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Logan’s grunt in response sent them into a new wave of laughter.
One of the best things about being onOn the Plus Sidewas seeing proof of the camaraderie among the hosts. So many of the gossip sites claimed there was infighting and backstabbing, but Jazzy and Stanton had been everything Everly had hoped they’d be from the second they’d met.
The faire opened as they approached the jousting arena. Signs hadbeen posted everywhere announcing that the show was filming at today’s festivities, and Everly’s stomach flip-flopped when she saw the size of the crowd streaming toward their end of the fairground.
There weresomany people. She was still wrapping her head around the idea of an audience behind the camera. Now she had to deal with a live one.
Sady waved to them from a raised pavilion at the front of the arena, where a bearded man in a crown, who Everly could only assume was King Henry, sat on a throne flanked by women dressed in expensive-looking gowns and dripping with jewels. People in yellow volunteer T-shirts ran around them, adjusting costumes and seating.
Breaking away from the group, Sady strode their way. She wasn’t decked out in costume, instead wearing a wide-leg linen jumpsuit in a shade of forest green. Everly was beginning to believe the woman wore business attire to bed.
She smiled as she took in Everly and the hosts. “You all look fantastic.” Waving Everly over, Sady took her hand and spun her in a circle so she could admire her dress. “This is perfect. Do you feel like a princess?”
“Actually, I feel like a badass.”
Sady’s grin widened. “Even better.”
She led Everly up the stairs to the pavilion, Jazzy and Stanton right behind them. Everly almost tripped twice on her dress, and every time she glanced back, Logan’s lens was right on her. Of course. That man had awkward-Everly radar.
“The faire organizers are so thrilled to have you here today that they want you to participate in the joust. It’s their most popular event.”
Everly eyed her warily. She loved being with animals, but with her feet firmly on the ground. “Like, on a horse?”
“Not you, no.” Sady laughed. “You’ll be bestowing gifts upon the winners.”
Everly wasn’t sure that was much better. She’d had to take a medieval history and culture course in college. The winners of these kinds of tournaments usually received a kiss or the woman’s hand in marriage or something else that reminded everyone that women were no different from gold coins back then. Objects to barter or make deals with.
Sady winked at her before stepping out of the frame. “It will be fun, trust me.”
As much as Everly wanted to believe her, there was a very good chance that the two of them had diametrically opposed definitions of that word.
The opening ceremony began a few minutes later. King Henry greeted the crowd and introduced theOTPShosts. Stanton began by thanking the organizers for allowing them to crash their event, then spoke briefly about his personal attachment to Ren faires, and Jazzy followed up by introducing Everly and giving a shout-out to Edmund’s Wardrobe.
Thankfully, no one asked Everly to say anything. She couldn’t do public speaking without note cards (and backup note cards for the original set).
After making a few jokes about their strange speaking habits and poking the lens of Logan’s camera like he’d never seen one before, King Henry explained Everly’s role for the morning.
“Each of our jousters will compete in a series of increasingly difficult feats. At the end of each round, I will determine the winner, and you, Lady Everly of Winters,” he pointed a finger at her, “will bestow upon them a gift of your choice.”
A volunteer carried over a small table with three items on it: a rose, a ring, and a handkerchief embroidered with daisies.
Everly nodded in understanding. Stanton echoed the gesture by yelling, “As you wish, good king.”
Everly’s mouth went dry. Was she supposed to be role-playing? Hereyes scanned the sea of people. She’d been in exactly one play, in junior high, and that had been enough for her to know she was no actress. Someone should have given her a heads-up that there was going to be a performance element today so she could have practiced.
Practice probably didn’t make for good TV, though.
The first few rounds of the tournament challenged the knights with various obstacles. They soared their horses over hurdles, captured rings hanging at various heights with their lances, and charged at targets with their weapons.
As they cheered for another knight who had caught all five rings on his jousting pole, Stanton leaned into Everly and whispered, “I have a theory that knights were every bit as gay as pirates. There’s no way they spent all this time playing with proverbial phalluses without enjoying the real thing.”
Everly couldn’t fault his logic.
The winner of the round was a weathered knight in green regalia who was the only one able to hit the last set of three small targets. It was impressive, actually, given that they were barely the size of a fist.
King Henry invited him to the pavilion to receive his reward.
Jazzy and Stanton had to shove Everly to her feet.
