Chapter One
By Amythest Stone
AN- This was up sooner than I planned! ^__^ Thanks for the reviews!
spacemonkey- ^_^ Thank you very much for the review. This chapter is a bit longer! I hope you enjoy it!
Quantum Weather Butterfly- Wow, that's a mouthful! lol! Thank you for the review! I'm glad you like it very, very much! I try! Hope you like this one as well.
~*~
Jocelyn sat as any noble should, not fidgeting in the least in the very uncomfortable dress. Next to her, her handmaiden seemed to be struggling to keep the same posture as the young noble. Jocelyn could not blame her. She was using all her will power to sit still and eat properly. It was not easy.
Many knights were talking and joking around her and many young men were dancing with pretty girls. She wasn't allowed to dance. Her father said she was to young to dance or to get the fondness of any young man. Too young! She was fourteen! How long would she be 'too young'.
Her father was currently busy speaking with a knight. They were laughing, enjoying themselves greatly. Jocelyn could not remember the last time she had seen him so happy. Who was this knight? Her mind tried to picture the faces of the knights that had jousted earlier that day.
Sir Evan? Sir Allen? Sir Edward? No, wait, Sir Ector wasn't it? She stared at him for a few seconds then snapped her gaze else where. It was not polite to stare.
Her mind drifted back to the knight at hand however, and she glanced about for his squires. What exactly did they look like again? She had trouble matching faces to faces. He had three. She knew that. They were all peasant squires but rather handsome.
The one had left. He rode somewhere to deliver a message. Then there were two more. At least that was what she thought, but she didn't see them. There were many squires about, dancing with the ladies of the castle, chatting, eating, drinking but none of them looked remotely like Sir Ector's two.
The one, from what she could remember, was a red head with a rather fiery temper. He and the other one. The one with the unruly blond hair and the goofy little smile. She giggled a bit. He was a cutie. She wouldn't mind dancing with him if he had been there.
Sighing unhappily, she turned back to her soup and took a delicate spoonful of it. That was as far as she got before chaos broke out.
The red soup exploded, splashing all over her nice blue dress. It got all over her face and in her eyes. Not only did it thoroughly soak her, but also the occupants on either side of her. She let out a high pitched squeal, rubbing the mess out of her eyes, before glaring down at the bowl. What had happened?
Her mind didn't stay on that for long when she caught sight of what was in from of her. A large rat was scrabbling in the bowl trying to get over the sides to escape. She screamed and jumped back, knocking over her chair. Everyone had turned there attention to the soup splattered ladies and the soup covered rat as it scampered across the table leaving little red footprints.
She turned around; face red with food and embarrassment just in time to catch a glimpse of the convict, running from the scene of the crime. All she saw however was a bit of unruly blonde hair and a dirty tunic.
~*~
William was only half way to the castle when there was an ear piercing scream. He heard crashing and more screaming then someone dashed out of the castle. He blanched, looking down at the toad in his hand. It didn't seem like such a good idea anymore. Turning on his heel, he rushed back to the tents.
"WAT!" he bawled, as he reached the camp. "Where are you?!"
Wat stepped out from inside the tent where he had been neatly folding Sir Ector's clothes and lying out his sleeping things. Seeing how panicked William was, he tried to keep a straight face.
"Didn't go quite as you planned, huh?" he asked, moving over to one of the horses tied down nearby.
"Wat, I didn't do a thing!" William jumped as a noise came from nearby. Wat turned to him and cocked an eyebrow. He seriously doubted the truth in that statement but then he took one glimpse at his friend's eyes and his opinion changed instantly.
William was not an easy person to read. You had to know exactly how to read his eyes and his face and his expressions. In fact, usually, you couldn't tell much about him, because he consistently was wearing that whimsical grin. Even when he was sick or hurt there wasn't much of a difference.
Wat could tell that William was lying. He knew by the look in his eyes. Fear showed clearly in his entire being.
"What happened?" the red head asked. William sat down with a thud trembling. He was in for it.
"I don't know. I was heading up to the castle, and all the sudden someone screamed and hell broke loose!" He looked at Wat. "Sir Ector's gonna blame me, Wat, I just know it! I didn't do it though!"
Wat wanted to deny the fact but he knew that William was speaking the truth. Do to his reputation as a joke player; William would inevitably be blamed unless the joker was caught.
"Be doing your chores when he gets back. Act as normal as you can and he might think you've been doing it this entire time!" He waved his blonde friend to the tent. "Hurry, I've already done some for you!"
He almost wished that he had gone with William. At least he could also take some of the blame. He was afraid of what might befall his young friend.
Ten minutes later, Sir Ector stormed in. Fury was written in every inch of his posture and countenance. He stood in the middle of the camp area, trying to control himself but found that his last nerve had been treaded on and crushed.
"WAT! WILLIAM!"
The two boys cowered in there separate areas before quickly responding. Sir Ector was nearly twitching with contained rage. William flinched. Oh he was dead. So very, very dead. Standing quietly, he waited for his punishment.
"Wat," unexpectedly Sir Ector spoke to the older squire first. Wat looked up uncertainly. "Wat, I want you to deliver a message I've written to a man in England. You shall then join us at the next tournament. Is that understood?"
Wat nodded eyes wide. How could his master possibly think that William could manage to take care of everything? After all, the boy wasn't used to that type of work, plus he had only been a squire for two years. Unless.....oh God, that was cruel.
"Sir, William cannot handle all the chores by himself! Is it possible for the message to wait until Roland comes back?"
Sir Ector peered down his nose at the boy before turning his gaze to William. He was nearly trembling with what looked like fear.
"As for you," he continued, looking into his other squire's eyes. "You shall be catering to the normal jobs. You want to be a squire; you shall learn what a squire has to do. The best squires do more work with no help." Wat looked shocked, almost appalled.
"But, sir!" He was pushing his luck and he knew it. "Sir, why are you punishing William? What has he done? It isn't fair!"
Sir Ector did not look at him, but the boy felt a chill creep down his spine. Uh oh....
"I do believe William knows what he did just like the rest of the castle. I'm sure you found that to be a fine little prank, didn't you? Well, I do not believe that Lady Jocelyn found it quite as amusing." Sir Ector took a deep breath to control his temper. He was going to punish the boy, and in his mind this punishment was quite severe.
Apparently, the boy found it to be so as well.
"You will be leaving in the morning, Wat! William, I wish you a goodnight." Then he disappeared into his tent. William moved to help the knight in dressing and undressing but was stopped. Wat grabbed his arm and pulled him to their tent, pale faced.
"I've never seen him that angry ever, Will," the red head fretted, rubbing his arms. "And I've never seen him apply that punishment before. Roland said that it had happened once before when he had a different squire, and he had sent Roland to deliver a message. Roland said that the boy worked very hard and completed all the chores. But he died in the end anyway. A bandit jumped them and he died protecting, Sir Ector."
William turned an ugly shade of green. He stared at the cloth wall for a second before quietly. "Sir Ector isn't that cruel though. If the boy was that ill and weak, he would've told Sir Ector so and I'm sure that master would've taken care of him."
Wat licked his lips then moved about to collect an extra set of clothes. He looked at his friend, not wanting to tell the whole of the problem but knowing that he had to. "He would've Will but-" he broke off. The punishment was truly terrible. "A part of the punishment is the silent treatment."
~*~
Wow, wasn't that dramatic. Anyway, the silent treatment was a really terrible punishment back then though I doubt it was administered by many knights considering the dangers of traveling on the open road. Plus, of course, a knight would be training his apprentice consistently soooo...yeah... Poor Will. *squeezes Sir William plush toy* he's such a lovable person and he's got an adorable smile.
To Jocelyn despisers. =P too bad. We might all hate her and think that Will and Kate should've been put together but the truth of the matter is he and Jocelyn are in love. I'm not gonna screw with the storyline and don't worry that the only part I think she'll be in. I think.
Anyway, dunno when the next chapter will be up! I'm going on vacation this weekend and won't be back til Sunday! Plus I owe new chapters to my other people! ^_~ R/R
By Amythest Stone
AN- This was up sooner than I planned! ^__^ Thanks for the reviews!
spacemonkey- ^_^ Thank you very much for the review. This chapter is a bit longer! I hope you enjoy it!
Quantum Weather Butterfly- Wow, that's a mouthful! lol! Thank you for the review! I'm glad you like it very, very much! I try! Hope you like this one as well.
~*~
Jocelyn sat as any noble should, not fidgeting in the least in the very uncomfortable dress. Next to her, her handmaiden seemed to be struggling to keep the same posture as the young noble. Jocelyn could not blame her. She was using all her will power to sit still and eat properly. It was not easy.
Many knights were talking and joking around her and many young men were dancing with pretty girls. She wasn't allowed to dance. Her father said she was to young to dance or to get the fondness of any young man. Too young! She was fourteen! How long would she be 'too young'.
Her father was currently busy speaking with a knight. They were laughing, enjoying themselves greatly. Jocelyn could not remember the last time she had seen him so happy. Who was this knight? Her mind tried to picture the faces of the knights that had jousted earlier that day.
Sir Evan? Sir Allen? Sir Edward? No, wait, Sir Ector wasn't it? She stared at him for a few seconds then snapped her gaze else where. It was not polite to stare.
Her mind drifted back to the knight at hand however, and she glanced about for his squires. What exactly did they look like again? She had trouble matching faces to faces. He had three. She knew that. They were all peasant squires but rather handsome.
The one had left. He rode somewhere to deliver a message. Then there were two more. At least that was what she thought, but she didn't see them. There were many squires about, dancing with the ladies of the castle, chatting, eating, drinking but none of them looked remotely like Sir Ector's two.
The one, from what she could remember, was a red head with a rather fiery temper. He and the other one. The one with the unruly blond hair and the goofy little smile. She giggled a bit. He was a cutie. She wouldn't mind dancing with him if he had been there.
Sighing unhappily, she turned back to her soup and took a delicate spoonful of it. That was as far as she got before chaos broke out.
The red soup exploded, splashing all over her nice blue dress. It got all over her face and in her eyes. Not only did it thoroughly soak her, but also the occupants on either side of her. She let out a high pitched squeal, rubbing the mess out of her eyes, before glaring down at the bowl. What had happened?
Her mind didn't stay on that for long when she caught sight of what was in from of her. A large rat was scrabbling in the bowl trying to get over the sides to escape. She screamed and jumped back, knocking over her chair. Everyone had turned there attention to the soup splattered ladies and the soup covered rat as it scampered across the table leaving little red footprints.
She turned around; face red with food and embarrassment just in time to catch a glimpse of the convict, running from the scene of the crime. All she saw however was a bit of unruly blonde hair and a dirty tunic.
~*~
William was only half way to the castle when there was an ear piercing scream. He heard crashing and more screaming then someone dashed out of the castle. He blanched, looking down at the toad in his hand. It didn't seem like such a good idea anymore. Turning on his heel, he rushed back to the tents.
"WAT!" he bawled, as he reached the camp. "Where are you?!"
Wat stepped out from inside the tent where he had been neatly folding Sir Ector's clothes and lying out his sleeping things. Seeing how panicked William was, he tried to keep a straight face.
"Didn't go quite as you planned, huh?" he asked, moving over to one of the horses tied down nearby.
"Wat, I didn't do a thing!" William jumped as a noise came from nearby. Wat turned to him and cocked an eyebrow. He seriously doubted the truth in that statement but then he took one glimpse at his friend's eyes and his opinion changed instantly.
William was not an easy person to read. You had to know exactly how to read his eyes and his face and his expressions. In fact, usually, you couldn't tell much about him, because he consistently was wearing that whimsical grin. Even when he was sick or hurt there wasn't much of a difference.
Wat could tell that William was lying. He knew by the look in his eyes. Fear showed clearly in his entire being.
"What happened?" the red head asked. William sat down with a thud trembling. He was in for it.
"I don't know. I was heading up to the castle, and all the sudden someone screamed and hell broke loose!" He looked at Wat. "Sir Ector's gonna blame me, Wat, I just know it! I didn't do it though!"
Wat wanted to deny the fact but he knew that William was speaking the truth. Do to his reputation as a joke player; William would inevitably be blamed unless the joker was caught.
"Be doing your chores when he gets back. Act as normal as you can and he might think you've been doing it this entire time!" He waved his blonde friend to the tent. "Hurry, I've already done some for you!"
He almost wished that he had gone with William. At least he could also take some of the blame. He was afraid of what might befall his young friend.
Ten minutes later, Sir Ector stormed in. Fury was written in every inch of his posture and countenance. He stood in the middle of the camp area, trying to control himself but found that his last nerve had been treaded on and crushed.
"WAT! WILLIAM!"
The two boys cowered in there separate areas before quickly responding. Sir Ector was nearly twitching with contained rage. William flinched. Oh he was dead. So very, very dead. Standing quietly, he waited for his punishment.
"Wat," unexpectedly Sir Ector spoke to the older squire first. Wat looked up uncertainly. "Wat, I want you to deliver a message I've written to a man in England. You shall then join us at the next tournament. Is that understood?"
Wat nodded eyes wide. How could his master possibly think that William could manage to take care of everything? After all, the boy wasn't used to that type of work, plus he had only been a squire for two years. Unless.....oh God, that was cruel.
"Sir, William cannot handle all the chores by himself! Is it possible for the message to wait until Roland comes back?"
Sir Ector peered down his nose at the boy before turning his gaze to William. He was nearly trembling with what looked like fear.
"As for you," he continued, looking into his other squire's eyes. "You shall be catering to the normal jobs. You want to be a squire; you shall learn what a squire has to do. The best squires do more work with no help." Wat looked shocked, almost appalled.
"But, sir!" He was pushing his luck and he knew it. "Sir, why are you punishing William? What has he done? It isn't fair!"
Sir Ector did not look at him, but the boy felt a chill creep down his spine. Uh oh....
"I do believe William knows what he did just like the rest of the castle. I'm sure you found that to be a fine little prank, didn't you? Well, I do not believe that Lady Jocelyn found it quite as amusing." Sir Ector took a deep breath to control his temper. He was going to punish the boy, and in his mind this punishment was quite severe.
Apparently, the boy found it to be so as well.
"You will be leaving in the morning, Wat! William, I wish you a goodnight." Then he disappeared into his tent. William moved to help the knight in dressing and undressing but was stopped. Wat grabbed his arm and pulled him to their tent, pale faced.
"I've never seen him that angry ever, Will," the red head fretted, rubbing his arms. "And I've never seen him apply that punishment before. Roland said that it had happened once before when he had a different squire, and he had sent Roland to deliver a message. Roland said that the boy worked very hard and completed all the chores. But he died in the end anyway. A bandit jumped them and he died protecting, Sir Ector."
William turned an ugly shade of green. He stared at the cloth wall for a second before quietly. "Sir Ector isn't that cruel though. If the boy was that ill and weak, he would've told Sir Ector so and I'm sure that master would've taken care of him."
Wat licked his lips then moved about to collect an extra set of clothes. He looked at his friend, not wanting to tell the whole of the problem but knowing that he had to. "He would've Will but-" he broke off. The punishment was truly terrible. "A part of the punishment is the silent treatment."
~*~
Wow, wasn't that dramatic. Anyway, the silent treatment was a really terrible punishment back then though I doubt it was administered by many knights considering the dangers of traveling on the open road. Plus, of course, a knight would be training his apprentice consistently soooo...yeah... Poor Will. *squeezes Sir William plush toy* he's such a lovable person and he's got an adorable smile.
To Jocelyn despisers. =P too bad. We might all hate her and think that Will and Kate should've been put together but the truth of the matter is he and Jocelyn are in love. I'm not gonna screw with the storyline and don't worry that the only part I think she'll be in. I think.
Anyway, dunno when the next chapter will be up! I'm going on vacation this weekend and won't be back til Sunday! Plus I owe new chapters to my other people! ^_~ R/R