Return of the Female Knight

A faint smile drew across Elena’s lips as she expressed her sincere support. Derek hesitated uncharacteristically for a moment, and then his next words were carefully spoken.

”In fact, I’d like to ask you a favor during the tournament.”

”What is it?”

”If I go to the final round, may I ask for your handkerchief, Your Highness?”

”Ah…!”

Elena understood his meaning at once. In the tournament, the knights would participate in three different preliminary games, and their scores were summed up to rank them. In the first game, each knight would shoot twenty arrows to display their archery skills. The second game was a horse race, and the goal was to reach the finish line in the shortest amount of time. The third involved separating contestants in groups by random draw, in which cooperation, leadership skills, and tactical ability were evaluated.

Only the ten best-performing knights were allowed to remain. From then on, the would fight one-on-one matches in an arena where everyone watched, and the final winner would be declared the champion. These last rounds sometimes varied, and this year the knights would fight in mounted combat. There were no restrictions on what weapons the knights could carry, but long spears and lances were more efficient on horseback than short swords.

In any case, only the last ten knights who made it to the final round were entitled to ask the lady of their choice for a handkerchief. Though not a requirement, many knights considered receiving a token from a favored lover a kind of rite of passage. It was a chance for the knights prove themselves to their lady, and was often a romantic scene for the women. It was said that the knight who won the championship and the lady who had given him her handkerchief would fall in love.

But Derek requested this honor from Elena, and no one else. She couldn’t conceal her embarrassment at the unexpected request.

”Thank you, but why don’t you ask a young woman that you like instead of me?”

”I don’t have anyone like that. My highest goal would be to fight for the honor of the Crown Princess more than anyone else.”