The Knight

Marder smiled at me. “I’d heard you were bedridden, young man.”

I said, “I was, Your Grace. I’m better today.”

“Much better.”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

Agr said, “We came looking for you, and found an empty bed. I was afraid someone had killed you and made off with the body. Where have you been?”

I explained that I had gone to thank Master Thope. “I wanted to thank you, too, Master Agr, only your man said you were with His Grace. I—you did me a big favor. Anytime you want one from me, a boon or anything, just let me know. I’ll probably never be able to pay you back, but I’ll try.”

Marder cleared his throat. “You know who I am, young man. I know only what Master Agr has told me concerning you, and I’d like to hear what you say about yourself. Who are you?”

“I’m Sir Able of the High Heart, Your Grace. A knight who will serve you gladly and loyally.”

“Moneyless, too,” Agr added under his breath.

“Not exactly, but I haven’t got a whole lot.”

Marder nodded. He looked serious. “You have no land? And very little money? What have you got?”

“These clothes and some others, if my servant hasn’t run off with them. Some presents Lord Olof and Lord Thunrolf gave me.” As soon as I said that about Pouk my conscience started hurting me, so I said, “I’m wronging my servant, Your Grace. He wouldn’t do that, and I ought to learn to keep my mouth shut.”

“Nothing else?”

“A shirt of rings, only it’s torn, Your Grace. We left it at a place in Forcetti, to be fixed. A steel cap. Sword Breaker, my bow, and some arrows.”

“I have his weapons locked away,” Agr told Marder.

“Return them to him whenever he asks, Master Agr.”

“I shall, Your Grace.”

Marder had been studying me. “Should I accept you, you will have no easy time of it, Sir Able.”

“I didn’t come here looking for a bed, Your Grace.”

“You will be sent against my foes. When you return, you will be sent against others. Do you understand me?”

I nodded. “I know what you mean, Your Grace. I was a friend of Sir Ravd’s.”

I saw Marder’s eyes open just a little bit wider. “Were you with him at the end?”

“No, Your Grace. I was just a boy then, but I would have fought for him. I guess I would have died with him, too.”

Marder started to say something else, then bit it back, and I noticed Agr was looking pretty uncomfortable. I said, “He died fighting for you, Your Grace.” Agr cleared his throat.

Marder said, “It has been four years—a long time, I realize, for a man your age. Yesterday you were struck down with the butt of a lance. So I hear.”

“I got knocked in the head, Your Grace. That’s all I know.”

“Sir Ravd was my most trustworthy knight, Sir Able. I thought of him as a son.”

I said that was no surprise to me.

“His squire reported that he himself had his head broken on the field. When he came to himself, he said, wolves were tearing the corpses. Now you say you were a friend of Sir Ravd’s?”

“Yes, I was, Your Grace. I was Sir Ravd’s guide in the forest.” When I had said that, I thought that there probably were other forests, so I added, “Northeast of Irringsmouth.”

“You were not with him when he died?”

“No, Your Grace. I was doing something else.”

“In that case, you must have spoken with someone who informed you of his death. Who was that?”

“No one.” All of a sudden I felt like something had me by the neck. “I found his sword, Your Grace. That’s all. It was broken. We killed some bandits, Your Grace. My dog and I did, and a man named Toug. The broken sword was in with their loot. I saw it and picked it up ...”

“I understand. There were only two of you? You and the man-at-arms that you mentioned?”

“Toug isn’t a man-at-arms, Your Grace. Just a peasant.”

“How many outlaws did you say there were?”

I had not said, and when he asked I was not sure I could remember. I told him that, and I said, “Ulfa counted them, Your Grace. Counted their bodies. She’s Toug’s daughter. I think she said twenty-three.”

Agr snapped, “You expect His Grace to credit that?”

“I’m a knight,” I said. “I wouldn’t lie. Not to him.”

“Pah!”

Marder motioned for him to shut up. “I hoped you might be able to tell me something about Sir Ravd’s death.”

“I’ve told you everything I know, Your Grace.”

“About his squire’s account, too,” Marder said. “He is of an age to be knighted.”

I said, “I think he’s probably telling the truth, Your Grace, but I don’t know.”

“He is Sir Hermad’s squire now. Sir Hermad, I believe, is disabled?” When he said that, Marder looked over at Agr. Agr nodded, looking pretty gloomy.

“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 stu

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 ca

“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 ca

“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.”