Promotion Awards Ceremony for January, 1456

Watching the SgtM determination to get back on horse to finish her match, McMannanan cannot help but feel something for her - her strength, her will, her stubbornness. He shakes his head and prays to the gods that she be protected. Looking at his mates, he starts to wonder if this is really worth it. This joust, the pageantry... it seems that there be dark clouds coming over England's horizons, he hopes that he'll be able to help withstand the tide that is coming.

Thinkiing that there may be nothing left for him to see here, except for the finish of the SgtM's joust, he begins to plan his trek home in his mind. Hopefully, he won't regret seeing the end of this round.
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Walk peacefully between the earth and waves.

Soon enough, no one can tell that she has some pretty bad laceration and abrasions on her scalp and a cut on her neck and collar bone from where the lance had almost speared her.
Back at her horse, after they clean and suture her up , apply a small bandage to the major wounds, she throws the mirror to the hay stacks. This is war.
She knows how to fight in battle (but this isn't battle, the voice of reason)
Her old KoP Squad leader and the Griffith Castle Commander had taught her well.
Maybe too well. No matter the size of the enemy.
She WILL stand and she WILL walk and she WILL fight!
(but it's not war!)
The leather is preventing the worst damage to happen but it does not hamper the impact like a suit of armor would. She's never worn a suit b4 for anything.
They are encumbering. So very encumbering. She checks her leathers and finds tear.
Just great, hopefully it will hold up.
She fiddles with it a little, kind of absent minded-like, as if to see if it would magically mend itself. But nothing happened.

Minutes after, she's in the saddle.

Approaching the starting point for the third time.
This is it.
Eyes of steel. A smileless grimace.
Total focus on only one thing and one thing alone...
She is being shielded and lanced. Maybe this calls for her battle cry?
He will die this time or not be able to walk for weeks.
Never fight or go to sleep when your angry, comes the voice.
There is no reason in battle, only survival, shut up!
It's time to ignore the pain.
It's time to ignore reason.
Soft spur to the flank, command, veer the horse.
It's an automatic thing it requires no thought.
She must look a fright and a mess but who cares.
She will win this thing even if it kills her.
In position now. Her lance aiming toward...

The CHAAAAARRRRRGGGEEEE is called and her opponent comes racing toward her.
She takes the horse around quickly to give him ample start for a great and steady gallop.
Faster and faster now, up to speed quickly. She knows just how to spur him on.
The lance comes down into aims. There will be no hesitation...hesitation only kills!

Lydia decides not to take any chances.

At THE very last second, too late for correction, Lydia hesitates, blinks in rapid succession...
Her eyes playing tricks?
The right eye hurts and burns so she closes it and squints.
Lydia is mesmerized, she...can't believe it...
Her pulse races, her head hurts.

The impact is final! as Lydia, stunned to the marrow, realizes a blonde braid, with a old familiar tie, having been pinned under the helmet draped over a shoulder...

So completely and with the noise of bone crunching accuracy...Dead On! Her lance had hit...!

In slow motion, as Lydia sees it, Kathryn flies into the air at a height of at least 3 feet as the impact takes her out of the saddle.
The lance, caught somewhere in the shoulder folds of the breast plate, makes the girl dangle for a bit for Lyds still has tight control over it and the lance wont break.
Cant seem to relax...
VERY tense, she's one mighty powerhouse of brute strength.
Lydia jerks the lance and the metal armor clanks some awful sound and Kat hits the ground so hard, one may have feared she had broke it! (the ground)
Lyds halts her steed in mid stride. Looks down on herself...her horse.
Has no direct understanding of what just happened.

A miss?
She cant believe it!
A MISS!!!
UNBELIEVABLE!!
The lance missed me completely!

A short TY prayer to Jah and Lydia throws down her own lance, swings her leg over the saddle horn, disengages her left foot from the stirrup and hits the ground rather hard, almost hitting it with her face.
The impact makes her ribs hurt and she can feel a suture pop.
She scrambles to her feet and forward, gaining her balance on the 3rd or so step. Awkwardly trying to rip off the shield and gloves in the process as she sprints toward Kathryn at a neck braking speed.
She can't breathe, she's on fire.
She darts and hurdles whatever objects as she approaches nearer to the lady in armor...laying, what appears to be unconscious, on the ground and gets there way b4 everyone.
Oh dear Jah, foolish! she comes sliding next to her. First thing to remove the helmet and confirm...
Lyds is stunned!
I didn't know it was U m'Lady, not until that very last moment. But girl, I wasn't about to let you win this one!
Not if I could help it! she chuckles, of all things.
I know you understand. They don't call me Feisty for nothing! A weak smile.
She gently and lovingly runs her shaking hand over Kat's sleeping, ever so pale face.
...and I know you...gave your best.
If it hadn't been for the miss...you...you would have...and I would be...in your place, right now.
...was all the 'apology' Lydia could muster as she sat on her heels, cradling Kat's head, placing it on her thighs.
This can be washed out, you'll see. You can wash your hair...I'll wash ur hair. as she tries to dab the blood away.
The helmet had apparently dented and carved a deep gash inside her forehead.
Head wounds, they bleed a lot.
Lydia babbles, pretty close to some kind of breaking point. What a way to learn how to joust.
The thought applies to both of them as the Squires and medics surround them and someone tries to pull a frenzied Lyds off Kathryn because she is refusing to leave her side or let go off her, not realizing that she is seriously impeding the aid needed to revive.

She never knew...
Crpl Daniel Smith...
She thought she was competing against a male...until...The End.
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At the sound of the trumpets, Kathryn abandoned her hunt. The Sergeant Major's prowess was well known. She would not leave the match unfinished. Kathryn now sought Destrier. Where the horse had wandered to after she'd been moved, she didn't know.

There, she spotted a familiar midnight flank tied to a picket with a trough full of fresh hay. She limped toward him, her ankle sore where it had been caught in the stirrup. "One more ride, boy," she whispered to him as she untied the reigns and mounted, leading him away toward the field. Her hair had fallen loose, and Kathryn quickly pulled it back into a tight braid before reclaiming her helm and riding to the starting post.

Lydia took her place opposite, again with no armor. Kathryn called for a lance and waited patiently for the charge. She was focused, despite the dull throbbing behind her eyes.

The trumpets sounded and Kathryn spurred the horse into action. Ever closer she drew, eyeing her target. She had this in the bag. Her vision blurred. Kathryn gripped the reigns, and the lance faltered.

Her shoulder wrenched with a searing pain, and Kath was lifted from the saddle. The hard ground was all she saw through the narrow slits of her helm before blackness engulfed her.

Elmix was rather determinated not to let Lady Lydia to joust anymore, not now, even though Lady Lydia was realy determinated to finish it.

Elmix thinks Lady Lydia want to ask or say something to bring her, so leaned closer to her, but for his surprise Lady Lydia has more energy left in her as he thought she has when he soon was holded tight, and in next moment Elmix was realy in seventh heaven and forget abaut all on this world.

There was some time before he went back to normal, but when he did, Lady Lydia was already on her horse and almost ready for next round.

I was not letting her joust...now how did she do that? He says but this was already too late - the next round had already started.

Oh damm.....i failed to hold her up! But He could do nothing more just to watch and hope she will not get hurt again...she still had no armor.

After the next knight Joust clash Elmix was revieled the Lydia did not get hurt, but not for too long as Crpl Smith fall and it appeared....Lady Kathryn? Too many surpises in such a short time, Elmix yells for doctors to go and help both Ladies there.
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Ex-Captain of Chester Bowmen and Cumberland Mountaineers

Lydia shrugs off all help offered and, after reassuring herself that Kat was, first of all alive, and second, being fully tended to by people who knew what they were doing, proceeds to advance herself to the medical tent.
The gloves had crusted to her hands before leaving her with dried and now Kathryn's fresh blood. She carefully feels for the stitches as an incredible heachache suddenly hammers inside her head making her teeth ache, causing a rush noise inside her ears.
Her finger comes away with very little fresh blood.
Yet she can feel a rinsel creep down her temple.
She rips open the leather, as the first aid station comes into sight, and simply drops all gear as she walks and removes it, leaving only her

bloomers and chemise.

Can't wait to dunk her hands inside a wash basin. Need to wash off the blood.
On her way she passes the MG. Coming closer, his look of extreme sternness and disapproval wont leave her too soon.
She halts, her eyes lowered to the ground.
I'm...sorry, Sir!
She mutters as her head comes up again to face him.
No smile, her mouth pretty much a tight lipped flat line.
Her sad eyes find his but he seems to have no apparent reaction.

Behind them the next Joust is being announced.

LAAAAAAAAADIIIIIIIIIESSSSSS aaaaaaaaaaaand GENTLEMEN.....

the announcer booms once again

WILL Cprl RAGNADOUR AND Maj AlSAFE PLEASE GET REAAAAADY!!

Current Winners Circle:

MG Correus
Cpt Elmix
SgtMOATrey22
SgtM Morningstern
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After a minute Correus smiles. Good enough SgtM. Just so you know though, If you and Kathryn, Ever pull another stunt like this, I WILL have you both before me for disciplinary actions. It is a friendly joust, meant to entertain, NOT get our Knights put in the Infirmary and out of Action. As he pats her shoulder he says, Your out of Uniform and attracting attention. Not that I can blame them. Now get yourself patched up and dressed, and Carry On Good Knight of the Pheonix.
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Ragnar left the Preparation area with a little trepidation, moving stiffly in
the armour, he was helped up into the stirrup and swung himself up into the saddle.
Standing at the end of the tiltyard Ragnar waited for the sign to charge ...
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Hearing the Calling my Men help me quickly prepare for the fate ahead. I ask Has my opponent replied, they answer. Yes M'Lord he is awaiting you. Eh, let us be ready then Moving out to the Tourney area I feel A sudden urgency to know who this person is I am about to engage in combat, although A friendly combat supposedly.

As I draw near to the starting position I catch A lass throwing A rose at me, however I pass to fast too catch Her eyes.

Reaching the starting gate, I signal the Judge I am ready.

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That was the longest minute of her life!

His eyes penetrated right down into her soul and she could feel him rip apart her earthly morals and standards and compare them to the code of the great Knights of the Phoenix.
External injuries are one thing. Wounds heal, scabs become scars...but ethics are the invisible badge of honor every Knight carries and is judged by. As of yet, she does not know what rule her behavior could have broken. Her mind is still half way in that last Joust. She often doesn't know what others think she does wrong, and a lot of times she finds the allegations out of place or groundless.
Someone's mere personal preference p'rhaps?
She is a girl who lives by instinct. Her dignity be her guide.
But...she has a temper she cant control and gets stubborn as a mule when that happens.
She has sometimes wondered if that might make her lose clarity of purpose on occasion.
She has hurt a few good people with it.
People who tried to love her but couldn't for her temper set them back too far each time.
She has lost so friends because of it, or what she might have conceived as friendship.
She is almost to the point of regret.
But her stubborn head tells her...
Well, at least at those times she thinks she is right.
In retrospect, her vision of correctness often seems to falter.
But...by then, things have already been finalized and there usually, sadly, is no return path.
She wonders if her life would be 'better' if she had changed every time someone disapproved of her or her standards.
Some people are so busy pleasing others they cannot possibly tell who they really are in the end.
Not her. She does not want to live like that.
There are plenty who love and respect her just the way she is.
She realizes she is deep in thought when she sees MG Correus' lips moving, for her ears are still full of swarming bee hives.
She looks at him again. Closer yet. Tall, handsome, fair and often quite human.
A tippy toe man.
Her mind reverberates every word he just spoke...

Hearing the command, I heel Mjollinir and he bolts forward. Drawing nearer my arm is strained holding the lance steady....... and we collide full force.........

The sharp pain wrings through my upper chest as his hit crushes my shield into me, wood splinters flying everywhere. I reel back from the blow and in A instant we have passed each other......

My body throbbing from the pain I drop what is left of my lance and try too turn to see my comrades fate, as I pull back on the reigns to slow down. Knowing full well my hit was hard and true ....
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Pounding down the tiltyard at the call of "Charge !", Ragnar soon came into contact with AIsafe,
his own lance smashing against the body of his opponent. Then the blow hits him, rocking him
back in his saddle violently, gripping on like mad he manages to keep his seat as he came to the
end of the yard.
Picking up a new lance, he turns to face his opposition again ...
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The sound of the die on the plank boards is almost all that can be heard

The FANFARE blasts loudly

and

BOOOOUUUUUT TWOOOO

is under way........... CHAAAAARRGEEEEEEE !!!!!!!
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Seeing He has fared at least from the eye to be OK I turn at the End gate...

As I rearm I think for A moment...

This is A fine Knight i am engaged with...

Getting back on line and hearing the call I bear down and rush forward... feeling mjollinir's force raging I become one in the same with His movement...

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Hearing the shout of "Charge !" again, Ragnar turned again and moved
down the tiltyard, hooves pounding ...
As they clashed, Ragnar's lance glanced off his shield and smashed heavily
into AIsafe's body, the blow seemingly shaking him to his core.
AIsafe's lance hitting his shield fair and square in the middle, bruising
the arm it was strapped to, originally thinking he may have broken something,
but on clenching his fist realises he was probably alright.
Shaken, Ragnar reigned in before outrunning the length of the yard ...
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Feeling the Hit I hunch back holding on as our hits meet with precision and my breath has left me for the brief moment ....

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