<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 150%; line-height: 116%;"><span style="color: #8040FF">House of Ostergaard</span></span><br/><span style="font-size: 130%; line-height: 116%;"><span style="color: #8040FF">Castle Ofertha</span></span><br/><br/><a class="postlink" href="http://aidanmoher.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/the-huntress-by-s-ross-browne.jpg">[ img ]</a><br/><br/><span style="font-size: 150%; line-height: 116%;"><span style="color: #8040FF">Valkyr Thyra Ekundayo</span></span></div><br/><br/>The herald was announcing that there would be three more jousts and then the tournament would resume tomorrow. Thyra looked to the sky and could understand why it was being cut short for the day. Night was quickly approaching and soon it would be too difficult to see. She preferred the night--it was easier to kill your enemy that way, but in the tournament the goal was not to kill, only win.<br/><br/>Her name was called and she tuned out who her opponent was. There was no point in caring, as they would be unhorsed immediately. She made her way towards her horse, mounting it with ease. The crowd was silent as they watched her. Every year and they were still amazed that a woman was allowed in the tournament. It made a grim smirk appear on her face and there were people who looked outraged at her appearance in the arena. It was no matter, she was better than most of those fools and it was not cockiness--just truth.<br/><br/>She put down her visor and the squire Felix had given her handed her the lance and shield she would use. She gave the boy an approving nod, though he could not see her expression, and he jogged off to the side to wait until he was needed again. The flag went down and Thyra calmly held her lance firmly in place, being sure to have her shield in its proper position. She would not be a fool like the man Leon had gone up against. Such a pity, his armor was rather well made.<br/><br/>Her opponent mimicked her actions, and his lance went straight into her shield. She was surprisingly strong, it seemed, as the man had not stabilized himself well enough upon his horse and managed to knock himself down during the impact. His lance splintered into pieces and he fell with a solid thud, his horse galloping away from him. There were boos and hisses in the crowd as people were upset that she had won the first round against a man. Usually those hisses and boos would turn to cheers by the end of it.<br/><br/>The second round was a little more challenging as the man did not underestimate her--but still he was unhorsed by her steady and firm hold. The crowd had turned into half boos and hisses, the other choosing to cheer. It was at this point they began to realize it wasn't a fluke that she had won, but rather experience. The third round went much like the second and she was named victor. She did not help the man up, but nor did she gloat as the crowds cheered for her. She simply dismounted, took off her helmet and gave a small wave to Felix and Freya as she left the arena.<br/><br/>Most of the crowd thought she was a strange one.