Page 33 of Chivalry in the Meadow
Mia sighed. “Sir Cedric finally put me down, and I was able to walk here with Sir Alaric. He’s quite chivalrous. More than Sir Cedric. And guess what?”
“What?” Lilly eyes brightened, like they did whenever Mia told her a secret.
“The fighting the knights do in the tournament is scripted,” Mia said.
“I guessed that” Lilly said. “White knight must always win kind of thing.”
“In public, it is,” Mia said. “But they sometimes fight in real life, and that isn’t scripted.”
“Really?” Lilly said, her eyes widening.
“Yes, and Sir Cedric and Sir Alaric don’t like each other,” Mia said. “At all.”
Lilly nodded. “I can see that.”
“And Sir Elias?”
“Yes!” Lilly leaned forward in excitement. “Tell me about him.”
“He was chivalrous,” Mia said. “Your favorite is a good choice.”
Lilly leaned back in her chair with a big smile. “I wish I could’ve seen him. Hey, why do you keep meeting knights when I’m not around? Maybe I need to stick closer to you.”
“That’s not a bad idea,” Sir Alaric said, as he carried a plate with bacon, link sausage, scrambled eggs, and pancakes to place in front of Mia. “Milady is served,” he said as he set the plate down.
“Oh, that all looks delicious!” Mia said. “Especially the pancakes.”
He grabbed a bottle of syrup from the next table and placed in front of her.
He looked at Lilly. “It wouldn’t be a bad idea for the two of you to stick together,” he said. “It’s safer that way.”
“Is it dangerous here?” Lilly asked. “Finn didn’t warn us about anything.”
Sir Alaric paused.
Mia got the feeling that there was something dangerous here, and he didn’t want to tell them.
But what could it be? This was just a Ren Faire.
Chapter Five
After a pause, Sir Alaric answered her. “Finn isn’t a woman alone in a tent. And these events are open to the public. Anyone can pay to get in. It only takes one person with ill intent, and they’ll look for the vulnerable. What we call a soft target.”
“Soft target,” Mia said. “You sound like a police officer or a military man.”
“I’m a warrior at heart,” he said and gave her a bow. “If you need me, call out. Now I must prepare for the upcoming joust, and I hope you’ll enjoy every bite of your breakfast.”
“Thank you, Sir Alaric,” she said. “I will.”
They watched him leave as Mia nibbled on her bacon.
“That man looks just as good going as he does coming,” Lilly said. “He has, as my neighbor says, ‘a fine behind.’”
“Lilly! Shh, he might hear you!” Mia said.
“He’s long gone,” Lilly said. “And you have to admit he has a fine behind.”
“Yes, I agree,” Mia enjoyed every bite of her breakfast, thinking of him while listening to Lilly talk about the schedule for the day.
