The Homecoming 20.

A Tourney...

Looking over at the stands where a lot of the nobles and others are sitting, Lisell Maera glances at Tamric Drubine and says to him in elven "Let's sit there" as she nods to the stands that have been erected along part of the field.
Lifting an eyebrow, Tamric Drubine says in the elven language "You do know that's for nobles?". "Which you are" dryly says the attractive teenager from the city-state of Vexil.
The nobleborn teenager from the kingdom of Sarcrin wryly smiles, then shrugs his shoulders and says "Okay".
The two teens turn to Shur Kee the monk and wish him good luck for his event which is about to begin. Then after telling Riley Hait the mercenary ranger where they're going, Tam and Lis make their way over to the stands.
"There's a few empty spaces next to Percy" quietly says Lisell Maera in the elven language, she continues with "Go there". Tamric Drubine who is infront, nods his head as they approach the stands.
A couple of soldiers say "M'lord" to the nobleborn teen from the kingdom of Sarcrin, and let him pass. They let Lis pass too, since she's with him. And the fact she's one of the traveling companions of their former earl.
Besides, she isn't the only non noble in the stands, there's a handful of others already seated with the nobility of the fief. Though they all hold positions of importance within the Lé Dic fief.
The stands are a three tiered construction, and they hold just over sixty people. The two teenagers make their way to the second tier, and work their way along it to where sir Percavelle is sitting behind, and above his niece, the lady Linara Lé Dic.
The heavily armoured knight greets the two teenagers in his usual boisterous manner, then after they say hello to him, the nobleborn knight falls silent as he looks between those on the first tier infront of him, and those out on the field who are about to take part in the first event of the tourney itself.
Lisell Maera and Tamric Drubine share a look at the reticent manner of the former earl of Lé Dic, who is usually talkative, often about himself. But at the moment seems to be silent for some reason.
Looking down infront of them, both teenagers see that to the left of young girl who is the ruler of the fief, sits her governess, lady Hollis. Who is the former sister inlaw of sir Percavelle Lé Dic. To her left sits sir Galmot, the commander of the Lé Dic army.
While to the right of lady Linara, sits the young girl's maternal grandfather, lord Milburn.
The two teens, and most of everyone else in the stands are briefly distracted by some cheering from away to their right. In the part of the field near the road, where the games are taking place.
There they see the large, green figure of Dorc da Orc coming this way. The ork warleader who is followed by a group of people, is carrying a side of his auroch that he won earlier, which has barely been cooked. The weaponsmith from the wolf tribe of orks also has a barrel of ale, which he's drinking from.
Lis and Tam faintly smile as they hear sir Percavelle Lé Dic mutter "Fat green demon" when he sees Dorkindle walking in this direction. The large ork looks their way, grins when he sees the two teenagers, and scowls at the heavily armoured knight they're sitting next to.
And though people are standing to either side of the stands, he makes his way around to the otherside of the lists. Opposite the stands, where the vast majority of the crowd are standing, who are gathering as the tourney is about to get underway.
And though quite a few people are still watching the games that are taking place near the road end of the field, most are moving to where they can watch the tourney.
With a sour looking smile upon his face as he looks at the large ork opposite them, sir Percavelle Lé Dic looks away from Dorkindle, and instead looks at the competitors of the first event of the tourney.
Spotting someone, the former paladin in the order of Saint Mar-che says to the teenagers seated beside him "I do say, is the monk fellow Shur Kee in this here wrestling competition?".
"He is" is the response of Tamric Drubine as the three of them spot the slight, short, statured figure of Shur Kee the monk amongst his much larger competitors, who are all soldiers in the army of Lé Dic, a couple of whom are even officers of noble birth.
"Well would you imagine that" murmurs the former earl of Lé Dic, who suddenly grins, then adds "Fine fellow that, the little chap".
Sir Percavelle calls over a page from nearby, and quietly talks to him, pointing out a nobleman at the right end of the tier they're on. A nobleman who is apparently a notorious spendthrift, who is busy making bets with those sitting beside him.
The heavily armoured knight who was once the earl of this very fief, hands the page his coin pouch and tells him to make a bet with the nobleman at the right end of the tier. Sir Percavelle Lé Dic puts all his coins on Shur Kee the monk, not just to win his opening bout, but the entire event.
Tam and Lis look at one another when they hear this, then they quickly hand over their own coin pouches to the page before he moves off, and they tell him to add that them to Percy's wager.
The former paladin watches the page place the bet, and when the nobleman, one sir Parvin, looks his way and grins, then nods to the bet. Sir Percavelle quietly chuckles, which one doesn't hear too often, as he usually laughs quite loudly. Both teenagers sitting beside him, can't help but think of that quiet chuckle being quite sinister, or at least devious.
"Capital, capital" says a grinning sir Percavelle Lé Dic who rubs his hands together in anticipation. He along with Tamric Drubine and Lisell Maera don't have to wait long, as Shur Kee the monk is in one of the very first bouts of the first event of the tourney, the unarmed combat.
Crushed chalked has been sprinkled in a couple of large circles on the ground on the otherside of the lists in the field. The lists being a series of large posts driven into the ground at an equal distance between them. Which is used for a later event, the joust. Where the competitors in that event, all nobles, will ride on opposite sides of it at each other, trying to unhorse one another with a fourteen foot long lance.
The two circles are used at the same time, with a bout of unarmed combat in each one. Unarmed combat that's usually wrestling as that's what the soldiers taking part in it, prefer to do. And though occasional punches are thrown, and even kicks. Wrestling is what takes place, as you have to either push your opponent out of the circle, or pin him on his back to the ground for a a count of three. Or if that fails, knock them out so they can't continue. To get a win in a bout.
Shur Kee is in the second bout in the circle on the right, and as the acolyte in the order of Bru Li steps forward into the circle, when one of the judges, a veteran soldier in the army waves him forward.
Lady Linara Lé Dic looks back at her uncle sitting behind her, and says "Uncle, isn't that small man in those strange looking clothes one of your friends?".
"Indeed he is Linny" says sir Percavelle in response to his niece. Sitting next to the lady of the fief, lord Milburn slightly frowns at the way in which the former earl addressed the young girl who rules the fief. Both teenagers, especially Tam notice this reaction of the older nobleman sitting beside his granddaughter.
"A holy man from lands afar" says the former paladin in the order of Saint Mar-che, who then broadly grins, and adds "A fine fellow he is too".
Both Lisell Maera and Tamric Drubine wryly smile as the former earl of Lé Dic never complements anyone, unless he knows he'll get something out of it.
And the orphan teenager from the city-state of Brattonbury, and the nobleborn teenager from the kingdom of Sarcrin know exactly what Percy is going to get out of this. A substantial return on the bet he's made with sir Parvin, who is joking with those he's sitting with, as they compare the size of Shur Kee to the much larger soldier he's up against in his bout.
From across the field where most of the crowd has gathered to watch the first event of the tourney, Dorc da Orc can be heard shouting "Fuck that cunt up Shur Kee!".
Once both competitors are in the circle, and the short, statured monk bows at the waist to the soldier he's up against in this bout. The judge yells "Fight!" at the two of them.
The much larger soldier, who is just over six foot tall, and easily has an extra fifty pounds of weight on him compared to the acolyte in the oder of Bru Li.
Moves forward to grab the smaller man by the shoulders and neck, the basic wrestling move that most of the competitors in the unarmed combat will do.
Not Shur Kee, who quickly steps forward, grabs the right arm of his competitor, turning as he does so. Ending up, with his back to the soldier, the physical adept who has sunk down at the knees, and in the hips so that he's much lower than he was just a brief moment before.
Flips the much larger man over his right shoulder. The soldier hits the ground, back first with a thud, with the breath knocked out of him as he groans. Then Shur Kee lightly puts a sandled foot upon the breathless and immobile soldier's chest, and he looks over at the judge, then clears his throat.
The veteran soldier who is judging the bout, blinks in surprise, and after a moments hesitation, as he can't quite believe what just happened, he counts to three.
The short statured monk, takes his foot off the soldier on the ground, he steps back, bows to his defeated opponent, and bows to the judge of the bout,  then turns around and walks out of the circle.
"Bloody hell, if i had not of seen it, i wouldn't of believed it" says sir Galmot, who voices what many who have just seen what's happened, are thinking. The commander of the Lé Dic army then dryly adds "I don't think he's exactly a normal holy man".
While lord Milburn briefly glances back up at sir Percavelle Lé Dic, who ignores him. Though both Tamric Drubine and Lisell Maera sees the slight look of discontent on the face of lady Linara's grandfather on her mother's side.
The nobleborn knight who is the former earl of Lé Dic, is looking to the right end of the tier they're on, where a stunned looking sir Parvin sits. The nobleman who is of a similar age as sir Percavelle, eventually turns and looks at the former paladin. Who he finds with a large grin upon his face as he looks at him . . . . . .