midnight
Knights of that day were not allowed to heed any obstacles , but he was not permitted to break the knightly custom that required the winner in a duel to spend a whole day on the field of combat , until the following midnight , and this in order to show that he remained master of the field of battle and to show his readiness for another fight , should any of the relatives or friends of the defeated wish to challenge him to such . This custom was even observed by whole armies , which thus sometimes lost advantages which might accrue from haste after the victory . Zbyszko did not even attempt to evade that inexorable law , and refreshing himself , and afterward putting on his armor , he lingered until midnight in the castle yard , under the clouded wintry sky , awaiting the foe that could not come from anywhere . At midnight , when the heralds finally announced his victory by sound of trumpet , Mikolaj of Dlugolas invited him to supper and at the same time to a council with the prince . The prince was the first to take the floor at the consultation and spoke as follows : `` It is bad that we have no writing nor testimony against the counts . Although our suspicions may be justified , and I myself think that they and nobody else captured Jurand 's daughter , still what of it ? They will deny it .