Roz gets armored

What a, ummm, memorable experience the whole thing was....

I like having a plan, and sticking to it. I plan my schedules with plenty of time in advance, to work out details or any kinks that can occur, and generally even have a back-up plan. Derbail and Calaija, my sponsors wanted me to not freak out, or make myself ill planning the elevation day. They wanted to do it all, as a gift to me, for all of my work in the past, etc. Against my better judgment, I said ok, that I would relax, and not worry about things. I really did try to stay out of everyone's hair, to let them do their thing. Really, I did.

My good friends Caitlin and Angharad were doing the food. Caitlin was also doing my garb (yay, new clothes!!) I asked questions about the food and the garb. I asked Derbail and Calaija about the ceremony; I had a great deal of input, which I liked, and I was told the person who had written it would be making copies in binders for the actual "event". Another of my friends wanted to have a nice scroll done, since it was 15 years before I got my AoA scroll, my GoA scroll looked like a first grader had done it, and my other three scrolls had not been too swell either. I kept getting told all was well and under control.....

It was storming and a very nasty night on Friday. The vigil was scheduled to start at 7:30, but at that point there were not that many folks on-site, including Caitlin. Caitlin did not get back into town until late Friday, and by the time she got on-site, I was nearly a beside myself. As it turned out, she had arranged to borrow suitable clothing from a couple of different folks. I was really grateful, as I thought it looked smashing.

We got underway around 9:30 (so Caitlin had time to get the food set out and for more folks to arrive on-site). By 1:30, I had had enough, and thankfully my very dear friend Thorkatla (and one of my most vocal non-peer sponsors) came in, and said she was the last one waiting to come and speak to me. We chatted, then moved a cot into the vigil tent so that I could sleep there, because that tent was drier than the one I had been planning on sleeping in. Unfortunately it took us too long to set up the bed. Despite the fact that Caitlin, Irina, Derbail and Calaija had already closed the main tent down, another 6 people showed up. It was almost 3:00 before I was able to say goodbye to them.

So, I finally got in bed. Notice, I did *not* say that I was able to get to sleep. By this time, it was really raining, and the wind was really blowing. I lay on this too narrow cot, freezing my bottom off, just waiting for the whole tent to come crashing down on my head in the high winds. Caitlin had brought me a beautiful bouquet of red and white roses (they were supposed to bring out my girly side...). She put them on the table for me in the vigil tent. Thorkatla had convinced me to shove the cot up against the tablecloth, to limit the airflow under the cot (there were also some other little hangy things the rest of the way around). As I said, it was very windy, and the whole tent was shaking. The table was near to, but not right against, the tent wall. My cot has right against the table. So, some time between 3:30 and 6:30, I was baptized again, this time with rose water rather than holy water. (Does that make me an honorary lady of the rosewater?)

I was freezing, and just gave up on sleeping. I went into the hall, to try and get warm. The cooks were already started on breakfast, so I just sat there, trying to get warm. Court (and the elevation) was scheduled for 9:00am. Folks started trickling in, and by 8:00am, friends, who were busily trying to calm my nerves, surrounded me. You have to understand, I don't think I rattle easily (despite some people saying that I do--- maybe they are right). But, understand, I hardly slept the night before, and I had not brought any clothes with me. The borrowed vigil clothing had to be returned, as the owners were planning on wearing them Saturday. And Caitlin had left site to go home (after she closed the tent down), to finish up the last bits on the elevation clothes she was making for me. By 8:45, I was really going nuts. Thankfully, Caitlin arrived right about then with the new clothes (they looked perfect, by the way) and helped me get dressed. We got back into the hall in plenty of time to sit and wait for the Crown.

That was when I found out that the copies of the ceremony had not yet arrived. Irina and Derbhail were scribbling on a sheet of paper to try and re-create the ceremony. Thankfully, another ceremony was happening that morning, so they were able to grab one of those copies and make the appropriate changes. Yes, we had ONE copy of an altered ceremony. Not the beautiful ceremony that had written in advance, but it was ok. Court progressed, the other elevation happened. As they were doing the huggy thing, HRM asked if anyone else had a script that they might like to share. Derbail ran up with the script, and we were shortly "on".

The rest was kind of un-eventful--- comparatively speaking, at least. The Crown worked well with one script, and I was able to remember the appropriate responses. Those peers who spoke for me nearly undid me, they said such nice things. Duc Orlando spoke for the Royal Peers, my good friend Christina spoke for the Pelicans, Loric spoke for the Chivalry, and my sponsors, Calaigha and Derbail spoke for the Laurels. I was able to swear my fealty without prompting, and without too much of a quiver in my voice. I take fealty very seriously, and I have always said if you cannot give fealty without prompting, you probably shouldn't be swearing it. I was very moved in that I was swearing for the first time as a peer. Quite a heady experience. The queen placed the medallion around my neck, the king stepped back and commented that it looked "right" and should please all of those members of the populace who had been writing them, as well as the Order.

Then, the Crown following the borrowed script, instructed the herald to read the scroll--- which had not been finished. Nor had anything been placed in the herald's folder. Poor guy got a very stricken look, flipping thru the scroll case. I quietly said "Fake the scroll". The King did not catch that, and looked expectantly at the herald. I repeated the fake the scroll line, at which point the herald looks up, looks at me (I said it again), smiles, and said "Well, congratulations." The populace laughed, and the king told me to get up and greet my new order... all 35 of them.

I greeted Mistress Rosemunde with a "Hello, Mistress Roz" and she replied "Hello, Mistress Roz. Just remember, you are still The Younger." hehehe

And then it was done.

Whew.