[Bordermarch] The Shakey Knee Mistake

[justinw at dreammakersetx.com]

Good day M'Lords and M'Ladies.Gather round and have a seat. I would like
to tell you a story. It is a true story of past events. Some of the
facts may have been changed but the players are the same. I will not
tell the true identity of the boy in the story for fear that he would be
harassed to no end.

First let me explain that when Bordermarch holds a melee, there is an
award that goes to all new fighters in attendance that get a battlefield
kill. It is a nice little scroll with the fighters name on it. It's not
a major award or anything, just a little scroll for newer fighters to
brag about. After all my years I still have mine in my lock box.

It all started back in A.S. XXV. A young man of about 18 wanted to bring
honor unto himself through combat. He attended a local fighter practice
and met many of men and women that live by the sword. His Excellency Sir
Henri explained the basics of sword and shield and sent him on his way.
Before he could try his hand at combat he needed armor. He was
introduced to a knight that agreed to loan out his beautiful armor. It
was highly shined around the knees and elbows. The leather was as dark
red as blood leaving the body. It was important for Sir Simon to look
his best before he bested his opponent. He was a kind man that enjoyed
teaching as well as fighting. The armor was a bit small but it fit well
enough. This lad was determined to fight.

The young man armored up and was given a sword and shield. He was overly
eager to fight. This eagerness would soon take flight for his first
opponent was a man that is now a knight known as Sir Badon. With Sir
Simon Sir Badon and HE Henri teaching the boy what could go wrong? Well,
after a brief time of instruction it was obvious that the boy was not
listening. As the day wore on he still didn't follow the directions
given to him by these fine knights. So with that all the fighters in
attendance aware that the boy wasn't listening, they proceeded to use
him as a training dummy. By the end of his first day, he had bruises all
over his body, and a rather large smile on his face.

This method of "training" continued for a few weeks. The boy finally
wised up a little and began to listen. He listened just enough to block
a few hits and swing a sword. However, the bruises became a weekly
occurrence. After a few months had past, he got fairly decent with the
shield. But he couldn't hit anything with his sword.

Between the practices, he began building his own armor with scrapes
donated by other fighters. It was a valiant attempt by someone who had
no experience building armor intended for use. The armor was finished
just days before his first event. This was Bordermarch's Fall Melees.

On the morning of the event, he armored up proudly in his new, self made
armor. He proudly strolled to the field to be inspected. As he strutted
to the field his armor began to fall apart. He was heart broken. To his
rescue came Malachi Delacot. Malachi had his armor in his wagon and was
not able to fight due to his baronial duties. So without a second
thought, Malachi helped the boy armor up and get to inspection.

The boy was inspected and then authorized to fight by the marshals. He
was excited to fight in his first event.

Even though he was not proficient in combat, he defended himself well.
He fought in every scenario that was ran that day. He did good but had
yet to get his first battlefield kill. He then happened upon 2 fighters
fighting a knight that was on his knees. The knight on his knees was
spectacular. The boy watched him fight against more than one opponent
and was killing all on-comers. So he decide to enter the fray. As he
approached the wounded knight acknowledged him. It was now three to one.
The wounded knight was winning. He took out the fighter that was now in
the middle and the fighter on the right took a shot. The wounded knight
blocked the attack and that's when the young lad made his move. A solid
hit to the helm of the wounded knight. The knight confirmed a good kill
and the boy was consumed with excitement. He had gotten his first kill.
He turned and and shout " Alright I got one!" The knight rose and
stopped the boy. The boy was shocked. The knight challenged him to a
fight, one on one. As the boy looked around he saw Sir Badon and gave a
look of "For the love of the Gods help me!!" Badon motioned for him to
accept the challenge, so against all that was sane, the boy accepted.
The knight hit the boy about 6 times before the lad could yell "good."
These 6 shots would cause the only bruises of the day. This was the last
scenario of the day.

After a long day of battle, all the fighters got cleaned up and returned
to the courtyard for evening court. In attendance was the King and Queen
of Ansteorra. Court took place and our young man was called up to
receive his "Shakey Knees Award" for his first and only battlefield
kill. After all court business was concluded the King himself stood up
and took control of court. He called into court the young man that had
killed him in battle. He began telling the story of a lad who on the
field of battle made a good kill to a well protected area of his body.
He then told of the boastful response that the same lad made after the
kill. The King looked at the boy and said " I hope that if you learn
nothing else this day, learn that you never revel in the death of
another man." This King was none other than Sir Patrick Michael.

When court was released the boy ate feast quickly and left. He was last
seen drowning his sorrows at a tavern in Bordermarch. He was not much of
a drinker. I would guess that he splashed as much as he drank. That was
the last time he was seen. Makes you wonder if he learned from his
mistakes and brought honor to his name.