PBW: A Mysterious Cloaked Figure in King Arthur's Court

Much like a character in the very promising new series Heroes, I found I could manipulate time as well as space. No sooner did my friend B13 and I leave Japan last week, then we found ourselves transported back to medieval times, where jousts, minstrels, archers, knights, and damsels in distress still thrived, a welcome sight for a Photo Blog Wednesday...







The would-be Donal Logue carried a modern air as he narrated the jousts and worked the crowd through a modern microphone. Upset at consistently losing, one rider stunned onlookers as he scooped up the queen, threw her over his shoulder, and took off for his castle. Of course I got a great shot of this, and of course™ when I got home, I found a photo of the side of some lady's head. It's nice to know in the digital age there are still surprises to discover at home like people having walked in front of your shot. Instead, check out this fascinating helmet:



I know.

After perusing various merchants, we caught up with the queen, where she waited for rescue on a balcony. Thankfully, it wasn't long before her loyal knights arrived to storm the castle to save her.




First, a barrage of arrows was launched:



Then, a castle with an air conditioning unit proved no match for a rudimentary battering ram:




Enemies now clashed on the battlefield, but victory was not on the side of the kidnappers that day.




Suddenly, a figure among the rescuers threw back his hood and the crowd gasped at the return of the king!



Clearly, Viggo Mortensen had let himself go. Yet justice would yet be his as he reclaimed his bride, and escorted prisoners back to his camp to stand trial for their heinous acting. I mean acts. Heinous acts.




The queen was compassionate, pleading for mercy. Some scary children in the crowd had other ideas.



Much to the disappointment yet amusement of the children of the kingdom, no heads were severed that day. Instead, the rogue knights were stripped of their rank and sentenced to the royal stables to live out their days as “dung farmers”. By this point I'd had enough of the adult role players, lured toward mellow Eastern twanging.




Beyond this trio, the first castle where the joust took place loomed, a dispersed crowd allowing better vantage points.





The great thing about this particular location was the proximity of a beach, where noble seagulls enjoyed a quiet existence away from the games of noblemen.




Before departing, we returned to the second castle, where the siege to save the queen took place.





I have no idea what the little green door on the second floor is for. I can easily imagine some hapless swordsman running down the hall and through the door, realizing too late that the first step is a doozy.

As we traveled back to the present, we passed my dad's childhood church, where gargoyles loomed.





Time travel is fun, albeit exhausting. Who knows where or when my camera and I will turn up next?