon. “I had hoped you would talk to your father and handle this in your own way, but now I see I should have intervened.”

“Mother, what am I going to do?” Raven felt terrified, and not for herself. In her haste she had been selfish, and wasn’t thinking about Jonathon’s future without her. “I might have just condemned the man I love to death.”

* * *

Jonathon felt so alive that nothing could bring him down at this moment. He had scored the first point against Whitehead and it felt damned good. He wasn’t a knight. Far from it. But he had been a mercenary for a long time. And in that time, he’d learned fighting skills to keep him alive. This time he wasn’t fighting for himself. He was fighting for Raven.

He rode over to Rook who was waiting for him with a fresh lance. Raising the visor, he laughed.

“Did you see that?” he asked Rook. “Who would have ever imagined I could do that?”

“It was quite impressive,” said Rook, handing him the lance. “Do you think you can do it a few more times?”

“I’ll do whatever it takes to make sure Whitehead doesn’t win Raven’s hand in marriage.”

“Jonathon, stop,” called out Raven, rushing over to him. Lark was a little ways behind her. “Don’t do this. You need to forfeit right now.”

“Damn it,” grumbled Jonathon, seeing Raven heading over to him. “Rook, you need to keep her quiet and away from me.”

“Like I can?” asked Rook raising his palms in the air.

“Stop,” said Raven once again, approaching Jonathon out of breath, since she had run all the way down here. “I can’t let you do this.”

“Just try to stop me. I’m on fire,” said Jonathon, flipping down the visor. The horn sounded and he was off.

“Nay!” she shouted, tears dripping down her cheeks. “Rook, you can’t let him win,” she told her brother.

“Sister, you make no sense. I thought you wanted Sir Nevar to win the tournament,” said Rook. “Wasn’t that your plan all along?”

“I wanted it when I was Sir Nevar. Jonathon never should have taken my place.”

“It would be me out there right now if you hadn’t convinced Father to stop me from competing.”

“I only did so because I knew I couldn’t beat you at the sword fight. If I had won both events, there would be no need for a joust, don’t you understand? If I had won both, this stupid tournament would be over right now, and I’d be happy.”

“Jonathon is only doing this to keep you from being killed out there. Also to prove his love for you,” said Rook.

“He might be imprisoned for this.”

“He knows that.”

“And yet it still continues?” Raven’s heart hurt. This man truly did love her after all.

“Look, Raven!” Lark approached, pointing at the tiltyard.