One of the participants in both the original Crown List to determine Sir Phelan's heir, and the Prince for a Day tourney was Sir Starhelm Warlocke. One of the reasons Sir Starhelm wished to become king was to give recognition to people that he and his wife, Mistress Nerak la Tisserande, believed had been overlooked. At the top of their list was Baron Gordon Blackwolf, the second Baron of Axemoor, whom they felt deserved the Order of the Laurel for his skill at calligraphy.
As the Prince for a Day tourney was getting organized, Mistress Nerak noticed that the number of Laurels present was the minimum number necessary to form a circle. She knew that none of the those present would have an objection to Gordon's elevation so, in a move worthy of a Pelican, Mistress Nerak called a meeting of the Laurels. Baron Gordon was proposed to the circle and voted in.
When a person is made a Laurel, he or she frequently doesn't know before hand. If this is the case, the usual scenario is that the King calls all the Laurels present to attend him. When the Laurels are assembled, the King says, "We requested ALL the members of the Order of the Laurel to attend us. There is one missing. Go and bring them into our presence." The Laurels then disperse themselves into the populace and one grabs the poor unsuspecting slob and brings him or her into Their presence. The elevation ceremony then proceeds.
When the Laurels dispersed into the crowd at the first court of John the Mad Celt, I recall repeating under my breath, "Blackwolf, Blackwolf, Blackwolf". When they grabbed Baron Gordon, I slapped the top of the table I was sitting at and declared, "Damn straight!" It was not a very medieval oath, but a heartfelt one.
When Baron Gordon was brought into the presence of Their Majesties and knelt to receive his accolade, a gasp escaped from several members of the court. You see, Gordon Blackwolf has really bad knees and when he kneels down, his knees will sometimes lock in that position. If that happens, there is nothing for it but to get two stout lads to lift Gordon up by his armpits and have someone straighten out his legs. Fortunately, this was not one of the times that Baron Gordon's knees locked.
It was for this reason that Gordon Blackwolf has earned the epithet, "The Disrespectful". He has been excused from kneeling when he comes into the King's presence and "disrespectfully" stands with his head higher than his Majesties'. Afterwards, when I told him how we all cringed as he knelt, Baron Gordon told me that he felt that for such a high honor he really ought to kneel.
When Gordon was Baron of Hammerhold, he was also Kingdom Minister of Arts and Sciences. One day, he received a letter from the new arts and sciences minister of a local group. In the letter the A & S Officer expressed discouragement because, "I have bad knees and can't fight."
"Let's face it," he continued, "if you want to get any recognition in this kingdom you have to be a fighter."
Baron Gordon wrote a brief letter in reply to the ministers' missive. In the letter, he told the officer that while it may take a bit more effort, he was sure that with hard work the officer would indeed get recognition. Gordon then signed his name along with all his honors and awards. The list was over one half single spaced typewritten page.
After the list, Baron Gordon added a P.S.: "I have bad knees and can't fight."