Date: Mon, 30 Dec 2013 20:19:35 -0800 (PST)
From: Robert <robertx5sf@yahoo.com>
Subject: Squires of Telisan Keep - 21

Attention Readers - Please donate to Nifty.org to help support and maintain
this free service. I have personally donated as I enjoy having access to
all the great fantasy material (not just talking about the genre) and also
having a place to share the stories that bounce around inside my head
without having to censer them for a general audience. I encourage you to
donate to Nifty today! Go to http://donate.nifty.org/donate.html

Author's Note: Comments and feedback are appreciated and encouraged! I
would like to thank Mark for helping me by editing these chapters.  -
Robert robertx5sf@yahoo.com

This is a work of fiction. All characters portrayed in this story are
fictional and not representative of anyone living or dead. (c) 2013 by
robertx5sf@yahoo.com, all rights reserved, may not be reproduced in any
form without the author's consent, with exception of the license granted to
Nifty.org per Nifty's terms of use.


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?"