[AU]Oo De Lally, A Tourney!

[Erin Hackett]

The year was sometime during the Medieval Times. A time of Kings, Queens, Princes, Prince, Knights, Squires, and the Common Folk. A time where every so often a Tourney would be held in honor of someone, for entertainment, but mainly for a combination of the two. There was always a reward to be had at a tourney for its victors all depending on who was hosting the event. This event was held by a King, one who had a beautiful daughter who was just having a birthday and he was holding a tourney in her honors.

This King was a very kind man and he was allowing any man who thought they could participate in the events a chance to compete. The prizes? Gold, titles, lands, and even a kiss from his daughter. Perhaps even the chance to court his daughter if the man proved himself worthy enough through the events. Everything had already been set up, with people from around the kingdom coming to witness today's events. First up was a race on horseback, around the castle, and across the finish line right in front of the King's and the Princess view.

Erin was not the princess. No, she did not fit such a role. The role she did fit was that of having pretended to be a boy for the majority of her life. It worked out well enough when it was easy enough to pull off looking like a guy when you didn't really have a chest. It also helped that Erin had practically her best friend; not that he had a choice in the matter, Quinn to vouch for her 'being a man'. It was Quinn who she had dragged along with her to the events for the chance at being possibly knighted.

"You think if we win any of this, we will be knighted? That would be so leet. Hm...what an odd word that does not exists." Erin said as she looked over to Quinn, who she would totes introduce as her cousin or something. She was already on her horse, dressed up in her usual male clothing and sticking to her whole I'm a male disguise.

((Tag:Quinn Wiley Heather Sutherland, & Cade Carson))

[Cade Carson]

Sir Cade Atkinson. He was a knight. It was just because his grandfather had done a great favour to the king at the time. The King, being the benevolent leader he was, had rewarded Grandfather Atkinson with a title and land. Since then, the Atkinsons had gained aristocratic speed. As a result, Sir Cade had been trained in the arts of a knight for a long time. Now for the tournament. Despite the land his family had, they still had a long ways to go to rise in the ranks before an Atkinson could be crown prince. Because of course, that was the goal everyone had. And the kiss from the princess wouldn't hurt either. Cade had stayed honourable in his life so far, but that didn't mean he didn't have the urge to break out of his bonds. He'd have to make do with that kiss. He smiled, mounting his jet black stallion and riding over to two competitors who were speaking.

"I admire you peasants for your big dreams. Perhaps if you prove yourself in the race, the King will make you butlers."

[Quinn Wiley]

((And look, I finally have a use for The White Queen's pictures! *squee*))

Quinn spat what he had in his mouth on the ground. A tourney meant lots of good food, normally. It meant meat where you could barely get some cheese and bread. Except he doubted there was any meat on the skewer he paid for. It sure looked like meat, it smelled like it but he swore chewing on his boots would be easier than this. Stupid tourney, didn’t start very well now did it? At least the prizes there sounded interesting. Not the kiss. The girl may be beautiful but she totally was not worth risking his skull to be split in two for a kiss, princess or not.

Most of the competitions were out of Quinn’s league. With his lean silhouette he didn’t strike as one who could brandish a sword or stay on the back of his horse after being hit with a lance. And he probably couldn’t. But when it came to race, his skills were almost unmatched. And he thought he was doing fair with a bow. Of course, this whole tourney thing would also be better had Erin, sorry Eric, not been next to him. The girl had always wished to do boy things. She couldn’t be happy letting things go the usual way. He always found it unbelievable that no one could tell she was a woman. Sure, no woman would ever dare to pretend being a guy, and he often claimed her to be one and, insert shudder here, related to him, but he thought her traits were much too soft for that of a boy. Again, mentality of these days had people assumed everyone was who they claimed to be. How could it not? Still, Quinn often felt like pointing her at those who considered her a guy and ask them how they could not see the subterfuge.

“I’ll settle for some gold. Thanks for not putting horns on Pips again. Last time, they nearly tried to burn him for being a demon,” he told her. He would have blamed her had this happened. They could have eaten Pips a long time ago, to survive, only Quinn refused. The ferret stayed with them. And he sure would not let anyone burn his pet. Especially not over another one of Erin’s crazy ideas. He fidgeted, something bugging him, and that was not the stinking creature sitting on his shoulder. “Why you had to register me as Tarquin? You know I had being called that.” Quinn was standing next to her. He would bring Erin to the beginning of the race. They had only one horse and she was lighter and better at handling the reins. “Why do you keep dreaming about knighthood? You realise the trouble you’ll be in if they find out for you. And what’s the point in being a knight if you remain penniless?” Yeah, gold was much better. Or land. A nice piece of land they could grow sheep and crop and make a nice profit from and live comfortable for the rest of their life until the plague would hit them. Quinn glared at the man who joined them. He was just one of those he highly disliked. Those who had everything and mocked those less fortunate. “Alright, I’m with you, win this race,”he told Erin. That’ll teach Sir I-Think-I’m-All-That.

[Erin Hackett]

Erin had always made sure to keep herself very well covered and dressed in only clothing guys would wear. Some of which was bothered from Quinn; even his pants and shirts, but he should have known about that a while ago. Erin also made sure to point out to Quinn that he had soft facial feature just as she did and that if she was going to be 'taken down' she was taking him with her. It was kind of Quinn's fault that he was stuck with her, since the day he saved her from drowning she had promised him she was going to pay him back and had sort of here and there. If there was one thing Erin was good at, it was schemes, tricks, horseback riding, stealth, and running away.

The schemes were always hit or miss as Quinn was pointing out as he brought up the time where Erin had put horns on the small creatures head. "If you had a pet boar then that would have worked better. Was going for the whole demon idea so people would offer up sacrifices and offerings so not to be killed, harmed, or cursed by a demon. Or they could still have gathered up and tried to slay the demon and us but it was a good idea at the time." Erin spoke up in her defense as she moved a little on the saddle, situating herself just right so when they race would start she would be able to be in the right position for maximum speed.

"It sounds cooler. Sir Tarquin." Erin said, and it was pretty much as simple as that. As for the rest of what Quinn said, Erin let out a sigh and shook her head. He was always so worried about things and the worry was what was going to be the thing that got them caught and killed some day. "In all my years of scheming, not once have I seen or heard of a challenge that says 'Whip Thy Cock Out And Show It Off'. So until then, deep breaths, and focus on crushing that guy in the challenges." Erin said as she pointed at Cade. She was already glaring daggers at him for his whole comment when she was aiming to be a knight.

She pretty much knew they had the horse racing in the bag, archery should have been a cake for Quinn, but everything with a sword and strength; which was most of the challenges, seemed like they were going to be in Cade's favor. "That is what I want to hear, Tarquin. No stand back and watch why they call me Lighting On A Horse." Erin said, sounding confident as she got focused. No one called her that title by the way, but she was exceptionally good on horseback. The man held up a flag and then started to wave it like crazy which was the signal to go, and Erin gave a good kick and had her horse moving ahead.

[Cade Carson]

The flag dropped and he nudged his heels into his stallion's sides a few times, clicking. The uncouth peasant, kicking. A well-trained horse had no need of such rough commands. His ebony stallion quickly pulled even with the other.

"You horseback ride like a maiden. Only without the obvious skills needed to ride in a side-saddle." Sir Atkinson rolled his eyes.

"Let me show you how I earned my family's respect and therefore the passing on of Sir Atkinson as an official title. A title which you can only dream of, of course."

[Erin Hackett]

Erin's horse was still young and yes it was not completely trained in the ways of knowing it needed to stop when the reins were pulled back on. That was why Quinn or Erin were always walking the horse whole the other would ride it. Now, however, there was not need to hold the horse back or really try and stop it. Erin didn't need her steed to stop, she needed it to go fast and just obey her when she needed it to turn and it could do that well enough. The rest of the horses would be no contest and Erin was still pretty confident that she would bee Sir Cade.

She was a lot lighter then him and even the saddle was a simply cloth almost. There was hardly any weight to hold back the horse. "You ride like you have a sword up your rear!" Erin shouted back. How dare someone say she rode like a girl. Okay, yes she was a girl for real but she was playing the part of a boy as she had done for years. She would not stand buy for such an insult. She would ride by. Erin didn't want his title. She just wanted to win the race and possibly a few other events for mostly the money. If she got knighted that was just an extra bonus but the real plan here was for the money.

The horses all had to ride far and fast, dashing around the castle grounds before ridding back to where they started. Erin closed her eyes as she and her horse neared the finish line, not really knowing if she had one or not. She had a strong feeling that she did, but there were knew challenged to worry about now. Like getting her horse to actually stop and settle down. She figured Quinn would already be on top of it but she was already pulling back on the reins to try and help out as best she could. After all, the archly competition was up next and she didn't want Quinn to get injured since he was their best hope on winning that.

[Cade Carson]

"Even if that were true, I could STILL beat you soundly in this competition!" He laughed, ordering his horse forward. His stallion pushed the limits of the gallop, going at a breakneck pace towards the finish line. He went across the finish line and it was close, but Cade thought he might have won. He wasn't sure. In any case, he dismounted smoothly and handed the reins to his squire.

"Make sure he gets the best. He deserves it after that." And of course, if there was another horse event he'd just another horse. The archery competition was next. That was something Cade wasn't as good at unfortunately.

[Quinn Wiley]

Quinn was aware that Erin often stole his clothes, but since they had no walk-in closet filled with gowns for all kinds of occasions, he supposed they had no choice. As long as she was keeping them relatively clean and not doing anything he would be ashamed of in them, he tried not to care. It wasn’t like he particularly loved his clothes to begin with. And it certainly was not the main cause for the headaches she gave him. Her schemes were more likely to do it.

Quinn would be fine with a small piece of land that would be his and no one around to tell him what he should do of it. But money was still something hard to get around these parts and while Erin had her head in the cloud, dreaming of knighthood and all, he tried to think about the more materialistic things. The things that would allow them to keep going on without starving and allow her to compete at such tourneys. He could not deny she often tried to help but her ideas weren’t always good. “Don’t turn us into demon tamers or killers. I don’t want to go after dangerous beasts,” he said. Pips sure was no demon but he wouldn’t want to face one, in whatever form, just because Erin decided it might be a good way to make money.

He didn’t think Sir Tarquin sounded cooler but he also never took the time to think about it. He didn’t have his head in the clouds like she did. The most daydreaming he did was when he would draw shapes in the dust, sand or dirt with a stick, to pass the time. He also didn’t like how she put it but she was right. No one would order her to undress to prove she was fit to compete. But he still feared one day someone would notice the scheme. After all, she could hurt herself, and then he’ll have to get some physician to take care of her and they’ll notice she has breasts, no matter how small they could be. He feared what people would do to them should they find out. Yes, he worried even for Erin although he was reluctant to admit it.

He looked at Cade. No doubt this man had nothing better to do of his days than to train for tourneys. That and flirt with all the pretty women of the realm. He looked like someone who enjoyed trying to lift up the skirt of every woman he met. Quinn hated him on the spot. “We’ll get him,” he said although he wasn’t sure how. His horse looked like a pure-bred, probably trained for this. If he was any good at shooting arrows, they were kind of doomed. But Quinn could be pretty motivated and his disliked for the knight was motivation enough.

Quinn waited with other squires and he ran to reach for Erin and their horse, trying his best to calm the beast. “You got it. Well, maybe that man got it too, it’s not certain, I guess we’ll have for them to decide but I’m sure you won this one,” he said as he managed to calm the horse without Erin having to run another lap around the castle. And if she didn’t, well that whole even was rigged. Quinn hoped she would dismount and be able to take care of the horse on her own because he had to run and get his bow. Unlike Sir Cade, they had no one else but themselves to help with everything.

[Erin Hackett]

Erin waved off Quinn's concerns about being beast tamers or what have you. He worried too much in this life where they could so easily die of a sickness. At least, that was what Erin's fear was. She didn't want to die in such a boring way. She wanted to be mauled to death, stampeded, or run through with a sword if she was going to die. None of those she wanted to happen any time soon, but she wanted to go out fighting or something worthy of being a good story. She didn't want to die of starvation or sickness, that seemed like such a weak story to tell and not at all something that made life worth living. So she put her mind to coming up with schemes to get them money and to just make it as the days went on, well aware of the risk.

Like she knew the risk of this challenge, but she was still confident that they could work things out in the end. As of now, she was just pleased that Quinn had managed to calm the horse down and it was announced that there was some debate among who had one the race. It seemed like either Erin had one or there was a tie. Erin was fine with a tie, even if that meant they had to split the reward. At least it was not a total loss, like what was going to happen in the sword fighting. Thankfully archery was up, so that meant it was Quinn's time to shine. Erin had already dismounted as soon as Quinn calmed their horse down enough.

She ignored Cade's early comment and decided she would come up with something really witty soon enough. "In any case, win this one for us." Erin said as she gave Quinn a serious look. She then shot a glare at Cade who had people taking care of his horse. Erin reached out to give Quinn a pat on the back as she went to lead the horse to get some water and a bit of something to eat. She would make sure she was back in time to see Quinn get his arrow on. Everyone that was participating in archery where called over to where they already had targets set up. The challenged was to get as close to a bulls eyes as you could each time the targets would be moved back. Of course whoever did the worse each round would be eliminated.

[Cade Carson]

Cade needed to do well in the sword competition after archery. The race had been ruled a tie, and he was faced by he dismal fact he was an absolutely crappy archer. There was no doubt there'd be someone better. He could admit that to himself. At least he wouldn't be ribbed on it by his buddies. There was no way they could beat him. It would have to be one of the soldiers or commoners. He walked to the archery range and picked up his bow and quiver regardless though. There was no harm in trying. A battle not fought would never have a chance of being won after all.

[Quinn Wiley]

Quinn wanted a quiet life. And a quiet death. It was boring, he knew that, but he had Erin to spice things up now and then. When she went too far, he was complaining, of course, but the girl knew she was complaining all of the time. She was reckless, someone had to worry about the details for her. That person was Quinn. Although he could also be hot tempered sometimes. If you insulted him, or he took offense in some way, he became as reckless as Erin could be.

He didn’t really care about the prizes. He wanted something, of course, especially after all they had to do to get here, but he was not looking after the ultimate prize here. Right now, however, what he really was after was to humiliate the noble man who mocked them. Sure their horse was not as well trained, sure they didn’t have a shiny, brand new sword and page boys working under them and all that, but they were here and being reminded it with such an attitude only made Quinn want to shove all those pretty things in the man’s face. It would be a nice way to show him it mattered little. He knew he was probably more skilled than they were also but anger made the boy spiteful and he couldn’t care about that.

He was also aware that Cade was not his only competition but to him, he was the one to defeat. They didn’t have much of a choice, they would both suck at sword fighting. He wanted to complain about the race being a tie but since he expected them to decide in the noble’s favor, he shut up and grabbed his bow. It was time to channel the Robin Hood inside of him. Too bad it was not the Robin Hood in tights, with the PATRIOT arrow ((yes, that is some old reference)), it would make things easier. Never mind, he still shot his arrow, confident it would get pretty close to the bulls eye.

[Erin Hackett]

Erin took care of their horse, making sure it had plenty of water and food to eat. The good thing about this whole event was that everyone got fed in some way or another. Sure Erin and Quinn were not going to be getting anything that was the best, but they would get something. Hell, Erin being Erin fully planned on sneaking around and getting them some actual good food. They were not going to bed with empty stomach tonight, that was for sure. Once she made sure their horse was alright she made he was over to where the archer were getting ready to do their thing.

It had already been explained what they had to do and people were already taking up their positions and giving it a go. Erin of course was not participating so went to find a seat to watch and behave herself. She did get distracted with a lovely lady and some of her friends walked past to get a seat not too far from her. Erin was very much a lover of the ladies but that was something that had to be kept under lock and key. Sure there were people should pay to have some fun and not tell anyone what was really in her pants.

Yet, she needed money for that and well there was always someone who had more money that could get secretes out of someone. That didn't mean she could not enjoy the view at least. That and well because she was pretending to be a guy she could at least complement or say something to 'other' guys about the view. She just could not act or allow a woman to act upon what was really desired. What was she doing again? Oh right! Erin turned back around to watch the competition, wanting to boo when Cade was up and cheer like crazy when Quinn turn rolled around.

[Cade Carson]

Cade walked up to his place with one of his family's best bows in hand. Though he knew he wasn't a bowman by any stretch of the imagination, he'd try his best anyways. He smiled. A fair few in the crowd cheered for him. He was known after all. He blew a kiss in the crowd's general direction and grinned, giving a wave. Then he stepped up, waiting for his turn to fire.

[Quinn Wiley]

Erin proved to be quite the distraction during the archery contest. She was being herself, of course, and Quinn knew that side very well but that did not mean it was not distracting. Then there was the fact he constantly looked over to Cade after or before a shot to see how well the man was doing. He was not the only one to beat but to Quinn, he was the only adversary he really wanted to prove his superiority to.

He rolled his eyes as he heard the crowd cheer for him. Luckily, he could count on Erin to do the same for him. He didn’t know what was more embarrassing, having no one to back him up or having Erin who was ready to sound like they were ten there. It was annoying to see him so popular but at least Quinn rejoiced in the fact he proved to be a better archer. He even gave the man a smirk after his shot. Try to beat that, he seemed to say.

[Cade Carson]

Cade took an arrow from his quiver and slotted in into his bow and aimed. And barely caught the edge of the target. He aimed a couple more times, but the best he got was a couple of inches into the target. Nowhere near the bullseye. Cade sighed, putting his bow down. He was ready for the next event now. Wasn't it sword-fighting? That was his specialty. He could probably take on two people at once and be perfectly fine.

"I'm sorry, my fans! I did my very best!" He sent an air kiss into the crowd again.