Gabriel walked down the path chomping on a roasted turkey leg. He had planned his snacks out for the rest of the afternoon. Next, he’d have an apple dumpling. Later, he’d get one of those lemons with the peppermint stick stuck inside. Food was one of the best things about the Medieval Faire.

There were other awesome parts of the Faire too. The performers were pretty cool, especially the juggler and the sword swallower. There was usually some mud wrestling and a Shakespeare act where they yelled crazy insults at each other. “Thine face is not worth sunburning!” Ha.

Gabriel loved coming to the Faire with his parents every year. This year they were taking some kind of weaving workshop with one of the shopkeepers, so he was free to wander around on his own. Now he was just biding his time until the joust started.

The joust was Gabriel’s favorite event. He liked to stake out a spot at the rail of the arena so he could see everything. He picked the perfect place and leaned up against the fence, finishing the turkey leg. Trumpets sounded. It was about to begin!

Gabriel could feel the beat in his chest as the horses thundered into the arena. A knight in shiny armor with a black and red flag rode out on a black stallion. Another knight with a green and yellow flag was mounted on a chestnut colored mare. Each knight had a squire, and each squire led the crowd in cheers for their hero. Gabriel yelled and clapped and stamped his feet as the knights and their horses paraded around.

The knights lined up and began their first pass, lances out straight. They hit each other’s shields as they rode by. Gabriel leaned forward over the rail, imagining he was in the middle of the fray.

The next thing he knew, he was! He tumbled over the fence and the black and red knight swooped him up. He sat behind the knight, astride the black stallion. It was so high!

The arena looked really different from up here. He could see the faces of the crowd with their mouths open in cheers. He could smell the sweat of the horses and hear their heavy breathing as they galloped through the dirt.

The knight handed him the lance and Gabriel worked hard to steady it. The lance was really heavy. It was time for the target part of the show, where he was supposed to spear a ring with the tip of the lance. Would he be able to do it?

He did! The crowd cheered. Gabriel held tight to the knight as the stallion trotted around in a victory lap. Then Gabriel took a deep breath. He knew what came next. The knockout round.

Gabriel’s knight lined up for the final pass. Whichever knight knocked the other off first was the winner. The horses put their heads down and charged. The knights held their lances straight and strong. Who would be the last knight standing?

Clash! The lances hit the shields. The black and red knight fell to the ground before Gabriel could grab ahold of him. But then, the green and yellow knight was falling too! They rolled to the side of the arena. When the trumpets blared, Gabriel was the only person still on horseback.

The crowd went wild! Someone dressed as the queen came out and gave him a rose. The squire helped him down and patted his back. Gabriel held his hands up and waved and smiled. The Medieval Faire was definitely awesome. He couldn’t wait for next year.