From the Flames Forged

By THLaird Colyne Stewart, May AS 51 (2016)

For Their Highnesses Ealdormere, Siegfried and Xristinia, and in memory of a very hot Crown Tournament in Bastille du Lac.

The shire’s sun seared hot the flesh

Of those who came to fight that day

Hadean heat burned through the mesh

Of gallery and tents so gay.

The warriors, stout fighters all,

In horrid heat contested well,

But one by one they topple fall,

Into the brittle grassy hell.

The heat—damn heat—of Vulcan’s forge,

Which caused them all to cook and steam,

And raised their stomachs in their gorge,

It stood between them and their dream.

But one, a phoenix, born of fire,

From molten heat arises new,

Alone upon that field so dire,

A-drape in jupon sodden blue.

In sun burned hand he takes the crown,

And gifts it to the woman who

Now kneeling on the earth burned brown

Inspired him to battle through.

Edward Undefeated

Laird Colyne Stewart, June AS XL (2005)

From far across northern lupine lands,

From barony and canton and shire,

Determined and brave with their shields and their helms,

Came fighters with wolfen hearts bright afire.

Presented by heralds with boastings proud,

Escorted by consorts whose virtues are rare,

To rousing cheers and cries from the crowd,

They entered the lists under monarchs’ proud stare.

Under a tortuous sun that burned them and seared,

‘mid an occasional misting of rain,

For hours they battled, tilted and reared,

To win the honour of Ealdormere’s reign.

Many were the brave deeds, gallant and bold,

Performed by this most courteous crew,

But the skill above all, as the story is told,

Was exemplified most strongly by two.

For Sarnac the Mongol, determined and strong,

With his horse hair plume blown in the breeze,

Had been defeated but only once,

His deft sword he handled with ease.

And Edward the Red, resourcefull and skilled,

Was as calm as he was noble and tall,

And his foes found that he could not be killed

As he dispatched and defeated them all.

The queen and king then demanded these knights,

Face each the other in battle again,

Facing three rounds, of up to five fights,

To see which of the worthies would reign.

The Viscount Edward, he won the first round,

And the Count Sarnac, well he took the next;

Each of them then twice hit the hard ground,

And then the Crown rode on who fell down next.

Tense was the watching crowd as they battled,

As their huge great swords flew through the air,

The Mongol Count found he was sundered,

And Edward was proclaimed the king’s heir!

There is glory to find on the list field, displayed in our fighters who bled,

But in no one is this more apparent, then in our new Prince Ed the Red.