Earning the Love of a Princess-Chapter 33: Knife Edge
17 June, 1358. Magdaline Castle, Islia
The banquet hall was even more crowded than usual that night. It was Prince Leo’s birthday and as King Edward’s eldest son and heir, the occasion commanded a day of lavish celebration for the entire court.
There had already been a joust in his honour, which the common folk had also crowded to attend. A spectacular luncheon had followed. Dinner and a masked ball were the last of the day’s grand events and everyone was in high spirits. The queen herself attended all the events, even though her health was not the best. Everyone knew that Prince Leo was her favourite child, despite his surly character.
William listlessly took his seat at the high table, briefly lifting his eye mask to rub his aching eyes. He’d been sleeping poorly for the last couple of weeks and all he wanted was for the festivities to end so he could crawl into bed. He knew his bad tempered cousin would not only notice but be gravely offended if he left his birthday celebrations early, though. Sighing, William motioned for a servant to fill his goblet. He was going to need a decent amount of liquor to get through the evening.
He saw Prince Rufus walking towards the high table, with the Moraigthian girl on his arm. He was speaking and gesturing animatedly while the princess gave polite nods. William brooded as he took another gulp of wine.
Rufus escorted her to her usual seat at the table, then bowed and kissed the back of her hand. His pale blue eyes quickly scanned William’s face and he said in an amused tone, "Good evening, cousin. You may need to pace yourself with the wine. The dinner has yet to start properly and you already look wrecked."
William didn’t bother replying, simply tipping his goblet in salute to Rufus’s departing form.
"Are you already drunk, Your Grace?" Camilla frowned at him.
"No, I just wish I was." William mumbled under his breath. The delicate silver mask she wore emphasised her striking doe eyes. "What was Rufus talking to you about?" He tried to keep his tone nonchalant and almost succeeded.
"His new warhorses."
William wondered if Camilla might actually have been enjoying his cousin’s company. Rufus was tall and fair haired like most of the royal Devon line, and the ladies of the court found him charming and attractive. His head starting to pound again, William emptied his goblet and waved for a refill.
- - -
As the night wore on, the banquet slowly dissolved into rowdiness. The queen had long retired to rest while the king was huddled in a far corner of the hall, drinking with his oldest advisers and ignoring the boisterous young people of the court. The guest of honour, Prince Leo, was slumped in his chair in a drunken stupor. His wife, Princess Violet, had tried desperately to shake him awake but when she couldn’t, she simply left the hall and retired to her rooms in embarrassment.
Several young noblemen were crowded around a table where a series of wagers were lined up, with ladies peering over their shoulders. All watched the contest taking place with keen enthusiasm. The game itself was simple but risky - one man would place his hand on the tabletop palm down, fingers splayed. The other player would stab a knife in a pattern between the splayed fingers, the blade moving faster and faster while avoiding cutting into flesh. William silently watched the game for a while. Normally he would’ve been happy enough to take part but that night he knew he was both too drunk and too melancholy to enjoy the challenge.
Princes Tom and Rufus were leading the points tally so far, with Richard a distant third, much to his chagrin. The rest of the players had already ruled out their chances of winning. The unspoken rule was that every knife wound an opponent inflicted on you, you had the right to inflict back at a time of your choosing.
Rufus sat down and spread his fingers on the oak table, laughing. "Alright then, who will challenge me now?" He was a little drunk but still the most sober of the players by far and William figured he’d probably planned it that way.
Rufus was five years older and William considered him a decent enough man, though rather sneaky and unscrupulous. Being only a third son had made him canny in a way his elder brothers didn’t need to be.
The crowd around Prince Rufus was quiet, none of the men being brave enough to pick up the knife which had been left with its edge digging intro the tabletop.
"Sweet lord. If you men are all too cowardly to match me then...then I guess I have no choice but to choose an opponent from one of these fair ladies." Rufus declared as his eyes scanned the crowd.
Due to its violent nature and the skill needed, it was unheard of for women, especially noble ladies, to take part in such a contest. Nevertheless, Rufus’s calculating stare skimmed the ladies’ faces. His eyes slowly stopped on Princess Camilla, who had been warily observing everything while standing next to Francis Lowell. "Will you do me the honour, Your Highness?" Rufus tipped his head at her in obvious challenge.
Camilla smiled faintly. "I’m afraid I’ll have to pass, my lord. I don’t fancy you stabbing my hand sometime in the future because my aim tonight wasn’t true."
Rufus grinned. "Oh, don’t worry about that. I could never injure a lady. I’ll make you a deal. If you do accidentally wound me, why don’t I take my revenge in a more chivalrous manner?"
The crowd went completely silent, agog at the exchange of words between prince and princess. There was a silent, darker undertone to the prince’s pleasant words.
"What are you proposing, Your Grace?" Camilla asked.
"For every break of my skin you inflict with the knife edge, you will owe me a kiss. I think that would be fair payback." Rufus smiled at her like a wolf smiles at a rabbit he had cornered. The spectators murmured.
"I don’t see how that payback is chivalrous or fair at all, my lord." Camilla’s voice was cool. "Aren’t you a married man?"
William turned his face away so no one would see his lips twitch. This girl was no fool, he noted silently.
Rufus’s smile dimmed a little. "Yes, but everyone knows my lady wife is enjoying a few weeks of repose at one of my countryside houses. She won’t take any offence, I can assure you."
The men all exchanged knowing looks and smirks. Everyone knew Rufus had ordered his wife to the countryside because she was with child. He could no longer lie with her and since he wasn’t interested in hearing her complain about her sore back or aching joints, he just sent her away so he could spend his days uninterrupted.
Rufus raised his chin at Camilla, his gaze boring into her. "Don’t be shy, Princess. Join in the festivities. You can’t hide in the shadows of the court forever."
Camilla tipped her head to the side as if she was thinking deeply about the offer. After slowly nodding, she approached his prince’s side and lent over to pick up the knife. Rufus followed her movements with his eyes, raw desire on his face. She looked at the knife in her hand for a moment, then placed her other hand on Rufus’s wrist to keep his hand from moving. Before anyone could react, Camilla then started stabbing the tabletop between the prince’s fingers in the required rhythmic pattern.
The smug smile on Rufus’s face quickly changed to one of sheer nerves as the knife moved faster and faster, Camilla’s hand stabbing the table in a swift blur.
"That’s enough!" Rufus called out in a strained voice but Camilla continued stabbing undeterred. Everyone knew the rules were that you must have an unbroken string of one hundred stabs or else you were considered to have forfeited the round. William saw his cousin’s wrist twitch under Camilla’s grasp and knew he was tempted to pull his hand away altogether but didn’t want to risk a worse injury by making a sudden movement.
Camilla continued wielding the knife with astonishing speed and accuracy, counting under her breath. William had no idea a girl could have such quick reflexes. When she counted out one hundred stabs, she stopped, leaving the blade jammed into the tabletop.
Rufus jerked his hand out of her grip quickly and checked it but it was completely unharmed. He stared wide eyed at her, his confident smile completely gone. No one around the table made a sound. William saw there was a grudging respect in some of the men’s faces.
"Thank you for the game, my lord. Good night." Camilla bowed to the princes and walked away from the table and out the hall, not bothering to collect her winnings.
William followed her.
