Sleep was much longer coming for Kate than it had been for Will. She hadn't
been held this close by a man since her husband had passed on. It was
awakening old feelings that she had thought forever gone, and it worried
her.
True, she had once thought there might be something between her and Will, but that was only for a mere moment. He had started chasing Jocelyn so soon after meeting her that any chance of a romance between them was short lived. The way he fought for Jocelyn made it clearly evident he had no other women on his mind. It hurt Kate for a while, to see him with this other woman, but she grew to accept it.
"Though I'll never understand it!" she thought bitterly to herself. "She doesn't deserve him. Why can't he see that?" Indeed, everyone else seemed to notice her inadequacy, except William. They all saw how she spent his money on frivolous, materialistic things. They saw how she flirted and gallivanted around with other men right under his nose. And they saw how they were two completely different people, who didn't share a single thought, interest or value.
But most importantly they saw how she used him at every twist and turn. Asking him to loose the tournament should have been a clear sign to all, that this woman was wicked.
In fact, the only thing the others couldn't see was why Will was still with Jocelyn. Besides her physical beauty, the woman didn't have a single trait to be found attractive.
As the months passed everyone watched as Jocelyn's possessions and vanity grew, while Will was slowly sucked dry. There wasn't nearly as much money as before and Jocelyn didn't even come to the tournaments anymore. She stayed living in her father's castle showing no interest in her fiancée or his jousting career, unless it was concerning his winnings. The few times Will was able to go and visit her, she always found an excuse to leave, claiming she had some previous engagement planned. Kate knew Jocelyn was seeing other men, but she wasn't ever able to prove it. Her intuition was never enough to convince William. And after once having a huge row with him, Kate realized that he probably wanted to stay blind to his future wife's activities. He continued giving Jocelyn the pricey allowance they had established, and developed excuses for her whenever needed.
"You just don't know her the way I do," he would explain. "She's a noble and used to her lifestyle. I can't deprive her of it, that's just the way she is."
"But that's not the way you are," Kate thought again. "You're above all that, and you deserve better. You deserve someone who loves you. Someone like me." But that dream seemed impossible now. No matter how much Kate cared for Will, she knew he only had eyes for Jocelyn. She would only ever be seen as his friend, the loyal, hardworking and sweet blacksmith. And she wasn't about to let him down.
(Sorry this one's so short, but I finally figured out how to keep some sort of form to my writing. So I just want to make sure this works. There will be more.)
True, she had once thought there might be something between her and Will, but that was only for a mere moment. He had started chasing Jocelyn so soon after meeting her that any chance of a romance between them was short lived. The way he fought for Jocelyn made it clearly evident he had no other women on his mind. It hurt Kate for a while, to see him with this other woman, but she grew to accept it.
"Though I'll never understand it!" she thought bitterly to herself. "She doesn't deserve him. Why can't he see that?" Indeed, everyone else seemed to notice her inadequacy, except William. They all saw how she spent his money on frivolous, materialistic things. They saw how she flirted and gallivanted around with other men right under his nose. And they saw how they were two completely different people, who didn't share a single thought, interest or value.
But most importantly they saw how she used him at every twist and turn. Asking him to loose the tournament should have been a clear sign to all, that this woman was wicked.
In fact, the only thing the others couldn't see was why Will was still with Jocelyn. Besides her physical beauty, the woman didn't have a single trait to be found attractive.
As the months passed everyone watched as Jocelyn's possessions and vanity grew, while Will was slowly sucked dry. There wasn't nearly as much money as before and Jocelyn didn't even come to the tournaments anymore. She stayed living in her father's castle showing no interest in her fiancée or his jousting career, unless it was concerning his winnings. The few times Will was able to go and visit her, she always found an excuse to leave, claiming she had some previous engagement planned. Kate knew Jocelyn was seeing other men, but she wasn't ever able to prove it. Her intuition was never enough to convince William. And after once having a huge row with him, Kate realized that he probably wanted to stay blind to his future wife's activities. He continued giving Jocelyn the pricey allowance they had established, and developed excuses for her whenever needed.
"You just don't know her the way I do," he would explain. "She's a noble and used to her lifestyle. I can't deprive her of it, that's just the way she is."
"But that's not the way you are," Kate thought again. "You're above all that, and you deserve better. You deserve someone who loves you. Someone like me." But that dream seemed impossible now. No matter how much Kate cared for Will, she knew he only had eyes for Jocelyn. She would only ever be seen as his friend, the loyal, hardworking and sweet blacksmith. And she wasn't about to let him down.
(Sorry this one's so short, but I finally figured out how to keep some sort of form to my writing. So I just want to make sure this works. There will be more.)