Theneuo grew up to be a strong, honest, hard working young man. At the beginning of every new planting season, the Taido Kingdom would host a tournament that Bedermann would not miss for the world. Every year he and his father and brothers would travel to Taido, the High Kingdom, for the Grand Joust and Tournament. Being the youngest of 7 boys, Theneuo's dreams of becoming a knight were always mercilessly trounced by his older brothers who had no other interests than to become farmers like their father.
Theneuo would get a lecture from his father for wandering off at every tournament, but he never would speak of where it was he'd go. Secretly, he was speaking to all of the knight's paiges, getting to know them and trying to get into their group. By the age of 16, he knew all of the paiges and they all knew him, and on occasion, he'd actually spoken to a knight.
In camp between tournament days, Bedermann spoke to his father of his desire to become a paige. His father was very understanding and actually knew that Theneuo was planning to take this route, so he gave him his blessing and a letter of introduction to give to the knight if one would take him on as a paige.
Based on the reputation he had built for himself among the paiges, the second knight Theneuo spoke to accepted him as paige, on the recommendation of the knight's current paiges -who knew Bedermann. Arrangements were made, and he was sent home to pack his things bearing a heavy purse of gold to deliver to his father as compensation for the loss of a worker on the farm, in accordance with the laws governing assignation of a paige.
For five years, Theneuo trained to be a knight, by grooming the knight's horse, cleaning the armor, sharpening the swords... and training with all that he cleaned. He picked up swordplay very quickly and within months, none of the other paiges could take him in practice. Growing up on a farm, horses were an everyday thing and he needed no training in that aspect. Jousting was the most difficult skill for Theneuo to hone, but by his 21st year, he was proficient enough to be allowed to compete in a tournament under the banner of his Sire.
Every knight that stood against Theneuo was taken down by him and none
had ever seen the ferocity of swordplay that he demonstrated in the tournament.
His Sire advised him early to pace himself, to save his strength for the
knights to come, but Theneuo kept his zealous pace. In the end, the
tournament went to Theneuo, and he was fully knighted by The King himself.
The next few days were all a blur, for the drinking and merriment went from sunrise to sunset everyday. He vaguely remembered meeting his family and spending time with them as a full Knight, and also he remembered meeting many women. All women from Serving Wench to Fayre Lady wanted to be near him and many were privaleged enough to dance with him, but one stood out in all the chaos. A beautiful young woman who never tried working her way into the throng of well-wishers and party-goers, but simply seemed to draw him out of it to her. They danced many times and shared many a snippet of a conversation over drinks, only to be torn away from each other by the throng of the party.
Theneuo never got her name, but could easily draw an image of her into his mind without hardly thinking about it. For a few years they continued this game of cat and mouse, gradually getting to know each other. And it came about that Bedermann made his intentions known to her father. They were to be wed in the Spring when the trees began to sprout new leaves, and all life began anew.