A few days after Lola got the job as the King's spy, the court was gathering for the yearly midsummer celebration. It was day full of activities and games, and all the most important nobles and their families was invited. On midday they court was gathering in the garden for food and wine, and games. The Hoodman's blind was played, as well as Tag and Jingling. Lola participated in some of the games, and managed to have a good time considering the task that lay before her. She drank a lot of wine to calm her nerves, and was getting a little bit drunk. Greer noticed, and pushed a goblet of water in her hands.

"You should drink some water. It's a hot day." Greer studied her while she drank, and asked:

"You have been distant lately. Have something happened?"

"Well, no. I've just been worried about the catholic and protestant unrest... I hope Claude's marriage has the desired effect on the factions." Lola hoped she convinced her. Greer nodded in agreement.

"Yes, it's been difficult. This whole thing is difficult." Lola knew Greer had a hard time getting used to Lord Castleroy being a protestant. It was dangerous being one, not to mention being married to one. They didn't have much time to contemplate on the matter before someone announced that the archery contest was about to begin. People murmured excited and was beginning to make their way to the archery field.

It was in all fifty-three contestants, and so the tournament was ongoing for some time. Lola recognised Lord Narcisse as one of the contestants. He looked handsome with a black and green embroidered doublet, and black trousers and boots. His eyes met hers, and she smiled giving him a nod of acknowledgement. He returned the gesture, and continued concentrating on the contest.

Lola let her mind wander, and started studying the men in the tournament, trying taking her mind of Lord Narcisse. There were indeed many handsome men at court. A prominent catholic noble named Lord Merchand particularly peaked her interest. He was tall, blonde and rather dashing with a gold and green doublet over brown trousers. His stance and manner of speaking and not least skill at archery, impressed her. She didn't quite know who he was, so she asked Greer who stood next to her, and was told that he was the son of a particularly wealthy merchant, and from the information Greer had, a bachelor.

Lola and Greer stood talking for a while as the archery tournament went on. The wind had stopped moving as the last arrows were hitting the targets and they proclaimed the winner. The king, of course. He seemed glad, but a shadow of worries always seemed to cloud Francis's face these days. The hot day made Lola sweat, and she and Greer moved to shadows of the marquees. Soon the sun started setting, and the coolness of the air was more than welcome to everyone on the field. Lola had started drinking some wine again, and felt better with the not so hot afternoon, soon to be evening. She was pouring herself a goblet of water to keep herself balanced, but just as she was about to turn around, she bumped into something and the goblet flew out of her hands. The water splashed on her dress and on whomever she had bumped into. She saw up and met Lord Marchand's eyes. His look of surprise and the sudden suspense in the moment made her laugh.

"Oh, I'm so sorry... Lord Merchand, I believe?" She curtseyed, still giggling.

"No matter, my lady. By the smell of it..." he sniffed his jacket. "Water?" Lola nodded and blushed. "Well, I don't think it will leave a stain," he said picking up her goblet.

"Not for long in this heat," Lola said. He smiled, and started pouring water in her goblet. When he finished, he presented to her.

"Your water, my lady."

"Thank you." She smiled.

"May I know your name?" he suddenly asked.

"I'm lady Lola. One of the queen's ladies."

"Lady Lola, of course. A pleasure to meet you." He smiled and bowed before he left.

"What happened there?" Greer had suddenly appeared behind her, obviously following their exchanged from a distance.

"Well, nothing really. I bumped into him with a glass full of water, and we presented ourselves."

"Wow, how romantic," Greer smirked.

"Well, not re-" Her sentence was broken off by someone declaring a game starting by the forest.

"Oh, this one we are attending," Greer said. "A new game, finally." They trooped along with the other ladies and found Kenna and Mary on the way as they were also attending. They were as excited as them, and the mood was great as they were put in different teams. There were four teams, with five people on each team, both men and women were attending. Lola and Greer were put on the same team, while Queen Mary and Kenna were on the other teams. Lola noticed both King Francis, Lord Narcisse and Lord Merchand were all attending the game, but none of them were put at the same team as herself and Greer. The different teams were given a ribbon to tie to around their arms to show what teams they were representing. Greer and Lola were on the yellow team, while the others were blue, green and red. Lola found the sun had set without her even noticing, and an agreeable blue light had surrounded them on the field. The forest looked dark, but it was just about enough light to guide them. She met Lord Narcisse's gaze and felt a shiver down her spine as he pierced her with his steel blue eyes. It only lasted for a moment, but the impact it had on her almost made her embarrassed. A clerk came forward to announce the game and the rules.

"Welcome! This is a new game called Catch the flag. It's very simple. Twenty-one red flags have been scattered in the forest you see before you. Your task is to find as many as you can and bring them to me. The team who finds the greatest amounts of flags has won." The teams nodded and smirked to each other, ready to win over their friends. "No foul play is allowed. If you have caught a flag, it's not allowed from any of the other teams to try to take it away from you." Lola caught a glimpse of Narcisse's eyes, and knew at once that he had no intention of playing by the rules. "Are there any questions to the game or to the rules?" The crowd was silent. "Well then, make yourself ready." The teams spread out, leaned forward ready to run. The silence and the concentration for the game was nearly making Lola laugh, but she was just as keen on winning as the others. She could feel her heart pump hard in her chest.

"Ready...set...go!" Everyone sprinted for the forest, and Lola followed but wasn't as fast as many of her team members. She jogged and immediately started looking around her as she entered the forest. It wasn't impossible that they had put a flag or two right at the beginning of the forest because everyone was sprinting the first few metres. The ground was mostly hard soil and moss, so it was easy to walk around. Her eyes were just starting getting used to the dim light, but she saw no red flags. She started looking up, in the branches of the trees, in the roof of the leaves, but she still found nothing. For a while she walked slowly examining everything around her.

After a while she realised, she was all alone behind everyone else and started jogging after the others, but many had already disappeared into the large forest. She could still hear footsteps, and branches snapping at the distance, but she couldn't really see anybody. She walked fast and tried going slightly to the right. She looked up, her eyes starting to get used to the darkness. There! She saw it. A red flag in the branches of the tree. She glanced around her, but no one was nearby. She couldn't reach it, so she started climbing. It was not too far, and soon she managed to snatch it from the branch. She climbed down, and straightened her dress. The sound of a branch snapping made her jump. Lord Narcisse appeared from the shadows. Just six feet from her. His eyes sparkled in the dim light, and while she couldn't clearly see the expression on his face, she could feel his wolfish grin.

"Well, lady Lola, I know they said no foul play, but here in the dark all alone, I might not be so considerate." Lola stared at him, her mind working fast at how she could turn this into her advantage. His ambiguous remark made her shiver. After all the rumours she had heard of him at court, she was not sure how to take it. She felt scared and excited all at the same time, and she felt her breath growing faster. After they had danced at Claude's wedding, she had fantasized about them together, just like this, in a forest all alone. She couldn't admit it to anyone, almost not to herself, but she wondered how it would be to kiss him.

This is dangerous.

"Lord Narcisse, I would never assume you would play by the rules. I know you too well for that." She smiled sweetly, almost cringing at the ridiculous thing she just said. "Have you come to steal my flag?"

"Oh, I hope to steal more than that." Lola couldn't help but chuckle at that. But he didn't move. By just two steps he could have erased the distance between them. Yet he didn't.

"If you let me keep the flag, I will take a walk with you."

"An interesting proposal, lady Lola," he drawled. "How do I know this is not just a part of the game, and it's forgotten once we're done?"

"I give you my word."

"I'm not so sure I can trust that just now, my lady. No offence intended, of course." She stared at him, almost offended, but pulled a ring off of her finger impulsively.

"This is my most cherished possession. My grandmothers ring. You can give it back to me, when we go for that walk." She handed it to him, quite pleased with herself, and waited for his reaction. He studied the ring for a moment.

"Fine, I will."