Cheddar Ashdown's Arc

Chapter 2 of 2

The three green-clad rivals still watched Cheddar from across the silent rows. He needed a way to shift their stares into respect before the first trial began. Standing there, he remembered something useful. Last night, unable to sleep, he had pulled an old book from his father's shelf. It recorded past courtship trials, year after year. He had read it as a joke, laughing at the strange customs. Now those pages came back to him. One record described a suitor who arrived with a trained dog. The judges had loved it. A well-groomed companion, the book said, proved a suitor could care for a household. Cheddar had exactly such a dog at the manor. He also remembered the timing detail buried in those pages. The book warned that judges counted lateness against a suitor. A watch, kept in hand, showed a man who respected the trial's order. Cheddar had one hour before the first bell. He slipped out, rode home, and returned fast. This time he carried his golden pocket watch on its chain. Beside him trotted his fluffy Golden Doodle, coat brushed to a shine, tag polished. The dog sat when Cheddar raised a hand, then offered a paw. Cheddar had taught it that trick years ago, never guessing it would matter. Heads turned as he walked back into the rows. The judges leaned forward. One old official in gray whispered to another and nodded. Cheddar checked his watch, snapped it shut, and stood calm. He knew, from the book, that this looked exactly right. The three rivals stopped smirking. Their leader stepped close. "That dog," he said quietly. "That's the Harrowgate trick. From twelve years back." "You read the records too," Cheddar said, grinning. He offered a wedge of golden cheddar from his coat pocket and fed a bite to the dog. The animal wagged its tail. The judges smiled openly now. The first bell rang. An official read the opening marks aloud. "For proper conduct and preparation, one suitor is noted with favor." He gestured at Cheddar. The rivals' faces went hard. Cheddar had won the moment. His fault from before now sat balanced by a mark of favor. He had climbed from suspect outsider to noticed contender, all from pages he'd read for fun. But the rival leader did not step back. He waited until the official moved on, then spoke low. "You copied a dead man's trial. The judges praise old tricks. But the next trials test what's yours, not what you borrowed." He glanced at the book's shape in Cheddar's coat. "And I know that record. Every page. I'll be watching which one you steal next." Cheddar's grin held, but his stomach tightened. He had bought respect with borrowed cleverness. Now the one rival who knew those same pages meant to catch him the instant he leaned on them again. His book had saved him once. It could not save him twice unseen.