Isaac still felt the adrenaline of the fight as he stepped into his tent to change. His sword arm was a bit sore from Richard's strike, but he thought nothing of it. Taking off his armor, he gave his arm a quick examination out of curiosity. It was of a bright red coloring, foreshadowing the fact that there will be a nasty bruise there soon; possibly in the morning. His manservant applied a cold cloth to his growing bruise, causing Isaac to wince. The pain wasn't that bad, just irritating. He knew very well that the fight could've been worse. Isaac, after all, was not wearing a helmet during the duel.
After deciding that the minor injury will go away on its own, Isaac went on to change into a new set of clothes. Finally, clothes that were breathable and didn't weight ten pounds a piece. Slipping on an undershirt and a simple red tunic, he wrapped his Pemberton belt around his waist after putting on his leggings. He felt better about having cooler clothing, since the sun was unkind to him during the match. After strapping on his leather boots, he decided to enjoy the rest of the tournament.
While his manservant packed his things, Isaac stepped out of the tent and into the public eye. Some of the bystanders nodded and commented in his direction, noting how well he fought during the fight. Isaac would politely respond back, feeling that he did his best as a swordsman and knight. As he wandered through the area, his eyes kept on the look out for two particular women; his mother and Leana. As much as he loved his mother, he hoped to see Leana first. His mother would probably talk his ear off before he would get the chance to speak with anyone else and he knew how she felt about Leana. God forbid that they find him at the same time.
Spotting the familiar red head in the crowd, he made a bee line to her direction. His heart was fluttering as he got closer and closer to her. As much as he tried to suppress it, his adrenaline started up again. Gently, he touched her on the shoulder in order to grab her attention.
"Leana," he said with a smile. "It's a pleasure to see you here."
Leana still couldn't help but feel rather awkward as she made her way around the tournament. She was simply a commoner, and from Pemberton at that. She could not think of a single reason why her mother would push her so hard to come to the tournament. "Tell me everything in great detail when you return, dearie!" her mother had said cheerfully, even gifting her with a wink that she couldn't understand at all, and sent her off with a little nudge. She didn't even know many people here at all, at least not personally. However, it had taken very little coaxing to slip into the great number of people making their way to the Royal Lands to see the tournament preceding King Beauchamp's official coronation, and she'd even come across Sir Isaac along the way. It was only then, she confessed to herself, that she felt even remotely safe around the great amount of nobility and the few commoners traipsing down the streets while making their way to Sapphire City. Upon hearing that Sir Isaac would be fighting in the tournaments, she'd even offered him one of her white hair ribbons as a token of good luck. Now, after arriving, she hadn't seen him one bit, and that was beginning to worry her. She knew that he had his fencing duel to attend against a Lord Richard Castyll of Harleston descent, but she could not locate the match for the life of her. She settled for hearing the soft words of others around her coming from it, but they'd told her very little.
Where is he? She could not deny the way that her heart fluttered around him nor the way that he constantly seemed to be on her thoughts. However, she had convinced herself that it was only the tiniest of fancies, one that she could forget easily the instant that Sir Isaac chose to inform her that he was marrying another lass and a noble one at that, a lass much prettier and much smarter than her. Leana was sure that such a day would come soon, and before she was prepared. After all, the two were only friends. Right? He felt nothing for her, not in that way. Regardless, she couldn't keep herself from blushing lightly when she thought of him or scanning the heads around her in Roseworth Manor as she worked. Now happened to be no exception. She glanced slowly from this way to that, hoping to spot a taller, darker head among the crowd. Somehow, she could always tell when it was him. So handsome...The thought made her smile very slightly. She could still recall the day when she'd murmured to her mother that she thought him as such. It seemed that most days since then, her mother would grow weary and call for Leana to take over her place right when Sir Isaac would be slipping through a corridor or entering for a meal. The two could rarely talk, as Leana was constantly busy working, but just to see him was enough to make her feel a little more giddy for the rest of the day.
Wondering once again why that might be, she was startled by a soft hand that touched her shoulder but, to her credit, she did not leap into the air or squeak. She simply gasped and turned her head quickly to look up at the owner of said hand and immediately broke into a huge grin the instant that she saw Sir Isaac behind her. Leana turned to face him and dropped into a quick, rather informal curtsey, one that she figured she could get away with a man whom she felt that she could call a friend. "Good afternoon, Sir Isaac." She smiled brightly up at him, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear before tilting her head a little to the side. She still wore the livery of Pemberton, as she owned no other gown, and let her hair hang freely down her back. It was a bit warmer that way, especially in early summer, but she was absolutely okay with that. It was easier to keep it in such a state than attempt to pull it back into a braid or something of the sort. "How was your match?" Leana innocently glanced over him, being sure that there was no blood or broken limbs, though she doubted one could get such things from a simple fencing match. "You look no worse for the wear." Then again, Leana knew that if anyone could hide their injuries or pain, it was Sir Isaac. He was a knight, after all, and an incredibly strong man who held a great deal of her respect. She found herself wondering in her naive way if anyone would ever be able to bring such a man down.
Isaac couldn't help but mirror Leana's grin. As her bright eyes met his dark ones, he felt a rush of glee flow through his being. The feeling was like an addictive drug to him, as he would attempt to seek out her company back home. Every time he caught a glimpse of her, his heart swelled with joy. He was quite charmed by her. Of course, he didn't want to distract her from her chores or draw any suspicions upon her reputation. It would be most scandalous for a commoner to be causally conversing with a noble. Besides, Isaac barely spoke to her when she had time for it. And with his training, he barely got to see his anyone at all. He hoped to change that soon.
He allowed his hand to rest on her shoulder a little longer before he pulled it back to his side. Making her feel uncomfortable was the last thing he wanted. It was also to hold back his urge to hold her. Perhaps he had grown too comfortable with the young woman, which was quite dangerous. His mother had an idea of what kind of relationship they held and would frequently interrupt such meetings whenever she spotted them. She would lecture him about how he should spend his efforts chasing more highly sophisticated women. Isaac remembered how frustrated she was when Lord Edmund was chosen as Duke instead of her son. Of course, he wasn’t in the running for Duchess Esabell’s hand, which upset her ever more. Despite all the protests his mother had, Isaac continued to speak with Leana.
“My match went well, I believe,” he responded. Part of him felt disappointed that Leana wasn’t there to watch him, but he was certain that there was a reason for it. He smirked as she mentioned his well being after the fight. His arm was still sore from both usage and the strike, but it wasn’t killing him. “I am doing well, actually. Nothing too severe to worry about.” The statement was true, as Isaac had suffered much more dangerous injuries in the past.
“I hope you are enjoying yourself here, Leana,” he smiled. “I apologize for my absence in the past few weeks. I’ve been busy with the tournament and all, you see. The ball is coming up as well and-“ He paused for a moment as a strange yet enchanting idea slipped through his mind. “You have heard of the ball, correct?” he asked her with curiosity in his eyes.