Tʏʙᴀʟᴛ Gᴜʟʟʏ “ᴏғ ᴛʜᴇ Qᴜᴇʟʟ Sᴇᴀ”
Lady Juliana Hyland
Location: the tournament grounds.◾◾◾◾◾◾◾◾◾◾◾◾◾◾◾◾◾◾◾◾◾◾◾◾◾◾◾◾◾◾◾◾◾◾◾◾◾◾◾◾◾◾◾◾◾◾◾◾◾◾◾◾◾◾◾◾◾◾◾◾◾◾◾◾Tybalt found himself alone for several more hours after speaking to lady Coulbourne, and he spent most this time standing alone, watching over the feast. Blending in as a guard was easy for him, since he was a knight of Lhivoria first and foremost. But, no spectacular things had happened, so he mostly ate and drank. Those were the two best things about these feasts anyway.
When the tournament was then announced to begin, that's when the real entertainment began. All this feasting was just fluff for the
real fun. Tybalt marched himself outside and looked around the bleachers to see where his uncle was - but then again, his uncle was a man that could handle himself. As he looked around he did notice a figure of particular interest.
The one lady that had not insulted his honour and pride when he did speak to the Hylands.Juliana had excused herself from her family after the feast had ended, watching them make their way to their seats near the banners of Hyland, their sigil snapping in the wind. Instead of taking her seat she moved closer to the fenced area that would host the cruel sport they were forced to watch. She loathed the mere sight of the enclosed space. Tournaments were brutal events, one that men lusted after while the women were forced to sit and pray; every blow wondering if their loved one would be the victor. She spotted Trystan showing off on his horse, sighing to herself. He was the closest to her in age out of all her siblings, but a sweet fool. Why Edwin had allowed him participate was beyond her. She would cheer for him, of course, and pray he survived.
Her eyes scanned the area again, looking for Ithobal, feeling slightly guilty she would also be cheering for him, but to lose. Only slightly. She didn’t want to see a Gully on the throne, nor did she care to lose him to the princess before she had the chance to speak with him again. Flirtations were anything but new to her, but the undeniable spark was difficult to ignore.
Thinking twice, he decided on whether or not to approach her. Ultimately, the Hylands would likely not appreciate it if he tried talking to her, but what reason did they have to dislike him? A conversation was merely a conversation and nothing more, and they'd have to be satisfied with that. So, he put a hand on his swords pommel to rest it there while he approached lady Juliana. He stood next to her for a moment in silence, watching the outriders in the tourney area, before placing a hand down on the fencing that surrounded it.
“Your brother looks preoccupied with entertaining the crowd, and not with how he's going to win. Do you have faith in your brother, lady Juliana? A mans honor is a feeble thing. I can know.”He subtly referenced how her family had insulted him earlier, but did not bring it up otherwise, since she had not insulted him and there was no reason to discuss it.
“Losing a tournament is bad enough, but what if he lost spectacularly. Would he still have pride like he does now? He is young, I can see it in him, and that is why he is boasting to the crowd. But that lord over there, lady Juliana.” Tybalt raised his hand from the fencing and pointed at another sire, a man on a brown and white stained horse, who wore a thick armor and a large helm, adorned with the sigil of his family - a iron boar, standing atop his helmet.
“Look how his horse walks uneasily back and forth but the rider is content looking at the king, queen and the princess? That is a man who is determined to win. I hope for your brothers sake he will not ride against that man today. What do you think? Do you have eye for knights? How they ride, how they fight? I would not expect you to, since you are.. quite ladylike, if I may say so, but your brothers may have taught you a thing or two.” She was pulled from her thoughts as more people began filling the seats and standing around the huge field, moving in a slow and lazy pace. She spotted one man that looked sober, recognizing him from earlier with her siblings. His hand was resting carefully on his sword as he took a spot near her, silently standing. The man had been wounded by her sister’s sharp tongue, and she offered him a pleasant enough smile as she pet the kitten in her arms,
“He has always been one for theatrics, Lord Tybalt. He has the confidence and blind optimism that few could only dream of, and I dare say it may work in his favor.” Juliana looked at him then, a genuine smile spreading across her lips at his comment about honor,
“Every man’s honor and pride needs humbling at times; in small doses.” Her eyes returned again the field, watching her brother move and examining the others who had joined him on the field. Tybalt’s words bothered her but she couldn’t allow her features to betray the feeling.
“In truth, my brother is young and overly confident. But his age will make the others underestimate him. He has two older brothers who practiced their own skill on him, one a leader of mountain warriors, the other learning the blade and skill with my father since he could walk. He is more than able to hold his own against bigger and more experienced men.” Her hand tickled the ear of the cat, she could defend her brother but had no desire to over step with the older lord. She smiled gently again, her tone kind, attempting to break his stiff demeanor.
“I have faith in my brother, but I fear for him. I am not so prideful or native to believe him invincible.”“I thank you my lord, I try to act as I was taught and raised to behave. I know little of swordplay, although archery is a pleasant way to spend the afternoon. Although if I must be honest, I prefer the outdoors and books over anything related to knights or even the tasks of a lady.” Juliana laughed, her large doe eyes watching, a look she often used with her father, a look of innocence, hoping her own gentle demeanor may sway him to friendliness.
“I’m surprised you are not participating. You seem a worthy component, with more than a fair chance at taking the glory. Forgive me if this should be obvious to most, but I am unfamiliar with your family. The Gullys were foreign to me in all but name before our arrival here, and now I am forced to face my ignorance. It seems foolish to risk the only male heir of Serpents Roost in a tournament. Even for the hand of the princess.” “You are the one of the few in your family that knows how to be courtly, then.” Tybalt answered her when she mentioned she tried to act how she was raised. It was hard to believe that this girl came from the same family as the other ones. He audibly scoffed at the thought of the other Hyland children. She went on about the tournament, causing Tybalt to look away over the field again. Would he have participated? Yes. He would, most definitely, but since the princess was involved, he had chosen not to.
“Do you think me such a brute? If I were to win.. a 35 year old man with a 13 year old girl. No, I have greater pride than that. Besides..”Tybalt turned his head around and looked over the bleachers, spotting his uncle and aunt sitting there, before he looked back.
“I am merely a nephew of the lord, and as you can understand, that doesn't put me in a prestigious position. I would not wish to insult the king by marrying his daughter. You would not understand, being a daughter of the lord.” He looked at her then, thinking of what to answer to her 'question' about the heir, Ithobal. He could tell her the truth, that Ithobal was merely here to satisfy his father, to appear like 'an heir' for once. But that would hardly seem like a good thing to tell her - it would make them appear like a troubled family; instead, he answered her truthfully but left out some details. She didn't need to know.
“Ithobal is not the only heir. Lucan, the man who was supposed to marry your sister, is still alive. His oath to the kingsguard stops him from taking the title as the lord of the Serpents Roost, but oaths have been released before, my lady. As for Ithobal, I wish I could tell you I knew how he will fare in this tournament, but he is less a fighter and more an adventurer.”For a moment Tybalt considered, then and there, on whether he should offer to champion for the young Ithobal. To fight in his place, for his name. It would be uncommon but not unheard of. And Tybalt was much more experienced, and much more expendable. He was
merely a nephew after all, so if he'd die today, then it would be sad, but it would not be the end of the Gully family. But he decided against. It was time for Ithobal to face the price of being gone for so long.
“We will see. I have participated and won enough tournaments to know that anyone can win. The One God favors the humble, the pure and the pious. For your and my sake, I hope that our family members are all those things.”Juliana’s eyes narrowed across the arena at this comment about her family, but thought it best to say nothing. It was unwise to let her tongue loose on a man such as the lord next to her, despite her instinct to defend her family. She adored her family and was loyal to the end, but now was not the time or place to allow her temper free. As much as she loved her whole family, none were as precious to her as her sister Emmaline. The age difference would have suggested they had little in common, but Juliana had found it had only made them closer, their personalities complimentary to the other. She would defend her sister’s actions until her last breath, even if she didn’t always understand them. Instead her eyes fell on the little princess before speaking,
“In truth, most men would not concern themselves with the age or feelings of the princess. They would see only the throne and power with such an alliance. In that, you are indeed an honorable man.” “If the King was so concerned with pedigree, I would think he would have a better plan then marrying his daughter to a brute with a sword, hacking away at others.” Her eyes fell on his family as she looked towards the Gullys, the stern face of the Lord frightening to most. Juliana knew that often a woman had more to fear from other women in this world, while the men played their games.
“Still, a lord’s nephew from a large and powerful house is not to be mocked. And it seemed to come with more freedoms than other positions.” She gave her half smirk, recalling how quickly she had been interrupted with Ithobal,
“Speaking to a lords daughter without the whole family swarming you being one of them. Perhaps we could be of use to each other in these trying times.” Tybalt grinned at her words. Had she forgotten so soon how the entire family swarmed him after their discussion earlier inside?
His next words surprised Juliana, her eyes growing but otherwise keeping her face passive and void of her sudden surge of emotions. He spoke so plainly; she realized she was in the minority of the Hyland family that did not know about Emmaline’s past engagement. It shouldn’t have surprised her, her sister was eight years her senior and as the youngest she often had not been present at family discussions. Still, why the secrecy? Her eyes scanned the crowd until she spotted the Kingsguard she had seen earlier, looking at him in a new light. He was handsome and held himself well; a man she could see standing beside her sister.
“Would the King truly release such a knight? Stranger things have happened, though it would seem like an insult to the Gullys if it appeared without cause.” Her eyes left Lucan, a small smile forming.
“I’ve found it takes a different sort of soul to yearn for adventure; an inquisitiveness that has little patients for fighting.” Juliana internally snorted at the comment. The one true God sounded like a bore, and she doubted he listened to the prayers of even the most humble. Her mother’s devotion to the God had yet to heal her sick father, or answer any prayers that Juliana could see. No, she would put her faith in the Old Gods, the Gods who favored chaos of reality. She offered him a sad smile she often saw her family give those they sympathy for when offering prayer.
“We can wonder all we like, Lord Tybalt, but we know that the One God knows the hearts of men, and pray he takes mercy on us all.” “Indeed, my lady. God works in mysterious ways. Ways that I cannot foreshadow for you. All we can do is sit back and wait. I must go see to my uncle now, but I wish for you to know that I have enjoyed our conversation. Perhaps we will see more of eachother at a later time.” With that said he pushed himself off of the fencing of the area, and walked away, taking his leave from the area.
