It were a large field, and ten men across it left space by spades. The men started to form clusters of activity, mostly fighting round the edge as they started to challenge each other. Only one man went straight for Rob, and it were Wendeval, the big hulking fighter that trounced Thoresby. As he ran across the open field in full armor, I knew the brilliance of Rob’s plan—Rob were as fresh as he could be and Wendeval were half to exhausted already.
He swung at Rob with his blunted sword, and Rob ducked easily and cut up with the shield so that Wendeval dropped his sword and fell backward. I expected him to go for the sword straight, but Rob waited as Wendeval staggered up, and slammed him again with his shield so Wendeval fell back, out cold and disqualified.
Rob took up the sword and waited.
A cluster of men were to the far left of the field, and Gisbourne finished dispatching two men before turning to Rob with a wicked smile. He stalked out to him slow, and without a helmet on his head, I could see him turn to me, staring at me as he went to fight Rob. Even across the field, his cruel laugh made me shiver.
Rob saw him coming and stood ready. If he were tired, it didn’t show a lick. He were fierce and still and calm, waiting for his opponent. His opponent in the truest sense.
Gisbourne closed the gap and Rob made the first move, a hard strike with his sword that Gisbourne parried, with a smooth follow by Rob’s shield that cuffed Gisbourne hard. Rob snapped back to the ready.
I had never seen him fight with a shield. It had to be something he learned at war; he used the defense as another weapon like he’d been doing it all his life.
Gisbourne charged him with flashing swordplay, their heavy swords clashing and spitting light in the winter sun.
“He’s impressive,” Eleanor murmured to me.
I turned my head; I had forgotten her. In the same look I saw Isabel, gripping her chair, staring at Gisbourne.
“Which one?” I asked. It were a fair question; they were both beyond all comparison.
“Yours,” she said. Before I could ask more, she ducked her head a little and said, “The one who should be yours, at least.”
“He’s beyond compare,” I whispered, sinking back in my chair. With the pain numbed I felt so tired I could bare move. It felt wrong, to be confessing how I admired Rob to Eleanor, but I didn’t have the strength to care.
Each sound their blows made rocked me, and they were fast and steady both. They turned slow, a foot with each hit, moving with each other, locked. Endless and eternal. They were too well matched; it was just a matter of how long they could stay moving.
Across the field another man took a knee rather than face down another blow, and it seemed the needed count was reached. A horn blared, and Rob and Gisbourne fought a few moments more before breaking free of each other.
I waited for them to leave the field, but no one did. Pages ran out onto the field with short fences and made a small ring in the middle of the field. The final players were herded in there—five in all.
Only moments had passed, and the fighters were still heaving with breath. Another horn sounded, and their weapons raised. I wanted to turn to Eleanor and accuse her—there was no space between these rounds, no time to see Rob at all.
But I couldn’t. I just watched.
No one rushed forward. Gisbourne were talking—I could see his mouth moving—but I couldn’t much hear his words. Then the four moved closer to each other, and all set on Robin.
My nails dug into the wood of the chair.
Gisbourne were the first to strike, and Rob blocked it with his sword and swiveled to take another blow on his shield. He ducked another and struck at Gisbourne, hitting his shoulder.
Rob moved fast, his feet trained for the forest where you could never trust the ground for long. I could hear their shouts of anger, bare loud over the shouts and cheers of the people.
The four were starting to get their timing better, and de Lacy struck a hard blow to Rob’s shield and Gisbourne swung hard for Rob’s arm.
It were hard enough to make him stumble and drop his sword.
Prince John laughed.
Water pricked at my eyes as they set upon him in true. He were good at using his shield like a weapon, slamming them with it, twisting this way and that, but without his sword he couldn’t survive. I wanted to shout at him to take a knee, take a knee, but if he ever heard, he wouldn’t have done it. Surrender weren’t in him.
Gisbourne swept out his feet, and he fell. They all managed to get a sickening blow in to his body before Gisbourne took the opening and heaved a blow at de Lacy, and they left Rob on the field.
It were Winchester who strode out to the ring and shifted one of the fences to pull Rob out. I watched him help Rob hobble off the field and wiped the tears off my face.
“Do you know where they’ll go?” I asked Eleanor.
She gave a careful, queen-like sigh. “I imagine the earl took him back to Robin’s quarters. Robin was situated in a low room in the residences, in the small building,” she told me.
“Right next to the prison,” I realized.
“Yes,” she said. “It was all I could do to talk my son out of that.”
I stood, tucking my hand and the half-melted snow purse inside my sling. My heart beat thick and heavy like it didn’t have many beats left, but I turned from the nobles and the Queen Mother didn’t stop me none.
Chapter Eighteen