Mary rushes off in her breezy white dress down the path of the market as happy as a hummingbird. In three days, all of the town will gather to finally acknowledge her and she will finally get the attention she deserves. As she skips down the paths in between the assembled carts, men whistle at her and declare their admiration for her, which only makes her smile more. But despite all of the grown men of the town giving her praise, she misses the awkward boldness of the young hunter from before, Peter. She stops to ask an old seamstress at her cart. "Dear lady, where would I go to find where the hunters gather? I have a young man I wish to see there."
The old woman is taken aback by Mary's regal appearance and bows. "Milady, a hunter has caught your eye? Surely you would wish for a duke or a knight to come calling?"
"But this hunter is who I seek. I must tell him of the tournament."
The old woman smiles. "Ah, you must be the Lady Mary everyone is flutter about. Is this young man going to enter with your blessing?"
"I certainly hope so."
"Well then, dear girl, the huntsmen and adventurers normally gather at the tavern. They normally keep their carts close by as well. There is where you might find the young man."
Mary curtsies. "Thank you, seamstress. I must be off to find him. Goodbye." And then she goes to find her Peter as the old woman waves goodbye.
Mary makes her way to the tavern. She had only gone in before to drop off some milk from her cow through the backdoor before. A tavern is not really a place for unaccompanied girls to go. But looking through the stained glass window, she can see the young Peter sitting and drinking by himself. Among all of the hardened huntsmen and craftsmen, Peter looks like a little boy playing dress up. And now, Mary must pretend to be one of the seductive women she has heard of that court and service men in places like this. Mary takes a second to ready herself before bursting in through the front door with and extra sway in her hips. The musicians playing see her and stop, causing the patrons to all turn towards the disturbance. Mary has never been surrounded by so many men in her life. And they all gaze upon her with pure reverence like a goddess has descended upon the earth. But she remains calm and walks right to Peter. "Peter, is it okay if I join you?"
He stands up urgently and bows before pulling out a chair for her and escorting her to her seat. "Yes, of course. Mary, you look amazing." The other men in the tavern all look insanely jealous, but they keep watching.
"Thank you, Peter." He pushes in her seat and sits right next to her. Despite him already being next to him, Mary makes the move to move her chair even closer to his. She caresses his face with her delicate hand and the young man swoons and his cheeks flush pink. "Now, I have a question for you."
"Anything. I'll give you anything."
"That's sweet. But have you heard of the tournament coming to Buttundoa?"
"No I haven't." The other men all noticeably turn to hear more of this tournament from the gorgeous maiden in white.
Mary takes the opportunity to announce the news to the rest of the patrons as well and raises her voice so all can hear. "Well a tournament is to be held in town in three days. And it seems the winner gets the chance to ask for my hand. I was wondering if you would consider entering?"
The other men all murmurs amongst themselves while Peter turns bright red. "You would want me to enter?"
"Yes. Now it could be dangerous." Mary turns to the other men in the tavern. "It could be dangerous for any you." But as she turns back to Peter, she makes sure to play with her ruby amulet, drawing his eyes to her hefty chest. "If you were to enter, it would be my pleasure to give you my favor." Mary plays with the collar of Peter's green shirt with her other hand. "If your stories are true, you would make a very tender husband."
As she goes in to whisper something into his ear, a man with an actual crossbow strapped to his back stands up from his table and walks over to Mary and Peter. "Milady, this young boy would not be a suitable husband for someone with your grace. You need someone strong. I'm the greatest hunter in the village."
Another man stands up from his seat at the bar. "But what is strength when you have no money? I'm the town butcher, and I own the hunters in this town."
Mary stands up to address the men. "Good sirs, I appreciate your offers. But if you truly wish to claim me, enter the tournament. Surely, if you believe yourself to be worthy, you would do well enough against your fellow competitors." She didn't intend on gaining so many admirers walking into the bar. But Mary is enjoying the limelight, and is loving leading these strangers on. She successfully tries her hand at posing and makes flirtatious eye contact with various men in the crowd.
The butcher raises a fist to his fellow tavern patrons. "Well then if it is a fight you wish to see, a strong fight you will get. Come on, men. Let us drink to the tournament in friendship. For in three days, we will meet again on the field as opponents." The other men in the tavern all raise their drinks and the band plays again to celebrate their collective signing on.
Remembering her intended target, Mary sits back down to Peter's delight. "I thought you forgot about me for a minute there. You sure did rile up the competition against me."
"But if you are to win, don't you really want to prove yourself? I thought you would be happy to show your skills." Peter shifts in his seat a bit uncomfortably, suddenly not wanting to meet her gaze. Mary makes eye contact anyway. "Peter, what's wrong? You said you were an excellent hunter."
"Yeah but hunting game by myself in a forest is different then competing in front of a crowd against other people. I'll do it for you, of course. I'm just worried about how I'll stack up."
Mary leans in to Peter and gives him a quick kiss. She has never kissed anyone before but it seemed like the perfect moment. "Peter, I believe in you. You will do amazingly well in the tournament."
Instantly, his whole body fills with confidence and Peter puffs up his chest. "Very well. I will do you proud, Mary. And I will never wash this cheek again."
Mary giggles. "I'm glad." But her happy moment is somewhat spoiled when she sees the other men jealously glaring at Peter. Some of them look quite devious and Mary feels concerned for her boy. "Um Peter? I have some things to take care of before the tournament so I need to leave. But hopefully I will see you before then." She grabs him by his brown leather vest and kisses him heartily to mark him to the others. As she releases the completely undone Peter, she stands and makes her way to the tavern door. Before she leaves, Mary addresses the group. "While I am thrilled so many of you gentlemen have declared your intentions, know that I will not tolerate any foul play. Anyone found guilty of sabotaging or harming a fellow competitor will be disqualified. I wouldn't want a dishonorable future husband would I?"
The men assembled nod their heads in agreement, though some definitely look thwarted. Peter looks very thankful and Mary is, at least for now, sure of his safety.