At the appointed time, you make your way to the castle. There is quite a procession, and you judge your place in line, and head in. The hall is fuller than you have ever seen it. You are led to a seat near the far end of one of the tables, and stand nearby waiting. The hall is close and getting hot. it will be hotter yet before dinner is over.
While you are waiting, you cannot help but overhear snippets of conversation and gossip.
?It?s so terrible! I heard that a thousand Saxons landed to reinforce King Hengest! He?s the devil?s son, that?s for sure.?
?I?ll trust Prince Madoc to take care of us. He?s handsome enough, and he talks boldly enough. But the truth will depend on how he fares in battle, of course.?
?Well, I?ll say it?s too bad he is illegitimate. No bastard will automatically inherit. It?ll be difficult, you can be sure, unless his glory is truly great when the old king dies.?
?Listen, darlings, it?ll take something monstrous to get rid of tough King Uther. Madoc will have to be waiting a long time for any inheritance!?
?But don?t you think it?s bad luck to talk that way??
?Say, did you know that Merlin has gone away??
?Well, he comes and goes at his will.?
?Yes, but he is gone again, and at such a time??
Then, the hall falls silent as Uther the Pendragon, King of Logres enters the chamber, his son Prince Maddoc at his side. They are just behind Count Roderick. They proceed to the front while the whole room bows. Roderick stops and the dias and bows while the king takes his seat. Roderick then takes a seat beside him. Then, the rest of the room takes their seats.
When everyone is settles, a seated Uther says, "We are going to attack the Saxons under King ?lle. We will march out at dawn, with whatever troops have mustered. We do not need those errant nobles who have failed to answer the call. No doubt they too are under attack from the Saxons, who must have emptied their lands to all come over here. We all know one British knight is worth ten Saxons. So let us then make the odds for the Saxons even worse than they are. Three squires have completed their training and have passed the requirements for Knighthood. It is my pleasure to welcome them to the fraternity of Knights."
Uther waves towards the door. "Bring in the squires."
The great doors open, and you see Wiggan of Grately, Ifan of Knook, and Cedwyn of Winterbourne Stoke enter the hall. They look nervous. Wiggan is dressed in fine but modest clothing, and Cedwyn's outfit looks to be as threadbare as your own. Ifan, however, wears a find suit of clothes. It must have cost several libra.
Beside you a lady comments to her dinner companion, "A shame Ifan's father did not put some of the money he's wearing into filling out his levy. We'll need troops more than finery against ?lle." The knight beside her nods in agreement.
The knighting proceeds as expected at first, but then when Roderick should step forward to take their oaths, Uther himself stands before the candidates and speaks the ancient words. This is highly unusual. You had expected Roderick to administer the oaths, and Uther to do the actual knighting. But Uther himself is taking their oaths. Count Roderick's face is a mask, which in itself is telling. He always enjoyed knightings, so you expect to see a smile on his face. It's absence speaks volumes.
Wiggan and Ifan go through the ritual, though they seem a little flustered as if they were not expecting this either. Then Cedwyn is called.
[OOC: More to follow.]
