(fwd) The Outsider#1

Christopher Walden cmwalden at bga.com
Wed Jun 7 11:03:27 PDT 1995


I found this on the Rialto.  The words are good.  Though I firmly believe 
there should be more to us than being warriors (lest in between battles 
one finds oneself greased and packed away with one's weapons), but I 
think the words apply to much of what we do.

Thought I would share it with those who missed it.

Antonio Bastiano
or cmwalden at bga.com

\/\/\/*****Forwarded Message Follows*****\/\/\/

From: jkt at crash.cts.com (Jedon Thompson)
Subject: The Outsider#1
Date: Tue, 6 Jun 1995 15:47:38 GMT

Note: The contents of the following is written by George 
Lancaster who is solely responsible for its contents.

I think it was different when I first started..... 

I dreamed the dreams of young warriors.  Practised on pels 
of wood, foam and duct tape.  Everything was new and 
wonderful. Kings were Kings and the sparkle of the crowns  
of Caid make me want to do battle with the notorious Atens 
to the east.  I look back on my youth in the Society with great 
fondness, even though I no longer have the will to fight it all.

Duke Guy was my first King that I really remember.  He was 
awesome.  I in my youth, would have followed him into the 
pit of hell to do battle with the devil himself.  He would yell," 
Hail Chivalry!!!, Hail Victory!!!! " and we would yell it back in 
response to him and the enemies of Caid.  He was truly our 
King.  We won many battles underneath his rule, but more 
important he inspired me to become a warrior.

I trained even more. Wednesday, Thursday, and Sunday 
were armoured practise days, while Saturdays were left for 
the tourneys.  I was always good with my spear, but even 
after a year of practise with sword and shield, I sucked.  I 
never made it past the third round of a tourney, people 
laughed and said I would never be good fighter. 

I went to Queen's Champion tourney after practising for a 
couple of months to see how much better I had become.  I 
got one shotted in the first round by a newbie and got 
creamed in the second round by Ivan the Illustrated.  My 
girlfriend Victoria, always supportive, picked me up, dusted 
me off and told me I was getting better.  I moped, leaning 
against a tree in view of the fighting eric and contemplated 
quitting the tourney circuit.

Then there he was, Guy, fighting on the challenge field, even 
though he was still in the lists.  I rushed over, put my 
borrowed bassinet on my head and went to go fight.  It was 
like fighting an elemental force of nature.  His blows rained 
down on me.  I tried to repel them, but they were too 
accurate.  One time he grazed me on my helm and said, 
"That just grazed you, keep fighting."  I would have kept 
fighting but he hit me so well that roots in my teeth hurt.

Dying several times I stood there in disbelief.  He was so 
good at fighting and in comparison I was so bad.  He pulled 
the pin in his helmet and lifted his cheek plates.  He wore a 
bearded broad smile and asked me my name.  I told him my 
name was George of Lancaster.  

He said, " George you got heart.  You didn't cower under my 
blows, and you stood up to me.  You will be a good fighter 
someday.  Find someone to train with and cut your sword 
length down to decent length."

I did what he said.  I squired for Sir Ethelred the Ute, who 
taught me the  mechanics of fighting.  I got better and better 
under my knight's tutelage.

The years have gone by and I have never stopped being a 
warrior.  

I cannot fight now, but I still think of the encouragement I got 
from the War Duke.  The Duke who gave me the words I 
needed, when no one else would give me the time of day. 

Lord George of Lancaster the Outsider...

(Duke Guy won the Queen's Champion tourney.  What a 
"Guy".)











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