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A belated Uprising post
Aug. 14th, 2009 05:50 amThere is something I wanted to commit to memory via LJ before I forget it. And t has been a while now, so here it is.
At Uprising, a man by the name of Brian Barnum was called off the field at the Unbelted Tournament to sit vigil to be knighted the next day. Not only was he knighted the next day, he was elevated to the Order of the Laurel at the same time. Which was a rare and exciting thing. And, in the "it's good to be Thea" category, I stood court (which is a part of Royal Service I rarely ask to do, but do when something cool is happening). The ceremony was cool, but is not the point of this story.
After the ceremony, which took place by the bridge just before the day's battles, I turned to His Majesty Michael and asked if he would like me to take his crown back to camp. To which he replied yes. I also asked Crown Prince Sean if he would like me to take his coronet, and he said yes. So I had the crown of the King and the coronet of the Prince laid out on my arms like a waitress carries plates of food (arms flat, palms up, crown on one arm, coronet on the other).
Before I had a chance to leave the area, I noticed that Brian didn't have a gaggle of people around him, so I went to congratulate him. While I was waiting for him to finish the conversation, I looked down at the crown and the coronet. And from somewhere in my heart I was inspired.
When I went up to Brian, I gave him a hug and said "I want you to look at what I have the privilege of holding. I have the Crown of the King and the Coronet of the Prince of our Kingdom. These are the outward symbols of an institution that we as peers swear to uphold and defend." He gently and reverently (and I let him because he is a metalworker) held one and then the other in his hands and really looked at them. And he said thank you for that reminder.
I turned away so the next person could congratulate him, and smiled to myself. I could not have engineered that moment, but I am so glad I had it. I had a brief magic moment, and for that one moment, I could put aside the real world and the rushing around and really be in that moment. I know the SCA is not the "real world" but I like the ideals it represents. Which is why I keep doing what I do.
I see it as a privilege to have the trust of the Royalty enough that they would hand me their regalia to put away. I see it as an honor to be allowed the opportunity to help people realize their vision of what the SCA can be, from the newest newcomer who wants to know how to make a t-tunic or what it means to be an officer, to the sitting Royals and nobles who need help with the details to make their reign what they want it to be, and all types of people in between. I have a lot of unique opportunities and trust from others in the SCA for which I am truly grateful. Yes, it is work. No, it is not the "real world." I am loving where I am. I don't know how I got here, but it is good to be me.
At Uprising, a man by the name of Brian Barnum was called off the field at the Unbelted Tournament to sit vigil to be knighted the next day. Not only was he knighted the next day, he was elevated to the Order of the Laurel at the same time. Which was a rare and exciting thing. And, in the "it's good to be Thea" category, I stood court (which is a part of Royal Service I rarely ask to do, but do when something cool is happening). The ceremony was cool, but is not the point of this story.
After the ceremony, which took place by the bridge just before the day's battles, I turned to His Majesty Michael and asked if he would like me to take his crown back to camp. To which he replied yes. I also asked Crown Prince Sean if he would like me to take his coronet, and he said yes. So I had the crown of the King and the coronet of the Prince laid out on my arms like a waitress carries plates of food (arms flat, palms up, crown on one arm, coronet on the other).
Before I had a chance to leave the area, I noticed that Brian didn't have a gaggle of people around him, so I went to congratulate him. While I was waiting for him to finish the conversation, I looked down at the crown and the coronet. And from somewhere in my heart I was inspired.
When I went up to Brian, I gave him a hug and said "I want you to look at what I have the privilege of holding. I have the Crown of the King and the Coronet of the Prince of our Kingdom. These are the outward symbols of an institution that we as peers swear to uphold and defend." He gently and reverently (and I let him because he is a metalworker) held one and then the other in his hands and really looked at them. And he said thank you for that reminder.
I turned away so the next person could congratulate him, and smiled to myself. I could not have engineered that moment, but I am so glad I had it. I had a brief magic moment, and for that one moment, I could put aside the real world and the rushing around and really be in that moment. I know the SCA is not the "real world" but I like the ideals it represents. Which is why I keep doing what I do.
I see it as a privilege to have the trust of the Royalty enough that they would hand me their regalia to put away. I see it as an honor to be allowed the opportunity to help people realize their vision of what the SCA can be, from the newest newcomer who wants to know how to make a t-tunic or what it means to be an officer, to the sitting Royals and nobles who need help with the details to make their reign what they want it to be, and all types of people in between. I have a lot of unique opportunities and trust from others in the SCA for which I am truly grateful. Yes, it is work. No, it is not the "real world." I am loving where I am. I don't know how I got here, but it is good to be me.
