She deflects with lies

An alarm triggered in Alice's mind. She wasn't accustomed to being insulted in such a blatant manner in a public forum, no noblewoman would be. under different circumstances Martin could have lost his knighthood, his nobility and most importantly the respect of the court with such a public display of garishness toward an agent of the court let alone a woman. But these were not those circumstances, as plainly evident to both parties, with the herd of gossiping nobles behind him, Martin had struck while the hammer was hot. If she could not retort these slanderous accusations not only would Martin find himself fame and the reputation of a moral paragon to the King's court but Alice would likely find herself stripped of more than just clothes.

Alice turned to face Martin, recovering from her shaking knee's she let loose a deep sigh and began to briefly scan the man before her. The plain noble would be unlikely to stand out in an empty room, beardless and hairless except for his head, his brunette hair was cut short and bore no style beyond its length matching the dim brown eye's beneath perfectly. The utterly unremarkable Martin stood proud, his glimmering plate mail contrasting the near naked woman that stood defiantly before him, at the front of a pack of jackals ready to tear Alice to metaphorical shreds. and she knew it. Her mind raced, sinking deeper and deeper into dread as the milliseconds ticked on, on what would happen if she let Martin take the initiative, on what would become of her if she was deprived of noble status and deprived of her estate , on what the court would do if they found out about Suzzy's true identity, all while the dull eyes of Martin stared her down. Gripped firmly by fear and paranoia Alice did what came naturally to a cornered nobleman.

She Lied, she lied as boldly as possible.

"I wear only what the heavens ordained me to wear." Alice spoke sternly nearly shouting to grasp the attention of the nobles below.

the former silence that filled the church before returned but with a palpable feeling of tension.

"what?" as Martin uttered his words every noble locked eyes with Alice, what she wore no longer mattered, what she just claimed could be called heresy, no gossip was worth missing her next words and everyone knew it."

"yesterday night i was visited by an angel that bore me a message from the heavens themselves. 'You brave girl who so wishes to become a hero of the kingdom of man, i bring a message from the good Heavens themselves. The gods claim those who bear decent from divinity and share heritage with the great heroes of old have lost their way, they cling to glamour and modesty to show superiority to the common man and the heavens alike, were their ancestors were naked or clothed only in what was necessary to complete their holy tasks your "nobles" shower themselves in sparkling metal's and foreign fabrics from unknown and faraway lands beyond the the great sea. You shall be our champion, You shall shed these decadent wares and ware naught, you shall be the messenger of the Heavens will and have its support.' But my angelic lord, i cannot go without apparel it would be a sin against my family both past and present to not bear their emblem and my holy task of knighthood can not be completed in the nude! 'You are right, however the Heavens know all. your enchantress can create cloth as strong as steel and so the great gods and goddess' shall permit thee to ware your tunic, but nothing underneath nor over, save for the belt to which must hold your scabbard, and armor to guard your legs and arms. This is a holy decree, backed by the gods themselves, do you dare refuse? no my holy lord! thank you for bearing this holy message and holy blessing i shall follow the heavens wishes to the letter no matter how much it may harm me to do so!"

Every word was scrutinized to the letter by the mob bellow, though Martin could not contain his growing sense of frustration and anger.

"this is heresy! priest, is this not obvious, shall we behead this stupid bitch!? Martin screamed his face contorted with obvious rage, throwing all noble grace aside to the amusement of the crowd below.

The old mans face hadn't altered much from the cold empty expression it bore before but a creeping grin cold be seen spreading across his lips before being quickly suppressed.

"Stranger messages have been granted by the good gods and stranger champions still than an up and coming knight, that doesn't prove anything but rarely can such claims be proven in am empirical way."

"So we are just supposed to take this mad slut's words!?"

"We need not, she has followed this angels words can't you tell? she should have been blessed by the heavens as the angel said."

Alice maintained her composure refusing to show any emotion, evidently receiving far more training in noble manners than Martin whose face beamed a toothy grin of sudden insight.

"I challenge you, Alice Montignue, to a duel of arms at whichever time and place you so choose."

"I choose now, just outside this church, let everyone see your falling"

The last words causing a visible sting in Martin's face just before he turned around to leave the church along with every other nobleman (and priest) in the church. Alice followed, slowly behind her knee's resumed shaking but this time in fear.