by A. E. Albert
“This isn’t too different from our time,” laughed Billy, as they stopped to watch the pie eating contest. But they kept walking as one of the contestants began to throw up all over their neighbor. Yep! Not that different at all, he thought.
Finally, they found a vender selling clothing. Billy despised the clothes from the Greek world, but looking down at himself, he didn’t know which was worse. He had on blue leggings, which were tucked into some type of underwear. Over top, he wore what Dickens called a tunic. It was a rich green color made of a soft material and embroidery stitched around the collar. His shoes were brown leather and very pointed. Around his tunic, he wore a leather belt with a small brown felt purse hanging from it. The worst part was the floppy blue velvet hat on his head.
Dickens wore a very similar outfit, except he donned a large coat over his tunic. It was dark purple and lined with fur.
As Billy looked over Dickens outfit, his eyes reached his shoes. The point of it stuck out at least half a foot. Billy threw back his head and slapped his knee. “Ha! looks like you’re the worse one off this time, Dickens,” Billy roared, as he pointed to Dickens’ feet.
Dickens just gave Billy a smug smile. “Not so, my young man. During this time, the sharp point at the tip of the shoe is the height of fashion. The longer it is, the loftier the wealth and status.”
This remark wiped the smile off of Billy’s face. “So you’re telling me that once again you’re higher up in the class system than I am!”
Dickens gave Billy a wide grin. “Well, as the adult I have to create some kind normalcy don’t I?” He began examining his footwear. “Interestingly enough, the government created rules on how long the point of a shoe can be. The length of the toe must mirror their social status.”
Billy stared at Dickens’ ridiculous shoes. “Be careful not to get arrested then, cause you must be right up there with a king!”
“Believe it or not, some shoes are so long, the tip must be tied at the knees.”
As Billy was busy not appreciating Dickens sense of humor, Jeanie emerged from the dressing tent. When he looked over at her, he was transfixed by the vision before him. Jeanie wore a long flowing gown of deep blue. It had a vee neck and the sleeves were tight to her arms. The hems hung low, almost touching the ground. The waist was also tight, peaking to a vee. On her feet, she wore small blue leather slippers.
Jeanie ran up to the smiling old man. “Oh thank you, thank you, Dickens,” she cried, hugging him and giving him a kiss on the cheek.
Dickens eyes glowed and his cheeks reddened slightly. “No trouble at all, my dear and don’t you look lovely,” he said, holding her hands up so he could get a better look.
She did a girlish twirl, and then stopped to examine her hair. “The merchant’s wife was kind enough to do my hair for me,” she gushed, smoothing back her red tresses.
Billy could see that her hair had been parted in the middle and the sides were held back with gold combs. The rest had been plaited into a large braid hanging down her back, with gold ribbons pulled through the length of it.
Billy couldn’t help but notice how pretty she looked. He suddenly realized he had never noticed how pretty Jeanie was. This was probably because he was always trying to avoid her. Billy scowled at these internal thoughts. He didn’t have time to be thinking about what Jeanie looked like. He should only be thinking about how to get her home!
At that moment, Billy’s eyes met hers. She seemed to misinterpret his expression and her face quickly formed into an angry mask.
“You know, Billy, don’t blame me if I look better in a ‘dress’ then you do,” and she stalked away into the crowd.
“Wha…” Billy helplessly looked at Dickens.
Dickens gave his usual belly laugh. He put his arms around the confused boy and began leading him in the direction where Jeanie had walked off.
“I’ll never understand girls!” Billy muttered.
“Son, it is my conclusion, that travelling through time looking for arcane mysteries is a much simpler task than trying to understand the fairer sex, believe me,” he said, forcing a weak smile from the befuddled young man.
When they finally found Jeanie, she was watching a fire eater as he performed his act. Turning to Dickens, she asked with a horrified look on her face, “How do they do that?”
“Like anything else, my dear, years of practice.”
Billy occupied himself by observing the variety of people in the vicinity. There were many in peasant garb, but even more people dressed in clothes of quality. He noticed that the finer the clothes, the bolder the colors.
His eyes were then drawn to the odd performers moving about in the crowd. Amongst the fire eaters, there were also stilt walkers and jugglers.
As the trio exited the merchant stalls, Billy could see games and competitions being held in a large open area. There was archery, horse shoe throwing, and wrestling. He could see mock sword fights and men fighting with staffs as long as a man.
But what interested Billy most was the jousting tournament in the centerfield. He stared in amazement. How many times had he seen this very scene, but through words on a page. He had read countless books taking place in a similar setting.
The crowd’s cheers turned into a roar as the two knights on horseback began to charge each other. The crowd then divided itself between cheers and groans as one knight was struck in the head and unseated from his horse. Billy watched him get up, but he seemed a little unsteady on his feet. The other knight was declared the victor.
“I wish I could do that,” said Billy in a dreamy voice.
“Well, perhaps, but you must be of noble birth to compete. And don’t let the festivities fool you; men easily die on the jousting field,” Dickens grimly replied, snapping him out of his daydream.
Billy turned to ask Jeanie what she thought of the joust, when he saw her standing in front of a young boy. The boy was kneeling at her feet with flowers in his hand.
“…your eyes are the color of the sky at twilight.” The young man’s eyes were closed and his hand was placed over his heart. “When I first saw you, the sun was shining off your magnificent tresses, blinding me, reminding me of the sun at dawn. Your skin is so white, like alabaster. You-”
“Ahem.”
The youth gave Billy a startled look and scrambled to his feet. “I am so sorry, are you her brother and guardian? I meant no disrespect,” he said, bowing low. “I should have spoken with you first about a courtship.”
Billy looked the young man up and down. He was about two inches shorter than himself, with nondescript brown eyes and hair. The boy’s clothing was not peasant garb, but nor was it of high quality. He possessed a solemn and serious countenance. The only item of interest that Billy did notice was a wooden sword hanging from his belt.
“I am not her brother,” replied Billy in a flat voice and his eyes narrowed to slits. “Wait a minute, what do you mean courtship?” Billy had read enough novels to know what a courtship was.
“Are you her betrothed then?” he asked with innocent curiosity.
“No,” Billy grinded out, hearing Dickens laugh behind him.
The young man immediately presented himself to Dickens. “Good day to you, Signor. My name is Georgii de Villana, son of Orlandus de Villana,” he said, as he gave Dickens a low bow. “My good sir, I humbly ask permission to court your…” he stopped, not knowing what to refer to Jeanie as.
“Ward,” supplied Dickens, trying unsuccessfully to hide a smile.
“Ahh, your ward,” the boy smiled as he nodded to Jeanie, who wore a stunned look upon her face.
“Well, that depends-” started Dickens, who was cut off by the enthusiastic Georgii.
“I know I am but a baker’s son. However, my father owns a prosperous business, which I will one day inherit.” The boy’s eyes were eager and sincere.
Dickens chuckled and put his hands in the air. “Slow down, boy. I was going to say, if this young lady wants your attentions, then by al
l means. But you have to ask her,” he said as he nodded in Jeanie’s direction and then quickly glanced at Billy.
Georgii promptly knelt before Jeanie. “My beautiful...um…”
“Jeanie,” she said, sounding more than a little annoyed.
“My beautiful…Gianna,” he said with reverence, earning a startled look from her. “Will you give me the honor of granting me permission to court you, so I may prove myself in the ways of courtly love?”
Billy could see the humor behind Jeanie’s eyes and their slight rotation upward, causing Billy to let out a small snicker. Jeanie whipped her head towards him. She narrowed her eyes, lifted her chin and gazed at Billy with triumph in her eyes. She then looked down at the love struck Georgii, bestowing upon him a beautiful smile and said, “Why, Georgii, I would be delighted!”
Chapter 17
“Gianna?” Billy demanded in a harsh whisper, all the while looking at Jeanie and Georgii, as they strolled ahead of him and Dickens.
“What’s wrong with that? Jeanie does sound rather like Gianna,” Dickens responded in a nonchalant voice, happily gazing about at his surroundings.
Billy, on the other hand, no longer had any interest in the festive spirit of the place. He was determined to avoid looking at the couple in front of him. He still couldn’t help but overhear, “Oh Gianna,” this and “Oh Gianna,” that. Barf!
What made matters worse, was that Georgii completely took the lead, making Billy feel like a total tag along. Didn’t he just save everybody from certain death? Didn’t he figure out how to get Archimedes to help them? As Billy continued to foster his thoughts of self pity, he glanced up ahead at Jeanie and Georgii. Billy began to feel more and more annoyed with this little kid. Most likely because Jeanie seemed to progressively like being around him.
Billy began to think about how many times he would avoid Jeanie or act bothered by her quirky comments or devilish smile. He didn’t want to admit it, but he just didn’t feel right about her directing her attentions elsewhere.
Georgii guided the group around the vendor’s stalls, introducing them to various town tradesmen and merchants. He would buy Jeanie sugared dates or a ribbon for her hair. As they all walked around, he would pick wildflowers and gallantly give them to her with a bow, making her giggle.
Billy suddenly turned to Dickens. “How can you allow this? We could leave any day now!” he demanded, gesturing to Jeanie and Georgii.
“Leave the girl alone. She’s had a rough time of it.” Dickens eyes warmed over as he gazed at Jeanie laughing. “She is a vision, isn’t she?”
“I hadn’t noticed,” Billy grumbled, forcing himself to look away toward the jousting field.
Suddenly, something seemed to gain Dickens attention. “Oh look! Strawberry pastries! I think I’ll treat myself. Keep an eye on Jeanie.” With a wink the old man walked away, quickly getting lost in the crowd of people.
“Gianna, would you like to try some honeyed almonds?” Georgii asked, holding a small bag out to her.
“Oooo, what do they taste-” she had begun to say, as she was rudely interrupted.
“Georgii, I don’t think she wants those,” Billy stated in a condescending tone, taking the almonds out of his hand. Billy towered almost half a head above him.
Jeanie stared at Billy in astonishment. “Excuse me!”
“It’s almost dinner!” he replied in an almost apologetic tone.
Jeanie was losing her patience and she snatched the bag of almonds out of Billy’s hand. “Give me a break, Billy, dinner is hours away!”
“Signor Billy, would you also like some almonds?” Georgii offered graciously.
Billy turned his head toward the baker’s son, and in a flat voice responded, “I’m not a signor.”
“Billy!” Jeanie yelled, completely shocked by his rudeness.
Billy grabbed Jeanie’s arm and dragged her a few feet away, so as not to be overheard by the strange young boy. “Come on, Jeanie, we don’t even know this kid!” he whispered harshly. He turned his head to quickly glance back at Georgii, who was examining the wooden sword that lay at his side. Billy turned to Jeanie and said under his breath, “He’s a bit weird don’t you think?”
“No, he’s not,” she replied, getting defensive on Georgii’s behalf.
Billy put his hands on her shoulders, looked her straight in the eye and stated in a serious tone, “Jeanie, he runs around with a wooden sword.”
“Well, I don’t care! I like him. He’s nice and sweet,” she said, as she smiled at the boy, who eagerly returned her smile and waved.
Billy, on the other hand, turned around to eyeball Georgii. “Ya, well, he’s up to something. I mean, what’s with the flowers and the gifts?” Billy turned back to face Jeanie. “I don’t trust him,” he whispered, his tone suspicious.
All of a sudden, Billy felt a tap on his shoulder. “Excuse me, Signor, but that is the duty of a courting knight.”
“Pardon me?” he mumbled, as he realized that Georgii must have heard every word he said.
“When a knight is courting a lady, he must give her flowers, write her poetry, and tell her very often how beautiful she is,” Georgii stated in a very matter of fact tone.
Is this guy for real! Billy could do nothing but just stare at the odd young boy as Jeanie walked over to him and smiled as she said laughingly, “And I appreciate all of the flattery, Georgii.”
The conversation took an abrupt turn as a sneering voice came from behind.
“Hey, Lorenzus, look at the signora with little Georgii!” Billy turned to see a young man of about fifteen, with broad shoulders, blonde hair and dressed like a noble. “How are you, Georgii? Burn any loaves of bread today? Oh no, I forgot, you just received your knighthood!” the boy laughed, as he elbowed his friend.
Georgii stood ramrod straight, his chin held high and his gaze directed forward into the distance.
The handsome stranger approached Jeanie and bowed down before her. “My name is Niccolo de Fabiano and I am sorry if this little boy has bothered you.” He leaned forward to whisper, “Everyone knows he is soft in the head,” he said, while tracing a circle with a finger at his temple. “However, I would be more then glad to correct the situation and escort you to the final joust at yonder field,” he offered, holding out his arm and bestowing upon Jeanie a dashing smile.
Jeanie looked from the handsome young man to Georgii. She returned her gaze to Niccolo and smiled. “Thank you, but I already have an escort,” she said while maintaining a leveled stare.
Billy could see Georgii stand up a little taller; however, he was still no taller than Jeanie.
Niccolo let out a short laugh. “Signora, he is but a baker’s son, while I am the son of the mayor of Pisa, Accattus de Fabiano,” he stated proudly, while puffing out his chest.
Niccolo stood there with a smirk on his face, his arm still out, apparently expecting Jeanie to change her mind. She just continued to stare at the arrogant young man. As Niccolo began to realize that Jeanie was choosing the short and scrawny boy over him, his face began to redden and his fists tightened at his sides.
Billy got the impression that he was not told no very often and he had been in enough situations like this one to see where this was leading. Billy observed the large blond boy and he definitely didn’t want to mess with him. However, as he looked at Jeanie, he could see the concern on her pretty face. He just faced off with a bunch of soldiers, he thought. Billy knew that he at least had to do something, so he stood next to Georgii. Georgii might not be his favorite person right now, but he knew a bully when he saw one. Billy peered over at Jeanie, who gave him a faint smile.
As Niccolo gazed at the group before him, a smile slowly spread across his face. However, it didn’t reach his eyes. He glared at them steadily as he said to his companion, “Come on, Lorenzus. I will be seeing you later, Georgii… and Georgii’s friends.” As he walked by, Niccolo kicked dirt in Georgii’s direction, causing both him and his companion to snicker.
/> Georgii’s face began to blush as he watched the older boys walk away. With embarrassment, he said, “I apologize that you both should be brought into the middle of that.” As he was looking down at the ground, he noticed that Niccolo had dirtied Jeanie’s skirt. “Oh, Gianna, you have dirt on your dress.”
Jeanie just laughed and brushed the filth off. “I think the jousting is about to start.”
Georgii turned to look into Jeanie’s eyes. “You...you truly wish for me to escort you? Niccolo is of noble blood and is currently being trained for the knighthood,” he stammered.
“I don’t know much about knights, Georgii, but I think you would make a great one,” she said, causing the shorter boy to further blush. “Quite frankly, that Niccolo doesn’t seem very chivalrous to me,” she added with a frown.
“Oh, no, he is going to be a great warrior. I have seen him fight. He only acts the way he does because of the station and position he was born to,” Georgii said these words with respect and reverence in his voice.
Jeanie ignored Georgii’s remark and put her arm through his. She then turned to Billy, smiled up at him and said, “Shall we go?”
For the first time in hours, Billy’s mood lightened. Even Georgii didn’t irritate him, for he was indirectly responsible for getting him back into Jeanie’s good graces.
Chapter 18
After the jousting was finished, they found Dickens sitting under a nearby tree feasting on a strawberry tart. “I saw you children making friends; good show,” he said, biting into the sweet pastry. Billy and Jeanie just looked at each other, sharing a secret smile.
As they sat under the shady tree, enjoying the sights and sounds of the fair, Jeanie’s head suddenly jerked up, “What’s that?”
Without another word, she got up and ran toward a large ball of white fur sitting in the middle of a nearby dirt road. Before anyone could react, a horse reared up on its hind legs, braying loudly.
“What is wrong with you, girl?” the rider of the horse yelled and shook his fist at Jeanie, who didn’t seem to notice. She just stared at the white bundle in her arms.