The Rebels of Cordovia (5 page)

He looked at her hand as it nervously rubbed
against her thigh. He had noticed how she bit her lip with anxiety
when she spoke of the persecution of the aristocrats. She believed
in this cause and she was not afraid to express her feelings.

Daniel pulled the cart to a stop and gazed
at her. This lovely dainty woman was such a mystery. She had such
conviction. Her voice was full of determination as she spoke of
freedom, as if it were engrained in her from birth. Perhaps it was.
One thing for certain, no other woman had ever affected him like
she had.

He smiled as he took her hand in his,
brought it to his lips, and kissed it tenderly. “Thank you, dear
lady, for the lesson in humility.” Then he kissed it once
again.

Daniel’s eyes held hers for a long moment
and Robin sensed the shift in his mood
.
She blushed as her heart picked up speed and warmth enveloped her
from head to foot
.
Why
had his sweet kiss had an effect on her? It sent a tingle up her
arm and straight to her heart.

After a moment, Daniel cleared his throat and
then pointed to an old nag on the side of the road. “Do you see
that old mare over there?”

Robin nodded. “What about it?”

“Well, I noticed you’ve got some rope in the
cart. If you don’t mind, I would like to use it.”

“Of course,” she answered with an uplifted brow.
She was not sure what he was going to do.

Daniel motioned to the back of the cart. “I’ve
got a great idea what to do with this soldier back here. You’ll
have to close your eyes for a while, sweet lady, so you don’t get
embarrassed. But I think you’ll love my idea.”

Andrew burst into laughter as he sat in front of
Robin’s Rebels, telling the story of what happened to the soldier.
“It was great. One of my customers was telling me all about it
today. The soldier was tied across this old beat up nag. There was
no way he could get loose cause he was tied down so good. And on
top of the nag’s head was the soldier’s hat. When the people at a
nearby village saw him riding toward them as naked as a mule, the
women screamed and the men laughed. It was great. There couldn’t
have been a better way to humiliate a soldier. I don’t think he’ll
ever set foot in this town again.”

Robin’s face reddened at the memory of it, and
that made the men and women laugh even harder.

“All right,” said Robin, feeling more
embarrassed than she wanted to admit. “We’re here to decide who is
going against the other contestant in sword fighting. What do you
think?”

“Well,” said Merek. “Your father has beaten each
of us. I don’t think there’s a better choice.”

“But,” said Robin. “I’m worried about his age.
Those young men are only in their twenties with great agility. I’m
not sure…”

“But he has skill,” said Polly. “That makes a
big difference. If it was my choice, I would choose skill over
age.”

Andrew laughed. “She’s got a point. But it’s up
to you. We’ve got to decide soon, though. The competition begins in
two hours.”

She nodded. “All right. Let’s vote on it. Who is
for my father competing in the sword fight?”

It was unanimous. Everyone felt his skill outdid
most any young person. With that, everyone got ready for the
competition and headed for the lake where it would take place. It
was a perfect area with a large open field spread out and the woods
surrounded the area, giving it the privacy they needed.

When Robin’s Rebels arrived, the place was
packed. There were over two hundred men and women standing around
to watch the competition. Most had already joined the Freemen.
Others were waiting to see who won before they joined.

Robin was nervous when she saw how many people
would be watching. She bit her lip nervously as she said, “Why did
I agree to this?”

Her father laughed and gave her a nudge. “It’s
all right. Just think about the naked soldier.”

With that everyone broke into laughter when they
saw her cheeks turn a bright red color.

“Keep your mask on at all times,” said Andrew.
“I don’t want anyone knowing you’re a woman. They may not respect a
feminine leader. Besides some of us men are letches.”

This made Robin’s Rebels burst into
laughter.

She shook her head, trying to ignore her
father’s teasing. He was in a great mood.

The tournament was about to begin and they
needed to get into place. The wrestling competition was first.
Merek was more than ready. Every chance he got, he lifted a few
logs and even tried lifting Robin’s mule but she drew the line when
it came to animals.

They hadn’t met the leader of the Freemen yet,
but they figured they would when the archery contest was ready.

When they walked toward the field, she was
impressed. It had been set up like an arena with wooden seats on
two sides for spectators. As they settled down in their seats,
Robin scanned the audience. When she saw Daniel sitting on the
other side of the arena, a tingle of excitement spread through her.
He had come to check out the competition. How she wished he would
notice her group of men and women! Sure, she had a small group, but
they were the most devoted and skillful fighters.

“Hey,” said Andrew as he nudged her playfully.
“There’s Daniel. Too bad you’re a man today, huh? Or you could sit
with him.”

Robin’s eyes widened at his statement. Seeing
the twinkle in his eyes, she gave him a good-natured shove.

He chuckled and winked at her. “I know you like
him, dear. You can’t fool me.”

She quickly looked around to see if her men had
heard her father’s statement but they were too busy chatting and
pointing at Merek, who was waiting to begin.

“Shush. You’re really in a playful mood,
Papa.”

He just chuckled and didn’t say another
word.

All attention was drawn to the arena as Miles
walked to the center and announced the two competitors.

“We have Simon representing the Freemen and
Merek representing Robin’s Rebels. Men, take your positions!”

Miles took a seat in the arena and watched the
men walk inside the twenty-foot circle.

Merek remembered Simon from the last meeting and
his example of the thread. He grinned as he faced his opponent.
Merek was ready to go. He wanted Robin to be proud of him and knew
he could win this match. There was no doubt about it. They shook
hands and a bell rang as a signal to begin. They each crouched into
a wrestling stance with outstretched arms, circling one another and
waiting for just the right moment to take his opponent down and pin
him.

With arms raised, Simon tried to grab Merek but
he was too fast and ducked away from him. Just at that moment,
Merek quickly threw his arms around his opponent in an “arm-lock”
and threw him to the ground. They struggled back and forth and then
Merek finally released Simon, just so he could have the opportunity
to take him down again.

They walked to the center of the circle and
Merek raised his arms to the level of his shoulders as he circled
Simon. At just the right moment, he feinted to the right as if to
grab Simon. As Simon lunged to the left, Merek grabbed him and
threw him to the ground with all his weight. Simon struggled and
was finally able to get loose but that didn’t bother Merek because
he wanted to score more points by taking him down again. He had
been playing with Simon like a cat playing with a mouse, but next
time he would pin him down good. He stood and looked at Robin as he
put his fist in the air to let her know he was going to win this
one.

Once again they stood in the center and began
circling one another in the same manner as before. Merek smiled as
he praised Simon’s abilities, telling him how fast he was and how
he didn’t expect it from such a large man. Then he playfully
slapped Simon’s head a couple times to distract him.

Simon resented his condescension and tried to
duck away each time Merek slapped him. Just at that moment, Merek
dropped down on his knees and grabbed Simon’s ankle and lifted it
up, forcing him down to the ground. The distraction had worked.
Simon grunted and lay quiet as the audience cheered. Being
distracted by the cheering, Merek didn’t see Simon pry his arm
free. He quickly twisted his body sideways and pushed Merek down,
forcing him on his back and pinning his shoulders to the
ground.

The audience went wild. Everyone cheered. The
wrestling competition was over and Simon had won. The Freemen were
cheering and slapping one another on the back.

Merek was exhausted. He slowly got to his feet,
shook the hand of his opponent and congratulated him. Then he
headed toward Robin.

He shrugged his shoulders and smiled as he said,
“I guess I let a little pride get in the way, huh?”

Robin laughed. “I’d choose you to defend me any
day, Merek.”

He smiled. “Thanks.” Then with teasing eyes, he
said, “But I think you’d prefer that Daniel guy over me. I heard
how he came to your rescue the other day. Your father said you
really like him.”

“What?” Robin’s mouth fell open. She turned to
her father and he just shrugged, acting innocent. “I guess the
whole town knows by now.”

“No, not the whole town,” said Andrew with a
grin. He picked up his scabbard. “Well, I’ve got to prepare for the
sword fight. See you later.”

Then he marched toward the arena. As he was
stretching his legs and arms, Daniel walked up and watched him with
great interest, as if trying to figure him out.

Andrew turned toward him and smiled. “Glad to
see you here, young man.”

“Glad to see you, too, Andrew. I was quite
surprised when I found out you were one of the contestants. I
didn’t realize you were one of Robin’s men.”

Andrew shrugged. “It’s a cause I believe
in.”

Daniel nodded toward Andrew’s leg as he said, “I
noticed your limp is gone. Some overnight miracle cure?”

Andrew chuckled. “It’s best to not allow the
king’s men any suspicions. In other words, I’m a harmless old
man.”

Daniel noticed what great shape Andrew was in as
he stretched both legs. “I understand.”

“So, how about you? Have you joined the Freemen
or are you still deciding which group to join?”

“Well, it depends on the competition today. If
Robin wins, I guess I’m at your disposal. If the Freemen win, then
we become one group. Right?”

“That’s right.”

Daniel leaned toward him and asked softly, “How
is Marie doing?”

Andrew grinned. “She’s fine. You know she likes
you, don’t you?”

Daniel smiled. “I sure hope so. She’s a mighty
fine looking woman, sir. And with strong convictions, too.” When he
saw Miles walk toward the center of the arena, he said, “Well, the
tournament is ready to begin. I’d better go. I wish you the best of
luck, sir. But I’m afraid you’re going to have some real
competition. Jonas is the best swordsman in the country. No one has
ever beaten him. Not only that, he’s only twenty-five. That makes a
difference.”

Andrew laughed. “Is that so? Hmm, that makes me
twice his age. I might have to whop him with my cane.”

Daniel chuckled. “You just might have to,
sir.”

The crowd cheered while others stood in
disbelief. The applause was nonstop. Had they just seen an old man
beat Jonas, the best swordsman in Cordovia? The competition lasted
twenty minutes, and Andrew had done some moves that no one had seen
for years. He was able to keep up with Jonas and defend himself
with ease. At first it looked like Jonas was going to win. Without
any warning, Andrew quickly changed everything around by pushing
Jonas back, again and again. Then with one long swoop, he hit
Jonas’ sword out of his hand and it went flying. When it landed at
Andrew’s feet, he quickly picked it up. Then he pointed one sword
at Jonas’ chest while he held the other high in the air,
brandishing it with victory and grinning from ear to ear.

Not only had no one expected him to win, but
they also wanted to know where he had learned such moves. Who had
taught him? Andrew just laughed with delight.

Robin knew that her father was good, but she had
been sitting on the edge of her seat nonetheless. When he had won,
she was the first to jump out of her seat and cheer.

Everyone was now waiting for the targets to be
set up so they could begin the archery contest. There would be four
of them, one for each match. Robin knew that it was up to her to
break the tie. If she won, then the Freemen would be at her
disposal. She just had to win. She picked up her bow and her quiver
full of arrows and marched toward the arena to wait.

When she saw Daniel, she thought her heart would
never slow down. She couldn’t figure out why he had such an effect
on her. He looked just like a rogue with his sleeves rolled up, a
few buttons undone at the top of his white shirt, and his leather
waistcoat was left open. His wavy hair was mussed from the breeze
and he looked great.

As he approached, she wondered how he would act
if she told him who she really was? Would he respect her or think
she wasn’t feminine for being the leader of a rebel group?

When Daniel stopped in front of her, he held out
his hand and said, “It’s nice to finally meet you, Robin.”

She shook his hand with a firm grip, as a man
would do and just nodded.

“I’m glad we were able to set this up,” said
Daniel. “I’ve been wanting our two groups to merge. Afterward, no
matter who wins, I would like to talk to you about our future
goals. I want you to know how I feel about this cause. I know you
have some concerns. A mutual friend of ours told me your concerns
and I would like to address them.”

Robin listened to every word he said with
disbelief as her eyes moved to the bow and quiver in his other
hand. Her eyes widened and she could not move. Was Daniel the
leader of the Freemen? She took in a deep breath, trying to get her
senses about her.