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Olden Tymes by Pent Ghelsburg

Disclaimer: The characters depicted in this work are purely fictional. Any resemblance to persons alive or dead is purely coincidental. They are the original and rightful intellectual property of their creators. I use them with permission and respect. This work involves combat that features underaged characters You have been warned.

"There was a star danced and under I was born."

-William Shakespeare

A small village upon the scape of golden reds and bright yellows. The fall colors adorn the sky amongst a crimson visage of the sun blazing from behind. Birds bellow overhead and scream as they soar. Below the people scurry about in their normal daily lives. There are no signs of roads, except for the muddy paths that line the so-called streets. At its center a small town hall where a crier is out beckoning to the people.

"Hear ye, Hear ye. All denizens of the realm are welcome into our town to celebrate the festival of hearth. Together we shall bring merry and joy to all who frequent our borders. "

The surrounding people listened wholeheartedly as the festival was one that had already been well received by the citizens. Each of the people knew it all too well. For the poor, it meant a chance to savor in feasts they could not otherwise afford but for everyone else, it meant a more indulgence in glorious excess. The children of the community were the only ones who participated in the more nuanced events associated with the day.

One such cub was a young boy by the name of Nelson. He thought rather favorably of the holiday and always looked forward to it. But the main reason he recalled it was because it happened to be on the same day as his name day. This was sort of a double-edged sword since in his earlier youth he thought that everyone was celebrating his special day. Of course, over the years he eventually figured out that this was the case.

Regardless, his parents often did something special that fell in line with the celebration of the event. This year was his 12th summer so the parents were planning something extra special since this was considered a milestone in a young boy's life. The dalmation family had been planning an outing to the annual joust tournament which was to be held at the same time as the festival itself. Nelson had been talking about it a while, so they figured it would be a worthwhile venture to take him.

It was the morning of the most important day of the festival, the feast of fools. The very same day was the boy's birthday and also the opening the day of the tournament itself. Both of the boy's parents had already prepared for the day previously by informing the event orator, who would later be expected to call the event. They hoped that one of the Knights would meet with the boy, seeing as he was well past fascinated with the men and women who served under the custodial banner of the realm.

When the boy woke up that day, he rose to the smell of warm sausage being prepared in the hearth of the kitchen down the hall from his room. The aroma was tantalizing and it made his mouth water with desire. He wasted no time garnering himself from the bed. He was still in his oversized bed shirt, which covered much of his body. As he was trying to propel himself from a restful state, he almost fell over himself trying to gain his footing.

His youthful reaction caught him in mid-fall, allowing himself to carry through back to an upright position. Nelson picked up the bottom portion of the t-shirt and began to frolic down to where the kitchen was. As was normal the home's fireplace was lit and burning brightly. It wasn't quite early enough to need it for light but the family kept it furnaced for the purpose of warmth since they lived in a colder climate.

Once he was inside of the kitchen, he could see a meal was prepared for him already. Looking around, he noticed that his parents were nowhere to be seen. Still, that didn't really bother him and he went about eating the meal. It didn't occur to him that his parents might have forgotten his birthday as he was a positive pup. He made quick work of the meal and engulfed it in just a few bites. Once he was done, he busied himself cleaning the table as it was a chore he had been taught in normalcy.

While he was cleaning up he noticed a small slip of crumpled paper affixed to the wall using a nail. He looked upon the parchment and saw a notice was scribbled on it.

"Son, we are at the tourney grounds. Meet us promptly after your morning meal. You would not want to miss the opening ceremony."

The cub smiled as he knew all too well what they were referring to. After all the event had been advertised both by the town crier as well as several painted placards posted through the streets. He hoped that he would finally be able to meet one of the fabled knights he'd heard so much about.

Nelson wasted no time in leaving the home. He didn't even bother to lock the door, which was more or less normal in the friendly town in which he lived. He rushed down the muddy streets of the village. The sun was blazing overhead and it was quite warm for the time of day it was. The hues of red, yellow, and orange among the groves of trees showed it was fall as many of them cascaded downward along with the wind as it gusted. The cub held his arms out and pretended as if he were a bird soaring high in the sky.

Within no time he was able to make his way through the small streets that led to the tourney grounds. As he got close he could hear the chitter-chatter of nearby people grow ever louder. With each step that he took, his tail wagged with increasing excitement. Suddenly he could smell the faint aroma of roasted turkey in the distance. He figured this must have meant they were doing some sort of cookout after. Despite having a meal recently, the smell made his maw water.

He looked upwards towards the rafters before him. Flags of various colors adorned the lines of ropes and streamers that decorated the entryway. People and furs alike could be seen all around him. He suddenly felt very alone and even still he did not feel afraid. A court jester yelled and screamed nearby trying to giggle from the nearby crowd. Nelson made a conscious effort to avoid the clown but he felt as if the person in brightly colorful paint was eying him awkwardly.

Eventually, the clown found his way to the cub and took him by the arms before forcing him to dance with the clown in a joyous circle. The jester even picked him up and spiraled him a few times before finally picking him down. The look on Nelson's face was a mixture of joy and uncertainty but he still managed to crack a smile before continuing on his way. Now that he was under the shade of the bleachers, the sun was somewhat obscured.

He made his way into the entrance among the crush of people. It was much louder at this point and quite full of people. Luckily his small size was able to afford him a better avenue of wriggling around in between those who were idle and those who were walking slowly. Nelson began to wonder where his parents might be in this huge place. His instincts told him to carry on and that eventually he would find his way to them.

After a minute or so of wandering down the hall leading into the arena, he could once again make out more of the sun. In front of him, he could see a smaller area circled off by a wooden fence. On one end of it he could see the stables, where he assumed the horses were kept and on the other, he could see a shack some armor, chainmail, and various weapons laid strewn about. Huge coats of arms were plastered on its wooden frames.

There seemed to be four in total, each of which having a house animal and insignia representing them. Nelson took a moment to examine them, finding himself to be more interested in the yellow crest with a wolf at the center. As the cub had stopped moving, he felt himself be pushed forward right against the fence itself. He could now see the central bleachers where he saw a crimson throne that currently sat empty. To its direct left he saw a herald awaiting the entry of whatever royalty was supposed to be present on that day.

Nelson looked back beyond him so that he could see the common area. It was definitely packed with people and he couldn't really differentiate any of them. He tried to squint but that didn't really help him pick out his parents. Just then an usher found his way to the boy and noticed that he seemed a bit lost. The woman looked over him and wondered if this might have been one of the cubs to receive a ceremony today. She decided to ask his name in order to determine this information.

"Greetings, citizen. You look lost. What's your name?" She kneeled down to be closer to eye level with him.

The dalmatian looked at her with interest. She was an ostrich with pure white feathers adorning her body. Her regalia, while it did not look royal, still seemed like it carried some sort of authority. It was a crimson red in color and an insignia of the city was adorned on her right breast in yellow embroidery.

The small cub tilted his head up at her. "I'm looking for my family. My name is Nelson."

She smiled as she recalled the name. "Come with me, child."

Nelson decided to follow behind as he felt like he had no other choice in the issue. She took him along the outer rim of the fenced-in area. As he looked over to his right, he could see some of the knights gearing up for the tournament.

Eventually, she brought him to the back, where the stables were situated. The large ostrich looked over at him and pointed over at a small group of kids. Nelson wasn't sure what she had in mind or why she had taken him here. Just then a lizard in chainmail approached the group. As the cub looked at him, he gathered the other boy couldn't have been much older than Nelson himself. A crimson tabard matching the color that the bird was wearing with the very same insignia on it.

"Children of the realm. You have been summoned here today to serve your Queen. You have been tasked under the service of our lord the Dragon to participate in a mock battle. The winner of which shall be afforded tribute to meet the Knight of our house."

The other kids started chattering and talking. The taller ostrich held up but a single finger and they all understood to be quiet. The scaled boy continued talking.

"The rules of the bout are as such. You shall be afforded a mock weapon of your choice and a shield to go with it. There will be no teams and it's each kid for themselves. A clear strike against an opponent will score a point. Scoring 3 points on a single target will out the opponent. No strikes against the head. Any questions?"

No one said a word and the lizard went over to a small rack where some wooden weapons were affixed.

"Go on then, on with it. Then follow Ozelle into the parade grounds for your show." The teen showed himself out and was no longer visible.

Nelson still really had no idea what was going on but the idea of meeting a knight enticed him. He didn't really care if this was a coincidence, so he decided to play along. The cub went over to the rack and noticed all of the other kids had already picked a weapon. Looking at it, the only thing was a staff. The boy frowned, as he really wanted a sword, but picked it up all the same. He hoped that all the training with his father would pay off.

A few horns went off and the ostrich approached them from behind. The guide gathered up all the kids and gently began to push them forward. Some of them were more hesitant than others and for those with reservations, they were left behind. When they were at the parade grounds, Nelson could see the lizard once again. He was now holding a banner matching a tabard that he was wearing. To his right, a knight upon a horse was looking idly into the distance.

Nelson couldn't help but stare for a second or two. But the gaze wasn't allowed long as soon he was filed into a line with 5 other kids. The knight began to trample forward and the ostrich behind them continued to guide the cubs and kids alike into the center arena. When they arrived, the crowd jeered and shouted out affectionate "Aws". Little did the dalmation realize that his parents had arranged the ordeal for his birthday.

The lizard approached the herald at the center and handed them a small scroll. The herald was a plump fellow with a horn in his left hand. The pig unraveled the scroll and began to read from it.

"Lords and Ladies, I welcome you to the opening ceremony of today's tourney. The main event will come soon, but first I am proud to present the Children who are celebrating their name day today. We thought it nice for them to prove their mettle in a contest to meet the Knights."

The crowd cheered and roared for a second. The pig held up one hand and the loud noise almost died out instantly. He then went about sharing the same rules that had been told to the participants only a moment ago. The pig finished up by reading off each cub's name and pointing at them. Each of them receiving applause as he did so.

Once he was done he stayed at the center of the arena. The cubs gathered around with 3 of them on each side. Nelson readied himself as he knew he just had to win, no matter the cost. The horn was blown, which signaled the beginning of the match. The Dalmatian looked to his immediate right and noticed the bigger cub coming right towards him. The dog extended his stick outward in an effort to keep a bit of distance. The size of the stick posed a bit of a problem and his opponent pushed against it. All at once, the puppy lowered the staff and swept the other cub off their feet.

Nelson followed by 2 quick pokes on the cub's head. A horn was sounded again as his first competitor was taken from the arena. The puppy turned around and saw that the others were still engaged in their first match so he approached them from behind. By the time he arrived one of them had scored the necessary points and looked to him. The horse ran at him with full force. The puppy poll vaulted himself over the colt and then poked him behind.

The horse's face was suddenly one of surprise. The equine rotated himself around and bashed his wooden shield with his sword twice. Nelson quickly whisked his staff beneath the shield and brandished it up. This quick movement disarmed the other cub somewhat. Nelson smirked as he poked the other cub on the shoulder a second time. He had already been touched by the first opponent, so this meant he was now taken out.

The crowd roared as Nelson heard his name chanted. He assumed it was his parents and yet it was growing louder. Nelson looked to both sides and noticed only one person remained. The final cub was an avian fellow who seemed smaller than himself. The bird was carrying what seemed to be a dulled spear that looked to be the same length as his own weapon. The puppy put his staff at rest, using it to prop himself up as he stood there idly waiting for the bird to make their move.

She made a loud warcry and lurched forward. Nelson was able to evade the first strike and bap the avian on the back. The pup followed by backing away as the bird rotated her spear over her head and then hurled it forward. The dalmation spun his staff as the spear was detracted to the side. The impact shattering his weapon in half. Nelson huffed and picked up both halves in each hand. The herald blowing the horn signaling the end of the bout.

The bird and Nelson shook hands and the herald held up the puppy's other paw. The crowd roared in response, all beckoning the cub's name. The avian was soon taken away, leaving Nelson alone. The puppy was allowed to pick the yellow Knight, who came out to greet him. Now out of her armor, she walked onto the field to shake the cub's hand. Surprisingly she wasn't much bigger than he was but the scars of war were evident on the parts of her body that showed, proving that she knew her worth.

Nelson looked at her in admiration, seeing her smile at him brought him some level of comfort. The woman was a rodent with a gristled visage that had seen countless summers. She knelt down and picked him up on her shoulders before mounting her horse with ease. The boy's parents watched with glee as their cub was paraded around on the tourney grounds. This would surely was a birthday that he would never forget.