once more, with feeling
About eight or ten years ago, I found myself standing on the field at Estrella war, my future knight proclaiming that the path of the knight was valour, and that the path of the squire was to knighthood. I then found myself staring down Sir Hrothgar, Sir Jax, Sir Richard of Wolfwood and Sir Hrorek. I don't remember a lot of the next four fights, except that they moved faster than anyone I had ever seen. Somewhere, there's a picture of Jax leaping about two feet off teh ground before clubbing me in the head. There were many emotional words, a lot of hugging, Caesan body-slamming me for the "squire-pile", etc...
A few years later, my knight - being the stand-up guy that he is, told the knight's cricle, the outlands, and the SCA to go F*** themselves, that he didn't need to be a part of their "good ol'boys club".
When he finally came back, many years later, he offered me the belt back, which I declined - not because I didn't want to be his squire, or a squire, or eventully recognized as a knight, but because I had found that I needed to step back for a while, sort out my mundane life, start a career, etc...
I also found that I had defined myself as a squire for so long, and that after that I had almost grudgingly made my way as a black-belted fighter that I wasn't sure it was still the path for me.
Several years after that, I found myself at a crown tournament, speaking with my old friend Patric, rest his soul. He said many things, namely that he was ad that my belt was not red, and that he hoped I would take it back up one day.
So yesterday, I found myself at an al-barran war practice, off on the side of the field, with my former and future knight mumbling a few heartfelt words, and his other squire standing by. No loud proclamations, no gauntlet of warriors to wade through. Just a simple understanding that the color of my belt had changed, not my commitment.
A few years later, my knight - being the stand-up guy that he is, told the knight's cricle, the outlands, and the SCA to go F*** themselves, that he didn't need to be a part of their "good ol'boys club".
When he finally came back, many years later, he offered me the belt back, which I declined - not because I didn't want to be his squire, or a squire, or eventully recognized as a knight, but because I had found that I needed to step back for a while, sort out my mundane life, start a career, etc...
I also found that I had defined myself as a squire for so long, and that after that I had almost grudgingly made my way as a black-belted fighter that I wasn't sure it was still the path for me.
Several years after that, I found myself at a crown tournament, speaking with my old friend Patric, rest his soul. He said many things, namely that he was ad that my belt was not red, and that he hoped I would take it back up one day.
So yesterday, I found myself at an al-barran war practice, off on the side of the field, with my former and future knight mumbling a few heartfelt words, and his other squire standing by. No loud proclamations, no gauntlet of warriors to wade through. Just a simple understanding that the color of my belt had changed, not my commitment.