Tuesday Night Pendragon

Mortimer reports

Now I know what Ebble was complaining about all those years: this tender, pink scar on my side aches terribly in this lousy London weather. And my knees are killing me, especially now when I dismount from my trusty warhorse. Which I did a lot of this year, because as the weather improved in the spring, we grizzled veterans put our heads together and discussed what to do about The Saxon Problem for the year. How to keep London? I was all for clearing out Sussex and Kent—better for Salisbury, that—but Counts Belinger and Charles of Marlborough, and Sir Brastius wanted to go north, though I think we didn't go as far as they would have liked.

Before we rode off to battle against what would most likely be, as usual, a larger army, I had the great pleasure of taking Sir Ebble's son Leodigrance on as my squire, and the great honor of knighting young Sir Robert, the late Earl's son. Finally!

We swept the Saxons out of Hertford, Roystan, and Beale Valet before returning to London. All those years of siegecraft pay off once again! We had gotten word that the Angles were moving toward the city, and our rear. We fought them outside the city gates, a battle of medium proportions as those things go. Count Belinger revenged himself on the berzerker that troubled us so much last year...but was laid low when the tree-wielding small giant showed up. Bad luck. But a knight whose acquaintence we had not yet made, Sir Nidian of Wuerensis, crit mightily several times before he, too, fell.

It was looking like another Cornwall before, and I can still hardly believe this, before Merlin showed up, drove off the giant, healed the fallen Count, and generally helping turn the tide in our favor. I might even start praying in one of the chapels I've built on my lands back home, I am so shaken by this. By the beard of St. Mary! I mean, Merlin! Who would've figured him to do something noble?

Sir Nidian ended up joining the household of Count Belinger. I took my Salisbury lads back home for the winter, along with some new men to replace our fallen comrades. A Sir Ruin joined the household of Earl Robert, as he acquited himself well at the Battle of London.

We're to return to London in the spring for a great celebration, an entertainment called a "tourney." We had another daughter born, so I'm hoping to show off the wife and family then. Might be fun; we'll see.

The song I wrote about Sir Nidian and the Small Giant is getting pretty good play aroud town.