The Terrible Trickster

by Frances Watts

  ‘Another trick?’ Sir Benedict didn’t sound amused. ‘Tommy, don’t you have work to do in the sword chamber?’

  ‘Yes, Sir Benedict,’ she murmured. As she walked away, she wondered who had played the trick on the laundry girl. Could it be the same person who had put sugar in Mrs Moon’s salt cellar?

  ‘Ah, there you are, Sword Girl,’ Smith said as Tommy entered the armoury. ‘We were starting to worry about you, weren’t we, Reynard?’

  Reynard was standing next to the forge, his face smug. ‘Sir Walter was looking for you,’ he said. ‘He wanted his sword sharpened and polished.’

  ‘Oh no!’ said Tommy. ‘I’ll do it straight away.’

  ‘There’s no need,’ said Reynard. ‘Since you weren’t here, I took care of Sir Walter’s sword for him. He was very grateful. Maybe he’ll make me Keeper of the Blades instead of you.’

  Tommy stared at him, open-mouthed. Would Sir Walter really do that? She probably deserved it, she told herself with a heavy heart. She should have been there to help Sir Walter.

  Walking into the sword chamber, she let out a groan. Reynard might have done a good job of polishing Sir Walter’s sword, but he’d left her tools and equipment scattered all over the floor.

  ‘Late again, Sword Girl,’ Bevan Brumm remarked. ‘It’s becoming quite a habit.’

  ‘Where on earth have you been?’ Nursie chimed in. ‘Sir Walter was here and that horrible Keeper of the Bows had to help him with his sword.’

  ‘I’m late because of a trick,’ Tommy explained.

  ‘Someone put some dye into a washtub at the laundry and it turned all the sheets yellow. I heard a laundry girl scream and I went to see what was the matter.’

  ‘The poor lass,’ said Nursie sympathetically.

  ‘And that’s not the only trick,’ Tommy said. ‘Last night, someone replaced the salt in Mrs Moon’s salt cellar with sugar, and ruined the soup.’

  As Tommy described how the knights had all spat out their soup, Jasper Swann smothered a laugh.

  ‘A trick like that is no laughing matter, Jasper Swann,’ Bevan Brumm scolded.

  ‘Dearie me,’ said Nursie. ‘It sounds like we have a trickster at the castle. You mark my words, it’ll turn life at Flamant upside down.’

  CHAPTER 4

  DESPITE NURSIE’S PREDICTION, the day passed just like any other day. Tommy was kept busy sharpening the swords of some knights who were going out on patrol the next morning, and it was dark by the time she crossed the great courtyard to the kitchen.

  A bowl of bean and barley soup was cooling on the table as Tommy slipped into her seat. She was just about to lift the spoon to her lips when the serving girl from the night before burst into the kitchen. She was panting as if she had run all the way from the banqueting hall.

  ‘Mrs Moon! Mrs Moon!’ the girl exclaimed.

  ‘What is it, girl?’ the cook demanded.

  ‘The knights … the soup …’

  ‘There’s nothing wrong with the soup,’ Mrs Moon said. ‘I tasted it myself.’

  ‘You’d better come see,’ the girl said. If Tommy didn’t know better, she’d have thought the girl was on the verge of giggling.

  ‘Hmph.’ Mrs Moon untied her apron and hurried after the girl. Tommy, curious, followed them.

  Even before they reached the banqueting hall, Tommy could tell something was wrong. Instead of the normal babble of voices and laughter echoing from the high stone walls of the hall, all Tommy could hear was … sneezes?

  When she stepped inside, she saw that all the knights were sneezing and sniffing. Some were wiping their streaming eyes while others honked into handkerchiefs.

  ‘My stars!’ the cook gasped. ‘What in heaven’s name is going on here?’

  ‘I don’t know,’ the serving girl said. ‘It started when they reached for the salt cellars.’

  A knight nearby said, ‘Someone has changed the salt – ah-CHOO! – for sneezing powder.’

  Mrs Moon’s eyes grew wide. ‘Another trick with the salt?’ With Tommy close behind, the cook weaved her way through the tables to where Sir Benedict was sitting. His nose and eyes were red from sneezing.

  ‘Good evening, Mrs Moon,’ he wheezed. ‘And Tommy – what are you doing here? It seems you’re to be found everywhere but the sword chamber these days.’

  Tommy ducked her head. Had Sir Walter told Sir Benedict that Tommy wasn’t in the sword chamber that morning?

  ‘Sir Benedict,’ Mrs Moon said, ‘I’ve just heard about the sneezing powder in the salt and I can assure you that this trick has nothing to do with my kitchen. I checked the salt cellar myself.’

  ‘Don’t worry, Mrs Moon,’ said Sir Benedict. ‘I know – ah-CHOO! – that you’re not to blame. You can go back to the kitchen.’ When the cook had gone, the knight continued, ‘Someone’s been having a little fun with us, it appears. Someone who has been popping up wherever there’s a commotion, whether it’s in the stables or the kitchen or the laundry or the banqueting hall.’ He looked at Tommy. ‘These tricks might seem funny, but there’s no room for them at Flamant Castle. Tricksters are not welcome here.’

  Tommy’s heart almost stopped as she realised why Sir Benedict was looking at her so sternly. He thought that she was the trickster!

  CHAPTER 5

  ‘BUT SIR BENEDICT—’ Tommy began.

  The knight held up his hand. Sir Walter had risen from his seat and was about to speak.

  ‘Ah-CHOO!’ said the nobleman. He blew his nose into a large pink and blue handkerchief embroidered with a flamingo, just like the one on the Flamant Castle crest. ‘All this sneezing has wrecked my appetite,’ he declared. ‘I’m going to bed. Goodnight all.’

  The knights rose and ducked their heads respectfully.

  ‘Goodnight, Sir Walter,’ they chorused.

  When the nobleman had left the banqueting hall, Sir Benedict turned to Tommy once more. ‘We’ll speak about this again in the morning, Tommy,’ he told her. ‘You should probably go to bed now. When I see Smith tomorrow I expect him to tell me that you were at work in the sword chamber bright and early.’

  ‘Yes, Sir Benedict,’ Tommy whispered, finding it hard to speak over the lump in her throat.

  When she stepped into the great courtyard, she saw Lil sitting on a low wall.

  Tommy sat down beside her friend. ‘Someone put sneezing powder in the salt cellars in the banqueting hall,’ she said.

  The cat started to laugh. ‘That must have been quite a sight – a hall full of knights all sneezing at once.’

  ‘I suppose so,’ said Tommy.

  ‘Tommy?’ The cat turned to her. ‘You look miserable. What’s wrong?’

  ‘Sir Benedict thinks it was me!’ Tommy cried. ‘He thinks that I put the sugar in Mrs Moon’s salt cellar, and made the laundry girl’s sheets turn yellow, and changed the knights’ salt for sneezing powder! He thinks that I’m the trickster!’

  ‘Sir Benedict thinks you’re the trickster?’ Lil shook her head. ‘Surely not.’

  ‘He says every time there’s a trick played I’m there, and he’s right – but it wasn’t me! I wouldn’t! You believe me, don’t you, Lil?’

  ‘Of course I do,’ said the cat firmly. ‘Don’t you worry, Tommy. We’ll prove you’re not to blame.’

  ‘But how?’ said Tommy.

  ‘Simple,’ said the cat. ‘We’ll find out who the real trickster is.’ There was a determined glint in her green eyes.

  ‘Do you really think—’ Tommy started, but at that moment the peace of the courtyard was shattered by a roar.

  ‘What was that?’ Tommy gasped.

  She and Lil watched in astonishment as Sir Walter raced into the courtyard in his nightgown and cap. He ran to the well, pulled up a bucket and emptied it over his head.

  As he stood dripping on the flagstones, he let out a giant sneeze.

  This was followed by a swell of voices as the knights began to pour out of the banqueting hall to see what had caused the roar.


  Tommy stood up. ‘I’d better get up to bed before Sir Benedict sees me out here and thinks that I did something to harm Sir Walter. Goodnight, Lil.’

  The next morning Tommy was feeling gloomy as she walked across the great courtyard to the armoury. How could Sir Benedict think that she would play those tricks? She remembered what he had said: These tricks might seem funny, but there’s no room for them at Flamant Castle. Tricksters are not welcome here. Lil was right: they had to find out who the real trickster was – or Tommy could be sent away from the castle!

  Reynard would get his wish then, she thought angrily. He would probably be made the Keeper of the Blades, just like he’d always wanted. Suddenly, it occurred to her that while she was getting the blame for the tricks, Reynard had been unusually helpful in the armoury. While she had been delayed by the laundry trick, he was taking care of Sir Walter’s sword. And the day before, she had been late because of the ruckus in the stables – and that ruckus had been caused by Reynard’s horse! The more she considered it, the more she thought that Reynard must be behind all the tricks.

  She was already at work in the sword chamber when she heard Reynard enter the armoury.

  ‘Did you hear about Sir Walter?’ he said to Smith. ‘Someone put itching powder in his sheets! What a great trick!’

  ‘I don’t think Sir Walter would agree with you, lad,’ Smith replied.

  ‘That’s because he doesn’t have a good sense of humour like me,’ Reynard boasted. ‘I think it’s the best trick ever.’

  Aha! Now Tommy was sure that Reynard was the culprit.

  She waited until she could hear Smith hammering away at a dented shield, then marched into the bow chamber.

  Reynard was using his slingshot to fire pebbles at a crossbow mounted on the wall.

  ‘I know you’re the trickster, so you’d better watch out,’ Tommy warned. ‘I’m going to tell Sir Benedict it was you and he’s going to send you away from the castle.’

  If Reynard was worried by her threat he didn’t show it. ‘So you think I’m the trickster, do you?’ he said. ‘I bet you don’t have any proof, Sword Girl.’

  Tommy hesitated. Then she remembered the horse making trouble in the stables. The crocodiddle had seen Reynard ride into the castle on that horse.

  ‘Yes I do!’ she said triumphantly. ‘There’s the bay stallion.’

  ‘The bay stallion?’ Reynard sounded surprised.

  ‘You thought no one knew about that, didn’t you?’ Tommy said. ‘But I do, and so will Sir Benedict.’ And with that, she left the room.

  Back in the sword chamber, Tommy concentrated on her work. One of Sir Walter’s pages had brought the nobleman’s sword back. Holding it by the ruby-studded hilt, she took extra care about polishing the steel blade, which was beautifully engraved with flamingos. The hours crept by as she waited for Sir Benedict to appear in the doorway of the sword chamber. We’ll speak about this again in the morning, he had said. But the morning passed with no sign of the knight.

  By afternoon, her courage was beginning to desert her. Even though Reynard had brought the troublesome horse to the castle, she had no proof that he had played the other tricks. It was just like Sir Benedict had said: the only person who had been present when all the tricks were played was Tommy herself. Even if she told him the trickster was Reynard, why should he believe her? He would just think less of her for trying to blame someone else. With a sigh, she turned her attention to the small rack in the corner.

  ‘Is something wrong, Sword Girl?’ Jasper Swann asked, quick to sense her mood as always.

  ‘Yes, what is it, dearie?’ Nursie wanted to know. ‘You’ve been sighing away all day.’

  Tommy picked up the long-handled dagger that was Bevan Brumm. ‘It’s Sir Benedict,’ she confided as she rubbed oil into the blade. ‘He thinks that I’m the trickster – and I’m scared he’s going to send me away!’

  CHAPTER 6

  ‘SEND YOU AWAY from the castle?’ Bevan Brumm said, shocked. ‘You might have been neglecting your duties recently, but that is no reason to send you away.’

  ‘She hasn’t been neglecting her duties!’ Jasper Swann protested. ‘Both times she was late she had good reason.’

  ‘And our sword girl is no trickster,’ Nursie added loyally. ‘She’s much too kind to play cruel tricks. No one who knows you could believe such a thing.’

  ‘Thank you, Nursie,’ said Tommy.

  ‘Who are you talking to?’

  Tommy looked up to see a page standing in the doorway.

  ‘Um … nobody,’ she said. She replaced Bevan Brumm in the rack and rose from her stool. ‘Can I help you?’

  ‘Sir Benedict wants to see you in the great hall.’

  ‘In the great hall?’ Tommy repeated. She felt a fluttering in her stomach as she said the words. Whenever Sir Benedict had wanted to speak to her in the past, he had come to find her in the sword chamber. The great hall was used only for important occasions, like welcoming noblemen from other castles or planning battles or celebrating victories – or punishing wrongdoers.

  Tommy’s heart sank. It seemed her worst fears were coming true. Sir Benedict must be planning to send her away from Flamant.

  She looked around the sword chamber. She had been happier in this small room than she had been in her whole life – learning all about swords, and learning the skills she would need if she was to her fulfil her dream of becoming a knight. And best of all were the friends she’d made since she became Keeper of the Blades. She gazed at the small rack that held the Old Wrecks. Would she be allowed to return to the sword chamber to say goodbye? she wondered.

  Smith clearly had no idea of the fate that awaited her, for when Tommy said she was going to the great hall to see Sir Benedict he replied, ‘If you see Reynard tell him I need him to fetch me some more tacks from the blacksmith in town.’ He held up a shield with a broken strap. ‘Sir Benedict has been flinging his shield around again.’

  Tommy didn’t know where Reynard had gone, and she didn’t really care. It was his fault that she was being sent away from the castle. Her eyes pricked with tears at the unfairness of it.

  Tommy followed the page across the courtyard and into the cloister leading to the great hall. The cloister was a long passageway with a high roof and beautifully carved windows that looked out onto the great courtyard. Glancing through one, Tommy saw Lil.

  ‘Don’t worry, Tommy,’ the cat murmured. ‘You’ll be all right.’

  Tommy felt tears prick again at the thought of leaving Lil. The cat was the best friend she had ever had. ‘Thanks, Lil,’ she whispered.

  ‘Wait here,’ the page instructed as they stepped into the great hall.

  Tommy stopped, awestruck. She had passed through the hall once or twice, running errands, but she had never looked at it properly. Now, with light streaming through its high windows, which were carved in the shape of roses, she saw how magnificent it was. No wonder it was kept for special occasions.

  To begin with, it was huge, the biggest room Tommy had ever seen – bigger even than the banqueting hall – and the vaulted ceiling soared almost as high as one of the castle’s towers. The wall nearest to her was lined with a wall hanging, and banners decorated with the crest of Flamant Castle hung from the ceiling. Around the walls were giant candelabras that stood taller than Tommy, with flickering candles that made the stone glow a rich honey colour.

  She could see Sir Benedict at the far end of the hall, sitting at a table. Sir Hugh sat on one side of him and another knight, Sir Matthew, on the other. They looked serious. In front of them, with his back to her, stood Reynard. Tommy felt a bubble of anger rise in her: they were probably telling Reynard that he was the new Keeper of the Blades!

  Suddenly aware that she was staring, Tommy quickly turned her head and fixed her gaze on the wall hanging beside her. Studying it, she saw that it told a story. On one section was stitched a castle she recognised as Flamant, with a hundred or more knights on horses galloping away
across the fields. Tommy stepped quietly along to the next scene, in which the knights of Flamant were fighting a battle, their swords raised.

  Her eye was drawn to a short, stout, red-haired knight carrying a Flamant shield. He looked familiar, she thought. But there was something funny about him, something not quite right … When Tommy realised what it was, she almost exclaimed aloud. The red-haired knight was riding a blue horse!

  She looked around for the page, to ask if he knew anything about the red-headed knight with the blue horse, but instead she saw Reynard.

  The Keeper of the Bows was walking towards her, his expression like thunder. ‘This is your fault, Sword Girl,’ he said angrily. ‘You told Sir Benedict that I’d been playing tricks, didn’t you?’

  ‘What? No!’ said Tommy.

  ‘Now I’m being sent home.’ His voice quavered. For a horrible moment, Tommy thought Reynard was going to burst into tears. ‘And I didn’t do anything!’ He sounded so unhappy that Tommy almost believed him. After everything he’d done, she actually felt sorry for Reynard!

  ‘But how did they know it was you?’ she asked.

  Before Reynard could respond, she heard Sir Benedict call her name. ‘Tommy? We’re ready for you now.’

  She walked the length of the great hall, feeling very small in the enormous space, until at last she reached the long table. Her heart was pounding as she stood before the three knights, dreading what they were about to say. If they knew Reynard was the trickster, why had they summoned her? Did they think she had been helping him?

  ‘We have some bad news, Tommy,’ Sir Benedict began.

  ‘Yes, sir?’ Tommy said, her heart hammering so loudly now she was sure the knights must hear it.