making the cut on her own. Kelsey was not just a beautiful face with gorgeous legs, but intelligent, bright and determined to make something of herself. He had trouble finding that type of drive and dedication in his own men.
“So your fashion hobby,” He was hesitant, “it’s kind of a way of remembering your mom?”
Kelsey nodded and continued to browse, “In a way yes.”
Up ahead the large arena was buzzing with commotion and the two hurried to see what the fuss was all about. The show was holding open contestants, anyone from the audience who wished to challenge their mock hero to a dual would win a prize if they could defeat him in three rounds of jousting. Kelsey watched as a tall stranger paraded around the dirt floor of the area on a horse after his latest victory. He wore a suite of black metal armor that covered all but his eyes from view.
“Are there no more challengers?” Shouted the announcer. “No one else brave enough to come before the king’s court and take on the black night.”
The crowd cheered and Kelsey glanced up at the King and Queen of the show, sitting high above in a shaded deck of their own. If she didn’t know any better the whole set up almost felt real. She turned to Matt and laughed. He was preoccupied, staring intently at the man on horseback, a gleam in his eye. He wanted to test his might against it, and see if he could master this medieval game as he had done his role in the military. He glanced back at Kelsey and grinned widely.
“Oh you can’t be serious Matt.” She read his face clearly and he may a dash for the front of the crowd.
A few minutes later, Matt was seated atop a brown horse at the far end of the area, wearing borrowed metal armor and carrying a long, sharp jousting pole in hand. On his side a sword, which was in case the two both fell from the horse and had to dual to finish the match. Kelsey stood watching in horror and anticipation as made rode slowly to the starting position. A long, wooden fence separated the two men on either side and the entire goal was to ram the joust and knock each other off. As barbaric as it was, Kelsey couldn’t help feel a little bit of thrill watching Matt bound towards the brooding black night at full speed. The first strike was from the stranger, knocking Matt straight to the ground as the crowd cheered in delight. Her gut twisted in knots, fearing he was hurt. Am I worried about him? She questioned her intentions. He gathered himself and hopped back on for round two.
This time Matt was ready, he had gotten a grasp on the game and how it worked. He lounged outward as he aimed his joust and hit the black night square in the shoulder, sending him toppling to the dirt. The crowd was a mixture of boos and cheers. On the third round it almost looked as if Matt was done for, the black night furious over his first fall of the day. He came bounding with great speed towards Matt, would stood steady and waiting as they neared one another in the center. With a powerful clang of metal both jousts struck one another, but Matt managed to collect his balance despite the armor and remained on his horse. He was announced the winner at a big display where the King and Queen waved and made the crowd go into a frenzy. Matt was awarded a small trophy and two tickets to the exclusive dinner theater on the grounds for the following night. And he paraded off the field towards Kelsey. She put her hands on her hips, pretending to be mad, but the wide smile gave her emotions away. He laughed, rubbing his strong hands along his thick neck.
“Well? What did I look like out there?” He teased as they headed back towards the river.
“I loved the fall,” Kelsey laughed, “Very graceful.”
The riverbed was deserted, expect for birds that chirped loudly above head. In the distance behind them, they could hear the crowd continuing to roar as more challengers emerged from Matt’s victory. Kelsey sat