The tournament in Rouen was a month away and that's all the time we had to train Will. We started in as soon as possible. Well actually, it was Wat and Roland mostly. I was still a bit broken up about the death of Sir Ector and I kept to myself for the most part.
Wat and Roland ran a series of drills with Will. We set up this thing that had a shield connected to it. He aimed for that with a lance while on horseback and if he broke a lance on it, he'd be okay, if he missed it nothing would happen, but if he hit it physically with his body, a sack would swing around and knock him off the horse. He took a few shots at that but missed nearly every time.
He rode by one last time for that particular day and missed completely. "Good job, Will. Very close!" Roland called he whispered to us, "I think he's getting worse."
"He is getting worse."Wat agreed. I nodded.
Another drill they set up was one where he again rode by on a horse and Wat would stand there with a shield in his hands. However, every time Will came close, Wat would chicken out and drop it. The first time it hit the ground and Wat covered his face with his arms. Roland had to force him back into position and this time he dropped the heavy wooden shield on Roland's foot. Wat grinned. "You see how dangerous it is?" he said. I glared.
"Oh move it you girl!" I said. I took the shield from Wat and stood in his spot. Will rode towards me and finally struck the shield. I toppled over backward. Next thing I knew the three of them were worriedly at my side. I grinned as they helped me up. Laughing I exclaimed, "That was awesome!" They exchanged worried glances and decided to move on.
The next drill they set up was one with a ring that hung from a vine on a tree. I sat the sidelines for this one. Wat and Roland dragged our cart, to save the horse, while Will stood in it and aimed for the ring. After quite a few times Will hadn't gotten a single one. They took a quick break.
"You've done it dozens of times…you still missed it." Roland said, out of breath.
Will smiled. "I guess that means we should do it again." Wat and Roland exchanged glances. Will walked back towards the cart and picked up some grass and held it out. "Come on. Come on, ponies." He said, teasingly.
They looked at each other again. "Fong him." Roland said and they took off after them. I rolled my eyes and went back sewing.
The final drill they attempted was on the river. They made a raft and tied vines to it. Wat and Roland ran along the banks while Will stood on the raft and again attempted to get his lance in the ring. "Slow and steady!" he yelled on their third attempt. They kept it steady and Will took careful aim. As he approached I suddenly got a very good feeling. He slipped the tip of the lance right through the ring. "Guy look! I got it I got! Hahaha! I got it! I- WHOA!" He held on too long and ended up falling over into the water. We waited for him to come back up, laughing the whole while….until we realized the armor was dragging him down. Wat and I jumped in and dragged him out but he was unconscious.
"What do we do?!" Wat exclaimed.
"I don't know!" I exclaimed.
"Perhaps Addie should kiss him. "Roland suggested.
Wat and I looked at each other then back at Roland. "What?!" we exclaimed in unison.
"Yeah! I saw it once. You're supposed to pinch their nose and kiss them or whatever, like give them back breath." Roland explained.
I looked at Will, still lying there. "He'll be okay." I said. Roland gave me a look but I just shrugged it off.
Needless to say, Will was okay after Wat got him to spit up the water that had filled his lungs. And so we moved on to sword fighting, which Will was already a master at. I sat back for this one too. Even though I knew I was quite a good sword fighter myself. I had to make Will a proper vest and I had to mend some of his own clothing so that he looked slightly more noble.
For a week or two Will repeated the drills daily and eventually, he gradually became better. Towards the week we were to leave for Rouen he was able to hit the target nearly every time. So we move onto our next challenge….or should I say my next challenge.
It was my job to make Will look at least slightly presentable. I decided it would be best to start with a shave and a haircut. One day after they were done training I came to get him. "Come on Will we've got to take care of…this." I said, motioning to the entirety of him. He raised an eyebrow. "Roland, might you spare us a razor?" I asked.
"Sure thing, darling." He said. He disappeared into the cart and then returned shortly after, bearing a razor sharp piece of metal. "Here you are." He said, handing it to me.
"Thanks." I turned to Will. "Alright, you know how to shave, right?" I asked.
He rolled his eyes. "Yes, Addie, I do." He said. I held out the razor for him. He went to take it quickly and cut his finger. The razor hit the ground. "Ow! Dammit!" He shouted, holding his wound.
I sighed and looked at the small speck of blood. I looked upward and breathed, "Lord help us…" I picked up the razor, took his elbow, and lead him down to the water. I also picked up a bundle of clothing on the way.
While Will shaved, I sat on the bank washing clothes in the river water. Wat's clothing was nearly worn through and I could barely scrub it for fear it would fall apart in my hands. I washed my own apron as well. The once pure white fabric was now yellowed from time. It once covered my whole skirt, now it hardly made it to my knees. When I was done I laid it all out on the rocks and sat back. I heard footsteps behind me. I turned and looked over my shoulder and up at a cleanly shaven William. I smiled, liking the sight much better. "Wonderful. Nice job." I said.
He grinned and sat next to me. "Are we done now?" he asked.
"Of course not." I said.
"I figured you'd say that." He said with a sigh.
I grinned and stood up. "Come on then." I said. Will sighed and stood then followed me. We made our way back to camp where Roland and Wat were lounging around. "Sit down." I told Will. He begrudgingly obeyed. "Roland, might I borrow your knife?" I asked. He nodded and handed it to me. "Thank you." I say chirpily. I took a strip of cloth and gathered Will's hair back. He grabbed my wrist.
"What are you doing?!" he exclaimed.
"Cutting your hair. Honestly, Will, it's dreadful." I said. I yanked my wrist away from him and he pouted. I tied his hair back and cut right above the cloth. His hair splayed out in all directions, becoming sort of a curly mess. It wasn't perfect but it looked much better. It now just barely reached his neck. I walked around to the front of him to check it and smiled. "Ah, yes. That is much better." I said to no one in particular.
"I agree." Roland said with a nod. I looked at Wat for his input but found him asleep. I sighed and handed Roland back his knife.
"Are we done quite yet?" William asked.
"Nope. Come along." I said. He got up and followed me back towards the river.
"Addie, I don't want a bath! Why must I take one?!" Will exclaimed, sounding very much like a child.
I rolled my eyes. "Because bathing is the one free thing nobles do. Therefore, we might as well take advantage of the opportunity. Now go." I ordered. He didn't move. I sighed. "Raise your arms." I said. Confused, he hesitantly did as I said. I quickly tugged off his rag of a shirt and dropped it. I spun him around and pushed him forward towards the water. "Now, Will!"
He looked back at me irritably, huffed and then began to remove his boots. "Could you look away please?" he asked, a pout in his voice.
"My pleasure." I assured him and turned the other way. After a few seconds I heard a splash and turned back around. "Alright wash up good. We leave for Rouen tomorrow." I said.
"What? Don't you want to get in?" he asked with a sly grin.
I glared at him. "Just do as I said Will." I sighed and gathered up his clothes and walked away to wash them.
I was far out of sight of Will and I made quick work of washing his garments. This far down the river I didn't suspect the boys would find me. I unpinned my bangs and let them fall partially over my face. I tucked them behind my ear and stood silently up. I doffed my own clothing, letting the worn brown dress hit the ground. I tugged off my shift and unlaced my shoes, kicking them off. Looking around once more to make sure my privacy was intact, I waded into the cool river water. I dipped under to soak my hair and then came up, plastering it to my head and keeping it out of my face. I smiled at the refreshing feeling. I looked along the bank and to my happy surprise found tiny pink flowers, also known as soapwort. If you crush the flowers in your hand thoroughly, a bubbly white substance will appear and you can use that to wash.
I did exactly that. By the end my skin was pink and dirt-free. However I decided to lounge in the river a bit longer. I started humming as I cleaned up, feeling somewhat care free. I lost all interest in the world and in that, let my guard down. Bad idea; I didn't hear the footsteps that approached the bank.
"Addie?" came a familiar voice. I whipped around and found Will and Wat. I quickly covered myself after recovering from shock.
"What are you two doing here?!" I exclaimed.
They had already looked away. "Sorry! Sorry! We just got worried about you…because you'd been gone for a while." Will explained.
"Yeah…what he said." Wat added.
I rolled my eyes irritably. "Well would you mind leaving so I might get out?" I asked.
"R-right of course. Sorry!" Will said and the two took off. I sighed and waited for them to be long gone and then climbed out on the bank. Drying off quickly, I got dressed and rushed back to camp. Upon my arrival I found Wat and Will sitting silently on the ground with blushing cheeks. Roland looked up from his paper and grinned at me.
"So…what'd I miss?" he asked, knowing full well what was going on.
I glared at him and began to brush out my soaking wet hair. I settled on changing the subject. "So, do you feel you've trained enough Will?" I asked.
He hesitated then cleared his throat and answered, "Y-yes…I think so." He said.
I nodded. "How about you two? Are you ready to try and pull this off?" I asked. Wat and Roland each gave me a nod. I finished brushing my hair, set it down and then turned to face them with a smile on my face. "Great! Then I suppose it's off to Rouen!"
The boys stood up and let up a cheer. Good Lord, be with us.