Chapter 60
The third day of the tourney was set to feature archery in the morning, a horse race in the afternoon, and a competition for the common folk afterward, though the latter wouldn’t be watched by the lords and ladies unless they were truly interested. Unlike the melee and the joust, all three competitions would be concluded on this day.
Unfortunately, Adrian knew no one participating. He thought of the hunters in his village, particularly Dudley, who was quite good with a bow.
It was a pity the man had taken a liking to staying at the beach by the prince's coming port city..
However, if the rumors were correct, he was seeing a woman who worked there. Adrian had only one thought regarding that, ‘I hope he brings her back to the village, I need more people...’
The competition began quickly. Adrian found himself near the edge of the lords benches again, but it seemed the archery drew less attention from the nobility, he noticed the benches were nearly a third empty. Still, it was quite a crowd, especially among the commoners.
This time, Lord Bronsone sat beside him, it seemed he was taking a break from socializing.
It was from him that Adrian learned he was something of an oddity. While lords like Bronsone, Hardinge, and Sean were busy making connections, Adrian was not voluntarily approaching others to build influence. Adrian mentally told himself to try harder when the tourney reached its end.
However, it seemed he had gained enough fame that he didn't need to approach other lords.
Some lords and ladies, particularly the younger sons of the nobility had taken an interest in him, especially after his performance in the joust. It seemed Sir Harold was more famous than Adrian had realized and had been a top contender to win.
The fact that a relatively unknown and young man like Adrian had defeated him, combined with his success in the melee, proved he possessed great skill.
"Lord Harrow, what are your chances of scoring a good result in the joust?" Lord Leland, son of the Baron of Cameron, a formidable fighter and also in joust, spoke to him from his other side.
"There are many formidable foes he'll face. After the first rounds, it will truly be the finals. It will be a real ringer, especially since it all happens in one morning. Apparently, the main challenge the Earl set for this tourney is endurance and tenacity." Lord Wes said from behind them, his sister Lily sitting beside him.
"Lord Wes is right. Lord Winthrope wanted the tourney to force the fighters to push themselves as if they were surrounded by monsters. Those who are the last to remain wins." Lord Bronsone added, before turning to Adrian. "But truly, what do you think your chances are, Lord Harrow?"
Adrian answered with a formal smile, "I will do my best. I don't hope to match the skill of the other opponents, I can only try to outlast them, just as I told Lord Jayson and Her Grace, the Princess."
The archery competition proved far more entertaining than Adrian had expected. The first stage required hitting the bullseye on a stationary target, the second stage involved hitting a limited number of pot with limited arrows and those with the most hits were chosen to advance.
The third round involved assistants throwing targets from behind a cover. Each competitor was given only five arrows to hit a specific red-marked log. The audience clapped as two great competitors emerged, each hitting three targets while the rest could only manage one or two.
The final round commenced with just the two of them: an older man named Garold, and a younger man, Gunther, the son of a distant viscount. When the final challenge was announced, the audience watched as servants carried out cages filled with birds.
“Stone birds…” Lord Wes commented, familiar with them. “They fly low and aren't particularly fast nor smart, but they like to fly in crowds.”
“Can they be eaten?” Lord Bronsone asked, curious.
“Hardly. Their meat tastes like rock and stone, there’s a reason they are called that.”
Soon, everyone held their breath. A horn blasted and the birds were released. The objective, the archers had to hit a single red-painted stone bird hidden among dozens and dozens of others.
Garold fired first. His aim was sharp, but his arrow lodged itself into a passing bird that flew into his line of sight.
It wasn't enough to just find the target, they had to ensure their arrows slipped through the rest of the flock.
The stone birds did indeed fly slow and low, hovering only about ten meters above the ground. They seemed confused where to fly off.
Garold released an arrow, quickly followed by Gunther’s, as they both noticed the same thing, at the edge of the flock, a red-marked bird was about to dive into the center of the group. An arrow grazed its wing, and a split second later, another struck it in the chest as it fell.
It happened so quickly that most of the crowd only saw Gunther’s arrow lodged in the bird’s chest and cheered for him. However, to Adrian’s eyes, he saw Garold’s arrow hit first, practically clipping the wing before Gunther finished the job.
All Adrian could say was that both were incredibly skilled. He had been training with a bow himself, but he knew he was only a decent shot against a still target.
A hush fell over the crowd as they waited for the herald to announce the winner.
“So, Lord Gunther won, right? That’s his arrow in it.”
“No, I saw Garold hit it first... it just didn’t stick.”
Conversations buzzed around Adrian until the herald finally stepped onto the platform to announce the victor.
“Lord Gunther Petrimon!”
The crowd cheered, though a debate quickly broke out. Some argued that Garold should have won, while others, more keen-eyed, explained their thoughts.
Adrian stayed for a short while to converse with the lords beside him before they split off. He chose to eat in the town instead of at the castle, though he told himself it definitely wasn't because he was avoiding the other nobles. While he had resolved to interact with them more, he decided that could wait until the tourney was nearer to its end.
He ate at a tavern that looked relatively decent. His presence alone ensured that no commoners approached him too closely, making Adrian wonder if he should have changed his clothes. It might have been nice to feel like a commoner again for a while.
Afterward, the horse race commenced. The track circled the town and the tents, circumventing a small hill to the west. Most of the audience, commoners and lords alike were allowed atop the town walls to watch the event. The town was large, and with the surrounding tents and the hill, the course was extensive, however, the race ended quickly. They only needed to run a single lap, and the finish line was crossed in less than an hour.
A champion was crowned and celebration and congratulations followed.
Next came the commoners wrestling competition. This seemed to excite the common folk far more than the nobility, most of whom chose not to watch. Adrian stayed, cheering and jeering along with the crowd. Later, he set about finding some wood, thinking he might carve his own chessboard and pieces. Having given his old set away, he found it far too boring to simply sit around at night reading a book.
---
It was the night of the feast again, and having "rested," Adrian had no good excuse to decline. However, something felt different. Half an hour into the festivities, Lord Winthrope, Lord Jayson, Lord Corvus, and the royal family abruptly left the hall.
The room filled with gossip and muttering as everyone wondered what had happened. With the highest dignitaries gone, many others chose to leave early as well, Adrian among them. Just as he reached his room with his knight following behind, someone approached from the side.
It was a familiar face, Lady Thea, with her handmaiden in tow.
"Lord Harrow, we didn't get a chance to talk at the feast..."
"Lady Thea... no, we did not. Lord Cedric was eyeing me the whole time, though he didn't approach."
"He doesn't have the courage to face you." Lady Thea said, stopping a short distance away. "It would only make him look more comical, given the gossip surrounding him." Her servant was carrying a chessboard. She turned to Dexton. "Sir Dexton, do you mind giving us some space with your lord? We only intend to play chess."
Dexton looked at her, then at Adrian. His mouth twitched as he met Adrian’s pointed gaze. "Of course, Lady Thea. Please..." Dexton stepped back as they entered the room. Lady Thea’s servant also stayed behind, but not before being instructed to bring some food and wine.
As Adrian set the table and chairs and gestured for Lady Thea to sit, he asked, "Do you know what is going on?" He was referring to the sudden departure of the high-ranking lords.
"It is a wonder indeed. Everyone is tight-lipped, I don't know what's happening." Lady Thea settled into her seat and set down the board and the pouch of pieces.
There was a knock on the door. Adrian opened it for Lady Thea’s servant, who brought in bite-sized food and drinks. Finally, Adrian sat down across from her.
"Shall we start?"
The game began, and Adrian should have expected it, but the match quickly went in other directions.