06 Taunts

Word had spread fast about the Sarmatian child now training with the knights. Within a few weeks Balan had become the locals' main source of entertainment and the target of their taunts. Men frequently made him trip or pushed him to the ground when he passed them by. Women laughed disdainfully and whispered that if this runt was to protect them from the Woads, they might as well tear down the Wall and be done with it.

"Are you sure you are a knight, boy?" they jeered.

One day the smithy's wife came running after Balan, insisting loudly that she had seen a Woad around the corner. "Save me! Save me!" she screamed. She wrapped her arms around the embarrassed boy and raised one foot off the ground as if to make him lift her up. The villagers burst out in laughter and chased the boy away from the market place.

At first the knights had been amused about these games. But it got worse.

Women locked him up in cellars and storage rooms whenever they got a chance. Men often kicked him, claiming that he had offended them or that he had bumped into them. Knowing full well that he was not allowed to use any violence whatsoever against the people living in the fort, Balan wasn't able to do anything about it other than staying out of their way.

Eventually Bors decided to stand up for him. He had a shouting match with an infuriatingly stubborn woman, which didn't end until Vanora came to his aid. Dagonet, Gawain and Brumear soon followed Bors's example and even Lancelot stuck up for the boy once, freeing him from three girls who tried to force him head first into a bucket filled with tar.

The knights' actions only resulted in more sneers from the women and laughter from the men about the knights and their baby warrior. "Don't Sarmatian women breed strong and sturdy knights anymore?" they taunted.

It wasn't until Arthur intervened that the physical assaults on the boy stopped. In its stead, the verbal assaults got all the more poisonous, driving the young boy to tears.

Balan couldn't understand what he'd done wrong.

On a sunny day Arthur took the knights to the fields to practise riding in formation.

All of the knights and Arthur watched in wonder when they saw Balan ride. The boy was a natural with horses! He was a very good rider and showed incredible skill. Balan was thrilled to be reunited with his horse, a magnificent stallion his father had bred from a former war horse and a powerful mare. After two months of separation, the boy had to put the stallion through its paces, as it was bursting with pent up energy. The stallion attempted to break free from Balan's control, as it wanted to race with the other horses. But after Balan had worn the horse out with some exercise, it was amazing to see what the boy managed to make the horse do. Even Tristan barely concealed his appreciation.

Galloping across the field with the other knights, Balan suddenly felt a surge of happiness flow through him. The strong cold wind blew into his face and whipped through his hair and for the first time since coming to Britain, Balan felt free. He raised his wooden sword high in the air and shouted his father's battle cry as the horse's hooves thundered on the ground beneath him.

The knights grinned when they watched him play. Tristan realized that he had not seen a single smile on the boy's face since his arrival at the fort.

When they rode through the gates that evening, a man shouted, "Be careful lad, that horse might eat ya!" A roar of laughter rose from the people on the street.

The laughter died when Tristan stopped his horse right next to the troublemaker and glared down menacingly. "Leave him alone," Tristan growled. The man's face twisted into a snarl and he seemed ready to spit a rude comment. At Tristan's threatening glare, however, the man cowered and walked away, disappearing into a side street.

Nobody shouted anymore. Balan could hear the villagers hissing angrily when he passed them by, whispering their comments behind his back.

As soon as they had entered the stables, Bors walked up to him. "Don't ye listen to them, lad. It won't be long, and then ye'll show 'em something!" He tried to cuff Balan's head. When Balan ducked, Bors laughed and ruffled the boy's hair. Without warning he grabbed Balan, lifted him up and plunged him straight into his horse's trough.

Laughter rose from the knights and even Tristan chuckled when Dagonet handed Balan one of Bors' old shirts to dry himself with. Balan grinned shyly. Jols came over and gave the new boys some brushes and other tools for grooming, which the boys accepted with gratitude.

After the horses had been taken care of, the knights hungrily left for the tavern, in dire need of Vanora's splendid cooking skills.

Later that week the knights went out on a mission. Galahad and Balan were told to stay behind and they watched from the parapets as Pelleas rode out with the knights. Pelleas' sword had been returned to him and he carried a battle axe in his belt. Their friend looked very brave, but Balan and Galahad knew better.

They returned to the practice area and started sparring with their wooden swords. Both boys found the use of a wooden sword extremely humiliating. They hated it more than they were willing to let on. Although Balan had to admit that a wooden sword did have its advantages over a real sword, especially when practising the many new moves that Tristan had taught him. If either of them made a mistake, they were less likely to end up wounding or killing each other.

Sparring with Galahad was different from sparring with Tristan. Tristan could easily block his every move and Balan only managed to strike Tristan if the older knight let him. Galahad was good, but Balan noticed that he had his weaknesses. With his father's and Tristan's lessons in mind, Balan began to focus on getting through Galahad's defences.

Jols watched the boys with a grin. Galahad was most unwilling to let a younger boy best him. However, the curly-haired boy's face was bright red from his efforts, as young Balan certainly gave him a very hard time to uphold his honor!

The villagers took advantage of the knights' absence by taunting the boys worse than ever. The locals hatefully asked Galahad whether he was the baby's new nurse, or perhaps he still needed to be swaddled himself?

Vanora would see no more of it and called the boys over to join her in the tavern. She ushered them into the kitchen.

"No-one comes into my kitchen unless I want it," she told the boys. "And those who do come in, follow my rules. Don't ya listen to them."

Gratitude radiated from Balan's and Galahad's eyes.

"Do you two have yer knives with ya?" Vanora asked.

The boys shook their heads. By Ruccius' orders they were still not allowed the use of real weapons. Vanora dropped two kitchen knives onto the table, followed by a huge pile of carrots and several cabbages.

"Here, cut these up for me. And then you can help me wash the parsnips."

A kitchen maid sneered. But Vanora glared at her and sent the woman out of the kitchen to scrub the tables.