That moment that they had all been waiting for came two thirds of the way down the line.
"First Joust goes to me!" Sir Korath of the Mitfield Royal Order announced.
The crowd stood to cheer for the first man up, drowning out everything as Korath shook the bag and held it out for the man next to him.
Prince Damien of Mitfield reached into the bag and pulled a shining token, then patted his Knight on the shoulder.
"I'm afraid we won't meet in this round. I am number forty."
He passed the bag along to the other Royal Order Knights, and then the bag moved to Sir Charles of Cygnia City.
"Number one. The first victory of the day will be mine!"
A Cygnian jousting champion versus a Knight of the Mitfield Royal Order was going to be a difficult match for anyone else to follow. Both of the men were paramount experts in the field, trained since birth, with years of experience.
Many more years, in the case of Sir Charles, who was already past his fortieth birthday.
