For Thee M'lady

Sabrina McAllister could not have been more excited... or nervous. Today was a special day... her three-year anniversary with her boyfriend, Jason. She was excited and nervous because today was the day she was going to propose marriage to him. They had always been an unorthodox couple, never leading traditional gender roles and Bree thought,

Why change now?

She had arranged everything down to the tiniest detail. She was going to get him out of the house for several hours, while her neighbor decorated the townhouse, complete with a personalized banner:

Marry Me M'Lord

. She and Jace had often gone to the Renaissance Festivals and enjoyed that era of history immensely. The theme of the evening was completely medieval. She would take him to their favorite dinner theatre: a jousting competition complete with good food from the era, knights on horseback and even a king and princess as hosts for the evening's entertainment.

The timing was perfect. Her parents had long been planning a vacation out east to see her and had flown in three days ago. Her daughters had just ended their spring semesters at college and had come home for a few weeks before beginning their summer jobs. Jason's family lived within an hour of them, so they were already in the area. Friends and family would gather to celebrate this event. She had no doubt that he would accept her proposal.

Having become pregnant at eighteen and married right after her high school graduation to her Senior Prom date, Sabrina had vowed after her divorce never to marry again. Until she met Jason Cain through a local dating website. They eerily had too much in common and when their eyes met on their first date, Sabrina knew this man was her soul mate. He was the man she had been waiting for all of her life. And tonight she would make sure the he and all their family and friends knew that they would be together until the end of time.

Her cell phone buzzed at her hip as she walked from her car towards the grocery store. "Hello?" She had not bothered to check the caller ID.

"Is everything set?" A conspiratorial voice whispered into her ear.

Bree grinned. "Yup. Going into the store to get the snack trays right now. I will be at your house in about half an hour."

Elizabeth giggled on the other end. She was just as excited as Bree was. She had never been involved in a surprise as big as this one. To Elizabeth, Jason and Sabrina had belonged together from the start. There were not two more romantic people in the entire world, in Elizabeth's humble opinion. True to her word, Bree showed up thirty minutes later and dropped off the snack trays that Elizabeth would take over to the townhouse and begin putting up decorations.

"What time are you leaving the house?"

"Around 4. Show starts at 5. We should be back here by 8:30 at the latest," Bree answered. "My excuse for Jason and I being late back to the house will be that I need batteries for the camera. After all, today is also my parent's wedding anniversary, so that is the reason for the celebration back at the house." She could not help but glow. Everything was planned perfectly down to the last detail. Everyone was in on the planning except, of course, the groom-to-be. Her family would meet his for the first time tonight at the arena. It was too bad his brother had to work tonight, but he would be at the townhouse that evening for the main celebration, just not at the jousting tournament.

Bree walked the short distance across the parking lot into her own townhouse and called out to Jason. "Honey? I'm home!"

There was no answer. She heard soft music playing upstairs and quietly crept up, and then walked over to their master bathroom to see the love of her life taking a shower. He was singing, "Right Here Waiting" by Richard Marx... their song. Perhaps he had a surprise for their anniversary too, but Bree knew nothing could beat the surprise she had planned for him. She grinned and threw back the shower curtain, exposing him.

"Dammit, Bree!" he yelled as he jumped. Then calmly smiled with the dimple in his right cheek. He turned off the water and got out of the shower as she held out the towel for him. "Are you ready for tonight M'Lady?" he asked in his best British accent.

"Indeed I am, M'Lord," she curtsied slightly, which looked ridiculous in her jeans.

"Good, because I have a surprise for you," he winked with his blue eyes twinkling.

"Oh really?" her left golden brown eyebrow rose. "Any hints?"

He gave her "the look":

You have got to be kidding,

and finished drying himself off. "What are you wearing tonight, Bree?"

"I thought my yellow sleeveless blouse and my white skirt. Will that do?"

Jason nodded. "I just don't want to clash with you," he teased as she punched him in the arm lightly. "I will just wear my jeans and that blue polo shirt you like so much."

"You mean the one you wore on our first date? Three years ago tonight?" she purred as she wrapped her arms around his naked waist and leaned up for a kiss.

"Yup," he said as he bent down and kissed her. "Where are the girls?" he asked wiggling his eyebrows and tossing his head towards the bed.

"At the mall already. They wanted to go shopping first and sorry dearest, we don't have time for play."

"Not even a quickie?" he flashed the grin she loved so much with perfect white teeth.

"Jason, with you, a quickie is an hour and a half." She teased him right back. "And I still have to shower and get ready." She pulled off her white tee shirt and slipped out of her red shorts to sport a matching white lace bra and thong panties. As she turned towards the shower to turn the spigot back on, he snapped her ass with his towel and scooted out of the room.

"Ow!" she yelled after him. "You're going to pay for that mister!"

* * * * *

They picked up her parents at their hotel at 4:15. There wasn't enough room in their townhouse and her parents were more than satisfied when Jason offered to pay for their room for the week. They arrived at the mall where the girls had been shopping and met up with them and Jason's parents less than fifteen minutes later. As they all stood in line to get their seating assignments the girls were arguing over which knight would win the tournament that night.

"The Green Knight is so sexy," her oldest daughter, Alexandria, now twenty said.

"No way," Belinda countered. She was eighteen and still liked to argue with her older sister as if they were still small children. "The Black and White Knight is by far cuter than the Green Knight."

"I am hoping for the Yellow Knight," Sabrina butted in.

"Oh Mom!" Both of the girls whined in unison. "You always like the Yellow Knight just because he's a poet," Belinda finished. Sabrina nodded her golden brown head just once in confirmation.

As they approached the beginning of the line where they would receive their seat assignments, Sabrina heard her name being called. She turned back towards the end of the line and saw, of all people, her boss at the advertising agency. She waved and yelled, "I'll catch up with you inside." She turned back to her family, just as a "wench" was handing her a yellow crown.

"It will match your blouse, M'Lady," the young girl said and Sabrina beamed. This night couldn't get any better.

By random luck, they had gotten seats cheering for her favorite knight. As Sabrina held Jason's hand, in line to get their picture taken with "the king", she looked back to where her parents and Jason's parents were in highly animated conversation.

They would get along just fine!

she thought and grinned wickedly as she knew Elizabeth at that moment was decorating their townhouse in all of the Medieval Times colors and themes. After their picture, they moved along into the common area to mingle and wait until the doors to the area would be opened and the feast and tournament would begin. Jason went towards the concession area to get them some drinks to sip on while waiting. Sabrina waited alone until she saw her boss, Daniel, approach with his wife and eight-year-old son. She expressed her surprise at seeing him until, Danny informed her it was his birthday next week and he wanted to be just like the Blue Knight when he grew up.

"But I see you are to be cheering for the Yellow Knight like I am tonight," she told him as she tapped the paper crown on his head.

"Yeah." He sounded severely disappointed.

Daniel leaned down and whispered in her ear, "Is tonight the night?" Of course she had told her boss about her plans to propose and even with his arched brow at the non-traditional way she was going to walk down the aisle again, he offered her his congratulations. Sabrina nodded as Jason approached them, two goblets in his hands.

"Daniel! Wow! Fancy meeting you here," Jason said as he handed Sabrina one of the goblets and shook Daniel's hand.

"Yes, it's Danny's eighth birthday next week, but Teresa has to be out of town on business so we decided to celebrate a little early."

Jason nodded his understand and the two men talked for a few moments about the latest sports gossip. Sabrina talked with Teresa briefly about her upcoming trip. The main common area was filled with people, nearly five hundred, as they all awaited the show to begin. It was a buzz of good conversation, laughter and great times.

Suddenly the sounds of trumpets filled the air to announce the Lord Chancellor, the emcee of the festivities.

"My Lords and Ladies!" his voice boomed across the common area. "We are delighted to have thee dine with us tonight! Are ye ready for a grand feast?"

A few cheers went up from the crowd and Lord Chancellor looked dejected. "Don't everyone speak at once," he grumbled. "At least

TRY

to be enthused about being here. Now, let's try this again, shall we?" He cleared his throat dramatically. "Are ye ready for a grand feast?!"

A rousing cheer was heard throughout the hall and Lord Chancellor beamed. "Much better!" A few laughs were heard throughout the crowd. "Now I ask that those who will cheer for the Yellow Knight, the Black and White Knight and the Red Knight please go towards the castle doors on my right... that is YOUR left." He raised his arms to point towards the doors and Sabrina, Jason and the rest of their group headed towards these doors. After a few moments of murmuring, Lord Chancellor spoke again in his commanding voice. "Those of you who will cheer for the Blue Knight, the Red and Yellow Knight and the Green Knight, please go towards the doors on my left... that is your right." A few chuckles were heard as the rest of the crowd was now divided into the two halves of the arena.

"Tonight we have planned a feast for you, my lords and ladies as well as a glorious tournament! But also tonight we have a special surprise for you! We often receive requests and inquiries from our loyal subjects... you... and we have petitioned King Phillipe to accept one of these requests in good faith for our performance for you." He cleared his throat again and retrieved a parchment from the inside of his jerkin. "To my dear and most honored King Phillipe: I, a lowly serf in your kingdom would ask for a boon. When your tournament commences each evening, it would be a great honor for your subjects to participate more in the preparation of your feast. I would make a humble suggestion to His Majesty that a servant be picked from the crowd that gathers for your celebrations and be allowed to participate in a

non-life-threatening way

." Lord Chancellor sighed heavily and read that last statement with a touch of sarcasm, which brought chuckles from many of the group. "So thus King Phillipe has decreed this should be allowed to happen!" A cheer erupted. "But whom shall we choose? Be it man or maid? Be it knight or wench? King Phillipe has decreed that one man

AND

one woman shall be chosen randomly to participate."

Lord Chancellor walked the ramparts above the crowd as shouts of "Pick me! Pick me!" rose to greet him. He looked over the audience once and then walked around again until he was on the far side of the hall, out of Sabrina's sight when his voice proclaimed, "YOU!" He paused for a second and then said, "Yes, you in the red and white striped shirt. What is your name, M'Lord?" Silence followed and then Lord Chancellor continued. "You Sir Kenny of.... Where art does thee hail from?" Another pause. "Sir Kenny of Hanover, PA, please go to the front of the line and the guards will show thee to the prep area for your part in our performance this evening." More short murmurs were heard and Lord Chancellor continued, this time in an exasperated tone, "Yes, yes, you will still get to eat the feast with your family. The poor child has been starved,

obviously

."

Laughter was heard from the other side of the hall and Jason whispered to Sabrina, "I'll bet he's a big guy." Sabrina giggled and nodded.

Now Lord Chancellor walked to the other side of the ramparts, back into Sabrina's view and scanned the crowd. He was now looking for the "maid" that would play a minor part in their theatrical show tonight. He scanned once and then again and his eyes came to rest on Sabrina, or so she thought.

"You there, young miss." He pointed straight in her direction and her jaw fell open. She pointed at her chest. "Yes, M'Lady. You in the yellow blouse and white skirt. Would you please honor us with King Phillipe's decree that his subjects should be involved?" Sabrina instinctively backed up and straight into Jason's chest.

His arms pushed against her back. "Go on," he whispered. "You know you'll have fun."

"Ahh," Lord Chancellor's voice boomed. "I see she needs some persuasion. You sir, in the blue shirt with her... are you her husband?"

"No, Lord Chancellor," Jason's voice boomed loud behind her. "But she is my lady."

Lord Chancellor smiled broadly and asked, "Would you permit us to borrow your lady for a mere half hour of time? I promise she will be returned to you no worse for wear."

The crowd laughed and Sabrina looked into Jason's deep blue eyes. He nodded and then kissed her.

"Go on, Mom," Alexandria prodded her. "You'll have fun and I'm sure that we can take care of Jason while you're gone."

"You're lucky to be chosen, Hon," her father said as he smiled down at her.

Needing little more convincing, Sabrina went towards the front of the line to the cheers of the crowd and was met by two wenches who led her through a side door into the main arena.

It was strange seeing the huge area void of spectators. The oval arena was being sprinkled with water to avoid dust and the wenches were finishing setting up the dining tables for their guests, waiting just outside.

"Please follow me, M'Lady," one wench said. "My name is Sarah and I shall be your maid for the next half hour, preparing your dress and advising you on your responsibilities."

"M-m-my dress?"

"Yes, M'Lady," Sarah continued. "We all play our roles here and since you have been chosen we ask that you don attire that is appropriate to our festivities. We have a selection of gowns in the back that you can choose from."

Sabrina followed Sarah "backstage" to a dressing room filled with medieval gowns of every size and color she could imagine. The choice was incredible. She went towards the racks and found several in her size, a modest eight. She was neither petite nor large. She looked through and found her favorite shade of periwinkle blue. The square neckline was laced in gold trim. The long flowing sleeves would grace her slim arms elegantly. The gown itself had a high waistband trimmed in gold and a gold underskirt of gossamer shown thrown the blue silk. It was the gown of dreams. She unconsciously shed her skirt and blouse and then Sarah helped her into the gown, lacing it up the back. She found gold slippers in her size also and the other "wench", Rebecca, brushed her long golden brown hair and then piled it in loose waves on top of her head. A golden braid was pinned into her hair to give them impression that it was woven into her locks.

Sabrina looked into the mirror and blinked several times at her reflection. In a matter of a few moments she was transformed from a 38 year-old mother of two into a ... well, a princess. Sarah sighed and mentioned that Sabrina might rival their own Princess Leonore.

Lord Chancellor appeared as she was still staring at herself in the mirror. "M'Lady?" Sabrina turned towards him. "May I ask your name and from where you hail?"

"Sabrina of Glen Burnie."

"Lady Sabrina. Beautiful enchantress." He smiled and then came closer to her. He explained that her role was very simple. She would help him to read off the names of those guests with special celebrations that night: birthdays, anniversaries and other special occasions. He would read page one of ten names, she would read page two of ten names and he would finish up the rest. He showed her the list so she would be able to pronounce the names she had to say. Sabrina was nervous, to say the least. Sarah fitted her with a microphone and headset to be able to project to the crowd and Lord Chancellor told her to follow his lead in voice tone. Noble. Regal. Proud.

Sabrina followed Sarah towards the main stage where the King and the Princess were already engaging in the dialogue of the play. Soon it was Lord Chancellor's turn to speak.

"My lords and ladies," his deep voice echoed within Sabrina's bones. "Tonight we have many celebrations to rejoice in. There are some loyal subjects of the king that have come to celebrate not only His Majesty's Royal Feast, but celebrations of their own. To help me read the mighty list of celebrations, please join me in a rousing cheer for Lady Sabrina of Glen Burnie."

Sabrina stepped onto the stage and into the bright lights. She could see nothing but could hear the whistles and cheers of the crowd and she distinctively heard "Go Mom!" Sabrina blushed as she sat next to the Princess and waited her turn to read the names. She was flushed and excited. She had always enjoyed the theatre and this era in history and now she was getting to play the part... even if it was only as a reader.

Lord Chancellor finished page one of the list of celebrations and lifted her hand, asking her to stand to read her list of names. She read them off clear and loud and proud, not mispronouncing one. She was also delighted to be able to read the name of "Sir Danny Falstein celebrating his eighth birthday with us today." As she took her seat back next to the Princess and Lord Chancellor continued with his final page she glanced around to see if she could see beyond the glare of the lights into the crowd to try to find her family. She could not.

"Sir Jonathan and Lady Margaret McAllister are celebrating their fortieth wedding anniversary." Sabrina glanced up to Lord Chancellor's face as she heard her parents' names read.

"My Lord Chancellor!" a young voice suddenly rang out. Through the archway to the backstage, a portly squire appeared.

"What is this outrage? Why do you interrupt these festivities?" Lord Chancellor boomed.

"My Lord." The young man approached closer. He bowed to the king and said, "Pray accept my apologies. I bring a note of great importance from one of your loyal servants, Your Majesty."

"Indeed?" The kind haughtily replied. "What is of so much importance that you dare to interrupt my banquet?"

The young squire flushed and bowed again extending the parchment to the king. "A message of love and devotion, Your Majesty."

The king unfolded the note, glanced at it and grinned. "Of course, my dear Squire Kenny of Hanover. This is of great importance. I will allow the young lord to deliver his message in person."

From the shadows came another voice, soft at first, but then gaining strength in his convictions.