The mystery man who found the golden apple was the primary talk of conversation in Grenwitcha the next day. Men admired his prowess with the sword, his cleverness and cunning in solving the most complex maze in the kingdom, and wondered how that sword managed to cut the gold apple from its branch. The women swooned over the idea of a handsome man with no identity, gossiping over his possible love-life, his beautiful clothes, and his attractive physique. He was all Valerie could think about. She daydreamed about the man while the rest of the women in the court chattered over tea.
Sir James sent his men to search the kingdom high and low for the young knight who captured the golden apple and his daughter’s eye, but none could find him, to Valerie’s dismay. He and his animals seemed to vanish into the evening air.
For Peter, the day couldn’t go fast enough. He tried to pay attention to his chores, but his mind was at the castle. All he could think about was Valerie, the most beautiful girl in the world. Someday, after he won the challenges, he would tell her how he felt about her. He closed his eyes and danced with Sir Dolenz, ignoring the cat’s squeals as he was whirled around the barnyard. Jones and Nesmith laughed in their own ways and joined in, Jones prancing on his hind legs.
Lord Henry watched the boy from his study. There was something different about his adopted son today. He was even flakier today than yesterday, and clumsier, too. He dropped the water from the well. He broke a dish. He forgot to put the pigs in their pen, and they ran all over the barnyard before two farm hands finally corralled them. He spilled Ronald’s lunch tray in his lap and wandered off in a daze before Ronald could even sputter about his new pants being ruined.
“There’s somethin’ on that kid’s mind,” Lord Henry muttered to himself as a maid tended to Ronald’s trousers, “and I have a feeling it isn’t household chores. He’s even more of a ditz than usual.”
Everything happened that evening just as it had the evening before. Peter begged his father and brother to allow him to join them, and they reminded him of his duties at home and shabby clothing. He was left amid the pots and pans he was to scrub that night. Peter felt a mild pang of regret. It would be nice to ride in with a family, instead of suddenly arriving at the last minute and hiding who he was, but he saw now that his father would never allow him to enter the trials or court Princess Valerie. Lord Henry thought of him as nothing more than a servant and a nuisance.
This time, it only took Sir Jones trotting out with the portrait of Valerie to convince him to forgo his pots and return to the woods. Sir Jones leaped off Nesmith’s back the moment they found the stump and tried to tug out a smaller, dagger-like sword with a blue handle. When Peter took hold of the sword to help him, he was surrounded by blue mist. As the mist dissolved, he found he was dressed in a wide-brimmed blue hat and wore a blue and silver riding costume with good leather boots. Nesmith had a blue silk blanket trimmed with silver and a heavy gray saddle. Dolenz and Jones had blue silk collars and sat in a blue silk pouch on Nesmith’s side.
Valerie eagerly looked for the mystery knight to appear as the lords and ladies of the court sat on the well-appointed benches surrounding the knights’s training area. “I don’t see him, Daddy,” Valerie complained. “We’re going to start in ten minutes!”
“He was the last entrant yesterday, remember, darling?” King James pointed out. “Besides, he may not come back. My men looked all over the kingdom for him this morning and couldn’t find him.”
“Maybe he’s shy.”
“He wasn’t acting shy last night!” The king made a face. “He was a bit cocky.”
Valerie sighed. “He could be scared. People do weird things when they’re scared.”
That was when a huge cheer rose from the crowd in the training area. The familiar black horse with the mane that fell over one eye and the pouch containing a slender cat and a small brown puppy rode into the courtyard, just in time to join the line of young men awaiting the next trial. Valerie thought she saw whiskey-brown eyes stare boldly at her from under the hat before he pulled it over his face again. She blushed. She wasn’t used to men staring boldly at her! *My friend Davy used to look at girls like that,* Valerie remembered. *He must have chased every girl in the court one time or another!*
Valerie descended the steps and walked in front of the knight’s training course. She turned to address the men on horseback, but her eyes never left the stranger in blue. “Greetings, gentlemen,” she nodded at the stranger, “and last night’s winner. Tonight, you will be given a test of dexterity and of riding knowledge.” She indicated the course. “You must defeat the obstacle course used to train our finest knights in less than ten minutes. The first two to make it through the course will then fight each other in a short duel. The first to disarm the other will be the ultimate winner. You’ll require your horse and your sword for this trial.”
Peter grinned and stroked Nesmith, who neighed happily. “That’s right, mate, you get to join in this time.” He frowned. “And where did that ‘mate’ come from?”
Babbit quickly handed his son a yellow bottle...not knowing he was being watched by the cat and dog in the pouch and the two figures in the hooded robes. “Here you go, boy,” he whispered. “Toss this bottle around the other horses. It’ll confuse them and make them ride in the wrong direction.” He then handed him a paper. “Recite this into your opponent’s ear when you make it to the duel. It’ll paralyze them temporarily, just long enough for you to disarm them.”
“Right, Father.”
Jones’ already large eyes grew wider. He tugged at the strap that held them onto Nesmith’s back. “What is it, boy?” Peter asked. “You want to be let down?” Jones nodded, indicating Ronald.
Peter set the cat and the dog on the ground. “Very well. Just be careful, mates. Don’t get under the horses or in anyone’s way. And don’t let Father see you. If he recognizes you, he’ll get suspicious.” He sighed. “There’s that ‘mate’ again! When did I turn British?”
Lord Henry was ready for the two animals this time. The moment the dog and the cat started towards Ronald and his horse, he chased after them. He grabbed Dolenz by the scruff of his neck, but Jones ducked under his legs and rushed off towards the obstacle course. “Damn it,” the older man complained, “that bratty little Brit got away.” He smirked at Dolenz, who wiggled and meowed noisily, trying to scratch his captor. “At least you won’t be causing trouble.” He flung the cat into a small bag and tied it to his horse’s saddle.
Peter didn’t see Lord Henry. He wasn’t paying attention to anything but the obstacle course and holding onto his hat. He didn’t even see Ronald lift the yellow bottle out of his pouch and throw it in front of the other riders, nor did he see the remaining horses take off for various parts of the castle, much to the shock of their riders. Peter was well ahead of the fray, jumping over hedges and leaping pools of water with an abandon he’d never had before. He’d never had so much fun. He felt as if he’d been racing horses his whole life!
Valerie watched, impressed. The mystery man in blue was the best horseman she’d ever seen. Only her friend Davy rode his horse with more skill or aplomb. This course was the most difficult in the entire kingdom!
Nesmith cleared the last, very high hurdle as if it was an ant hill, then galloped straight for the sword practice ring. It wasn’t until now Peter realized the rest of the competition was far behind them, more behind than they really should have been. “They must have bloody slow horses,” Peter murmured to himself.
Ronald got off his horse shortly after Peter, who awaited him in the ring. “Let’s see,” he murmured, pulling out the paper. He never had the chance to read it. A small brown blur bit his heel. It wasn’t very hard, but it hurt enough that Ronald dropped the paper. The blur grabbed the scrap and ran off. “Come back here!” Ronald wailed. “That’s my ticket to winning!”
Peter was surprised to see a blur with large brown eyes streak up to him, carrying a scrap of paper between its jaws. “What is it, Jonesy?” The dog handed him the paper. Peter’s eyes widened. “You must be joking! He’s cheating AGAIN!” He handed Jones the paper back. “Here. Want some lunch?” Jones nodded with a grin and bit happily into the scrap, tearing it to pieces.
“No!” Ronald took a flying leap over the ring as Jones rushed out. “Not this time! I don’t care who you are, I’m not going to let you win!”
“That’s what you think!” Peter hissed, speaking with a British accent to disguise his voice. “You’re a cheat, a coward, and a bully, and your father’s worse! I’ll never let you get your hands on that fair maiden!” Peter couldn’t believe he was saying all these nasty things to his own adopted brother, but he couldn’t stop himself. “Are you man enough to fight me without tricks?”
Ronald narrowed his eyes. “That does it. I can take you on any time, whoever you are, and I don’t need tricks!”
As the man in blue and the smaller man in yellow and green fought fiercely, the two hooded figures and Sir Nesmith and Sir Jones made their way to Lord Henry’s horse. His Lordship watched the competition intensely, ignoring everything else going on around him. Jones indicated the pouch with their imprisoned feline friend to Nesmith. Nesmith nodded and whispered something as close as he could into the puppy’s ear.
The little puppy nodded as Nesmith went over to Lord Henry’s pretty brown mare, striking up a conversation with her. As they exchanged neighs and nudges, Sir Jones scrambled onto her back. He tried as hard as he could to get the pouch open, but it was made of rough wool and tied tightly.
The shorter figure waved her hand, and Sir Dolenz suddenly tumbled out the pouch! The force almost knocked both cat and dog onto the ground. The smaller hooded figure rushed over to them and cradled them in their arms, softly asking them if everything was all right. Nesmith tried to tug their hood off, but they pushed him gently away.
The taller hooded figure watched the duel between Ronald and Peter from a discreet distance. Peter’s small sword glowed a soft blue as he pushed Ronald back towards the edge of the ring. The sword had obviously been made for someone shorter, yet he handled it like he’d actually owned a sword before. The closest he’d ever come was cutting meat for supper.
He grinned at Valerie when he realized she was watching him and did a few feints. She smiled at him, and he smiled back. He felt his insides turn to mush. He waved the sword around, showing off for the crowd. It actually felt good to show off. He always had to hide his skills at home unless they involved cleaning and cooking.
Peter was so delighted to be flirting with Valerie, he forgot his brother and the trial. “Look out!” Valerie screamed, but she was too late. Ronald tripped the young man, almost knocking him to the ground. He went for his hat, but when he tried to get it off, it was stuck tightly to his head! He went to knock it off with his sword, but a small explosion of whitish mist and sparkles blocked his view. He coughed and swatted it out of the way.
The animals and the smaller hooded figure joined the taller one just as the mist dissolved and Ronald finished coughing. The man in blue finally distracted Ronald long enough to get him to drop his sword. He kicked it out of the arena as the crowd went wild. Princess Valerie leaped out of her seat in delight.
King James joined his daughter. “The second round goes to the man in blue!” The young man took a deep, very theatrical bow as the crowd roared and Ronald wailed. He strutted right up to the King and his daughter, showing no fear. His black horse trotted alongside the King’s seats, the dog and cat once again in their pouch on his side.
Valerie smiled. “You have exhibited great cunning and horsemanship,” she announced proudly. Peter beamed under his huge hat. “You are the winner of this challenge.” She got as close to him as she dared and whispered into his ear “Will I see you tomorrow?”
Peter felt light-headed, but he recovered enough to say “Yes, I will be in tomorrow’s challenge. You can count on that.” He leaned over and kissed her hand. “You are the loveliest woman I ever laid eyes on, Your Highness. Your beauty outshines every star in the heavens.”
She blushed. “You’re just saying that because I’m royalty.”
Now Peter was the one who was blushing. “No, I really mean it. You mean a lot to me. You’re the first girl I ever fell for.”
“What happened to your voice? You keep switching accents.”
“I do?” Peter wasn’t paying attention to his accent. He was looking into Valerie’s eyes. “Do you know your eyes are the most amazing shade of blue? You could lose yourself in blue eyes like that.”
Valerie was bright red now. King James, however, wasn’t as pleased. He didn’t mind flirting if it was done discreetly and by someone who actually showed his face. “Come now, lad,” he said, putting an arm around the youth, “why don’t we continue this in the castle? The sun has almost set, and I’m sure you’d like to discuss your amazing win over a late supper in Grenwitcha Castle...”
“The sun’s almost set?” Peter looked over his shoulder, his eyes wide. The sun was nearly hidden behind the Earth, casting long shadows over the lawn. He quickly bowed and resumed his fake British accent. “I’m very sorry, Your Majesty, but I have a prior engagement. I must take my leave.” He kissed Valerie’s hand one more time and gave her a longing glance she couldn’t see under his hat, then leaped nimbly onto Nesmith and rode off into the dusk. The two figures disappeared in a puff of white smoke.
Ronald hurried over to his father. “I couldn’t even get a look at his face,” he whined. “His stupid hat wouldn’t come off.”
Lord Henry growled. “I’m not the only one cheatin’ for one of the contestants. I recognized that puff of smoke. It’s white magic. There was a white magician on these grounds, and he seems to want that kid to win. I’ll bet he kept the hat from comin’ off, too.”
“We’ve gotta find out who that boy is, Father. This is the second time he’s embarrassed me in front of Princess Valerie!”
“I have a good idea of who he is.” Lord Henry took hold of his mare’s bridle. “We’re heading for the woods. A couple of old friends of mine are going to meet us there.”
“Why would we want to ride in the woods in the dark? They’re scary and icky and full of wild animals we didn’t create!”
The portly sorcerer rolled his eyes. “That’s where the knights’s swords are! And where” he smirked “we’re going to set a trap for this so-called mystery man.”
Chapter 5
Chapter 7
Back to Emma's Stories
Home