Who should fight (was)Re: Ducal perogative

[Elayne Hoover]

I know absolutely nothing about heavy fighting whatsoever.  Except how 
to help my friends into their armor.  But, it is my gut feeling that 
anyone who is able to fight, should fight in Crown tourney.  If you 
know you can't--for whatever reason--fulfill the duties of the king, 
then by all means, bow out after a few rounds.  But the king is king 
by right of arms.  What better way to impress this on the fighting 
populace than to beat the holy living crud out of as many of them as 
possible?  Conversely, it gives the fighters a chance to give the 
knights a run for it, and it gives them the assurance that the person 
who wins won because of skill, and not because Sir So-and-So got a new 
job and can't spare the time to be king and thus couldn't challenge.  
The king, I like to think, is not the best of the fighters who have 
the free time, but the best.  Period.
Just my opinion.
Thank you,
Madame Ghislaine Fontaneau