Chapter One — The Tournament I
The tournament field had become a sea of noise. Flags snapped violently in the autumn wind, their colors rippling above the packed stands. Hundreds of voices rose and fell with every movement on the field, while the pounding of drums seemed to shake the wooden benches beneath Serena Harrington's feet.
She sat between her mother and a cluster of cousins, wearing the expression of someone who had come for precisely the reason she had announced that morning: her brothers.
That was what she had told everyone.
She wanted to see Ewan and Alexander play on opposite sides. It was rare enough for both Harrington brothers to be competing in the same tournament, and rarer still that their teams had been drawn against each other.
It was a perfectly innocent reason.
At least, it was supposed to be.
Serena's eyes betrayed her.
They had found William Beaufort almost immediately. He stood near the center of the field, already dressed in his armor. He was not the largest man there, nor was he the most heavily armored. There were knights twice his size among the competitors, men whose names were announced by heralds to thunderous applause.
William received applause too. But Serena barely heard it.
He was tightening the leather around his wrist, his expression composed, his blond hair pushed back from his forehead. There was something almost frustrating about how calm he looked. As though none of this mattered. As though he hadn't spent the last year becoming increasingly difficult for Serena to ignore.
"You're staring."
Serena nearly jumped. She turned to her mother, Katherine Harrington, who was smiling.
"I am not."
"Of course not."
"I was looking at the field."
"Naturally."
Serena narrowed her eyes. Katherine's smile widened.
Before Serena could answer, the herald raised his staff. The crowd fell into a sudden hush.
"THE TEAMS!"
A roar erupted.
The two teams entered the field from opposite gates.
James Harrington's, Serena's father, team received the loudest reaction. He was, after all, one of the most celebrated warriors in the kingdom.
Lord James Harrington had won tournaments before. He was admired for his strength, experience, and almost frightening ability to read an opponent.
His sons had inherited different parts of him.
Ewan had inherited his stubbornness.
Alexander had inherited his aggression.
And, according to Serena, both had inherited far too much pride.
For this tournament, the King had deliberately arranged the teams to send a message to the realm: even rival houses could put aside their differences and work together. James Harrington's team therefore included his son Ewan and, unexpectedly, William Beaufort, while Alexander Harrington was placed on the opposing team.
It was a deliberate arrangement by the Crown—a chance for two houses that had long been rivals to prove that loyalty to the King could bring even old enemies together.
