Session Forty - September 9, 2006

[Matt]

30 Nolus – 5 Larane, 731 TR

The party determines to arrive in Olokand for the tournament a full five days prior to the commencement of the festivities, and thus they make plans to depart from Tashal on the third day of Larane. The city is already bustling with the recent arrival of the Silver Way caravan, Mangai Square crowded and dazzlingly with eye-catching wares from the kingdom of Azadmere, while preparations for the busy summer mercantile fair get under way as well. The group initially looks forward to leaving the seething hubbub behind, only to find the road north densely packed with humanity streaming toward Olokand when they finally depart on the third. Knights and their retinues, noble ladies and their colorful attendants, over-laden wagons and pedestrians carrying bindles of wares, all jostle their way along the hot and dusty road to the Queen Chelebin Tournament of Chivalry. Picking their way upon their palfreys through the crowd, leading their warhorses carefully to avoid any chance of hobbling them, the party finds the sojourn hot and tedious, league upon league of small Kaldoric manors and verdant Kaldoric fields falling inexorably behind them, until finally the high walls of Caer Olokand can be picked out in the hazy distance on the evening of the fifth. Soon they spy the vast sea of tents covering the west common, their destination and temporary home for the upcoming days. Easily spotting a red-and-black tent already set up on the periphery of the seeming-endless field of off-white tents, far removed from the more colorful pavilions of the nobility to the north, the weary group members dismount and busily dispose themselves about the small piece of turf they can claim as their own for the duration of the tournament.

6 – 11 Larane, 731 TR

Rested and renewed by daybreak on the next morning, the party eats hastily and then explores the jousting grounds on the north common, already busy with strutting knights and argumentative squires, as well as the curious and inquisitive, both high- and low-born. Colorful silken banners bearing the arms of knights already registered for the tourney hang from the western curtain wall of the castle, prompting Sir Baris and Sir Ewen to repair posthaste to the castle bailey to enter their names into the lists and deliver their own colors to the officious attendants there. The achievements of the two Thardan knights thus displayed from the high battlements in the midst of the other entrants later that morning, the group surveys at their leisure the jousting ground, divided by its long low wall down the center, the Royal Gallery to the north-west and the Laranian Gallery facing it to the south-east. Two enormous pavilions, white and red, stand to the southwest facing down the length of the tilt yard, while far across on the other end a wall of lances for the jousters marks the northern extremity of the grounds. Arnys and Quinn, serving as the requisite two-squire team for both Sir Baris and Sir Ewen, dutifully deliver the party’s ample supply of tournament lances to the officials, and these are placed amongst the forest of communal lances arrayed along that wall. Finally, behind the red and white pavilions, the enormous Chelebin Hall, actually a gigantic tent, stands impressive watch over the milling proceedings.

The group learns that the kingdom’s four Earls and their large retinues are staying within the castle itself, while some of the Barons already arrived are quartered at the two local inns, which are otherwise closed to lodgers for the duration of the tourney. On the tenth of Larane, the royal arms, an acorn slipped and leaved gold on a sable field, goes up over the castle battlements, and shortly thereafter a messenger arrives at the party’s tents with news that the Baron of Stimos has arrived and is himself staying at the castle. At another point, a young lad finds Sir Ewen’s tent and oddly suggests that, should the knight have any need of paper, quills, ink, or other sundries during his stay, Releyne of Lerik, lexigrapher in town, is at his service.

Sir Baris and Sir Ewen both request, and are granted, placement on the Royal team for the grand melee which follows the jousting, but Sir Baris is chagrined to find himself assigned to the Laranian faction for the jousting. He shrugs off his private misgivings, however, taking this development in good chivalric stride. As the first day of the tournament approaches, Olokand becomes a busy ocean of people, with peddlers, mummers, jugglers and harpers all contributing to the carnival atmosphere amidst the pageantry of the dignified noblemen and their retinues, gallant knights and their squires, glittering ladies and their attendants.

12 Larane, 731 TR

The morning of the opening ceremonies dawns bright and clear, presaging a warm summer’s day. Colorful pennants stir in the slight breeze as the 128 knights participating in the first round of the jousting line up in a long queue and process around the long wall, led by Lord Romlach Ethasiel, last year’s champion and leader of the Laranian team. Surveying the crowded galleries surrounding the jousting yard while finding seats of their own from which to observe the pageantry, Bevan, Kaelyn and Imarë observe the Earl of Vemion, the Countess of Osel, and Lady Cheselyne Hosath and her elder daughter all seated on the King’s side of the field. Down below in the midst of the other parading knights, Sir Ewen espies Rahel of Aerth seated in the Royal Gallery as well, attended by a number of ladies, including her companion Velga. After the procession, King Haldan III, resplendent in his royal crown and regalia, formally welcomes all of the participants to the tournament. He then calls Prince Brandis Elendsa before him and congratulates him upon his recent knighthood. Sir Maldan Harabor comes forward, is thanked for his years of service as constable of Olokand Castle, and confirmed as Sheriff of Meselynshire before Prince Brandis is named Earl of Olokand in his own right.

An interminable sermon by Archbishop Edine Kynn ensues, followed by a Peonian service marked by even more exquisite tedium. All of the knights, sweating by now under the cruel summer sun, then swear an oath to the King, Larani, and/or the rules of the tournament, as appropriate to each individual knight. The five official prizes of the tournament are announced to the enthusiastic applause of the spectators, and then a herald, lifting an enormous horn with some assistance, shatters the air with a magnificent blast, and the Royal Chelebin Tournament of Chivalry is officially opened.

13 Larane, 731 TR

The first of the day’s sixty-four jousts begins in the dim Harnic gloaming at five in the morning, with each succeeding pair of knights crossing lances thereafter in fifteen minute intervals. Bevan, Imarë and Kaelyn spend much of the remainder of the day attempting to keep track of the seemingly endless stream of contestants passing before their eyes, impatient to see how the two Thardan knights will fare later in the day, but they do find some of the earlier jousts to be of particular interest. An unidentified Black Knight is wounded but succeeds in outright killing the opposing knight. Lord Prehil Firith wins on points, breaking his lance against his opponent thrice, while Lord Kytem Curo is wounded but succeeds in unhorsing his opponent. Lord Urien Caldeth unhorses his opponent, Prince Brandis wins when Sir Haradoc Indama is disqualified, Lord Lyndar Bastune is unhorsed, and Sir Mirild Harabor advances a full two rounds when the pair of knights opposite his slot both tumble from their steeds without so much as coming within lance-range of each other across the jousting wall.

At long last, in the early afternoon, Sir Baris Tyrestal faces off against Sir Stenyl Dracayne. Armored cap-à-pie in his splendid suit of plate mail, Sir Baris levels his lance and awaits the signal from the trumpet as the shouts of the multitude respond to the foreign arms upon his shield. Struggling at first to bring his high-spirited stallion to the task at hand as he touches spurs to flanks, Sir Baris thunders down the length of the yard and splinters his lance against his opponent’s shield, scoring his first point. In the second pass the stallion steadies under the reins and Sir Baris scores another point, but the third pass sees Sir Stenyl’s lance strike Sir Baris upon the chest, almost unhorsing the Thardan and inflicting a minor injury to the burly knight. Undaunted, Sir Baris selects a fourth lance from the wall and the two knights collide once again, both striking the other as their lances burst into kindling at the violence of the impact. The two steeds recoil backward upon their haunches but the riders retain their saddles, with Sir Baris winning his third point and the joust.

Later in the afternoon, Sir Ewen of Ravinargh and Lord Harapa Indama take three passes at each other. The first yields Sir Ewen a point, the second sees both knights miss, and the third results in the young heir to the Barony of Getha being unhorsed by Sir Ewen. With both Thardans advancing to the second round on the morrow, they enjoy the feasting in Chelebin Hall that evening, receiving relieved congratulations from Bevan, Imarë and Kaelyn, all weary from a long day of spectating.

14 Larane, 731 TR

The sixty-four winners of yesterday’s jousts begin facing off early in the morning again, with three initial unhorsings in a row setting the tone for the day. Lord Prehil Firith’s opponent then falls anticlimactically from the saddle without being struck, advancing the young heir of Kobe to the next round. The fifth joust, between Lord Kytem Curo and the Black Knight, both significantly injured on the previous day, stirs the interest of the crowd to a higher pitch however. A single pass, both lances shattering, and the scion of Neph crashes from his horse, fortunate to be only vanquished by the Black Knight, whose opponent the day before had lain slain outright upon the field. Lord Scina Dariune next wins on points against Sir Bulwar Tarth, and then Prince Brandis Elendsa, newly created Earl of Olokand, shining armor glittering with gold filigree in the morning light, warhorse lavishly caparisoned, shocks the crowd by losing on points against Sir Bryan Algena.

Sir Eben Calasty unhorses his foe with little difficulty, and then Baron Uthris Pierstel, the only actual baron or earl riding at the jousts this year, falls when the cinch on his saddle slips and is disqualified, failing to so much as cross lances with a surprised Sir Cardiel Nacarn. Lord Arlbis Hirnen’s joust with Sir Borne Tyndas is much more suspenseful, however, with the young lord sustaining a blow to his faceplate, and a glancing strike to his arm, before his opponent succumbs to the increasing heat of the summer sun and crashes from his mount while riding to the fifth pass of the contest. When Sir Grylle Pawade is unhorsed by a lance to the groin delivered by Sir Laris Indama, Imarë leans in close to Kaelyn and mutters that “tis better to be unhorsed than unmanned,” to which Kaelyn grins in agreement.

Sir Harmon Vaen kills his second man of the tournament with a crushing blow to the abdomen of Sir Arlin Alsar, rousing the crowd to an agitated clamor as the body is carried by a team of squires from the field. The slain knight was the nephew of Lady Cheselyne Hosath and the great-grandson of King Torastra, and so Sir Harmon’s reputation takes on a darkened cast in the bloody wake of his first two rounds at the jousts. After the field is cleared, and following an unremarkable unhorsing by Sir Lanas Wyant, the battered Sir Tenden Ryselith unhorses Sir Jerem Fairhurst, staggering into the third round in a severely wounded condition. Sir Kathel Dezaller, a former champion of the joust from previous years, advances after his opponent falls from his horse untouched, after which Sir Cassan Croll and Sir Halsin Wearn clash in a protracted melee after mutually unhorsing each other, trading blows and circling each other savagely until Sir Halsin smites Sir Cassan in the chest, successfully vanquishing him and advancing himself to the next round. Last year’s champion, Sir Romlach Ethasiel, then braves a lance blow to his faceplate but remains mounted while his opponent crashes from his horse. Lord Karsin Ubael and Sir Prendon Tallarm both unhorse their foes, while the lance of Sir Ofry Jaraxer penetrates the faceplate of Sir Waldur Larquste, knocking the latter unconscious from his saddle, nose and mouth running with blood. Sir Nordin Valdacy dismounts his opponent, and then Lord Urien Caldeth wins on points.

Sir Baris Tyrestal, again struggling at first to bring his difficult stallion to order, barrels down the length of the lists and neatly unhorses Sir Hiril Skally on the very first pass. The small Thardan contingent in the audience cheers the knight as he canters off the field, but Sir Baris’ victory is soon forgotten when the Marshal of the Royal Guard, Sir Koris Harabor, is speared through the abdomen and slain outright in the very next joust, an awed hush descending upon the crowd as the squires scurry around the disemboweled natural son of King Miginath. Once the field is cleared, two more unhorsings follow, and then Sir Alfred Doulzarn triumphs over Sir Gragor Laxter.

Sir Ewen of Ravinargh rides against Sir Ramain Aphilla next, with the Thardan knight breaking his lance against his opponent’s shield while the Kaldoran’s lance is deflected off Sir Ewen’s armor. Two more passes, and Sir Ewen emerges victorious with the requisite three points. Sir Rodin Daront passes out when struck in the belly by Sir Ryle Lartyne’s lance, while both Sir Denyl Arwat and Sir Mido Tesla unhorse their opponents to close the day’s jousting.

At Ewen’s request, Bevan asks around and is informed that neither of Lady Cheselyne’s daughters, both married now seven years, has born children for their respective lords. She also notes that Sir Maldan Harabor was only in evidence when his sons were jousting, and was not to be seen when his brother the Captain of the Guard was killed. During the evening’s festivities in Chelebin Hall, the group observes that Sir Harmon Vaen is being treated with icy disdain in the wake of his two fatal jousts, Sir Tenden is getting drunk in all his battered glory, and Sir Arbin Walorn seeks out the Harabors and offers abject apologies for inadvertent slaying of the Captain. The Black Knight is not in evidence, Prince Brandis is gracious in congratulating his victorious opponent, while Baron Uthris Pierstal makes it publicly known that his foe got lucky when the cinch on his lordship’s saddle slipped. Sir Ewen also makes a mental note of having detected a Deryni presence in the spectating crowd near the jousting poles during the day’s jousting.

15 Larane, 731

The competition begins at a more civilized hour today, as the surviving thirty-two contestants assemble at the tiltyard at seven in the morning. The very first pairing results in a melee, with Sir Tagin Plaganel knocking his foe unconscious with a punishing blow to the chest. Lord Prehil Firith advances when his opponent fails to master his steed on the first approach, while the Black Knight rides splendidly, unhorsing Sir Bryan Algena with a lance tip to the groin which leverages him neatly off his steed. Lord Scina Dariune is dismounted by Sir Eban Calasty, and Sir Laris Indama loses on points and is unhorsed by Sir Cardiel Nacarn. Sir Harmon Vaen fails to score a third kill when Lord Arlbis Hirnan is thrown by his nervous warhorse before their lances cross. Sir Mirild Harabor impales Sir Lanas Wyant through the belly after three bruising passes, and again the squires swarm out onto the field and remove yet another corpse from the field of chivalry. Sir Kathel Dezaller, one-time champion of the tournament for three years running, is unhorsed by a wounded but tenacious Sir Tenden Ryselith, and Sir Halsin Wearn’s lance to the breastplate drives Lord Karsin Ubael from the saddle, knocking him unconscious as he crashes heavily to the ground. A lance tip to the gorget kills Lord Romlach Ethasiel’s opponent, yielding another young knight for the embalmer, while Lord Urien Caldeth unhorses his own foe with little difficulty.

Sir Baris Tyrestal sits his stallion better on his third joust, thundering past Sir Nordin Valdacy on the first pass with neither lance touching armor. On the second pass Sir Baris breaks his lance against Sir Nordin, who is then thrown by his steed on the third pass before Sir Baris can gain the satisfaction of striking him again. The next pair of knights both fail to bring their steeds to the task at hand, resulting in a mutual disqualification which will benefit Sir Ewen should he win his next joust, as he would then advance a round by default for lack of an opponent. Sir Alfred Doulzarn is next unhorsed by Sir Craydon Eldaran.

Sir Ewen of Ravinargh then faces Sir Denyl Arwat, victor of the melee against his opponent on the first day of combat. At the signal both knights speed down the line of the jousting wall, lances leveled, and Sir Ewen drives his point clean through Sir Denyl’s armor and deep into his belly. Crashing heavily down to the turf, thrashing briefly as blood pours copiously from the joints of his armor, the Kaldoric knight dies as Sir Ewen circles back around under the eyes of the restive crowd and rejoins the assembled knights at the far end of the field, successfully advancing two rounds and earning a safe berth within the lofty heights of the final eight. The day ends with Sir Mido Tesla unhorsing his opponent, and the crowd temporarily disperses with much excited murmuring about the bloodiness of the tournament compared with previous years.

Afterward, as the cool breezes of evening refresh the exhausted combatants, the sixteen finalists are invited to a celebration in the hall of Olokand Castle. Sir Ewen enjoys the sumptuous meal, observing the King and Prince Brandis presiding over the proceedings. After dinner, Lady Cheselyne delivers her rather arch regards to the Thardan knight, congratulating Sir Ewen on his accomplishments thus far while tartly regretting that the next round will be his last, as Sir Ewen will face her son-in-law Lord Urien Caldeth on the morrow. Sir Ewen smiles blandly at this, head tilted slightly, observing mildly that many a Kaldoric chivalric flower has in fact prevailed thus far. When the grand-daughter of King Torastra agrees with smug satisfaction that such have achieved very much indeed, Sir Ewen nods and states that “good blood will always do that.” Narrowing her shrewd eyes, Lady Cheselyne studies Sir Ewen for a long moment, as if she had not expected him to say such a thing, before moving off into the crowd without another word.

Sir Ewen also receives praise from the Baron of Stimos, who assures him that he has done Tharda proud by advancing so far in the tournament. They briefly discuss the likely ramifications if Sir Ewen were actually to win the tournament, with Lord Roulon predicting political embarrassment and domestic finger pointing in Kaldor should Thardan chivalry prevail, and the Baron suggests that the rewards for Sir Ewen under such circumstances might strain the imagination. Sir Ewen laughs and opines that his imagination is very broad indeed. King Haldan III, circulating amongst the eight, breaks in on them at this point, observing that Lord Roulon appears amused at some small thing. Turning to Sir Ewen, the King allows that the knight has done handsomely upon the field, upholding the honor of Tharda well, and politely inquires as to whether the hospitality of Olokand Castle has been to the Thardan’s liking. Sir Ewen briefly assures the monarch of his gratitude, and then bows and backs diplomatically away from the Royal presence as the King turns to Lord Roulon, dismissing the foreign knight.

In the meantime, Imarë, Kaelyn, and Bevan visit the lexigrapher, where Kaelyn speaks to an apprentice named Park and buys two sheets of sheepskin in an attempt to ascertain the purpose of the lexigrapher’s message at Sir Ewen’s tent earlier in the week. Imarë purchases a map and then, finding the indirect approach bearing little fruit, suggests that they were sent by Sir Ewen in response to the earlier message. The lexigrapher sternly identifies this as a fabrication, as a lie in fact, and advises them that they should return only when Sir Ewen actually sends them. Chastened, the trio beat an ignominious retreat back to their tent.

16 Larane, 731

When everyone reassembles the following morning for the next round, the knights who made it this far are recognized, having earned the traditional boon of candidacy for the Royal Guard, save of course for the two Thardan knights in the field. The Black Knight starts things off by unhorsing Sir Tagin Plaganel, after which Lord Prehil Firith inflicts a nasty spearing to the groin of Sir Eben Calasty, the lance tip effecting a mangling amputation of the latter’s manhood on the first pass. A battered Sir Mirild Harabor advances on points after having his shield shattered by Sir Cardiel Nacarn, Lord Arlbis Hirnan is astonishingly dismounted by the lance of the wounded, hung-over but indefatigable Sir Tenden Ryselith, and Lord Urien Caldeth advances when his foe is disqualified upon being thrown by his obstreperous warhorse.

When Sir Romlach Ethasiel, last year’s champion, faces Sir Baris Tyrestal of Tharda on the bloodstained sward, the two knights each score a point before the experienced Kaldoran succeeds in breaking a lance violently against Sir Baris’ plate, jarring the larger knight from his seat and levering him clean out of his saddle. Sir Baris crashes to the turf, his ears ringing with the blow and the roar from the partisan crowd. Brushing off Quinn and Arnys in their attempts to assist the burly knight in rising under the burden of his pieces of plate armor, Sir Baris staggers to his feet and briskly salutes his victorious opponent in perfect chivalric form before walking proudly from the field. The two squires unbuckle his armor as he watches Sir Cradon Eldaran unhorse Sir Mido Tesla to bring the hard morning of jousting to a close.

Returning under the hot afternoon sun, the Black Knight discommodes Sir Mirild Harabor with a lance to the abdomen, but Sir Maldan’s son keeps his horse and successfully dismounts the Black Knight on the very next pass. As a badly injured Harabor dismounts stiffly from his horse, the Black Knight is helped up and doffs her helmet, revealing herself to be the Lady Afaewynn Barthy, and the crowd buzzes in surprise as the two vacate the field.

Lord Prehil Firith jousts Sir Tenden Ryselith next, but the badly battered Sir Tenden finally succumbs to the combined assault of the summer’s heat, his extensive injuries, and a surfeit of alcohol, and tumbles from his mount into the dust of the tiltyard. The crowd, and particularly the peasant contingent sitting in the bleachers, groans in dismay as the vanquished knight weaves and staggers his way off the field, for Sir Tenden had become a popular favorite in his startling success throughout the tournament.

Steadying his Reksini mount and carefully couching his lance, Sir Ewen snaps down the visor of his helmet and studies the mounted figure of Lord Urien Caldeth at the opposite end of the long jousting wall. The crowd grows silent and attentive, Sir Tenden now forgotten, as the sunlight gleams and flashes from the armor of the two opposing knights. At the signal, Sir Ewen touches spurs to the flanks of his responsive steed, flying from the mark in a smooth blur of motion. Leveling his lance’s point, aiming high and steady, the Thardan knight braces for the shock of impact, but the point of the lance slashes up and through, catching the heir of Vemion through the neck, encountering little resistance as Sir Ewen rides through in a flash, unscathed. Sheared clean from his body, the helmeted head of Lord Urien Caldeth spins in a spray of scarlet and tumbles heavily to the ground, rolling toward the screaming peasant spectators while the decapitated trunk, still carried by its warhorse, tips and slowly spills from the saddle, a fountain of blood pumping over the churned earth. Reining in his steed and coming back around, Sir Ewen surveys the tableau as the isolated screams die around him into an appalled silence, bows his head in a brief tribute, and then slowly rides off the field while squires again attend to the gory carnage. Some long moments later, the yard again clear, Lord Romlach Ethasiel is quickly unhorsed by Sir Cradon Eldaran, completing the present round and reducing the field to four contenders for the championship of the tournament.

17 Larane, 731

The two jousts of the morning are inaugurated with great fanfare from the heralds, pennants snapping smartly in the warm breeze, the mists of daybreak having burned off hours before.

The horns of heralds blaring to signal the first of the two semi-final jousts, Sir Mirild Harabor faces Sir Ewen of Ravinargh across the long length of the jousting wall as the crowd watches with rapt attention. Leveling the long line of his jousting pole in the direction of his distant opponent, briefly adjusting the angle of the shield strapped to his left side, Sir Ewen kicks his warhorse into a full gallop at the signal. The point of his lance shifting slightly an instant before the collision, dipping below Harabor’s shield and catching the armor of his left thigh, the Thardan’s strike proves true, vaulting Sir Mirild clean out of the saddle. Crashing down onto the ruined turf, Sir Mirild lies dazed and barely conscious while Sir Ewen again rides from the field, only one victory away from winning the tournament entire.

Lord Prehil Firith suffers Sir Cradon Eldaran’s lance to break upon him in the first pass of their joust, but advances to the final round without further ado when Sir Cradon is disqualified, thrown from his recalcitrant steed before the second pass can be accomplished. Further elaborate fanfare from the liveried heralds, the scurrying of squires about the tiltyard, and then Lord Prehil Firith and Sir Ewen of Ravinargh select lances for the ultimate joust of the tournament. The two knights maneuver their eager steeds to the opposite ends of the jousting wall, couch their lances and settle themselves in their saddles, and then touch spurs and thunder down the long yard. An explosion of impact, with Sir Ewen riding clean through the pass and Lord Prehil thrown into the dust, and the Thardan knight wins the jousting at Kaldor’s Royal Chelebin Tournament of Chivalry for 731.

Soon thereafter, the two finalists go before King Haldan III of Kaldor under the eyes of the watching crowd. A statue of the Lion Mendiz is presented to Lord Prehil by his wife. Then Imarë Taërsi presents the champion of the joust, Sir Ewen of Ravinargh, with the grand prize, a gold statue of Larani. The Baron of Stimos bows to the King and asks on behalf of his own monarch for leave to award Tharda’s prize, to be presented by the Lady Rahel of Aerth. Rahel, stepping before Sir Ewen, flashes a private smirk for the knight before descending into a long, deep curtsey, presenting Sir Ewen with the prize of silver plate to rival the value of the Kaldoric prize. After which follows a long procession of lesser prizes showered upon Sir Ewen, including three hauberks with helms, six bastard swords, and one fine warhorse.

King Haldan III congratulates Sir Ewen on his victory and asks him to grace his table that evening, which Sir Ewen accepts with the requisite grace. Declaen Caldeth, Earl of Vemion, later approaches, observing flatly that Sir Ewen has killed his son. The Thardan knight expresses his regrets, while the Earl stiffly acknowledges that Sir Ewen refused the armor of the slain knight in a chivalric gesture of decency, concluding that he in turn can bear no animosity toward Sir Ewen, and invites him to visit Minarsas as a guest of his lordship.

During the Laranian Feast in the Chelebin Hall tent commemorating the conclusion of the jousts, young Lord Prehil Firith chats with Sir Ewen, and they laugh briefly at the mutual revelation that, for both of them, this was their very first tournament. Sir Ewen is steered by the son into a deep conversation with his father, the Baron Orsin Firith, about the imperative of rolling back the influence of the Pagaelin in the southeast. Sir Ewen then leads off the dancing, partnered by the lovely Rahel of Aerth. In a moment of private communication while they dance before the assembled nobles, Rahel praises Ewen for his victory, saying she willed him to win but had to remain aloof throughout, to allow Sir Ewen the chance to gain his victory undistracted. Acknowledging that Sir Ewen has now made a position for himself in Kaldoric society, she suggests that she must ensure that he is not encumbered by her as he pursues his destiny. Curtseying deeply again at the close of the dance, Rahel turns and walks away with only one glance behind, while Sir Ewen silently watches his half-sister retreat into the crowd, leaving him alone in the crowd.

Lady Cheselyne approaches Imarë in the meantime, thanking the elf for having been such a good sport throughout the social season, admitting that all along she had known the truth of Imarë’s elven nature after all. As a small token of her apology, the Lady gifts Imarë with a large bolt of fine green silk to be delivered to Gray House. Meanwhile, Sir Baris, beastly drunk in the wake of the week’s jousting, hooks up with a comely brunette from one of the noble families and disappears for a very long time.

Bevan, in turn, is approached by Troda Dariune, Earl of Balim, who recalls to Bevan’s mind their last meeting some years ago, when Bevan had declined the Earl’s offer to enlist her services. He sourly admits displeasure at the outcome of the tournament, but then alludes to the activities of Arren II to the north in Orbaal. Bevan deftly frames the relationship between Kaldor and Tharda as that of friends and allies, which the Earl picks up on and elaborates as a theme, referring to Bevan’s earlier refusal to act as a go-between with Tharda. Dariune repeats the offer, and Bevan suggests that she might be amenable should the Earl, as a matter of good faith, undertake to exert his influence to ensure that Sir Ewen’s victory in the tourney is accepted amiably in Kaldoric society. Dariune quickly accepts, promising to help shape the victory by the Thardans into a social entrée in spite of the fact that it had come at the expense of an earl of the realm’s heir. Dariune asks when he might expect Bevan to depart for Coranan, and she answers that, when she has seen evidence of his influence for Sir Ewen, she will depart.

Sir Ewen, in the mean time, is subjected to a blistering interview with Sir Maldan Harabor, who likens the knight to a thorn in his side. In spite of this, he acknowledges that King Haldan lately received word from the Duchy of Alagon that the Earl of Osel’s decomposed, unrecognizable body was found on those foreign shores, identified only by a signet ring which was forwarded to Kaldor. The sheriff admits that he has been offered the earldom if he will abandon the entirety of his holdings in the north. Through gritted teeth, Harabor repeatedly calls the harper a “dangerous man,” and reaffirms his threat to take the earldom which is being placed into his lap while stating he will almost certainly refuse Sir Ewen when he calls upon Harabor for a favor in the future. Sir Ewen smiles coldly, and reminds Sir Maldan that, while he will have an earldom, Sir Ewen in turn will have what the Sheriff beheld in the sewers of Tashal. Staring at the Thardan, Harabor repeats that Sir Ewen is a dangerous man, before turning on his heel and stalking off.

Before the evening is over, Sir Ewen is approached by the Countess Thilisa. Sir Ewen expresses his condolences on the death of her brother, and the lady is gracious, admitting that her brother died doing what he loved most. She asks Sir Ewen about his plans, and when he suggests that many choices are before him, the countess strokes his cheek briefly, eyes lingering upon his, expressing her hope that he choose among them wisely, and then walks off. Watching this interlude from a distance, waiting for the lady to retreat, the Black Knight now approaches Sir Ewen and offers him her sword. Sir Ewen accepts.