25 Chapter twenty five: Red Knight
Chapter twenty five Red Knight
"Did a girl fight in the tournament of knights?"
"That boy has really long black hair"
"Bollocks! The red knight is a girl!"
"What a sacrilege!"
King Jared stood as his whole kingdom went up in uproar and shock. Some noble ladies fainted while their hand maids fan them continuously. Annabelle stood up in shock.
The blood milled in her ears. Her heart thudded in her chest. Her hands shook and even her feet was tingling and unsteady like it was about to give away her whole body weight. Her vision blemished and the harder she stared at the girl kneeling on the ground of the arena, the blurrier her vision became as if she were looking through a wet lens.
She had to get away. She couldn't stand frozen in the dammed Arena for everyone to see just how she failed the king and his royal household. Annabelle couldn't look at Princess Jamie anymore yet it was difficult to take her eyes off of the princess, it was like she was trapped in a horrible night terror and she couldn't escape it. The king was a fair man but he would definitely have her head for the blasphemy the princess under her care had just committed.
Edith was much faster to get over her shock. She grabbed Annabelle's hand and pulled it and together they walked really fast, away from the piercing eyes of the other royal servants.
The men stood up in anger while some simple sat with a deadly glare and curse words.
"What have you done, Jamie?" King Jared asked his youngest daughter in shock.
"I told you papa, I want to be a knight. I want to fight side by side with my great father. I want to defend Namura, if need be!" Princess Jamie stood up to face her father
She was a little over the age of fourteen yet her father towed over her like a giant.
"What have you done, Jamie?" Her father asked her again.
"I fought bravely; I deserve to be dubbed knight of Namura"
"But you are but a mere girl!" Sir Zadok was horrified.
"Watch your tongue, Sir Zadok! You might be the lead knight but I am still your princess and third in line of succession to the throne of Namura" Jamie glared at Zadok.
"Jamie!" Her father yelled.
"Yes, papa"
"Go to your chambers and stay till I sent for you" King Jared said in between his clenched teeth.
"But father..." Jamie started to protest.
"That's an order from your king, Princess Jamie" the king said with a stricter voice.
"Yes. Your majesty"
Jamie passed her older siblings as she made her way to her chambers.
"Truth be told, I am not surprised Jamie decided to join the knight. I knew mama drop her on her head as an infant" Arabella said and shrugged.
"Are you sure she is our sister!" Elliott asked
"Maybe father will banished her now like he did mother" Arabella asked sadly.
As soon as Jamie appeared in her chambers in rage, so did Annabelle and Edith.
Annabelle tidied her chambers as she paced and cursed inwardly. She was in a bigger mess, now. It was one thing for the princess of Namura, a lady she was supposed to be taking care of not to appear when summoned but another thing for the young princess to participate in the tournament of knights right under her nose.
"What were you thinking, my lady?" Edith asked when she couldn't just pace in silence like Annabelle.
"Edith! It's not our right to question her royal highness for such a risky adventure" Annabelle said while avoiding Jamie's stare.
"I am still in the room. I can hear you talk" Jamie answered from the bed where she sat sulking.
"Well, someone has to tell her highness that she didn't just risk the wrath of our king on her but on us too, Annabelle. We will surely get punished for her troubles" Edith said to Annabelle.
Both women ignored Jamie as they continually argued among themselves about the recklessness of the last princess.
"Yet Edith, we can tell Princess Jamie that, because it would be an abomination! We aren't allowed to give our opinion to royalty even though that said royalty will most definitely cost us our heads." Annabelle answered her.
"You mean an abomination like a girl posing like a boy to fight in the tournament of knights?" Edith asked the pacing girl.
"Exactly, Edith"
"Annabelle! Edith! I like to be left alone, please." Jamie spoke to them loudly.
"But my lady, the king might..."
"When father requires my presence, one of you can come and fetch me. Leave Now!" Jamie yelled and they scrambled.
Jamie must have stayed in her room for hours before she was summoned in front of the council of noble men and the royal family.
Annabelle helped Princess Jamie change into a suitable dress that she hated. She dislikes how tight the corset was, the stockings, the gloves and most importantly how heavy the gown was too. She prefers the pleated fur trimmed tunics and fitted hose her father allowed her to wear when she was younger. She had the same tailor as her father and brother as she found lady dress bothersome unlike Arabella.
As Jamie walked inside the king's court, she had her hands clasped and her head bowed. The king's court was a large court in the castle where the king passed his judgment. Jamie had never taken the time to observe the court until she stood there in silence waiting for her father to speak. Legend had it that her great-great grandfather had the stones used to build the Namura castle shipped from the western hemisphere. He took it after he battled one of the kingdoms called Aradale and came back victorious. He stripped their castle and shipped it to Namura to boast of his victory. But if history was correct after the battle, Aradale recovered mysteriously as the king fought and defeated a lot of kingdoms and now, king of Aradale was now king over western hemisphere and he was a beast.
Jamie pushed the fable and tales of the terrible king of Aradale out of her mind to focus on her own predicament. She looked around. The council was made of all the representative of the noble house and the royal family. She was supposed to join the council on her sixteenth birthday, two years from that day. Tired of the soul wrenching silence, she decided to speak.
"Father, I am sorry but I deserve to be Knight. I knocked most of the boys on their asses and fought bravely. I deserve to be..." Jamie started until Arabella cleared her throat violently to get her to shut up.
"Princess Jamie, You broke the codes of the arena by participating in the tournament of knights. Before I pronounce your punishment, what have you to say for yourself" King Jared asked his youngest daughter.
"Your majesty, there is no excuse for the princess's behavior. There should be a severe punishment to dissuade young girls from following in her footsteps. I suggest exile for a number of years" lord Zane suggested.
"Lord Zane, my father asked Princess Jamie to speak yet you spoke before you were asked" prince Elliott quipped in.
"I apologize, Crown prince"
"May I speak on behalf of my sister, your majesty?" Princess Arabella said and stood up.
"You may" king Jared replied.
"What Jamie did might be abrupt and grossly unusual but you can't exile her, she is a child and still learning. Let's not forget that Father didn't actually dub her a knight of Namura. I suggest leniency" Arabella sat down after she spoke.
The siblings might occasionally throw their youngest siblings mistake to her face every once in a while but they don't actually mean it nor do they want her sold or banished.
Even though Jamie felt the urge to cry when Lord Zane suggested exile but she couldn't. She knew her father might not have any choice than to do the councils ruling and might not use his kingly power to overrule the decision of the council.
"I have heard everything I need to hear. Princess Jamie you may leave us now as we come up with your punishment"
Jamie bowed before the king and left the king's court.
It was almost late in the night when someone knocked and entered her chamber. It was her sister Arabella. She wore the same dress as she did earlier. She had never been particularly close to her sister who was two years older than her or her brother, Elliott who was actually six years older.
"Bella, what did father say?" Jamie asked as soon as Arabella entered the room.
