Page 37 of Chivalry in the Meadow
Mia was surprised at how serious Finn was, as he explained this to them. Usually he would joke or tease, not be so serious.
It must be something not to be taken lightly, she thought.
“Has anyone explained to you how the point system works?” Finn asked.
“No,” Lilly said.
Mia shook her head. “No.”
“All right. A touch of the lance,” Finn tapped Mia’s arm with his index finger. “Is one point. A broken or shattered lance is five points. They aim at those shields for that. Unhorsing is ten points, but he’s got to be unsaddled. They get five passes and theone with the best total score is the winner. The knight with the highest score advances to fight again. If they go tip to tip that pass gets a rerun. So, each knight’s goal is to stay penalty free and hit on target while having the highest score.”
“No wonder this sport looks so dangerous,” Mia said.
“Because it is,” he said. “If it goes wrong. These men have been practicing their skills for a long time.”
The trio continued to watch the jousting.
Sir Cedric and Sir Alaric met again, each determined to unseat the other. For there could only be one winner.
With each strike harder than the last, their rivalry escalated to a dangerous edge.
It felt deadly to Mia, and less like an entertainment.
Her pulse raced and she held her breath each time their lances hit true.
When the last lance broke, and the herald declared the victor was Sir Cedric, all cheered.
“Of course, the white knight always wins,” Finn said.
“So, it’s scripted?” Mia said.
“Of course,” Finn said. “This is a Ren Faire. The white knight must always win.”
“It sure looked real to me,” Mia said.
“Which means they did a good job.” Finn winked at her.
The six knights now saluted the crowd in a unified arc of lances. As if now, they were all together, part of a team who had put on a great show.
The roar was deafening.
Mia took a deep breath and let it out.
The danger is over now.
It was a huge relief, as it had felt so real. And the feeling that it was real was strong.
But had it been real? Or just part of the show?
Confused by how she felt drawn to Sir Cedric and Sir Alaric, her emotions had risen.
The knights saluted together one more time. The crowd cheered even louder.
“That was so exciting!” Lilly said, clapping for the knights.
A little too exciting, Mia thought as she clapped with Lilly and the rest of the crowd.
“They all fought bravely,” she said. “This was way more exciting than I’d imagined.”
