The Knight

They had come on donkeys, and Aud rode to the Round Tower to fetch a leech. I was asleep myself before he came, and it was one of the few sleeps I had in Mythgarthr in which my dreams were not troubled by the people whose lives wove the bowstring Parka bit through for me. Nor did Setr trouble me, though he troubled many dreams of mine afterward.

―――

I have never been less willing to wake, or less willing to rise than I was the next morning. The sun was high when I sat up, for the leech had covered our faces with muslin. “Your friend has been carried to the Round Tower,” the leech told me. “I’ve done what I can for him, splinted his legs and his arm, and salved his burns. I’ve salved yours, too, and of course Lord Thunrolf’s.”

I had not even known that Pouk’s arm was broken.

“Lord Olof agrees that you should not be moved until you’re ready.”

Probably our voices awakened Thunrolf. He pulled the muslin off his face and tried to sit up. Vix and Aud ran to help him.

“I don’t know whether I can walk,” he told the leech, “but if you can get me on a horse, I think I might ride.”

“That won’t be necessary, Your Lordship. We have litters for you, and for Sir Able as well.”

“In which I will not ride,” Thunrolf declared. “No. Not if I must die here. Help me up, Aud. Where’s my horse?”

There was no horse but the leech’s. Aud and I helped Thunrolf mount, and I walked next to him holding his stirrup strap. I was afraid he would fall off, and I think he was afraid that I would fall down. When we were nearly there, he said softly, “A boon, Sir Able. You owe me none, I know. I crave one anyway, and you’ll not find me a worthless friend.”

I explained that I did owe him one. I had borrowed a ceptre and lost it, and promised any service I could perform.

“I’d forgotten that. Very well. I ask that you forgive me. Will you?”

I looked up at him. “Yes, My Lord, but that’s no boon. I’d done it already.”

“It is the boon you owed. Now I ask another, Sir Able. May I have it?”

“Sure.”

“Let me speak when we reach the Round Tower. Agree with what I say, and say nothing that will disgrace me.”

I was still trying to think of something polite, when half a dozen knights met us. Some were his, and some were Olof’s, but they had all caught on that something was going on and come out to see what it was. Thunrolf’s could not believe their eyes.

“We encountered a dragon,” he told them, “and I lost my sword. I would like to get that back, but not at the cost of another dragon. Had you seen a dragon before, Sir Able? I had seen them pictured, but the pictures are nothing.”

I said, “Once before, My Lord, but that didn’t help. I don’t think anybody ever gets used to them.”

He smiled. It was a twisted smile because of the burns, but a smile just the same. “I will not, if I have anything to say about it.”

Then we got the chain taken off; there was a lot more after that, but I am going to cut it short. He left pretty soon, going down to the port and getting a ship home. Nearly all his men had left already, going overland because of their horses. Pouk and I stayed until Pouk could walk, and Olof was very nice to us. He had Sword Breaker and my bow and quiver, and gave them back along with a lot of presents. When we left he loaned us horses, and sent some of his men with us to bring them back.

We stayed in an inn for three nights, I think it was, and did not like it much. After that, Pouk found an old man and his wife who would put us up cheaper than the inn, and better, too. The old man had been captain of a ship, but he had to quit when his eyes got bad. He knew a lot of stories. They were all worth listening to, and lots of them were worth remembering. We stayed with those people for over a month.

During the day I would practice with my bow, or with Sword Breaker, or I would go to the stable and get a horse. It was all day for a copper bit, or two for a better horse. I would ride around the country and gallop and trot, and so forth. I thought I was getting to be a good rider, too, but I was just getting started.

Pouk would go down to the docks and watch for a ship for us, and talk to the sailors and longshoremen. One day I came back and he was at the house, all smiles. He said there was a ship in port that was going to Forcetti, and it would take us there.

I said, “Fine! Let’s go and see how much they want. You think it’s a good one?”

“Aye, sir! That I do. Only I already booked, sir, by your leave. A snug cabin, sir, and straight up the coast to Forcetti.”

I wanted to know how much. Thunrolf had given me a lot of money but I knew there were a lot of things I would have to get in Forcetti. A knight’s mail is not cheap, and a horse like Blackmane (that was Sir Ravd’s) costs the world.

“You’ll like the price, sir.” Pouk was grinning like a monkey.

“You mean you paid it yourself? I was going to pay for us both.”

He laughed a little. “Aye, sir. I did.”

“Then I’ll pay you back.”

“Oh, that’s all right, sir. I paid wit’ what th’ dragon give me.”