The Homecoming 15.

A Courtyard...

Walking through one of the many courtyards in the massive castle that's the ancestral home of the Lé Dic family. Riley Hait the mercenary ranger spots Shur Kee the monk who makes his way over to him.
The two friends greet one another, and as they continue on their way through the courtyard, Riley Hait the mercenary ranger asks the short, statured monk "Have you seen Dorc?" as he hasn't seen the large ork this morning.
"He is in the large courtyard watching the repair work on the damaged trebuchet" replies Shur Kee the monk "I bet that's a box of laughs for the workers fixing it" dryly says the mercenary ranger from the elven principality of Envadarlen.
As he knows the ork weaponsmith is probably critiquing the repair work being done, much to the annoyance of the engineers and their workers who are trying to rebuild the damaged war machine.
"Yes i would think so" says the acolyte in the order of Bru Li who saw, as well as heard the large ork a little earlier, loudly suggesting what he thinks should be done to fix the nearly destroyed trebuchet.
They go through a myriad of courtyards, tunnels, even a few gardens, and a couple of towers instead of going around them, before they get to the large courtyard where the many workshops in the castle are located.
There they find Dorc da Orc sitting on the ground near one of the workshops, eating a haunch of deer. Standing near him, are Lisell Maera and Tamric Drubine. The two of them who have just finished practicing with their swords, are leaning back against the wall behind them. Keeping one eye on the ork warleader, and the other on a number of people either working in and around the large courtyard, or going through it.
Stopping near the two teenagers, the ranger Hait lifts an eyebrow when Tamric Drubine quietly says in the elven language "They've taken on what he's suggested" the nobleborn teen from the kingdom of Sarcrin nods towards the nearby workshop, then he continues in elven with "Though not too kindly to all the added advice he's been giving them".
I can imagine, the mercenary ranger from the elven principality of Envadarlen dryly thinks to himself, Riley Hait who is really a hordes outrider from the southern tundra by the name of Zubutai Timaginson, who just happens to inhabit the body of the mercenary ranger.
Looks around, and spots a fairly large number of soldiers, either in their tunics, or those in more nondescript clothing, in and around the courtyard, as well as up on the walls that surround it.
Things could get ugly here if we don't watch it, Riley aka Zubutai the barbarian hordesman thinks to himself, who is just glad, that at the moment, Dorc da Orc is preoccupied with eating the deer haunch instead of giving unwanted advice.
The ranger Hait, who knows that pretty much the only thing that could make matters worse, is if that sir Percavelle Lé Dic turned up, and got into an argument with the ork warleader. Looks at Tam again when the former heir to the knight of castle Drubine in the kingdom of Sarcrin, tells him "Seems they're having games and a tourney in a couple of days time for the winter festival".
"I know" says the mercenary ranger, it's the reason he went looking for Dorkindle, then looking at the two teenagers he says to them "You two should enter, the duels at least".
"No thanks" says Lisell Maera, who then nods at the nobleborn teen standing next to her, and adds "Tam definitely should" followed by "I doubt anyone is better with the sword here than he is" she briefly pauses before adding "Apart from Percy".
The ranger Hait nods in agreement with that assessment, then he says "Nevertheless, you should both enter" he looks at Lis and adds "And you should enter the target shooting too".
"You mean you should" says the orphan teenager from the city-state of Brattonbury, who continues with "You and Dalin will clean up in that". "I know, that's why we're entering" he nods sideways in the direction of Shur Kee and adds "He'll enter the unarmed combat". "Hell, no one will even touch him" dryly says Tam who like Lis, knows that when it comes to unarmed combat no one is better than the short, statured monk that they've ever seen, with the exception of Helbe the elven thief and lord Farque.
"That's basically cheating" adds the nobleborn teen from the feudal kingdom of Sarcrin "I know" says the mercenary ranger. The two teenagers, the older Lisell who is nearly eighteen, and Tamric nearly fifteen, both tall, glance at one another, then they look at the ranger Hait, and Tam asks him "I gather there's a point to this?".
"There is" says the mercenary ranger who was raised and trained by some of the warders in the elven principality of Envadarlen "It's to make a point" adds Riley aka Zubutai Timaginson who continues with "Since though they've been accommodating enough to us, and allow us certain things, like Dalin going out on one of their patrols. They've all but ignored us, and not really listened to anything we've said" he gestures at the large ork on the ground then says "Apart from what he's said about that trebuchet in there, and that's after they nearly killed themselves testing it".
Both Tamric Drubine and Lisell Maera nod in understanding, then after Riley Hait glances sideways at the acolyte in the order of Bru Li, and murmurs in the hordes dialect of the southern tundra "Just have to tell him what i want him to do first" as he knows the monk from the far eastern coast of the continent isn't particularly fond of untoward violence.
Looks at Tam and Lis, when the nobleborn teenager asks him "And Dorc?" as he nods at the ork warleader who is gnawing away on what's left of the deer haunch he's been eating.
"The strongman competition of course" says the ranger Hait "Of course" dryly says Lisell Maera, the mercenary ranger who has paused for a couple of moments, then adds "As well as the grande melee".
Both teenagers wince, then Tam mutters "Fucking hell" followed up by "Do you want to make a point?" then he adds "Or kill everyone?" the nobleborn teen nods at Dorc da Orc, then says "Because that's what he'll do if he enters the melee, fucking kill everyone".
"Don't worry, I've figured something out" says Riley aka Zubutai the barbarian hordesman who then silently adds, i hope.
"If you say so" says Lisell Maera in a dubious tone "It'll be fine" says the mercenary ranger in a tone of false bravado, who just hopes that something he remembers lord Farque telling him, actually happened like it did, and that it worked.
"Well it's your idea, and you're in charge, so we'll do it i guess" says Tamric Drubine who continues with "So when it goes wrong" he looks at the ork weaponsmith as he adds "Which it will" Tam follows that with "It will be your fault".
"Thanks" says the mercenary ranger in a sour tone of voice and a shake of his head, then Riley Hait switches to the common language and turns to Shur Kee the monk, and quietly explains to him about the upcoming games and tourney that will be held here at castle Lé Dic. And what he wants the physical adept to do in them.
The short, statured monk listens in silence as the ranger Hait explains to him what he wants him to do. Eventually Shur Kee, though a little reluctantly, agrees to the mercenary ranger's idea.
Then Riley aka Zubutai Timaginson looks at the warleader of the ork race and says to him "Dorc" followed by "The lady of the fief is putting on some games for the winter festival in a couple of days". Dorkindle ignores the ranger Hait as he chews on the bone of the haunch he's been eating while Riley Hait explains that he wants him to enter the games.
The large ork finally takes notice, and glances at the mercenary ranger when he mentions that they'll there'll also be a tourney.
The weaponsmith from the wolf tribe of orks just grunts and goes back to chewing on leg bone of the deer as Riley aka Zubutai the barbarian hordesman explains to him about the tourney.
With half a scowl upon his face as he briefly stops chewing, Dorc da Orc says "Yeah cunt, me know what it is" followed by "It's fucken shit is what it is" in response to Riley Hait asking him if he knows what a tourney is.
The large ork has never liked it, people tend not to let orks fight in the duels. And he's too big to ride in the lists, not to mention horses are shit scared of him.
There's only one thing he actually likes in a tourney, and it's been years since he's been in one.
Dorkindle is just about to look away, when the mercenary ranger from the elven principality of Envadarlen mentions that particular thing, and that he wants him to enter it.
The big, burly ork blinks in surprise, then says "Huh?" followed by "Me heard you say you want Dorc to go in the fucken". "I did" says the ranger Hait as he interrupts the son of the former matriarch of the wolf tribe of orks, he continues with "I want you to enter the grande melee".
A grin starts to appear on the broad, green, brutish looking face of Dorc da Orc, who then chuckles and says "Fucken sweet"  then claps his large hands loudly together and rubs them in anticipation as he thinks of being in a grande melee of a tourney.
"They dead" says Dorkindle with a chuckle, Tamric Drubine after looking at the ork weaponsmith, looks over at the mercenary ranger and he tells him in the elven language "Told you" the nobleborn teenager from the kingdom of Sarcrin then adds in the same language "Good luck with that, cause you're going to need it".
"It'll be fine" says Riley Hait in elven as he looks at the chuckling ork warleader, and hopes to hell it will be fine. Feeling that it won't be easy, no matter what he tells the large ork to do during the tourney.
"Why exactly do that have it?" asks Lisell Maera in the elven language, she then adds "It's winter for gods sake". "Because they'll be going to war in the springtime" says Tamric Drubine in the same language as he answers the attractive teenager's question, he continues with "And so they can see how good people are, that's why the commoners and non soldiers can enter the games, it's to see what they'll be good at within an army".
As the ranger Hait nods his head at the explanation given by the nobleborn teenager, the older of the two teens asks "So it's basically a try out for an army?". "Basically" says Tam who continues with "Especially within an area such as a fief" he then adds "They're also used to assess fighting strength between regions if it's a larger tourney, many a war has started, or even ended before it's got going, because of what's happened in a tourney".
"Have many did you have when you were younger?" asks Lis who figures that the kingdom that Tamric Drubine grew up in, he must of experienced a tourney or two.
"A couple of them at my home" replies the son of the former knight of castle Drubine, who then tells the orphan teenager from the coastal city of Brattonbury "But i was too young to enter them, so this will be the first time I've ever been in a tourney".
"You and me both" quietly says Lisell Maera who isn't too keen at being in one, even though she understands why the ranger Hait wants her to take part.
I hope i know what to do? Lis thinks to herself, while Shur Kee isn't exactly okay with the idea of being in the tourney. And Tamric Drubine is looking forward to it. Though not as much as Dorc da Orc. Who sits there chuckling at the prospect of being in a tourney.
While Riley Hait just hopes he can make a point with them being in a tourney. He also hopes Dorkindle doesn't cause too much damage, because that might just cause the opposite effect of what he wants to happen . . . . . .