Chapter Two
By Amythest Stone
AN- Ah, chapter two! ^_^ Thanks for the reviews! Reviews make my day!
Arianna-san- Believe me it would be my life long dream to torture Jocelyn as much as possible but we are now past that ^_~ lol. Keep writing or I'll have to beat you!
QWB- ~~ that's so much easier. ^_^ I'm glad you're liking it! Thanks for being a faithful reviewer! Faithful reviewers are my favorite reviewers!
Galatyn Renner- I try. ^_^ lol. Sir Ector gave me the impression of a man who was stern but truly cared about the well being of his apprentices. Thanks so much for the review!
Wat, for those who were wondering, was already there in the beginning I think. When William was first there, Roland wasn't the only squire, so unless this other squire just died I'm gonna assume it was Wat!
As for Jocelyn, I once again comment that I hate her just as much as any of you but she is a part of the damn story and I'm not gonna change that. ^_^ No original characters, just all the ones from the story. I do believe that all of them will be appearing (even our good friends Kate and Chaucer).
Keep reviewing, I'll keep writing. I'm really enjoying this one cause it puts what I study to use. I did a huge project (as in at least half the year) on knights and what it took to become one. Yeah enough of my jabbering.
Enjoy!
~*~
William wiped the sweat from his brow as he placed the last bit of luggage into the heavily laden cart. The morning had been highly eventful to say the very least. Wat had left first thing, giving quiet reassurances that he would be back in less than a week. William had smiled hollowly. It wasn't possible to do; his friend was trying to make him feel better.
Then, Sir Ector had left for the castle beckoning for him to follow. He had waited nearly an hour and a half for Lady Jocelyn to have a meeting with him. He had also spent a good half hour apologizing softly before he was allowed to move on to his chores. He was happy to move on to them, though many they were. They took his mind off of everything.
Sir Ector had not spoken a word to him yet. Wat's fears had been true. He was being given the silent treatment. He let out a quiet sniffle. His nose had been stuffy and bothering him all day, and now he was feeling a bit headachy. He brushed it off. Probably just from too much work under a hot sun with little water.
His master was inspecting the cart, waiting rather impatiently for the boy to finish his jobs. He noted that some of the work was not done quite properly. He also noted that the boy was looking rather pale. He gnawed on the inside of his cheek. He would keep an eye on his apprentice. If he looked any worse, he would forget the punishment. He did not want anything to happen, not like what happened to his last apprentice....
William looked up at Sir Ector, hoping for a 'good job', or just about anything. All he found was a blank, rather distant stare. His master turned from him and climbed onto the saddled horse, completely ignoring his apprentice. William let out a small, in audible sigh, before grabbing the lead for the cart horse.
Sir Ector gave his apprentice one more quick glance before kicking his horse into a trot. The boy looked rather flushed now, too. Not terribly so, but enough to make worry eat at his mind. He shook it off. It was a hot day, and the boy had been working. He probably hadnt stopped for water because of the excessive amount of work he had to do. No, his resolve would not be weakened. The boy had done something, completely defying his orders, and he deserved the punishment.
It was midday before they stopped at small stream. Sir Ector's horse, Sirius, was foaming, panting heavily in the heat. The knight dismounted, patting the horse fondly as he removed its bit. He'd give Will a break in this case. The boy had to take care of the other horse, and set out midday meal. He rubbed the horse's neck as it drank from the stream keeping a careful eye on how much it consumed.
William tried not to look quite as tired as he felt as he unhooked Lilly and led her for a drink. He tried not to let it appear as though he was desperately hugging the lead for support. But no matter how much he tried, it didn't change the fact that he was.
He didn't quite understand why he felt so incredibly dizzy or very hot. He considered the weather and tried to convince himself it was that. He knew it wasn't though. He was out in such weather all the time and it hadn't ever affected him like this. He sighed, and dropped down next to the horse to get a drink. The water had never tasted quite so good. It soothed his throbbing head a bit and he was grateful.
He gulped one last draft before standing and pulling the horse away. Time to set up lunch, and then they would be off again. He quickly tied the horse to a tree then started rummaging through the food packs. There wasn't much there, only a slab of dried meat, a bit of cheese, two loaves of bread and a skin of wine. God only knew how long that would last.
He quickly pulled out a plate. Grabbing a knife as well, he sliced a piece of meat of the chunk and half a loaf of bread. He put all the cheese on it because it wasn't going to survive the heat. He grabbed a goblet, and carefully balancing his load, he placed the food underneath a shady tree.
Sir Ector tied Sirius near Lilly and came over to where the squire had set out the small meal. It was meager but it would have to do. He sat down underneath the shade, feeling content and refreshed. The food wasn't half bad even if the cheese tasted a bit foul but that was only to be expected. Next to him, the boy sat quietly, staring up at the sky. He hadn't touched any of the food.
This worried the knight. William never, ever skipped a meal. He wanted to ask the boy if he was okay, if he was feeling well. The flush look upon his face had seemed to increase as they had traveled and underneath the red, his skin was pale. He opened is mouth to speak but stopped, giving the strange appearance of a fish.
A voice had reminded him of the child's punishment. The silent treatment. He could not give the boy the idea that he would break the punishment that easily. The two voices argued inside his head. The boy was most definitely ill. The boy cannot be let off simply because he's worked hard. For a moment, he thought he might go crazy but the voices stopped and he came to the decision. He wouldn't just let the boy off because he looked pale. It was hot. The squire was working hard. It was simple enough.
Ah, but isn't that what you said when Adam was looking the same way? Wasn't that what you convinced yourself of until it was too late? Didn't you say that until the end where he protected you as ill as he was? Until the sword was rammed through his chest. A third voice tauntingly reminded him. He grit his teeth. No, he argued, it will not happen again. He would keep a careful eye on William. If he started looking worse, he would put off the punishment.
He finished his food, and took one last sip of his wine before standing up. They would move on now. Making good timing was essential so they would have time to settle down before the next tournament. William quickly snapped out of his daze, and grabbed the dirty plates and half empty skin, scrambling to get his chores done.
Sir Ector shook his head and went back over to Sirius. The horse snorted and fidgeted as the knight re saddled it and got it ready to leave. He stroked its head, murmuring soft nonsense to it in order for it to calm down, but nothing seemed to soothe the startled beast. It continued to be skittish, moving around unhappily. The master continued his attempts not even realizing the intimate danger.
His squire did, however. Before the knight could quite grasp the situation, the boy rushed over and shoved him back. With a quick flick of his wrist, William drew a dagger from his wrist and jammed it into the tall grass.
The horses both shrieked and tried to break their tethers but were held do to the good grace of a strong tree. Sir Ector sat up quickly, rather shocked, uncertain of exactly what had just happened. In front of him, Will was on all fours panting. His knife was driven into the deep grass, and exactly what he hit was impossible to see. The squire ran a hand through his sweaty hair before moving to retrieve his weapon.
"I'm sorry, master. There was a snake. It spooked the horses and I knew it was poisonous. I should've warned you but it was about to strike." As though to prove it, he raised his dagger from the ground bringing up the limp body of a snake. The weapon had been skillfully smashed through it's head.
Sir Ector sat still in pure shock. The boy had seen something quite hidden from him and even though he was being punished, saved the knight. It was beyond him for some reason. Something reminded him that no matter what the boy was his squire and what he did was his job but the rest of him was in shock.
William took his master's silence the wrong way. He looked into the rather surprised but silent countenance and he figured that the silent treatment was still going on. He felt upset. Would his master ever forgive him? He hadn't done what he was convicted for! He was planning on sticking the creature he had in the princess' hair. It would've been more amusing. Rat in the soup? How original.
The boy bit his lip in disappointment and picked the dead snake off his small sword. The pounding in his head grew ten times worse as he stood up and the world gave a violent lurch. Will put his free hand to his head as the world began to go a bit strange. One last sickening lurch occurred and the dagger slipped from his hand while the rest of him slipped to the ground.
~*~
Ohhhhh fun cliffhanger ^_~. This was a fun chapter for me to write! Hope you enjoyed it! I loved it! Review and I'll write!
By Amythest Stone
AN- Ah, chapter two! ^_^ Thanks for the reviews! Reviews make my day!
Arianna-san- Believe me it would be my life long dream to torture Jocelyn as much as possible but we are now past that ^_~ lol. Keep writing or I'll have to beat you!
QWB- ~~ that's so much easier. ^_^ I'm glad you're liking it! Thanks for being a faithful reviewer! Faithful reviewers are my favorite reviewers!
Galatyn Renner- I try. ^_^ lol. Sir Ector gave me the impression of a man who was stern but truly cared about the well being of his apprentices. Thanks so much for the review!
Wat, for those who were wondering, was already there in the beginning I think. When William was first there, Roland wasn't the only squire, so unless this other squire just died I'm gonna assume it was Wat!
As for Jocelyn, I once again comment that I hate her just as much as any of you but she is a part of the damn story and I'm not gonna change that. ^_^ No original characters, just all the ones from the story. I do believe that all of them will be appearing (even our good friends Kate and Chaucer).
Keep reviewing, I'll keep writing. I'm really enjoying this one cause it puts what I study to use. I did a huge project (as in at least half the year) on knights and what it took to become one. Yeah enough of my jabbering.
Enjoy!
~*~
William wiped the sweat from his brow as he placed the last bit of luggage into the heavily laden cart. The morning had been highly eventful to say the very least. Wat had left first thing, giving quiet reassurances that he would be back in less than a week. William had smiled hollowly. It wasn't possible to do; his friend was trying to make him feel better.
Then, Sir Ector had left for the castle beckoning for him to follow. He had waited nearly an hour and a half for Lady Jocelyn to have a meeting with him. He had also spent a good half hour apologizing softly before he was allowed to move on to his chores. He was happy to move on to them, though many they were. They took his mind off of everything.
Sir Ector had not spoken a word to him yet. Wat's fears had been true. He was being given the silent treatment. He let out a quiet sniffle. His nose had been stuffy and bothering him all day, and now he was feeling a bit headachy. He brushed it off. Probably just from too much work under a hot sun with little water.
His master was inspecting the cart, waiting rather impatiently for the boy to finish his jobs. He noted that some of the work was not done quite properly. He also noted that the boy was looking rather pale. He gnawed on the inside of his cheek. He would keep an eye on his apprentice. If he looked any worse, he would forget the punishment. He did not want anything to happen, not like what happened to his last apprentice....
William looked up at Sir Ector, hoping for a 'good job', or just about anything. All he found was a blank, rather distant stare. His master turned from him and climbed onto the saddled horse, completely ignoring his apprentice. William let out a small, in audible sigh, before grabbing the lead for the cart horse.
Sir Ector gave his apprentice one more quick glance before kicking his horse into a trot. The boy looked rather flushed now, too. Not terribly so, but enough to make worry eat at his mind. He shook it off. It was a hot day, and the boy had been working. He probably hadnt stopped for water because of the excessive amount of work he had to do. No, his resolve would not be weakened. The boy had done something, completely defying his orders, and he deserved the punishment.
It was midday before they stopped at small stream. Sir Ector's horse, Sirius, was foaming, panting heavily in the heat. The knight dismounted, patting the horse fondly as he removed its bit. He'd give Will a break in this case. The boy had to take care of the other horse, and set out midday meal. He rubbed the horse's neck as it drank from the stream keeping a careful eye on how much it consumed.
William tried not to look quite as tired as he felt as he unhooked Lilly and led her for a drink. He tried not to let it appear as though he was desperately hugging the lead for support. But no matter how much he tried, it didn't change the fact that he was.
He didn't quite understand why he felt so incredibly dizzy or very hot. He considered the weather and tried to convince himself it was that. He knew it wasn't though. He was out in such weather all the time and it hadn't ever affected him like this. He sighed, and dropped down next to the horse to get a drink. The water had never tasted quite so good. It soothed his throbbing head a bit and he was grateful.
He gulped one last draft before standing and pulling the horse away. Time to set up lunch, and then they would be off again. He quickly tied the horse to a tree then started rummaging through the food packs. There wasn't much there, only a slab of dried meat, a bit of cheese, two loaves of bread and a skin of wine. God only knew how long that would last.
He quickly pulled out a plate. Grabbing a knife as well, he sliced a piece of meat of the chunk and half a loaf of bread. He put all the cheese on it because it wasn't going to survive the heat. He grabbed a goblet, and carefully balancing his load, he placed the food underneath a shady tree.
Sir Ector tied Sirius near Lilly and came over to where the squire had set out the small meal. It was meager but it would have to do. He sat down underneath the shade, feeling content and refreshed. The food wasn't half bad even if the cheese tasted a bit foul but that was only to be expected. Next to him, the boy sat quietly, staring up at the sky. He hadn't touched any of the food.
This worried the knight. William never, ever skipped a meal. He wanted to ask the boy if he was okay, if he was feeling well. The flush look upon his face had seemed to increase as they had traveled and underneath the red, his skin was pale. He opened is mouth to speak but stopped, giving the strange appearance of a fish.
A voice had reminded him of the child's punishment. The silent treatment. He could not give the boy the idea that he would break the punishment that easily. The two voices argued inside his head. The boy was most definitely ill. The boy cannot be let off simply because he's worked hard. For a moment, he thought he might go crazy but the voices stopped and he came to the decision. He wouldn't just let the boy off because he looked pale. It was hot. The squire was working hard. It was simple enough.
Ah, but isn't that what you said when Adam was looking the same way? Wasn't that what you convinced yourself of until it was too late? Didn't you say that until the end where he protected you as ill as he was? Until the sword was rammed through his chest. A third voice tauntingly reminded him. He grit his teeth. No, he argued, it will not happen again. He would keep a careful eye on William. If he started looking worse, he would put off the punishment.
He finished his food, and took one last sip of his wine before standing up. They would move on now. Making good timing was essential so they would have time to settle down before the next tournament. William quickly snapped out of his daze, and grabbed the dirty plates and half empty skin, scrambling to get his chores done.
Sir Ector shook his head and went back over to Sirius. The horse snorted and fidgeted as the knight re saddled it and got it ready to leave. He stroked its head, murmuring soft nonsense to it in order for it to calm down, but nothing seemed to soothe the startled beast. It continued to be skittish, moving around unhappily. The master continued his attempts not even realizing the intimate danger.
His squire did, however. Before the knight could quite grasp the situation, the boy rushed over and shoved him back. With a quick flick of his wrist, William drew a dagger from his wrist and jammed it into the tall grass.
The horses both shrieked and tried to break their tethers but were held do to the good grace of a strong tree. Sir Ector sat up quickly, rather shocked, uncertain of exactly what had just happened. In front of him, Will was on all fours panting. His knife was driven into the deep grass, and exactly what he hit was impossible to see. The squire ran a hand through his sweaty hair before moving to retrieve his weapon.
"I'm sorry, master. There was a snake. It spooked the horses and I knew it was poisonous. I should've warned you but it was about to strike." As though to prove it, he raised his dagger from the ground bringing up the limp body of a snake. The weapon had been skillfully smashed through it's head.
Sir Ector sat still in pure shock. The boy had seen something quite hidden from him and even though he was being punished, saved the knight. It was beyond him for some reason. Something reminded him that no matter what the boy was his squire and what he did was his job but the rest of him was in shock.
William took his master's silence the wrong way. He looked into the rather surprised but silent countenance and he figured that the silent treatment was still going on. He felt upset. Would his master ever forgive him? He hadn't done what he was convicted for! He was planning on sticking the creature he had in the princess' hair. It would've been more amusing. Rat in the soup? How original.
The boy bit his lip in disappointment and picked the dead snake off his small sword. The pounding in his head grew ten times worse as he stood up and the world gave a violent lurch. Will put his free hand to his head as the world began to go a bit strange. One last sickening lurch occurred and the dagger slipped from his hand while the rest of him slipped to the ground.
~*~
Ohhhhh fun cliffhanger ^_~. This was a fun chapter for me to write! Hope you enjoyed it! I loved it! Review and I'll write!