The Jousts! (9/19, All Day, Open to All, read ooc note)

[Victor Castell]

[ooc note: This event goes on all day. We'll start with the final eight. I'd like the match rpers to rp all eight matches of round one at the same time to make this go faster. Spectators can rp watching whichever match they chose, or more than one. Just have fun with it.]


The jousts had gone all for most of the day and Victor had watched this time instead of participate. As the Lord of the bride he felt his presence in the lists would be too much, although Matthias had decided to ride. He glanced along the stands again as they waited for the next match to begin. Darryn Etny was to joust against Sir Cassius Rinaldo of House Rivers. Only sixteen were left, including his cousin Lexington. Victor hoped his cousin would pull out a win for the pride of House Castell.

He glanced at the occupants of his box. Celeste and Evelyn had joined him, along with his steward and a few guards. The rest - Donovan, Larson, and Lexington - were busy participating or practicing for their own events. The archery preliminaries were that afternoon as well, with the top ten archers winning a spot in the finals tomorrow morning. And Loralynn had vanished off to the Letalis box to visit with Regina.

Along the bleachers a box had been set up for each of the provinces houses, with canopies to shield the high lords and ladies from the heat of the sun. The rest of the bleachers were filled with pages and squires and banner lord and their servants, all who'd come to watch the knights as they pounded down the tilt. There was even standing room for the commoners who'd slipped away from their daily lives to indulge in the rare opportunity for the holiday of the King's visit and their Province Lord's wedding.

[Darryn Etny]

Darryn had ridden well in the morning jousts, well enough to finally approach Rhiannon Severne to ask her favor. He tugged on the reins of his horse and guided him at a slow trot to where the Severne's box sat along the bleachers. He shouldn't have been nervous, but he was. He'd heard nothing back from House Severne to indicate they'd accepted his offer, nor had he heard any words of denial either. Perhaps he needed to approach her himself, something he'd been avoiding. Asking for her hand had felt strange, and now as he looked up at her, he realized asking for her favor would feel odd as well.

Still, he was determined to try. If she denied him, then perhaps he'd have his answer.

"Lady Rhiannon," he called out to get her attention. "You look ever so beautiful today. Before I ride I would ask for your favor for this match."

[Loralynn Drake]

Loralynn had opted for the Letalis box for two reasons. The first was that she was truly delighted that Regina had finally joined them again. She'd been sad when Rosalie had informed her that the Letalis twin had gone back home. Half the women at court were irritating, like the Ashpool sisters and the Sterlyn girls, and the banner ladies like Amelie Mallory who thought too highly of themselves. Regina, on the other hand, was deserving of Loralynn's attentions.

"I'm so glad you're back," she gushed, turning to Regina during the lull between matches. "I know I've probably said that a dozen times already, but you have no idea how true it is. These Ashpool girls are just.." she mimicked a shudder with her shoulders. "They have no manners and no understanding of how to be a proper lady. I cannot wait to get out of here and head back home. I do hope you plan to attend the King's wedding this winter though. Victor had assured us we'll be traveling again for that one. I swear at this rate we'll never relax. I should come visit Joqua and take a vacation." And stay as far away from Gabriel Drake as possible.

[Regina Ambrosios]

Regina greeted Loralynn with a warm smile. If she left the court again she would have to make sure to make arrangements to stay in touch with this one- there was a sad shortage of interesting conversation to be had lately.

She laughed but made a sympathetic face as her friend described the ladies of Ashpool. "They really are that bad? I was hoping it was just first impressions, or perhaps I was in a bad mood. But yes, I'll be at the king's wedding. But I confess I am not looking forward to winter. I'll probably flee back to the south as soon as I can afterward- you should come along! I would love for you to stay with us at the palace. I'll throw you a proper island ball, even. And best of all it will be warm."

She glanced at the crowd around them. "I feel I've been gone for years- it seems as if I've missed entire lifetimes worth of gossip. And I'm terribly disappointed not to hear some dreadful rumor about my own disappearance. Couldn't anyone at least have whispered I was dying of some foreign plague?"

[Cassandra Brynn Rivers]

"You look ridiculous," Olivia said, her eyebrows arched in that telling 'I'm furious' angle. She even had the crease in the center of her forehead. So rare for the usually laid-back woman. "They'll spot it right away. You look so small."

"Well I can't pad it," she grunted out. "It's far too dangerous that way. Besides... it's an advantage, is it not? My target is much bigger."

"You're going to get yourself killed. Don't forget who your lord is here."

"And don't forget who you serve," Cassandra warned.

"Did you get everything right?" Olivia asked, stepping forward to appraise her. "When Lord Castell discovers this, and he will, remember that I had nothing to do with this."

"You didn't."

Helm now in place and with no hope of anybody seeing any part of her that would give away her true identity, she rode out to where the match was being held. She'd given a convincing story to the Castells about how she was feeling ill and would not be able to attend the tournament herself, but to please give her favor to Sir Rinaldo. It was such a chore keeping up with the appearance, and should she happen to do well, it'd be a hard lie. She'd have to beat all of them back to the castle, get back into her sleeping clothes, and pretend to have spent the entire day expelling her insides into the nearest chamber pot.

[Rhiannon Severne]

Rhiannon paused. She didn't know yet, she still didn't know. It had been too soon, she had only found out the day before and here he was, asking for her favor.

She looked down at the floor of the Severne box, not knowing what to say. She still barely knew the boy, after all, nothing had changed that. "I - No decision has been made." She tried to say, only to him, it was frightening at this juncture to have the whole stadium looking at her. But their box was secure enough that no one else should hear her words except Darryn. Better not to tell the boy the she had the decision in her hands, at least then she could avoid scorn if it did not work out. Scorn or something worse.... "We are not betrothed..." She didn't want to say no outright, she intended to give him a shot just like she told Theo she would. But she didn't want him getting the wrong idea about this. She wasn't just going to fall into his arms because he said she was pretty. She was far to wizened for that now.

[Eli Ainsley]

Eli wiped his face clean of sweat with the back of his hand, still sitting atop his mount. His helmet was resting on his lap, and his horse was prancing in excitement from the day as Eli's gaze cast out over the arena. He had done well that day; exceptionally well. And it was hard not to take pride in that fact, as Eli loved to win. But more importantly, this was a change of pace for him, being off the island and enjoying participating in all these social events. Well, it was more for Province Lords to boast over the talent of their champions or bannermen, but still. When he heard of the joust, it was no question in Eli's mind that he would participate, representing House Letalis.

Glancing up into the stands, Eli scanned the crowd for the noble boxes. He had watched earlier as many a young man went forth to ask for the favor of the various noblewomen (and not often getting the reception they imagined.) Eli's thoughts were disrupted by the blowing of the horn, signal for the next round of jousts to assemble and wait in line.

Well, perhaps it was the appropriate thing to do. Eli didn't want to seem smug.

Eli put his horse into pace towards the Letalis box, clicking his tongue softly to signal her stop when they reached their destination. His helmet still removed, Eli placed one hand over his heart, glancing up into the seats. Lady Regina was present, seated next to a rather beautiful woman he wasn't sure he'd ever seen before. She was a dark beauty with an interesting smirk. Eli nodded his head in her direction, giving her a quick wink before returning his attention to Regina.

"Lady Regina," he spoke, his deep voice reverberating through their spectator box, jovial but respectful, "I have been sporting very well, today, and with the assurance of my skill at the joust, I would ask for your favor as I enter my next round. Any man would be honored by your blessing, but none more so than I."

[Hadwyn Curtenay]

Hadwyn was ridiculously pleased with himself today. He loved nothing more than a good competition, and here was two full days of it! He'd gone ahead and signed himself up for everything. Really, what did he have to lose? Well, a few competitions, but he certainly wasn't planning on doing that.

In this round, he was going up against Lord Tresson, who he hadn't met before. He certainly looked capable, but who knew? Everyone in this final round had dispatched with many a knight and Lord on their way up. Hadwyn was confident in his skill, at least in this event.

The only problem was, he had to ask for someone's favor. Now, despite the fact that he was looking, he hadn't managed to catch anyone's eye in court as of yet. Sure, he knew some of the girls from the island, but... well, not well enough, and why not just ask his sister? It'd be easier.

So he went dramatically over to where House Leiham was placed in the bleachers. His sister was covered completely by a parasol, but she smiled when she saw him approach.

"Lady Leiham, may I have the honor of carrying your favor in this next round?"

Lorrella leaned over to him and said quietly, clearly teasing as she did so. "What, dear brother, no ladies have caught your eye?"

"They were all overshadowed by your beauty. And your belly, growing larger by the day. Shouldn't your dear husband be off practicing so that I can kick his arse in archery later on?"

"Oh we shall see about that, won't we? But," she cleared her throat, speaking a little louder so that the rest of the crowd would be able to hear if they so wished, "you are granted my favor! For now, at least."

[Evangeline Drake]

Although the Drakes had their own seating, Evangeline chose to sit with the Ashpool girls in their section for the tournament. Gabriel was either practicing or preparing to participate, and her older sister was off doing who knew what. At least, this way, she would have some company. Wedged between Aurelia and the wall, Evangeline rested her elbows on the edge of the stands in front of her, letting her long arms dangle off the ledge. For a moment, the young woman turned her face upwards, relishing the warmth of the sun of this particularly warm day, feeling its rays soak into her skin.

Glancing over at Aurelia, Evangeline hoped that the girl would be in a better mood today. Never really close with anyone, except perhaps Gabriel on their good days, Evangeline nevertheless spent a great deal of time in the Ashpool household, not just of late. So inevitably she struck up flimsy friendships with the numerous women who called the castle in Vadra home, and although none of them stood out as particularly fascinating people, Evangeline felt most akin with Aurelia, whom, although a little more brash than Evangeline, was pleasant and not annoying company. At least the two had shared a few laughs in their days... and more than one mischievous situation, here and there. Aurelia, out of all the sisters, was definitely the most fun.

Still, Aurelia had been in a rather bad mood for the past few days, and it wasn't hard to tell. Evangeline didn't bother to ask; that wasn't their type of relationship, and besides, if Aurelia wanted to tell her, she would. So instead, Evangeline returned her gaze to the arena and the various participants scattered about, keeping an eye out for a friend or two she had missed catching up with upon arrival.

[Loralynn Drake]

"They are worse than I could ever state! They have filthy mouths and no manners. They argued with Evelyn at the tea she hosted, intending to be clear she was not welcome in their home, when she is soon to be the lady of the House. The Severnes were never so uncouth. In fact, Fallon was so welcoming I became her sister!" Her voice betrayed a sense of shock that the Ashpool's could be so horrendous, but clearly she'd expected it. "The only one worth talking to is Sommara, although I can't speak for their cousins, as they weren't on the tour. Sommara at least acts polite. I think she might be shy a few brains, but at least she speaks sweetly. The rest I advise you to avoid."

The conversation flowed so easily with Regina! Loralynn smiled at the thought of a southern summer, until the realization of her future struck her. "My lord cousin has been so kind to offer my hand to Lord Gabriel Drake. Note the thrill in my voice. That man has even far fewer manners. I am beginning to believe the entire province of Sanka is nothing but uncultured swine."

She could have gone on, but just then a man didn't know rode up to speak to Regina.

[Darryn Etny]

Darryn could only smile. "My lady, I requested your hand yesterday. Today I'm only asking for a token of good luck. I would ride far better in this match if you would but grant me this small favor." So Theodoric had told Rhiannon at least of his request. He wasn't sure how the province lord would go about deciding an answer. Darryn knew he'd come early, but his brother was depending on him to succeed. He could only imagine how many more fights Toryn and Yaryn had had over the fate of Rosalind.

He gazed up at her waiting. If she denied him, those around her would know; the others sharing the Severne box. His Lord Theodoric Severne and his lady wife, along with the soon to be queen, Fallon Severne. His would be the embarrassment, but he supposed to ask was worth the risk. At least Rhiannon could see that he was willing to try.

[Aurelia Whitstone]

Aurelia was only here because she had to be. Matthias was riding in the jousts, and had done well enough to make the top sixteen. She loathed the thought of watching him go again and again, yet if he lost he might return to their box and she'd have to sit beside him. If he won, he did it for Evelyn Castell. Aurelia couldn't help but glance over to the Castell box, daggers flashing in her eyes as she looked upon the newest object of Matthias' affection. She still couldn't understand the change in him. He'd gone from professing his love to proposing to Evelyn. Aurelia had decided that night was only for his amusement, the fire in his eyes the results of acting like none she'd ever seen.

She pulled her eyes back to her own box. Evangeline was sitting on one side of her, Lyneth to the other. "Boys and their toys," she muttered, waving at hand toward the lanes. She'd been too angry to carry on much of a conversation, even with two women who's presence was actually enjoyable. "Really, are you two enjoying these matches at all? I'd rather sneak away and fine a bottle of wine and a basket of bread, then watch another lance splinter across another knight's chest." Unless... maybe Matthias would be unhorsed? Oh, how she'd love to see that!

[Stevon Tresson]

Find a woman and ask for her favor!

Jaxon had been clear on his orders. But Stevon hardly knew anyone in the crowds and he doubted his brother would be happy if Stevon ignored the command. Traditionally knights waited until after the round robins to ask for favors, once they'd secured their seeding in the final sixteen bracket. Stevon had been dreading the moment. He'd half given thought to losing enough matches not to score enough points to place in the top sixteen. But his knightly pride was too strong and in the end, he'd unhorsed many opponents even at his young age.


He looked out over the crowds that rose on both sides of the tilt. There were boxes for the high lords and bleachers filled with people he didn't know. As his eyes scanned over the blur of faces, one thought came to mind. He could ask Rowan! She'd been nice to him a few days before, and surely asking her would satisfy Jaxon. He urged his horse forward toward her, pulling up just beneath their box. "Lady Rowan," Stevon called out, lifting his helm so she could see her face. "This is my first tournament, and I.. I hoped. Well, I thought you might grant me your favor."

[Lyneth Ashpool]

Lyneth frowned. It was getting terribly boring. All day jousting, then tomorrow, nearly the day filled with the sword competitions and the archery finals. If only she could afford to sneak away, but no, they were the hosts here, it wouldn't be proper. And then, worst of all, the wedding the day after that - ugh. What a spectacle that would be. She still could not believe with the tragedy that had occurred, they still had to be stuck with Evelyn Castell. She saw Aurelia glance over at the Castell box, and it pained her.

"I wonder what must go on in men's brains that they are entertained by such things," Lyneth pondered in response. Surely not a lot. She fanned herself with the fan she had brought, it was certainly warm that day. "At least outdoors we can be somewhat cooler. Without the canopy I surely would have fainted already." She looked out towards the bleachers. How terrible it must be down there.

[Rex]

Rex merely rolled his eyes, watching Eli ask for Regina's favor. By the gods, he had to bite his tongue to keep from outright laughing. Eli was close to home and he knew Regina wouldn't deny him the favor. He was, after all, a trusted and devoted knight of House Letalis and a good man, as far as Rex was concerned. And not very many men fell into that category.

"Lord Castell did what?" Rex asked, leaning back to see past Regina, who sat between himself and Loralynn. Drake? The man from the feast that one night? Rex near about laughed again. By the gods, it was so very entertaining!

[Cesar Ayala]

The day was sweltering, but for a citizen of the south the heat was nothing unaccustomed. Cesar felt no more discomfort than he would have back home in Chrysa. He was thoroughly enjoying himself and had more than a faint hope he might actually emerge the victor at the end of the day. The first of his tilts had seen him easily unseating his opponents and he was readying himself now for another, this time against some knight of House Lennox, Sir Taywin Bard. A man unknown to him, beyond the image seen through Cesar’s visor as he assessed the knight just now bringing his steed into the lane. Cesar gripped his lance, making a minute adjustment to its angle and assuring himself it was secured in its cradle.

Concentrating on his approach, Cesar did not at this moment spare a thought for his wife and son who were even now in all probability leaning forward in their seats in the Castell box. Earlier, he had deposited a very unhappy Felix into Mags’s lap, smiling at his son’s protests. Felix would much have preferred to stay with Cesar all day, and the squires and grooms who were attending to his two chargers and endless amounts of equipment. Mags might have enjoyed it better as well. She hadn’t seemed exactly thrilled that Cesar had brought the boy with him to Vadra. But his own father had started requiring Cesar to attend court functions at an even earlier age. It was high time his heir began learning how to behave properly amongst his peers. The chance to see a tournament had the child in a slightly hyper state – his enthusiasm, even his stubbornness, had made Cesar laugh. His place, though, was in their liege’s box , representing House Ayala along with his mother, as Cesar was representing it on the field of honor.

The flag was dropped and Cesar’s horse moved forward at the slightest of urging from his legs. The warm blooded charger was lighter, faster than some of the cold bloods the other competitors were riding. It was not so much a conscious choice of speed over strength, but more an outcome of the heat of Chrysa. The lighter horse fared better in the semi-arid environment. The chestnut stallion leapt forward and knew its job well. Carrying Cesar at increasing speed towards Sir Bard, its instincts for where he wanted it to place him, along with subtle cues from is legs, guiding it. Cesar tightened his grip on the lance and prepared for the coming impact.

With a resounding crash that reverberated through the lists, they met, the tip of Cesar’s lance connecting dead on with the armor over Sir Bard’s chest. The knight’s lance was not as well placed, striking Cesar in the area between the chest and shoulder and sliding off onto his left arm. The adrenalin pumping through his body was enough for the inevitable pain from the hit to be held at bay for the moment and Cesar maintained his forward momentum, holding his lance true. Sir Bard went flying, his arms at an almost ridiculous angle to his body, looking like some huge, awkward silver bird. A great thud announced his introduction to the iron hard ground beneath them. As he continued to move past where his opponent he landed, the knight fell out of Cesar’s restricted line of vision. His horse of its own accord began to slow and by the time they had reached approximately the spot where Sir Bard had started his charge, it ambled to a stop. Cesar let the lance rest easily in its cradle, picked up the reins, turned his horse and removed his helmet. His wife’s brightly colored scarf fluttered from its crest as it sat in his lap. He lokked to the Castell box and lifted a hand in salute, smiling to see Felix hopping up and down and apparently yelling his head off.

[Magdalena Ayala]

What a boring afternoon, Magdalena thought. She hated nothing more than these tournaments, it seemed endless. And tomorrow, she'd have to do the same thing. At least they got asked by the Castells to sit in their box, with the canopy. After spending most of the tournament trying to calm Felix down (she was glad to see her son again, but really, it would have suited her far better if he had stayed in the room today - this was no place for a child), she finally laid back, closed her eyes, sighed and left Teoda to the task. Thank goodness she and Teoda had always gotten along. She understood. Magdalena supposed Cesar was similar as a child.

Teoda was on the end, Felix was in between them, and the Castells were all to Magdalena's other side. Maybe now she could actually get some adult conversation in. Ugh. Oh, wait, Cesar had won. Felix was yelling his head off. Magdalena got up and clapped, cheering herself. At least if Cesar won, it might not be a totally worthless afternoon. She sat back down, as the next group lined up, now, finally, ready for conversation.

[Regina Ambrosios]

She shook her head in mute disapproval as Loralynn railed against the Ashpools. "Well then I suppose that means I shouldn't expect an invitation to tea anytime soon. Island scum and all that- if they're going to hate Evelyn Castell... heavens." Though she laughed softly at the mention of Sommara. She had a distant memory of the girl- they'd met in passing a couple times and she shared Loralynn's view.

But news of Loralynn's hand being offered quite outranked the gossip about the Ashpools. "Lord... who?" Loralynn's words regarding her intended brought to mind dreadful pictures of her own late husband, but before she could ask more she caught sight of Eli Ainsley riding toward the Letalis box and had a moment of confusion that stopped a further reply to Loralynn. Did the knight want to talk to Rex about some point of rules?

She caught Eli's wink at Loralynn, and grinned wickedly at her friend before turning a warm smile to Eli, which stayed in place as he made his request, although her thoughts were racing. Drat it, she hadn't expected to be asked for a favor, and she hadn't even thought to tuck a spare kerchief anywhere, and it was too warm to wear gloves. And of course, it was one of the Ainsleys offering, so there was no way she could refuse without feeling guilty for weeks... Improvising, she untied her lower left sleeve which was richly embroidered in the Letalis colors, and stood to offer it to the knight.

"Sir Eli, your prowess and chivalry have as always been above reproach," she said in ceremonial but affectionate tones as she held out the sleeve, "and I would be most honored if one so gracious would wear my favor this day. You are the greatest knight in my brother's province, and I pray your deserving skill may yet be celebrated by all the realm."

It was fun, wasn't it? Pretty speeches and gestures. Rex was going to torture her with this for weeks, but she couldn't help enjoying it.

[Rhiannon Severne]

She looked down at him. He seemed to understand, and it would be horribly embarrassing for him if she were to refuse. She felt the eyes of Theo, Marilynn and Fallon on her, and him.

"Well, I suppose if you understand that..." She handed him the kerchief that it was customary for women to bring to these events, even though she wasn't expecting anyone to ask for her favor. It wasn't like she had anyone else to root for, right?

[Jaxon Tresson]

It was the fourth joust of the backet, between himself and Hadwyn Curtenay. His foe was nearly half his age, but Jaxon had the experience. He'd been dominating the lists that afternoon with ease, given his twenty years of participating in tournaments. Hadwyn did not scare him, although he'd watched a few of the man's matches. The youth was clearly skilled, but Jaxon was sure he could find a weakness.

His squire handed him his lance and he adjusted it for proper balance. His horse was already impatient to run, and Jaxon was eager as well. At the signal he pushed his horse hard, the stallion pounding down the lists. He lowered his lance and aimed for the chest, going for a safe target for the first pass. Hadwyn appeared to be using a similar strategy, but Jaxon's lance hit the target square on, while Hadwyn's missed over his right shoulder. His lance splintered into a thousand satisfying pieces. He might be old, but he was more than ready to take on this youth.

He dropped the remains of the lance and waited for his squire to hand him another, as he turned his horse around to face his opponent for the next pass.

[Hadwyn Curtenay]

It was a five pass match, so in this case, slow and steady would win it. One point was not that much to overcome. So he bunkered down, taking a similar strategy as the first for the second. Except this time, he planned on hitting. And yes, he did, and Jaxon missed over his shoulder.

Good. All tied up, the match starts anew. This time, he'd aim for the shoulder again - the sort of hit that either gets a point, or, if he's lucky, unhorses Lord Tresson. He could always miss entirely, but he was feeling better about his prospects now. He wasn't going to make the same mistake twice. He hit on this one, but Jaxon stayed true on his horse. Oh well, there was always the next round.

[Darryn Etny]

Darryn reached for the handkerchief and tucked it inside of his armor. "My Lady, I will win this match for you with honor for House Severne." He flashed her one last smile and then turned his horse back to his end of the tilt. Lord Andrew Darsling was on the other end, accepting his lance from his squire, and Darryn quickly did the same.

The horn was sounded and he pounded forward, moving his lance into place, but both man managed to dodge the blows and neither scored a hit. Darryn wheeled around and wasted no time turning to head down the lists again. They would go five times and he wanted more than to unhorse this man for Rhiannon. He lowered his lance and aimed straight for the head and missed for a second time. Andrew's lance glanced off his shoulder but did not break, and both men still had no points. Three rounds to go, plenty of time to slam his lance into the man chest. There was little time to wait, and he urged his horse immediately forward again.

[Rowan Shadowmere]

Rowan had been sitting in the Ashpool box with her cousins and the Drake girls, drifting off into daydreaming. She was seated next to Lyneth, which was a decent enough space between her and Aurelia, and Rowan glanced up into the overpopulated Ashpool reserved seating. She had never realized there were so many of them. Just an entire group reflecting the sun's rays with their overabundance of golden hair.

Stevon's voice calling out to her snapped Rowan out of her reverie, and for a moment she was confused as to why he was in front of her, calling her name. After their lovely stroll the other afternoon, Rowan had been a little bit sure she'd never see him again: obviously something about her presence terrified him. But here he was, on the jousting field, looking rather handsome and.... asking for her favor?

It took all Rowan's might not to laugh, a slight blush rising instantly to warm her face. She knew the knights asked for favors, had seen it happen many times before, to her friends and cousins. She'd even been asked once before herself, at another tournament, but by Matthias, of course, extending his brotherly love. But now a real knight, a man who was actually not her older brother or relative, was before her, asking for her favor. Rowan blushed just a little bit more.

"Well, I... yes, Stevon, it would be my honor to grant you my favor as you enter this joust," she finally spoke, feeling her cousin's eyes upon her back, probably giggling at Rowan's gushing behavior. Reaching out, Rowan handed Stevon a small kerchief with the Ashpool dragon embroidered upon it, the only piece of stitching she created herself that wasn't entirely a disaster.

Her eyes were bright as she smiled at Stevon. "Don't lose it," she said, grinning from ear to ear.

[Rex]

Rex couldn't help but snicker as he watched his sister grant Eli a ... sleeve?! Seriously? Part of her sleeve? Since when did Regina come unprepared?

"Dear twin," Rex started, looking over her clothes before making an obvious effort to stop snickers. "Pirates sail the seas with but one earring in their ear. Is it customary for noblewomen to walk the land with but one sleeve on their arms?"

[Sommara Ashpool]

Sommara had been sitting up above her sisters and cousins. The sun's heat seemed to trickle beneath the canopy and she fanned herself. Damn it, there was a drop of sweat that just rolled down her perfectly rounded breast, disappearing into her cleavage. Eh, that's what she got for having her dresses modified to reveal just a bit more.

In all truth, Sommara was bored and began wishing she'd have brought something to embroider to pass the time. Jousting was so lame, and violent. She had absolutely no interest to watch two idiots try to beat each other off their horses. Sommara calling another human being an "idiot"...? That was scary.

Oooo, a knight caught her eye as he approached, coming towards Rowan, and asking for her favor. Sommara giggled and after Rowan had given her hankie, Sommara leaned in to whisper to her cousin. "Rowan! Hehehehhehe, he was cute!" she nearly squealed in her whisper.

[Lex Castell Rivers]

Lexington was in his element today. Jousting was something he loved, and something he was good at; Lars was good with the sword, Victor was excellent at inspiring and leading, and Don was a pro at being a soldier, and Lex jousted. He'd done well today, too, and was quite pleased with himself. Hell, he even had a shot to win this thing! His excitement was like that of a small boy who'd been given a puppy. He couldn't wait until his next tilt.

Sitting in the lists, he looked across to see his next target and nearly choked. His brother, who always was by his side when he was jousting, looked up questioningly. "I'll explain in a second...I have to go visit our sister, first." Turning his horse, he went to the Letalis box, eyes only on his sister.

"My dear sister, would you be so kind as to grant me your favor in this match? I promise I shall do my best to please you with my victory." He hoped she had been at least been paying a little attention to know who he was jousting next. Sure, she'd give his favor anyhow, but it'd be that much better if she knew he was up to tilt against Jean Tristan next. And oh, the pain that man would find himself in once Lex was done with him.

[Regina Ambrosios]

Regina laughed as she turned to Rex. He wasn't the only Letalis with bravado, and Regina knew the swiftest way to ridicule was to act as if you deserved it. Besides she had an answer at the ready: "It should be custom, for it is to honor a knight whose worth is dearer than that of a handkerchief. As a knight risks his life, so a lady should for his sake at the very least risk her fashion, and not some trinket easily forgotten, lest her champion should likewise prove as fleeting."

She grinned, and pitched her voice lower, so only Rex and perhaps Loralynn would hear. "Anyway, you should hope it catches on, my twin. Just think: if enough champions ask a lady for her favor she might soon be down to her chemise? You'd be a sight more fond of tourneys."

[Eli Ainsley]

Eli laughed at Regina's quick quips to silence Rex's taunts, enjoying the jeering banter between brother and sister. Of course he knew she would accept; while it would be rude not to, Eli had been watching over the safety of both heirs to the Letalis seat for so long he could barely remember, only being a few years older than the pair. While he was but a knight and they the children of the Province Lord, Eli shared a unique friendship with the two, less strict than that of lord and servant.

"My Lord, I am honored the Lady Regina wishes to bestow upon me the favor of her sleeve. I suppose she hopes I do not aim to continuing this winning streak, or else within the next few rounds she'll be hard pressed to find something else to unlace for me." Eli laughed, enjoying the bawdy humor that came with the Letalis family. They were quite an interesting group, he knew, but having basically grown up within their household made Eli appreciate the quirks of the Letalis family perhaps more than others.

"My Lady," Eli once more regarded Regina, holding her discarded sleeve up to his lips briefly as if were a treasured prize, before moving to tuck it into the breastplate of his armor, "you bless me with your favor. May many a knight see Letalis colors and be envious of my good luck charm."

With a grin, Eli donned his helmet once more and nudged his horse into pace towards the awaiting joust lines.

[Evangeline Drake]

Evangeline smiled at Aurelia and Lyneth's griping over the tournament. She herself actually rather enjoyed these sporting events; they were a change of pace, and Evangeline liked the chance of it all, the potential of greatness. You never knew who was going to win or lose.

"I think it's fun," she commented, absently watching the men assemble and saddle up their horses, various attendants running about. "Besides, look at all the eligible, attractive young men we are surrounded by, who are just dying to be bashed with wooden sticks, and face possible maiming by swords, all for our amusement. It's rather romantic in an awfully sadistic way, don't you think?"

Evangeline smiled to herself. The ladies she was chatting with were the last people she'd expect to be concerned about making matches and giving out favors. Well, she wasn't that type either. In that sense, it was perfect.

"Besides, don't you hope some dashing young knight will seek your favor, Aurelia?" Evangeline smirked, knowing her friend would be slightly enraged by such a suggestion.

[Rex]

Rex merely reclined back, glancing from Regina, to Eli and back to Regina again before rolling his eyes. They were both so full of shit that it was laughable, so that's what he did.

"Even if that were the case, dear twin," Rex started, making no attempts to hide his comments or lower his voice. "I think I'd still prefer to give a whore a couple of coppers to strip, rather than risk being beat to hell by a knight with his stick. Well, the peepshow I guess would always be free." He couldn’t help the chuckle that escaped his lips.

Nodding to Eli, Rex watched as the knight left to prepare himself for his upcoming joust. "And if Eli isn't careful, then he might find himself with a codpiece in his hand; I'd be damned if I allow my twin to be stripped down to her chemise for whoever comes asking for the sake of propriety and manners," Rex finished, before glancing back over to Loralynn.

"So, Loralynn, what's this I hear about you and Drake?" he wondered, trying not to laugh about it. By the gods, it was funny! He'd been betrothed to Princess Aurora, and Loralynn found herself with that drab Drake from the feast? Rex definitely came out on top with this deal.

[Evelyn Castell]

Evelyn was bored. Jousting wasn't something she enjoyed watching. She was sure that some felt it was entertaining, she thought it was barberic and dangerous. She was glad that Victor did not ride, but she wasn't pleased that Lex was riding. She and Matthias were pleasant and she actually was beginning to like him, not that she'd admit that the anyone.

So here she sat like a good wife to wait for his turn at the lane. Her fingers itched to be doing something other than sitting. Celeste wasn't going to carry a conversation with her and Loralynn was all the way over with Regina. She felt like pouting. Maybe she could get Ramira to come over, at least she'd be good company.

[Loralynn Drake]

[For Lex - earlier]


Loralynn looked down at her brother as he rode to her box. She only had to look at his eyes to realize there was more to his request than her simple favor. She looked down the lists toward his opponent, and her eyes widened slightly at the roses that decorated the armor of the other man. She turned back to Lex and smiled brightly, "My darling brother, I could never deny you any of my favor. Not for any man. Not only do I hope you win, but I hope you win so strongly your opponent is left a shattered and broken man." Because that is what he deserves

She looked up again, "Oh my, I didn't realize." And she lifted her hand to her chest. She was still having to pretend for Victor that she was angry about the broken betrothal, and while he was not in her box, Rex had a the biggest mouth. "Perhaps you could go easy on him, but I still wish for you win. Not even for love would I ever favor another over you, Lex." She grinned back; he knew very well what she meant by her words. "Ride well, brother."

She reached into her dress to pull out her kerchief, embroidered with the snake of Castell, and handed it to her brother

--------------

[For Regina/Rex - later]

Loralynn fought not to blush at Rex's voice. Damn that man for being around when she was having a good time with Regina. No doubt he'd puke out a repeat of her words the next time he went drinking with the other high lords. If he ever did that. Maybe he only drank with scum? Thankfully the distraction of Eli allowed the conversation to drift, and she suddenly found herself jealous of Regina's ingenious idea. Why hadn't she thought of that for Lexington? "Regina, I wish I'd thought of the idea! Truly, the rest of the girls will be yanking at their sleeves to copy you for the rest of the tourney."

And there was Rex, bringing back up Gabriel Drake. "I am but a lady of House Castell, Rex. It's my pleasure to do whatever Victor asks of me. You know we Castells put family first and fun second." She looked at him with a smile, "Unlike House Letalis."

[Aurelia Whitstone]

"It's romantic?" Aurelia laughed, "Romantic is when a man swears his undying love and then actually follows through with his promises, Eva. This is just stupid." Her voice turned mocking, "Please my sweet lady, grant me your favor so that I might not fall off the horse after the lance crashes into my chest! Oh pretty lady, will still love me if I fall?" She rolled her eyes, although truth be told, had Matthias wanted her favor she'd have gladly given it. Or would have. Before. Now, he'd just want Evelyn's.

"We should call for some more wine, Lyneth. I'll bet that after a few cups we'll just fine all their jousting funny." She turned her head as the Tresson knight, one of her many cousins, came riding up on his horse. She almost laughed when he asked Rowan for her favor. "Gag me," she whispered to Lyneth and Evangeline. "She looks like she's ready to blush herself into a cherry." Oh, her tongue was nasty today wasn't it?

[Auron Sterlyn]

Auron was seated in the Sterlyn box next to his sister Aurora. To her other side was Alrik, and around them were Ysolda and her children. He wasn't talking much, especially not to Aurora, who he still felt like ignoring after the dinner in Kybra. Not that she'd done anything wrong, but he couldn't seem to find the words. She had to know what had happened between him and Rex. Rex's face told enough of the tale that night, and Rex wasn't one to pass up the chance to make Auron look bad. She'd made no effort to speak to him either, not that he'd given her the chance.

Now his eyes were focused on Rhiannon, and the knight who was asking her favor. Did she just hand her kerchief to him? Auron felt his eyes flame at the sight of seeing her flirting with another knight. Jealousy was not a new emotion for him; but he'd never felt it in respect to Rhiannon before. In his dreams she always loved him, and he loved her, and there was no one well. Well, for her there was no one else. He was stuck with a future wife. His eyes darted over to Sommara, looking stupid in the Ashpool box. He hadn't forgiven her for the feast yet, a sure sign their marriage was to be a disaster.

He watched as the two knights began to joust. "I'm routing for the one with the deer on his shield," he said to no one in particular.

[Jaxon Tresson]

Jaxon shifted his lance, readying for the fourth pass. He'd missed twice, while his opponent had managed to connect. The second time, he'd nearly fallen from the horse, and only a last ditch grab of the reigns had saved him from the tumble. He could feel the day's rides coursing through his body. In his thirties he was still in shape, but he wasn't nearly as strong as he was in his teens. Those had been the days, when he'd won tournaments with ease, unhorsing men in the first pass without even breaking a sweat.

He wasn't even sure who he was jousting for now. He hadn't asked for a favor, not even from his wife. He hardly wanted to speak to her at all. He'd considered asking Fawna for hers, but instead, he'd just waited for Hadwyn to be ready for the competition. He wondered if Maddie even noticed.

Spurring the horse forward, he ran hard at Hadwyn. This time his lance shattered. "A point for Lord Tresson!" The herald called. Jaxon quickly switched out his shattered lance and turned for the final pass. With the score tied, it was now or never or take Hadwyn down by sword.

[Stevon Tresson]

Stevon felt his cheeks turn cherry red as he reached up to take Rowan's favor. He had the feeling Jaxon was watching, having just finished his joust. Hopefully the gesture would put off his brother for some time. Let Jaxon think Stevon was making the big effort expected of him. "I won't, my lady," he replied softly, as he tucked the kerchief beneath his armor. Now he really wanted to win, to impress her, even though five minutes ago he'd only wanted to win for himself. Something about her smile was alluring in a way he'd never felt before.

He tried to snap his mind out of it as he guided his horse to the start. At the sound of the horn, he urged Beals forward at a hard run, drawing his lance down into position. His opponent came at him hard and Stevon pulled back enough so that they both missed. As he wheeled his horse around, he found his eyes were straying towards the stands where the Ashpool box was located. Shaking his head, he tried to focus his attention back on Eli, kicking Beals into another gallop for the second pass.

[Victor Castell]

Victor watched as Cesar matched against Sir Taywin Bard of House Lennox. His banner lord made his proud as he knocked the Lennox knight from his horse. Victor resisted looking toward the Lennox box with a sneer on his face and instead nodded back to Cesar as the man gave his salute. "Lady Ayala, your husband has done well so far. If he continues to win, between Donovan and Lexington, Ovadar should emerge with the champion."

[Eli Ainsley]

Eli had thought for sure he was going to plant his lance right at Stevon's chest on the first pass but the young knight pulled back so hard that Eli gravely misjudged his aim and flew right past the boy. Stopping his steed hard at the end of the rail, Eli turned back around for a go at the second pass, a little surprised at how quickly the first one went. He had seen this young knight before, a Tresson: although young, he showed great perception and skill, but some reason today, he was a bit off. Eli didn't want to throttle the man but he hoped Tresson would get back on his mark.

Coming around for a second pass, Eli wasted no time in setting his mark, kicking the flanks of his horse to get the right momentum. Stevon wasn't prepared for the force the seasoned knight was slinging, and took a lance hard to the chest, but remaining upon his horse. The lance splintered, sending shards of wood flying through the air, littering the field like confetti. Eli beamed as he brought his horse to a trot at the opposite end of the field, raising his broken lance in momentary glory. "Broken lance, Tresson fault: one point for Sir Eli Ainsley!" the steward called out, and cheers broke out here and there, mainly loud inappropriate whoops from the Letalis box.

Coming around for a third round, Eli felt comfortable in his gait, feeling as though he had set himself in a good pace. He had rattled Stevon enough that the man would be on his guard for a long stance, but Eli changed up his grip at the last minute, setting a higher aim than before. Catching Stevon in his upper right chest, Eli counteracted the man's point of balance and sent the man teetering, precariously at the edge of his horse until his foot dislodged from the stirrups and he went falling off the side.

The cheers rose higher now, the crowd always enjoying an unhorsing, and Eli waved his broken lance once more in victory. "Stevon Tresson, unhorsed - Sir Eli Ainsley wins this match!" the steward called out, already beginning to replace the flags for the next match on the field.

Riding up to Stevon, whose steward had wrangled the loose horse and was now brushing the dirt from himself, Eli took off his helmet and stuck a gloved arm down to shake the young man's hand. "You took the hit well, young Lord," Eli stated, giving Stevon a smile, always a gracious winner. The young man was obviously a little embarrassed, and Eli could see the fluttering edge of a hanky poking out of Stevon's breastplate. "Don't worry, young man. She'll be twittering over your wounds all night. That's better than just a congratulations, don't you think?" Eli said with a laugh, giving a wink before he set off back to the lists.

Victory was sweet, and Eli made sure to set his horse in pace past the Letalis box. "For you, my Lady!" Eli called out to Regina so all could hear, pulling her discarded sleeve from his armor once more, giving it a kiss in appreciation for the "luck" she had given him.

[Regina Ambrosios]

Regina smiled as she watched Eli ride away, but Rex's comments drew an actual giggle. It would almost be worth it to see Rex hand over a codpiece... maybe a thought for when they next gave a tournament in Joqla. Their own nobles would laugh- they were much less easily shocked than these dreadful stodgy northerners.

But his words to Loralynn pulled Regina from her thoughts of home. Loralynn's reply forced her to cough to cover her laughter. "Now, Loralynn, that is too harsh. We Letalis put family well before fun- we're just rather choosy with which family that is. Otherwise there might be too much family and far too little fun."

Her attention wavered from them again as Eli's first lance missed Stevron. The next turns kept her attention close on the Ainsley knight, and whatever taunts Rex and Loralynn were exchanging remained lost to her until his victory was decided. Regina cheered along with the others in the crowds who had come from Strom. She grinned proudly as he rode past and inclined her head to acknowledge the honor, her face even being appropriately flushed with excitement.

She clapped her hands together and turned to look at both her companions with excitement glittering in her eyes. "Now, they'll certainly follow suit."

[Andrew Darsling]

Andrew was surprise, to be frank. He had not been sure what had compelled him to even attempt the joust. He knew the logistics of it well enough. But that said, it wasn't exactly his strongest of tournaments. He never considered himself one of the best. Still, it had been fun, and at times, surprising. He'd unhorsed people he felt he shouldn't have, and he'd won against people who's skill, Andrew thought, far surpassed his own. But now that they were in the finals, he had a feeling things would start looking right. At least he could count it as a personal victory that he'd made it here in the first place. That said... He still wanted to win.

He had not asked for any woman's favor. There were a few he could think of that would give it to him, but none that he felt warranted such attention. He'd rather be in and be done with it.

The first two passes against Lord Daryn Etny had both lords with no points. Turning his horse, Cloud Runner, around to face his opponent again, he readied himself and then began on the next pass. Success! He felt the tip of the lance strike against Daryn's armor, dead in the center of his chest. He had about half a second to celebrate this because Etny's lance had also struck true. Armor felt like parchment when a lance was breaking against your torso, and seeing a white flash of sky through his helm, he was thrown from his horse and landed hard on the ground.

It took him a moment to realize what had happened, and after sitting up, probably to congratulate Daryn Etny for winning, he realized that the young lord had also been thrown from his horse. Quickly, Andrew scrambled to his feet and drew his sword, cursing himself for not being a better swordsman than he was a jouster.

[Lyneth Ashpool]

Lyneth laughed, entirely unladylike. "I don't know that all the wine in the province could make this bearable."

She watched the young Tresson blushing, pulling up to Rowan. Was House Tresson already making a play to stay in Ashpool's good graces when Marie... well, everyone knew Marie was not long for this world. It was a tragedy but it would do no good to deny it. She supposed it was smart, but did Ashpool really need that bond strengthened? What was in it for them, especially after the show Lord Jaxon put on in Solbra. He wasn't in very many people's good graces now.

She whispered back to Aurelia. "You'd think she'd never seen a boy before." Lyneth was glad no knight had come for her favor. What a strange ritual. She had one, of course, she wasn't about to get one of her sleeves dirty with the sweat of men like Lady Letalis, in case something did come up, but really.

[Rhiannon Severne]

After she had given her favor to Darryn, she immediately looked towards the Sterlyn box. Wait, Auron had been watching her? Surely he didn't think that... well, she couldn't bear to tell him last night about her and Theo. Maybe she should have?

She could barely pay attention to the match between Etny and Darsling from worrying and glancing over at Auron. This was silly. Eventually she had to move on, even if it was only when she had to watch him share the oil with Sommara.

[Donovan Castell]

"Something doesn't feel right," Donovan said, shifting on the saddle.

"My Lord, we've checked and double checked everything."

"Perhaps you might check again?"

"Of course, my Lord," the servant said, walking up to the horse as Donovan dismounted for the second time. He took off his helm and held it under his arm, looking down the other end where Matthias was waiting for the match between them to begin. He had the pleasure of watching the newest lord of Sanka joust earlier, and he had to say, he was impressed. Not intimidated, of course. Donovan had every confidence in his ability to emerge victorious here... Granted he didn't die of old age waiting for his servant to secure everything a third time.

"My lord," he said again. "It's ready."

Without a word, he set the helm back on his head, mounted and adjusted himself. Something still felt off. What was wrong here? Well, it could be that it was just a different horse. He'd lost one he used quite frequently during the buffalo hunt, and the other he used predominantly was still sluggish from a previous illness. He would just attribute it to that. Reaching for the lance, he positioned himself and waited for the signal to head towards his opponent.

He pressed his horse to run, aiming his lance carefully, setting his legs around the powerful beast just in case he did take the hit. But as he did that, he felt himself begin to list to the left. What was this? He tried to right himself, pushing harder with his right leg, but the saddle kept slipping down to the left. The damn servant hadn't secured the saddle properly! Gripping the reigns tighter, he lost the tight grip on his lance, lowering it without meaning to. Having a hard enough time staying on the horse, the saddle continuing to slip, he felt the hard blow of Lord Ashpool's lance against his shoulder. It wouldn't have taken much to unhorse him at that point, but the hit was hard and strong (as if it'd be anything else) and he was not only knocked off of his steed, but was knocked straight back onto the post that separated the two riders.

Donovan had never been unhorsed before. Not for any reason. Today, that should have only been a point. He would have conceded that much. But as he looked up at the saddle that now sat sideways against the horse and the loose buckle on the other side, he knew exactly who to blame for this... and it was not Matthias. He was sure that after he saw what had happened himself, he wouldn't feel pleased with the victory either.

"My lord! My lord!" the servants shouted, all running up to help him up.

Donovan quickly stood, taking off his helm and then located the servant who had assured him everything was fine. Without thinking, he lifted his hand and backhanded him across his face. "Don't help him up!" he snapped at the other servants. Walking through them, he went towards Lord Matthias, reaching him at last and saying, "Congratulations on your victory, Lord Ashpool."

[Larson Castell]

Larson stood with his brothers lance, leaning against the fence, waiting for him to return with his full attention. This joust was going to be insane and of course he was always at his brother's side for any and all situations that had to do with spilling blood. He'd introduce his brother, of course that was also on his mental check list but there was something he'd been missing, it was of his own.

Bah .. whatever! What's taking Lex so long?!

[Matthias Ashpool]

Matthias had been annihilating in the joust up until this moment. Annihilating, and he viewed it as such because it was helping him get out all the pent up rage and frustration of the past few weeks. With the lance in his hand, Matthias aimed to puncture the armor of every knight against him, pretending it was Aurelia, or Raine, or stupid Jarvis for dying, or Evelyn. It was good to release so much tension.

All the men before had been easy pickings, but coming up against Donovan was going to be a treat. Here was some real competition, a man who could hold his own, give Matthias a run for his money, and perhaps good enough to send the lance right through Matthias' chest and end his misery.

Instead, with one measly blow, Donovan was down. It didn't make any sense. As soon as he reached the end of the rail, instead of celebrating with the rest of the Ashpool cheering section, Matthias slid of his horse in one deft move, letting the retainers take care of his horse. He instantly set off in the opposite direction towards Donovan, his angry gait being matched by the other man's pace towards him.

Shaking the man's hand, Matthias gave Donovan a quizzical look. "Thank you, but we both know it was a fruitless victory. Damn it, what happened?" Matthias demanded, looking at Donovan's angry face and then back at the stewards, seeing the retainer holding his face and the lopsided saddle to realize it was a functional error. "Damn it," Matthias muttered, giving Donovan a curt nod before setting off back towards his horse. Neither loser nor victor felt good about that match.

[Hadwyn Curtenay]

Hadwyn didn't expect it to get tied up that easily. It's good that this wasn't just going to be boring though, but he'd hate to have it go to sword. He was good with a sword, but there were other rounds to preserve stamina for. Best to just get this over with.

He rode out, going for a dehorsing, but not getting one. His lance shattered, and he didn't think Jaxon got a hit. After the round, he looked up at the scorekeeper. Yes! He was correct, and had won the match. He looked up to see his sister cheering him on and waving, and he waved back at her.

[Stevon Tresson]

As he turned his horse around for the last pass, his eyes once again landed on the Ashpool box. Was Rowan watching him? Was she rooting him on? He thought about the favor close to his heart and that strange butterfly feeling hit his stomach again. Before he realized it, his horse was around galloping forward, but without the push that Stevon normally gave the steed. He didn't have time to adjust his lance and Eli's hit him square in this shoulder. He toppled from his horse, hitting the dirt hard with his back. He felt shaken, but more embarassed. What would Lady Rowan think of her knight now? She was probably laughing at him. Maybe they all were. He'd clearly been distracted, his attention away from the match.

He shook Eli's hand and blushed at the other knight's words. At least his helmet was still on to cover the coloring of his face! Pushing himself up, he responded in kind. "You're good. I hope we get to match again some day." Many days, if he had the option. This was his first tourney, and he had to admit that even though he'd lost, he'd still enjoyed it. Walking instead of riding, he headed back to the Ashpool box. "Thank you Lady Rowan... for your favor." Did he just hand it back now? He pulled out the kerchief and held it up to where she sat, hoping she could not see his cheeks through his still down visor.

[Darryn Etny]

Darryn cursed to himself as he tumbled from his horse, flipping in the air to land on his stomach. His vision was blurred by the dust around him, kicked up as his horse galloped down the lists. When the herald called out that he'd been unhorsed he shook his head disappointed. "Darryn Etny - unhorsed! Andrew Darsling - unhorsed! The match continues on foot with sword!"

Darryn was on his feet in a second's notice. Andrew had already done the same and both of their squires rushed out to hand them weapons. The two men went back and forth as the sounds of steel on steel rung through the stands. Forward and back, left and right, the two men danced the timeless dance of offense and defense. Darryn drove in hard, trying to knock Andrew off balance, but the man was skilled and blocked his attacked with a good parry. He tried to fake high and aim low, then repeated and reversed, but nothing seemed to work. Equally, he was effective as repelling andrew's attempts at offense. Darryn dodged and danced and moved with speed, and no matter how many time Andrew swiped at him, the other lord couldn't land a blow.

And then just like that it was over. Darryn swung in at the right angle and Andrew's sword went reeling from his hand. It flew through the air and before it landed Darryn's sword was at Andrew's throat. "Yield."

[Andrew Darsling]

Andrew cursed as he watched his blade fly out of his hands. He was half tempted to roll away, diving to go get it, but it was clear who the better swordsman here was. Taking off his helmet, he blew the long strands of hair out of his face and sighed. "Fine..." Probably not the best way to say that he yielded, but he was sure Darryn wouldn't care. He finished off with a smile and said, "Good thing I didn't ask for anybody's favor, eh? She'd be real pissed right now, wouldn't she? Anyway, congratulations on your win, my lord. You fought well and the better competitor definitely took away this victory."

With that, he bowed slightly and then turned away, handing his helm to some of his men and going towards his horse. Maybe he didn't win, but he didn't lose at the swords right away either. That was something that he could take to bed with him tonight as he licked his wounds of defeat. With any luck, maybe he could find a woman to help him lick those wounds, too.

[Cassandra Brynn Rivers]

Cassie could not deny the thrill she felt when her 'name' was announced. Who was her competitor? Oh, she didn't care. All that matter was that he was big and could probably break her in two pieces if he tried. He'd be trying. Gods, he'd better be trying or she wouldn't feel right about beating him. In her mind that was an inevitability. Losing was never an option. Olive had stayed back. If she'd shown up, Victor would recognize her, maybe... if the man took to looking at servants ever, and then he might start looking around for Cassandra. Last thing she needed was for him to put the pieces together just now.

She waited, assessing her opponent, trying to find his points of weakness. He was probably doing the same to her now. After being handed her lance, she approached and then rode hard towards him, setting it out to hit him square on his head. His own lance hit her side, but glanced off without breaking. The second pass had yielded no broken lances. Her own had struck but had not broken and his passed right by her side. No doubt he was having trouble hitting such a small target. The third hit her in the chest, narrowing her lead by only a point. The fourth had her getting hit in the chest again, tying the two competitors, and the fifth round was without points.

"Sir Cassius Rinaldo - two points! Sir Robert Loxely - two points! The match continues on foot with sword!"

Cassie dismounted and reached out for her sword. She felt a lot more confident with a blade than on a horse so she had no doubt that this match was hers. But he came swinging, forcing her to jump out of the way. He was a slow man, but getting hit by any of his blows would prove ruinous to her winning streak. She parried one of his blows and felt the reverberation go all the way up her arm. Ducking under another heavy swing, she saw the opportunity to strike the flat of his blade, and with a might swing, she broke his steel into pieces.

Holding the blade up threateningly, she didn't necessarily demand that he yield, but the intent was clear. He obliged, but not so happily. After the exchange of pleasantries and congratulations, she returned to her horse feeling extra giddy. She'd just defeated a knight in a joust. How many women could say that?

[Rowan Shadowmere]

Rowan glared at her cousins for their snide remarks. "Oh, stop it," she snapped, watching Stevon ride away at the corner of her eye. "It's like you can't open your mouths without being negative."

She stood at the edge of the rail watching the match, her hands resting lightly on the bar. Rowan wasn't worried she was blocking anyone's view; none of her cousins really cared about the joust, all absorbed in their own secretive conversations, and Evangeline was at the opposite end, the only one flitting between conversation and watching. Rowan felt a strange momentary twinge of worry as she watched Stevon be unhorsed, and felt suddenly very sad as he made his way back to the Ashpool box.

"... Keep it," Rowan stammered, watching the knight hold out her handkerchief, as if offering to give it back, not even bothering to show his face. "You will be in the archery competition tomorrow, will you not? Perhaps it will serve you more luck then."

Rowan paused before continuing, her voice now small and mousy. "Unless of course... you want to give it back."

[Lex Castell Rivers]

Lexington bowed to his sister, tucking the offered kerchief into his breastplate. "My dear sister, I shall do my best to both honor you with victory and do what is right by your heart." With that he hurried back to where his brother and horse were waiting, mounting immediately with fire in his eyes. "Lars," he said, leaning down when his brother brought him his lance, "I'm going to obliterate this man. Lora was supposed to marry him, remember? The story is not mine to tell, not here, but he wronged her in such a way that he will be lucky if I don't kill him."

The look in his eyes spoke volumes of his sincerity; Lex looked ready to kill. He put his helmet on, adjusting this or that strap, and then took his lance and signaled that he was ready. The flag fell, and Lex immediately kicked his horse into a gallop, his lance finding the cradle with perfect ease. He aimed for the dead center of his breastplate, but at the very last second drew the lance downward. The lance exploded, but not after impacting Jean Tristan with an incredibly solid blow. It was low enough to not knock him off his horse, but it didn't glance to either side, either, so the full force that could be imparted was driven into his stomach.

At the other end Lex tossed aside the broken lance and took a fresh one, planning his next move. The flag fell again, and Lex aimed for much the same location; with luck, his lance would hit the same place, worsening any pain that was to be felt from the first. He nearly succeeded; Jean Tristan landed a blow to his shoulder, driving his own lance up a little. It was still a successful hit; Jean Tristan's lance didn't even break, whereas Lexington's shattered once more.

This third tilt was it. He looked to Loralynn, and would have winked at her if she would have been able to see. "Bring out the medics," he said to Larson, a wicked if unseen grin on his face. The flag fell, and Lex drove for all he was worth, putting as much power into this last hit as he possibly could. He lunged forward as the lances were to impact, landing a hit first and sending Jean Tristan flying from his horse. Lexington's lance shattered, showering powdered wood over the prone form of Loralynn's former lover.

The moment Lex arrived at the end of the lane, he dismounted and went over to his opponent, taking his helmet off as he went. Tossing it to the side, Lex leaned down so he could be heard over the cries of the crowd. "You're lucky you're not dead, you useless sack of flesh. If you ever try to back stab a Castell again, I promise you I'll make you pay with your flesh."

Standing, he beckoned the men from both sides, shouting that Jean Tristan needed a medic. And it wasn't a lie; the man's leg was twisted at a sick angle. He would be lucky if he didn't walk with a limp for the rest of his life.

[Cesar Ayala]

Cesar had been gratified to see Victor Castell’s acknowledgment of his win. Now, as he prepared for the next tilt, riding out once more onto the list, he looked briefly at the Castell box. Felix was standing on his seat, at peril of tumbling right out of the bleachers. Cesar shook his head with a frown and made a downward motion with his finger, clearly telling the boy to sit down. Felix obeyed and waved like some crazy windmill gone amuck, a huge grin plastered on his face. Cesar smiled back, saluted his wife and his Lord with a nod of his head and gave his son a thumb’s up. Donning his helm, he could hear Felix’s shrill yells of “Ayala! Ayala!” even over the noise of the crowd.

Final adjustments made, Cesar clucked to his stallion and jogged to his end of the list, awaiting the signal to go. Focused now only on himself, his horse and his opponent, he looked straight ahead, his field of vision restricted to the small opening in his helmet. The flag dropped and he urged his horse forward. Hadwyn Curtenay did that same. At approximately the halfway point between them, both lances made contact with their targets. Cesar’s was misplaced though and only struck a glancing blow off of Curtenay’s shoulder. Hadwyn’s, on the other hand, caught Cesar full on the chest and splintered like match wood.

Damn! Cesar cursed inwardly as he drew his horse back down to a walk, then wheeled around to face back down the way he had just come. He waited while Curtenay’s men brought him a new lance. Moving into place again, Cesar made a more careful assessment of this young lord. Curtenay had skill, there was no question about that.

[Larson Castell]

Larson's eyes widened as he looked back, finally understanding why he knew that man's name and why he felt like he was missing something. He was going to marry Loralynn, but after the slapping of Celeste that was no longer possible. He felt like after he heard the story from his sister, and he would, that everything could connect.

He cheered Lex on from behind, running along the fence to watch the full contacts. Lex's aim was true, and he was aiming for a real win. "Brilliant!" Larson shouted after the first lance shattered, delivering his brother a new one. He cheered on the next round and at the third he literally jumped up and cheered for his brother as he watched Jean fly off the back of his mount.

He shouted for a medic, pretending like he was worried, and then ran up to Lex. "That was so awesome, I think I have a chubby!" He shouted as he gave his brother a pat on the back.

[Jayce]

A hand fell lightly on Evangeline’s shoulder. “I see you deserted us to sit in the ‘beautiful people’ box.” Her cousin Jayce, dropped into the seat behind her. “I don’t blame you.” He said with a smile. “I would too, but I’m not beautiful enough.”

Leaning forward, he said in her ear, “I saw my little brother-in-law over here asking for Rowan’s favor. Is he sweet on her? Fawna sent me over to ask.”

In a louder voice, he added, “Stevon did well for his first time out. His bad luck that he was up against such an experienced man. I’m sure he did his best though, considering he was carrying some lovely young lady’s favor.”

He raised an eyebrow, wondering if Rowan Ashpool would rise to his bait

[Falmek Severne]

Falmek had done surprisingly well throughout the jousting competition, despite having very little practice in the sport. He wasn't nearly as excited about jousting as the other competitions, but in light of evening out the brackets his presence was requested. And somehow his general training was paying off; he was able to make it this far, after all.

He was now paired up against a member of House Drake, and at this stage of the competition a lot more people were paying attention. The time had come when his name was called out in opposition to a Sir Argon Lloyd, and he rode out into the arena on his steed. The mount was assigned to him at the last minute, but it seemed to have taken enough of a liking to him that it obeyed his commands.

Falmek looked out into the audience as his name was called, humbly accepting their applause. As his eyes focused on the faces of each audience member, he noticed that Aurelia was somewhere in the midst of the crowd. At this he smiled gently; he at least had some knowledge of her lack of interest in the competition, and yet she was still here. It brought him some comfort; Argon Lloyd was to be his toughest opponent yet, and in her he now found some sense of inspiration.

He called out to the audience before the match started something that not many probably expected to hear. "Lady Aurelia! Perhaps you would be willing to grace me with your favor before this match?"

[Evangeline Drake]

Evangeline jumped slightly at Jayce's touch, but upon hearing his voice, she instantly relaxed. "Jayce," she said, her voice warm and cheerful. "I know, I wandered away from our seating. What can I say? I'm just too pretty for the Drake family now; it just feels right in the Ashpool box." She grinned up at him, joking around with her favorite cousin.

Upon the mention of Rowan, Evangeline glanced over at the younger girl, who was still all flustered about Stevon. "I'm not sure," she spoke, keeping her voice low. "They both seemed to be blushing to high heavens over just speaking to one another... but then again you know Rowan is the baby of the family. She's a little innocent. I think it's pretty clear she is sweet on him."

Rowan had heard Jayce clearly, and the girl's face was still flushed as she glanced over, still smiling from ear to ear. "I think he did rather well, all things considered..." she murmured, knowing Jacye was not picking on her, unlike Aurelia and Lyneth tended to do.

Evangeline smiled. Although she tended to be more a member of the bitter party sitting immediately beside her, she could appreciate Rowan's young giddiness at Stevon's obvious admiration. She couldn't say she ever felt the same way, but still. Evangeline didn't wish to rain on anyone's parade.

"Come stay with us, Jayce," Evangeline spoke, looking up again at her cousin, resting her hand upon his. "But go get Fawna. She'll be lonely in our section." While the Drakes were few to begin with, those that remained didn't always have the best relationships. Jacye was close with his cousins, and they all enjoyed his wife's presence, but they would be awkward in their own section. Whomever was around often wandered into someone elses life, like Evangeline had.

[Jayce]

Taking Eva's hand in his , Jayce gave it a little squeeze. "I'll go fetch her in a few minutes. She said she might go back to our rooms, though, and lie down. The baby, you know." Jayce made a vague gesture at his stomach, indicating his wife's pregnancy. He knew the heat was making her even more uncomfortable, and sitting watching the jousts now that her brothers were out of the competition was not such a draw for her. Or that was what he assumed. Fawna was being a bit quiet today.

He made a melodramatic gesture of putting his finger to his lips. "Shhh! Maybe if no-one sees my face, I won't get thrown out of the beautiful people box."

[Aurelia Whitstone]

Amalthia help her. She's just made fun of Rowan for her little favor to Stevon, only to have Falmek come ask for hers immediately after. Well, she wouldn't embarrass the knight, especially considering who else might be watching. "Of course, Sir Falmek, I'll grant you my favor." Instead of a kerchief like everyone else (because Aurelia didn't go for embroidery), she shimmied up her skirt and gripped the garter on her left leg. Made of Ysindal lace in the emerald green of House Ashpool, she'd worn the matching set only because her stockings tended to slip down in the heat. "For you, my knight, the most lovely of any favor. Take it ride knowing that I hope you win."

She kept her eyes on Falmek. She didn't care what the rest of the crowd thought of her overly brazen gesture.

[Evangeline Drake]

Evangeline laughed. "Are you kidding me, with that mug of a face? They'll notice in seconds that you don't belong here, and you'll be out on your ass. You best get going now, before they catch you!" She quickly inched away from him, in case Jayce intended to pinch her for her taunting.

"But really, I do hope Fawna is alright, and will agree to join us if she is feeling up to it. Hopefully the excitement isn't too much for her," Evangeline said, thinking of Jayce's wife. The whole idea of someone creating a new family, like Jacye and Fawna were in the process of doing, was foreign to Evangeline. She had never had experience with anyone close to her being pregnant or having children other than her own siblings.

[Falmek Severne]

Falmek smiled genuinely but nervously as Aurelia offered him her favor in the way she chose to. He tried really hard to mask the fact that he was as red as the sunset, only to fail. He took a moment to ride off to where he needed to be positioned for the joust, using the time to collect himself. He was truly young at heart in a sense; no woman had ever before shown him such a gesture in his life that he could recall, but then he'd never had the confidence or the inspiration to put himself in the position until today. He took a deep breath and felt himself relax, knowing that perhaps this was the day of a new beginning for him.

Turning to her once more, he called out. "The road to victory is assured for me, knowing that I have your favor!" With that he smiled to her and returned his attention to the upcoming competition. Even being so caught off guard, he had to maintain his focus. For the next few moments, the joust would be the only thing in his world.

Falmek dropped the visor of the helmet over his face, patiently awaiting the signal to begin. In an event like a joust, tremendous attention to detail is required. A good jouster must be sensitive to his opponent's movements and mindset. One good hit is all it takes for one man to ride victorious and one to walk away in defeat. Knowing when to strike is just as important as knowing how to do so. Many young, brash jousters would seek to go all out on the first pass; while for some experienced jousters this was a viable strategy, for most it was no different than flipping a coin. Falmek knew this was not the way to go.

The flag dropped to begin the joust, and Falmek rode forward to meet his opponent. As he and Argon approached each other, the representative of House Drake lunged at him quite swiftly, an attempted blow that Falmek barely managed to deflect. Both men were still mounted after the first pass.

He seems to be the aggressive type, but he's clearly no slouch. Argon was a tough opponent indeed, and thus Falmek had no intention of rushing the fight. Perhaps if he could manage another pass, he could get a definitive read on him and take him down. The signal was given for the second pass, and Falmek rode forward once more.

This time, Argon struck at him with the same level of ferocity, but Falmek failed to fully deflect the blow. The lance cracked and split against his armor, and in an attempt to stay on his horse he rolled his body with the force of the blow. He felt himself begin to lose balance, but by clutching the reins with his hand tightly he managed to stay on.

Falmek started to breathe heavily and urged the horse to stay calm. He chuckled a bit to himself in relief that he was still mounted. He doesn't let up, does he? He seems very persistent in striking hard and fast. After taking a moment to relax, he believed he had a winning strategy.

Argon's lance was replaced, and not long after the signal for the third pass was given. Falmek and Argon rode to the center of the lane, and as they struck at each other, Falmek positioned his lance to strike at Argon's left side. As he anticipated, Argon attempted another fierce strike, and Falmek's lance struck him in such a way that it used his momentum against him. Argon's lance barely grazed against Falmek's armor as he went tumbling to the floor.

Falmek let out a deep sigh of relief as he removed his helmet, receiving the cheers and applause of the crowd and gently bowing his head in gratitude. He had come out of this bout victorious once more, and in the back of his mind thoughts of Aurelia brought him a moment of peace in the excitement. Even if he were not to win his next round, somehow he felt that for him this day was complete.

[Nicholas Ambrosios]

He had told them he'd arrive in time, and indeed he had. Thankfully weather had been on his side and his ship anchored in the harbor the day he'd expected it to. He had lingered at the port to oversee the few belongings he'd need as they were unloaded to carriages. Great thing about coming so soon before a wedding was you got to travel light. He did not see the need to come earlier like the other lords. His Province Lord had traveled with the king and thus had represented Strom better than Nicholas ever could. Of course, Solbra would be different... He'd have to go much earlier then than he'd done this time around.

The Ashpool's servants showed them to their rooms, their sister glad to finally be off of the ship. Minerva stuck close to his side, her tiny hand gripping the bottom of his tunic as she looked around as though in awe. His brother had been opposed to letting the child travel with them, but Nicholas had insisted that she was old enough. She handled the voyage well and was actually more fascinated by the workings in and on the vessel than she was sick or whiny. That was more than he could say for his sister...

"Where is everybody?" Nicholas asked, turning to somewhat acknowledge one of the servants.

"They are all at the tournament, Lord Ambrosios."

"Oh dear," his brother said. "Your timing, as always, is impeccable."

"Nonsense... I arrived exactly when I wanted to." With a sharp about face, he turned to his servant and said, "We shall be attending this tournament. Prepare clothes for us all. This travel attire is most unacceptable."

"Will young lady Minerva be joining as well?"

"Why wouldn't she?"

"Dear brother, must we?" His sister complained. "We've only just arrived. Surely Lord Letalis will understand our absence, would he not?"

"Do not tire yourself with trying to comprehend what Lord Letalis would understand. Dress quickly and do help your niece." He knelt and with a softer, sweeter voice said to Minerva, "Go with your aunt. She'll help you so that you might be the prettiest girl at the tournament."

"Yes uncle," she said.

The disappeared into his sister's chambers and he turned to his brother. "Pity I was not aware of such a tournament. You and I would have surely excelled... And I must say, it would have been devilishly fun to knock you off of your horse."

"In dreams, brother."

===

It appeared as though the first round of the finals had just finished. That suited him well. This was the most interesting part, anyway. It did not take him long to spot the man he'd come to greet, and without further ado, he went towards Rex Letalis. His family followed him wordlessly, which was actually surprising for the three year old. A quick turn of his head to glance at her told him she was much too fascinated with the jousting to pay attention to much else.

"Lord Letalis," Nicholas said, stopping next to him, standing at attention, and then bowing. "It is a pleasure to see you again. And Lady Regina," he said with another bow. "If at all possible, you are lovelier now than the last time I saw you. Lord Letalis, you remember my brother and my sister." He looked over now at the other woman seated next to Regina. It took him a moment to recognize her as it'd been years since he'd seen her. "Lady Loralynn Castell, you're looking quite well."

[Alrik Sterlyn]

Alrik sat in the Sterlyn box, surrounded by his family, but in all truth, he wished Fallon would have been in the box with them. Damn, the joust wasn't exactly his favorite sport either. Alrik's all time favorite was the melee, and who didn't bother organizing a melee if they were having a joust and an archery contest?! Honestly???

Oh well, he just sat back, glancing about his siblings and the rest of his family. Looking over the way, Victor and Celeste were sitting there, seemingly interested in what was going on. His eyes shifted the other way, to the Severne box, and his eyes landed on Fallon. She was beautiful as ever with her curls glimmering in the sunlight with every shift of the breeze.

Sighing, Alrik looked back over to the joust, he was trying to pay attention...he really was.

[Rex]

Rex smiled, looking over Nicholas and his family. “Lord Ambrosios, a pleasure as always. Lady Ambrosios, you're looking absolutely splendid, if I don't say,” Rex said, waving his hand over a couple of empty locations on the bench. “I'd love it if you join us, won't you please?” Rex asked, glancing over at the Ambrosios family.

“How was the trip over? How are my new ships coming along?” Rex asked, a snide smile crossing his lips. By the gods, it seemed as if he hadn't seen Nick in...years! Had it been so long?

“Regina's knight, Eli, won with her favor. He was lucky he got her sleeve, and she was lucky he won so she got her sleeve back!” Rex said, laughing!

[Fawna Drake]

Fawna snuck up quietly behind her husband and slid her arms around his broad shoulders.

"Is this seat taken?" she playfully teased. "I'm feeling much better despite this awful heat and would love to join the two of you."

Fawna put on a smile because she loved the excitement and magic of the tournaments, even though this stage of pregnancy was making her feel terrible. She hoped it was just the hormones and that nothing was wrong, placing her hand wistfully on her stomach.

[Jayce]

Eva had dropped his hand and wiggled away as she made her little joke. Jayce had only smirked and contented himself with kicking the leg of her chair.

“Fawn loves these types of affairs.” He said, bending forward to see if she was still in the Drake box. “But in her condition, I think it’s a little wearing on her. Although she tries not to let it show.” Craning his neck, he could just make out their box. No Fawn. Well, she must have decided to go for that nap after all. Who could blame her? But he thought she would be disappointed, still, to miss any of the festivities. Life at home was quiet, and she had really been looking forward to this gala event and all the so-called glamour and excitement of the court. Jayce himself was not so very taken with such affairs. But it was his duty, and he was glad to bring his beautiful wife and show her off a little. They had only just found out that she was pregnant again, and that was some cause for concern, given the past misfortunes. Their family physician had declared the journey safe enough, though, and Jayce could not have brought himself to deny Fawn the pleasure of this little outing. So, here they were, along with the rest of the Drake clan.

Jayce felt two arms encircle his shoulders from behind. Is this seat taken? I'm feeling much better despite this awful heat and would love to join the two of you.

He, in turn, placed his hands over her forearms, not looking around, and pulled her a little closer. “Madame, your company is more than welcome. But have a care that my wife does not catch you with your arms around me. She gets a tad put out about those sorts of things.”

Jayce laughed and turning his head, managed to kiss Fawn on the cheek. He reached around and pulled her into his lap. “I’m sorry, I do believe that seat was taken. But you can have this one.” He kissed her again, gave her a little squeeze, and murmured in her ear, “I’m very glad to hear you’re feeling better, my love.”

[Darryn Etny]

His next match was against the province lord Matthias Ashpool. Darryn had seen the man joust earlier in the day, and he was impressed with the skill Matthias showed. Still, he was holding onto Rhiannon’s favor, tucked into his armor near his chest. Her luck and his skill would win this match. He pulled himself up on his horse, his squire helping to secure him. Lances were fitted and armor checked for weakness and then Darryn was ready to ride. He glanced to the stands to see if Rhiannon was looking at him, but he couldn’t tell from her expression one way or the other.

He turned back to face Matthias, putting his full concentration on the match.

[Aurelia Whitstone]

Aurelia watched Falmek joust. While she was normally uninterested in the sport, he had asked for her favor and she hoped he won. She’d enjoyed the evening they’d spent together; he’d been able to keep her mind off Matthias and her troubles, and when he won she found herself standing to clap and cheer with the rest of the crowd.

“That’s how you show favor, Rowan.” Aurelia yelled to her cousin over the screams of the crowd. “You give a man something to really joust for and suddenly he could knock anyone off a horse just to see you smile. I suggest you try to be more outlandish next time. Maybe Stevon will ask again during the sword, and you can give her two garters to top my one.”

The rounds continued to pass, most of them boring Aurelia. But when Matthias was up again, she found herself rising to her feet She had no desire to watch him again, win or lose. She stared at him for one long minute, then promptly turned on heel and left the box.

[Loralynn Drake]

Watching Lexington destroy Jean Tristan was a rainbow after the storm. Beautiful to behold, no matter the violence that had come before it. His leg was definitely broken, and she relished the moment that squires and pages and doctors rushed to aid him as they helped him from the lists. His cries of agony at moving were music to her ears, an everlasting song of such a lovely pitch she’d remember it forever.

How many maids will want to fuck you now? But she knew the injury would change nothing. He was still Lord of the House with money and power and they’d crawl under his sheets to warm his manhood all the same.

She turned back to Regina and smiled, “Lexington is such a strong jouster. My brother will win this competition.”

[Magdalena Ayala]

Magdalena fanned herself again, watching her husband get ready for the next match. She noticed that Victor had addressed her. Oh no, about the matches. She didn't know a thing about jousting. She'd have to try and be general... "Oh yes, he's made us very proud, isn't that right Felix?" she addressed her son, who, now that his father wasn't involved, had calmed down a bit.

"Lexington seems to have quite the decisive victory himself..." she mused, turning her attention back to the round two matches at hand - Cesar was now matched up against her cousin, who she remembered as being quite into sport - when he was a child, that is, so who knew now? Felix started up with his cheering again, and so Magdalena tried to turn her full attention to the match.

[Hadwyn Curtenay]

It was going to be a difficult match with Lord Ayala, Hadwyn knew that much. He had only met him briefly, but he could see from the previous match that Lord Ayala was serious about his study of sport. So Hadwyn prepared as best he could, but as was true of these things, the only test would be if he could emerge victorious.

A good first pass gained him the edge, and so he was readying himself for the second. Surely Ayala would take a different strategy? Or perhaps not, either way, Hadwyn wouldn't adjust much. They set off their horses, with Hadwyn breaking another lance on the chest of Cesar. Things were going well! He decided not to change much for the third pass.

That might not have been the best idea, Hadwyn thought, picking himself off the ground after a sound dehorsing. Of course, Cesar would catch on eventually! How could Hadwyn be so stupid? He was frustrated, but he didn't let his feelings show - he felt he had to be extremely proper at these things, given the island's reputation, and his family's especially. So he went to congratulate Lord Ayala on a well played match - at least he didn't come off with a permanent injury, like that Ovador Lord had.

[Regina Ambrosios]

Regina grinned at Nicholas as he greeted her with a compliment. "Well-timed arrival as always, Lord Ambrosius. I hope your crossing was uneventful." She waved to the little girl with his family- the result of his less-annoying sister's scandalous marriage, if she remembered the story correctly. Pity that was the sister to die.

She laughed at Rex's summation of her exchange with Eli. "Luck had little to do with it- the Ainsley's are born champions. Though of course there might have been some chance of a true contest if you were riding, Lord Nicholas."

A scream of pain from the list field drew Regina's attention to the squires dragging Jean Tristan from the field. She met Loralynn's eyes as her friend declared Lexington's superiority. "I will trust your judgement, but forgive me if I continue hoping for a Strom victory. I haven't seen Lexington joust before- but poor Jean Tristan. Broken legs can be so... tricky to heal properly." Regina's words didn't hold one ounce of sympathy for the man and she smiled at Loralynn. "Wouldn't it be a pity to see him unable to ride again?"

[Matthias Ashpool]

For some reason, watching Aurelia get up and leave the Ashpool box was just the final straw needed to taper off such a crappy day. Matthias didn't really need to look at it that way; in fact, he had been doing very well in the joust, and for all accounts he should have been pleased with himself. But... ,he couldn't marry the woman he loved, he had a traitorous bitch for an aunt, and his little sister seemed to be flirting with a Tresson, which didn't really put him at ease. Not to mention the fact that Donovan had been his only decent competition who had fallen, due to technicality, and then he had to suffer the anguish and rage of watching Falmek Severne asked Aurelia for her favor, and then suffer the degrading moments as that damn woman gave him her garter with no decency at all. He had half a mind to stalk right up to Falmek and give him a black eye over even thinking about speaking to his woman, let alone looking in her general direction. But then again she wasn't his woman, now was she? And that enraged Matthias even more, so when it came time for his next joust, he was no longer a man but a raging bull, seeing red plastered over all of the stands, and the knights, and especially the lovely young woman retreating from the Ashpool box.

Poor Darryn Etny had no idea what was coming to him, which was probably why Matthias took the man straight off his horse on the first pass, blasting him with one fell thrust of his lance. It was over in seconds, just a spray of splintering wood, and Darryn had barely caught his breath before Matthias was off his horse and out of the arena.

"Sir Darryn Etny, unhorsed - Lord Matthias Ashpool wins this joust!" The stewards voice rang out over the field, but fell upon deaf ears, as Darryn seemed to be trying to regain ground and Matthias was no where to be seen to celebrate his victory. It had all happened so fast, hadn't it?

[Cesar Ayala]

Cesar rode over to his wife’s cousin, removing his helmet and then his gauntlet and extending his hand.

“Very, very well played, Lord Hadwyn. But that is how fickle our lady is, Lady Fortune. She smiles on you for five minutes, then turns her back on you. It was luck gave me this victory. You were a formidable opponent.”

He shook the young lord’s hand. Well, he didn’t quite mean all that he had said. It was a tried and true strategy. If you knew how to take the hits, allow your opponent to show you his strategy. Get him on a roll. Then go for the opening in his style that he had unwittingly showed you. It had worked for Cesar on numerous occasions. No doubt he had been in three times as many tourneys as Lord Curtenay. The boy was good though. He had skill, a lot of promise to be great. Cesar made a note to ask his wife about inviting her cousin to Chryssa one day. Or perhaps he would come with the king’s tour. Cesar believed it was by far best to treat the man you had just won a victory over with grace and courtesy. Leaving unresolved grudges behind only invited revenge.

Wheeling his horse around as Hadwyn’s squire ran up, Cesar faced the Castell box, nodded his head to Victor, waved again to his family, then rose off the list.

[Nicholas Ambrosios]

He sat beside Rex once the seat was offered and looked out as the body of a knight was being carried away. He fought back a laugh. Sodding fool. If you couldn't handle the ferocity of such competitions, perhaps it would do well to realize that one's place was in the parlor taking tea rather than in an arena doing what real men did. "The trip was relatively smooth if long. Happy to be on solid ground again. As for your ships, my lord, I have personally overseen their construction and they'll be ready in two months time for you. I invite you to come stay so that you may see them yourself. Or would you prefer to be surprised?"

It had been many years since he'd seen Rex, and even longer since he'd seen Regina. His compliment before had simply come across as the proper niceties, but it didn't make it any less true. She was far more beautiful than he remembered. He smirked at what she said, but couldn't help but agree with her. If he and his brother were jousting, it'd be less than acceptable if they didn't take the top two spots. "If I had only arrived sooner, my lady, I would certainly be out there to win in honor of Lord Letalis." He wondered if that had come to pass if he'd have won her favor and not the knight Ainsley.

[Darryn Etny]

Darryn had no idea what had just happened. He hadn’t even settled in lance into place when he’d gone flying from his horse. Had Matthias been that fast. He shook the cobwebs from his head as his squire helped him up. He turned to congratulate his foe on a victory well taken, but Matthias was no where to be seen. Had the man fled after such a strong win?

He pulled off his helm and walked over to the Severne box. “My lady, it seems that my jousting as ended,” he called out to Rhiannon, “But if it please you, I would be honored to hold your favor to grant me luck during the sword fights tomorrow. Perhaps my steel will do better than my lance. Regardless, I thank you once again for your support.”

[Aurora Letalis]

Ah, the jousts. Aurora didn't really like them, but she didn't hate them either. It was always interesting to see who won. It would be a little better, though, if she weren't here with her brothers. She still wasn't sure why Auron was ignoring him, and Alrik was too distracted to be much company. She could go visit others, perhaps, but it would probably be a bad thing to abandon her brothers, even if they weren't paying her any mind.

At Auron's comment, she looked around to try and find what person he had meant. There could be a few options, but since she knew he didn't really care in the first place, it didn't much matter. "I'm not obligated to cheer for any of them, since nobody asked my favor," she said, putting a little pout in her voice. But Rex wasn't competing, so it probably would have been bad if anyone had.

However, on watching the next few matches, she changed her tune a little. "That one, though," she said, pointing to the man who had left his opponent crying in the dirt, "That one shows promise. He's the one I'm going to be watching." She couldn't make out the house on the flag from where she sat, but it was no matter, really. Whoever he was, he certainly showed the talent and ferocity to win the whole match.

[Cassandra Brynn Rivers]

"You won," Olivia said, following behind her. "You proved your point. You can bandy with the best of them, but the fun and games are over now, Cassandra. You got lucky with the last match, but this is Lord Lexington Castell you're talking about now. Did you see what he did to his last opponent. Will be surprised myself if that man walks right again. Just bow out now. Give your steward the white flag and let's be off. Please. If you got hurt, how do you think your father will take the news? You're supposed to be under Lord Castell's protection!"

"You talk too much," Cassie said. "Lexington is indeed a fine jouster... Possibly the first I've faced today who can give me a real challenge. You say I've proven I can match up with the best of them? You are wrong. This match will prove once and for all that I can. Win or lose, if I can endure, I walk away victorious."

"You're going to get yourself killed!"

She laughed. "Perhaps... But at least it's better than dying of use and old age." Mounting her horse again, she returned to the arena and waited for her opponent to arrive. She had to admit, she was feeling more nervous than usual. Olivia was right about one thing... Though she had been in danger even before now, she hadn't been extremely worried about suffering an injury by the hand of any jouster until this very moment.

[Rhiannon Severne]

Rhiannon was lost in her thoughts, straying entirely from the match, until she realized that Etny was getting thrown off his horse. She was momentarily quite concerned - that Desrosiers had just gotten seriously injured, after all - but once she saw that Etny could stand, she was fine with it. Perhaps now he could get some sense knocked into him about what a serious situation he waltzed into. It was one thing to be an optimist, but really... he was nearly arrested with the Cromwells!

Then he was asking to keep the favor - fine by her, then he would not ask her for it again tomorrow. "Of course, Lord Darryn, may it bring you luck in the sword fight," she said, simply.

[Lex Castell Rivers]

Lexington grinned at his brother, obviously pleased with his performance. He ignored the penile reference and clapped him on the shoulder, trying to calm himself before his next match. It wouldn't do to be all riled up and then do something careless. He tried to figure out who he was jousting next, but the prep areas around the lists were so crowded it was hard to say who was who. He'd never heard of this person, to be sure.

Catching his sister's eye, he waved her kerchief at her and bowed to her, making a note to meet up with her later to properly celebrate. It was hard to remember that she supposedly still loved the man he'd just utterly defeated, and he half wondered if he ought to go over and apologize for breaking him, but he decided against it. There was no way he'd be able to pull off being sincere about regretting hurting him.

It didn't take long, though, and it was time for his next joust. He double checked the saddle and stirrups before mounting up, conversing with his brother until he saw the jouster preparing opposite of him. "Lars...what...am I supposed to do with that? I'm gonna kill him, and it's gonna be a complete accident!" He was actually honestly worried. It was obvious the jouster across from him was significantly smaller than he was, but he'd made it this far, so he had to be good. Either that, or the rest of the jousters he'd faced had had a similar aversion that he himself was having.

[Larson Castell]

Larson was adjusting his brother's armor and looked up as he spoke. There, mounted, was his next opponent. Tall and lean he didn't look like he really had the muscle to be in this sort of competition. "Well .. it takes all kinds." Larson said, shrugging.

After a moment of his brother rambling on about his worries, he looked up to him and met his eyes. "Listen, if he's here it's because he wants to joust, if he dies. He dies." Looking down to the ground, after a thought struck him, he continued his sentence, changing his mind. "But you're not like me that way. So I suppose you should go easy on him. It's true if you killed this guy Victor would probably be a bit angry. Though if you wanted my opinion I'd be all for it!" he said laughing.

[Jocelynn Mallory]

It was hot and she was miserable. She sat in the Castell's box, fanning herself with a ornate, purple and gold fan, tutting at every possible chance and subtly wiping the sweat from her brow. The only high light of the day was that House Castell had been doing well... At least until the unfortunate incident with her cousin's saddle. She'd seen him begin to shift on his horse, and as soon as she realized what was happening, she knew that there simply would be no recovering. Still, she was sad to see Donovan lose. She'd rather hoped she'd get to see him face off in the finals. That... and between him and Lord Ashpool, she much preferred her cousin. It went without saying, really, but more to the point, there was something that put her off about Matthias... Daunting in many ways, he was most certainly a man she would rather not cross if given the opportunity to avoid him.

"Pity..." she remarked when he was unhorsed. "Though, for my cousin, I must say I'm pleased her future husband has made such a marvelous showing." She could not imagine Jarvis doing so well. At least Evelyn was getting a man now. She was not speaking to anybody in particular, but even so, she continued, "I do hope that Lexington fares well. He has done a positively marvelous job thus far... Why, who was the man he just rode against? I do not envy him the pain he's feeling."

After some time, it seemed that it was once again Lexington's turn to joust, and turning her head to regard the other rider, she had to force herself to bite back her laughter. This miniature knight would surely be impaled to pieces upon Lexington's lance, and she had to say, she was going to enjoy every moment of watching her cousin own yet another rider.

[Branwen Llewelyn]

The day was getting long, and the heat was sweltering. She loved the tournaments, her brothers had always been around when they were all younger, pretending they were jousting or fighting with wooden swords, and it was always welcome to see the real thing. But they were almost done with this tournament now, it had taken nearly the whole day - Rhys and Gareth had been knocked out soon before these final rounds.

She looked up to the Ashpool box - there was her cousin, she could see her hair in the sea of blonde that was the Ashpool box. She thought she could pick out everyone else, but then she thought she saw an incredibly tall woman... HEY! If Evangeline and the other Drakes could be in the shade, surely she could.

"Daddy, I'm going somewhere!" she said quickly as she started walking to the box. Her dad looked momentarily concerned, but turned around and saw where she was headed, rolled his eyes, and looked back at the tournament.

When she arrived, she took the seat Aurelia had vacated, between Evangeline and Lyneth. She threw her arms around Lyneth. "Cousin!" Lyneth bristled somewhat, oh, she was so weird sometimes. "Hey, Eva. And Jayce and Fawna!" It was too hot for formalities, although Lyneth would probably disagree. She tried to get a read on Fawna - she had heard that she was pregnant again, but they had such trouble that she didn't want to mention anything. And then there was Rowan... she saw the Tresson kid take her favor. "And Rowan... is there something you've been meaning to tell us?" she grinned devilishly.

[Jayce]

Jayce nodded to Branwen in a friendly way. “Branwen, it’s good to see you. It’s been quite a while.” It had been quite a while since he had last visited Hsynka. Great hunting up that way – elk, moose, mountain sheep. That was about the only thing that really excited Jayce as far as a reason for traveling. Branwen’s father was a most cordial host as well. And all those red headed children – Jayce smiled. He hadn’t seen little Branwen for what – three or four years? She had been a pretty girl – she was grown now into an even prettier young woman.

“And how is Lord Llewelyn, and Lady Alison?” He’d have to make a point of tracking Caradoc down and having a drink with him. Always best to keep congenial hosts who lived near prime hunting grounds on a friendly basis. “It’s a shame your brothers had bad luck today. I’m sure your father would have liked to see them win.”

He gave Fawna a bit of a squeeze. Her pregnancy was no family secret, but he would allow her to choose who to share their good news with.

[Cassandra Brynn Rivers]

She had to concentrate to block out the outside noises. It would take everything she had to pull off a victory here -- Yes, she knew even making it this far was something to be proud of, but she had not entered the tournament to almost win. Victory was where she'd set her sights, and she would have it no other way. Reaching her hand out for her lance, she glared at him, waiting for the signal to start the tilt. Once given, she dug her heels into her horses side, urging him to run. At first she aimed for his head, but realizing she did not have a proper opening, she shifted her lance down, feeling the impact go up her arm as it broke against his armor. She had not suffered a hit on the first tilt... Thank the gods.

She turned, reaching out for another lance, feeling much more confident about her chances now. The second tilt began, and since the blighter's head was still too hard to hit, she went with the system that had worked the first time. Only she'd left an opening for him as well, and she groaned when his lance broke on her chest. She gripped the reigns hard to keep from being knocked off. Damn but did Lord Lexington back quite a force. It certainly was the hardest she'd been hit all day. The only consolation was that when she looked up at her own lance, she realized that it was also broken. "Where did I hit?" she asked one of her men.

"His chest, sir," he replied, taking the lance from her and handing her another one.

She nodded and took another breath, her chest smarting still. Well, her confidence was only slight shaken. She could not afford to take another hit like that though. It took all she had not to be unhorsed. A little less sure of herself, she began on the third tilt, her lance grazing off of him, not breaking at all. Unfortunately, his found it's mark, and in the exact same spot. She breathlessly rode back to the end, trying not to hunch over her horse. This is what she wanted, wasn't it? A challenge. And he certainly was giving that to her. Both were tied... She'd have to step up if she expected to prevent a come back. Though, at this rate, they'd soon have to move to swords, and that's what Cassie was best at.

Fourth tilt began and she rode forward, her eyes narrowing, her focus going to his chest. It was the wider and easier target, so even if he managed to hit her, she might still get lucky and land a blow. That's exactly what happened. Damn his aim was exceptional, and he hit the same spot again. Her arm lifted slightly to his upper chest, her lance shattering blowing bits of shrapnel every which way. Score still tied, but at least he hadn't gotten one up on her and that's what mattered.

"Are you all right?" her man asked her, taking hold of the reigns to help her get steady.

"Lord Lexington is no laughing matter," she said, looking back at him. "But I take heart in knowing that I can honestly win here."

"I suggest missing," he said. "And making sure he misses as well. Force the tie and then meet him with steel."

That actually wasn't a bad idea... But even as she reached for a new lance to prepare for the fifth and final tilt, she realized that something wasn't right. Lexington wasn't ready to go. There seemed to be some confusion going on over there, but from her vantage point and from behind her helm, she could not know for sure. "Are they withdrawing?" she asked incredulously.

"I don't know... but it appears that way."

[Lex Castell Rivers]

Lexington sat on his horse, trying to set up a strategy. He had to know what this person was capable of before he could figure out just how much force to hit with...and so when the first flag was dropped, he rode at his opponent with as much speed as normal, but he slid his lance to the side at the last moment, instead taking the full force of his hit. The cogs began working in his brain as he blocked out his brother hollering at him for missing. He now knew about how much force this man could put behind his lance, and thus had the relative weight down, too...if he could manage to hit in the same place consistently, he was almost assured a victory.

The next tilt he took aim for the very center of the man's body, where his center of gravity would be, and rammed into it with all his might. Turning to look back, he cursed as he realized he was still on his saddle. He'd thought it would be an unhorsing for sure! No matter, though. Despite the small target, he was confident he could win. That is, unless this went to swords. He had a hell of a time fighting against the smaller men...they were usually tricksy and fast. He, on the other hand, was not.

Third tilt went much the way he wanted: he broke his lance, hitting around the same area he had before, and he didn't manage to hit him well. Still, this wasn't over yet, and he refused to get preemptively excited. The flag fell for the fourth tilt, and Lex rode forward toward him, lance aimed at the target he saw in his mind over the man's chest. His lance connected, but so did the other jouster's, and Lex's world exploded in pain. Almost immediately he found himself unable to hold his lance up, and he rode up to where his brother was and put up the visor on his helmet, his face visibly pale under the redness of exertion.

"Lars, something's not right. My arm is going numb..." He dropped his shattered lance to a waiting squire and tried to flex his fingers, but found that doing so shot fire through his chest and arm. He winced, wishing he could see through his armor to figure out what the hell happened. Dismounting in a most ungraceful fashion, he stood before his brother. "I can't see past any of this armor...can you see anything wrong?"

[Larson Castell]

Lars had been cheering for his brother's final blow, but as his posture sunk, so did his heart. Lex came riding up to him, and no sooner did he have to ask, then Lars had half his armor removed from him. "Shit .. You've got a good sized shard. It's the white flag on this one." Larson looked at the man, waiting at the side for a signal, and he shook his head. The white flag was in the post and Lars was removing more of Lex's equipment.

"Do you want me to remove the shard myself? I think I can do it." He said putting on a leather glove so he could grip the wood better. "Wearing so little armor is your downfall, brother. Shall we get you dismounted and take this someplace else? We don't want to cause a scene now do we?"

Or do we? This little knight was going to pay for marring his brother, Larson would make sure of that.

[Fawna Drake]

Fawna sighed as Branwen approached their box, feeling poorly, she didn't have the patience for it. Besides, she was never overly fond of the "red head clan". She was relieved when her husband started making small talk.

Fawna noticed Branwen glancing at her stomach and she wondered how fast the gossip of her pregnancy was spreading. She wasn't in the mood for sharing the news and hoped the topic wouldn't be brought up. She knew Jayce wouldn't say a thing. He was sweet like that...always respectful of her feelings. As Jayce was talking, Fawna looked lovingly at him and hoped this one would stick. She just couldn't take everyone feeling sorry for her again.

[Lex Castell Rivers]

Lexington could feel the blood dripping down off his fingers. He only had to look down at the dirt below him to see the red stain, slowly becoming larger. His shoulder was a little close to focus clearly on, but it was hard to miss the chunk of wood, still painted on one side, stabbing from his muscle. His eye twitched, and his face paled a shade more, but he kept his face clear from visual signs of pain.

"There are ladies present...they shouldn't have to see this. I'm supposed to make women swoon, not faint from horror." He managed a grin, trying to have a sense of humor through the pain. He left his horse, his armor, everything where it stood, knowing that the squires assigned to his house would clean it up and see everything where it should go.

He dropped his voice so only his brother could hear, although doing so over the sound of the stadium was a tricky thing. "If you can get it out, do so, but I have the feeling it's gonna bleed like a sonofabitch, so I'm going to need somewhere to sit and something to staunch the blood. The sooner I can get it stitched up, the better." He began walking, slowly since his head was spinning a little, toward the preparation tent that had been set up for the Castell family, leaving a small trail of blood behind him.

[Auron Sterlyn]

She was referring to Lexington Castell. Auron had paid enough attention when they announced the next competitors. He didn’t bother to answer Aurora, choosing instead to watch as the two knights from Ovadar went at each other. The jousts were getting boring, except of course for when Matthias drove that Etny from his horse and slammed him into the dirt in the first hit. Auron had managed not to laugh, but he couldn’t help but enjoy Etny’s defeat.

From out of no where, he suddenly spoke, “I’d have asked for your favor, Aurora.” He hated the animosity that existed like a brick wall between them. She’d taken one brick down by speaking to him.. perhaps he needed to remove another. “If I competed of course.” Which he didn’t, nor would he ever. And a few months ago, Aurora’s favor was all he would have cared about.

His eyes glanced back over to Rhiannon’s box. Now he felt so torn.

[Rex]

“Not as far as I understand it,” Rex said, grinning at the sight on the sands below. It was no secret what had happened about Jean Tristan falling out of Loralynn's favor. Well, at least it was no secret between him and Regina. “Asshole deserves it. Moron.”

Rex merely leaned back in his chair, relaxing and not at all looking like some stuck up, prim and proper, stuck up lord. It was mighty hot and wasting energy and generating heat while trying to sit properly wasn't very intelligent, in Rex's opinion. He took a swig of his ale, which had warmed with the summer breeze.

“I'll bet he thinks twice the next time he even gets near a horse. And I doubt he'll ever joust again. What. A. Shame.” Rex laughed it off before turning back to the occupants in the box.

“Anyhow, on to more important things,” he turned to Nick. “How are things back home? Everything left in good hands, I take it?”

[Nicholas Ambrosios]

He was missing something. The way they were speaking suggested that there was an inside joke or secret that he was not privy to, and it was certainly none of his business to ask... Nor did he care about the goings on in the life of a woman that lives a sea's journey away from him. It just irritated him that they should discuss such things in the company of people who had no idea what they meant and would probably be scolded for inquiring about it. So, instead of listening any further, he turned his attention back to the jousts, watching with interest. He wished he knew who was jousting so he'd know who he was wanting to win. It didn't matter though... It was enough to watch other people have at it. Even his brother seemed interested. His sister, of course, looked bored and pissed that she had to be there.

He turned back to Rex and nodded. "Things have been smooth," he commented. It was a change from the hectic past. Rex would know all about that. "My aunt and her husband are looking after things in my absence. So yes, the only way the hands could be better is if they were my own. I believe you'll be pleased with the progress we've made with the galleons. I am looking forward to sailing them to Joqla."

[Cassandra Brynn Rivers]

She was doing much better than she ever dreamed possible. Even Olivia's tune was beginning to change slightly. Of course, there was still the expected, "If you're caught, it will be both of our heads," and "You're going to get yourself killed. You've just been lucky so far." She paid no attention, standing perfectly still as her armor and helm were readjusted. Lexington had done more damage than she was willing to say right now, but hell, she was just happy to have advanced. She did hope he was okay though... She hadn't wanted to hurt him so bad that he'd have to forfeit. In truth, she was really hoping it'd be taken to the swords.

She had no time to think about though, she had her next opponent to think about. Ceasar Ayala... Another banner for Lord Castell. She knew of him well -- Knew that he'd be a pain in the ass to unhorse... If it was possible. She'd need to ride against him once or twice to get a feel for his technique, and she hoped the first tilt wouldn't be all the much larger knight needed to unhorse her... Or break her in half.

Same song, different dance partner, she signal to begin the first tilt began. Bringing her lance down, she aimed... for... Shit! Where was an opening? For as big as he was, there wasn't a good spot to... CRASH! The joust broke on her chest and she grunted, feeling the wind in her lungs leave for the third time that day... She was learning to be used to it though. Hugging the horse tight with her thighs and holding fast to the reigns, she managed to stay on despite the force of the blown knocking her back pretty far. Once she reached the end, her man reached up for her and said, "The head is the only chance you have... He keeps the rest of himself guarded too well."

"Great... the hardest part to break a lance on... Just perfect..."

The second tilt yielded the same result as the first. Down by two points, Cassie was at a loss for what to do. She'd never faced a jouster quite like this before. Putting a hand over her armor where he'd hit, she knew in the morning, she'd be black and blue. But she didn't care. If a man could do this, so could she! Kicking off to start the third tilt, she actually managed to hit him with her lance, even if it did graze off of his armor and fail to break. All that mattered was that his lance had not broken either, and she'd titled her body with it just so it would keep going rather than finding resistance.

"That's all well and good, Sir Rinaldo, but you need points to win."

"Thanks... I'm aware..." she said. Riding again, she aimed for his head, doubting this tactic would work against one so skilled as Lord Ayala, but as she neared, dare she believe it, an opening! Lowering her lance, it struck his chest, breaking satisfyingly against his armor. With a smile, she reached the end and handed the broken lance off so that a new one could be handed to her.

"Another one like that and it'll be swords again... But I've heard he's quite skilled with the blade." Cassie had heard that, too. She did not want this to be a tie... But that meant she'd have to risk it all on striking his head. If she missed, she would lose and be out of the tournament... If she hit... Well, pray he didn't hit as well. The signal to go -- She rode furiously towards him, aiming as she had before and making it look like she would go for the same shot. She even lowered her arm for a fraction to maybe make him think she was going for his chest, but as she got close enough, she wrenched it back up, and the lance broke on his helmet.

She could not believe it! Her men could not believe it either! As she got to the end this time, they were cheering and congratulating her! 3-2... Now she really felt like this is where she belonged. Lex's joust she won on a forfeit... She didn't count that as a true victory. This one she did win fair and square, and it was enough to give her a permanent smile that should last her quite a while.

[Falmek Severne]

It was now Falmek's turn to take on Sir Eli Ainsley in the joust. Under normal circumstances he probably would have taken the time to study his opponent's previous matches to try to identify his general strategy, but Falmek was feeling confident in himself today. Perhaps receiving Aurelia's favor for his last match affected him more deeply than he thought.

As delightful as it was to dwell on the notion, he had to keep his head in the game if he was going to continue to advance. He was on a streak that even he didn't expect of himself, and he wasn't going to let it leave him if he could help it. As his name was called into the arena once more, he trotted out on his steed to his side of the lane.

As he came close to Eli before the match started, he nodded his head once in respect to his opponent and declared sincerely: "Good luck to you, sir. I anticipate this will be a good match."

[Eli Ainsley]

Eli nodded in agreement, and set off to his end of the rail. He had seen Falmek Severne joust before; he was a young man, but with an impressive bite.

The steward called for the first round, and Eli set his mark, but apparently too low, for Falmek got a good swing on Eli, and broke his lance on the older knight's helmet. Eli tried to make up for the loss in the second go with a broken lance to Falmek's chest, but wasn't prepared for the younger man's counter in the third round with another broken lance to the chest.

Eli prepared for their fourth pass, breathing heavy in the hot afternoon sun, his head still throbbing from Falmek's initial blast to his helmet. He was down, with one point to Falmek's three. Damn. He hadn't expected so much fight from the Severne man.

[Regina Ambrosios]

Regina's attention on those around her had faltered, but she was at least half-listening, especially as Rex inquired about home. Lord Ambrosios' answer about galleons drew her eyes back to the box and her companions. "New galleons? Oh those will be a sight to see..." The crash of lances interrupted and she turned in time to see Eli Ainsleys' opponent's shatter on the knight's chest. Ouch.

Regina took a sip of wine. "Maybe we should throw a tournament back home. If only to see who among those here would be able to actually ride in armor in Joqlan heat... perhaps to celebrate the new ships... When did you say you'd be done, Lord Ambrosios? I'd hate to see you arrive only to have to turn straight round again."