King/Queen of the Day
By the traditions of the Kingdom of Sarayne, the title of King or Queen of the Day is given by the victor of a tournament to the person of their choice. The title is symbolic only and grants no tangible benefits, though there can be a certain amount of status derived from being chosen.
Requirements
The only requirement to be chosen is that the recipient must be physically present at the tournament.
Appointment
The champion of a tournament by tradition gives their victory medallion to a member of the audience, or on rare occasions another competitor, to mark them as their chosen King or Queen of the Day. There is an implication of romance in the choosing, which makes selecting someone else's spouse (or not selecting their own if they have one) a faux pas on the part of the victor, but it is not inherently a mark of actual intentions, and unattached victors often choose their King or Queen of the Day on the basis of flattering the noblest attendees - for example, adult but unmarried Princes and Princesses are very frequently chosen. Occasionally, if the final joust is extremely close and well-fought, a victor may choose the second-place competitor, although the romantic aspect of the choosing still applies so this is very unusual.
Duties
The chosen recipient is expected to wear the medallion for the remainder of the day, and to open the ball which almost always follows a tournament by dancing with the victor who chose them. It is usual for them to offer their victor a favor - a handkerchief, flower, small jewel, or similar - to wear in the next joust that the champion competes in, but this is a common courtesy, not a duty. On the rare occasions that the King or Queen of the Day is not pleased to have been chosen, this part can be skipped without issue, although it will not escape notice.
Benefits
The only real benefit of being chosen as King or Queen of the Day, apart from the fun and excitement which almost all those selected experience, is the non-tangible but very real status as a 'person-of-interest' that it confers on the recipient. The King or Queen of the day can expect to be very much the center of attention at the rest of the festivities and will have more offers to dance than they can possibly accept, even if they are the most avid of dancers. Given the romantic implications of the title, the recipient can expect excited and mostly harmless rumors regarding the nature of their relationship or potential relationship with the victor to abound, as well as discussions of their style, bearing and conversation. If they are a stranger or outsider to Saraynese high society, they can expect a much easier climb up the ladder after their day in the spotlight of noble culture.
Type
Nobility, Honorific / Ceremonial
Alternative Naming
King or Queen of Love, King or Queen of the Tournament
Length of Term
The day of the tournament until dawn the next morning.
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Related Organizations
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