jdweb

Get your own
 diary at DiaryLand.com!

contact me older entries newest entry

Check out My photo albums here

Sign My Guestbook!
powered by SignMyGuestbook.com

www.flickr.com

2005-09-08 - 12:24 a.m.

Part four,

I plan on writing about that first year in depth at some point, but I want to get back to Pennsic before the details slip further away.

I don�t think I�m giving anything away by saying that I knew that I would be knighted, I just had no idea when. At some point before your knighted, someone will speak to you about whether or not you even want to be a knight.
I guess I can�t make an absolute statement here because if you have a local knight they will be better able to handle details like whether or not you really want to be a knight and what kind of ceremony ect�But for someone like me that is fairly new to the kingdom and did not have a local knight it was important to discuss it with me directly.

Time wise I didn�t know whether it would be a month or a year. My sponsors were very cagey about when it would happen to ensure that it would be a surprise. No one who was involved with the preparation gave anything away either.

I didn�t think it would happen at Pennsic at all, there were too many things that I thought hadn�t been prepared yet, and my wife, whom I expected to be the real indicator of when I would get knighted, was completely calm collected. I have to say that out of everyone who had to keep this from me, Elishabeth was by far the most skillful, she had the most to hide, and the least innate ability to do so.

Pennsic up till that point had been pretty disappointing. The heavy mismatch in numbers made for long waits and little fighting. The huge numbers of fighters made the castle battle all but pointless. Shopping was fun, but we got to Pennsic with barley enough money to get home, so it was all window-shopping, and that gets kind of discouraging. I didn�t fight well in either of the big tourneys I got into, all in all it was turning out to be a lot of money and trouble for little enjoyment.

Thursday evening I was walking up to the hill to the Caer Maer encampment, beautiful camp, but way the heck out in Pennsictucky. I saw Duke Cuan, Sir Kegan, Sir Dagonet, Ragnar and Tyndal setting up a tent on the field. I figured out pretty quick that it was a vigil tent, probably for Duke Michael. I was dog-tired, and they seemed to have enough folks to handle it. I tried to cruise by inconspicuously, but Sir Kegan spotted me. In hind site I should have gone over and offered to help.

�Hey Justus, come help us set up this tent�

I went over and helped out, they were almost done anyway. The whole time they were carrying on as though they were setting the tent up for a Pelican vigil. I was completely oblivious.

After the tent was finished, I went on up the hill to change and clean up a bit for the evenings bardic. I got down to the Windmaster�s Bardic about an hour later. We made a fire and started to pass the songs around the fire.

I realized pretty quickly that I had completely blown my voice at the Calontir bardic the night before. This was a problem because I was supposed to go over to Royal with Sir Bryce and entertain their Majesties later that evening. Bryce showed up a little while later and I told him that my voice was shot but I would come and try and do something quietly. I left my Bodhran behind at Windmasters knowing I would be back soon thinking I would have no need of it at Royal.

The first song that Robert and Denise requested was �Crusaders Song� So back I went for the drum, probably sending everyone there into a panic as the crowns of Calontir and the Knights of Atlantia were due to come and get me any moment. I got lost on the way back to Windmasters and when I got there Bryce and Melisant were already there looking for me.

If I had been paying attention this would have tipped me off that something was up, but I completely missed the clue. We all went back to Royal and sang a couple of songs, it was going pretty well, Rory sang a song and told a story, at one point I noticed that the crowns were trying to hurry Rory along, (Clue number two, but I was still in the dark) As soon as Rory finished, Robert asked me to sing �Hotspur� I�m not sure, but I think this was a cue for the Calon Crown and the Atlantian Knights to show up at the Royal encampment.

Towards the end of the song I noticed that there was a group of voices coming from the road, (I sing with my eyes closed) I just figured that it was a roving band of Calontiri, who, hearing a Calontir standard, joined in, (nothing uncommon at Pennsic.)

When the song was over everyone in camp stood up and I realized that the King and Queen of Calontir were part of that roving band, and that there were a lot of Atlantian Knights with them.

Things happened pretty fast here, I think I started to get suspicious, but I still wasn�t sure they were here for me. It wasn�t until Bryce grabbed me and said �You!� that I realized fully that it was real and that they were here to put me on vigil.

I was still reeling with surprise and elation as Sir Dagonet and Sir Valharic grabbed me and hauled me off into the night.


Justus

previous - next

about me - read my profile! read other Diar
yLand diaries! recommend my diary to a friend! Get
 your own fun + free diary at DiaryLand.com!