The Homecoming 28.

A Muddy Field...

During the night heavy rain fell. And though the morning is now clear and cool, the tourney field just down from castle Lé Dic is rather muddy in places.
Part of the lists where the dueling event and unarmed, wrestling event was held yesterday, hasn't held up too well, and is a bit of a quagmire this morning.
Those in charge of the late winter festival tourney here in the Lé Dic fief, discuss at length if the joust should go ahead since part of one side of the lists is so muddy.
They decide to go ahead with the morning event, for if there is more than one pass, each jouster will cross to the otherside.
If there's just the one pass, it's just unfortunate for the competitor who gets the muddy side of the lists.
For this afternoon's event, the last of the tourney. There's no such problem. As the grande melee can be held on any ground. Infact many who take part in the melee event in a tourney, prefer unsettled ground.
As it might give them an advantage over those who are better skilled than they are in the mass combat event of a tourney.
Tamric Drubine, with Lisell Maera following behind him, heads into the stands, where sir Percavelle Lé Dic is already seated.
Riley Hait the mercenary ranger, Dalinvardél Tanith the elven spy, Shur Kee the monk, along with Dorc da Orc. Are amongst the crowd who are on this side of the field.
That's where most of the gathered crowd are today. As where they were yesterday, you have to cross the muddy part of the field to get there.
Unless one wants to walk all the way around one end of the large field, and come up from it from the next field over, where it's separated by a low stone wall.
The two teenagers, Tam and Lis sit behind sir Percavelle, who this morning is seated beside his niece, the lady Linara Lé Dic who is on the first level of the stands.
Lisell Maera faintly smiles as lady Linara Lé Dic looks back at Tamric Drubine and says to him "M'lord you did splendidly yesterday" she nods to her uncle beside her, and adds "You almost defeated uncle Percy".
"Thank you my lady" says Tamric Drubine who continues with "And that i did" followed by "Maybe one year I'll best sir Percavelle".
"Maybe" says sir Percavelle Lé Dic, who silently admits to himself, that the nobleborn teenager from the kingdom of Sarcrin almost had the better of him yesterday afternoon in the final round of the dueling event.
And that soon in their sparring, young Tam will defeat him every so often.
Something that he's not accustomed to when facing someone else and their sword. In recent years it's only been the swordmaster Mira Reinholt who can regularly beat him when they spar.
And of course lord Farque, who the former paladin, guesses, isn't even trying as he always gets the better of him whenever they cross swords in a sparring bout.
Knowing that sir Percavelle Lé Dic hasn't entered the joust because he doesn't have a mount he trusts. Tamric Drubine notices that lord Milburn isn't seated in the stands this morning. And he mentions this.
As the former earl of Lé Dic snorts slightly in derision, lady Linara Lé Dic says "My grandfather is in the joust this morning".
Both Tamric Drubine and Lisell Maera lift their eyebrows at this, then the former heir to the knight of castle Drubine in the kingdom of Sarcrin says "I thought he was entering the grande melee this afternoon?".
"He is" says sir Percavelle Lé Dic who is also entering the mass combat event this afternoon, the final event of the tourney that's being held to celebrate the late winter festival.
It's also being held to see how prepared the army of the Lé Dic fief, are for war in the springtime. A war that's more than likely to happen this spring against their neighbours to the east in the Harkonin fief.
"The damn fool of a man is likely to break his neck this morning knowing him" declares the former earl of Lé Dic who leans towards his niece and adds "He was never any good with the lance, it's by the gods, chief amongst them being Narille, that i wonder what your grandfather is up to entering the joust wot".
A few others in the stands nod in agreement with what the overly loud former paladin just said. While others stare at him, not particularly liking what he said.
Both teenagers, Tam and Lis spot those people who are unsatisfied with what sir Percavelle just said. They notice all of those, including sir Galmot, who briefly stops by the stands to talk to someone, before he continues on his way along the field to the makeshift stalls, as his stallion is there, as he's one of the competitors in the joust.
The jousting event is the only event solely competed by the nobility. As they're the only one's trained to use a lance in a kingdom like Druvic.
All the local landed knights with the exception of sir Percavelle are taking part in the joust this morning.
The joust, the event in any tourney where severe injury and even death is likely to happen far more than any other event, and that includes the dueling event, and the grande melee.
It's the total unpredictability of a joust that can lead to injury or death. Anything can go wrong, from misplaced thrust of a lance, to a horse hitting one of the lists and throwing it's riders.
It's not uncommon for a death to occur in the jousting event. And it's more likely to occur in a more local or rural tourney like the one celebrating the late winter festival here in the Lé Dic fief.
The town crier has come down to the tourney field to announce the competitors. He names the first pair, who ride from the nearby stalls, followed by their squires and pages on foot.
"Parvin" says the former earl of Lé Dic as he names who will win this first joust "He might have an expanded waistline since our youth, but he's always been a capable rider, and a steady hand with the lance" adds the heavily armoured knight. Who thinks his contemporary will go do well in the joust, but he doesn't expect him to win the entire event.
He thinks sir Parvin will have a better showing in the grande melee. Infact sir Percavelle expects him to be one of his main rivals in the final event of the tourney, lé grande melee.
The two riders go to opposite ends of the lists, which the stands is near the middle of it's length.
From the racks at either end of the field, the two knights each take a lance, one with their family's pennant tied to it.
The crowd is cheering for the first joust of the day. The joust being the most spectacular of the events held in a tourney. The town crier has to hold up his hands, and yell out a couple of times for silence. When eventually the crowd starts to quiet down.
It's then that the sergeant at arms standing halfway along the lists, just infront of the stands. Holds his red flag up high, and looks at the two heavily armoured mounted knights.
Both of whom nod their full helmed heads to him. The sergeant at arms drops the flag in a flurry.
The crowd roars, and the two war horses take off as the mounted knights spur them. The local noblemen lower their lances as their mounts set off along either side of the lists.
Sir Parvin is on the side of the lists closest to the stands, while his opponent, who is coming from the road end of the field, the end closet to castle Lé Dic and the town of Massic, is on the otherside of the lists, the muddy side.
They'll swap to the opposite side if they pass, without one of them being knocked out of the saddle of their mounts.
Which doesn't look like it'll happen, as sir Percavelle loudly predicts ""I say Parvin has got this on the first pass" as the crowd cheers and holler as the two war horses charge towards one another, only separated by the wooden poles in the center of the field, the lists.
There's a resounding crash, and wood splinters go flying everywhere. The crowd yell and cheer, as one horse without a rider continues running down one side of the lists.
While on the other, sir Parvin slightly sways in the saddle before righting himself as his mount carries him towards the other end of the lists.
On the muddy ground just opposite the stands, his opponent is struggling to move, and pull off the dented shield that's affixed to an armoured arm.
His squire, along with castle pages run to his aid. A healer and a bone setter also run out onto the lists to see if he's badly damaged in anyway.
He doesn't seem to be, as he eventually struggles to his feet after finally taking off his dented shield with the aid of his squire and others.
"That must hurt like hell" says Tamric Drubine as he watches the defeated jouster make his way from the muddy side of the field, leaning upon his squire, and with a hand upon the shoulder of a page who walks on his otherside.
Sir Percavelle Lé Dic nods yes to what the nobleborn teenager from the kingdom of Sarcrin just said. The former paladin of the first rank won't admit it out loud. But getting hit by a lance in a joust, and getting knocked off one's horse, does indeed hurt like hell.
It happened to the former earl of Lé Dic when he first trained with a lance as a youngster. And happened a number of times in his first tourney's.
But he hasn't been unhorsed in a joust since joining the order of Saint Mar-che as a sixteen year old. An achievement he's still proud of.
"Have you not ridden the lists before?" asks lady Hollis who sits to the right of her charge, the lady of the fief, Linara Lé Dic.
Tam looks down at the noblewoman on the first level of the stands and tells her "I haven't" followed by "We don't joust in my kingdom" after a slight pause he adds "Well not in the north where I'm from, too much forests and woodlands to be able to breed warhorses" the former heir to the knight of castle Drubine continues with "I'm pretty sure they joust in the tourney's held in the capital Oramaea and further south".
"They do" says sir Percavelle Lé Dic who took part in a tourney in the capital of the kingdom of Sarcrin a number of years ago, when he and other knights and paladins in the order of Saint Mar-che were visiting their chapter house located in that particular city.
"A fine field, and outstanding lists there" explains the former earl of Lé Dic who continues with "Magnificent jousting field, one of the best in all the Southlands". The heavily armoured knight after a moment's pause, adds "Though not as good nor in the same class as the king's field in Leeabra, or the field at the headquarters of my grand order, which we all know is the finest jousting field not just in Druvic, or in the Southlands, but in the entire world".
Both Tam and Lis smile at the boastful knight in the order of Saint Mar-che, while the lady Hollis just shakes her head, though she does faintly smile.
While the lady Linara, after giggling, says "Oh uncle, you do go on a bit" followed by "The entire world indeed". "Tis true" says sir Percavelle Lé Dic in a slightly wounded tone of voice, who after a brief pause adds "Because i said so" as he grins at his niece sitting beside him.
The larger bits of wood from the broken lances have been cleared from the field. And the next joust is ready to go ahead.
After the town crier calls out the name of the two new competitors and the crowd cheers them as they ride from the makeshift stalls.
Sir Percavelle Lé Dic says "Hmmm i do not know these two fellows" as the nobleborn riders head to either end of the field.
The jousters were only children when the former earl of Lé Dic last saw them, and he never saw them practice at arms. Now eighteen and nineteen respectively, he's seeing them joust for the first time.
"That's my second cousin Jared" says lady Linara Lé Dic who points to one of the jousters. Her uncle recognises the name as coming from Linara's mother's side of the family. Young Jared being a member of the Milburn family.
Lisell Maera slightly nudges Tam beside her, and quietly says in elven to him "You see that?" when she catches a glimpse of a frown briefly appear upon the face of the governess of Linara Lé Dic, the lady Hollis at the mention of Jared Milburn.
"I did" is the quiet reply of Tamric Drubine in the same language, who continues with "Keep an eye on him" as they watch the jousters line up after taking a lance from the racks at either end of the field.
"Well your cousin Jared sits a fine horse, and jousts with a notched shield" says sir Percavelle Lé Dic who is an excellent judge of rider and jouster.
Then as the crowd roars as the sergeants at arms drops the flag to get the latest joust underway, the former paladin in the order of Saint Mar-che loudly says "I think the youngster Jared might get this one!" as the two warhorses thunder along either side of the lists towards one another, and the jousters upon their backs bring their lances down to line them up, to hit one another . . . . . .