That day we got our circlet bands

T'was a year ago this very month I've just began to recover From the embarrassment and calamity That caused me quite a stutter T'was an honor both and a cause to blush And you haven't heard, I bet How m'lord Pol MacNeill and I Wound up in court both soggin' wet

We had travelled far to Lagerdamm Bear with me, if you will To the Meridian Arts & Sciences Faire Held upon a forest hill We feasted that night on salmon and dill And were stuffed, one and all Then us Evensong Foresters gathered the dishes Washed them up and cleaned the hall

Now in the process of washing up I managed to get splashed With a pan of water and a pitcher or two My hopes of a dry evening were dashed I pondered whether to return to camp At the bottom of the hill to change But no, I decided, for never in court Would they ever call MY name

M'lord Pol was hot, wanted to go for a swim To cool down and get wet "They'll never call ME up in court" Was the statement he'd soon regret So he went down to the clear lake A bad decision, I felt I went to court with a handful of cord And proceeded to weave a belt

And what a sight, that court it was That awe-inspiring scene To the hilltop came Robert and Aelfgifu And their highnesses Gareth and Sabine I sat and listened, wove the belt When something caused me to squeal For the royal herald had just called The name of Pol MacNeill *

I took to my feet, said "He's not here But I'll go get him now!" I'd forgotten about the cord wrapped around my feet And into the floor I ploughed With some effort and some helping hands I was able to extracate Myself from that tangled mess Then out of the hall I raced

Down the hill, toward the lake Yelling at the top of my lungs for Pol But he didn't hear my yelling Til I reached the retaining wall "What is it?" he asked, quite annoyed But looking at me, he faultered "Pol, you've been called up in court," I told him And he sprang up out of the water

"I can't go like this!" he cried to me For all he wore was a wet wrap "No you can't," I agreed, and indeed we did need To head on back to camp But camp was on the other side of the hill And there was no way around So we'd have to go up the hill, go around court Before we headed down

As we were dashing past the court Mattheus held me up Pol went down, and I was told That I had been called up in court Now realize that I was soaked From dishwashing and such And Pol was dripping from his swim Even more, or just as much

"No, I told court I'd go get Pol Without him I won't go in." So there I stood, a drenched woman Waiting on her dripping man Pol climbed the hill as quick as he could Came up and took my hand He'd thrown on a tunic and gauzy pants Still wet, he led me in

The court was silent as we entered The herald checked for our names Then he called for Pol MacNeill And Katryne MacIntosh the Strange That day we got our circlet bands And history was set Have you ever heard another tale Of attending court so wet?

*(okay, the name he called was that of Nihl Solerno, that name my love had been called before he was adopted by the MacNeill clan, but Solerno doesn't rhyme and he changed his name... ANYWAY)


(note -- I'm not counting courts held in pools, nor am I counting those held at Border Raids, where we sweat so much we're ALL dripping wet. - K)