The next few days we are traveling along side will and his gang to Lagny-sur-Marne. Once we arrive we set up our tents and put on our armor, of course Will and his group have no idea that I am competing in the joust and I plan to keep it that way until the end of it all "are you ready Emma?" Adelaide asks from outside my tent "yes I am Adelaide, I am just thinking about things" I say sighing "well" she says entering the tent "you have to face William, Colville ended up being The Black Prince Edward so he is not competing any longer" she says "I would have joust him no matter his rank" I say "well I figured you wouldn't so" she drifts off "you told them that I wouldn't face a member of the royal family?" I ask "precisely Emma" she tells me "sorry" "it is alright Adelaide, just get the horse ready, I have a feeling Will is going to win no matter if he knocks me off my horse or not, which he isn't going to do anyways" I say chuckling as I stand and put on my helmet.
Jousting is a scary sport, you have to make sure that you don't fall off your horse and that you at least break your lance on the torso of your opponent. I mounted Chancy and positioned myself comfortably as Wulfric introduced me "And here he is Sir Emmery Lovell!" he roared to the crowed, I looked to Will and his group and saw that they were looking at me like I was crazy again, I nodded at them and grabbed my lance, the flag was waved and I prodded Chancy in the sides with the heels, he galloped forward at a record pace; Will was a little slower but he looked determined all the same, I winked at him as he hesitated to hit me, I lunged my lance forward as he did the same, his lance smashed against my torso very hard and mine did the same to him, gripping my thighs I stayed on my horse as he galloped to the other side.
"The winner of the mounted joust and tournament champion, Ulrich von Leichtenstein" the announcer gave Will his trophy as the crowd cheered as well as myself, Will walked off talking to his group as I walked in front of them looking at my gloved hands but not in shame but a sort of embarrassment because of what I realized during and after that joust. My sister walked up to William on the crowd side of the arena and began talking to him about the Banquet this evening but I wasn't listening, I was caught in my thoughts up until I heard my name mentioned, well my tournament name "Sir Emmery Lovell?" my sisters voice shook my out of my trance "yes?" I asked lowering my voice a few keys "you remind me of someone, do I know you? And are we related? We do have the same last name" she says "what is your name, milady?" I ask becoming as gentlemanly as possible "Jocelyn Lovell" she says
"Your name does not sound familiar and you do not look so either, I do believe we are related but perhaps we do not know each other" I say continuing my charade as I hear William fuming about something or other behind me "you remind me of my sister" she says making me stop "a-and who is that milady?" I ask stuttering "Emma Lovell" she says "ah" I say continuing to walk "I believe that my family helped her get out of a rough patch last year, she was travelling around and she needed shelter and food" I say "really, how was she?" Jocelyn asks "good, she was good. She has been visiting a lot since then, something about us being related" I say "did she mention me?" Jocelyn asks "no, or your name would be familiar. But she did mention her family in the Cheapside and how they took her in when the Lovell's dropped her to the streets when she was 8" I say "mother and father said she ran away" I hear Jocelyn mutter, stopping in my tracks I turn to her and put my hands on the beam separating us.
"Milady Jocelyn, if your parents told you that she ran away then it was a lie, my friend Emma Lovell or as she now goes by, Emma Campion loved you and your parents and she still does. I do not believe that she would run away from a family she loved no matter how poorly they treated her, in fact she gave me a necklace to give to you if I ever saw you" I frowned and took off my gloves, I reached behind my head and unclipped the necklace before pulling it out from underneath my shirt and holding it in front of her, she gasped "that is the one thing she took when she left" she muttered "listen Jocelyn" I say struggling to keep up my charade "she did not leave you, do not believe that rubbish, she did not choose to leave, she was forced to, your parents kicked her out and left her in the Cheapside where a more caring family took her in and loved and cared for her" a tear ran down my cheek and I noticed that Will and his group were staring at me with their mouths open "now take the ruddy necklace and I'll be off" I say, she cupped her hands under the necklace and I dropped in her palms before walking briskly away not bothering to say goodbye to my friends.
Next we headed off to Bordeaux where I would not be competing at all, just watching while Will jousted. I ignored them but still went with them to their conjoined tent when Will finished Jousting, my group headed back to our tent while I did so. "Geoff, I need to write a letter" Will said holding a rose "Dear Jocelyn…No my dearest Jocelyn" "better" Geoff said writing it down "uh, I miss you" Geoff and I wince "Hold, uh was that wrong?" Will asks "Um, er, uh it-it's your funeral I-I mean letter" Geoffrey stutters "Say something about her breasts" Wat suggests "Yeah, you miss her breasts" Roland agrees, I scoff quietly "Her… breasts?" Will asks "Ye... yes, you... you could, umm... umm... but I... I would tend to look above her breasts, William" Geoffrey says "Well I... I miss her throat?" Will tests "Uh, still higher really, toward the heavens" Geoffrey says "The moon at least, her breasts still are not that impressive" I say chuckling "the moon?" Will says "the moon" he twirls the rose in his hands, he brings it up to his face and smells the rose as he turns around "it is strange to think, I haven't seen you since a month…I have seen the new moon, but not you. I have seen sunsets and sun rises, but nothing of your beautiful face" he says looking off dreamily
"That's very good William" Geoff says after writing it down "I used to know this girl once who….well she broke my heart but I used to say that The pieces of my broken heart are so small that they could be passed through the eye of a needle" Roland says Geoff writes that down too "I knew a girl too" Wat says "she used to cook for the duke of York…I miss her like the sun misses the flower" as that Wat begins to cry "I've heard that one" I say rubbing Wat on his back comfortingly "Geoff, write this: I miss you like the sun misses the flower; like the sun misses the flower in the depths of winter. Instead of beauty to direct its light to, the heart hardens like the frozen world your absence has banished me to" I say smiling sadly at my own memory of where I heard that the first time when my mother was reading a letter from my father when he was traveling before she died "I next compete in the city of Paris, I will find it empty and in the winter if you are not there" Will says adding another part to the letter
"I like it, and now to finish it" Geoff says writing this all down on the parchment before looking to Kate the blacksmith "With hope" she says "love should end with hope..My husband, God rest him, told me something I'll never forget: Hope guides me, that is what gets me through the day and especially the night. The hope that after you're gone from my sight, it will not be the last time that I look upon you" Kate says looking off into the depths of her mind "and finish it with, with all the love that I poses, William" Will says smiling down at us and fiddling with the rose "you mean Ulrich" Geoff says writing down what we all said Will's heartwarming smile dissipates and I quickly cover up "write down what he said but not with his name try, I remain yours, the knight of your heart" I say "I like that" Geoff says "nice ending Emma" "thank you, I've seen enough love letters in my life so far that I know a good way to end one" I say chuckling sadly as Geoff rolls the letter and ties it with ribbon "now, Emma and Wat you can deliver it. Ask her about giving me something in return" Will says passing the rolled letter to me and Wat "no problem, Will, wish us luck" I say grabbing the letter and Wat's hand and dragging him off to the horses.
A long while later Wat and I reach where Jocelyn is staying. I dismount my horse and Wat follows suit and follows me to her room; when we get there she is sitting on a cushion on a chair with her maid beside her "excuse me milady?" I say bowing politely at her "my lord wanted us to give you a letter" Wat says "I shall go milady" her maid says, stepping out of the room. I give Jocelyn the letter and she begins to read it aloud "My dearest Jocelyn, It is strange to think, I haven't seen you since a month. I have seen the new moon, but not you. I have seen sunsets and sunrises, but nothing of your beautiful face. The pieces of my broken heart are so small that they could be passed through the eye of a needle." She pauses "he speaks as though I had died" she comments "yes madam he dies as well" Wat says as she continues to read the letter while pacing around the room "I miss you like the sun misses the flower; like the sun misses the flower in the depths of winter. Instead of beauty to direct its light to, the heart hardens like the frozen world your absence has banished me to" she drops her left her to her side as she looks over the letter and somewhere else before she drops the other arm.
Jocelyn sighs and lifts the letter up again and reads "I next compete in the city of Paris, I will find it empty and in the winter if you are not there. Hope guides me, that is what gets me through the day and especially the night. The hope that after you're gone from my sight, it will not be the last time that I look upon you" her voice cracks and a tear slides down the side of her face Wat sniffs and wipes his eyes with a hankie and Jocelyn looks over at him and I, Wat hands her to hankie and she wipes her eyes, she gives the hankie back and begins reading again "with all the love that I poses, I remain yours, the knight of your heart" she rolls the letter back up and puts the side onto her lips "my-my master hoped you might have something to sent him in return" Wat says she turns and smiles at him and I "give him this for me" she walks over to us and looks between us is she going to do what I think she is going to do? I ask myself as she decides on me if she is she is probably choosing me to make the awkwardness less because we are related I think as she leans in and kisses my lips "you want me to give that to Sir Ulrich?" I ask flushing a little and hoping that she thinks that it's from her not the thought of kissing Will like it really is, she nods and calls her maid back in "have a safe trip back, I'll see you in Paris" she says as Wat drags me out of the room "you were just kissed by your sister. And now you have to kiss William" Wat says looking at me "yes I know, that was very weird for me" I say "and it will be even more weird when I have to kiss Will" I say mounting Chancy and beginning the ride to Paris.
When we get there Wat whoops and dismounts "Wat" Will grins "Emmery" he grins wider and I smile back "Wat, Emmery tell me, did you see her? Did she read the letter?" he asks grinning even wider and looking at Wat and I urgently "yes" Wat says "and Yes" I add Will's smile is now turned into a small pout waiting for us to continue "and?" he grins again with more urgency "uh" Wat says pretending to wince "she-she's coming to Paris!" he exclaims "ah" Will laughs with Wat "well did she give you anything for me in return? Did she" he calms down a bit more at the face I was making as Wat looked at me "did she give you a letter? Or a token" Will asks "did she give me a token?" Will grins at us "well" I mumble "she did" Will nods still smiling brightly "Emmery" Wat says as I look at the ground, Will looks over at me "Well what is it Em? Come on give it to me" Will begs walking up to me, I look up at him through my eye lashes as he pouts again God I can't take this I say looking around to see if people are watching so it doesn't look too bad while biting my bottom lip, I sigh when nobody is and wring my hands and kiss him quickly on the lips with my hands slightly on his face before looking down again and taking a step back "yes" Will cries after looking at me with a confused look on his face, he goes around cheering as I continue to look at the ground to cover up the fact that my face is beet red in embarrassment and realization that my last inquiry was correct God I can't believe I like him I sigh and walk silently to my groups set up tent.
I flop down on my bed onto my stomach with my hand covering my face Why me? Why can't this happen to someone else? I ask myself I mean he's in love with my sister. Why can't someone else besides me fall for him when my sister obviously loves him back? Why God? Why do you do this to me? I shake my head and change into a pair of baggy pants and shirt and I unravel my breasts "god that is a relief" I sigh as I am free to move my torso more freely, I fold the cloth and climb into my bed so I can get lots of rest to watch tomorrows joust.