Lightstar Family/Adaria/Roleplay 27/Joust
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Joust - Round 1
After a rather quick--and disheartening--defeat at the swordfighting portion of the tournament, in which she had slipped on a rock to fall forwards into her opponent's stationary sword, Adaria tried to steel herself for the jousting. Her cousin had given the girl a few pointers, such as bracing the handle of the lance in a certain way against her side, and keeping her body leaned forwards to hold her shield at a certain angle.
Soon, the contestants gathered in the arena and waited for the officials to call out the pairings. Since there were an odd number of participants, a wildcard needed to be drawn from the lot, so a referee reached into a box and pulled out a folded piece of paper. After a brief scan, he announced the condition.
"Whose first name starts and ends with the same letter?"
After a brief moment, four hands shot up, to which the official nodded and motioned for them to step forwards, as he reached for a second condition.
"Whose first name contains six letters?"
While Adaria quietly spelled out her name and tallied the letters with her fingers, none of the other three nobles raised their hands. Thinking that he needed to draw another piece of paper, the man began to reach towards the box again, but an excited cry stopped him.
"Ooh, me me me!"
The girl jumped up and down excitedly a couple of times, waving a dark green arm, before realizing that hundreds of people were staring at her in amusement. Blushing at her silly outburst, Adaria quickly hunched down and tried to hide her head in embarrassment.
Nodding professionally, the official managed to keep a straight face and instructed a scribe to jot down her name.
"Lady Adaria of Greater Aenilia is round one's wildcard!"
Breathing a loud sigh of relief, the girl retreated to the sidelines to watch the ensuing matches with eyes opened wide and heart thumping loudly. When it came time for Xarnelf's turn, she nervously wrung her hands.
The riders raised their respective lances to the vertical position, trotted their mounts up to the partition wall, and then charged off at the horn's signal. As they closed the safe distance to approach striking range, the two nobles lowered their lances and lined up their targets--each aiming for the direct center of the other's shield.
Xarnelf's aim proved to be true, as his weapon struck solidly and shattered brilliantly, eliciting cheers from the crowd; the other noble's lance merely glanced off against the side of his shield with barely a crack. After two more passes, the judges declared the duke to be the winner, and everyone took a short break to rest their arms.
(Roleplay from Iksandros Artemesia)
Two different aides accompanied him this time, one for the steed, and one for the equipment. The swordfighting aide also stayed, and assisted with the shield and armor. When it came time for Iksandros to have his match, he was met with some mixed reactions. He could hear some crediting his victory in the sword event, but also there were those who doubted that a skilled swordsman was also skilled at the joust. Furthermore, his first round opponent was a noble of Ohnar West, so naturally the crowd would be cheering their own noble.
No matter, thought Iksandros, urging his mount forward to make the first pass. He was content already, but he wondered how far he could reach in the jousting event.
Joust - Round 2
(Roleplay from Iksandros Artemesia)
"I am to face Dame Gloria again?"
The aides nodded in unison.
"Good, I always wondered how skilled she was in the joust. If it is like her swordfighting, then this might be my last round."
When Iksandros took the field, he saluted his opponent, a most familiar one. And with a happy grin, he charged.
Round two started with no wildcards, and thus Adaria had to participate, though she was surely nervous. Trying her best to appear calm, the girl slowly donned her green helmet, with its darker green plume, and smoothed out her lighter green tabard. Although green and darker green sounded good in her head at the time, she figured she must look quite silly. Frowning as her attendant handed over a green lance, Adaria decided she had to hear someone else's opinion, so she asked the page:
"Pray tell me truthfully, young sir, how do I look?"
Blinking quickly in surprise, the boy could only stammer, but she did not let the matter drop. Finally, he sighed and replied honestly.
"Forgive me for saying so, milady, but um..." He glanced left and right before leaning in to whisper, "...you look like a giant shrubbery! I am honoured to attend to your branches--I mean lances!"
If he had cracked a smile or tried to bite back a laugh after such a statement, as opposed to remaining entirely composed and serious, Adaria likely would have fled the scene and forfeited her match in embarrassment, vowing never to show her face again at another tournament. Instead, she saw no mockery at all in his bright eyes; upon a closer inspection, she realized the page was in awe of her stunningly green attire.
Flashing a quick smile at the boy, Adaria closed her visor and took her position. With a deep breath, which she held, the girl spurred her horse into a charge after the signal sounded. Something nagged at the back of her mind, but she was too intent on the incoming rider to give it much thought, when suddenly, it hit her--she had forgotten to lower her lance!
Panicking at the very short distance remaining, she yanked her arm down to hopefully bring her weapon in line, but in her haste, Adaria overcompensated by dragging too hard! The tip of her lance speared the dirt ground and found a hold for just a couple heartbeats, but those few seconds--coupled with her tight grip--were enough to cause the butt of her weapon to slam into her padded side.
The girl soared off the back of her mount, as her opponent passed by on the other side. His weapon narrowly missed spearing the surprised horse, who slowed to a trot, turned its head to stare, and finally snorted in pity at its rider's ineptitude. Adaria was glad that her helmet hid her face, for she wanted to crawl into a hole at that moment, as her wooden lance snapped from trying to support her weight, causing her to land heavily upon her rump. Hot tears welled up behind her eyes, while the young page rushed over to try and help her up from the ground.
"Don't give up hope, milady! This kind of thing happens all the time, really! You can do it!"
Finding some strength in the boy's encouraging words, she rose unsteadily to her feet with a mumbled word of gratitude and rubbed at her side. Even with all the extra padding, Adaria feared she would find a bruise welling up quite soon. Luckily for her, the unexpected backward-vault-display must have unnerved her opponent, for he could not seem to hold his lance straight in the next two passes. The judges announced the girl as the victor, even though she only managed to clip the edges of the other noble's shield in the last two attempts.
Xarnelf offered some inspiring words after the second round was over, as he told her similar stories from his earliest tournaments.
Joust - Round 3
With nine jousters in the third round, another wildcard needed to be drawn, so the presiding official used the same box from the beginning of the event.
"Who is a lady?"
Peering quizzically at one another, the two females stepped forwards, while the referee took out another folded paper.
"Who is a lord--wait, ahem, nevermind..."
He quickly threw that piece away, muttering to those around him, "Who writes these wildcard conditions anyway?" Intent on the next drawing, the man did not notice another fellow official shrinking back to the side with a reddening face.
"Ahem, who..." His eyes peered closer at the paper to verify his original perusal, which was indeed correct. Then, he turned to his peers and showed them the paper. "Is this seriously a legitimate condition?" Shrugs and several nods were offered in reply, so the official sighed, shook his head, and then announced the terms.
"Who is not a member of the realm of the hosting party? That is to say, Ohnar West?"
Glancing apologetically at Ophelia, Adaria shyly raised her hand, and the official chuckled upon recognizing her from the first round.
"Very well then, Lady Adaria of Greater Aenilia is round three's wildcard!"
Joust - Round 4
A dozen broken lances, a score of drinks, and several thousand-counts later, only a handful of contestants remained in a row, as the next pairings were about to be announced. Another odd number of jousters meant another wildcard, so the official reached inside the box again. While unfolding the paper, he briefly wondered what non-sensible condition would be read this time around, but even he could not keep a straight face at this one!
Shaking his head with a chuckle as he gazed across at the five nobles, the man already knew who would be fortunate enough to have a free pass to the semi-final round. Still, proper protocol dictated that he announce the term, and so he did.
"Who is the shortest in height amongst you?"
Xarnelf could not help but laugh heartily, for he immediately knew it had to be Adaria (again), while the crowd simultaneously booed and cheered at this most startling of news. Three wildcards in a row? What serendipity! Or, as a Frenchman might exclaim: 'Sacre vache!' Then again, it might simply be: 'Quelle chance!'
Anyway, the young girl stepped forwards hesitantly, well aware that she really had no chance against any of the remaining jousters; indeed, Adaria had never even picked up a lance until that very dawn! Some Aenil must be having uproarious laughing fits at this unlikely turn of events.
(Roleplay from Iksandros Artemesia)
"You know, you're already in the fourth round, and untouched too. You might be able to pull off a win in both events. I don't know how many people have managed to do that before, but if you do that, it'll be big!" The aide tending to the horse encouraged Iksandros onto the next round.
"Let's not be too hasty. I haven't won yet, and this is still the fourth round. Anything can happen. Who is my opponent, by the way?"
The other aide, tending to his lance, said, "Xarnelf Lightstar, Duke of Idapur. He is an experienced noble, and most likely has refined his jousting skills to a fine degree."
Iksandros nodded. "A duke, especially of a different realm, would be quite the opponent. Hopefully my strength will be able to match his skill."
The duke watched intently as the general faced off against the baron, both of whom had shown a fair amount of skill in the past rounds. It could be anyone's round, from all appearances. All too soon, their three passes were over, and the judges gave a clear win to Darien. Xarnelf would have liked to approach the Zonasan General as he dismounted, in order to exchange some pleasantries--and perhaps silently badmouth the officials' decisions--with the man who had so warmly welcomed him upon learning of his arrival, but his turn was up.
It was not going to be an easy round, for the hero recognized this young knight who had been paired with him. He had seen Iksandros openly display his skill and accuracy the previous afternoon, when the knight had missed only three of his ten targets--and those misses were only slightly off-center at that!
Perhaps if he was even a decade younger, Xarnelf would feel more confident, but the many years of lacking consistent practice had dulled his senses. Thus far, the hero had met with resounding success, and he dared to believe that he might have a chance at the winner's honours for jousting--if he could only pass this hurdle, that is.
Young Adaria cheered him on as he stiffly mounted, with sore muscles unused to the prolonged strain protesting loudly for rest. Xarnelf managed a grin to her, noting the three small wildflowers sticking out of her hair and over an ear. He figured it was probably some asinine official's idea of representing the unheard-of triple wildcards that his cousin had somehow drawn.
Here he was, feeling old and battered after three consecutive rounds of jousting, while the young girl had been bumped up to the semi-finals after only having to participate in a single round! Idly, the duke conjured images of charging down the lane against Adaria in the next round--or even better, facing her in the finals--and how she probably would not put up much of a fight, out of courtesy and respect to him. And then, it was time to push all such extraneous thoughts aside to focus on the present.
After only the first pass, Xarnelf knew that he was in trouble. Though he had kept his seat without much difficulty, he knew that his aim could not compare with that of young Iksandros. Neither of the lances had shattered, so neither of the jousters needed to exchange their weapons as they turned their mounts around at the end of the low, dividing wall for the next run.
(Roleplay from Iksandros Artemesia)
Gritting his teeth, Iksandros weathered the first pass. Though his aim was fairly straight, the duke remained seated. Moreover, both lances were intact.
Iksandros was most surprised by the duke's endurance, and even though the duke was very accurate with his lance, Iksandros had been prepared for that. The fact that the duke was still seated after taking a fairly powerful hit made Iksandros wonder whether this round would take a long time to resolve.
On the second pass, Iksandros once more had to brace with all his strength in order to remain upright.
The spectators cheered wildly as the two dashed off for the second pass, which was likely the one to decide the round. With a tremendous crash, both lances shattered against the shields, sending large splinters out wide in a large explosion. To his credit, the Zonasan knight maintained his fairly upright posture after the impact, but alas for the Aenilian lord, who was knocked backwards to an almost one-hundred-and-fifty degree angle, with incredible force from a perfectly aimed thrust. Somehow, after hurriedly shaking the shield from his arm, Xarnelf managed to grab the reins with both hands in time to keep himself from falling off the horse and thus prevented a total disaster, but it was close enough, nonetheless.
(Roleplay from Iksandros Artemesia)
His shield arm went numb, and his back protested at the work required. But he remained upright.
When he peered through the splinters, he saw that his opponent fared worse, having saved himself from being unhorsed at the last moment. But this was only a minor gain, and any mistake would leave the duke as victor.
The crowd noticeably hushed as new lances were brought to the nobles, perhaps out of respect for the older duke, or perhaps in eager anticipation of seeing him quite possibly knocked off his mount on the third pass. Likely, both were valid reasons, though neither one mattered to the riders as they charged off again. If he could somehow, someway, manage to force the younger man to lose his seat, then there was a small chance of being declared the victor; either that, or the judges might allow them to pass at each other for a fourth and final run to decide the matter for certain.
Xarnelf blocked out the ambient sounds, closed his eyes momentarily, and took a deep breath, as the horses neared one another. Without looking, the hero lowered his lance by instinct and then, at the second-to-last moment, threw open his eyes to make the final adjustments. His aim proved true, striking the center of Iksandros's shield, but his wooden lance remained in one piece, and his opponent easily held on to the horse. Simultaneously, the Knight of Batesaor's aim also proved to be true; however, whether it was the angle of Xarnelf's shield or simple chance, the knight's weapon did not stay together.
Sighing deeply as he swung his leg over his horse's head, the duke knew he had been bested. He turned to gaze down the lane at his opponent, lifted his visor, and then tapped his lance against his helm in a salute to the winner.
(Roleplay from Iksandros Artemesia)
On the third pass, Iksandros gritted his teeth once more to strike what he hoped to be the decisive blow. The duke's aim was as accurate as always, but the force was not so great. At the same time, Iksandros landed a hit on his opponent, that shattered his lance.
Knowing that the match was over, Iksandros turned to see the duke salute him, and he returned the gesture.
Joust - Semifinals
(Roleplay from Iksandros Artemesia)
"Semifinals! You can do it!"
Iksandros smiled at his aides' enthusiasm. "My next opponent?"
"Adaria Lightstar, cousin of the duke you faced last round. Also, three time wildcard in this event."
Iksandros gaped. "Well, we know that she is lucky."
"Yes, but you can beat her!"
"We'll see."
After seeing how well the Zonasan knight jousted, Adaria wanted to just pack up and leave, if that meant that she would not have to face him in the next round. However, her cousin would hear no such thing and urged the girl to be strong and just try her best.
"Besides," Xarnelf remarked playfully, as the trumpets sounded some time later to summon the three remaining nobles, "You may happen to draw the wildcard yet again, ensuring a second placement, my dear girl!"
Adaria quickly frowned in reply. "But you were so excited, Xarnie! And you did so well in the early rounds! What cruel twist of fate that would be, for me, with practically no skill to speak of, to come in second!" She pouted. "It's just not fair!"
"Ah, well, it has been most fun, nevertheless. There will be other tournaments, I am sure. Go on now, and best of luck, my dear!"
The same official from before eyed the wildcard box warily, as if daring it to spew forth some condition that would allow the lucky Lightstar girl to hop on ahead to a guaranteed second placing. He made a mental note to have a long discussion with the board of tournament officials for future events; there had to be a better way than this sorry excuse for a supposedly 'fair' passer's bye. Or was it bye's passer?
Anyway... With a resigned sigh, his hand dropped in and snatched at one of the few remaining scraps of paper. Slowly, the man opened the folded item with breath held in suspense. Part of the crowd readied rotten vegetables to serve as projectiles, should Adaria be miraculously chosen for the fourth time in a row. They meant to throw them at the officials of course, for they were rather fond of the young girl.
Not trusting his eyes, the man refolded the paper and then opened it up again. He saw the same thing and smiled in satisfaction, as he announced in a loud and clear voice:
"Who is a noble of Ohnar West?"
Cheers and standing ovations erupted from the bystanders, the majority of whom were locals of the hosting realm. They were glad indeed to learn that one of their own lords would have a shot at the title of jousting champion.
Adaria threw a plaintive look over her shoulder at Xarnelf, for she knew that her lucky streak had just run out; he merely offered a comforting smile in reply, along with a shrug, as if to reiterate: 'Try your best!'
Her heart was not in it, and she found her hands shaking as she tried to steady her lance at the approaching knight, who had not yet lowered his own lance. As they came together on that first pass, Adaria shut her eyes tightly and simply hoped for the best. She felt her weapon glance off something solid, and the minor, though unexpected, shock made her drop it. However, what was even more surprising was that she herself had felt no reciprocated hit upon her shield.
Quickly opening her eyes to peek at this mystery, she saw a brief flash of colors as Iksandros passed her side, lance still held high in the ready position. For some reason that truly perplexed the girl, the man had not taken the first strike! With this curious thought in mind as the page handed her a new weapon, Adaria slowly turned her horse around the tip of the wall and stared down the length of the run.
He seemed to offer her a salute, then, before starting his charge, and this time, he lowered his lance straight and true. Yelping in fear, the girl lost her grip and dropped the weapon before they came into range. Her horse snorted in disgust and tossed its head, but she did not notice; with little left to do other than pray, Adaria added her now-free arm to the back of her shield for an additional brace.
The intense impact threw the light girl completely from her mount, and she landed for the second time that day on her backside. She winced and rose shakily to her feet, as her attendant rushed out again to offer assistance. Both of her arms felt numb, and she turned the shield around to observe the damage. A large, circular dent greeted her eyes, and she shook her head in wonder.
Then, the boy brought Adaria back to her senses with a quick reminder that there remained one final pass, as the rules demanded. Crestfallen, she hopped up on her horse with an obvious lack of enthusiasm and did not even notice that her page had thrust another lance into her hand.
On the last run, the girl managed to hang on to her weapon, though she hit nothing but air, while the knight struck her a much milder blow, clearly off-center. Adaria was grateful for that kindness, since she knew that he could have easily humiliated her further with another crushing blow. Then, she suddenly recalled their first pass and concluded that he was being a nice gentleman by offering her a free hit, even though she barely scratched him.
(Roleplay from Iksandros Artemesia)
One the first pass, Iksandros saw that his opponent's grip was unsteady, even trembling. Not wanting to take advantage of an unprepared opponent, he chose not to strike, and took the hit to his shield. The girl dropped her lance in surprise.
Grinning slightly as he made his way for the second pass, Iksandros decided that it was time to be serious. Another stunt like that, and he would lose. Essentially forfeiting would be an insult to his opponent, and there were other ways to be kind while still moving to the next round.
He charged full speed, and struck with full force. The girl dropped her lance again, and used both hands to hold her shield. Unfortunately, that meant she was blown back by impact off her horse.
As Iksandros made his way for the third pass, he saw that his opponent was holding her lance at the wrong angle. He would not even be hit. Quickly adjusting his grip, Iksandros struck off-target on his opponent's shield. Even so, he would be moving on to the finals.
With a glance at the girl, he smiled, hoping she would be a good opponent in future tournaments.
Joust - Finals
(Roleplay from Iksandros Artemesia)
"Champion of Sword and Joust! You can do it!"
The aides were at the height of excitement as they anticipated the final round. Iksandros said, in a calm but also slightly quicker voice, "I hope I can win too, but my opponent will be just as good, if not better, to have made it to the finals. Also, I hear that he is a noble of Ohnar West. He has the home field advantage."
"Advantage? You can overcome that! Go out and beat him!"
The crowd obviously cheered for their own competitor. Things happened in a flash, but also seemed like a dream to Iksandros. The two exchanged blows almost equally, and it was difficult to determine exactly who struck better. They were both on target for all three passes, but in the end...
"Ahah!!! Champion of Sword and Joust! You did it!"
Iksandros poked his cheek to check whether he was truly standing as champion of both events. It was unbelievable. Truly unexpected, and remarkable. As his first full tournament, Iksandros felt content to have taken first prize at the swordfighting event. But to have taken the jousting event as well...
He stepped forth when his name was announced, a smile on his face.
