The Ganut

Episode 28: Let the tournament begin!

A few hours before the riders tournament, Caesar, Paul and Ervin met in Lidsor to talk and establish strategies. Ervin was informed of all the suspicions and disappearances as well as the suspects, namely Bali and Savel.

Paul: The driver's missing notice has been lifted.

Caesar: He came back ????

Paul: No apparently, the lady, Mary Dobel, who had asked for him to be searched, has retracted her statement. He allegedly wrote her a letter saying he was going to Dizek.

While our three nosy people were chatting, the Prince of Povidas who resided in the establishment was passing through. He greeted them, spoke a little privately with Ervin and headed towards the royal arena for the events. Then the discussion resumed.

Caesar: What did the prince want?

Ervin: Nothing in particular, he was complaining that his bath water wasn't hot enough.

Paul: This letter that suddenly appears... It's all a bit far-fetched. I'm going to try to get in touch with her to see if she's hiding anything.

Ervin: And Caesar, I think you should follow your wife to find out more about what she does outside the palace. You say she continues to go out while Savel is on a mission. She may be meeting a third accomplice.

Caesar: You're right. I will do it.

Soon after, the arena was full. Certainly the royal stands were still empty but the arena was already crowded. The arena could accommodate up to 80,000 people. The seats were made of cement except those in the royal stands where there were seats. These seats were purple in color. Only the seats of the royal couple are supposed to be golden. As the king was still single, then there was only one seat of this color. There were betting tables all around the stadium. Only 3 bookmakers were approved by the crown to have establishments inside the enclosure. The best known of these belonged to Savel. His bookmaker company demanded a sum of money from others so that they could practice. Almost all bookmakers were on the same page when it came to odds. For the equestrian joust, the favorites were known. The odds for Gerrard Terry, the Duke's brother and member of the 11 Kirk Terry, to reach the final were 3 to 1 (3/1) and that of the famous Byron Gray, brother of the Duchess and member of the 11 Wila Gray was 1.8 against 1 (1.8/1).

The wrestling matches were over and the majority of the nobles had already taken their places. There was chatter all over the arena when Paul suddenly shouted "open the ban". The army musicians made a drum roll and sounded trumpets. The crowd suddenly stopped making noise. Everyone bowed their heads in reverence to welcome the king. His Majesty Morak Owens had just entered the arena. Accompanied by Lidas and his royal guard, Morak returned to his golden seat. He first remained standing and then gave his introductory speech in which he cited the rewards for the two upcoming events. The winner of the equestrian joust would receive 50,000 krika, an elevation to the rank of captain in the army (if the candidate has a lower rank) and will be elevated to the rank of Count of Firoza.

When the awards were announced, we felt the enthusiasm rise a notch among all the participants. The supporters were also excited but Philippe, the second son of Savel and Raoul, was moping following the announcement of the first reward. In any case, Hughes, the older brother, would not have been able to participate. He was only 17 years old and not noble. In addition to this, we must not neglect the dangerous nature of the event. Some candidates have already lost their lives during previous tournaments. So there wasn't much to regret about Hughes' absence. Certainly he was a very good fighter but he was not eligible. After announcing the rewards, the king shouted, "Let the tournament begin !"

In the stands, Garuk sat with Makissi to experience the prestigious events to come. Lorentz was with Clarisse and Mary was sitting with Jerel. The general's mother was not far away and had already started gossiping with her friends. The noble guests who came for the event questioned the Sifaneese nobles about the meaning of the red armband. The latter disconcerted the armband and took the opportunity to throw barbs at the working class. But Queen Julia in the royal stands did not agree with the nobles and let them know that she supports the movement.

Spectators filled the stands after the opening of the tournament. The first knights were close and lined up in their respective 100 meter long corridors. They were face to face and ready to seek the reward in the name of honor and at the risk of their lives. One of the two jousters was Oswald, the young man from the tavern who had witnessed the murder of Bali's maid. Oswald was a soldier in the army and was a formidable fighter. He won his fight by destroying his opponent's spear in 2 attempts.