The New Life

a novel by Mark Robert Whitten

Chapter 19

They didn't see the knight again for the rest of the day. Jess was glad of that but he couldn't stand they way Leslie went on about him. "Thomas once said this and Thomas once did that" was all he heard from her. He wanted to talk about something, anything else but she wouldn't allow him to lead her away from the subject, so Jess resigned himself to sitting on her bed, listening patiently to her annoying rhetoric.

"And he slew all the ogres in the tribe that day—practically by himself."

Jess nodded absently. He hadn't really needed to listen to Leslie's tenth tale of the brave Sir Thomas to know that she loved him. He wanted to tell her she was being too obvious but he remembered how he felt when she pointed out his feelings about Julia.

"Jess, am I boring you?"

He blinked. "I'm sorry, Leslie. I was just uh…" He let the implication hang there.

"Well, you ought to tell me if you think I'm boring."

He smiled in spite of his boredom. "You're not boring me, Leslie."

She got that look on her face, the one that told Jess he wasn't fooling her. When she folded her arms and twisted her mouth, Jess found he had to turn away, lest her displeasure burn right through him. "I just don't see why you like this fellow so much."

He could tell by the moment it took her to respond, he had caught her off guard. She unfolded her legs and slid to the edge of her bed. "I don't like him that much…"

It was Jess' turn to give her the disbelieving look.

"I do not!" she cried. "I just think he has great adventures—that's all."

"Right," was all he could say.

"Well, its not like I don't like him—I've known him since I was little."

Jess sighed. "Leslie, you're in love with him." She started to shake her head in protest, but he folded his arms and fixed her with a stern gaze. "Just admit it."

She bit her lip as her cheeks reddened. "Is it that obvious?"

He nodded.

"Please, don't tell him," she begged, grabbing his arm in a desperate bid to ensure his silence. "I couldn't bare it if—"

He pulled his arm away. "All right, all right, I won't tell, I promise!"

She seemed to relax a bit. "I really want to tell him," she whispered.

"Then why don't you?"

Leslie scoffed. "Oh right, and why don't you just tell Miss Edmunds you're in love with her?"

Jess felt his face heat, but he laughed away the embarrassment. "Maybe I will. She might like it," he mused. "She might even marry me."

That brought out Leslie's wonderful laugh. He felt emboldened by the sound and added a bit more. "Well, you never know; you could end up being Tom's bride."

That took the mirth right out of her. Leslie stared at him a long time. She didn't frown or glare or even look angry. She looked defeated. "Right…"

Jess chuckled, the last of it dying out as he realized he had said something to upset her. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." She shook her head. "I just didn't think it funny."

She moved away and he followed, reaching out to her.

"Leslie?"

She shook his arm away. "I don't feel like talking anymore, Jess." She heaved a great sigh. "Please, just leave me alone?"

Jess wanted to ask what he had done to upset her, but by the look on her face, he decided it wasn't a good idea. He left the room, and as he closed the door behind him, he detected the soft crying of his best friend.

Dinner that night was a grand event, as it always was at the castle. Jess paid more attention to his etiquette lessons, picking the right fork more times than not and while Sir Thomas sat next to Julia, it didn't bother Jess like he expected. Leslie put on a brave face for the dinner guests, smiling and talking, but generally acting somewhat reserved. Jess knew Leslie was still upset about something, but he also knew no one else could tell.

As Sir Thomas expounded on his most recent adventures, Jess only half-listened. They were tales to rival Leslie's fiction to be sure, but he couldn't enjoy them. All Jess could do was wonder what he'd done to upset Leslie. The evening soon ended and Leslie retired to her room, not bothering to wish Jess a good night. He stopped to watch her enter her chambers. He reminded her that word around the castle was that her father was returning soon and that brought a distant smile to her beautiful face. It disappeared just as quickly and as she slipped into her room, Jess went to his chambers, still worried over his friend and still not having a clue as to what he had done wrong.

The next morning brought him no answers, though Leslie's mood had improved somewhat. Everyone else seemed to be in an excited state. The Duke was on his way home and as Jess worked at his lessons and talked with Leslie, he thought constantly about the Duke, the man who had brought him into his home.

It would be good to see him again.

Before he would arrive, however, Jess wanted to talk with Leslie about what he had done. He still wasn't sure he could handle the answer but before he could ask, there came a knock on the door and at Leslie's call to enter, Tom strode into the room.

His smile was infectious as he looked down at the two of them. "Ready for training?"

Leslie shared a look with Jess and they both nodded.

It was time to begin.

They circled him slowly, swords held ready. Prince Terrian stayed back, looking like he wanted nothing more than to bite his legs again. A swift kick had taught the dog to stay away from him when he was fighting. Leslie was on his left and widening her arc while Jess went to his right, commanding his attention. Just as they planned, both kept out of reach and were mindful of the length of his swords.

Tom grinned.

That cunning smile gave Jess pause. It was the same smirk Leslie used when she was up to something. He swallowed hard and let his gaze shift to her for a moment. She was keeping her eyes on Tom and Jess knew that if she saw him not paying attention she would not be pleased; he was supposed to keep his eyes on Tom, not look to her for comfort. He didn't think she ought to blame him though; they were facing an implacable foe and he needed reassurance.

As they carefully stepped to his sides, Tom twirled his swords.

Jess knew that he was loosening his wrists, preparing for the attack they were about to unleash. He blinked the sweat from his eyes. He knew there was no way they could win.

They had been at him for hours. When they began, Leslie chided him to take things slow and plan his moves but he was so excited about the prospect of training with a real knight, he hardly heard her. He had already gotten himself killed several times that day and Leslie had been left with trying to defeat Tom alone. Although she was the greatest swordfighter he had ever known, Jess had been forced to watch as she was taken apart with relative ease. Tom often slaughtered her with casual grace, using his superior size and strength to full advantage. He liked to tease her, playing games about how many times he could strike her bottom before he slew her. He was humiliating her, Jess knew, but he knew it was to teach him the cost of failure and the value of teamwork.

Jess had watched his moves after that, making sure to follow Leslie's instructions carefully, lest they both be killed. Jess knew that Leslie would be the one to pay if he got himself slain and that fact made him even more careful. He didn't like the idea of anyone teaching him a lesson by smacking Leslie's bottom and promised himself that he wouldn't let it happen again if he could help it.

Jess gasped. The heat was oppressive. There was also the discomfort to consider. The sweat covering his body was making him itch and he was sure he already had a wealth of bruises under his padded-leather tunic. As grateful as he was that they were only using wooden practice swords, Tom's strength made every blow hurt. As he glanced at Leslie one more time, he saw her pause. The wind blew quietly through her golden hair. The sun glistened on her sweat-soaked skin and he watched as trickles of moisture ran clear tracks through the dirt on her face and neck. She didn't smile.

As her gaze flicked to him, he knew instantly what she was thinking.

It was time.

Yelling at the top of his lungs, Jess charged. His downward stroke was perfect, as was his balance. Tom looked at him and swung his sword. Jess cut off his battle cry and leapt back, narrowly missing the tip of Tom's sword as it whistled past. The crack of wood made him look up again, and he saw Leslie spinning through one of Tom's attacks.

They had failed. Jess thought by coming in from different sides and distracting him, they might be able to catch him by surprise. He was wrong. Tom hadn't been fooled and Leslie was now trying to escape from close combat while Jess was too afraid to rush in to help. He didn't want to be reckless again.

Just then, he saw Leslie spin to the ground, her sword flung away by the sheer power of Tom's swing. On her hands and knees, her back to him, Jess knew she was finished. Tom raised his sword above his head, intending to cleave her in two.

Jess was there in a flash, his sword coming up to block the blow. As Tom's sword crashed down on his, the sheer power threatened to overwhelm him. Jess trembled as the vibrations sent pain flowing into his arms and down his legs. He knew that if Tom weren't holding back, he would have been crushed under the force of the strike.

As he struggled to fend off Tom, Leslie scrambled across the ground toward her sword. Tom caught sight of her and shook Jess off balance. He was nearly thrown across the lawn by the power of Tom's simple gesture and as he spun to the ground, he had to sink to his knees to keep from falling over completely. As he looked back over his aching shoulder, he saw with some satisfaction that Leslie had reached her sword. Tom was striding towards her though and Jess hoped he wouldn't get to her in time. She was just reaching for the hilt, extending her fingers in a desperate attempt to grasp it when he planted his boot heel on her behind and gave a firm thrust of his leg. Leslie cried out, flying awkwardly over her sword and landing facedown in the grass some distance away. She hadn't been slain, but she was still down. Jess felt weak from the fighting but he knew he had to help her.

Panting, he rose to his feet and faced Tom with all the courage he could muster.

Tom turned from Leslie's prone form to Jess before looking back down to her, laughing as Leslie spat a mouthful of grass. "Hold on, Leslie, this will just take a second."

Jess burned with fury. Tom had just made Leslie eat grass—like a cow! He felt the need for revenge boil inside him. He growled through gritted teeth the words he felt could not be denied, "Come and meet your doom!"

Tom smiled and obliged. Jess watched as Leslie climbed to her feet and ran towards them, snatching up her sword as she came. Tom was upon him now, towering over him with such fearsome presence that Jess couldn't see Leslie anymore. He brought his sword up, preparing to cleave Jess in two. Jess watched the sword rise, wary of the other, when Tom suddenly fell to his knees, sticking Jess in the gut and flipping his other sword over so Leslie was impaled behind Tom as she came to the rescue. Jess and Leslie stared at each other with wide eyes, neither able to fully comprehend their fate.

They were both dead.

Clutching their stomachs as he withdrew the swords, they both collapsed to the ground. They lay there with their heads against the dirt, gasping for air, exhausted from the workout and trying their hardest not to laugh. Prince Terrian rushed in then and licked the sweat from their filthy faces. Jess laughed, barely able to muster the strength to push him aside and as the excitement of the battle wore away, fatigue settled in and stayed. Jess was as tired as he had ever been. Every muscle in him burned like never before. He didn't think he had the strength left to lift his head. Tom sheathed his wooden swords and walked over to him.

Grabbing Jess by the waistband of his trousers Tom lifted him up with a grunt. He did the same to Leslie, holding them both at his sides, their feet dragging the ground as he walked away. Prince Terrian yapped at him but kept his distance as he made his way across the lawn. Jess waited for him to stand them upright but when he saw Leslie struggling, he realized they weren't being helped to their feet.

"Tom," she begged. "No! Don't do this—please!"

Jess didn't understand the source of Leslie's distress but he understood well enough her tone: She was scared. He looked around and saw some of the garden servants pointing at them and talking amongst themselves. A few snickered at their predicament. They obviously knew more about what was happening then he did. Leslie also knew. He called out to her. She looked over at him, panic in her eyes. He kept his voice calm. "What's he doing?"

"We're prisoners, Jess." She looked up at Tom and kicked her legs, struggling futilely against the big man's grip. She gave up after a moment. "He means to execute us."

"Exe-execute…?"

"Means 'kill you,'" Tom answered, a little too cheerily, Jess thought.

He didn't believe it. He had already been slain in fair combat—they both had. How could you execute dead people? Leslie answered his unspoken question.

"We're not dead yet, Jess." She glared up at Tom. "He only wounded us."

Jess realized she was right. Earlier, Tom had explained that a gut wound, while painful, might take some hours to kill you. He thought that Tom might be showing them mercy by giving them a quick end, but the look on Leslie's face as she resumed her struggling told him it would be anything but a mercy. Jess looked ahead, trying to see where they might be taken. Then he spotted someone he desperately didn't want to see: Miss Edmunds.

To his horror, Leslie called out to her. "Miss Edmunds! Help us!"

She calmly strode over to them, a bemused smile on her beautiful face. Jess lowered his head, not wanting her to see him carried like a rabbit for supper. Leslie cried out for help again and Jess felt his face go red. Tom stopped as a shadow blocked out the light. Jess could smell her perfume. She was standing right in front of them. "Well, well," she mused in that wonderful voice, "What have we here?"

"Help us!" Leslie pleaded. She struggled again but Jess didn't even look up. He couldn't face the beautiful Miss Edmunds as a helpless prisoner.

"Tom," she laughed, "What do you think you're doing?" Her voice still rang of the sweetest of melodies. "You won't hurt the children, will you?"

Jess felt his ears burning. He didn't like being called a child—especially by Miss Edmunds. He could detect a hint of mirth in her voice that deepened his shame.

"Well, Julia," Tom explained, "I have a few prisoners here need executing."

"Help us," Leslie cried. "Don't let him do this again, please!"

Jess almost told Leslie to be silent. He had never been so close to saying something mean to her but she was begging like a little girl. She needed to stop making things worse and hope Miss Edmunds would go away and forget all about this mess.

"I'm sorry," she said "but you know the rules." Miss Edmunds stopped speaking for a moment. Jess kept his head down but he knew she was looking at him. "I'm afraid young Jess doesn't know the rules." He almost died when she spoke his name. "Maybe you should let him go."

There was a moment of silence. "No," said Tom, "I think this is a good way for him to learn."

Leslie renewed her struggles. "Help us, Miss Edmunds, please," she begged, kicking and squirming. "Use your magic!"

Tom chuckled. Jess was just about to shout for Leslie to be quiet when Miss Edmunds asked a question that made Tom stop laughing. "Really, Tom, is this how you intend to treat our children?"

"Our-our chi-children…?"

Through the shame and humiliation, Jess could feel the ground connect under his feet. Tom's grip loosened and he saw Leslie give him a swift kick in the shin. He cried out and released them both to grab his leg. Leslie was off like an arrow, shouting thanks to Miss Edmunds and yelling at Jess to run. He tore off after her, his face still red as a beet.

As they slipped into the nearest doorway, they made sure to close it behind them. They slumped against it and slid down to the floor, panting. Then they laughed.

"Leslie?"

She looked over at him. The candlelight made her sweaty face glow. Her eyes were half-closed as she caught her breath. "You want to know what he would have done to us."

He nodded.

She gulped a breath. "He would have tossed us both in the water trough."

Jess blinked. "What are you talking about? What water trough?"

"The one for the horses." She paused to catch her breath and brushed her matted hair back off her face. "He would have taken us to the stables and dropped is in the water trough."

Jess almost laughed, but his curiosity kept him from even smiling. "Why would he drop us in the water trough?"

"Because we would have been covered in mud."

"Alright," he whispered as he gasped for breath. "Why would we be covered in mud?"

She smiled a little. "Because he would have taken us to the pig pen first." Before he could ask what she meant by that, Leslie waved her hand and continued. "He would have tossed us in the mud pit and when we were both covered in muck, he would have taken us to the stables and dropped us in the water trough to wash us off." She noticed the look on his face and explained. "Mother wouldn't let us back inside without a soak to wash out the filth."

Jess laid his head back and stared at the ceiling. "You have one sick friend."

"I agree," she laughed. "But he didn't get us this time."

"Did he ever do that to you, that dunking thing?" he asked, already knowing the answer.

She smiled. "Since I could walk." She shook her head and scratched behind her ear. "Every time he beats me in my lessons, I get dunked." She giggled.

Jess didn't laugh. "That's awful; I thought he liked you."

"He does." She laughed again. "He just likes dunking me more."

"Well, he didn't get you this time, thank the gods."

"Thank Miss Edmunds," Leslie corrected.

"Well," he sighed, "I'll have to remember to thank her for saving us."

Leslie gave him a teasing smirk. "Maybe you could thank her with a kiss."

"Yeah," Jess agreed. "Right after you kiss Tom."

She swatted his shoulder but it was a half-hearted attempt. He laughed it off and watched Leslie as she tried to stand. Jess got up to help her but she told him to sit. He took her arm and stood, refusing to let her test unsteady legs. "Maybe you should sit for a while."

"I can't," she panted. She moaned as she rubbed her rear. "Tom got me good."

Jess nodded. He had seen her get her bottom whacked by Tom's sword and had even taken a few on his own. He was grateful for the padded tunics they wore, though he wished they had some padding in their seats. He offered Leslie a reassuring grin.

"We'll get him next time, Leslie."

She tried to agree, but could only manage a tight-lipped smile.