Chapter 29

After I had finished getting ready for the event I forced myself out of the comfort of my chambers and outside of the castle to make my way toward the location the event was being held. From what I could see so far there were all sorts of people here to witness the event to the point where the grounds were filled with people. Laughter and cheering filled the large crowds as I got closer. The dueling event was being held next to the garden in an empty plot of land on castle grounds. When I reached the stage I noticed the wooden fence in the middle of everything. Inside of it was a large amount of mud, which meant that that is where the men fought each other. Surrounding the muddy, fenced square was a large stage then much smaller ones around it and below it. The large stage was for Catherine and Henry and the smaller ones were for the counts and other important people.

I saw Francis and my ladies sitting on the lowest part of the stage but regardless of that, they laughed away. Even if Henry and Francis were in a quarrel Francis should be in the larger booth with his parents. It was looked down upon when the dauphin sat with lower ranked people and those who are untitled for that matter. When Francis saw that I had arrived he waved his hand at me, as did my ladies. They were smiling happily and awaiting me to join them in their small, yet content circle. But in the corner of my eye, I could tell I was being watched by Henry. When I turned toward him he turned away and gestured for a guard, then he motioned toward the empty spot next to him. Within seconds the guard brought out another chair and placed it next to Henry. The guard left the stage by walking down the set of stairs on the side and approached me. "Queen Mary, King Henry wishes for you to accompany him during the event." The guard said to me as he bowed. I looked away from the guard for a moment to find Francis's smile disappeared. I wanted to run over to Francis and tell him what's going on, what's going on in my mind, but instead, I let the guard escort me into the booth.

"I've been patiently waiting for you, Mary," Henry said with a wild grin as I sat in the chair next to him. "Have you ever seen one of these before?" He asked me as he pointed toward the fenced, muddy pit. Before I could even respond he spoke up. "Of course you haven't. You lived at the convent most of your life." Henry laughed then began to ramble on about the history of these type of events while taking a large sip of alcohol every time he paused. Even though he was talking my mind managed to drown out his disgusting voice. I watched down below me as the participants got ready. One man was leaning against the wooden fence in the middle as he sharpened his blade. Another man was standing in front of Aylee flirting away. When I looked closer I noticed that this was the man Aylee has been talking to us about nonstop. She had been head over heels for this man ever since he showed up and it didn't seem like he was in any rush to leave as well. I couldn't help but smile as I watched the two of them smile nervously at each other as they gave subtle hints of flirting to the other. To watch your friends fall in love was one of the most marvelous things, definitely since the people here in France haven't been the most welcoming ever since our arrival. It made coming to France almost worth wild when I saw they were happy like this.

"I wonder how much more Marceau can take?" I heard Henry say over my thoughts. It was almost as if my mind knew that I needed to hear this and pushed me out of my daze. I turned toward Henry quickly to find him smirking at me. "Now I finally have your attention."

"What have you done to Marceau?" I asked in a hushed voice. I watched as wrinkles formed next to Henry's mouth as he smiled wickedly, then he slowly turned toward the pit below us. He stood, said a few words to the crowd and participants, then sat back down. With that, the event had begun. The point of the duel was to find the most skilled swordsman of all of France. Two men would fight against each other and whoever knocked down the other would be granted passage to the next round. It had turned out that Aylee's crush was quite the skilled swordsmen. He managed to breeze through each and every round, making him one of the last participants who would make it to the final round. The man against him wasn't exactly a skilled swordsman, but since he was a much larger man than the rest he used his strength to force his opponents down.

The two men got into the muddy ring and waited for the round to start. A rush of anxiety went up my body as I watched the two men stare eagerly into the other's eyes. They both wanted to win, and they both were immensely tough. Suddenly, the spokesman lifted his flag then dropped it to commence the start of the round.

It was a long and intense battle between the two men as they tried their hardest to knock the other down. Finally, though, Aylee's love interest knocked the much larger man to the ground, causing the mud underneath him to splatter upward. The crowd exploded in excitement for the young man. They cheered wildly and chanted his name throughout the crowd. Henry stood up and as I looked at him I could tell he did not have the same kind of excitement as many had below us. "Now, kill him young Nicolas du Raux."

Nicolas stared at Henry in bewilderment, probably wondering if he had heard his king correctly. "The point of the game is to knock your opponent down, not to kill him." Catherine tried to explain. Henry only shot her a glare before he turned back toward the center where Nicolas stood. "Kill him, or you will die as well." Henry shouted down to Nicolas as if being louder meant he was more clear. But Nicolas stood there speechless as he scanned the crowd around him, trying to find someone who will defend him in this moment. "This isn't right." I tried to tell Henry. He whipped toward me. "You do not get to tell me what is right and what is not."

"But, what you're asking of him is murder. This other man has done nothing wrong." I continued to push. I could tell what I said to Henry was only making him angrier but I couldn't sit and watch him tell this young man to kill an innocent.

"Speak again and I promise you Marceau will be dead before nightfall." Henry threatened me. Then he looked back at Nicolas. "Kill him now! Or it will be you at the end of that sword." It looked as though Nicolas was fighting himself as he tried to shake his head, but his arms were moving upward with the sword in his hands. Without warning, the sword dropped from his hands and landed in the mud below him with a splash. Henry's eyes widened and he quickly shot up out of his seat in anger. "If you do not-" He stopped for a moment and placed his hand on his chair as his body began to waver in a strange pattern. "I will." He murmured. Henry attempted to grab onto his chair only to lose his grip and stumble onto the wooden floor beneath us. Loud gasps and uproars scattered throughout the crowd as they watched their king collapse. Catherine quickly kneeled down next to Henry in utter shock. She attempted to examine his body but she didn't know what she was looking at or for. "Henry?" She tried to wake him from his unconsciousness but was unsuccessful. Catherine turned away from Henry and waved toward his unconscious body below her. "Your king needs help!" She shouted at whoever would listen. Guards quickly came plowing through the booth and surrounded the king. I tried to get out of the way but was pushed away as guards shoved me backward. I felt my back hit one of the wooden beams that supported the whole booth we were in.

Suddenly, I felt an arm wrap around me. "Mary, are you okay?" Francis asked frantically. I nodded but focused my attention on the mayhem happening in front of me. Francis started to pull me backward. "We need to get out of the booth." He tried to tell me, but I watched in horror as I looked through the doctors and guards trying to treat Henry. One of the guards jolted backward in terror, his eyes were wide and he looked around at the crowd that began to form around the booth. "The king is not breathing!" He shouted.