So THIS is what it's like!

So! Duvant Defender! It honors one of the most chivalrous men the SCA has ever known. I never got to meet him, but the legends of the man are absolutely epic.

I rode down to Hattiesburg with James the Holy and Katil. Let me tell ya, multiple travelers is the way to go! It's more fun, more interesting, and WAY less expensive! I slept in the backseat most of the way. I didn't exactly want to, but since I was the smallest, I had the backseat, which I have no problem with. The problem is that being in the backseat removes me from the majority of said interesting conversations. So instead, I listened to my music a lot and slept.

Once we got there, we puttered around waiting for other people, and I was able to snag a bed space in a cabin. You know, there actually is something to be said for reserving space ahead of time. Anyway, once I unpacked and garbed up, I went to the Green Dragon where everyone else was. Once Their Majesties arrived and garbed up, they also came to the tavern, and with much formal ceremony, set Ashikaga Hiromoto on his vigil to become a knight.

I stayed up longer than most. I was the next-to-last person to see him, and that was around 4 a.m. When I finally left, I passed His Majesty, who had been the first person to see Ashi. We made small talk for a while before retiring a half hour later.

From the few times I have met him and talked with him on a personal level, my impressions of King William (Sir Camric) are that he is another one of those cool guys who is devoted to the authenticity of nearly everything he does in the SCA, from clothing, to armor, to ceremony, to personal ideals. He makes a very good king, and a cool person. I just don't know what kind of man he is.

The next morning, my alarm went off at 8. I took a shower and armored up, being the first fighter to be inspected (accompanied with much ribbing when it was learned that this was my very first tournament). After being inspected, I puttered again as fighters kept arriving and signing up for the tournament. When they finally got everyone's name down on the list, there were 32 fighters, which made 16 first round fights! And I was the second match.

My opponent was a man younger than me named Antonio. I don't know him hardly at all, but we know who each other are. He was in the army, and just came back from Iraq a few months ago, recovering from shrapnel wounds. He's squired to Sir Loric, and fights like him: VERY fast. But I still accomplished what I set out to do! He didn't kill me with one shot! That was my goal, and to make sure I achieved it, I did the stupidest thing possible when fighting against someone I've never seen fight before: I rushed him. The fact that I wasn't killed instantly says more for my element of surprise than anything else. Still, I kept my shield up enough so that he didn't kill me, but in the excitement of everything, I left my it high and he gave my leg a good whack. I went to my knees, where Antonio mercifully made my end quick.

So the day passed to the sound of sword on shield. Since it was a double elimination tournament, I got another fight: Sir Godfried. This man was Ashi's first knight before moving to another kingdom, and when I heard his name after mine, the whole field heard me "God Bless!"

Well, again, I was determined not to let him have me with just a single swing. I poked at his face with my thrusting tip, but it was my first time with one of those, and didn't think follow it up with something. Otherwise, I think I may have had a shot at his front leg, and that's what I tried next, but before I could get there, his blade was ringing on my helmet.

That took me out of the tournament proper. It was a long time before it was over, and there was much prowess and chivalry displayed throughout the day. Sir Loric was the first to make it all the way to the finals, being the only man not to lose any of his fights. In the semi-finals it came down to Uther and James. Technically, Uther won, but this was a qualifying tournament for the Tournament of Champions in December, and since Uther had already qualified with Ashi earlier this year, he asked if he could bow out of the tournament and allow James to continue to the finals, thus ensuring him a spot in the TOC. This was allowed, and he went to fight Loric. The fight was to be best two out of three, and James won the second, but Loric won the two, so he claimed the winner's cup.

When the contest was finally over, I went to do some pick up fighting with a friend...when my shield strap broke. He and I played with single sword for a little bit, which was a lot of fun, but I did not stay after that. Later, I went and stripped my armor down and got a shower.

That evening, I stood with the entourage for court. Ashi was formally knighted, among many other awards and recognitions given and applauded. After that was feast which was wonderful, despite my pounding headache. Afterwards, four of my friends and I sat in our cabin talking the good talk before going back to the Green Dragon to socialize with everyone else. There were some really good stories and fond memories passed around in there! But that's the way it always is when you get a bunch of us in the same place at the same time.

The next morning saw us all packing up and leaving to get breakfast together (the five of us from Memphis). There were good reflections on the event, and many plans made for the days to come. You're going to have to keep watching! Summer's not nearly over, and there is still so much to do and blog about!