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“Sir knight,” Princess Weiss, second heiress of House Schnee, called out to the figure as they rode closer.
It wasn't easy to guess the height of someone riding a horse, especially in full armor, but when lined up next to the other knights it was obvious that this one was unusually short. Also, unlike the other knights who wore their finest burnished armor for the tourney, this knight had chosen to wear plain, unadorned black armor, still scuffed and dinged from the battlefield. They also kept their helmet on and visor down, as well as keeping a piece of dyed red leather covering the device on their shield.
The figure rode their roan hoarse up beside the viewing stand, and Weiss leaned over, tying her white handkerchief around the knight's wrist. “My favor, sir knight.”
The knight nodded but didn't speak, not that they could be easily heard over the suddenly boisterous crowd. Never in her eighteen years of life had Princess Weiss offered her favor to one of the knights at a tourney, and everyone, noble and commoner alike, was excited at this display. The knight in question being a black knight, one who refused to reveal their identity or affiliation, made this all the more exciting. And to do so at this tourney, of all tourneys…
When Weiss returned to her seat, carefully adjusting her flowing white dress before sitting again, her brother Whitley looked over at her. “You've never done that before, sister.”
“No, I suppose I haven't,” Weiss said blandly.
His eyes narrowed. “Showing your favor to an unknown to anger father won't make things easier for you, dear sister.”
“The black knight is only unknown to you, brother,” Weiss said smugly. “I know precisely who I've granted my favor to.”
“Is that why did your best to stymie all of father's attempts to negotiate a political marriage?” he asked, raising an eyebrow. “I had thought that he went through with this tournament to find your spouse as a punishment for your recalcitrance by marrying you off to some strange brute.”
“I imagine he thought the same,” Weiss said smugly.
Whitley's eyebrows rose in surprise. “How devious. I didn't expect that from you, sister.”
“Neither did father,” Weiss said. “Ah, my knight is about to joust again.”
Sure enough, the black knight was lining up at the beginning of the run, having already accepted a lance. The knight's opponent was Neptune of House Vasilias, who had his helmet off, studying the black knight, before looking up at Weiss, who nodded to him. Neptune nodded in turn, before donning his own helmet.
A moment later the trumpets sounded, and the pair rode forward, the black knight picking up speed and lowering their lance, while Neptune stayed to the far side of the lists, trotting his horse with his lance high in the air. After passing the black knight slowed and raised their lance, and the crowd began to cheer.
“I had thought that Baron Neptune would fight for your hand,” Whitley said.
Weiss simply smiled. “Neptune and I are good friends. He knows why I would offer my favor to the black knight.”
“I see,” Whitley said.
“Besides, he seems to spend overmuch time with that rapscallion of a squire of his,” Weiss said. “I have my doubts about how ardently he truly pursued me at those balls.”
While Whitley choked, Weiss watched the black knight and Neptune exchange quiet words as they trotted away from the field. Weiss sighed with relief, happy that her friend had understood and hadn't put up a fight. While she was certain her knight would beat Neptune, the fewer battles the better. As much as she tried to be confident, there was no guarantee that the day would end in her favor.
Her worries seemed ungrounded as the hours passed. Several other knights, either friends of her or her sister, or simply those with a strong enough sense of chivalry not to want to stand in the way of her romantic choice, avoided actually tilting against the black knight, and those that had enough ambition to make the attempt found themselves swiftly defeated.
Throughout the day the crowd found themselves more and more excited as the black knight swiftly rose though the ranks of the competing knights. Some were swept up in the romanticism of an unnamed knight fighting for the love of their lady. Others were impressed by the show of skill when the black knight was forced to tilt. Some, however, simply enjoyed how angry the ever unpopular King Jacques looked, especially compared to the widely beloved Princess Weiss, who was delighted with every victory of her chosen knight.
Finally it was the last round, and Cardin, the third son of the Duke of Winchester, lined up against the black knight. Weiss was on the edge of her seat, hoping that, after so many successes, things wouldn't fall apart at the last moment. The black knight simply had to secure one more victory and they would be betrothed. A loss would mean that she was engaged to one of the worst possible candidates for her future happiness.
She needn't have worried. As with most of the jousts that day it was settled in a single pass, the black knight easily unseating the brutish son of a duke, much to cheers of the crowd (who knew Cardin simply from reputation, but it was a broadly known and foul reputation).
Weiss couldn't contain her happiness, bouncing with joy as she rushed down to the front of the stands again. Her father followed far more sedately, having long ago realized he'd been hoodwinked by his own daughter into letting her decide who she'd marry rather than securing some political advantage from her hand.
“Sir knight,” King Jacques ground out darkly. “Remove thy helmet and identify the man who will marry my daughter.”
With hardly a pause the knight doffed his helmet, revealing a young woman with silver eyes and red and black hair. “I am Dame Ruby of House Rose, your majesty, and it is my honor to marry your daughter."
“What- this- this is an outrage!” Jacques shouted. “You cannot marry my daughter!”
“I believe you'll find that your decree insisted whoever won the tournament won my hand, father,” Weiss said smugly. “Do you intend to break your word to the people of your kingdom, as well as the ancient tradition you invoked to find the suitor for a princess who reaches full majority unwed?”
He gritted his teeth. “She's a woman!”
Weiss grabbed Ruby's gauntleted hand. “I noticed, yes, and I also notice that the decree did not include any mention of the gender of the knight in question.”
Jacques froze, before turning to face his advisors, who all carefully avoided his gaze. It had taken every bit of her skill at wheedling, pleading, and in a few cases, literal blackmail, but Weiss had managed to modify the planned decree that her father had had his advisors write for him. She knew he'd be too lazy to pay much attention to the document, and avoiding naming the gender of the knight had easily slipped beneath his notice.
Jacques, despite his anger, took a moment to survey the crowd. While they had been shocked by the reveal, the general mood was strongly in favor of the match that they'd been cheering for for hours. While marriage between nobles always had an eye towards heirs, it wasn't too rare for the common folk, who married for love, to marry their own gender.
In the end he had no choice, simply gritting his teeth and putting on the most insincere smile imaginable. “Dame Ruby of House Rose, I congratulate you on your victory in the tournament. Tonight will be a feast, and I look forward to getting to know my future… daughter… in law.”
Ruby at least knew how to be gracious in victory. “I am honored, your majesty.”
At that point Weiss could contain herself no longer, throwing herself at Ruby and pressing a fierce kiss to her lips. A great cheer arose from the crowd, and soon a chant of 'Ruby!' was taken up.
Weiss wasn't foolish enough to believe that this was over, but she had won this round as surely as Ruby had won the tournament. Now she had to prepare for whatever her father decided to throw at her next… although this time it would be a 'them' preparing, and not just a 'her'.