Making a good showing would be for the best. I had spoken to Jeran and Petras to ask how they felt. Both of them were ambivalent. They did not care much about their children winning. What they did care about was them finding potential mates and bringing them back to Mansfield. The population was not sustainable currently. Bringing in new blood would be for the best. Due to this, they were told by their parents not to accept vassal offers from other lords. Molly, Leonardo, Lennard and Lennox were all my children. Because I loved them, I would like it if they stayed with me. I would not stop them if they got an offer from a duke or royal. That would just be foolish. This was for them, so I decided to sit it out. From the stands, I could see them fight. The centaurs were knocking people out of contention left and right. The hybrids too. Molly really was someone to watch. The first of her opponents were middle aged men who underestimated her. She just had the tournament ground's blunted daggers. She kicked both of their asses. She was just to quick and precise for them. It was stunning.
Very quickly, we were the talk of the city. I made no bones about who we were. Petras and Jeran were part of the infamous Blood Knights. Having the children of the very real Cutpurse Cutters inflict damage on the tournament hopefuls was something no one was expecting. We sent no letters ahead. This could have easily backfired. I did not want to be on the hook babysitting them for weeks before a tournament qualifier could begin. I took it to be fate that we arrived right on time. Everyone had qualified for the tournament, but the centaurs had been disqualified. The knights of the circuit were not cavalry knights. They did not want to risk injury tangling with them. I could see that being a valid concern. The centaurs were pissed off. I went to the master of ceremonies. "There has to be something for them. They did what was required of them." I said. He wrung his hands nervously. "I'm sorry, sir. I can't allow the tourney circuit knights to get injured. They have the favor of the king." he said. "Well, I'm sure their king would want to see them. Send a call for mounted knights: an open challenge."
Just making a challenge was not enough. I made the pots sweeter. If they could defeat any of them, they would get a full bar of gold. I had 3 on hand to show the master of ceremonies. Even among nobles, a bar of pure gold was a treasured item. Both the exhibition and the tournament would be in a week's time. The hype was explosive and palpable. Having nonhumans throw this huge gauntlet down made people want to see. Everyone was racist here. They wanted to see the centaurs put in their places. The main religion of the kingdom said that the dryads and the Great Spirits were all demons. Knights would be wanting to punish the hybrids. It was also the word of mouth that got people invested. They were good fighters. They were also the children of legends. I made sure to highlight this when giving them pep talks. All of the centaurs were greatly encouraged by this. They could hear some gossiping at the big stables. On the first day of competition, people were all fighting to get in the stands and get a seat. The tournament was during the day. Exhibition matches were at night.
