Disappointment, Lessons, and the Future

Wow, so much to blog about!

Hi, guys! I'm back! Gulf Wars was, as always, amazing! You pull onto site and you're back in time 800 years!

After I trolled in and said hello to friends I had not seen in a while, I checked in with entourage to let them know I was on site, then went to find a place to camp. I am NEVER coming to War without pre-registering again! The only open camping was all the way at the end of the world, on a slope. Not a bad one, but enough. After that, I parked my car and began to wander, looking for more friends, most of which I found.

This rest of War is one big blur. I was told early on that I had qualified for the Grand Exhibition Tournament, and that made my blood race, let me tell you! The contest was the day after I got there (arrived Wednesday evening) so the next morning, I bit the bullet and dropped $75 for new arrows. The ones I had were good, but they were ash, and I've been wanting something faster, for the sake of accuracy. Then I went to start practicing, after I had taken care of my throne duties.
The bridge battle that day ran way overtime, but that was to be expected. The contest was after it. I was one out of eleven who were competing with handbows (and I'm pretty sure mine was the only longbow, but I can't exactly remember) and there were two crossbow shooters. There were three others shooters from Gleann Abhann, two of whom I knew I could beat. Before the contest started, Her Majesty called us four over and gave us each a token for us to bear in the contest. I also had my lady's favor.
Right away, we could all tell that the one everyone else would have to beat was the man from Trimaris. I held my own, but I was so excited that my heart was pounding, and my head just wasn't in the game. I should have done much better than I did.
After the initial rounds, the scores were tallied, and the top three archers had a shootoff. Another GA archer and I tied for third, there was another GA archer in second, and the Trimarian was first. The shootoff followed as thus: The four of us went to the line to shoot the targets man by man. The first one to reach 24 points won the Tournament. Since the Trimarian had the most points, he got the first shot, then Daffyd, then Egill, then me. After we had all shot 5 arrows, we tallied the scores...and I was in the lead. I had 16 points, the Trimarian had 14, Daffyd had 12, and Egill had 10.
I could win this tournament with my next shot! All I had to do was nail the bull's eye, worth 8 points. The ring outside that was worth 4, and anything outside that was worth 2.
We went back to the line. The Trimarian shot and scored 2. That put him at 16. Now the pressure was REALLY on. If I didn't hit the bull's eye, then he got another shot, and if it hit the bull's eye, he would win. Then Daffyd shot. Then Egill...then me.

I was cocky. I didn't know it, and didn't think I was. Mentally, I was trying to stay humble...but actually, what I did was think that all I had to do was pull the string back, point it at the target, let it go, and the arrow would somehow magically find the bull's eye. I let my concentration go, and it cost me. The arrow landed in the 4 ring. That put me at 20.
But then the Trimarian scored a 4! That put him at 20, which meant I got another shot, too! NOW all I had to do was make it inside the 4 ring! Even easier, right?!
But again, my overconfidence was my undoing. As the arrow popped the target, it practically sounded my death knell. It was a 2. I had 22 points. Which meant the Trimarian got a third shot.

Well, it was too much to hope that he would miss a third time, and he didn't. He scored another 4, which put him at 24. The winning score. Even though we all knew it, Daffyd, Egill and I took our shots anyway. At the final count, the numbers said I had tied the leader, but the rules of the shoot said that whoever got to 24 FIRST won the contest, and since he had shot first, he had done that.

It still hurts. I don't mind losing, as long as I know that those who beat me are my superiors, and yes, this Trimarian was very much the winner of the day. But if I had truly done my best...if I had actually concentrated, and held onto that string another instant, a mere breath of extra thought...the day would have been mine. Of course, everyone who heard about it and knew me gave me their congratulations at coming in second, having bested every other archer in Gleann Abhann, and I am proud of that, at least. This tournament taught me a few things. 1). Never EVER assume that you've got the contest "sewn up" and won. Always concentrate, aim, and shoot to win. 2). I now know for a fact that my skill can match and even sometimes surpass the finest archers not just in the kingdom, but in the Knowne World. Not bad, eh?

Mike, Liza and Billy showed up later that night. I helped them get settled, then we all went to go wandering, mostly ending up going through Merchant's Row, and then the dance revels. There's a revel every night, and I try to dance with as many different people as I can. This year, not only did I find a surplus of partners, but I also made new friends and proved to be rather popular, if I do say so myself! They ended up asking me more often than I asked them!

After that day, War was a mix of moving thrones, wandering, watching battles, eating, playing cards, or dancing. Saturday, it was announced that Drogo of Axbridge was being put on vigil to become a knight. He was at my first event, 7 years and 2 months ago, so I hung around in line for a few hours to give him my congratulations. While I waited, I had a long conversation with a Laurel...about becoming an apprentice.

A Laurel is for arts and sciences what a Knight is for combat, and a Pelican is for service. They are equals, and being asked to be an apprentice is like becoming a squire. We had a long talk about our mutual interests, what we had to learn from each other, and expectations of each other. It was a good talk, and I look forward to whatever lies ahead with my peer.

My friends and I loved the War. On Sunday, as everyone was packing up, they got to meet Uther and Kenna on a very personal level, and I'm very glad they did. Mike, Liza, and Billy are hooked.

Today's the ST. Patty's Day Chase! I'll post about that later. It's so good to be home!