The White Knight

Chapter Four--The Training Begins

          “Are you ready for the run?” Geoffrey asked her.
         “I hope so,” Maria said coming out of the tent.  Even though the chain mail was considerably lighter than the plate armor (and she could move easily in it) she was still carrying an extra thirty pounds.  While she had been able to out run most of the females, a majority of them were wearing chain mail.  With her legs hurting from riding that horse, she was sure she would be behind the pack.
         Sure enough, as soon as they started out on the course, Maria found herself falling behind.  The extra weight was dragging her down.  One of the females, who Maria had left in the dust the previous day, ran around her in circles.  “What’s the matter?  Can’t you keep up?”  The woman turned around and began to run backwards.  “I will race you this way.  Maybe that will give you a fair chance.”
         Geoffrey laughed, “Just leave her alone, Sue.  She will be outrunning you someday.”  He glanced at Maria quickly slowing pace.  “At this rate it might take her ten years.”
         Laughing, Sue turned around and raced off.
         Maria gave a half-hearted slap at Geoffrey, but was not in a joking mood.  The Kingsbane watched as her paced slowed down where she was barely jogging.
         “I don’t think I am going to make it,” Maria whined.
         “I don’t like that attitude,” a voice sounded behind her.
         Maria jumped when Osondria came up beside her; however she kept limping and jogging along.
         “Stop and walk,” the female warrior said.  Breathing a sigh of relief, Maria stopped jogging and began to walk.
         “You must never say that you can’t do something.  If you say or think something like that, you will believe it.  You will not make it as a warrior.”
         “Why do we have to run every day?”
.          "You never know when you have to retreat during a battle," Osondria said.  "When you must run, you have to go as fast as you can.  You can not always rely on having a horse.  I see the speed that you have; you have already shown it the other day.  Now you must do it while wearing chain mail.”
         Maria was slowly getting her breath back, ashamed to be reprimanded.  “I will start running again.  I am ready.”  She began running once again.  The small break she had taken returned some of the strength back to her legs.
         Osondria and Geoffrey ran on both sides of her.  “This is a trick I used when I was a new warrior.  I was like you and had a hard time just like you are having.  So I would run as long as I could.  Then I would stop and walk for a while.  Then I would run again once I was rested.  The thing I did was to run a further distance each time before I stopped.  In no time at all, I was running this course without stopping.
         “Geoffrey, remember that breakfast will not wait for her,” Osondria said.  She ran off, picking up speed with each step.  By this time, Maria and Geoffrey were lagging behind the others.
         “What did she mean by breakfast not waiting?”
         “Everything is done on a schedule.  If we don’t get back in time, we don’t eat.”
         Two hours later they finished the course, Geoffrey at an easy pace and Maria looking like she was going to drop to the ground.  Looking at her face, he knew not to joke with her.  She wanted to do a good job and knew that even a helpful comment may be taken the wrong way.
         “Are you hungry?” he asked her.
         “I’m starved!” she said.  “Do you want to race up to the castle?”
         Geoffrey laughed.  At least she did have some humor in her.
         “Let’s just take it easy.  You have the rest of the day to look forward to.”
         They walked over the drawbridge and entered the courtyard.  Men and women were walking around.  Some were washing themselves off, cleaning the grime and dirt from their bodies.  Others were gathering weapons.
         Osondria approached them, “Sorry that you missed breakfast.  Well at least you will have a larger appetite for lunch,” she said laughing as she walked off.
         “We missed breakfast?” Maria asked in shock.
         “Unfortunately, yes,” the Kingsbane said.  “But we have an hour before the training begins.”  However, Maria turned angrily away and headed for her tent.  She grabbed her helmet and strode towards the moat.  She felt like she was going to burst into tears and did not want Geoffrey to see.  It was not his fault, but she felt like she wanted to take her anger out on somebody.
         Kneeling by the edge of the water, she filled he helmet.  It was a trick Geoffrey had showed her.  Someday she would feel comfortable bathing with others in the moat, but for now this would do the trick.
         Maria vigorously scrubbed at her face.  At least if she started to cry, she could hide her tears with the water.  It wouldn’t be too bad if she wasn’t so hungry.  “There is no way I can make it to lunch!”
         Geoffrey looked at the kneeling form by the moat.  By now everybody had already washed, she was the only person there.  Once again he felt sorry for her.  From the short time he had known Maria he knew that she was a strong-willed and an independent person.  Yet, she was also very vulnerable.  All he wanted to do was hold and comfort her.  Yet, he knew that was not the right thing to do.  He looked down at the sack in his hand.  Hopefully, this would help.  He approached her and sat down next to her.  “Would you like some breakfast?”
         Maria looked up at Geoffrey.  “I thought we were too late.”  The water on the face had refreshed her.  Yet, she still wanted to be left alone.
         “In a way we did miss breakfast, but I got this from my supply.”
         “Your supply?”
         “I always grab an extra piece of bread or a muffin.  Just don’t tell Osondria.  She will string me up by my ears.”
         Maria laughed, taking the muffin from Geoffrey and bit into it.
         “This is delicious!  Thank you!”  They ate in silence for a few minutes, and then she spoke, “This is just between you and me, Geoffrey.  I honestly do not think I am going to make it.  I feel that I am going to let a lot of people down.”
         Geoffrey took her hand and gently held it.  “I can see deeply in you.  I can see that you are frustrated and that you are very discouraged.  Yet, I see the potential in you.  I honestly believe that you are the one.”
         “I just don’t believe in myself,” Maria said, beginning to cry.
         Geoffrey gently gathered Maria in his arms and embraced her.  “You keep up with you are doing, you will believe in yourself,” he whispered, gently rubbing her back.
         Having Geoffrey holding her was very comforting; she had stopped crying and just enjoyed the closeness of the man holding her.  However, it was also very dangerous; she wanted to reach up and kiss him.  She quickly broke the contact and threw the water on her face.
         “Thank you, I needed the encouragement.  I am sure that I am going to need it again.”  She threw some more water on her face.  “We better get back to the castle for the rest of the training.  I am ready for it.”
         She stood up and headed towards the courtyard.
         Geoffrey looked at Maria’s departing figure.  No longer did it belong to a vulnerable person.  It belonged to somebody who was proud.  A little bit of encouragement was what she needed.  However, he hoped she would need more.  If she didn’t need it, hopefully Maria would never forget him.  It felt good to hold her.

         “I take it that you never used a bow and arrow in your world,” Geoffrey said.  Several arrows laid on the ground a few feet from Maria and to her right.  All around them the bowmen were shooting arrows into bales of hay.  The air at the northern part of the courtyard was filled with the sounds of twanging bowstrings as the arrows were released.
         “You make it seem so easy,” she said.
         “You will get it.  All it takes is just some practice.” 
         Osondria wanted Geoffrey to begin her official training.  “I am not sure if she will be more suited to be a Kingsbane or a warrior.  She should receive both types of training.”
         Maria was pleased to hear this.  She was not looking forward to more torture from Osondria.  Still, she was stumped by something as simple as shooting an arrow.
         “Maybe we should start with the basics.  You are holding the bow backwards.”  Maria was holding the bow so that the string was facing the bale of hay.
         “Oops,” she said laughing, turning the bow around.
         “Hold on,” said Geoffrey, as Maria reached for an arrow.  “You are holding the bow in the wrong hand.  Don’t you write with your right hand?”
         “Yes,” Maria replied.  “I am stronger on my right side.”
         “That is your dominant side.  You need your stronger hand to pull back on the string.  Therefore, you hold the bow in your left hand.  That is your bow hand.  Your right hand is your drawing hand or string hand.
         “I will show you’re the proper way to fit the arrow to the string.  Just follow my movements.”
         Goeffrey pointed his bow to the ground.  “We always load the arrow with the bow pointed to the ground.  This is the safest way to do it.  That way you do not accidentally shoot anybody.
         “Do you see the V grooves on the shaft of the arrows?”
         “Yes.”
         “This is called a nock.  You put the string through this.  This is called nocking the arrow.”
         Maria clumsily nocked the arrow.
         “Good job,” Geoffrey said when Maria finally had the arrow fitted.  “Now put you index finger above the arrow and the middle and ring finger below it.
         “We raise the bow and draw the arrow at the same time.  Watch how I do it.”
         In one fluid movement, Geoffrey raised his bow and pulled the string towards his face.  He stopped pulling when the tips of his fingers reached the bridge of his nose.  He relaxed his arm and lowered the bow.  Then he repeated the motion several times, each time stopping the draw when his fingers reached his nose.  The last time he held his stance.
         “Take a look at my bow arm.  It is aiming at the target and the side of the elbow is parallel to the ground.  You always draw back and stop in the same area.  If you don’t do this, your shots will be off.”  He relaxed his arms.  “Now it is your turn.”
         Maria started to draw back as Geoffrey told her.  “Hold it!” he said.  “Haven’t you been paying attention,” he said, slapping himself in the head.  “What am I going to do with you?”
         “What?” Maria asked, laughing, knowing Geoffrey was joking.          
         “Take a look at your stance!”
         “Oops!”
         She turned her body so it was perpendicular to the target, her bow side closest to it.
         “Open up your stance a little; remember they should be shoulder width apart.  That is perfect,” Geoffrey said.  “Now raise your bow and draw the arrow the way I had showed you.”
         Maria did as she was instructed.  However, she could not draw the string back far enough to her face.  Her arm was too weak.
         “Relax,” said Geoffrey. “You did fine.  Eventually you will be strong enough to draw back to your face.  Let’s just draw back far enough for you to be comfortable.  It is simple to release the arrow.  All you have to do is relax the fingers on your drawing hand.”  Geoffrey raised his bow, drew back on the string and released the arrow.  The arrow flew and sunk into the center of the hay bale.  “Now it is your turn.”
         Maria’s arrow flew six feet before it stuck into the ground.  “That’s an improvement,” she laughed.  “It even went in a straight line.”
         “Maybe you will do better with a crossbow.” 

         “I don’t know how you do it, Geoffrey,” Maria said as they sat down to eat dinner.  “You have not slept at all today and you have to pull guard duty.”  She bit down into her chicken and savored the flavor.  No where in her world did food taste as delicious as the food in Utofamia.  “I have to find out the recipes for this food,” she thought to herself.  “If I ever return to my world, I can open up a restaurant.  I can call it ‘Uto’s Finest Cuisine.’”  She looked over at Geoffrey.  “Are you all right?”  She asked him.  “You hardly ate anything.”
         “I will be fine,” he said, “taking a small bite from his food.  I’m just tired.  At least, if I make it through the night, I will have a few days off.  Then I can catch up on my beauty sleep.”  He smiled weakly.
         Maria suddenly had an idea.  “If I am training in both of the skills of a Kingsbane and a knight, I should be pulling guard duty also.  I wouldn’t mind pulling it tonight with you.”
         Geoffrey suddenly perked up.  “That sounds like a good idea!  I have to clear it with Sir Peter.”  He got up and walked over to the knight and talked with him for a few minutes.  Then he returned to Maria.  “Sir Peter says that is fine.  He just wants me to protect you.”
         “Is it a dangerous job?” Maria asked, now wondering if she was putting herself in a difficult position.”“I am assigned to the outer perimeter tonight,” Geoffrey said.  “We will be towards the edge of the King’s realm.  It can be dangerous, since this would be where the most invasions can occur.  However, since this is more or less a time of peace, I never had a problem.  There is only one thing that you need to know, if I tell you to do something, do it.  Do not ask any questions.”
         “This is our position,” Geoffrey said, as they came to a group of pine trees.  “You still seem a little shaky on the horse,” he said, after he dismounted his horse easily and watched as Maria struggled to get off hers.
         “I am not sure if I will ever get used to these,” she said, as she followed the Kingsbane, leading her horse.
         “It was too far to walk,” he said.
         “Aren’t you afraid that they will run off?”
         “No, these horses are almost human.  They will stay where they are, wandering off a little to eat some grass.  They are trained to come to our aid if they are needed.”  They walked to the pine trees and sat down.
         “Aren’t we going to build a fire?”  Maria asked, remembering the one when Geoffrey found her, remembering how the group was laughing and joking around it.
         “No,” Geoffrey replied.  “It is not safe to have a fire on the outside perimeter.  As I stated earlier today, this is the most vulnerable position.  All the outside boundaries are where the Black Knights would try to enter.  My job is to be eyes and ears.  I have to rely more on my ears though, since it is night.  Thankfully the moon gives enough light for us to see the forest road.”
         The road was ten feet in front of them.  Maria, after her eyes adjusted to the dark, could see it.  She could even see the trees on the other side of it.
         “Silence,” Geoffrey whispered, “I hear somebody approaching.  I am sure I know who it is, but we have to do the proper procedure.”
         Maria strained her ears and soon could hear a horse’s hooves on the road. 
         “Stay right here and watch what I do.”
         When the horse and rider were almost directly in front of them, Geoffrey drew his arrow and knocked it.  Drawing back, he stepped in view of the rider.
         “Indentify yourself!” he commanded.
         “The rider laughed, “You know it’s me, Geoffrey.  I guess you don’t want any new armor delivered to the castle.”
         “Thomas, we have to follow procedure.  Identify yourself.”
         “It is I Thomas, the armorer, delivering armor to the King.”
         “Stick,” said Geoffrey.
         “Ball,” said Thomas.
         “You are cleared,” said Geoffrey.  “You may go on your way.”
         “I appreciate it, Geoffrey.  Have a good night, Maria,” he said riding off.
         After Thomas rode off, Geoffrey returned to Maria.  “Every night we have a new challenge and password that we have to remember.  People don’t normally travel the road at night.  However, once in a while we get a lone traveler, one who is just going from one village to the next.  If he does not know the password, then we have to detain them until we get clearance from Sir Peter or King Alexander to release them.”
          “I do remember something about that first night,” Maria said.  “When you saw me, you did not challenge me.  You immediately did not even give me a chance to identify myself.  You immediately accused me of being a spy,” she added a little angrily, forgetting that Geoffrey was now a friend.
         “I know,” said Geoffrey.  “I let it get to me.  I totally forgot about the proper way to handle strangers.  I think it was because a stranger had infiltrated so far into the hunting  grounds.  You are still mad at me, aren’t you?”

         “No.  In a way everything worked out.  You did believe me after a while.”
         “I was irritated that night, and I think that is why I was harsh with you.”
         “What were you irritated with?”
         “Basically, it was the other men.  They think it is a big joke, pulling guard duty.  They were just standing around the fire, joking around, thinking it was a big party.”
         “I noticed that also.  I was able to follow the sounds of their laughter.”
         “I needed to get away from them or I would have said something that I would have regretted.  They are my friends and I don’t want to do anything to jeopardize the friendship.  They just do not realize and understand that they are not invulnerable that close to the castle.  Any enemy making past the outer boundaries can pull a surprise attack on them.  It should be the other way around; we should be as quiet as possible, without a camp fire, without noise, able to take the enemy by surprise.”
         “I understand completely,” Maria said.
         “You want to know something?” Geoffrey asked, unfastening a tie around his bag.
         “What?” she asked.
         “I am finally hungry!”  Would you like some chicken?  It is cold, but still tastes good.”
         “I’ve always liked cold chicken.”
         They ate in silence for a few minutes. 
         “Geoffrey, I know that you haven’t slept at all today.  If you want, close your eyes and rest.  I can keep watch.”
         “Are you sure?” he asked, looking at her.  She could see the dark circles under his eyes.
         “I’m sure,” she said.  “I will wake you if I hear somebody approaching.”
         “I appreciate your offer,” he said, “but that is not…”
         Before he finished speaking, his head nodded forward and he fell asleep.
         Maria gently laid him down on the ground.  Then she took his bow and arrow and stood guard.
         Throughout the night she stood and watched, jumping at every sound.  However, nobody came down the forest road.  Soon she could see the pink streaks in the sky, indicating the beginning of a sunrise. 
         “Now I know why Geoffrey prefers pulling duty at night.  This sunset is beautiful.”  She knelt down next to the still sleeping Geoffrey and gently shook him.
         “Why did you let me sleep so long?” he asked.
         “You needed it,” Maria replied.  “Besides nothing interesting happened.”