Packing for a renfest that we fly to is not so easy. The feathers for my hat have to be sandwiched between pieces of cardboard or they will snap. The hat has to be carefully packed or it will lose its shape. Last year, my last march at Scarborough was in the rain. My hat needs to be blocked, but it was well worth it. I earned my green sash which is for the Royal Guards. It requires three marches in a year to earn the sash, and I don't think I'll ever have the opportunity to do another. I now need a blue sash when I march with the Musketeers. I might look into what I have to do to become a RenGeek.
"Is this your first time to Hollygrove?" She asks.
"Yes it is," I answer.
Oh no, my head tells me as the words escape my mouth. She turns me around and marchs me towards the sign.
"Virgin!" she bellows at the top of her lungs pointing me out to the entire crowd. "We have a virgin here!" The girls are having a ball with this. Heather takes a picture.
"For playing our game,you may ring my bell," says the wench with a smile. "Reach into my bag and take a bell."
I reach into her gray leather bag and pull out a string and not a bell. I thought a bell was attached. I reach again into the bag and this time draw a small brass bell which I ring triumphantly.
"Now tie it to my string."
"How many have you had today?" I ask her in doublespeak. She has many strings of bells, but I notice only a single bell on this red string.
"You are my second, but I would have many more by the day's end," she smiles.
The gate leads us to the ticket stands and the main gate. It is cooler in shade. This is the first time that I have seen dogs allowed at the festival. They charge $10 per dog. All of the dogs are well behaved, and the grounds were quite clean. One pugh was in a pink tu tu. A large black dog has black demon wings, and one dog was even walked on a stroller.
"I see some of your brethren are here," says Peggy pointing out a couple of musketeers in black tunics similar to mine. "Aren't you going to talk to them?"
"I am away without leave," I tell her. "I am AWOL."
A viking tries to grab Heather's attention as she talks on her cell. He pulls Mary to his shop of wooden boxes. We eventually move along.The privies are port a potties, but they has portable sinks to clean one's hands. Many people steal a photo of me. A few asks for my photo outright. A couple of guys even asks where I got it. I am stopped twice for directions and I direct them as best I could. I'm surprised that we never found steak on a stick.
As Peggy finds another pet, I check out the remembrance store (souvenier shop). There are plenty of T-shirts and mugs. Most of the T-shirts have sayings instead of artwork like "Got mud?", "Dragon the other white meat." I don't see any pins. I've been trying to collect pins for my Scarborough Royal Guard sash with little success.
"Make way! Make way for the prisoner!" cries a white bearded man leading a woman not in garb. He is dressed in a pink doublet and light blue tights. "Be careful," he warns as he steps through our line. "She bites and pinches too."
At that moment, I was pinched in the arse.
The Fantasy Feast is at 1300 at The Castle. The Castle is open air. A Scot separates us into two lines. The wedding party and the non wedding customers. As the wedding party is seated, he tells us to decide how we wish to be announced. "Don Rodrigo and his Harem" was swiftly shot down by Heather. I wonder why? We were having problems deciding upon a name which is funny. When we were in Germany, I was telling the girls that I would like to be formally announced upon entrance to the castles we visit. We finally decide upon "The Travelling Wayfarers." I tell the scotsman our name who loudly announces it. As we are seated, he says "I loved your last album." Later that night as Mary and I were searching for Heather and Peggy at Krogers, Peggy confesses that they were a wandering. I suggest that should become our name "The Wandering Wayfarers" which we quickly adopt.
A cheer goes up when the brass band plays the theme from "Pirates of the Caribbean." The Castle is open air as such we would have bystanders stop in to watch the activities at which the scot would have us laugh at them and chant "Go Away!" A bit rude, but he is a Scotsman.
The wedding party is seated at the end of the aisle. The groom is in ball and chain. The wedding party are pirates. Their cake is three tiered. A pirate ship at the top tier which is blue. The middle tier is a dark blue. And the bottom tier is brown with Davy Jones Locker as decoration.
There is the annoying tapping of the goblets as people beckon the husband and wife to kiss. And yes there is entertainment. A man and woman sings. She even sings one of the Sultry Sirens of Sin songs. They are followed by the gypsies.
The German noblewoman asks "What is the difference between pink and purple?"
We shake our heads.
"Your grip," she laughs and walk off.
The couples beside us are from Detroit and Salem and are impressed with our garb.
Send me a man.
Anyone but him!
The Scot mentions that two of the German nobles are single and with this wedding has them considering marriage themselves. The male is considerably drunk. So two people at random were chosen from the crowd a man and a woman. He chooses a man from the wedding party, but for the woman... He steps behind Heather and Peggy who both crings...and selects Peggy. The man surprised all by speaking German and did an excellent job of wooing. The beer wench came by our table asking if anyone needs more beer."She's going to need a lot more beer," I said pointing to Peggy's goblet. Everyone laughes at our table. Peggy's wooing was a bit timid not that it mattered for the drunken fool nearly passed out. The crowd decided that winner. Our table cheered quite loudly for Peggy if not louder than the other participant. Scot declared the man the winner.
"It's been rigged," admits the Scot. "The prize was a t-shirt and we wouldn't want to cover those wonderful orbs of yours."
The virgin queen visits. She compares love to a rose. A rose is very exquisite while still a bud, but still has it thorns. But if you cut those thorns, it even quicker. The wedding party shares their cake with the rest of us. We are not rushed. We didn't get out till 330.
Peggy leaves me in charge of her new black and white pet as she and Heather has Henna tattoos applied. The tattoos should last 1 to 4 weeks depending on where they are applied. I wander off to watch the gypsies, but shortly return when it begins to drizzle. I take a seat and have Peggy's pet lap from my goblet. A photographer with a professional rig takes a picture of the pretty blonde getting a tat on the back of her hand. The lady tattooer has colored tattoos up and down her forearms. I was surprised to look up and find him taking a photo of me messing with Peggy's pet. I always seem to attract attention when I am charged with her pet.
As I sit on the bench, the pickleman asks me if I am a Mason. I was unsure what he said and walk up closer.
"Are you a Mason?" he asks. He points to the elaborate cross on my tunic. "For that, is the symbol of a Mason." Okay, this story I have to hear. I ask him how much is the pickle. It is one gold piece, and we talk for a spell. The Masons were an order of bricklayers. In the olden days, they made the secret passages of castles and homes and were entrusted to keep that secret. Shriners were the highest order of Masons. His grandfather was a Mason. So is he a bricklayer? I ask. No, he is an engineer, the pickleman answers. No longer do you have to be a bricklayer to join the Masons. It is a fraternal order. At that point, the womenfolk walk up. "Enjoying your history lesson?" asks Peggy. I nod my head and thank the man. I'll have some research to do when I get home.
We wander a bit more we decide it is time to head home.
Outside, they are accepting entries for a drawing for a medieval cruise aboard a not so medieval ship. We wonder if passengers come in garb.
