*~ Disclaimer ~* I do not own any of the characters, language, plots, or locations from A Knight's Tale.
Someone else holds all rights to A Knight's Tale and this story is only created for pleasure, not profit.
Prizes Lost and Found
Geoff ran as fast as he could. He must stop William from riding; if he tilted against Colville, not only would he be endangering royalty, he would be taking a huge risk of being arrested and exposing himself. "Wait! Wait! Colville is Edward. The Black Prince of Wales. Future Kind of England."
"Well he's in disguise like me so he can compete." Geoff nearly groaned. William was completely missing the point of the matter.
"He has never met an enemy without victory he has never attacked a town he could not defeat."
"We're English, Geoff, we know who he is," Wat spat out. Well, Wat, why don't you explain to William why he can't compete against him then?
Luckily, the real voice of reason in the form of Roland spoke up. "You must withdraw, Will. Go tell them, they're about to drop the flag."
"Absolutely." Without waiting for William's certain protest, Geoff ran to save William from feeling the need to complete this match.
qpqpqp
Watching William tilt against Edward, Geoff felt faint. "Oh, my giddy aunt." That man would be the death of him. Geoff walked down to where William was riding to meet Edward in a parlay. "Are you mad? You knowingly endanger a member of the royal family?"
"He knowingly endangers himself." That was true enough, but Geoff wondered if William truly saw the real danger in riding against royalty. Men of that stature could control your life. He waited anxiously as the two conferred and was relieved when Edward took no action again William. He breathed again, trying to set aside the fear that William could have had his life taken away for risking the life of the Prince. And having William's life taken away… would surely leave Geoff with nothing. Geoff moved on to follow William down the track. William was certainly a knight at heart, but what would that cost him in the end? How long would this dream last for all of them…?
qpqpqp
William tossed the golden prize at Roland. "Here. Melt it down. Sell it. Do whatever you do." Well, it seemed that winning the tournament wouldn't be enough for William this time around. Geoff wondered if they would have to deal with this nasty William very often. Righteous anger suited him just fine, but this was rather petulant.
"Yes, your Majesty." Roland appeared to agree on the matter and sounded very sarcastic even as he moved to do what he was asked… well, told, really. Perhaps they could cheer him up and they could all suffer a little less.
"William, you're tournament champion!" That was the right idea, Geoff could approve of Wat's outright ways on this one occasion. Not that he would ever tell him that.
But William wasn't hearing it. "I'm not champion until I defeat Ademar. Ademar withdrew." And the thorn sinks in deeper. Well, there would always be the next tournament. Geoff could at least understand his need to exact revenge on the one who had mocked him before. As he would violate Simon and Peter, his former debtors, Will needed to knock Ademar back and prove his worth. It was just… foolish.
"Sir Ulrich." Geoff watched with no little gratitude as the beautiful Jocelyn approached. Ah, perhaps she could cheer up their man, Geoff thought.
"Oh." Or maybe not.
"I've come to see what you'll wear to banquet tonight."
"Nothing."
"Well, then we'll cause a sensation for I'll dress to match." Whoa, William! If nothing else, take this chance to cheer yourself out of your slums!
"Look, don't you ever get tired of putting on clothes?" That was painful to witness, as William knocked himself back a peg. Geoff simply had to help him or William would certainly regret it.
"I believe she's talking about taking them off, my lord." If that didn't clarify the point, then Geoff was certain that nothing else could. He hoped that William would take this opportunity, though something inside him still disliked the idea. They were mismatched, even without considering William's state of birth. Geoff didn't really feel that the nobleman's daughter could truly match up with William, but hopefully after the physical appeal was over William could get his head out of the clouds and focus on something else. He could focus on the tournaments, on his team, or…
Jocelyn, however, took just offense, "A flower is only as good as its petals, don't you think?"
And William was just as clever at putting his foot in his mouth, "A flower is good for nothing." Oh dear, it seemed as though William had learned nothing. Geoff sighed to himself. William could certainly be dense sometimes. There was no fairytale perfection here, though Geoff wished his pen could whip some of it into something more romantic and appealing for a knight. But perhaps… there was just nothing he could do about William. Geoff wasn't even sure he wanted to change it. The man was… real.
"Really?" Yes, really Jocelyn, Geoff muttered in his head. Don't be daft, he's in a mood.
William tried to argue, as if he was trying to make a point for his own irritation. "Well, you can't eat a flower. A flower doesn't keep you warm."
"And a rose never knocked a man off a horse either, did it?" Geoff could admit that the girl did have some poetic flair, but it wasn't much. She was the type that expected romance heaped upon her, not to create it in itself. Jocelyn wanted something to inspire love or to be the inspiration to a lover, like a muse, but not to make romance on her own. Geoff was much better than her—in that particular sense—with poetry.
"You're just a silly girl, aren't you?" Geoff wasn't even paying much attention at this point, merely standing by, somehow mollified from William's hateful mood by the fact that he was lashing out at Jocelyn instead of his own men.
"Better a silly girl with a flower, than a silly boy with a horse and a stick." And it seemed that was the last they would see of her, at least, until William came to his senses. Geoff wondered how long that would take; pride was a particular strong point with William. Geoff watched William walk away and heard a soft goodbye from Christiana to Roland. At least those two were making some headway after tiptoeing around each other this whole time.
"It's called a lance. Helloo…" Geoff suppressed a chuckle. Wat certainly knew how to take as little as possible from the whole affair. But it did lighten the mood a fraction.
qpqpqp
They made it to the next tournament and Geoff did not envy himself at the moment. He was walking back from the lists, attempting to prepare himself for William's reaction to the news on the tournament challengers.
"What?" William seemed impatient today, as he had been on and off for a while now. Well, time for the bad news.
"I have word. Ademar has been called back to the Free Companies. The Black Prince commanded it. He could be gone all season." Geoff watched as William's face became enraged and sympathized with him. To be withheld from your arch nemesis was simply wrong, just as wrong as being held from your true love. One needs their nemesis to maintain what it is they are living for. They must define themselves by their presence. The only way William would be able to make peace with himself would be to defeat the dark man. Geoff hoped that he was wrong, for once, and that Ademar would be back in the tournaments before the end of the season.
Then Wat opened his big mouth. "First Jocelyn and now Ademar." 'Yes, way to dig in the old wound as well. Let's just dump heaps of salt on all of his pains, shall we?' Geoff thought sarcastically.
"Argh!" And it had the exact effect that Geoff had suspected. William blew up. But at least his blow up was in the opposite direction of his friends this time. Perhaps he was learning after all.
"Well done."
"Yeah, well done." Geoff had to second Kate on that one. Wat had no tact whatsoever.
"What? I…?" What a buffoon. A charming simpleton, but what an idiot sometimes.
qpqpqp
And again at the following tournament: "No Ademar." Geoff was sorry to report the news to William, but there was no helping it.
"No Ademar." At least William wasn't blowing smoke out of his ears this time. Perhaps writing that love letter to Jocelyn really had done him some good. Geoff had been surprised to hear poetry come out of his William. It was a rare pleasure to hear such sweet melodies from the rough, simple knight. Well, pretend-knight. It was becoming easier to forget where they all started, and William… He paused in his thoughts as Wat rode into view. William became excited to hear of Jocelyn's response to their combined letter of love, "Wat! Wat, tell me, did you see her? Did she read the letter?"
"Yes and yes." Well, good news for the man at last. Now if it could cheer up William, perhaps Geoff could breathe again.
"And?"
"Ehh…." Geoff knew that kind of dramatic pause and grinned to himself. This would be good news. "She's coming to Paris!" Wat exclaimed. And Geoff was right again; he gave himself an imaginary pat on the back.
William eagerly continued, "Well, did she give you anything for me in return? Did she, did she give you a letter or a token? Did she give you a token? She did?" Geoff had to admit it was quite amusing to see William scramble about in his excitement. Like a child that found a treat just out of his reach. Wat mumbled to himself a bit and Geoff could not read it for once. He wondered what Jocelyn could have given him for Wat to make such an uncomfortable face. "Well what is it, Wat? Come on, give it to me!"
Geoff's eyes went wide as Wat gave William a kiss. On the lips. There was a stunned pause before William's face unfroze, "Yes! Yeah, hwooo! Hell, yes. She… she…that means she… Yeah! Yes, yes, yes, yes!" Well, this was interesting. Apparently William was a lot more open-minded than Geoff had originally thought; either that or the man was too focused on the overall message to care for the details. And for himself… well, Geoff was finally beginning to recognize the spark of jealously that typically came with his thoughts of William. For now, however, he would have to wait and see how things turned out, as was his style. And in the meantime, he would get himself some nice cold drinks and find something else to occupy his time.
qpqpqp
"God, I'm good!" It would be an understatement to say that Geoff was pleased with himself. He had quite a few excellent brews last night and managed to indulge in some of his old passion, in a very controlled manner, if he did say so himself. At least he had consulted the others before allowing the French dogs to drag the money out of him. A wonderful, rowdy time, and Geoff was pleased to note that though William had passed through his mind from time to time, it was mostly his chances of winning, which were, suffice it to say: very very very good. Unfortunately for Geoff, his grin faltered at the sight of William stopping short of the full track. In confusion, he could only stare as William merely sat there and took the first hit of the joust, full on. Having faith in Kate's armor, and by the fact that William was still on his horse, Geoff knew that he wasn't in serious pain (for the moment), but he could not stop the concern that welled up inside of him. So he did the next best thing and turned it into tight sarcasm as he walked over to where William was being crowded by the others as well.
"Ah, are you blind? Didn't you see the flag?"
"Yes, I saw it, okay?" Then what could possibly make the hardheaded man take a hit like that?
Wat had an idea that he voiced with hope, "I know, I know. You wanna drop behind for a more dramatic victory!" Geoff silently disagreed; although William liked the prestige of the game, he never risked points for drama, even after Geoff had encouraged him to give it a little flair from time to time.
"Look, Jocelyn told me I should lose to prove my love." Geoff could not control the hurt that welled up in his chest at those words. Not only was he losing all of his money, but he was truly losing William's heart. If Jocelyn had this much hold over him (over his pride, even!), then how could Geoff intercede? Even with his expertise at subtleties and scheming, he could never compare with her if she held his heart. So with as much sting as he could muster, Geoff spat at William.
"Oh God, I'd rather you were blind." And he quickly walked away.
qpqpqp
After trying to reason with William and failing, Wat turned to blame Geoff. "I'm gonna lose everything!" At this point, Geoff had calmed at bit. Some owing to the hope that he would be able to prove his worth to William at a later time and some owing to the threat of "a good fonging" that was being restrained right in front of him. Geoff wasn't a huge fan of pain, but at the moment, he felt the need for more distraction. Therefore…
"That's why it's called gambling." A little egging on should do the trick.
"Here's your pain!" And here it was. Geoff did attempt to fight back some, but mostly allowed Wat to get some of his frustration out. Geoff could tell Wat was only doing it for that reason and simply directed him away from certain vital parts.
He could hear the others in the background. "It is very romantic, though." 'Sometimes Kate can be quite annoying,' Geoff thought as he received a fresh punch to the gut.
"Are you a woman or a blacksmith?" Good question, ouch!
"Sometimes I'm both."
"Ooh, that chafes!" All right, now Geoff needed some relief.
"Put him down." Yes, the voice of reason, please speak to this barbarian. Geoff winced as Wat dealt a few more throws and let him loose. At least his bruises would keep him occupied later, Geoff thought.
qpqpqp
Though Geoff was still chafing at the current events, he had to wince as he saw the bruises that William now sported. A little encouragement was in order at this point and so he talked statistics. "No one knight has distanced themselves with victories yet. You win all your remaining matches and some of your opponents take key losses, who knows, you could make the semis, even the finals."
"At least the armor's proven itself." True enough; Geoff was grateful to Kate that she was such a good blacksmith.
But Wat wasn't about to let anything slide just yet, as he cranked William's arm. "And your love… Have you proven that yet?" Geoff frowned at Wat, the man was obviously taking serious pain, wasn't that enough for now? But William took it in stride and Geoff continued massaging William's shoulders. He guiltily enjoyed the task, though he shouldn't, as William was so injured.
"Oh. Wat you remember church as a boy. Fear the passion. That's what she makes me feel. And for that I say my rosary to Jocelyn and no one else." And William's words took another stab at Geoff's heart. That woman really did inspire his William to romantic bounds. But there is always hope, wasn't that what Kate said? That love should end with hope?
Wat just looked down at the other man. "William, that's blasphemous." And he cranked the arm again.
Geoff released William's shoulders as his arm was released from the crank. William gasped a bit and returned, "Ah—then may I burn in Hell."
Roland tried to break in, "Withdraw. Lose that way, just don't take anymore punishment." Geoff would agree, but he knew that William's pride would stand in the way of ever withdrawing. He wouldn't even withdraw against the bloody Prince of Wales, for god's sake!
"Oh, Roland," William looked at Roland with some regret. He knew that they cared for him, but it just wasn't enough to make him stop in this…idiotic gesture. They all looked up as Christiana appeared in the tent. She sent a smile to Roland, obviously glad to see him again, after their master's spat. Well, at least one romance was working out.
Christiana began, "My lady sends this message. She says that if you love her…"
"I know, I know, I must lose. Hasn't she been watching?" Geoff watched carefully, hands on William's shoulders for encouragement.
But Christiana continued, "She says that if you love her, you will not lose another match. She says that if you love her, you will win this tournament." Geoff did not look at William's expression, but he could imagine the utterly harassed look upon his face at the moment. That noblewoman was certainly something else.
qpqpqp
As William had been given leave to win (finally), Geoff figured that he would play into the occasion. He gestured into the stands where Jocelyn sat, "There she is: the embodiment of your love, your Venus."
"And oh how I hate her." Geoff was inwardly pleased at the look and words and outwardly amused. Passionate love was always a pain, and Geoff wondered how William would come to see it in time. Women were certainly a task.
"I don't understand women."
Geoff could admit ignorance when it came to that, but he could not help but poke fun at Wat in his new surge of amusement and hope. "Nor do I but they understand us… Maybe not you." He carefully walked away at the look on the redhead's face, pleased.
qpqpqp
Geoff could honestly say that he was pleased to be on the winning end again, after so long. He would have to be careful not to overindulge his habits, but he could not resist a fair bout of gloating at the snobby Frenchmen as he collected their coins. "Forty-eight, forty-nine, and fifty. …Thank you very much gentlemen, it's been excellent doing business with you. Do look us up if you're ever in London, the World Championships, maybe. Oh, come on, don't look too sad. Here, have a drink on me. He's quick, he's funny, he makes me loads of money, Liechtenstein." He talked quickly and sang his pleasure in his own little tune, glad to have earned plenty of loot to keep writing.
As he came around the corner, Geoff spotted Jocelyn moving among the tents, over towards William's tent. He ducked into the shadows and watched her glance around for other observers. Geoff quelled the urge to make a noise and try to spook her away, since he knew that her determination would probably mean she would return later anyway. He murmured to himself, "Guineviere comes to Lancelot." Well, though it pained him, Geoff supposed that William had earned this prize after a day of beatings. He could at least wish him pleasure at the end of the day. "Bed him well, my lady. Bed him well." And he walked away, feeling his heart tug him with every step he took.
qpqpqpqpqp