The tournament wore on late into the afternoon. Yvaine was covered in dirt, sweat, and grass stains, but couldn't stop smiling. She took a drink from the water bucket that a faun carried around.
The tournament was much different than those in Telmar. For one thing, women hadn't been allowed to participate. Here, everyone could join in. They were also doing a variety of things, rather than just swordfighting.
Fauns and dwarfs had already started playing their instruments and several creatures were getting ready to prepare the evening feast. Yvaine and Evolet headed towards the jousting lanes, after parting ways with Susan and Lucy.
Nutmeg and Captain were already there. Nutmeg stamped a hoof with impatience. Two centaurs were jousting currently. "I'll ride Captain," Ev volunteered.
"You'll need chain mail," Yvaine pointed out.
"I'll see if I can borrow Lucy's. I'll be right back." Evolet darted off.
Yvaine crossed her arms and watched the two centaurs as a horn blared. They took off galloping towards one another, lances in hand. She tilted her head, wondering briefly how it would work with no rider to knock off. She got her answer a second later.
The centaurs struck each other with their lances. One of them tripped over his own hooves and careened into the wooden lane divider. He untangled himself and stood. The winner was raising his lance in the air and cheering with the crowd. The two of them headed off a moment later.
"I'm back!" Ev shouted. "Lucy let me borrow hers." She wore the chain mail beneath her leather armor. Evolet swung onto Captain's back and slid her feet into the stirrups of the saddle.
Yvaine jumped onto Nutmeg's bareback. The centaurs trotted towards them now. "Are you the next jousters?" One of them asked.
"Yes," Yvaine replied. They handed over the lances.
"Good luck. You'll never stay on bareback," the other one said. They trotted off.
Nutmeg snorted at their backs. They took their place in one of the lanes. Captain and Evolet headed to the opposite lane. A dwarf ran over to Yvaine and handed her a helmet. She put it on and slid the visor down. Evolet was doing the same.
Yvaine drew in a deep breath and adjusted the lance, tucking it under her arm as she'd been taught. A horn blared and Nutmeg took off. Captain and Evolet were quickly approaching.
"Tighten your grip with your legs and don't slacken even when you're hit," Nutmeg huffed as she ran.
Yvaine obeyed wordlessly. Her legs tightened around Nutmeg and she pointed the lance towards Evolet. They reached the collision point. Ev's lance pummeled into her gut. Yvaine didn't see where her's hit. They reached the end of the lane and turned. Evolet had stayed on as well. They would have to take another pass.
"Aim for her shoulder, if you can," Nutmeg advised. "The force will drive her backwards and her own weight will pull her off Captain."
"All right." Yvaine tightened her arm around the lance. The horn blared again and they lunged into action. This time, Evolet's lance caught her in the leg. Yvaine drove her's into Ev's shoulder. They raced to the end of the lane and turned. Evolet was on the ground, a cloud of dust surrounding her. Yvaine jumped down, ignoring the cheering of the crowd.
"Are you all right?" She held a hand down to Ev.
"Fine," Evolet panted. "That was a good blow. My shoulder will be bruised for sure." She told Yvaine's hand and grimaced as she was pulled to her feet.
Two centaurs approached and took the lances. Yvaine returned her helmet to the dwarf and walked away from the area, with Evolet at her side. Captain and Nutmeg trailed on behind, both winded.
"I'd say we did pretty good for two girls who have only jousted twice before," Yvaine grinned.
"Definitely. I was impressed that you managed to stay on Nutmeg."
"She was giving me a few tips."
"Captain told me some too."
"I think Nutmeg would have made an excellent mount for a knight," Yvaine said.
"I agree." Evolet jumped suddenly. "Oh! The pie eating contest is going to start. Are you entering?"
"Let's find Edmund," Yvaine sighed and smiled. They didn't have to search long. He was already near the long table.
"There you are. I thought you might've forgotten or decided not to join," he called.
"Not at all. We were jousting."
"Who won?"
"Yvaine did," Evolet answered. She took Yvaine's sword.
Yvaine and Edmund sat down at the long table, which was already lined with fauns, dwarfs, leopards, and centaurs. More creatures were there as well, but Yvaine couldn't see them all. Mrs. Beaver appeared before them and set down two pies.
"This ought to be a sight," she laughed.
"I'll say," Edmund agreed. "You'd never catch Peter or Susan doing this."
"No, but I'll do it!" Lucy exclaimed. She was seated a few spots away, next to Mr. Tumnus. "Good luck!"
Yvaine waved to her, then tucked her hands beneath the table. A whistle blew and they all slammed their faces down into the pies. Yvaine began eating as quickly as she could. Her pie was filled with cherries. Not her favorite, but tolerable. At least they're smaller than normal pies, she thought. Already, she could feel the sticky sweetness clinging to bits of her hair.
She kept eating until she finished, at last. Yvaine sat up, certain that she looked awful. She was the fifth one finished. Edmund was still eating. Lucy had finished right before her and was laughing with a blueberry covered face.
Yvaine searched out Evolet and saw her howling with laughter. Even Peter and Susan were laughing. Edmund sat up, finally, cherries covering his own face. "You look amazing," he laughed.
"You don't look any better," Yvaine replied, rolling her eyes. One by one, the pie eaters finished and sat up. Mr. Beaver handed out small prizes to the first three winners and they dispersed.
"What are you doing now?" Evolet asked, when Yvaine rejoined her. Edmund and Lucy followed close behind.
"I'm going to go wash my face and hair," Yvaine said.
"Me too!" Lucy wiped some blueberry filling off her face and smeared it onto Edmund's. "But first, I'm going to get Peter and Susan."
"Wait for me!" Edmund exclaimed. The two of them raced off.
"You'd never catch King Hakan or Queen Mira doing something like that," Evolet said.
"No, you wouldn't," Yvaine agreed. "I'll be back shortly." She walked off towards the palace. It only took her a few minutes to reach her room and to start a bath. Yvaine let her hair down and scrubbed the stickiness off her face. She dunked her hair into the water and quickly scrubbed the cherries out of it.
When she'd finished, she wrapped it up into a towel and entered her closet. Yvaine selected a green dress and slipped out of her cherry stained clothes. She let down her hair as soon as she'd laced up the dress. Satisfied that she no longer looked like an exploded pie, Yvaine left the palace and returned to festivities.
Darkness was descending rapidly. Numerous bonfires had been lit within the palace courtyard. A large group of creatures had made their way over and were dancing and singing. Tables lined with food were already being raided. The tournament grounds were still full, from what she could see. Yvaine opted to stay in the courtyard, though.
She sat down near one of the fires. A faun was there, telling a story. "All seemed lost. The army of the White Witch far outnumbered our own. We fought bravely. Many noble warriors were turned to stone and killed. I was there when the Witch crossed blades with King Peter."
The flames crackled and sparked. Yvaine could almost see the battle the faun was speaking about. "The Witch fought with her sword and wand. King Peter refused to back down, even with his inexperience weighing heavily on his shoulders. The Witch pushed him back and he fell. Right as she raised her weapon to end his life, a great and terrible roar shook the very earth."
"Aslan had returned, when we'd thought him dead. With him, he brought our beloved queens and a host of creatures. They descended upon the Witch's army and drove them back. King Edmund destroyed the Witch's wand, and Aslan himself destroyed the Witch," the faun finished.
Yvaine jumped as a roar filled her ears and a lion's head emerged from the flames. She glanced around, but no one else had seemed to see the vision. "Yvaine."
She turned, spying Edmund. Yvaine stood and joined him. "Was that really how the Battle of Beruna went?"
"Mostly. He left out a few parts, of course. The Witch tried to kill Peter while he was distracted by Aslan. I jumped in and destroyed her wand. Of course, she still stabbed me with the broken bit before Aslan reached her," he explained.
"Were you badly injured?" Yvaine's gaze fell to his side, where he'd placed a hand.
"I nearly died. I would have if Lucy hadn't had her cordial," he replied.
"Then I'm grateful for Lucy and her cordial."
"As am I," Edmund smiled. "Would you care to dance? You can count it as your lesson for this week."
Yvaine rolled her eyes but took his hand. They joined a group of dancers and began. Edmund wrapped an arm around her waist, his eyes twinkling mischievously.
"What are you planning?" She whispered.
He brought his lips to her ear. "Just keep up." They began to dance faster and in a way that she never had before. The musicians noticed and the music immediately changed to match their tempo.
Yvaine twirled out and then spun back into Edmund's arms as they danced faster and faster. Surprisingly, she never stepped on his toes. Vaguely, she realized that Peter, Susan, Lucy, and Evolet were all watching close by.
Edmund lifted her, suddenly, then let go with one arm. Yvaine dropped towards the ground gracefully, bracing one arm around Edmund's. His arm was the only thing holding her up. She panted, meeting his gaze as the crowd began to clap and cheer. He tilted her back up to her feet. She kept her hand on his arm, her legs feeling weak.
They walked towards the others. Peter was watching her through narrowed eyes. Susan simply appeared thoughtful, while Lucy's eyes were shining. "I say, I've never seen such perfectly matched dance partners. Have you, Evolet?" She elbowed Ev's side.
Evolet smirked. "No, I haven't."
"How strange." They both hid their snickers behind a hand.
Yvaine fought the urge to blush as they continued past. She glanced up at Edmund, finally. His dark hair was mused and his eyes glimmered in the firelight. She'd never found someone so handsome before. Oh no, Yvaine groaned inwardly. This is going to make things so much harder. Still, her heart raced as he looked at her and smiled.