Page 2 of Lady Knight and the Thief

The realms had been peaceful since before Cypress’ birth, but even so, the king was relentless in his efforts to keep his son safe. Prince Cade was a popular man, particularly with the ladies at court who vied for his attention. Cypress often rolled her eyes atthe ladies throwing themselves at his feet in the hopes of one day becoming Queen.

It was a pity none of them understood the court would carefully select the next queen with no hint of love being involved, and that Cade liked to play with his food. Which is exactly what the ladies of Grethnah were to the Prince.

Mere playthings and objects to devour until the day his bride was named.

Finally, the dark fabric of Cypress’s tent came into view. A groom was waiting, leaning against the hitching post at the front of the tent. She was relieved to see that the tent provided enough shade for the groom to avoid sun sickness.

Cypress nodded her thanks to the groom as she dismounted and handed over Ember’s reins.

Then, without a word, she threw open the curtain to the tent and strode into the dark interior.

Despite the heat of the day, the interior of Cypress’s tent was dark and cool, though sparsely decorated.

There was a cot to one side. Opposite, a small desk stood, cluttered with a book and a candlestick left haphazardly. Cypress was not one to fuss about the exact placement of her things. Not like Prince Cade did.

Cypress delighted in disturbing the Prince’s peace as much as she was steadfast in her role of his protector.

The sun had risen early today, filling the air with glorious heat that seeped through her armor, and Cypress was beyond ready to remove it. High noon in summer was not ideal for jousting in full plate, but the Prince’s wishes ruled, especially on his name day.

Aalis, her handmaiden, waited in a partitioned section, hands clasped around a drying cloth and fresh dress was laid atop the closed chest holding the rest of Cypress's clothes.

“You did well today, Captain.”

“Thank you, Aalis. Did you happen to see Gerold after his unhorsing?” Cypress asked, giving the handmaiden a sly smile.

“No, though I imagine his brothers were there to commiserate with him,” Aalis said, beginning to unbuckle Cypress’ armor.

Cypress chuffed a laugh. “You don’t think they’re still sour, do you?”

“Oh, I know they are, you’ve bested the Mothme’r boys every year now,” Aalis said while removing a piece of the armor.

Piece by piece, the heavy plate dropped away.

Even if the Mothme’r sons did not know Captain Cy was a woman, their pride still suffered being bested.

And that was precisely why Prince Cade hosted grand jousts for his name day, fiercely cheering for the Captain of his Guard–to needle them. Prince Cade reveled in the rivalry between the lesser lords at court and enjoyed watching them vie for his favor.

Because Cypress’s face was secret, she never competed in the final tournament of champions. The risk of being unmasked in front of the crowd was too great. Cypress couldn’t help but wonder who would come out on top of the tournament this year, with the Fair Folk notably absent.

Layer by layer, they removed Cypress’s armor, leaving her feeling as if she was coming up for air after exploring the deep, misty pools of Lake Avalon. Cypress's armor had been forged for her, though it was not molded to her form. The armor was perhaps a bit more narrow at the waist than if it were forged for a man, but it did not give ample enough room for her breasts, Cypress had to tightly bind her chest before putting the plate on.

When they were done, Aalis said, “I'll see you later,” then quickly ducked through another partition, where she arranged Cypress's armor on a stand, and then began to clean and polish the metal.

Now alone, Cypress quickly cleansed her skin with tepid water laced with herbs, a few petals from a Fire Vine blossom, and a pinch of luma powder for her complexion.

She donned the lightweight blue gown Aalis left out. Its loose sleeves tapered from upper arm to wrist, held by small silver buttons.

Most of her dresses were tailored this way. Because the sleeves were made of an almost translucent fabric, she wouldn’t overheat, but it still camouflaged the cut of her muscles– the most obvious signal that Lady Cypress wasn’t merely just a lady.

On top of the dress, she donned a thick leather belt which resembled the corsets the ladies of court would sometimes wear in the height of summer, though it was armor, not mere fashion. The front of this one had a metal plate between layers of leather. It wasn’t much as far as protection went, but it was more than nothing. It would at least stop a stabbing. A lady of the court couldn’t very well go around in full armor, so the corset had been crafted for her, embossed with various vines and flowers.

Finally, Cypress quickly braided the lengths of her hair down her back once more. Even though she tucked the ends of her hair beneath her chest plate, the locks had become extremely disheveled during her bouts. She tied the end of the thick braid off with a small strip of leather cord and left the bathing chambers of her tent.

Cypress could still hear the revelry of the joust echoing through the valley, the air filled with the aromas of roasting meats and vegetables, and the scent of freshly baked bread from the innumerable vendors lining the field. Despite how her stomach protested, Cypress did not indulge herself by visiting any of the stalls. Instead, she aimed directly back up the path she’d taken not long ago atop her beast of a horse.

The Prince would have left his viewing box for a short while during the intermission of jesters between rounds of the bouts.The upcoming ones were a few of the lesser houses.Her second, Lieutenant Oswald, was with Prince Cade, so she was not worried.

In the earliest hours of the day, her voice lowered comically, and aided by the muffling her helmet naturally provided, Cypress had given Oswald his orders.