"Now, young man, if you would please step inside here," the attendant stated and pointed at the first tent, "And miss, please come with me."
"See ya later, Harry," Hermione laughed.
He just grinned and headed inside the large tent.
Once inside, he saw several men who were dressed as medieval knights. Harry felt a bit overwhelmed until one of them approached him.
"Ah, so you must the winner for this evening."
"Yes sir, I guess so."
"You don't have 'sir' me, young man, just call me Marcus. The others are Lawrence, Justin, and Thomas."
"Nice to meet you, I'm Harry."
"Same to you, Harry, now let's see if we can get you suited up for tonight."
Over the next half-hour, the young wizard was fitted with quite an ensemble. His entire body was dawned in chain armor, and a large, red pullover went down to his ankles. He was wearing leather boots, and each of his forearms was garbed with a silver gauntlet. What Harry found quite amusing was that a lion's head was engraved in gold dust on the front of his armor. A leather belt was tied around his waist, and he ran a hand through his messy hair.
"Well…I'd have to say you look pretty good," Marcus said with a smile.
"Is it too heavy?" Thomas asked, noting that Harry was swinging his arms back and forth.
"No, I'm fine, just nervous I guess; I've never done anything like this."
"Just relax, it's quite fun once you get into it," Marcus laughed, "Which reminds me…"
The older man walked over to a large wooden cabinet and threw open the doors. Harry gasped at the contents. Inside had to be some of the most wonderfully crafted swords that he'd ever seen.
"We can't forget your sword. No knight is complete without his sword. Now, why don't you pick one?"
"They all look incredible!" Harry gasped as he walked over.
His eyes scanned through the rows of weapons until they happened upon a pair of short swords. A normal sword was several feet long, but these were only about eighteen inches in length. Their steel blades gleamed from the torchlights inside the tent, and it reflected into Harry's eyes.
"I'd like either of those please."
"Ah, you've chosen well," Justin quipped. "Those blades are not separate; they are meant to be used together."
Marcus lifted out the pair of swords and slid them into their matching leather sheaths. He handed them to Harry, and the young wizard slid one onto either side of his belt.
"Be careful, Harry, those blades are quite sharp, and you can be hurt."
"Marcus is right. You won't actually be fighting; that's our job. We just add you to make the audience feel more involved."
"But I know how to use a sword," Harry interrupted. The four men gawked at him.
"You do?" Lawrence asked quite astonished.
"Yes, my godfather taught me how to use one."
To prove his point, Harry drew out the sword from his left side and twirled it around in his hand. He then weaved it back and forth at almost lightning speed; needless to say, his companions were quite impressed.
"Not bad, Harry, you do know what you're doing," Marcus laughed, "Perhaps, this time, we won't have to do all the work ourselves."
"If you don't mind my asking, what is Hermione's part?"
"Hermione?"
"My girlfriend, she's the other one who was picked." The men started chuckling.
"Then tonight is really going to be interesting. She's playing a princess who is captured by an evil warlord, and it's our job to rescue her. Actually, more like your job."
Harry had to fight the grin that wanted to spring up on his face.
"I see, so I get to play the hero and rescue the 'damsel in distress'?" he chuckled.
"Basically, but we have to fight our way through the guards first. Of course, each of us wear padding so we don't get seriously injured, but usually, we're the only ones who do any fighting."
"But that's not fair; I should help you."
"Well Harry, most of the time, we get stuck with idiots who don't know squat about swords or fighting - least of all how to use or act with them."
"Then that's going to change because I don't want to be someone who just stands by and does nothing."
"I admire your spunk, Harry, I don't see why we couldn't make an exception this time," Marcus said with a wide grin.
The older man left the tent to inform the director of the slight change in plans for the night, but he explicitly stated not to tell Hermione about Harry's role. Once things were in order, it was time to begin.
Hermione's palms were sweating as a gray-haired woman combed her hair.
"Relax dear, you're much too nervous."
"I'm sorry, it's just that I've never done something like this before."
"That's quite all right; I've seen many people with the exact same face as you have right now. Don't worry about it; just follow your instructions and everything will be fine."
"I can't believe I'm playing a princess."
Hermione giggled as she looked at herself in the mirror. She felt like she was in a fairytale - playing the role of a princess. She was dressed in a long, maroon ball gown. It had several layers of ruffles underneath it along with a petticoat to give it shape. The gown hugged her slim waist, and it covered her arms all the way up but left her shoulders bare. It enhanced her bust to the point of making her look enticing but not grotesque or immoral. She could just imagine Harry's reaction to seeing her like this.
"I really must thank you for this lovely dress."
"Don't mention, my dear, it's my job to make sure that you're 'in character' for the performance. Now then, do you remember what I told you to do?"
"I think so; it doesn't seem to hard."
"It really isn't. You really don't have to do much until your 'prince' shows up anyway."
"So that's the idea? The old 'rescue the princess' routine?"
"Essentially, but with a bit more flare than normal. You'll see what I mean. As actors, we always try to exaggerate - makes for a more dramatic performance."
"I'm sure it does; I can't wait to see what Harry's doing," Hermione said with a bright smile.
"Harry? Oh, the young man who was with you? Why…he's playing the part of the prince…who else?"
"Really?"
"Of course, we wouldn't ask you to kiss a complete stranger," the older woman chuckled.
"I have to kiss him!" Hermione gasped.
"Yes, if that's a problem…"
"No, not all! He's my boyfriend; we do it all the time," she replied with a slight blush.
"Good. Now then, let's head out to the stage; the performance will be starting shortly."
Hermione followed the woman out, but she couldn't help it as her palms began to sweat again. However, knowing that Harry was going to play her prince charming made her nervousness drain away. She planned on making their kiss one he would never forget.