Prove your manliness

Jan continues to smirk at you, a hand running through his curly beard mischievously. "I need to know that if you are going to so much as take a walk in the garden with my little girl, you ought to be a man of a certain caliber, not an overgrown child putting on airs. And just being a king doesn't cut it. There was that one fat boy for instance, the king of...oh, what was it? Wester-something? Just trying to get my vote, he was. A complete waste of space, he was. I'm glad he wore a crown, I was always able to see him from a distance so I could avoid him. No, a slob like him wasn't good enough for a child of mine. Only the best! So, if you're still interested, you'll have to show that you're up to the challenge." He finishes his tirade, face back to neutral, which for him was a slight frown. "I will take on any challenge to win the hand of your lovely daughter" you reply. Jan rolls his eyes at this, but still gets up out of his throne."Come then," he says, beckoning with one hand. "We'll have a busy day." You cast a glance at Sonya, who merely shoots you a look of silent pity.

The next few days are like hell. Jan makes you jump through all manner of hoops to impress him (though not literally, to your mild surprise). He has you perform all manner of physical feats. The first day, he takes you out to the training yard of the castle. He puts you through the drills of the common soldiers, being screamed at by sergeants as you were humping around gear, fighting dummies as well as sparring with liveopponents, running the track, taking on the obstacle course, etc. All the while, Jan watched with sadistic glee. By the end of the day you are sore and exhausted. Still, you managed to get through without quitting. The next day, you are required to prove your equestrian skills. Riding always came easy to you, but you haven't had as much practice as you'd like. You aced the practice course, but the true horror of the day was the mock jousting. You had never jousted before, and as a result were sent to the ground repeatedly, clutching bruised arms, shoulder, ribs, just about everything really. Despite your failures, Jan did not send you packing. Perhaps he admired your determination. You slept like the dead that night, as soon as your aching muscles and bruises allowed.

The final day, Jan took you out hunting. A sizable forest stands at the edge of his castle, which is reserved for him and his guests. Hunting was always the premier past-time of nobles, both in your kingdom and abroad. As such, you know a fair deal about it despite not having participated. You and Jan go through the woods together, tracking boars. Jan, being the more experienced hunter, takes the lead. For a while you travel, and you have no idea whether or not Jan knows what he's doing. Then, he seems to see something and rushes off with a wild yell of triumph. You follow as best you can, but he doesn't make it easy. He pulls ahead of you into the dense woods, and you are now following by sight more than sound. Suddenly, you hear the frightened whinny of a horse, followed by the distressed yell of a man and a thud. You race towards the sound, and only a moment later you hear the distinct squeal of a boar. You break past the trees and see Jan sitting up and lying on the ground, his horse nowhere to be seen. A huge wild boar is charging right at him, curved tusks at the ready. Jan raises his arm to his face in an impotent effort to protect himself. Instinctively, you pick up your hunting javelin and throw without thinking. The projectile hits dead on, piercing the boar's skull and killing it instantly. It drops to the ground, sliding forward from momentum. Jan turns his head and looks at you, completely surprised. "Well," he says, getting up, "none of that went as expected." You could say that. You dismount and check Jan for injuries, though your fussing over him just adds to his annoyance. "I'm fine, I'm fine! I will admit, I almost wasn't though, I was. Damn horse, I've never seen a cowardly display like that. Reared up and threw me off as soon as the boar turned on us. Bastard." Jan looks around a bit awkwardly. "Thank you. I'm glad you were here." he says begrudgingly.

You and Jan, done hunting, are heading towards his personal hunting lodge to relax after a stressful day. "I will say this to you: I am impressed so far. You handled the course well, and even though your horsemanship needs some work I admired your attitude. Some men crumble like a dried flower at their first lance hit. Today was the most impressive though. I've never made a throw that good myself, even if it was just luck. Maybe you'll be good enough for Sonya, maybe. Only one more test to go." Jan smirks again, and a hand runs playfully through his beard. Not this again. Jan refuses to elaborate however, and you decide it's time to get some rest. You head up to your room to get some sleep.