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IV . The Disinherited Knight On the morning of the tournament a great crowd gathered in a wide green field near Ashby . In the middle was the long open space where the knights would fight , with a strong wooden fence around it . At each end there were tents for the knights , and along the sides there were seats for the nobles and their ladies . Ordinary people stood on the grassy hill or climbed into the trees . At the southern end stood five splendid tents . They belonged to the five knights who had challenged all comers : Brian de Bois - Guilbert , Reginald Front - de - Boeuf , Philip de Malvoisin , Hugh de Grantmesnil and Ralph de Vipont . Any knight who wished to fight one of them had to ride up and touch his shield with his lance . If he touched it with the blunt end , the fight was only a game of skill . If he touched it with the sharp point , the fight would be to the death . Prince John arrived with his friends in rich clothes of gold and crimson . He was a handsome man , but his face showed that he was proud , selfish and cruel . Among the crowd were Isaac of York and his daughter , Rebecca . Isaac was trying to find them a place on the benches , but people pushed him back and laughed at him . Prince John saw them and called out . “ Who is the beautiful young woman with the old merchant ? ” he asked . Rebecca was about twenty . She had dark eyes , black hair and a calm , noble face , and she was dressed in a simple eastern style which suited her well . She did not lower her eyes when the prince looked at her . Many people in the crowd turned to look too , and some of them whispered that she was the most beautiful woman there . Prince John owed Isaac a great deal of money , and he enjoyed making fun of him in public . To insult the Saxons at the same time , he ordered Cedric and Athelstane to make room for the merchant on their bench . Cedric refused angrily , and the crowd laughed and shouted insults at the old man . Rebecca said nothing . She took her father’s arm and led him quietly to a seat in the lower rows , holding her head high . Cedric , Athelstane and Rowena sat in a place of honour on the other side . Athelstane was a large , slow , good - natured man of about thirty . He loved eating and drinking more than anything else , and he was not as eager to marry Rowena as Cedric wished .
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