The Knight

“Well then, he can see to his master for a time. It will give him occupation. Since you guided Sir Ravd in the forests of the north, Sir Able, you must have guided Squire Svon likewise.”

I said I had.

“You have no more than that to tell me?”

You can guess what I was tempted to tell then. Only I did not. “Nothing I haven’t said already, Your Grace.”

“You yourself were stunned in the lists. No one told me about the incident,” Marder gave Agr a quick, hard glance, “until I noticed blackened eyes and missing teeth. Not to mention Sir Vidare’s broken nose. I made inquiries.”

Nothing I could think of seemed safe to say.

“You wish to serve me, Sir Able?”

“Yes, Your Grace.” That one was easy.

“Without payment, though you have scarcely a scield.”

“I’ve got some, Your Grace. It isn’t like I don’t have anything.”

“You mentioned a manservant. How will you recompense him?”

“Yes, Your Grace, I did. His name is Pouk. He serves me without payment, Your Grace.”

“I see. Though he may not. Is he blind? Crippled? Lame? A skin disorder, perhaps?”

“Blind in one eye, Your Grace.”

Agr muttered, “And cannot see with the other, I’ll wager.”

“No, sir. Pouk has sharp eyes—a sharp eye, I mean. You and His Grace want to know why he serves me when I can’t pay him, and I’d tell you if I knew. But I don’t.”

“In that case there can be small profit in discussing it. Has Master Agr explained my policy to you? My policy regarding taking knights into my service?”

“No, Your Grace.”

“If the knight is of high repute, I admit him to my service at once. He must swear fealty to me. There is a ceremony.”

“I’ll gladly take that oath, Your Grace.”

“No doubt. When a knight of less reputation offers his fealty, I either reject him outright or accept him informally and provisionally until he has had a chance to prove himself. I will accept you now on those terms, if you wish it.”

I said, “I do, Your Grace. Thank you very much.”

“Kneel!” Agr whispered. “One knee.”

I dropped to one knee and bowed my head. It was sort of like being knighted. “You accept me just to try out, Your Grace, but I accept you as my lord ... my lord—” What threw me off was either Uri or Baki. One of the two was watching us and laughing. Marder and Agr could not hear her, but I could. “My lord and master, even unto death.” That was how I finished it, but it was pretty weak.

“That is well. You have small equipage, Sir Able.”

I got up. “I’m afraid that’s the truth, Your Grace.”

“I intend to send you against my foes, so that you may prove yourself—as I feel sure you will—but for my own honor I cannot and will not send you unarmed.”

“I have heard, Your Grace, that it used to be customary for knights to wait at a bridge and challenge any knight who wanted to get across. If I could do that, I could get armor, a lance, and a good horse. All I need.”

Agr snorted. “Without horse, lance, or shield? You’d be killed.”

I raised my shoulders and let them drop. “Just the same, I’d like to try it.”

Marder said slowly, “I tried it in my youth, Sir Able. I suppose I was about your age. It is no tournament with blunted weapons. I could show you the scars.”

“Well, I haven’t, Your Grace. But I’ve got a scar to show anyway, and a bunch of bruises.”

“I had them too, in my time.”

I said, “I’m sure you did, Your Grace. That was your time, like you just said. Now it’s my turn, and I’d like to try it.”

For a second, Marder frowned at me. The frown faded and he roared with laughter. “From a raw stripling with a broken head!” He nudged Agr. “Want to send those shoulders against the Angrborn? He’d go, I swear!”

Agr nodded gloomily “He would, Your Grace, if you’d give him a horse.”

I said, “On foot, Your Grace, if you will not.”

“Now hear my judgment.” Marder had stopped laughing. This was dead serious. “For a fortnight you are to remain here at Sheerwall to mend. When that time is done, Master Agr will furnish you with whatever you may require. Go to some remote bridge, ford, or mountain pass as you have suggested, and take your stand. Remain at your post until winter—until there is ice in the harbor. When winter has set in, return to tell us how you fared.”

Agr said, “Suppose that he loses his first combat, Your Grace. Everything I give him will be lost as well.”

“Look at his smile, Agr.”

Agr did, although he did not like it much.

“He will be risking his life. We can risk a few horses, some lances, and a hauberk.”

―――

Pouk came that afternoon, finding me in the Practice Yard watching mock fights with quarterstaffs. He had brought clean clothes. “Tried to fetch along everythin’, sir, only landlord won’t let me ’til he’s paid. Couple o’ nights, an’ tuck.”

“We’ll see about that this afternoon,” I told him. “It’s just out the gate and down the hill.”

“Bit farther nor that, sir.”

“Not much. Before we go, though, I want to get in a bit of jousting practice. Watch, and tell me if it seems to you that I’m doing anything wrong.”