Tournament Trouble: Sword Girl Book 3 Read online

  CHAPTER 4

  TOMMY HURRIED ALONG the road that led to the town gate. On one side of the road was the field where the tournament was to be held. Colourful tents were being erected and carpenters were building wooden platforms where the spectators would sit. Tommy could hardly believe that in only a few days’ time she would be part of the procession of knights and squires making their way from the castle to the field. Her heart gave a nervous lurch at the thought that everyone from the castle and the town would be watching.

  She turned to look at Jonglers Field on the other side of the road. Apart from a few travellers camped around the edge, the field was still deserted. It was hard to imagine it filled with all the colour and life of a fair.

  But as she passed through the town gate Tommy decided it wasn’t that hard to imagine after all, for the town was alive with activity. Outside the bakery she saw a small crowd had stopped to watch a man juggling loaves of bread. He was crying, ‘Ouch, ouch, ouch,’ as if they were too hot to hold. Tommy laughed along with the others then continued on her way.

  There seemed to be about five times more people than usual crammed into the narrow street that led to the market square. Many of them were wheeling carts or carrying sacks, and quite a few of them were wearing strange clothes. The strangest of all were the four men standing still in the midst of the bustling crowd. Their clothes were patterned with bright stripes, and ribbons hung from their wrists. They were looking around in a puzzled way.

  Thinking they might be lost, Tommy asked, ‘Excuse me, can I help you?’

  ‘We’re here for the fair,’ said the first.

  ‘I’m Morris, and this is Norris, Horace and Boris.’

  The other three men nodded at Tommy in turn.

  ‘We’re the morris dancers,’ Morris explained. ‘We’re going to set up a maypole in the field.’

  ‘Morris dancers?’ Norris sounded surprised. ‘I thought we were called norris dancers.’

  ‘Norris dancers?’ Morris scoffed. ‘Don’t be silly. Everyone knows morris dancers are called morris dancers.’

  ‘I won’t be doing any dancing if I can’t get my bells fixed,’ said Boris.

  ‘What’s wrong with your bells?’ Tommy asked.

  ‘He sat on them,’ said Horace. ‘And now they’re all bent out of shape and he can’t buckle them around his legs anymore. We’re looking for a bell fixer.’

  ‘I don’t know any bell fixers,’ said Tommy, ‘but I’m the Keeper of the Blades from the castle, and I’m on my way to the blacksmith’s. I’m sure he’ll be able to beat them back into shape. I’ll take you there if you like.’

  Tommy led the morris dancers through the town to the blacksmith’s workshop.

  ‘Easily fixed,’ the blacksmith declared, and with three taps of his hammer Boris’s bells were as good as new. ‘And what can I do for you today, Sword Girl?’ he asked Tommy.

  ‘Some tacks for Smith, please,’ said Tommy.

  She took the parcel of tacks and said goodbye to the dancers.

  ‘Thank you, Sword Girl,’ said Boris.

  ‘You’ll have to come watch us dance at the fair,’ added Norris.

  ‘I’ll try,’ Tommy promised, then skipped off to the cloth merchant.

  Tommy was crossing the bridge over the moat on her way back to the castle when she heard someone calling her. Peering over the side of the bridge she saw Lil and the crocodiddle by the edge of the moat.

  ‘Wait there!’ Tommy cried. ‘I’ve got something exciting to tell you!’

  She ran down to the moat’s edge.

  ‘Sir Benedict has asked me to be in the tournament!’

  ‘That’s wonderful, Tommy,’ said Lil. ‘Well done.’

  ‘And guess what?’ Tommy continued. ‘I’m going to learn to ride a horse, just like a squire!’

  ‘Hmph. So now you’ve gone mad for horses too, have you? I suppose you’ll be weaving ribbons in their tails next,’ the crocodiddle muttered.

  ‘Anyway, I’d better get back to the armoury,’ Tommy said. ‘Smith is waiting for these tacks.’

  She hurried through the castle gate and across the courtyard to the armoury. ‘Here you are, Smith. I’ll see if Reynard needs any help with the swords.’ She entered the sword chamber to see Reynard swishing a ruby-encrusted sword from side to side.

  ‘What are you doing?’ she gasped. ‘That’s Sir Walter’s sword – you shouldn’t be playing with that.’

  ‘And what are you going to do about it?’ Reynard demanded. But he put the sword back in the rack and said sulkily, ‘Seeing as you’re back, you can clean these swords yourself.’ He gestured to the pile of swords that, if anything, looked bigger than it had when Tommy left for town. ‘I’m going back to my own room.’

  Shaking her head, Tommy sat down with her file and whetstone, picked up a sword and got to work. Not even sulky Reynard could spoil her mood. This time tomorrow, she’d be practising for the tournament!

  CHAPTER 5

  THE NEXT MORNING, Tommy hurried straight to the stables after breakfast. She passed through the archway that led from the great courtyard into the smaller courtyard outside the stables and entered the huge vaulted room that housed the castle’s horses. The first thing she noticed was the noise: the cry of voices, the whinny of horses, the clatter of hooves striking flagstones. She saw some grooms brushing horses while others ran back and forth with saddles and stirrups as knights and squires shouted orders. Stable hands were mucking out the stalls – a very smelly job, Tommy realised as she drew closer.

  ‘I’m looking for the stable master,’ she said to one of the stable hands.

  The boy pointed to a tall wiry man talking to a knight. ‘There.’

  Tommy stood to one side until the knight had departed, then stepped forward.

  ‘Excuse me,’ she said. ‘Sir Benedict sent me. My name’s Tommy, from the armoury. I’m here to learn to ride.’

  ‘Ah yes, the sword girl.’ He looked Tommy up and down. ‘You’re just a wee thing, aren’t you? We’ll have our work cut out for us getting you ready for the jousting in three days. Still, if that’s what Sir Benedict wants … He told me to put you on old Bess. This way.’ He jerked his head for Tommy to follow, but when they got to Bess’s stall it was empty.

  ‘Where’s Bess got to?’ the stable master asked a passing groom.

  ‘Courtyard,’ the groom called over his shoulder. ‘I think one of the town lads was seeing to her.’

  ‘Ah, so that’s it. We’re so busy because of the tournament we’ve had to get some lads in from town to help us,’ the stable master explained.

  He and Tommy walked out of the stables and into the courtyard, where a chestnut mare was waiting, shifting uncomfortably from foot to foot.

  ‘Here she is,’ said the stable master. ‘All saddled up for you already.’

  ‘She’s beautiful,’ Tommy said, admiring the mare’s long dark mane and glossy coat.

  The stable master slapped the horse on the rump affectionately. ‘She’s a real lady is Bess. She won’t give you any trouble. And mind you don’t give her any trouble, either – Sir Benedict is powerful fond of Bess.’

  Tommy approached the horse hesitantly. ‘Hello, Bess,’ she said, patting the horse on the neck. ‘I’m Tommy. I’ve never ridden a horse before.’

  The horse regarded her with deep brown eyes but said nothing.

  ‘Now let’s start at the beginning,’ said the stable master. ‘You see this saddle we’ve got on here? That’s your regular saddle, with a pommel to grip.’ He pointed to a raised bit at the front of the saddle. ‘For the jousting, you’ll use a special saddle that’s raised at the front and the back to hold you in place. There’ll be no hanging on to the reins when you’re jousting – you’ll have a lance in one hand and a shield in the other.’

  The stable master talked about saddles and stirrups, bridles and reins, till Tommy thought her head would burst from trying to cram in so much new information.

  Half the morning
had passed before he finally said, ‘Right, let’s get you on.’ He cupped his hands and said, ‘I’ll give you a leg-up.’

  Tommy swallowed. She’d never really thought about how big horses were before but now, standing alongside Bess, she felt very small.

  She placed one foot in the stable master’s linked hands and managed to get the other foot into the stirrup dangling just below the horse’s ribs. Taking hold of the pommel, she swung her leg over the top of the saddle.

  ‘That’s the way,’ said the stable master.

  But as Tommy came to rest in the saddle, Bess let out a shrill neigh and reared up.

  Tommy screamed in fright as she rose high into the air and then was flung off the horse’s back.

  Ooph! Tommy hit the ground with a thud that knocked the wind out of her. Luckily she had landed in a pile of hay, which cushioned her fall.

  ‘You all right there, Sword Girl?’ the stable master asked, stretching out a hand to help Tommy up.

  Tommy’s legs were shaking as she got to her feet. ‘I ... I think so,’ she said.

  She brushed the hay from her tunic while the stable master took hold of Bess’s reins. ‘There now,’ he soothed, running his fingers through the horse’s mane as she stamped and huffed. ‘There now, old Bess.’

  He turned to Tommy. ‘I don’t know what got into her. She’s normally as gentle as a lamb. Come here, girl.’ He beckoned Tommy closer. ‘We’ll give it another try.’

  But as Tommy approached, the horse shied away, neighing.

  ‘Bess,’ the stable master scolded. ‘Steady there.’ He soothed the horse once more and Tommy again took a step forward.

  The horse skittered sideways, snorting, her deep brown eyes rolling wildly.

  ‘I never seen such a thing.’ The stable master sounded mystified. ‘Seems she’s taken a real dislike to you, Sword Girl.’

  A dislike to her? But why? Tommy looked at the horse in dismay; the horse appeared to be glaring at her.

  ‘But what about my lesson?’ Tommy asked. ‘And the jousting practice?’

  The stable master shook his head. ‘There’ll be no getting you on her back today, not with her all spooked the way she is. We’ll just have to try again tomorrow.’

  ‘But the tournament … What if I’m not ready in time?’

  The stable master shrugged. ‘Sorry, Sword Girl. There’s nothing I can do.’

  CHAPTER 6

  THAT AFTERNOON, Tommy joined the squires in the great courtyard for jousting practice.

  When Sir Hugh entered, riding a large grey stallion, Tommy went up to him.

  ‘I’m sorry, Sir Hugh,’ she said. ‘I don’t have a horse today.’

  Sir Hugh looked surprised. ‘Sir Benedict told me you’d be on Bess.’

  Tommy ducked her head. ‘Bess … doesn’t like me,’ she confessed.

  ‘Doesn’t like you?’ Sir Hugh’s forehead creased in puzzlement. Then he shook his head. ‘We don’t have time to find you a new mount now, Tommy. You’ll have to practise on foot today. But mind you’re on horseback for tomorrow’s practice.’

  ‘Yes, Sir Hugh,’ Tommy murmured.

  She went to the corner of the courtyard to fetch a lance and shield. As the squires mounted their horses, she could see them looking at her and whispering. Embarrassed, Tommy stared hard at her shield, which was painted with the Flamant Castle heraldry: a pink flamingo on a blue background. Her wooden lance, which was taller than her, was painted in pink and blue stripes.

  The squires on horseback lined up and Tommy stood at the end of the line.

  ‘Yesterday we practised charging,’ Sir Hugh called. ‘Today, we’ll practise with the lance.’

  Tommy concentrated hard as Sir Hugh demonstrated some movements with the lance. She would have to use her lance to knock her opponent off his horse.

  For the next hour, Tommy practised with the others as Sir Hugh rode up and down the line, watching and making comments.

  ‘You handle the lance very well, Tommy,’ he told her. ‘But tomorrow we’ll be practising jousting against each other, and you can’t do that without a horse. So you and Bess had better learn to get along, understand?’

  ‘Yes, Sir Hugh,’ Tommy whispered, a miserable feeling welling in her chest. How could she make Bess like her? She didn’t even know what she’d done to make the horse hate her!

  When the lesson ended, Tommy returned her lance and shield to the corner and ran down to the moat, hoping to find Lil.

  There was no sign of the cat, but the crocodiddle was backstroking lazily up and down the moat.

  ‘Hello, Sword Girl,’ he said, flipping over onto his stomach and swimming towards her. ‘Why are you looking so glum? I thought you were excited about being in the tournament and riding horses?’

  ‘I was,’ Tommy said. ‘But I had my first horse-riding lesson this morning and it didn’t go very well.’ She explained how Bess had thrown her off. ‘I don’t even know what I did to upset her,’ Tommy finished.

  ‘Maybe you were sitting wrong,’ the crocodiddle suggested.

  ‘But I don’t know any other way to sit,’ said Tommy.

  ‘It’s all about balance and grip,’ said the crocodiddle knowledgeably. ‘I could teach you.’

  ‘You could?’ said Tommy doubtfully.

  ‘Of course! You don’t need a horse – I can give you riding lessons. Come on, get on my back.’

  Hopes rising, Tommy slipped off her shoes and pulled her leggings up to her knees.

  ‘Ready?’ said the crocodiddle when Tommy was sitting astride his back, her legs dangling in the weed-choked water. ‘Here we go.’ He began to paddle slowly into the centre of the moat.

  ‘Oh!’ Tommy wobbled wildly.

  ‘Grip with your knees,’ the crocodiddle told her.

  Tommy squeezed her knees into the crocodiddle’s side.

  ‘Not too tight, your knees are digging into me. Relax a little. Grip firmly, but don’t squeeze.’

  Tommy was scared she would slide off if she loosened her grip, but she did as the crocodiddle said and found it was easier to balance if she wasn’t squeezing so hard.

  ‘That’s the way,’ the crocodiddle said. ‘Now I’ll go a bit faster.’

  As the crocodiddle moved through the water, Tommy focused on the rhythm of his strokes and found that she was able to keep her balance quite well.

  Faster and faster they went, circling the castle walls, the crocodiddle shouting advice. One lap, two … After they’d completed three laps of the castle, the crocodiddle, breathing hard, swam over to the bank.

  ‘I don’t think you’ve got anything to worry about, Sword Girl,’ he panted. ‘You’re a natural.’

  ‘Thank you, Mr Crocodiddle,’ Tommy said as she clambered onto the grass. ‘You’ve really helped me. I’ll be much better on the horse tomorrow.’

  ‘Horses,’ she heard him muttering as she hurried back to the castle gate. ‘So stuck-up. All they care about is having ribbons in their tails. They should use crocodiddles in tournaments. We’re much more sensible.’

  CHAPTER 7

  TOMMY WENT STRAIGHT to the stables the next morning, determined that today’s lesson would be a success. After her ride on the crocodiddle the day before, and everything she’d learned about balance and grip, she felt confident that Bess wouldn’t throw her off again.

  When the stable master caught sight of her, he called, ‘Wait there, Sword Girl, and I’ll have a groom fetch Bess from her stall.’

  But Tommy could see the chestnut mare over by the hay where she had been the day before.

  ‘She’s already here,’ Tommy called back.

  ‘Is she?’ The stable master sounded surprised. ‘So she is. I can barely keep track of the goings-on around here.’

  Together they walked over to the mare. She seemed to be regarding Tommy suspiciously.

  ‘I’ve been practising my sitting,’ Tommy told the stable master. ‘I don’t think we’ll have any problems today.’

  ‘Good,
’ said the stable master. ‘Up we go then.’

  He made a cradle with his hands and Tommy vaulted lightly onto the horse’s back. But as soon as she put her weight on the saddle, Bess began to buck.

  ‘Please,’ Tommy gasped, clutching the pommel. It was no good. The horse bucked and twisted until she had dislodged Tommy, who fell heavily to the ground.

  As the stable master helped her to her feet, Tommy blinked back tears of pain and disappointment.

  ‘I’ve never seen Bess take against someone like this before,’ the stable master said.

  ‘Isn’t there another horse I could ride?’ Tommy begged. ‘Sir Hugh said that I had to be riding a horse for the jousting practice today.’

  The stable master shook his head. ‘I’m sorry, Sword Girl, but we’ve no horses to spare.’

  Before Tommy could respond, a stable hand ran up. ‘Sir Walter is here, sir,’ he said.

  ‘Sorry, Sword Girl, I’ll have to go see what his lordship wants.’ The stable master hurried off after the boy.

  ‘Why do you hate me so much?’ Tommy asked the horse softly when they were alone. Bess snorted. ‘Because you’re a cruel, vicious girl.’

  ‘How can you say that?’ Tommy cried. ‘What have I done?’

  But the horse just stamped her hoof and turned away.

  With a sinking feeling in her stomach, Tommy walked through the archway into the great courtyard. What should she do now? She couldn’t practise jousting without a horse – and there was only one more day of practice left before the tournament! If only she knew why the horse disliked her so much …

  She would go back to the armoury and clean swords, she decided. At least that was something she was good at.

  She trudged through the armoury to the door of the sword chamber. There she stopped, dismayed to see a dozen swords waiting to be cleaned.

  Turning, she asked the smith, ‘Where’s Reynard?’