SCA Fighting

Guarding 101

By Hjlmr inn Danski a squire of the Kingdom of An Tir
February 13, 2009

Guarding 101
(What you really need to know)
By: Thane Einar Guntharson

These are a few notes on what being a guardsman involves. It is not just standing at court. There are several areas of service that you may encounter. Here are the main ones.

Set up and take down:
This includes setting up for court, helping with royal campsite, helping with thrones, banners, etc. The royals are so busy they do not have time for themselves this is where you are going to be the biggest help.

Public vs. Private:
The royals are only "royal" because we make them royal. You must remember that in public you have to show them reverence. Even though you just spent thirty hours traveling with them, and they have asked you to relax, in public you have to pay obeisance and use proper titles, etc.

Guarding:
You will be asked to guard at court, but you will also be asked to guard at meeting and generally to accompany them about the site. During this time you will need to show discretion. Sometimes you will hear things you should not. You must respect the information for what it is and not share it even with your closest confidants.

Guarding the royals involves more than just a physical presents. You are their mirror – if you notice the coronet is crooked, or they have spinach in their teeth, discreetly let them know. You may also be taste tester. You may also be rescuer. Royals may have a secret signal that means they need extricating from a situation they don’t want to be in however, be alert to other situations as need be.

At this point I would like to share a story with you of which I am sure will explain my next point quiet neatly. Once upon a time there was a Queen (no names required). She got really drunk at an event. And the next day some people (who really knows who) returned her crown to the royal encampment. You get the point.

What to wear, what to wear…:
Check with the Royals as to if they have any requirements for clothing from a specific time period that they require for their retinue to also be in. Some reigns try very hard to be able to keep to a theme. Also check for identifiers such as arm bands or sashes that may be needed to make you identifiable to the heads of retinue and the royals.

During your guard duty you will need to have a sharp. Spear, axe, sword, bow… if you have to, beg, borrow or steel!

Lastly:
Find out what events they are going to and try to attend as many as you can. Let the captain of the guard know which events you will be able to attend to help them be able to schedule. Also this is supposed to be fun! If there are things that you want to do at an event, let the captain know and then they can try to make sure that you are free at that tim