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The Squires of Telisan Keep - 21
RYNIL
Rynil woke up just as the sun broke the horizon. He smiled briefly as he remembered when he used to wake up at this time because of The Dream; now it was just habit. He quietly climbed out of bed, trying not to wake Karl. Rynil was excited to start the day. Today was High Harvest Day, which celebrated the autumn equinox. As was customary for all the seasonal holidays, there would be a day of tournaments, including the tournaments for each group of the Pages and Squires. There would also be the jousting tournament for the Knights, which was the one all the commoners and all the nobles over sixteen, cared about. Rynil's focus though, was on the first year Squires' Tournament. He would get an opportunity to earn a high rank, which would get him a better duty assignment. A chance to earn a higher rank was just the second best thing about the day, Mikel had been given permission to leave the Tower in order to compete in the tournament. Lord Velarik and Sir Valen had decided that if the day went well, then Mikel's confinement to the Tower would end. Rynil was confident that things would go well today.
Rynil put on the leather pants and jerkin that he was going to wear during the tournament, as he had no reason to dirty an extra set of clothes. Once he was ready, he picked up his helm and left without waking Karl. Rynil was glad to see the boy sleeping peacefully through the night again, untroubled by nightmares. Karl had returned to sleeping in the bed he shared with Rynil when Sir Luken had recovered from his injuries and was back on his feet. Karl no longer slept pressed up against Rynil though; he did not want to fool around, or even cuddle anymore. Occasionally, when Karl would cry, the young boy would let Rynil hold him. Fortunately, for Rynil, he was able to spend some time exchanging blowjobs with Mikel a couple times a week, so he no longer needed to rely on Karl for his release.
When Rynil reached the kitchens, he grabbed himself some bread and cheese. He wolfed them down then helped himself to some milk. After finishing his own breakfast, he assembled a tray of food for Sir Luken and Karl, which he gave to Bekka, one of the servant girls. He instructed her to deliver it to their rooms, and wake Karl. Bekka gave him a "Yes M' Lord" and curtseyed, making use of her loose fitting shirt to show off her budding young breasts to the cute young blonde haired noble boy. Rynil smiled, he had long ago given up trying to explain to Bekka that he was unlikely ever to be more than a 'Sir'. After about the third time she did it, he realized she knew better and was just doing it to flirt with him. He did watch her swaying ass as she left carrying the tray of food for Karl and Sir Luken.
Rynil was still worried about Karl, even though he no longer felt Karl was in danger of being seduced by a Demon. The Page was no longer having nightmares, but he was still melancholy and sulked about the Keep. He knew Karl would prefer to spend the entire day in bed, but if he did that, Sir Luken would berate Karl for being lazy, and Rynil for not making Karl get up.
As Rynil left the kitchen, he grabbed an apple. His next stop was the small Temple of the Warrior that was located inside the Keep. When he entered the Temple, he saw Brother Yoris and Acolyte Stefan talking quietly up by the altar. His gaze was drawn to the Stefan as he approached, the Acolyte had bright red hair, a rarity in Selarn, and green eyes that struck Rynil as sad. When the pair heard Rynil approaching, they stopped talking and turned towards him. Stefan's eyes immediately lit up and the fourteen-year-old Priest in training smiled at the twelve-year-old Knight in training. It was Brother Yoris though that spoke, "Good morning Squire Rynil, are you here for a blessing before the tournament?"
"Yes, Brother," said Rynil. It was customary for the Pages, Squires, and Knights to all come and offer a prayer to The Warrior, and receive his blessing before competing in a Tournament.
"Well you are the first to arrive this morning, so yours will be the first blessing of the day, a most fortunate blessing," said Brother Yoris.
"Huh? Do they get weaker as you do more?" asked Rynil naively.
Brother Yoris laughed, "No, I have just been trying to get more people to come earlier to spread it out. Half the Knights like to wait until the last minute, thinking it might wear off. Which it doesn't, the blessings of The Warrior are there for all that seek his aid in battle." Brother Yoris took his position next to the altar and Acolyte Stefan stood a step behind him.
Rynil repeated the words of the standard prayer to The Warrior, "Warrior give me the courage to face my opponents, give me the strength to defeat them, and if today is to be my end, may I prove myself worthy of a place by your side."
"The blessing of The Warrior be upon you, may your courage never falter, your strength never fail, and your valor never waiver," intoned Brother Yoris. Acolyte Stefan stepped forward and sprinkled a small amount of blessed oil on Rynil's head. "Go now, young warrior, may your performance today make your family proud," finished Brother Yoris.
"Thank you Brother, thank you Acolyte," said Rynil as he rose. Stefan was still smiling at him. The pair nodded at him, and then he turned to leave. As he was about to exit the Temple, Brother Yoris wished him good luck.
After exiting the Temple, Rynil left the Keep and made the short trek to the main stables. There was a small stable, commonly referred to as 'the Lord's Stable', inside the Keep for the Lord's horses, but the rest of the horses, those belonging to Knights, Squires, and Pages, were stabled outside the Keep. Rynil greeted the grooms as he made his way to his stall. Inside was a large four-year old chestnut colored gelding named Axe. The horse was named for the large axe shaped white patch on its neck. Axe had been a gift to Rynil from Lord Velarik, although the Lord claimed it was a reward for Rynil's bravery in defeating the demon. Gift or reward, Rynil was grateful for a new horse to call his own. He still missed Star, killed by the bandit's crossbow bolt. His father had given him Star four and a half years ago when he had left home to come to Telisan Keep to be a Page.
Rynil played his usual game with Axe, hiding the apple behind his back. The horse knew that Rynil had brought him a treat, since he always brought a treat with him. It reached its head over the stall door and pressed its head into Rynil's side trying to get to the apple. The boy relented and held the apple out for Axe, who grabbed it out of his hand, retreating a step and started chewing the fruit. Rynil knew he was not supposed to get too attached to his horse, but it was a weakness he had. Knights were powerful warriors on horseback, and their horses were often the first casualties when they entered combat. Rynil had already experienced this when the bandits first took out Star and then sought to subdue him. Still, it would likely be years before he saw combat again, so he figured he could afford to get a little attached to Axe.
After Axe finished the apple, Rynil put the tack on the horse; he chose a riding saddle for this morning since it was the easiest to get on the horse, and he was just going for a short ride. Besides the riding saddle, there were also saddles specially designed for jousting and for combat. Once Axe was ready, he walked the horse out of the stable, put his helm on, then mounted and took a ride around the Keep. He enjoyed riding in the morning, it helped him relax and think through what he needed to accomplish that day.
While he was riding, he summoned the sword case and rested it on edge of the saddle in front of him. It was awkward to balance the case in front of him and retrieve the sword while riding, but Rynil managed to get the sword out. He then sent the case back to its hiding place. It was comforting to hold the sword in his hand. Rynil could sense Galaxth's power. Sir Valen had told him that the sword was connected to some plane of magic and would channel magic back to that plane to protect him, but Rynil also felt a special warmth from the sword and holding it energized him. Holding the sword also reminded him of Sir Alred. He missed the old man. Even crippled and lying in bed, Sir Alred taught him more about what being a Knight meant than Sir Luken had. Rynil wondered if his former Knight would approve of the Squire he was becoming, of his relationship with Mikel, and of the decisions he was making to preparing himself for the coming battle.
Rynil knew he needed to make use of each day to prepare himself for what was to come. He stayed within sight of the Keep, since Lord Velarik had insisted that he no longer go wandering any further than that without permission. When Rynil noticed a small crowd starting to gather at the tournament grounds, he summoned the sword case back and reluctantly put it away before he headed back to the stable. Once he had taken care of Axe and had all the tack put away, he headed over to join the crowd at the tournament grounds.
Wooden posts enclosed the jousting field with a rope forming a fence to keep the spectators out of the field. There was a small pavilion on one side of the field that was usually reserved for the Lord and his family but since the Lord's family was still at the capital, today Lord Velarik, the Lord's Champion, the Chamberlain, Sir Valen, and Sir Luken would sit there. Posts that would eventually be fitted with a rope to form a list divided the jousting field for the opposing jousters. However, before that happened, the field would be used, first by the Pages and then the Squires for their tournaments. The Pages would be competing in a wrestling tournament while the Squires would be fighting duels with wooden swords and shields.
A small tent city of shops and several temporary open-air taverns were erected to host the Knights as well as the townsfolk from Telisan and the surrounding farming villages. The holiday festivals were a time when the nobles and the peasants mixed freely. Rynil stopped by one of the shops and bought a sweet roll, he could afford the occasional treat for himself, especially since the last of his baby fat had melted away over the past few weeks as he added magical training to the demanding physical training of Squires. When he arrived at the tournament field, they were just finishing up with the tournament for the first year Pages. He tossed his helm down at the edge of the field near the pile of wooden swords and shields that were waiting for the start of the Squire's tournament.
Rynil was not particularly interested in the Page's tournaments, so he made his way over to the side of the pavilion to read the posted pairings for the first round of all the day's tournaments. A small crowd of Pages and Squires had gathered around the boards to learn their initial pairings. Rynil pushed his way to the front and examined the list for the first year Squires. It was as he expected, Rynil and Mikel had been ranked at the bottom, based on their finish during the King's Day Tournament. Rynil was surprised to find himself ranked last and Mikel ranked second to last. When he saw their opponents though, he understood.
Ranked first, Squire Johan, the King's Day Tournament winner, would be Rynil's opponent, while Mekrin, who had finished second, would get to face Mikel. By ranking Rynil last, the Lord's Champion had arranged an easier pairing for Mekrin, who was still hampered by his wounded knee. The Lord's Champion had known that if he ranked Mikel last, that Rynil would have easily defeated Mekrin. What the Lord's Champion did not know is that Rynil had been training Mikel how to duel. Rynil believed that Mikel might have a chance to defeat Mekrin, especially if he was willing to take advantage of Mekrin's injury.
"Damn, this is not fair," said a voice from behind Rynil. He turned and saw Johan standing behind him, slightly off to the side. Johan was a muscular young lad, with the typical brown hair and hooked nose of the local Telisan nobility. He was clearly upset at having to face Rynil as his first round opponent. Rynil was afraid that Johan would blame him for his low ranking, since it was a result of his having offered a draw to Mikel during the King's Day Tournament.
"Sir Galreth is obviously favoring Mekrin," said Johan when he saw Rynil turn around and look at him. "Now one of us is going to end up with a crappy work assignment, all because Sir Galreth is playing favorites," continued Johan.
Rynil nodded, "Yes, I noticed that. Mekrin's leg is not fully healed, so Sir Galreth is favoring him." The two boys smiled at each other and shrugged; there was nothing either could do but accept the injustice. "Good fortune to you," offered Rynil.
"To you as well," replied Johan.
Rynil turned away from the pairings and found a spot to watch some of the Page's Tournaments. The second year Pages, boys of nine, were wrestling. Some of the younger Knights were officiating the matches, making sure the boys did not use any dangerous holds and declaring the winners when one of the boys finally managed to pin the other. As he was watching the second year Pages, Rynil noticed Sir Luken arriving. The burned Knight used a cane and slowly made his way to his seat in the pavilion.
A few minutes later, Karl arrived, just in time for the first round of the third year Page's Tournament. Rynil got up and made his way to the edge of the tourney field so he could watch Karl's match. Karl had done well at the King's Day Tournament, so he had a favorable first round pairing against a smaller boy named Randall. As soon as the match begun, Rynil noticed that Karl was being passive and letting Randall go on the attack. Randall made a sloppy dive for Karl's leg that should have been easy for Karl to avoid while presenting an opening for a counter. Instead, Randall was able to wrap up Karl's leg and drive the larger boy to the ground. Karl put up a little resistance, but he was obviously not giving it his best effort. Randall quickly pinned Karl and the Knight judging the fight declared Randall the winner. Karl got up and walked off the field. He did not stop to talk to anyone as he headed back towards the Keep.
Rynil shook his head and frowned. Karl's behavior was unacceptable. A Knight could not let his emotions get the best of him in combat. Losing loved ones was common in times of war and conflict; a Knight had to be able to put all that aside and do his duty. He got up and went to find Karl so he could to talk to him.
When he got to the door to their rooms, Rynil heard Sir Luken yelling at Karl through the door. Sir Luken was berating Karl for his tournament performance. He was yelling that while it was acceptable to be bested by a better opponent, it was blasphemy to lose because he was not even trying. It was an insult to his opponent. It was an insult to all his trainers. It was an insult to the spectators, and most of all, it was an insult to The Warrior. Finally, he said that if Karl was not willing to act like Knight, he was wasting everyone's time and he would be better off leaving. As Rynil opened the door, he heard a loud slap.
When he could see past the door and into the room, he saw Karl down on the ground sitting on his ass and holding the side of his face. Sir Luken turned and gave Rynil a look filled with hatred. The Knight turned back towards the ten year old Page, "If that had been a real fight, you would have not have even deserved an honorable death." He then turned and pushed past Rynil to leave the room and head back to the tournament.
Rynil went over to see to Karl, but the boy got up and fled into their bedroom. "Get out! Just leave me alone," shouted Karl. Rynil sighed and left Karl alone. Perhaps he would be able to talk with the distraught Page after the tournaments were over and Karl had a chance to calm down.
The fourth year Page's Tournament was in progress when Rynil made it back to the tournament field. He glanced up at the pavilion and saw that Sir Valen had arrived. He quickly started scanning the crowd looking for Mikel. He spotted the boy's unruly mop of black hair over near the posted pairings.
Mikel was also dressed in a suit of leather armor. It looked new, but Rynil could tell by how easily the boy moved in the leather that it was already broken in. Rynil smiled as he thought about how sexy the young apprentice looked in the armor. It was a nice change from the usual tunic and hose; it made the skinny wizard in training appear tougher. Rynil guessed that Sir Valen knew some spell that would have saved Mikel the discomfort of breaking in a brand new suit of hardened leather armor. Rynil made his way over to where Mikel was examining the pairings.
"Mikel," called Rynil. Mikel had a frown on his face as he turned around, but immediately broke out into a smile when he saw Rynil. "You are facing Mekrin," said Rynil.
"I saw," replied Mikel. "You said I would most likely be fighting Johan," said Mikel.
Rynil snorted. "Sir Galreth is trying to favor Mekrin. Since we tied for last place, it is his discretion as to which one of us he ranked last. But, I think you can beat Mekrin. His leg is still hurting him and it cannot support all of his weight when he lunges. So, if you hang back and make him come to you, his attacks will be weak since he will not have his legs under him properly. Watch his footwork, it will give you chances to get him off balance and vulnerable. Also if you can manage to get a hit in on his wounded knee, the pain may be enough to force him out," advised Rynil.
Mikel frowned, "That doesn't sound like a very honorable way to win."
"True, but now that you are a Squire, you are bound by `The Code' and if someone questions your honor, you get the right to challenge him to a duel to defend against the insult, which you can easily win since you will have just beaten him. Did your Master not tell you about 'The Code'?", asked Rynil.
"Code? No he didn't and how come I haven't heard about this Code before now?", asked Mikel. He started to panic that there was yet another of set of rules he needed to learn.
"We do not tell the peasants about it. We do not want them using it against us. Besides, it is forty-five volumes and almost none of you peasants can read. I am really surprised you have not already been assigned to read it. Sir Valen is neglecting your `Noble' education," answered Rynil.
"The Deceiver's got your tongue," said Mikel in disbelief, as he got wise to Rynil's teasing.
"No honest!" claimed Rynil as the corner of his mouth finally started to defy his attempts to maintain a serious expression. Usually Mikel was the one making up wild answers to Rynil's questions to see how long he could keep him believing something absurd. It was easier for Mikel to do it when he answering questions about magic, but occasionally he was able fool Rynil with wild tales about the life of the peasant folk. As he learned more about how magic actually worked and how peasants really lived, Rynil was getting better at not falling for Mikel's stories.
Mikel noticed the change in Rynil's expression, "Not only does the Deceiver got your tongue, but he used it to hold open your mouth and stuff it with horseshit!" Both boys broke out laughing at Rynil fooling Mikel for a change.
"Yeah, but it distracted you for a bit. By the way, while there is not a formal code, there are a lot of customs, and one of those customs is that you do not complain about an opponent taking advantage of an injury. That is because another custom is that you are not to compete if you are injured. So, if Mekrin wants to compete, he will not admit having an injury. Unless it is so obvious that the Knight has to step in, everyone will just pretend there was no injury to take advantage of", explained Rynil.
"But still isn't it a bit dishonorable to exploit an injury?" asked Mikel.
"What injury?" smirked Rynil, "Ask him, he will tell you he is fine."
"Really?" asked Mikel, wondering if Rynil was trying to trick him again.
"Trust me on this one; you will see," promised Rynil.
"You still going to honor the terms of our bet even though our pairings are reversed?" asked Mikel.
Rynil smiled, "Yes."
"Good, now we both have a chance to win," said Mikel as he returned the smile.
"Oh with this kind of wager, we were always both going to win," said Rynil, making Mikel blush.
Sir Galreth called for all the first year Squires to assemble on the tourney field. Rynil and Mikel headed to the center of the field with the rest of the Squires, picking up wooden swords and shields, along with Rynil's helm, before lining up in their respective pairings. As Rynil was facing off against Johan, he glanced over to his right where Mikel and Mekrin were preparing to fight and gave Mikel an encouraging smile.
"If anyone Squire is injured, he must withdraw now. Is there anyone that needs to withdraw?" asked Sir Galreth. Mekrin frowned but did not give any other response to the question. Rynil turned to his right and flashed Mikel an `I told you' smile.
Sir Galreth gave a quick summary of the rules. This tournament was scored using points for touches, rather than the beating your foe into incapacity system that was used in the Mid Summer's or King's Day Tournaments. Landing a solid blow was worth various points depending on where it connected. A blow to a limb was worth one point, to the torso was two points, and head shot was worth three points. The first Squire to earn five points won the duel and advanced.
"Any questions?" asked Sir Galreth. None of the Squires responded. "Very well, at your Judge's command," said Sir Galreth, turning control over to the Knights that were acting as judges for the pairings. Sir Kendrik was acting as Judge for Rynil's match with Johan while Sir Ulmar was acting as Judge for Mikel's match with Mekrin.
Rynil tensed and readied himself. He looked at Johan and saw the boy was staring back at him, ready to spring into action. Rynil fought the urge to glance over at Mikel once more before the fight begun. Johan was a very quick and clever fighter so Rynil knew he would need to keep his attention focused on him. One of the Judges three pairings away, said "begin" and many of the boys started, even though that was not their judge. Rynil and Johan both responded as well leaping forward and making faints followed quickly by their Judge, Sir Kendrik, signaling to begin.
The first round matches were usually the longest. All the boys were rested and fresh. For several minutes the field was filled with a cacophony of clatter as wooden swords struck each other or were blocked by a wooden shield. Rynil and Johan both attacked sparingly trying to let the other take the initiative and waste their energy. Neither boy wanted to be the first to tire. Soon calls of "touch" begun to be shouted out.
To Rynil's right, Sir Ulmar called out a touch. Before he could think, Rynil started to glance over towards Mikel and Mekrin's fight. Realizing what he was doing he stopped and looked back to where Johan's sword was already hurtling towards him. Rynil reflexively jerked his shield up to try to block the oncoming blow. Anticipating that Rynil would over react, Johan's sword went low and smacked Rynil hard in the leg. "Touch" shouted Sir Kendrik.
Rynil stepped back and gave Johan a salute. Johan returned the salute. Sir Kendrik said "One point Johan," and held up one finger on his right hand. "Continue."
The two boys traded more blows as they shifted back and forth. Soon Sir Ulmar called out a touch next to them. Rynil again started to look in that direction but, also lunged forward with his sword. He struck Johan in the chest while blocking Johan's sword with his shield, which he had kept low.
"Touch" called out Sir Kendrik. "Two points Rynil," he said, then raised two fingers on his left hand. The boys saluted each other. "Continue," instructed Sir Kendrik. When Sir Ulmar called out another touch, neither boy flinched but instead they both smiled at each other. They continued to strike at each other, trying to find some break or momentary vulnerability. The shouts of "touch" around them lessened as most of the other fights concluded. Sir Kendrik kept pressing them to pick up the pace.
Finally, Johan footing slipped a little and his shield was just a bit too slow as his arm grew tired; Rynil's sword connected with Johan's shoulder. "Touch" called Sir Kendrik. He raised another finger on his left hand, "One point Rynil, now at three, Johan at one. " The boys saluted each other, "Continue."
Rynil noticed Johan was flexing and rotating his shield arm, trying to work some feeling back into it. He jumped forward and launched into a series of attacks seeking to test Johan's shield arm. As he suspected it was a little slow responding. Rynil sought to exploit the vulnerability and made an attack to get up over Johan's slow shield arm. Johan's shield suddenly reacted lightning fast and he blocked Rynil's attack while bringing his own sword across and striking a glancing blow to Rynil 's leather helm. "Touch," called out Sir Kendrik. Rynil glared across at Johan, who smiled back. "Three points Johan, now at four, Rynil at three." The boys saluted, "Continue."
The boys traded blows for another minute then Rynil, not wanting to give Johan time to lay another trap, took the initiative and started driving Johan backward. He pressed forward hard and sought to prevent Johan from regaining any ground he lost. Eventually Johan ran out of room and felt the rope defining the edge of the tournament field brush up against his back. Rynil's sword came in overhand and Johan blocked it with his own sword. The force of the stroke drove Johan's sword down, so he moved his shield to protect against Rynil trying to strike him when he brought his sword back up. Instead, Rynil swung his own shield high and over Johan's lowered shield, hitting Johan in the side of the head with it. "Touch and winner!" shouted Sir Kendrik.
"Huzzah!" shouted Mikel from behind Rynil.
"Well fought," said Johan as he gave Rynil one last salute.
"You as well," replied Rynil as he returned the salute. He then took off his helm and quickly turned to Mikel, who had waited out on the field after his own match was finished, "Did you win?"