"Are you sure?" Jack said as he looked at the Doctor.
"Absolutely," the Doctor replied.
"Okay," Jack said and picked up the next bit of armour. "So, every year?"
"Every year. I've only missed it twice..." the Doctor said and trailed of, that sad look that Jack hated crossing his face.
"Anyway," the Doctor said as Jack adjusted the breastplate. "It keeps the old heart's pumping. Nothing like a ton and a half of horse and man charging at you to let you know you're alive."
As if to prove his point, the roar of the crowd outside turned to groans.
"Really, you want to go out there?" Jack said as he checked the chain mail.
"It used to be the melee, I tell you, it's no fun be ransomed for a horse."
The sound of trumpets announced the next round and Jack fussed with the saddle of the Doctor's charger and then handed him his lance.
"Just be careful," he said.
"Always," the Doctor said and kicked the horse into a trot.
Jack took his place as his page on the edge of the gate of the tiltyard and watched nervously as the Doctor presented himself to the royal box.
To his surprise the Doctor won his set of tilts and was going to tilt again the next day in the final joust.
So Jack was puzzled and shocked when he found the Doctor close to tears in his tent.
"Hey, you've got a good chance of winning this time."
"Tomorrow is the thirtieth of June and this is fifteen ninety-nine. On that day Henry the Second of France goes out to compete at a festival to celebrate his daughter's marriage and the peace between two enemies that could save thousands of lives, He was fatally injured by a wooden splinter from a broken lance. Ten days later he died, leaving a son on the throne not strong enough to rule. This was the beginning of the end for jousting as a sport and tomorrow is the last time I'll be taking part."
"That's not a bad thing, it is kind of dangerous."
"No Jack, his death led to forty years of war and religious persecution and I caused it."
Jack frowned. "How?"
"I didn't know Jack, didn't know that the King would be jousting in this tournament."
"Can't we say you're injured?"
The Doctor let out a shuddering breath before speaking.
"No it's a fixed point, try and change it, you shatter timelines."
"But that means..."
"I was the knight the King was tilting against. It was my lance that killed him."
All Jack could do was hold the Doctor as he wept tears for something he could not stop and all he could do was cry for him as another layer of unwarranted guilt was laid on already over-burdened shoulders.