014 Swimming

"Do you three know how to swim, boys?" Brumear asked one day.

Though most of the knights were able to swim, several brave men had died down the years because battle had lured them into deeper water. Unable to swim, they had lost their lives not by the sword, but by their lack of ability. Arthur was unwilling to lose his men this way. He convinced Ruccius to let him take his future knights down to a river to practise swimming.

"Tristan!" Ruccius bellowed. "Your boy will not be going!"

Balan looked up. He had lost his right to ride a horse by himself; Arthur had decided he should ride with Tristan. Now that they were ready to leave, he was mounted behind the scout.

Tristan stared into Ruccius eyes. "I will watch him," he said calmly.

"That boy is a deserter! How will you watch him when he sits behind your back? Before you know it, he will jump down and disappear into the forest!"

Ruccius seemed unwilling to budge.

"How could the boy get far with all of us on horses? There is no way he could possibly get away!" Lancelot commented.

Ruccius sent him a glare and persisted.

Tristan motioned for Balan to get down. Heavily disappointed Balan slid to the ground. He had longed to leave the fort and join the knights in the forest for once. Tristan dismounted as well and his eyes rested on his commander's face. Then he lifted Balan back into the saddle and mounted up behind him. He calmly glanced at Ruccius. "Better now?" he seemed to ask.

"It is my wish that this boy learns how to swim, Ruccius," Arthur spoke. "We will watch him closely."

"He won't be able to get away," Tristan added, his arms reaching around Balan to take the reins.

Ruccius stared at them with disgust, but he seemed to conclude that the counter-argument was reasonable.

He gritted his teeth and nodded.

"I will hold you responsible if the boy does not return!" he warned Tristan.

Arthur gave a signal and the knights rode out through the gates.

Though it was still very early in the morning, it was already getting warm. Lancelot lazily let the sun tickle his face.

"Mmm! On days like this I don't mind swimming," he sighed blissfully.

"Don't get too happy yet!" Gaheris laughed. "You will be on guard duty for most of the day!"

"Do you claim that you want to spend the entire day soaking your ass in the river while your boy is learning how to swim?" Lancelot asked with feigned indignation.

"Most of it," Gaheris grinned.

"Ah! You will get tired of it and take over from me after a while," Lancelot said confidently.

Tristan observed that Balan was paying close attention to his surroundings. Though the boy leant against Tristan's chest, he was watching and listening intently as they rode through the forest.

"What do you hear, boy?" he asked.

"Nothing but the lack of wind," Balan answered. "Tristan? What if there is an attack? You cannot fight with me in front of you."

Tristan smiled behind the boy's back.

"At the first hint of an attack, I want you to hand me my bow and some arrows."

Balan nodded.

"Then you take the reins and do exactly as I tell you."

Tristan pointed to a dagger in his quiver and then to a long-knife that was attached to the leather bag which held his bow.

"Take these to defend yourself if needed. I will teach you how to use them properly when we get home."

Pleased by the prospect of learning more skills, Balan turned his attention back to the woods.

When they reached the river, the knights made a camp for the day. They took turns guarding the river bank and the perimeter of the camp, while the others swam in the river or rested lazily in the sun.

"This is heaven!" Brumear sighed.

"On this island?" Lancelot asked sarcastically.

"Well, as close as it gets anyway," Brumear chortled with a peaceful grin on his face.

Tristan took off his clothes and motioned for Balan to do the same. "Come boy," he said, as he waded into the river.

Balan followed him hesitantly. The water was cold! But Tristan ignored the chill, therefore Balan bit his lip and did the same. To his left, Dagonet, Gaheris and Agravaine plunged into the water. Pelleas and Galahad watched from the shore. Balan waved at them.

When the water reached above his knees, Balan stopped. He had never gone deeper than this. Tristan turned around and looked at him. "Are you coming?" he seemed to ask. Balan shivered. "You will soon get used to the cold, boy," Tristan encouraged. "Come! Go a little deeper."

Balan gasped when the water reached up to his waist. "Far enough," Tristan chuckled. He waded back to the boy. "Bend your knees, shoulders under water," he ordered. Balan gritted his teeth at the cold, but he obeyed.

Tristan nodded approvingly. He stayed close to the boy and let him do several exercises.

"Feel boy," he said. "The water can almost carry you. But not quite yet."

Balan moved around in the water and felt what Tristan meant.

"In order to swim, you must make sure that the water can carry you," Tristan added. "Give me your hands."

A little hesitantly, Balan laid his hands in Tristan's large ones.

"I won't let you drown," Tristan promised.

They waded deeper into the river until the water reached Balan's chest. Here Tristan stopped.

"Listen boy. I'm going to walk and pull you with me. You may walk when you follow me, but after a while I want you to lift your feet off the ground. OK?"

Balan gripped Tristan's hands firmly in response.

Tristan walked backwards and Balan followed. Slowly, Tristan increased his pace and Balan had trouble keeping up. Somehow the water got more and more in the way. He was tilting forward and his feet were falling behind. Faster and faster they went and Balan's steps grew larger and larger, until finally his feet didn't touch the ground anymore and he felt himself gliding through the water! Balan laughed hysterically, thrilled at this wonderful new feeling.

Tristan's eyes twinkled mirthfully. So the boy loved this. Good!

When Tristan stopped walking, Balan suddenly panicked, not knowing how to keep his head above the surface. Tristan pulled him to his feet and Balan was relieved to notice that he could stand. "We're going to do this again," Tristan announced, an amused grin playing around his lips. "This time I will slow down once you are gliding. You will notice it will be less easy to stay afloat, but you will still be fine without your feet on the ground. I will hold you, boy."

They practised until Balan had found enough confidence to keep his feet off the ground, even at a slower pace. Then Tristan made him practise the leg movement for swimming.

Tristan smiled when the boy swam away from his outstretched arms. "Don't go too far, boy!" he called. Balan tried to turn around, but failed miserably and disappeared under water. Tristan quickly went after him and pulled him up. "On your feet, boy! You can stand here," he laughed.

Lancelot approached them. "Drowning, Balan?" he teased. "You had better practice harder, or the fish will have you for supper!" The cocky knight lifted the boy in the air and tossed him back into the water with a splash. Balan giggled. "I love swimming!" he beamed up at Lancelot. "Then try again," Tristan replied and he lifted the boy up on his arms to let him swim once more.

They practised for another hour until Balan began to feel quite confident. Then Tristan took Balan to the deeper part of the river. While the boy held on to his shoulders, Tristan swam to the opposite shore and back again. Arthur and Lamorak joined them, both complimenting Tristan on Balan's progress.

It was mid-afternoon when Tristan decided it had been enough for the day. He chased Balan out of the water. Dagonet and Gaheris were still teaching Pelleas, who was steadily getting better at keeping his head above the surface. Galahad, who had already been able to swim, practised swimming under water with Bedivere. "Can you teach me that?" Balan asked hopefully. "Next time," Tristan promised.

Tristan got dressed and gathered his weapons. "Wash your clothes, boy," Tristan ordered. Then he mounted up and rode away for his turn at guard duty. Balan carefully washed the mud from his clothes and then hung them on a few branches to dry.