Up to this point, no one had even known what the Princess’ Task was, though some had shrewdly guessed.
“You must make the Princess smile.”
A silence fell, as everyone waited to see if there was more; surely the thing could not be that simple.
“The man who can make her laugh again will have her hand in marriage, and inherit the princedom besides.”
Apparently it was to be that simple. Such an easy task, many thought, for such a reward. A clamour broke out as other knights rushed forward to crowd around Sir Isaac, begging for the chance to try as well.
Isaac’s eyes bulged and his mind wandered absently, desperately coming up with some way to make his beloved smile again, for he’d heard the rumours about her apparent depression, and wondered if his presence alone would be enough to lift her, or if he would have to work even harder than he had originally perceived.
“I accept your challenge,” he murmured to seemingly deaf ears as his comment was swallowed up by the rising and boisterous crowds, and he stepped back to allow the others to take his place, before he raised his head, eyes seeking out the Princess, a smile on his face.
But the Princess was gone. She knew nothing of the Task her father had set, nothing of plans to marry her off — all she knew was that Isaac was there, virtually within arms reach, and had competed nearly the entire tournament in disguise.
Why would he do such a thing? Did he not want her to see him? Had he forgotten her entirely?
Fleeing back to her tower, she locked herself in. She did not appear at the grand, celebratory outdoor banquet held to mark the end of the tournament and fete the winners, where her father, overwhelmed by the number of men desiring to complete the Task, announced that any noble, knight, or lord might try. They drew lots to determine what order the applicants should proceed in.