Taiyang's smile caused an ache in his cheeks. He sat in the jousting stands on the seat in the dead center, right next to the stairs. Sitting next to him, croaking and wheezing, was his daughter Ruby. She had been sick for many weeks, the cough and aches coming and going. She was so excited to come to the tournament Tai wasn't sure if she could even feel the pains today. She loved jousting, loved seeing the knights all armored up, and she most loved seeing her sister compete. The Sunlit Knight. What a perfect name for her.

"Did you see that dad?" Ruby's eyes sparkled. "The Sealord knew he didn't have enough weight behind him to unseat All for One, so he went straight for the shield arm!"

Taiyang laughed. "You really know your strategies Ruby. You ought to become a squire."

Ruby grabbed his arm. "You think so?"

"I really do." He tousled her hair, she giggled.

The herald's voice boomed out again. "Next! The Quickfoot Knight versus the Steelheart Knight!"

"Woooo!" Ruby turned her attention back to the game.

The Quickfoot knight had a huge speed advantage on Steelheart, but the smaller joustesse held a heavier lance, and quickly unseated her competitor.

"A shame." Ren sighed. "Remember, an unseated jouster does not return for the next round, no matter how many points they may have gotten."

Blake nodded, hardly paying attention. The first round flew past quickly, with several knights knocked out already, and many had already noticed who the final bout of round one would be between.

"And for the finale of round one! The Sunlit Knight vs the Thunderclap Knight!"

Ren's jaw tightened. Nora could easily knock them out of the tournament. He glanced over at his guest, her arms were trembling. He reached over and took her hand, looking through her mask at her terrified eyes. He tried a reassuring smile; she did not smile back.

Nora's horse was enormous, dwarfing her competitor. Her lance was equally oversized, and the crowd fell silent as both knights began to charge.

The white knight built up far more speed than Nora, but her lance arm was too stiff. As they meet, she might break an arm. Blake's hand flew to her mouth, and Ruby covered her eyes.

There was a crash of metal and an explosion of blonde hair as the Sunlit knight's helmet was thrown off by the impact. She had ducked last minute, avoiding the point of Nora's lance, and letting it skim across her helm, pulling it off.

The face of Yang Xiao Long smiled out at the crowd. There was a roar of applause. Nora's shield was resting on the ground beside her. The Thunderclap knight shrugged and clapped Yang on the back.

"Good bout!"

"Same to you." Yang smiled, turning and blowing a kiss to the stands.

Both knights returned to the stables with the clamour of the crowd in their ears. Ruby could not stop screaming.

"Did you see that! She's amazing! Wow!"

"Yes honey, your sister is amazing." Taiyang's voice could hardly be heard. "Can you help me out here?" He leaned over Ruby to the woman in the far seat and raised an eyebrow. She patted Ruby's head.

"You'll be just as amazing one day." Summer Rose's voice was soothing. Ruby quieted down and bounced in her seat, holding her mother's hand.

The second round saw the Darksoul knight unseat the blind man, who graciously accepted defeat. The King's own Huntsman knocked out the Steelheart knight, leaving the northern guests with only one representative, who faced off against the Sunlit Knight.

Both marched to their individual sides, saluted the other, and began to charge. Each rode an equally strong horse, but Yang's lance was longer. The crowd fell silent as the pounding of the hooves shook the stands. Closer… Closer…

"Wait a moment…" King Ozpin whispered under his breath.

Before the King could finish his thought, the crash of the combatants was met with a collective gasp as the Sunlit Knight in all her white armor was sent across the field and landed on the ground with a thud.

In the stunned silence, Blake could feel tears welling up in her eyes, but before they could fall, a dark red head of hair poked up above the crowd and screamed.

"CHEATER!"

The crowd fell into chaos, some reprimanding the girl, some wondering, some even spilling out of the stands to see what she might mean.

"Look look! Under his arm!" The girl shouted. "I'm not lying!"

The girl's father and mother were clearly embarrassed, and quickly towed their child out of the stands. However, as they were leaving, the King stood up and the crowd fell silent, wondering what he might say.

King Ozpin cleared his throat. "Captain." He turned to Mercury, who snapped to attention. "Please inspect the Sealord Knight's armor for anything out of the ordinary."

The King retook his seat and Mercury marched down the stands and across the field to a fidgeting Neptune Vasilias, the Sealord Knight. The Captain nodded his head, and Neptune raised his arms. Sure enough, underneath his lance arm was a steel supporting rod, an illegal armor accessory in the Central tournament.

The revelation was met with a chorus of boos and the girl shouting "I knew it! I knew he couldn't beat Yang fair and square!"

Stunned, Summer led her family back to the stands and watched as Yang stood still dazed, but smiling. She walked over to Neptune and lightly punched him in the shoulder.

"Suppose that makes me winner on a technicality." She grinned. Neptune looked like he was about to throw up. He ducked his head down and fled to the stables, accompanied by Mercury.

Blake breathed an audible sigh of relief and slumped onto Ren's shoulder. "I really thought that was it. I thought everything was over…"

"He'll be reprimanded and sent back to the Northern Fief. I assume the princesses are thoroughly embarrassed."

Blake picked herself up and turned to Weiss. "Are support rods legal in the north?" She intended the question to be genuine, but Weiss clearly took it as insult.

"Neptune played a game of chance. He lost. What a fool."