Rivals

Maid of the Island

**//Sorry it has taken so long for me to update. So here is a long chapter to make up for it//**

It had been three weeks since their last encounter. And today Zoe was on edge, because she knew she would see Pin again. It was the day for Maid of the Island, a medieval tournament, where they honoured the maid who challenged the Saxons in 441 AD. Zoe had not given it much thought, thinking it to be stupid and a waste of time. But then she heard that Holloway would be attending, and of course she wanted to go.

Mia was known for being the winner of the Tournament two years in a row, and of course she wanted to win a third time. However Zoe wanted to fight her, proving that she could be just as good or even better.

The last three weeks had been... difficult. Zoe still couldn't understand what had happened between Pin and her. She had texted him, desperately hoping for an answer. However he never responded, and it had broken her heart. She had cried so many nights, until she didn't have any more tears left. She wanted to hate him, but found that she couldn't. Even though he had treated her so badly, she was still deeply in love with him, and missed him with every fiber of her being.

She had tried to distract herself with training Raven, but he could always feel her sorrow, and it had lead to some very unsuccessful jumps in the past week. Hearing about the medieval tournament, she then decided to focus on that, and had started practicing archery just a couple of days ago.

All of Team Bright Fields arrived at the fair, which was held at the base of a giant castle. Zoe had never noticed the castle before, and she was beyond impressed. Jade told her that it was owned by the Duke and his family. Unfortunately the old Duke had just passed away, and nobody really knew who was next in line.

Before the contest Zoe was talking to Jade and Becky. The two girls suddenly went quiet and looked past her, making her turn around. Zoe gasped as she saw Team Holloway approaching. It felt like she was watching them in slow motion. Nearest to her were Alex and Callum, then Gaby and Pin flanking them. Zoe was in doubt if any of them had seen her. But then Gaby looked in her direction, smirked and put her arm around Pins. Zoe scoffed and crossed her arms. Clearly Gaby was trying to prove a point.

Zoe expected Pin to retract his arm from Gaby's grasp, but he didn't, making Zoes heart clench in pain. //Maybe he has already moved on//, she thought and turned away from them, biting her lip refusing to cry. She didn't want to be weak in front of them, and left to get her bow and arrow, the archery competition about to begin.


Mia went first, hitting the mark just outside the bullseye. Zoe was next and focused on her goal, shooting, and hitting the target a little bit closer than Mia. Zoe looked at her rival smirking, while the blonde rolled her eyes. "I love that you think you can win", she scoffed, and Zoe looked her dead in the eye. "I love that you think you can't lose", she answered, when they were interrupted by an arrow flying past their heads, hitting the bullseye perfectly.

They both turned and looked at Gaby, who still had her bow raised, a huge grin on her face. "Sorry was I interrupting?" She asked insult evident in her voice. Mia and Zoe just stared at her, as she walked past them, bumping into Mia on purpose, trying to intimidate them.

Later that day Zoe sat on a bale of straw, cleaning her helmet, mentally preparing herself for the jousting competition. Gabyhad tried her best to intimidate Zoe, and even though she didn't wanted to admit it. It had kind of thrown her off, and she was little bit nervous for the next part of the competition.

Pin stared at her from a distance. //She looks absolutely beautiful// he thought and put his hands in his pockets. He had watched her most of the day, even though he had tried not to. She was stunning in her warrior outfit; black riding tights, white ruffled shirt, copper corset, and matching archery bracelets. Her hair was combed down and braided on top of her head, while her dark curls cascaded in a mass down her back. He sighed loudly, and suddenly found himself approaching her,even though he had sworn not to go near her.

Zoe looked up to see Pin coming towards her. Her heart started racing and she stood up, putting on her best "I don't care" face. "Didn't think all this was your thing", he said with a small impressed smile as he reached her. "Well there's a lot of things you obviously don't know about me" she answered crossing her arms protectively in front of her chest. Pin immediately understood the hint, as anger was written all over her face. She felt hurt and betrayed by him. He licked his lips nervously, avoiding her gaze. Maybe Marcus had been right. "Zoe I'm..." he started, but a voice interrupted him.

"Pin?" Gaby's voice made them both turn around. "I could use your help with this", she told him, in her best good girl voice, making Zoe sick to her stomach. Pin nodded, turning back to look at her. "Good luck out there..." he told her his blue eyes showing concern. "And be careful. She always plays to win", he said really emphasising that Gaby didn't play games. Zoe looked at him determined. "So do I", she told him wanting him to know, that she indeed could take care of herself. "I mean it", he finished looking very serious, before turning around heading back to Gaby, helping her tie her armour.

Zoe stood back feeling angry, hurt and betrayed, as she looked at Gaby and Pin talking. She felt so alone, and Pin almost felt like a stranger. All they had together seemed so far away, and she still had a hard time understanding what had happened between them. They were so happy... or so she thought. Shaking her head, she bit her teeth together in frustration, knowing she had to get ready for the jousting.