Innocent Sorrow: A Tale of Twisted Hearts Book One

Chapter 11

Feli clapped eagerly during his entire show, her eyes lighting up at the spectacle. She had never seen such a magnificent beast nor had she known Alexei would be such a good rider. When the dust settled and the announcer was finally able to quiet the excited crowd enough to introduce the opponent, it was obvious who everyone wanted to win. The contestants took their positions, lances pointed towards the sky and waited. When the judge lowered his hand, both men lowered their spears so they pointed directly at their opponents’ chest. The crowd waited with bated breath and, with the suddenness of the trumpet, the horses took off at a high speed run. From her seat, Feli couldn’t see Alexei’s eyes but somehow she knew exactly how dangerous he must have looked. The gap between the two closed swiftly and with a loud crash, Alexei’s opponent was thrown from his steed, the animal continuing to the end of the rail. Alexei had thrust his lance first and won instantly. Cheers went up and Feli stood, clapping wildly as a few soldiers went out to help the fallen man. Alexei on the other hand maneuvered his beast towards Feli, moving closer at a slow trot.

“In your honor, I have won the first match, my Princess.” His voice was dark and low but his eyes, which she could now see, shone with excitement. Smiling at him, she raised her hands out in front of her, palms up and Alexei lowered the tip of the lance. Feli placed a kiss upon the smooth wood and returned the words. “And for your win, I bless this lance with my lips, dear Prince.” The trumpet sounded, breaking the moment and all eyes turned to the announcer who cleared his throat. “And the winner of the match is undeniably, Prince Alexei of Nyek! He will now join our other winners and await the next round.” And that’s how it went for the rest of the day. Every match Alexei was in, he won on the first hit and seemed completely unstoppable. Eventually the citizens started to chatter about his chances of beating Bren though most of the chatter centered on if the two would be facing off over Feli. Feli could only blush and cheer on the Prince for how could she stop such rumors when, after every win, he came to the booth for her blessing?

“And now, for the final match before the Championship, we have the seemingly undefeatable Prince Alexei!” Again he rode into the stadium in that overly showy fashion; causing the crowd to go wild. “And we have his opponent, the completely unknown but shockingly powerful, Orris Marston!” A large man with bulging muscles on a mud colored horse cantered into the arena, waving a heavy grey colored lance. Since the man was so big, Feli had the sudden thought that it might be difficult to make him fall from his mount. The two lined up and the crowd went dead silent, eager to see who would win the match and if it would be decided on the first blow like all of Alexei’s others. The signal was given and the two lowered their lances, readying their attacks when suddenly, both horses burst into motion upon their riders urging. Within seconds, they reached each other and you could see the tensing in the large man’s muscles as he readied his lance but Alexei was faster. The lacquered spear shot forward with brutal precision and a startling crack sounded through the air as the tip of Alexei’s lance shattered upon impact and the two horses continued on past each other with neither man having been knocked from his steed.

The silence of the crowd was deafening as they all stared in shock. Alexei’s broken lance tilted towards the ground as he pulled his horse up and stared at it as though unable to believe in could break. It was Orris who broke the silence. “Hah! Such a puny thrust canna’ knock me from me horse!” Feli could easily imagine the fierce expression on Alexei’s face as he raised his head but the face he showed was surprisingly calm considering. “Logan!” his call was loud and commanding as he waited for said man to rush forward. Feli was surprised to find it was the same Nyekian soldier who had called Alexei during the ball as she watched the scruffy male bring the Prince a new lance. Once the favors were transferred to the new lance, Alexei reclaimed his position and once more, they rode towards each other but the result was the same. Orris’s attack would miss while Alexei’s struck true only for the wooden lance to splinter and break. When the same occurrence happened on the third try as well, Feli called for one of the officials. “This isn’t normal; lances are made of the strongest woods possible. For Alexei’s to snap like twigs, this is ridiculous!” Her tone was sharp and showed her disgust but there was little to be done as the official just shook his head.