Alanna brushed a hair back from Amice's face. "You'll be all right, I guess. They'd hardly let Raoul at the squires." Amice smiled a little.
Alanna let her go. For a moment there was nothing to say. The blare of trumpets outside jerked them both back to reality.
"Alianne!" Amice cried, and they both ran out. Alianne was waiting, writhing to fasten one of the shoulder clasps on her armour. Amice, her squire, ran up to close it. "Sorry I'm late," she gasped, "I'll help."
Alianne smiled her thanks as she staggered up the mounting blocks. The weight of her armour was so great she could no longer swing into the saddle at all. Amice took Alianne's stallion by the reins, with her other hand checking to see whether or not the girth was too tight. She then grabbed Alianne's hand and helped her sister slide on to the waiting destrier.
Alianne nodded to her mother and sister and heeled the horse off to the field. She was dressed in Pirate's Swoop colours, but Amice spied a coloured cloth tied to her sister's arm.
"Mom," she asked, "Whose colour is Ali wearing?"
"Colours?" Alanna looked at Amice, not understanding, until the girl gestured at her upper arm. "Oh. Colours. We're negotiating.. she's being betrothed to Merlit of Naxen."
Amice gaped. "And you never told me? Either of you?"
"It wasn't finalized until today, really."
Amice felt like sulking. "She said that we went to Naxen because Gary wanted scrolls from the library here. She never mentioned anything about Merlit."
Alanna laughed. "Perhaps she didn't want a nosy sister."
"I'd really like to know when being her squire stops and being her sister and her friend begins."
Alanna rubbed her arms. "It depends on the knightmaster."
Amice looked closer at her mother. Was that a blush?
~`~`~`~`~
Since Amice was only a squire, one of the new arrivals was assigned to take care of her. The girl was only a few years younger than Amice herself, having arrived late for training. Amice had begun to befriend her; she was the one who had helped out with Emma that night at the Dancing Dove. She also chattered nonstop.
"Aren't you nervous? I'd be. Not the fighting, really, but all those people... Oh, it gives me shivers. The tests must be awful that way. I heard about your sister. What's this Merlit person like? How can you have only met him once? Rumour is she visited him often.. oh, sorry, here's you dagger, your lance is polished..."
Amice listened to the chatter, giving minimal answers. Inside she concentrated, doing meditation breathing. Her head was a clear ring of silence. She did her stretches, warming her body like a fiddle, confident in the latent strength that lay there.
It was mid-afternoon before Amice's bout was called. Her first was with Creshan of Sand River, the boy from her study group who had brought Ali in earlier in the day. Wearing a mail shirt, she carried a blank shield indicating her rank as squire. Slowly she walked her horse out onto the lane, feeling him shift his feet in readiness. Amice kept a light hand on the reins; in the state he was in, any perssure at all would send him backwards. Creshan, it seemed, took his time about coming out. He winked at her across a hundred feet of grass and spectators before lowering his visor. Amice bowed to the king, as Creshan did, and lowered her own visor. Creshan was half Marenite, so he didn't need to wait to make observances to the king before covering his face with the metal shield.
Amice set her lance, and then gave forward rein whilst simultaneously heeling her horse. Her destrier thundered foward as she concentrated on the side of Creshan's shield. His weakness, she knew from practice, was an angle hit. His seat was too good to be unhorsed by a central blow.
Amice's lance shuddered, and knocked him partly aside. His lance never touched her at all. Amice let her mount run to the other end of the lane amid graons from the crowd. "Unhorse the mage's bastard!" a voice cried from the crowd.
One for Creshan, she thought, not noticing the rain of fruit and bread that hit the naysayer. She was all but deaf now as she wrenched her horse around and headed for Creshan. Her mind was blank, a roaring in her ears. The figure on the gray became larger. Amice was barely concious of her lnce raising, hitting his shield in a top corner. He flew backwards as his lance briefly shuddered, forcing her back. Amice leaned forward, digging her but into the seat jockey for all she was worth. She held.
Life around her suddenly sprang back to life as the crowd roaerd. Amice took off her helmet and dismounted to give Creshan a hand up. "Did I hurt you?"
He smiled. "Just my pride. You were too fast coming back from the first pass."
Amice grinned. "I'm glad."
Slowly she took her horse's reins and mounted. After bowing to the king, she exited the field and nearly fell off her horse as her knees turned to jelly.
Alanna came to her side, giving her a hand down. "how'd I do?" Amice asked.
Alanna did smiled. "You made a mother proud."
Alanna let her go. For a moment there was nothing to say. The blare of trumpets outside jerked them both back to reality.
"Alianne!" Amice cried, and they both ran out. Alianne was waiting, writhing to fasten one of the shoulder clasps on her armour. Amice, her squire, ran up to close it. "Sorry I'm late," she gasped, "I'll help."
Alianne smiled her thanks as she staggered up the mounting blocks. The weight of her armour was so great she could no longer swing into the saddle at all. Amice took Alianne's stallion by the reins, with her other hand checking to see whether or not the girth was too tight. She then grabbed Alianne's hand and helped her sister slide on to the waiting destrier.
Alianne nodded to her mother and sister and heeled the horse off to the field. She was dressed in Pirate's Swoop colours, but Amice spied a coloured cloth tied to her sister's arm.
"Mom," she asked, "Whose colour is Ali wearing?"
"Colours?" Alanna looked at Amice, not understanding, until the girl gestured at her upper arm. "Oh. Colours. We're negotiating.. she's being betrothed to Merlit of Naxen."
Amice gaped. "And you never told me? Either of you?"
"It wasn't finalized until today, really."
Amice felt like sulking. "She said that we went to Naxen because Gary wanted scrolls from the library here. She never mentioned anything about Merlit."
Alanna laughed. "Perhaps she didn't want a nosy sister."
"I'd really like to know when being her squire stops and being her sister and her friend begins."
Alanna rubbed her arms. "It depends on the knightmaster."
Amice looked closer at her mother. Was that a blush?
~`~`~`~`~
Since Amice was only a squire, one of the new arrivals was assigned to take care of her. The girl was only a few years younger than Amice herself, having arrived late for training. Amice had begun to befriend her; she was the one who had helped out with Emma that night at the Dancing Dove. She also chattered nonstop.
"Aren't you nervous? I'd be. Not the fighting, really, but all those people... Oh, it gives me shivers. The tests must be awful that way. I heard about your sister. What's this Merlit person like? How can you have only met him once? Rumour is she visited him often.. oh, sorry, here's you dagger, your lance is polished..."
Amice listened to the chatter, giving minimal answers. Inside she concentrated, doing meditation breathing. Her head was a clear ring of silence. She did her stretches, warming her body like a fiddle, confident in the latent strength that lay there.
It was mid-afternoon before Amice's bout was called. Her first was with Creshan of Sand River, the boy from her study group who had brought Ali in earlier in the day. Wearing a mail shirt, she carried a blank shield indicating her rank as squire. Slowly she walked her horse out onto the lane, feeling him shift his feet in readiness. Amice kept a light hand on the reins; in the state he was in, any perssure at all would send him backwards. Creshan, it seemed, took his time about coming out. He winked at her across a hundred feet of grass and spectators before lowering his visor. Amice bowed to the king, as Creshan did, and lowered her own visor. Creshan was half Marenite, so he didn't need to wait to make observances to the king before covering his face with the metal shield.
Amice set her lance, and then gave forward rein whilst simultaneously heeling her horse. Her destrier thundered foward as she concentrated on the side of Creshan's shield. His weakness, she knew from practice, was an angle hit. His seat was too good to be unhorsed by a central blow.
Amice's lance shuddered, and knocked him partly aside. His lance never touched her at all. Amice let her mount run to the other end of the lane amid graons from the crowd. "Unhorse the mage's bastard!" a voice cried from the crowd.
One for Creshan, she thought, not noticing the rain of fruit and bread that hit the naysayer. She was all but deaf now as she wrenched her horse around and headed for Creshan. Her mind was blank, a roaring in her ears. The figure on the gray became larger. Amice was barely concious of her lnce raising, hitting his shield in a top corner. He flew backwards as his lance briefly shuddered, forcing her back. Amice leaned forward, digging her but into the seat jockey for all she was worth. She held.
Life around her suddenly sprang back to life as the crowd roaerd. Amice took off her helmet and dismounted to give Creshan a hand up. "Did I hurt you?"
He smiled. "Just my pride. You were too fast coming back from the first pass."
Amice grinned. "I'm glad."
Slowly she took her horse's reins and mounted. After bowing to the king, she exited the field and nearly fell off her horse as her knees turned to jelly.
Alanna came to her side, giving her a hand down. "how'd I do?" Amice asked.
Alanna did smiled. "You made a mother proud."