It is a fair summer's morning in the feifdom of Lord Gordon, a minor noble of the Realm. On a wide country road, a tall, lean man with jet-black hair rides a chestnut mare while humming a sprightly tune to himself. By his flamboyant attire, peaked cap and lyre we can assuredly say that his profession is that of a minstrel, or troubadour. Some miles behind him, four liveried guardsmen are riding hard and with haste enough to beg the question: Are they in pursuit of our unsuspecting bard, or are they merely playing See Who Can Make The Horses Sweat the Most? A natural question, to be sure, but let us for the moment rejoin our bard while he renders for us... Once again on a dusty track having just escaped a torturer's rack, with horse and lyre I make retire from old Lord Gordon's churlish ire - What, can a man not sing his pleasure about another's gaudy treasure? For 'twas it I who gave his wife Those looks so poor they'd end the life Of mice and men, of bees and bears, of ghouls, hobgoblins, trolls and hares? I do so declare, my bed I'll share with fleas and lice 'ere I sing again there. Favour the bores with 'The Duck and Moon' who called me a fool, and a string-strumming loon? Peasants and yokels, oh what do you know To have laid true talent down so very low. So onward ho, to Fairbridge Tourney, and let us soon begin our journey with goodly Gudo, knight magnanimous, he whose faith knows no parameters. The road is long, but my heart is light, I pray this day for our first good fight! So fly like the wind, my chestnut mare, fly! fly! fly! Muhahaha!! Muuuuhahahaa!! Thus, riding like a demon down King Vargnarson's Highway, proving a danger to peasants' carts and footbound travellers alike, the bard Grig Syllable makes towards Fairbridge Tourney and his rendezvous with his old adventuring companion, Sir Bastien Gudo, knight of Renhorden Keep... Click on the dragon to proceed with the tale... ... the dagger to go to the previous page ... and the snoozing gnome to return to the Home Page. copyright 1997 Gerald Tan & Nigel Poh Currently playing "Eammon an Chniuic", a traditional Irish ballad.