Chapter 10 Competition

Am and Jocelyn woke up very early in the morning, just after the sun rose over the mountains of Abbhain kissing the greenish heels and the dense woods. Both mother and daughter were very excited for the day to come. They were delighted with the latest events.

That morning they got dressed and waited for their escort to come and take them to the outer patio where the Royal's Archery Tournament would be held.

The tournament was celebrated every year since Prince Alasther was born. The prince himself participated since he was twelve, and he had proven to be a fine archer.

Lord Roderick promised the ladies he was going to pick them up to escort them to the tournament. The duke, as the fine gentleman he was, accompanied the ladies to their room the previous night. Am accepted excitedly. This was the time she had been dreaming for; the opportunity of being in the tournament and to watch it from the arena.

Am had attended the competitions for the past two years with her friends. She had come with Maik, who was participating. Her friend finished in a respectable eight position last year amongst fifty participants that came from the four points of the Northern Kingdoms Alliance. However, Am and her friends watched the tournament from behind the second set of walls of the castle, where the plebe and not official attendants were placed in some sort of wooden stands. This time it was diferent, for good. She would be able to be seated close to the action and amongst the nobles and princes of the nearby kingdoms. And the most important thing of all is that Maik will be there too. That made her feel so excited and joyful.

Before she left the village to the castle a week ago, Maik told her that he will meet her in the tournament. He promised Am they will celebrate together his first prize. He was so confident he would prevail amongst all those aristocrats, that she also was starting to believe that in fact he would win. During this tournament, Am would be next to him where he could really hear her cheers and hug him when he wins.

Amalthea missed Maik. She couldn't wait to see him again. She knew she loved him... But to what extent was the question.

Lord Roderick finally arrived and he met Am and Jocelyn in front of the door of their dormitory. The three of them walked out the mansion to the outer patio where a banquet was served as breakfast. Delicious plates were served in silver and wooden trays over long tables beautifully set in the outdoors. There were fresh fruits, vegetables, cheese and cold meat. Only the special guests -nobles- were allowed to participate of the breakfast, for she hadn't seen Maik yet.

After having breakfast all the guests were escorted by the ushers to the arena. The stands were roofed with a heavy cloth and the sits had cushions and backs.

King Ataro walked directly to receive the duke and greeted the ladies as well. "I hope you enjoyed the ball my ladies. For me it is a pleasure to have your company once again. I wish you have a good time in the tournament as well."

"We feel very grateful for your attentions and for how much you cared for my little girl during the whole week. This is the first time she has been away from home for that long, your Highness." Jocelyne spoke to the king and curtsied.

"I took care of her as she was my own child. But Am is not a little girl anymore. She is a charming young lady... and so talented and beautiful. You should be very proud, Lady Jocelyn. Everybody was talking about her last night. She did outstanding in her performance. Other nobles and kings confessed me they would be delighted to have such a great recital in future feasts at their palaces too." The king smiled to Amalthea and smiled. "You will become very famous my dear. It was a blessing to find you that day in the woods and hear you singing."

Am's face reddened.

"I can't agree more with you Your Majesty. That was exactly what I told them yesterday night. Lady Jocelyn is blessed with her beautiful Amalthea. All the guests were enchanted by her. And that includes myself." The Duke said beaming a wide grin and taking gently Am's hand to place a soft kiss in her fist.

"Including yourself and the Prince... My son wasn't able take his eyes from Lady Amalthea. Lady Katharina was burning inside!" The king laughed to his own occurrence and the Duke cleared his throat announcing that the couple mentioned before was approximating to join the quartet.

Lady Katharina was grabbing so tight the prince's arm, that it was hard to believe he could use it in the tournament later on that day. Her face reflected a faked straight line smile and her blue eyes were fixated on Amalthea.

The prince greeted the ladies and the duke. "Lady Amalthea, it is a pleasure to see you this morning. I must tell once again how magnificent was your performance last night." He maneuvered to release from his fiancée's tense grip and kissed Am's fist with tenderness. Then he greeted Jocelyn, "This beautiful young woman must be Lady Amalthea's mother. It's a great pleasure to meet you. Amalthea inherited her beauty from her mother indeed." The prince kissed Jocelyn's fist. Jocelyn smiled and curtsied.

Prince Alasther had no other choice than greeting unwillingly to Lord Roderick. The prince looked at the duke with a defiant expression. With a sober voice tone Alasther spoke to Lord Roderick who had been enjoying the spectacle and Lady Katharina's distressed gestures. "Roderick, my friend, how are you this morning? I think we have unfinished businesses left to attend in this tournament, don't you agree?"

"Indeed, Prince Alasther. We need to resume those loose ends and the friendly rivalry of last year's second and third place in the competition... Nevertheles, I have to tell you that I already won a first prize having the company of these charming ladies. In the other hand, beating you in this tournament will be of great satisfaction." A mischievous grin drew on his face.

The Prince's face changed colors. He didn't enjoy the situation and opted to leave. He excused himself and walked away with Lady Katharina tightly gripped to his side.

Everyone moved to their seats in the stands. The king sat next to a regal Queen Cephora. Lady Katharina joined the royal stands still looking mortified. Her eyes tracked Lord Roderick, Am and Jocelyn to their seats.

"Am! Am!" Amalthea turned recognizing the voice that was coming from a group of competitors. It was the voice of her dearest friend Maik. She looked at him and felt so happy.

He was very handsome dressed in a blue and gray tunic and carrying with a rustic elegance all his beautiful archery equipment.

Jocelyn gave Maik some of Anibal's clothes, boots and that fine bow and arrows along with some daggers some years ago. The tunic suited him a lot. It was made of a rich oriental indigo fabric embroidered in gray and silver threads that formed diamonds and swirls. He also wore black trousers and black tall leather boots. Those fine garments made his purple eyes and exotic features outstand even more.

The bow he used for this tournament was a piece of art itself. It was a Mongolian hunting bow, made of rich dark wood. The arrows were of the same wood color with white owl and eagle feathers. This archery set was beautifully engraved in gold with some sort of ancient oriental scripts. He told Am he was going to use it this year because he was sure he would win this tournament for her.

Am ran down the stands and gave a big hug to her friend "Maik! I wish you luck in the tournament! I will be cheering you up from here. I'm so I can share this special moment with you in the arena and not from the back of the walls. You will be able to actually hear me shouting your name!"

Maik stared at the live of his life. Yet, sensed as if someone was boring his head from above. He looked up the Prince to his left studying him with interest. To his right he saw who he thought was the Duke of Lannishire staring at him with with the same severe expression.

Maik remembered the duke was last year second place, and the Prince won a desirable third prize. But, why were both of them looking at him with the same prying expressions? Do they know him? Do they remember him from previous competitions? He laughed to himself thinking they had heard of his acquired skills in hunting with bow and arrow. However he told Am once more he would win the tournament for her, kissed her in her hand and took a leave to the field.

The tournament was a very exciting activity. The crowd was cheering enthusiastically. From the fifty contestants, only twelve semifinalists remained by noon. Each competitor had three shots. Points were summed and accumulated. The archers with more points of each round passed to the next one and so on.

Am was so happy to see that Maik was still amongst the semifinalists. He looked so concentrated on each turn. An every time he aimed the target with success, he celebrated and made a reverence addressed to Am. This was perceived by both the Duke and the Prince. "Who is that archer? I think I've seen him before, but I don't recall his name. Is he a noble? He is well dressed and possesses quite fine equipment. He is attractive and young too. Would he be her betrothed? She looks very enthusiastic with him." The Prince asked to himself. In the other side of the field the same thoughts were rounding in the duke's head.

An hour passed by noon, Am couldn't be more joyful. Maik was in the fourth place to the final round. The prince was in second place and the duke was in third place. Am felt as nervous as if she was the one competing. The ted haired shivered for the emotion. She wished the best for her beloved Maik. He was shining within the nobles the same way she had done the night before.

Maik walked to the stands and spoke loudly to Am: "Lady Amalthea, I will win this tournament in your name and honor." He curtsied and smiled widely to Am. Am giggled and blushed. The handsome duke came after Maik's declaration and interrupted the lovely moment.

"I beg your pardon, my unknown friend, but it is certain that I will win this tournament for the Lady's fair name and honor." Then he bowed, climbed the stands and went directly to Amalthea giving her a red rose. Am looked bewildered both the duke and Maik. She didn't expect that. Two finalists claimed to be competing in her honor in front of all those persons. That felt so enthralling! Am didn't know how to react. She was astonished, happy, nervous, confused. The heat of the epic moment made her blush even more. Am took the rose and the duke kissed her fist.

From the arena, The Prince observed the lovely display feeling powerless. He could do nothing but stare at these two gentlemen as if they were committing high treason.

Maik stared as the duke as he climbed down the stairs. The duke walked straight to Maik, shook his hand and wished him luck: "Amalthea is a marvelous young lady. I don't know who you are, yet, but I can tell you something; for me this is more than winning this tournament. I intend to win her heart too. I can see you Have the same intentions. Nevertheless, you have something in advance: her content and confidence. Yet, I am a fair competitor and I wish you luck sire."

Maik looked at the duke with perspicacity. He never expected to find a rival for Am's attention in this place; only archers craving for a first prize in gold and recognitions from the Crown. Sternly, he spoke to the duke " My name is Maik, Milord, and yes, I think we share the same intentions towards this lady. Fof this, I wish you luck too, because even though I don't win the tournament, I already have her friendship and the benefit of knowing her more than anyone in this world." Both men reverenced once again to Amalthea and nodded respectfully to each other before leaving to opposite extremes of the field.

Sitting in the stands, Lady Katharina was fuming next to the Queen. She was aobserving at the prince standing and staring at the two men as they displayed their devotion to that insignificant maiden. She was expecting the Prince to do the same dedication to her. But that honoring never came. Instead, he remained looking both the duke and Maik with graveness, as if that had something to do with him.

The competition's ambience felt tense. Everything was so exciting. The last six competitors had their chance. One by one they were eliminated, remaining only three, the finalists. At last Am was able to breath with ease... or not? Maik was one of the last three prevailing archers. Lord Roderick was in first place, Prince Alasther in second, and Maik in third place. But Am, like everybody else noticed the looks, both Maik and Roderick threw to each other... and the Prince, but not for the same reason, or that was what she thought.

Maik had the first turn. He shot once, twice and a third time and hit the red circle in the middle the three times for a perfect score. He did it! The crowd rose up cheering frantically. The unknown villager did it outstandingly.

It was the Prince's turn and three shots hit in the middle as well. That left both Maik and the Prince tied in a second place. Everyone screamed and celebrated with fervor the prince's performance.

Finally it was Lord Roderick's turn. If he did a perfect score he would win. There was stillness in the arena and total silence in the field and in the crowd. Am felt really nervous... The three men were sweating profusely. Adrenaline pumped in their veins more than blood. Both Maik and Prince Alasther couldn't do anything less than expect the worst... for the duke... Of course.

Lord Roderick took deep breaths. He had to win... For his pride and for his lady. He knocked, aimed, and shot... One... two... three perfectly centered arrows! The duke won the first place! The crowd burst with excitement! Everybody stood up and chanted the duke's name.

Am ran down the stands directly to the field... The duke turned with excitement waiting for her to congratulate him... But the red haired passed by and hugged her best friend with emotion. She congratulated him a thousand times.

Roderick looked somehow defeated. Am was celebrating Maik's second place. It was obvious she felt more happy for her friend's participation than for his first prize. That Maik was right, he was ahead of him by far in this race for her attention.

The Prince walked straight to congratulate the duke. Then both stared at Amalthea and her friend, Maik. They were hugging and kissing each other with so much joy. They instinctively reacted at the same time and walked to where Am and Maik were celebrating.

Maik noticing the Prince presence, reverenced. Am turned around to see both men looking at them and she curtsied. The prince spoke first: "You are a fine archer, Maik... young and bold. I am not used to share nothing. But this time you forced me to share a fair draw due to your great skills. Good... Good." Turning to Am, he continued speaking. "And I see you know Lady Amalthea better than we expected, for she ran with impetuosity to congratulate you... And that is an exquisite bow too I might say." He decided to change the subject to avoid sounding too obvious for everybody was giving him a prying look.

"Your highness it was an honor to share the second place with such an skilled and experienced archer like you... You are the prince and I am just a hunter. I feel honored with your words... And for this bow and the arrows... well, they were a gift from Am's... I mean, Lady Amalthea's mother, Jocelyn. They belonged to the lady's father. Lady Amalthea has been my best friend since we were kids." Maik replied.

The duke interrupted the conversation feeling a little ignored by the group. "I told you I was going to win the tournament in the name of Lady Amalthea. Nevertheless, I have to admit that you did very well, Sir, um... Maik? I never expected you could come this far in the competition. Your skills, courage and determination are admirable. Thus for we all certainly had a wonderful token... a lucky charm was in the person of Lady Amalthea. She was the true motif after our success in this tournament." As the duke spoke, he moved to kiss Am's fist.

Lady Katharina came walking along with the Queen towards the group. The stunning lady grabbed the prince's arm and spoke. "Congratulations to the best three archers in the kingdom. You showed a magnificent display of skills. However, I must say that I am really proud of My Prince, of course. He did excellently... Lord Roderick, my special congratulations to you for that first prize." Then looked directly to both Maik and Amalthea scornfully and talked. "You two must feel very happy. You had achieved what any of the plebe people dreamt of: to be with us, the nobles, and being at least noticeable for one day. That is remarkable, indeed... And now the duke can claim his desirable living souvenir." Lady Katharina's sarcasm was evident.

The Queen interrupted and after clearing her throat, she spoke. "I must interrupt this lovely conversation. Its time to enjoy of an outdoor dinner that we have prepared for the finalists and special guests of today's tournament... Of course it's for all the sixth finalists. Sir Maik you can come with us. Don't stay there looking at me with that face..." The Queen smiled and led the group to the frontal patio of the main residence in the castle.

After having dinner, Jocelyn and Amalthea packed their belongings and departed home along with Maik in a royal carriage that took them to the village in the woods. The king, the queen and the duke dismissed the trio and promises of further invitations to the castle were given to the humble villagers.

For Maik and Jocelyn, this was an experience that they will never forget... For Am this was an event in her life that needed to be treasured... As she longed on her way home she thought, 'it must be repeated... Some day... Maybe.'

Which one of the three handsome men is your favorite to win Am's love?

:-D

Rosaimee