This surprises anyone?
There are a wealth of other reasons, but the Maunche is the only officially purple award we have.
The East Kingdom in the SCA has an internal theatricality that I have loved from the beginning. Pomp, circumstance, sound and noise. My initial attraction to the arts changed over the years and became internalized as I focused down the many rabbit holes of service.
When health issues took away my ability to both do both service and my art, I found a new one in historical poetry, specifically towards award documents. Who knew Chaucer was a gateway drug?
Then time passed. A lot of research, learning, mistakes, and successes in composition and poetry happened.
Then today.
I went to this event to witness my dear friend, Marisa al Qattan, begin their protégé journey. Then I got to witness a uniquely historic Crown Tourney.
(I actually watched the final bouts on someone's device because the crowd was too thick to see anything. Let's hear it for the streaming crew!)
I then went to court awaiting the announcement of the new ranged peerage.
New History! New Royals! New Peerage! What a court!
As court proceeded there was an incident I was involved with, a bit of a cautionary tale:
An Order was called. I don't remember which one, for the reason that follows.
The rows of chairs were well spaced out and there seemed plenty of room for folk to get to and from their seats to the thrones, but only if you went along the row.
Suddenly a person started to go, not down the row, but between my seat and the one to my left. They didn't say anything, no communication whatsoever. I tried to lean as far to the right as possible.
As this person pushed their way through us, what felt to me like their fist, or phone, hit me in the center of my back with some force.
It was all I could do not to scream in surprise and pain.
Later on a friend who had witnessed this told me it was that person's elbow.
To say that I was thrown for a loop is an understatement.
The person did not come back the same way, for which I was grateful.
I sat there trying to recover when they called the Silver Crescents up. Judith le Alefondere, my friend of 20 odd years who was sitting behind us, came up when the Order was called. She got my attention on my left side (which is important because I can't see on the right).
My face must have said something because her first reaction was to ask what was wrong.
I quietly explained what had happened and she hugged me and let me hug her back. We stood there for the rest of the award, which, again, I couldn't pay any attention to.
But it grounded me and let me get over the shock of what had occurred. Thank you Judy! You made the rest of Court and the surprise that was to come go from barely bearable to enjoyable!
So please, be conscious and careful of the people in the world around you. Excuse yourself, make eye contact, make sure they know you’d like to squeeze through. You could be harming someone and not realize it.
By the time Their Majesties called in the Order of the Maunche I felt fine. I also had no clue and was completely gobsmacked when they called my name.
My pelican, Mistress Leonete D'Angely gave me a family medallion, Baroness’ An Dubh, Fiona The Volatile and Hugoline the Delicate, some of my bestest scribe buddies, gave me a gorgeous amethyst medallion by Alex the Scribe, and Bróccín MacIvyr (sneaky husband is sneaky) handed me a medallion made by Baroness Amalie Reinhardt of Aethelmearc.
There were INTERKINGDOM SHENANIGANS involved. What more can I ask for?
Fiona, Violet Hughes, and Jenna Childersley made my most purple-bat-tastic scroll I love it!
Their Majesties, Ryouko'jin II and Indrakshi II are truly amazing and the gratitude I have for them is greater than all the heavens in the skies.
Thank you to everyone that's been working for me on this for ages.
Thank you to everyone involved who got all the men on the chessboard up and told where to go. (To misquote White Rabbit. Or, rather, to filk the White Rabbit.)
You're all amazing and I love you.
Photo by Sofia of the Orange
