By THLaird Colyne Stewart
A summons had arrived at our manor, carried b y a messenger sent by my lord knight, Sir Evander
MacLachlan. He demanded my presence in the Canton of Greenhithe, upon the
celebration of a Day in the Country. And so, though the sky was overcast and
rain fell from the heavens, my lady Þorfinna, my brother Snæbjörn and I set off
on a loaded wagon into the wetness of the east.
We were among the first to arrive, though archers and
throwers were already setting up their ranges in the rain. We found a spot to
park our wagon, and erected four shades we had b rought
to protect us and our friends from the weather. We were soon joined b y many friends from Bastille du Lac, Petrea Thule
and Ramshaven who had b raved the
weather. We soon had a long stretch of shades and a change tent set up across
from the list field. A sea of chairs, chests, armour bags, tables and b enches spread out under the shades, and a
pleasant morning was passed in conversation and camaraderie.
Around the noon
hour the sun broke the clouds, and the majority of the afternoon was sunny and
warm. The day’s activities then began in earnest. As the rain had made my
wrists too sore for me to don my armour I instead helped marshal, inspecting
fighters and assisting in the authorization of Bastille’s newest fighter. To
one side a youth combat list had b een
erected, and under the watchful eye of Sir Siegfried Brandbeorn Ealdormere’s
youth did b attle with courtesy and
honour. A young lad named Cameron authorized that day.
When the pick ups and the authorizations were complete, Sir
Evander called on all those present to bear witness as his house was to grow
again. My squire-brother Tiberius of
Warwickshire, his lady Anne Tinker ,
my lady, and myself were called to stand with Evander and THL Melusine de la
Rose as Lord Cameron MacGregor took a knee before them. (Two of my squire-brothers
could not attend: Varenko, as he was in the East, and Brandt, as he was on a
quest and unreachable.) With emotion clearly writ on his face, Cameron clasped
Evander’s sword and swore fealty to him as his knight. Cameron was then
presented with a belt, a chain and spurs. Tiberius
gifted a pair of pouches for Cameron and his lady, as a welcome to the House MacLachlan .
When this was done Evander asked his three squires to stand b efore him, and told the crowd how he had b een asked to choose a badge by his dependants so
we could show our allegiance on the battlefield. And so he presented us with
red houppelandes with black sleeves, bearing on their front the white castle
from his device, and on the one shoulder the trillium of Ealdormere. When asked
if we approved of this livery we remarked that we did, and that we were happy
he had chosen the castle from his device as his badge, instead of the unicorn.
Evander then asked the crowd’s indulgence as he had one more
piece of business to attend to. He called b efore
him Ellie of Bastille du Lac, youth combat fighter, and youngest daughter of
Kel and Helena of Bastille du Lac. Ellie had long wanted to serve Evander as
his page, and today he asked her if this was still her wish. She said it was
and he welcomed her into his house, presenting her with a houppelande to match
ours. Tiberius also gave her a
pouch.
However, the most pride I felt was in watching my brother
Snæbjörn, who fought like a demon that day. In a burning house scenario he
defended the centre against three opponents before being felled, managing to
one shot my squire-brother Tiberius
as well as Sir Konrad Mattias Jaegger. In another scenario, where all the
fighters were placed in a centre square he was the last fighter to hold said
square, until he had to leave it to face Evander in the outer square. Later,
when challenges were being fought over a barrier, Snæbjörn was part of a team
of four facing another team of four. Very quickly he found himself standing
alone as his comrades were defeated, still facing four foes. Fighting well, and
managing some impressive blocks, he managed to survive long enough to kill one
of his foes.
I am, most assuredly, proud of his progress as a fighter.
While I was marshalling and watching the fighting, Þorfinna
and Lady Mahault van der Eych went down to the gate where they and several
others were able to paint some ceramic pieces under the watchful eye of THL
Aurelia Gabriana.
During a lull in the fighting, Sir Konrad led Lord Ludwig
von Eisengrim from the kitchen (where he was preparing feast) to the lists, and b efore all assembled took him as his man-at-arms,
presenting him with a gorgeous belt.
As per usual at Day in the Country, an all around tournament
was held, where teams had to have a fighter, a youth fighter, a thrower, an
archer and an artisan. (Usually there are also fencers on the team, but no
fencers showed up this year.) There were three teams total who partook, and
Þorfinna won the thrown weapons division for her team (though her team ended up
coming in third over all).
It was around the dinner hour when we departed. My back
(which I had thrown out a few days before) was seizing up, and a chill wind was
blowing in, so there was no way I could stay for an outdoor feast.
Unfortunately, a lot of other folk were also not staying for feast for one
reason or another, and so, to support our sister-canton, many of us went to the
gate and paid for feast spots even though we could not stay. A benefit to this
for us was that we now got to take home feast tokens, which were drinking cups
painted in period designs, in either late or early period models.
It was, all told, a glorious day, and I truly feel sorry for
those who were frightened away by the weather.
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