Nearly everyone in Vale, the city surrounding Castle Ren, had come to see the tournament. At least five thousand people filled the stands, stretching forty feet tall and two hundred feet long, flanking the sides of the jousting lanes. Duke Ren led Blake up through a set of stairs in the back of the stands, leading into the royalty's box. Standing guard outside were two lancemen and the Guard Captain, who followed behind the Duke as he stepped up into the stands. There were six seats, and four were already filled. To the left of the Duke's seat was a much larger throne-esque chair, and sitting in it was the most important person Blake had ever seen. King Ozpin himself.
Ren bowed from the shoulders as he took his seat.
"Glad you could make it, Your Grace."
"It's always a pleasure to attend a Lie's festival."
"Thank you, Your Grace. And my welcome to you as well, Lady Glynda."
The King's head advisor nodded. Any onlooker would have thought them King and Queen, but Ozpin had not yet taken anyone in marriage. Many suspected he intended to leave the Kingdom to someone from outside his lineage, but none could tell. The King wore a simple uniform of black silk with green cuffs and silver buttons. Glynda was similarly dressed, with a silver-thread skirt and green blouse.
Blake simply sat next to Ren in stunned silence, worried that anything she might say would be taken as offense. It was only when she was seated that Ren turned to talk to those sitting next to Blake. In a matching pair of cherrywood seats were the princesses of the northern fief. The older looked bored but regal in a long white dress, covered in blue snowflakes and a lace collar that covered her neck.
The younger of the sisters caught Blake's eye and gave her a half smile. She was beautiful. Her hair was done up in a long ponytail down her shoulder, and her dress outdid her sister's by a multitude. It was mostly black, with spots of white emanating from the hem and sleeves. It was made from velvet and looked soft as a feather.
Ren had finished welcoming the northerners, and it was time to begin the proceedings. A herald entered the ring and stood in the center between the stands.
"Welcome!" The herald's voice boomed through the field. "We have eleven champions here this noon!" Blake's face fell. Did she make it? The Duke, sensing her distraught, laid his hand on hers. "And for those with a gambler's eye… Two mystery champions!" The herald continued.
Blake understood now. She had never been to a tourney, but she knew how they worked. Champions entered under a name of who they were competing for, but some champions enter as a "shadow champion" with no sponsor. That must be where the Sunlit Knight is.
"We will begin with a show of archer's prowess!"
Blake watched the beginning of the tournament through her mask. It began with a contest of archery, a seeming upset, won by a green-haired archer fighting for a dark-haired merchant woman. She outshot the king and duke's own champions, clearly pleasing her sponsor.
Second, the herald announced a group of minstrels known as the Tinkering Traveling Troupe. There was a second of silence after the herald's announcement, as the minstrels stood from their places in the crowd. Blake recognized a few of their faces from the cart they took around the kingdom.
A blonde head poked up from the crowd, vocalizing a note for the base of the chord. A dark-skinned man stood, horn in hand, harmonizing with the boy. The Duke's advisor, sitting in the row in front of Blake, immediately began smiling and clapping as the blonde minstrel slowly hopped down the stands to join a growing circle of musicians in the center of the jousting field.
The music was flashy and fun, but hardly anything Blake was interested in. She did notice however, that the blonde-haired minstrel (she recalled his name as Jaune) did not return to his original seat after they were finished with their music. Instead, he climbed into the stands opposite and sat on the bench next to the Duke's advisor.
As Blake was mulling over the possible implications of this, a roar erupted from the crowd.
"And now!" The herald was pushing his voice to it's limit. "The champions of the jousting tournament!"
A group of thirteen Knights marched towards the field from the stables. Each rode atop a beautiful horse, groomed and armored for the jousting match. The first few in the lineup came from the Central Fief itself, and each was greeted with thunderous applause. They were fighting for the very Duke that Blake sat next to. He leaned in.
"These knights are my pride and joy." The Duke and spoke in her ear. "Some of them have been trained from birth; I've known them my whole life."
Blake smiled under her mask. "So these are your friends?"
"Yes. Though my duties as a Duke often pull me away from any kind of acquaintances."
"Why don't you throw a ball or something? Isn't that what you royalty do?"
The Duke smiled. "If only it were that easy."
The first of the knights had ridden to the front of the pack.
"From the City of Lilies comes the Thunderclap Knight!"
Atop the brown out-jutting horse sat a knight clad in silver armor, encrusted with pink tourmaline at the joints and atop the forehead. A lightning bolt adorned their shield, and they had chosen the heaviest and most powerful of the jousting lances. The Duke leaned in again.
"That's Nora Valkyrie."
Blake turned, surprised to hear the strange lilt in Ren's voice. He spoke her name softly, as if saying it too much would break it, ruining the beauty he found therein. She had never heard anyone say a name in quite that way.
A second knight followed the first, announced as the "Quickfoot Knight". Another set of silver armor, this one adorned with false-fur joints and a pair of stylized ears along the crest of the helm.
Third came a knight who wore leather, instead of plate armor. He turned his eyes to the crowd, unsmiling. Blake grabbed Ren's arm. "Is that man blind?" She whispered, horrified.
"Indeed." Came the Duke's reply. "He can feel the lance's position based on his perception of the wind alone. Truly incredible."
The man's title came as the "Seeing Eye Knight", an irony Blake found distasteful. His armor was dark brown, matching the color of his skin. Even if he fought for the Central Fief, he certainly wasn't born here.
After the blind knight came one in golden armor. He was met with similar applause to the rest of the lineup. The steel was coated in a thin layer of gold-leaf, and the knight inside was courageously waving and shouting at the crowd. The herald announced him as the "All for One Knight", a title suited for a cocky jouster such as himself. Blake hoped he would be knocked out in the first round.
After these came several knights of lesser renown, Blake noted the "Huntsman Knight" was an older gentleman, and wore the king's own crest on his armor. She assumed this was the jousting champion who accompanied the king. Another two were clearly from the north, having had come to the tourney with the princesses. One was the "Steelheart Knight" a smaller, but tough looking champion, and the last to be announced, the teal-armored "Sealord Knight" who blew an armored kiss across the field to Weiss, which set the northerner to blushing.
After the sponsored knights came the mystery champions. Blake clapped along with the crowd, knowing full well who sat inside the first set of armor. It was white-iron, like she always wore, a blazing sun was the crest on her shield. The herald announced "The Sunlit Knight!" and through the crowd's applause, touching the edge of her hearing, Blake picked out a small coughing voice excitedly yelling with everyone else.
That must be her sister. She made it after all, even with the sickness.
"Certainly a strong showing for the unsponsored knights, don't you think?" Princess Weiss leaned in to speak to the Duke's lady. "It's rare to see more than one in a single fief."
"We'll have to see what strength they can muster without gold to feed on." Blake, startled by the princesses sudden conversation, attempted to hide her commonspeak accent.
The princess chuckled. "An excellent point. Though that dreary-looking champion might have what it takes."
Weiss spoke of the other mystery combatant whose armor was black and looked like a fish's scales, or a crow's feathers. The "Darksoul Knight" received little applause and was clearly ready to begin the tournament, as were the onlookers.
"Our first match!" The herald again. "The Sealord Knight! Versus… the All for One Knight!"
The eleven knights who were not currently participating in the bout rode back to the stables, some followed by the most dedicated fans. Weiss softly clapped as the Sealord Knight took his position, her lips curling into a tiny smile. The crowd clearly favored the All for One Knight, his golden armor blinding in the sun.
"You know the rules of jousting?" Ren raised an eyebrow.
"How hard can it be?"
"More so than you'd think. Each knight has a lance and shield of varying weight and material, chosen in the stables. Knights are awarded points for knocking their opponent's shield..." Ren was clearly in his element, explaining away to the air as Blake turned her attention to the match.
A barrier was set up, running parallel with the stands, down the middle of the field. The Sealord Knight took the side nearest to the Duke's box, with the shinier knight taking the farther side. A held-breath silence fell over the crowd as the herald readied the starting trumpet.
"Watch his shield hand you moron." Weiss whispered.
The horn let out a solitary blast, and the blue knight's horse catapulted from its starting position, gaining an intense speed advantage over the other knight's slower but larger horse. All Blake could hear was the pounding of hooves as the crowd perched on their seats, waiting for impact. The knights crashed together like waves, both lurching back against their saddle guards. They had both chosen lighter lances, so neither lost their grip; however, the north's champion held onto his shield, the other did not.
"Three points to the Sealord Knight!"
The herald's announcement was met with booing from small pockets of the crowd, a general cheering all around, and a giddy smile from Weiss Schnee.
"Isn't he amazing Winter?" She asked her sister, clearly pleased.
"A simple de-shielding is not much of a feat young sister." The older princess' face had not moved.
"I still think he's amazing."
Blake wondered if the northern champions had come to the tourney with the princesses, or if it was the other way around.
