Nancy Atherton by Aunt Dimity [14] Aunt Dimity Slays the Dragon Page B

way
    that was both remarkably accurate and unmistakably ridiculous.
    Although they must have heard the jingling of his belled cap, they
    acted as though he weren’t there, which made his mimicry even
    funnier.
    “I bid you good morrow, gentles,” said Lord Belvedere, raising
    his voice to be heard above the crowd’s tittering. “I, Lord Belvedere, thank you on behalf of our beloved monarch, King Wilfred
    the Good, for gracing us with your presence today. Within you will
    find marvels and amusements such as you have never seen before, as
    well as bounteous food and drink fit for a king—or a queen!”
    A few women let out hoots of approval and everyone else
    laughed.
    “At two of the clock,” Lord Belvedere continued, “a tournament
    of arms will be held in His Majesty’s joust arena. Hearken to my
    words, I pray you, as I present the puissant warriors who will face the
    perils of mounted combat. Pray bid a hearty well come to . . .”—he
    turned to his left and fl ung an arm toward the small door in the east
    tower—“Sir Peregrine the Pure!”
    A tall, broad-shouldered man with a handsome, clean-shaven
    face and shoulder-length white-blond hair strode onto the walkway.
    He was clad in a chain-mail shirt and a breastplate, he carried a
    shield on his left arm, and his right hand rested on the hilt of his
    sword. His breastplate gleamed in the morning sun and his shield
    bore the image of a rearing unicorn. As he struck a manly pose
    beside Lord Belvedere, Jinks broke into loud hurrahs, which were
    instantly reinforced by cheers from the crowd. Sir Peregrine acknowledged the acclamation with a sequence of suave nods.
    Lord Belvedere waited until the cheering began to flag, then
    flung his arm toward the west tower. “I give you . . . Sir Jacques de
    Poitiers, the Dragon Knight!”
    A short, stocky man with coal-black eyes, long, dark hair, a thin
    mustache, and a pointed goatee stepped out of the tower’s shadowy
    62 Nancy Atherton
    doorway and onto the walkway. His breastplate was pewter-colored,
    and his shield featured a fearsome black dragon. As he strode to his
    place opposite Sir Peregrine, Jinks emitted a loud boo, which was
    echoed with great enthusiasm by the crowd. Sir Jacques snarled,
    shook his fist, and eyed the fairgoers pugnaciously, which only made
    them boo louder.
    “At two of the clock,” Lord Belvedere reiterated, “these gallant
    knights will face each other in the joust arena. Will Sir Peregrine
    prevail? Or will the Dragon Knight conquer? Come to the arena to
    cheer on your champion!”
    The knights bowed—Sir Peregrine with an elegant swoop, Sir
    Jacques with a brusque jerk—and exited the walkway to the mingled
    boos and cheers of the crowd. The heralds raised their trumpets to
    blow another fanfare—which sounded very similar to the one they’d
    blown already—then bawled a familiar refrain from the top of their
    tower.
    “Arise, gentle folk! Hence cometh our excellent and most gracious ruler, the lord of laughter and the monarch of mirth, His
    Majesty, King Wilfred the Good!”
    “Bow in the presence of the king, you scurvy curs,” Jinks bellowed down at us, but as soon as a few people followed his order,
    he held up an admonitory finger and said fussily, “ Tsk tsk —Simon
    didn’t say!”
    A rumble of laughter rolled through the crowd as Calvin Malvern,
    wearing his gem-encrusted crown, his plum-colored surcoat, and
    the rest of his King Wilfred regalia, strode to the center of the crenellated walkway. Lord Belvedere and his retinue bowed deferentially,
    then formed a half circle behind the king, but Jinks dropped all the
    way to his knees and groveled pathetically, eliciting still more laughter from his audience.
    “We bid you well come, gentle folk,” said King Wilfred, beaming down at us benevolently. “And we hope you will find pleasure
    in every moment you spend at our great fair.”
    Jinks had risen to his feet and was now lip-synching the king’s
    Aunt Dimity