Crossed Swords: A Tale of Maid Cordelia

Ch 6: Facing the Chamber

''We have been watching you,'' said Dame Esa, ''and we are pleased. You have shown the qualities of trust and endurance, qualities every Knight of the Cordon must show if she is to meet the challenges which defending our Estates demands. But more than this'' – and here Dame Esa drew herself up to full height and crossed the cold marble floor to the latched window, gently urging it open – ''you have resisted the temptations which lure a knight away from her goal. Any of Lord Veva's honeyed words might have swayed a lesser maiden, and yet you withstood them and held fast to your obligations. We are pleased with this, and it is our decision'' – she swept her hand over the eight knights Cordelia saw seated before her – ''that you should be allowed entrance to the three final tests, which every maid or squire who aspires to the Cordon must undergo: the gauntlet, the joust, and the days of fast.'' Dame Esa turned from the open archway, through which Cordelia could just glimpse the hilly lands of her vast estates, and approached the table. ''What is your response to our offer?" she asked Cordelia. "It is a challenge many have faced, but which many have failed to surmount.''

Cordelia rose. Since dawn she had spoken no words, so focused was she on the tasks to come. Her challenges, she knew, always involved strength against strength, but in the tasks she was now to face, a new element had been added, and the odds would be against her. In the gauntlet and the joust, she would have to contend with the power of the wooden platform or the galloping horse, just as much as she would that of an opponent; for in the battle of swords, she was pitted against her opponent on solid ground, but in the gauntlet, the platform swayed and pitched, and in the joust she would be on mounted horse. The sun was bright as it angled upwards from the horizon and glazed against the crystal panes of the palace casements. How could she answer Dame Esa? She dared not speak too boldly, and she fumbled for her words, but in time she found the strength she needed, and the words came. ''I faced many temptations in the battle of swords,'' she said, ''for which I was not prepared. Yet I give thanks for the obstacles I faced, for to become part of this cordon of knights is a privilege I seek and will not shirk. Bring on to me the challenges of the gauntlet and joust. I ask only that I be informed of the proper rules a knight follows in these endeavours, so I can find the strength to meet them.'' Her voice had risen to a firmness that rang out as it echoed against the hard stone walls of the council chamber.

Dame Esa reassured Cordelia. ''You must not fear your own ignorance,'' she said. ''I will apprise you of what gauntlet and joust entail, and of what you might expect, and others of the cordon will guide and train you. You will not be alone.''

She paused as she heard a rustle of clothing from behind. Lord Veva sought to interrupt. ''I must speak,'' he said loudly, rising from his council chair. ''You, Maid Cordelia, have called my pursuit of your hand an obstacle, and you, Dame Esa, have called my words a temptation, but I am prepared even now to repeat those promises, which I did not make lightly.'' In his hand he held the jeweled ring. "You are still welcome in the scarlet palace of the Tarrows, Maid Cordelia, and you are still welcome to consider my offer to join your house with mine.'' In his voice was a tremor of emotion Cordelia had not heard before.

From around the table arose a buzzing of voices at Lord Veva's words. One knight spoke up. "We would all welcome Maid Cordelia,'' Lord Pascal said, ''and many of us might pursue her, knights of the Cordon or servants of the realm in some other position of the Estates; but we restrain ourselves from making proposals publicly, at the Table of Knights. An intention like yours, Lord Veva, which entails the joining of houses, is not within the scope of the meeting table. In short, the Council of Knights is not the place to discuss plying one's suit with a maiden, no matter that she may soon be joined with us through the trials of knighthood.''

Lord Veva bowed. ''I shall be silent, then,'' he said, ''and in place of my voice I yield my will to yours, Lord Pascal. If I have broached the limits of privacy in my words, then submission is my only strategy – for now.''