Ranger of Kings (William of Alamore Series Book 1)

by C. J. R. Isely

  When they returned to the barn, Will was taught the names and purposes of different brushes. There were far more than the one that his father used. Then he was given a saddle and fumbled through the process, encouraged by Colin and Rowan. The man who had been in the barn earlier was, thankfully, nowhere to be seen. Will didn’t want the commentary he was sure the stranger would have offered.

  Finally, Rowan and Colin jumped on their ponies in the courtyard, adjusting reins and joking, seeming as natural on the ponies as on their own feet.

  “Are you getting on?” asked Colin, glancing at Will. “You okay?”

  “Eh, I don’t, eh, know how to ride,” said Will looking nervously at the pony. He felt like an idiot not knowing this simple thing. He had been allowed on his father’s horse only once and, even then, his father had led the animal. If he swung on, he knew the pony would have full control.

  “Oh! Sorry, Will, I thought you knew,” Rowan jumped down, apologizing again, as he showed Will how to mount, and then how to hold the reins. Will clutched the reins, his knuckles turning white. He felt the fear stiffening his body.

  “Calm down, Will, the pony will sense your fear and you’ll be back on the ground,” warned Colin looking at the pony’s wide eyes. They set off, but soon they stopped as Will’s pony bolted forward a few steps then halted, sending him off the front of the short animal. He stood up shakily remounting his pony and brushing the dust off his tunic. After that, Colin and Rowan gave him a fast rundown on the basics of riding. Will had to admit, it was a lot harder than it looked.

  They reached Sir Ross, sitting on his stallion behind the castle wall on a flat expanse surrounded by the forest on three sides, as the sun started to sink behind a hill. Sir Rockwood, next to Ross on a small bay hunting horse, spoke to the older knight in a hushed voice.

  “Ah, here are the three slow ones,” said Ross, his face hardening. Rowan, catching Will’s eye, grimaced.

  “You three, I’ve got some good news for you and some bad news. Which one of the two do you three want to hear first?” asked Sir Rockwood, ignoring his disgruntled companion.

  “Good news, then bad,” Rowan decided for them.

  “We spoke with the King. We are always in need of another hand, and if that hand can be a trained squire, then that’s all the better. Will, if you would agree and your father is notified, then this is an offer to join us as a squire.”

  It felt as if the world had stopped. Will could hear his heart hammering in his ears. If this is a dream I don’t want to wake up. Don’t let me wake up. “I…I can stay here?”

  “Yes,” Ross growled. “Just give your father a notice and get his permission. He and I didn’t have a chance to meet when I was there, he never answered the door.”

  He shook his head, feeling dazed. “Why’s he letting me be a squire? I’m not… I’m just…” he shook his head again.

  Rockwood grinned. “You showed some nerve asking to come, you showed you’ll listen. And, honestly, we are needing more squires. We don’t have as many knights or squires as we should in this castle.”

  Will felt the ridiculous smile stretching his lips and tried to compose himself. He was going to be a squire. He would be a squire!

  “So, what’s the bad news?” Rowan asked, suspiciously.

  “You two and our newest squire are on duty to clean the stalls because it took so long to get those ponies caught that we aren’t getting any practice in tonight. Get those fat animals to town now, and help Will collect anything he might need. Will, I don’t expect issues with your family considering this situation but we will respect any argument they might have to the matter,” said Rockwood.

  “I…um we, we will be back at the castle soon…eh, Sir,” Will stammered. He turned the pony, digging his heels into its flanks, rocking unevenly as the animal began to canter, with Rowan and Colin right behind.

  Will held on with all his strength and felt certain he was going to die if he fell, yet, inside, he could not have been happier. His mind was already forming images of his father, proud at last, and the years to come. He was going to be a squire!

  The three pulled up outside of the ramshackle house and Will dismounted as Rowan said they would wait. He glanced at the chimney as smoke started to rise then hurtled to the door and ran in closing it with a snap.

  CHAPTER TWO

  “Was that why the knight was hammering on the door earlier? What did you tell them?” snarled his father furiously. His black eyes flashed, his dark hair falling for them. He ran a hand over his black beard, eyes flitting to the window as if Sir Ross were still there.

  They stood in the main room of the small house, his father, riding boots still on and damp with mud, turned away from the window, finally facing Will.

  “Nothing! I asked to go with them today and, after training, Sir Rockwood offered me a place as a squire,” He couldn’t understand his father’s fury as the man paced back and forth.

  His father glanced out the window, glowering through the grime at Rowan and Colin, who waited on fidgeting ponies. Will saw his father’s fingers rest lightly on the hilt of his dagger, his pride, and joy. The hilt was shaped like a diving falcon, wings stretched wide in the bars, beak opening to the blade. Some reason, the slight gesture made Will shiver uneasily.

  “Please?” Will asked, his nerves on edge. Just don’t say no. Please, don’t say no. I want to be a squire! I want to be a knight.

  “Fine, fine go get your things, then get out of my sight,” growled his father, turning away.

  Will’s heart skipped a beat even as it fell. Part of him wanted to dance around the small room and howl in joy, the other part of him felt the sting of his father’s reaction. The man would never be proud. It would be best to get away. He opened his mouth to say his goodbye but couldn’t find the words.

  Instead, he grabbed his spare tunic, his cloak, and turned toward the door. His throat suddenly seemed swollen as he stared at the cracked wood.

  This wasn’t going to be his home anymore. He would visit, especially when his mother returned. He would come and tell her everything, she would be proud. But it wouldn’t be the same. He would be training to become a legendary knight, chasing a dream instead of chickens. Breathing deeply, he rubbed his eyes on his sleeve and stepped out into the fading sunlight.

  “So, can you come?” asked Rowan, tossing him the reins to the grey pony.

  “Yeah, I can,” gasped Will, scrambling into the saddle, all attempts at grace forgotten as he slid nearly off the other side.

  “Take it easy there, you’re going to tip that beast over,” Colin laughed, shaking his head. Will threw him a panicked look before looking down again at the grey mane. Rowan chuckled and Will managed to grin as well, but mentally made a note to mount more gracefully. He wasn’t sure if they were joking but he didn’t want to find out by having the fat animal land on him.

  The three boys urged their stubborn mounts into a lurching gait. Will glanced at his companions. Rowan was leaning forward, asking for more speed. Colin was leaning back, looking completely at ease as his own mount collected into a controlled movement.

  Will grabbed the mane with his rein-free hand and let his heart soar with the thundering hooves. He was going to be a squire! In less than six hours, his life had changed. He had been sitting on the front steps, rubbing a stinging face, only that morning. Now he was going. He was going to train with the best.

  Rockwood was in the courtyard when the three boys pulled their panting ponies to a grudging halt.

  “So, what’s the news?” he asked. He beamed as Will nodded, his heart seeming to block his throat and words. “Well, you three squires better go unsaddle and cool your ponies, the pages can take them back. Then, get to work cleaning those stalls,” he said before he turned and strode away.

  “Come on, if we don’t get it done tonight, we’ll have to miss dinner and they’d probably make us skip breakfast to finish up in the morning,” grumbled Rowan.

  Will and Colin follow
ed him into the now dark alley of the barn. Colin put a hand into his pocket and pulled out a piece of flint and unsheathed steel dagger from the belt on his waist before he lit a torch on one wall. It flared to life lighting the dark barn. Will stared, still in awe the second time seeing the barn. Horses had their heads out of their stalls, ears perked, nickering and whinnying in anticipation of food.

  “I’ve never seen so many horses in one place. It’s huge! I barely got to look around before, when I got the grain!” said Will, stepping toward one of the nearest horses. It was the large paint stallion Sir Ross had been riding.

  “Yeah, that’s what I thought when I first saw it too. Mean, in Lonric we have a lot of horses and all, but this barn literally houses three times that many,” Rowan paused in the doorway of what Will knew to be the saddle room, clearly reminiscing. “We can show you the most impressive horses, the ones that you need to know,” said Rowan. “But first, we clean.”

  They cleaned for two hours, after which Rowan and Colin showed Will all the horses telling him their names, pointing out battle scars and describing the animals’ training. When they had stepped away from the final stall, Rowan led them back into the courtyard. “I am starving,” he announced, unnecessarily as his stomach growled loudly.

  “I’m pretty hungry myself,” admitted Will.

  They walked across the dark courtyard, staying in the circle of dim light thrown by Colin’s torch. Will found himself craning his head back, desperate to see the top of the castle. It loomed over him and faded into the dark sky above. “It’s massive,” said Colin, seeming to read his mind. “But you’ll find your way around easy enough. They keep most of what us squires need on the ground level.”

  With that, Colin pulled open one of the two black doors and warm light and air streamed out to greet them. “Just keep with us so you don’t get lost,” Rowan recommended and they stepped in.

  The entry hall was broad, the walls hung with tapestries and illuminated with more torches. Along both sides were more doors, much less notable than the one they had entered through. At the end of the hall, however, thrown wide, were a pair of doors that matched the entry set. The smell of food wafted out to greet them, with the noises of a dinner in full session. Rowan’s stomach growled loudly again and Will felt his own mouth water in anticipation of food. Other than the morsel of bread, he hadn’t eaten today.

  Will followed behind the other two as they walked into the dinner hall. He felt his jaw go slack, his mouth falling open. Knights sat at a long table down the center of the room, talking loudly over one another and eating the wide array of dishes laid out before them. Along the wall to their left, a round table was grouped with boys their age and older. The squires.

  He felt his stomach clench with nerves. Rowan and Colin had accepted him, but what would stop the other squires from sneering? He truly did not belong here.

  However, Rowan didn’t seem to notice his hesitation at all, sliding into a chair and gesturing Colin and Will to the two beside him.

  “Hey! Rowan, Colin, what took you so long? And who is this?” asked the boy beside Rowan. For what felt like the millionth time that day Will told all the boys his name and learned some of their names. He met Novin, the burly, black-haired boy beside Rowan. Loper, a grinning redhead, with a face full of freckles, Vancely, dark curls hung near clear brown eyes. And Saget, tall, with yellow hair, and a gangly look about him like a colt. They informed him that the other squires had already finished eating and headed off to study, work, or sleep.

  The three boys reached for different foods piling their plates as they spoke. Will found himself mostly listening, trying to learn as much as possible. It seemed impossible to gather enough information; he was already so far behind. Finally, he gave up and focused on his meal.

  After dinner Will, Rowan, Colin, and Saget stood. The three led Will to a narrow room off the dinner hall, lined with rows of beds on both long walls. Every bed had a wooden nameplate fastened to the foot, a small bedside table, a chest at the foot of the bed, and a torch bracket above. One wall was solid stone, the other offset with windows that were sealed behind wood shutters.

  Will was relieved to find his own name next to Rowan’s and Colin’s beds, on the window bearing side.

  “Good I was hoping you would get that bed ‘cause I was sick of having that gap. It’s been empty since Miller was made a knight, so like the day after we became squires. Poor timing but all better now!” Rowan commented, stepping onto the chest in front of his own bed and letting himself fall backwards onto the mattress.

  Will nodded, kicking off his boots and climbing into the blankets. Miller, another knight he would need to remember. He had to be the most recent knight if he had been here in the time that Rowan and Colin had been squires. I only have to remember if this turns out not to be a dream, he thought, sliding his boots under his bed.

  This had to be real, he had to have finally escaped. He didn’t have much time to dwell on it, however, as his head rested on the pillow, his eyes closed, and he was swallowed by blissful, dreamless, sleep.

  ***

  The next day Will awoke as the sun shone in his window. He sat up and was surprised to find a pile of tunics on his bedside table. There was a blue tunic, two grey, five brown, and a black. After putting on a grey tunic, a pair of new boots, and a belt that had a dagger, like the one he had seen Colin with, he headed out to breakfast and waited for Rowan who had lost one of his boots. Finally, Rowan appeared.

  “How exactly do you lose a boot? You literally just have a bed and a table to lose it under.”

  “Oh, whatever, your stuff was at the foot of your bed so it was easy to find today. Just wait, you’ll lose all your crap too,” Rowan said darkly.

  “Doubt it,” Will replied, grinning. “I’ve got the good sense to put my things where I can find them.”

  Rowan leaned over to cuff Will in the head but he ducked, laughing.

  “Ah, watch where you aim, you idiot.” Rowan’s swing had struck Colin in the chest as he joined them.

  “Sorry, Colin I meant to hit Will,” said Rowan through his laughter. “He’s getting a smart mouth on him already!”

  “Well, he has been hanging around you, so that was bound to happen,” said Colin.

  “Don’t make me aim at Will again,” threatened Rowan, snorting and trying to refrain from laughing harder.

  “Good morning, boys.” They turned to see a smiling Sir Rockwood, advancing on them from the knights’ table. “Glad to see you’re awake. You’ll all be training with me because Ross is on an errand for the King. And Rowan is my squire anyway so he doesn’t have a choice. I recommend you all eat up and meet me in the inner courtyard. We’ll be sword fighting with dulled blades to get you ready for heavier weapons,” said the knight as he turned and walked away.

  Will turned to the other two, his fingers resting on the dagger at his side for a moment. “Are we getting swords soon?” he asked excitedly.

  Rowan snorted and shook his head with a brooding expression. Colin shook his head as well, shooting Rowan a disapproving look. “Traditionally, we don’t get swords until we are either faced with needing them for battle or in the year before we’re knighted. We practice a lot with them but when we are in the walls and there aren’t threats of attack, we just get daggers.”

  Will understood Rowan’s reaction. “Why’s that? Seems like they’d want us to practice with swords and have them on us all the time.”

  “Years ago, they did that, but they ran into issues of squires fighting or not knowing how to properly handle other weapons and becoming reliant on the sword,” Colin shrugged. “It’s not my favorite part of being here but it gives us a good foundation with a dagger. Plus, Ross always says its more useful to know how to use a dagger.”

  “Do any of the squires have swords then?”

  “Haru,” Rowan finally joined in. “He’s had his for a while now, he’s eighteen. They take him on the border patrols closer to the line. We just get to ri
de around the castle on these fake patrols on fat ponies.”

  “They aren’t fake patrols,” Colin said defensively. “We are watching the valley in case lone riders get through. Then we are to alert the castle.”

  “And has that ever happened?” Rowan shot Colin a look. When Colin stayed silent, he nodded. “Exactly.”

  After they ate, the three of them led this time by Colin, navigated another series of corridors. Will tried to make note of the direction. Left, left, third door… this was going to be harder than he had thought.

  “Hurry up,” Rockwood called. “There’s been a change of plans because we were a little late getting to the dulled swords.”