A Knight's Story

[AroaraAngelwolf]

((You just repeated Alex's and made her do something else. I'm going to skip to the ball. )))

 

 

The day of the ball arrived and Zane was getting on his armor for the jousting tournament in the tent for the trainees. A woman who had raven hair and reddish brown eyes helped him strap it on. She was shorter than he, but very beautiful, and looked lovely in the mint green and chocolate brown dress she wore. "So you have a date to dance with... Will I meet this lucky lady?" She asked and he smiled. "Of course mamí! Why wouldn't you? She is a strong woman like you. I'm certain you'd love her spunk. " he chuckled.

 

 

Avery was still getting dressed, which of the dresses should he wear? He decided to wear his favorite color , purple, at the ball tonight then wear a light blue and green one now, then the dark blue and light silver-grey one for the ball tomorrow, with the one colored like fire during the day. The "ball" being for two days of fighting and dancing with food in between. He slipped in the dress that fit perfectly and did his hair in a internet braid that needed nothing to hold it together, as it was in a decorative knot like a bow at the back of his head. He headed out to the ring, keeping the hem off the ground so it wouldn't get dirty.

[SkySong278]

((no I didn't. I said before she had done those things. when I said that she had nodded before she went inside, it was so that I could still have her acknowledge him saying what he did before she had gone inside to take a bath. sorry if how I worded that was confusing and maybe I shouldn't have posted all that))

 

Alex was wearing a nicer tunic and pair of pants for watching Zane and the other experienced knights joust but when she would be participating later in the sword fights or a little while before it would be her turn, she was going to change into a tunic and a pair of pants that she didn't really care that much about if she got them dirty or managed to get some tears in them. She was sitting next to her and Avery's dad near the front of the ring and they were waiting on her twin. When she saw him, she waved so that he could see where they were sitting and he could sit with them if he wished to.

 

Cody was in another tent adjacent to the one that Zane was in, putting on his armor as well. His lady sister was helping him put on some parts that he couldn't fasten himself and then when all of the pieces of the armor were put where they were supposed to, he walked out of the tent with her and got on Chestnut. She wished him luck before she went to go sit next to their dad and he nodded in acknowledgement before he led Chestnut over to where he needed to go with some of the other knights that were competing and forming a line. They would ride out to the center of the ring after all the other knights joined them so that the audience could see who they were before the helmets got put on and this part of the tournament started.

 

((I'll reword Cody's post later to be more clear

 

edit: edited it some to read better))

Edited April 14, 2017 by Dragonpelt

[AroaraAngelwolf]

(((It's fine I just got confused, that's all ))

 

Zane got on Toro and had a stoic expression on his face as he took his spot in line, and his mother took her place next to the dutchess, as far from his father as possible. It was clear he had gotten his looks from his mother, his father had a bulbous crooked nose, a black and grey bearded face and eyebrows so thick it was hard to get his skin tone, and the parts that was skin, it was ruddy like an enraged man. He sat with the judges as a honorary member that was the tie breaker.

 

 

Avery waved back and first went to Cody and handed him a bit of cloth with a prayer of a guardian angel embroidered with care on it. "May this give you safety and luck. The dresses are lovely. Thank you so much for them." He grinned up at the knight and then hurried on over to his sister and father, smoothing his dress before sitting down like a proper lady. He looked over at his father nervously as the trumpets sounded and the knights filed it, making a lap around the ring before stopping in a line before the dutchess.

[SkySong278]

Alex was quick to give Toro a carrot when she saw Zane get in line with the rest of the knights before Avery came to sit with her and their dad. "Good luck," she said to Zane with a small smile on her face. "Don't injure yourself too badly because we have the sword duel with each other later." She then went back to her seat just as the competitors rode out onto the field and lined up in front of the duchess.

 

"Thank you and you're quite welcome," Cody said in reply to everything that Avery said with a smile on his face. "I can't wait to see you in one of them later this evening." He then rode out onto the field with the other competitors to line up in front of the duchess.

[AroaraAngelwolf]

Once all the riders where announced the pairs where then announced. Zane was up third and against the strongest knight possible. The man's horse was even larger than Toro.

 

The first round went quick. The knight that got knocked off was knocked out. The second one took a couple times then Zane was next. He rode to the middle of the ring and on one side of the fence. He and his horse stood incredibly still, as his opponent's danced around and snorted. When the flag waved they charged at each other, both lances splintering and zane's armor got dented, however he refused to fall off even though he was nearly pushed off the back of his horse. A second turn and only zane's splintered and his helmet got knocked off.

 

 

Once more, he took another lance and the two charged at one another, Toro half jumping when the lance struck the opponent, knocking the other knight off his stallion before easing his way to the side of the ring, almost falling off his horse getting off of it. He was hurt, but knowing his father, he acted like it wasn't so bad until he got to the tent.

 

Stripping his armor, he discovered a bruised rib and coughed up a bit of blood from the last hit, having gotten it in the stomach. His neck hurt from whiplash. Not too bad, but sore and still had three more rounds to go before the sword play fights. Zane eased himself down on a bed to rest for the remainder of the first round.

[SkySong278]

Alex covered her mouth when she watched the last hit Zane took. When she saw him head towards the tents, she got up and went after him to see if he was okay as well as to check on Toro, too. She got some water from a nearby well and then found the tent Zane was in before she went into it. She saw him resting and just set the cup down on the side table near the bed and then went outside to see how Toro was doing. She started to brush him down with a brush she saw nearby.

 

Cody watched as the first three knights went up against their opponents, one of them being Zane, and then when his friend went to the tents he rode out and went to the end of the rail and then held up the lance he had gotten for the challenge. He put the visor on his helmet down over his face and then when the flag went down to signal the start of the round, he rode towards his challenger and hit him but it didn't hit him off of his horse. They both rode back to where they started and then rode towards each other again where Cody managed to hit the other knight off of his horse but got hit in the collarbone in the process where it was now a bit sore. He rode over to the tents and went into one before taking off some of his armor to see how bad his collarbone actually was.

Edited January 30, 2023 by SkySong278

[AroaraAngelwolf]

Zane opened his eyes when he heard Toro whiney. The horse had some splinters in his hair, but otherwise fine. The stallion nosed Alex looking for more treats, blinking his blue eyes at her. In the tent, Zane looked around and saw the cup beside him, taking it gratefully and drinking it down he went to get up and winced. His blood turned cold when the familiar sound of silver armor clinking drew close to his tent as his father burst through the tent flap.

 

"How dare you embarrass me boy! Going off like that, without making a victory circle! The next two rounds you better make a show of you winning! Am I clear boy?" He snarled. "Yes sir." Zane said softly then yelped. "Get up when I'm talking to you and strap on your armor now! You're first up and I better see that dent beaten out of it! Nothing is wrong with you, and you better not wine to that woman about how you hurt or else I'll give you a real hurt, got that?!" "Yes sir!" Zane responded as his father strode out of the tent once more and back to the stands.

 

 

Although Avery wanted to check on Cody, a lady wasn't allowed in the knight's tents unless a relative of the knight. He flipped open his lacy fan and waved it tightly in nervousness and worry. Alex, although a girl, was disguised as a knight, so she was aloud back in the tents.

[SkySong278]

Alex smiled at Toro when she heard him whinny as well as when he nosed her. She pulled an apple out of her sleeve and gave it to him before seeing the small splinters in his hair. She carefully pulled them out and then gave him one last pat before turning towards Zane's tent when she heard the yelling of an older man that she figured was the latter's dad and winced a bit at how harsh he sounded. When he left she went into the tent again and asked with concern on her face regarding his injury, "Are you okay?" She hadn't been able to ask that question before because he was resting but now she could because he was awake.

 

Cody decided the bruise on his collarbone wasn't that bad and started to put his armor back on. He was up after two other knights and one of them was Zane. He hoped that his friend was okay but would ask him when he saw him emerge from his tent.

[AroaraAngelwolf]

((Happy Easter! Will post later. Busy with family today.))

[SkySong278]

((same to you and okay ))

[AroaraAngelwolf]

Zane was getting ready to beat out the dent in his armor. He gave her a sad look. "Yeah. I'm okay. Thanks for giving Toro attention. " He said, hitting his armor with a hammer and popping out the dent. "I could use help getting this on though. Sore, but still able to fight you. " He said softly.

[SkySong278]

"I'm glad and you're welcome," Alex said in reply before nodding in reply to what he said softly to her. She took a few pieces of his armor and started to put them on him before she got the rest of the armor and also put them on him. "I've been practicing what you taught me what I missed while my foot was recovering as well as what I learned from my dad, uncle and grandpa," she said after she was done with his armor. "Our fight might be a close one."

[AroaraAngelwolf]

"Good! We'll have a good fight then. Are you thinking about revealing yourself today or no?" He asked as she strapped on his armor. "Thanks for helping me. Now I best be going. You should check on Cody he was up after me. " He said and smiled at her then went out getting on his horse and heading to the ring.

[SkySong278]

"Mhm and only if someone were to accidentally find out during the fight. Otherwise, no. I'm going to see how long I can keep it a secret for," Alex said in reply to everything he said and asked before hearing what he said last before he headed out of the tent to go back to the ring. She left a little while after he did and went to Cody's tent to see how he was doing.

"Hey. I'm just checking on you to see if you're okay," she said in greeting to him upon entering his tent.

"Hi and I'm fine. I have a bruised collarbone but otherwise I'm okay," Cody said in reply with a smile before moving to get his armor. "Can you help me with my armor? It's much faster when two people are working on doing that," he asked and said after a few minutes while giving the pieces of armor to her.

Alex nodded and then put the pieces of armor on him until he was ready for his next round. He thanked her and then left the tent to get on Chestnut. She saw him head back to the ring before heading back to the stands shortly afterward and next to Avery.

Edited October 11, 2017 by SkySong278

[AroaraAngelwolf]

How is he?" Avery asked when his sister returned and sat down again. He watched as the last knights left and Zane took to the ring once more. This time knocking the knight off in one blow. He ran around the ring twice then and then left it. This continued till the final round then he returned to his tent as they set up the ring for the sword fights.

[SkySong278]

"He's fine. Just a bruised collarbone and that's it," Alex said in reply to Avery's question before she had her attention go to being on Zane. When the rest of the knights after him did their last rounds, including Cody, and it was almost time for the sword fights, she went back into the castle to change out of her nice tunic and pants and into a not so nice tunic and pair of pants to get ready for when she would be competing. After she dressed and got her sword, she headed back outside and went to the bulletin board where names and rounds would be listed to see when she would be up. She saw that she was up after a page named Lucas and his challenger named Marcus. She nodded in satisfaction and then went to stand off to the side to wait.

 

Cody had gone back to his tent to change, and was now off to the side with Alex to wait his turn. He was after Alex and her challenger, a page named Mark.

Edited March 24, 2023 by SkySong278

[AroaraAngelwolf]

Zane was paired with Bartholomew. To make things interesting, and to take up less time, instead of going pair by pair, they aloud five pairs on the field and gave each of them a bit of cloth tied at their waist, the first one to get this cloth intact won the round. There were twenty squires, or knights in training. So it'll take this group and another to weed out the losers and have the strong bracket up.

 

 

Bartholomew was a slacker in training, and was the one that made the comment about losing to a newbie, so he didn't hold back on him. It was over in three seconds, Zane blocking his blade and smacking the boy in the face with the hilt of his sword, knocking him out. He took the cloth, waved it and stood there until everyone else was done.

[SkySong278]

Alex and her opponent Tyler were also on the field, circling each other to see who would go first as well as to see if they could spot each other's weaknesses. She didn't make it easy for him to find her weakness and she was the first to strike in a butterfly like sweep that she had learned from her uncle. When he blocked it, she tried a move she had learned from Zane and then another move that she had learned from her dad which was a zig-zag like movement with the sword to make her opponent confused and not make it easy to spot when she would make her next strike which she made go for his arm. When he barely blocked it, she kicked his legs out from underneath him which was a move of her own and when he fell on his back she took the cloth that was attached to his waist and waved it in the air to signal her own victory before looking at all of the other pairs to see who would be next to finish.

 

Cody was currently almost done with his own match and to finish it off, he knocked his opponent's sword out of his hand by sliding a side-sweep motion that Xander failed to block. He then took the other's cloth and waved it as well just like Zane and Alex had done.

Edited October 11, 2017 by SkySong278

[AroaraAngelwolf]

When the ring was over, they paired up the remaining people and did the same thing. On the third round, Zane was paired with Alex, and it was individual fighting in the rain. Only this time it was until the other forfeits or gets knocked out. Zane was all grins as he faced Alex. "I saw your move. Impressive. Don't hold back on little ol me. Cuz I won't go easy on you." He said loud enough for her to hear but not where the crowd could.

 

In the stands Avery waved his handkerchief and cheered his sister on.

[SkySong278]

"I'll do my best but no promises," Alex said in reply just as loud as he had said to her so that the crowd wouldn't hear their conversation before getting in the "en guard" position to start it off. After the rounds were started with a go-ahead signal from one of the judges, she started to do a side-sweep motion with her sword towards his mid-section while trying to keep the cheering from Avery from distracting her. She could also feel the very intense staring from her dad and tried to keep that from distracting her as well.

 

Cody was watching from the sidelines and was silently rooting for both of his friends. He heard and briefly saw Avery cheering for Alex and smiled a bit due to that before having his attention be completely on the match.

Edited April 20, 2017 by Dragonpelt

[AroaraAngelwolf]

((Two rounds went by. It's individual rounds now. So Cody isn't in the ring, it's just Zane and Alex.))

[SkySong278]

((sorry. edited. I must've accidentally read your post wrong before I posted))

[AroaraAngelwolf]

((It's okay! It happens! ))

 

Zane blocked it and side stepped into a spin to get to her back side, attempting to swat her leg with the flat of the blade before dancing back. He bent his legs and held his sword parallel to the ground, lowering his center of gravity. "Come on, you can do better!" He called out to her. This time the crowd could hear him.

[SkySong278]

((okay ))

 

Alex nodded in agreement when she heard what Zane said about doing better, knowing that she did have to do a lot better than what she did earlier. She went back into attack position before turning with her sword much like she was dancing and then did her butterfly sweep motion and then did a zig-zag motion before she lunged towards his middle.

 

((fail. sorry ))

Edited April 21, 2017 by Dragonpelt

[AroaraAngelwolf]

Zane barely blocked the attack and lunged at her right side in an attempt to trip her when she moves left. Instead, he stumbled then caught himself before laughing. "Don't want to make that mistake again! come on... your father's watching. Make him proud." He grinned at her then lunged again at her. He used more elaborate moves, letting her show off her new skills. After a good twenty five minuets, he made the same mistake he did in their first fight. He wasn't angry, but he left himself open for her to twist his blade from his hand.