“Well, it’s all starting to take shape, Colonel,” Sir James remarked, looking across at the green slopes that swept the base of Arthur’s Seat. Or rather, what could be seen of them, for the park at that particular point in time was little more than a huge building site. It looked completely chaotic, as building sites do, but both men knew that there was method behind the madness. In front of them, pieces of a platform were being fitted together like a huge jigsaw puzzle and squads of workers in overalls and hard hats were busily supervising the erection of tiers of seating for the many spectators who had bought tickets for what was turning out to be the star attraction of the Edinburgh Festival; the Mediaeval Tournament.
Colonel Jamieson nodded. “Yes,” he agreed, “it’s coming together nicely. I think it’ll be very successful.”
Sir James eyed him sideways. “I heard on the grapevine that you’ve asked Cameron to give the commentary and that you’ve managed to get hold of some fantastic knights for the jousting …”
The colonel nodded enthusiastically. “The black knight and the red knight! Peter and Simon — two fantastic guys,” he grinned. “Professional stuntmen, the pair of them! I don’t know where they learned to ride but the way they handle the horses is a pleasure to watch.”
“You’ll have provided stabling for them?”
Jamieson nodded. “The stables are up and running. Had to be, actually, as there’s an enormous amount of preparation involved. Peter and Simon have spent the last week getting the horses used to the mock battles. In fact,” he said, “you’re in luck. They’re just taking the horses out now if you want to watch them at work.”
Sir James looked on interestedly as two horsemen, sitting astride a black and a silver-grey horse, cantered across a grassy stretch of flat turf.
“They make a good team,” the colonel smiled. “Actually, I can’t believe we’ve been so lucky,” he admitted. “Their knowledge of tournaments is really quite fantastic … and the museum staff has been wonderful, too. They’ve come up with some wonderful illustrations of tents, pavilions, pennants, flags, armour and the like. Everything is going to look as authentic as possible. “And you should just see the horses’ trappings! We’ve used black and gold for the black knight, of course.”
“And the red knight?” queried Sir James.
“A red dragon on a silver background,” the colonel said. “We took the emblem from an illustration in an old manuscript. They’ll look fabulous, the pair of them.”
“What about insurance?” Sir James queried. “I mean, surely the whole point of jousting is that somebody gets knocked off their horse …”
“We’re covered, of course,” Jamieson nodded, “but so far there haven’t been any injuries. These boys are real pros! Their bones could be made of rubber for all the knocks they’ve taken. They know how to fall, alright.”
“And the armour? I mean, falling off a horse is one thing but if you’re all togged out in armour …”
“It isn’t heavy at all,” the colonel answered. It looks fantastic but, apart from the helmet and breastplate, the rest is just thin plastic — as light as a feather. Even the swords are made of rubber.”
“It’s a pity you couldn’t use the sword from the castle,” Sir James said daringly, wondering if Jamieson had any plans to use Dragonslayer to draw in the crowds.
His answer, however, put Sir James’s mind at rest. The Colonel shot him a look that would have stopped an army in its tracks. “You must be joking, James!” he said witheringly. “For a start, it’s far too valuable to be taken out of the castle and, anyway,” he added sourly, “Health and Safety would never allow it. A naked blade? They’d have kittens!”
Sir James looked at him sympathetically.
“As it is, we’ve had to prove to them that every move made during the fights is pre-planned. It’s like a piece of theatre, actually — the men know what they’re doing down to the last blow!”
Sir James nodded absently, his attention drawn to the two horsemen who had been galloping towards one another. The sound of thundering hooves reached them but the horses didn’t flinch as they passed each other at high speed.
“I can’t wait to see the knights in their armour and the horses in their regalia,” the colonel confessed as Peter and Simon dismounted and handed the horses’ reins to two grooms
Catching a glint of red hair, Sir James laid his hand on the colonel’s arm. “Don’t I know that pair?” he asked.
“Probably,” Colonel Jamieson replied. “The McKenzie twins. You can’t miss them — not with hair like that! You probably came across them when you gave the commentary at the Tattoo.”
Sir James nodded. “That’s right! I remember now,” he grinned. “Do they still answer to the same names?”
“Mac and Kenzie?” the colonel lifted his eyebrows. “Yes, they do. Heaven knows what their real names are!”
“Not that it matters,” Sir James smiled. “If I remember rightly, nobody can tell them apart anyway!”
Colonel Jamieson’s eyes followed the horses as they were led away. “They’re a good pair,” he smiled. “Normally, they’d be in charge of the stabling for the Tattoo but I decided to nick them for the tournament. They’re efficient and know what they’re doing! Nothing’ll go wrong when they’re in charge!”
“I’m sure it’ll all go like clockwork!” Sir James said soothingly, sensing his underlying concerns at the million and one things that could go wrong, given the scale of the tournament.
“Well, I hope so. It’s a big undertaking but so far everything seems to be slotting into place quite nicely. There’s the circus as well, don’t forget’ he added, nodding to where the Big Top was being put up, “and, of course, the fairground. Having it beside us will really add to the atmosphere. I asked them to give it a real mediaeval flavour, so there’ll be jesters, pedlars, minstrels and the like, mixing with the crowds. All in costume!”
Sir James looked impressed. “It sounds fantastic,” he admitted, giving praise where it was due. “You know, your idea of the tournament has transformed the whole Festival, somehow. There’s a real air of excitement. People are talking about nothing else. It’s just a pity I have to go back to the States next week,” he shot him an apologetic glance, “otherwise, I wouldn’t have missed it for the world.”
“I’m sorry, too,” the colonel said, pursing his lips ruefully. “Cameron’s good but you always seemed to hit just the right note with the crowds.”
“Cameron will be fine,” Sir James said reassuringly as they paused to look at the rearing slopes of the hill and the impressive grey towers of Holyrood Palace, “so stop worrying! After all,” he added, “you’ve got everything going for you! Just look at the scenery! Arthur’s Seat is the ideal venue. It’s all going to be really quite spectacular!”
In this, Sir James was correct but even he had no idea of just how spectacular the tournament was going to be.