Arthur

Eventide

Freeman Tremaine sat alone at the small round table. It was that time of year for the King's Joust; around him the tavern was full of revellers; many were more than a few over their capacity and the noise level had grown as more and more mugs of ale disappeared down thirsty throats.

The crowd was a mixed one; known Knights mixed loosely with the common towns folk; the three serving wenches were joined by the very young pot boy as the demand for ale and food grew.

Freeman was happy to sit alone; his left hand rested loosely on the leather scabbard of his sword. It was nothing special as far as anyone could see; it was the sword of a soldier and did not show his true station in life, the same could be said for his travelling clothes.

They were a mix of sturdy wool and worn leather; the jerkin had seen a lot of wear over the years he had owned it; the trews were heavy wool and his travelling boots were well worn but comfortable. Freeman Tremaine was a plain looking man and was often overlooked in a crowd; only the three rings he wore on his right hand told those in the know who he really was.

As he sat and watched the tumultuous and raucous crowd of drinkers; it was the young skinny pot boy that took his interest; there was something about the young boy that caught his attention. If someone had asked him what had caught his eye, Freeman would not have been able to tell them.

Freeman continued his watch as the night wore on; he was now only on his second ale and the platter of food stood barely touched; around him the crowd had grown noisy and a little disruptive; nothing really new for the times.

The small young pot boy had just served a table of four Knights and their younger Squires; as the boy moved away, one of the Knights; by his colours, a Teutonic Knight; reached for the boy and, with a heavy hand; grasped the boy's buttocks under his old and somewhat dirty smock.

The reaction was far more than Freeman, or as it turned out, the Knight himself would have expected from any man let alone a small pot boy in a backward little village.

Freeman watched in awe as the boy performed not just a turn; but more of a pirouette as he spun on one foot and slammed his heavy wooden tray into the head of the Knight; so much power was generated by the fast spin that the heavy tray split down the centre and left a deep gash in the cheek of the Knight.

Freeman was already moving as the loud crash of the tray brought a sudden hush to the once rowdy tavern. In three strides, Freeman was beside the table just as the large Knight regained his senses enough to grasp the hilt of his sword; it was plainly obvious to see where the point of the large sword was going to end up.

The pot boy looked stunned by his actions as the Knight quickly got to his feet; the large sword almost halfway out of the fancy scabbard. The hushed silence in the tavern drew every eye to the small boy and the angry Knight now standing over him.

In these times it was an almost certain death sentence for any commoner to strike a Knight; the future of the pot boy was very grim.

Freeman made it to the table just as the sword was halfway out; with a low growl, Freeman clamped his hand over that of the Knight; the small boy still frozen with the shock at what he had done; Freeman spoke loudly as he broke the spell.

"Hold! Sir Knight."

The Knight looked at the hand holding his sword arm in a strong grip; at first he was angry then; after seeing the three rings, he looked up into the placid face of the youngish looking man.

"This is a matter of Honour Sir."

"But who's Honour, Sir Knight?"

"What matter is it of yours, Sir?"

"From my eyes it seems the boy's Honour and chastity was offended by your touch; should it not be the boy whom is offered the apology?"

"I am a Knight of the crown, Sir; he is but a commoner, his blood belongs to me."

"Perhaps Sir Knight but, the boy belongs to me."

"How so Sir?"

"I have this minute decided to take him as my Squire; now I suggest you sheath your sword before this goes too far."

Freeman lifted his right hand from the Knight's wrist so the Knight could better see the three rings he wore; the look of shock on the Knight's face told its own story.

"My sincere apologies to you, Sir Knight; I am sorry that my state of inebriation did not allow me to see your signet more clearly."

"Then this is over and we will speak no more about it, agreed?"

"Agreed, again my apologies."

"None needed Sir Knight, it is past and forgotten."

Freeman looked at the terrified boy, the two halves of the broken tray still in his hands.

"You can drop the tray boy; I have no wish to be sliced and diced with such a weapon." Freeman smiled as he spoke so as not to scare the boy any further.

The boy dropped the broken tray without even realizing it as the man smiled at him.

"Come on boy, join me at my table; we have things to discuss and my ale is warming."

Freeman led the hesitant boy back to his table; taking one of the rough stools, he indicated the boy should sit on the other. The boy still looked uncertain and a little scared; it was not often that a common pot boy was told to sit at a Knight's table.

Freeman looked at the young boy; he looked to be about ten summers; his body looked underfed and a little dirty; the boy's hair was long and hung midway to his shoulder blades. It was unkempt and knotted and would benefit from a lot of hot water as would the boy's scant clothing.

"What is your name boy?"

The boy still looked terrified and found it hard to find his voice; his small hands were clasped tightly in his lap and his head bowed so he would not have to look the man in the eye.

Finally, after further coaxing by the stranger; the boy softly whispered.

"Eventide, Sire."

"Eventide; hmmm, an unusual name; how many summers do you have boy; to my eyes I would say Ten?"

"Uhm, no Sire, I have thirteen summers."

"Thirteen, I see; then you have some eating to do; we had better start by you eating this food on my table, I am not overly hungry and it's a pity to waste."

Eventide could not believe his ears; on the table in front of him was a veritable feast, something he had never been a party to.

The table held most of a full round of fresh bread, a large cut of cheese and a well cooked joint of lamb; Eventide's hand shook as he reached for a small piece of bread; he did not want to insult the generosity of the man by taking too much.

Freeman watched the tentative hand of Eventide take a minute piece of bread; it almost brought a chuckle to his lips but he refrained; instead he broke the bread in a large piece then piled a number of cuts of meat and cheese onto his plate then slid it over to the boy.

"Eat Eventide, this is no time to be hesitant; I need my new Squire to be healthy for what lay ahead."

"Squire Sire?"

"Did you not hear me before? I have decided I would like you to be my new Squire."

"But Sire, I know nothing of such things I would have thought a great Knight would have many good Squires."

"Not for me young Eventide; I need a Squire with fire in his belly and a desire to learn and better himself; too many nowadays are pampered brats; I want a fighter who is not afraid of any man; just like you."

"But I am nobody Sire; just a lowly pot boy with no home and no family."

"Certainly that is true Eventide; but a nobody who was prepared to die for his own chastity and virtue; that certainly means to me that you are no normal pot boy."

"I did not know he was a great Knight Sire; had I known I would not have struck him."

"You did the right thing; it was your chastity and honour that was at stake; for that alone I admire you; now are you going to be my new Squire, young Eventide?"

"I would like that to be true Sire but I have no idea what is wanted of me for such a position?"

"It is simple young man; you watch over me and my wares in exchange I teach you to read and write as well as learn arms and tactics of battle; when the time is right I will have you made a Knight."

"It is a great honour Sire but why me? I am not well born or have any family to pay my way?"

"Oh Eventide, you are too honest for your own good and that is what draws me to want you as my Squire."

As he finished speaking, the tavern owner arrived with a small wooden cudgel in his hand.

"My Lord is this boy troubling you; if so I will soon change his ways." The tavern keeper lifted the cudgel over Eventide's head in a threatening manner.

Freeman jumped to his feet and grasped the man's hand before Eventide was hurt; drawing a small dagger from his jerkin, he pushed it close to the man's neck.

"Lay one hand on my Squire and I will gut you where you stand; now back away and leave us in peace; Eventide is no longer your concern."

The fear in the tavern keeper's face was palpable as his bladder released and the rank smell of urine filled the tavern; hurriedly he left the pair to go and change his clothes; the boy was not worth losing his life over.

Freeman sat back at the table with a smile on his face; the shocked look on Eventide's face was almost enough to bring a chuckle to the man.

"Come now Eventide. Eat up; you will need your strength in the days to come; there is much for you to learn before we get to the King's Joust."

"The King's Joust Sire?"

"Of course the King's Joust; you don't think all these Knights and squires are here just for the food and ale do you?"

"No Sire, not at all; but what has the Joust to do with me?"

"Why, you are to join the Joust in the Squires Melee and I only have seven days to get you ready as well as show you your duties to me."

"Me, in a Joust Sire?"

"Of course you Eventide; you are my Squire now; don't worry, there are no real weapons used only blunt practice weapons made of wood; it is not a fight to the death. It will be good experience for you."

"Me in a Joust?"

"Yes Eventide; you in a Joust." Freeman could not help smiling; he did not expect anything from the boy but the experience would be good for him if nothing else.

"Tell me about yourself, Eventide?"

"There is little to tell, Sire."

"Humour me anyway."

"Yes Sire, well my father was a bowman for Baron Chaucer; he went to the Holy Land on crusade but never returned; I was very young at the time. I was taken in by my only uncle; he was a blacksmith and sword maker. Last summer we were raided by the Norsemen and Uncle was killed defending the village; with no one to take me in I walked this far and found work in the tavern. That's all there is Sire."

"That's a long way from the coast to here; do you know anything about your older family?"

"A little Sire, my uncle told me we were descendant from the old ones." Eventide reached into the neck of his dirty smock and pulled out a smooth circle of stone on a faded blue ribbon; on the face of the stone were two finely carved runes.

"Uncle said the ribbon is to remind us of our homeland and the power of Woad, the stone is the rune of protection from the ancient Druids who he said were a part of our old family; I do not know of the truth of this Sire; it is just what I was told by my uncle."

"A fine tale indeed; perhaps there is more truth in this than you think; now it is time you were washed and got some rest. stay here while I get the tavern keeper to ready a bath for you; you had best finish off that lamb and bread; it will take the wenches time to heat the water. I do not want my Squire to be running around with dirt on his hands."

Freeman laughed as he left the table to see to the bath water; being an obedient boy, Eventide tried to finish off the last of the lamb and bread, no mean feat for a small, skinny boy.

The bath house was at the rear of the tavern and consisted of a small room with a single tin bath at the centre; it was filled with two buckets of hot water then cold was added to the liking of the bather.

Eventide had been given a white bath cloth with a bar of strong yellow soap; there was also a hard bath brush to get rid of any ingrained dirty. Eventide was not really surprised to have Freeman follow him into the bath house after all, it was the man's duty to watch over his Squire and see that he was clean to the man's satisfaction.

It took a lot of rubbing and scrubbing along with a change of hot water before Freeman was finally satisfied that Eventide was truly clean; the boy's long hair was wet and would need a good hard combing before anything could be done with it; that would be the next objective.

All the time during the bathing; nothing had been said about Eventide's state of nakedness; he was now Squire to a Knight and that was all that was needed to be said; his new duties would now all centre around the needs of his Patron and Benefactor.

Freeman waited for Eventide to dry his small thin body before telling him to leave his long and well knotted hair damp. When Eventide had done as asked, Freeman went to his small leather bag he had carried into the bathing room; taking some implements out of the bag, he turned back to the seated and waiting boy.

Eventide saw that Freeman carried what looked like a two sided bronze comb; one side with larger teeth than the other and in his other hand he carried what looked to be a pair of sheers but far smaller than those used on sheep's wool; they were also made from a very bright shiny metal not unlike silver.

Eventide felt a little fear rise up for the first time; he prayed that the man did not intend to remove all his hair; it would be against everything his uncle had told him about the old ones.

Freeman saw the fear laden look in the boy's eyes when he saw the two implements; wanting to settle any misgivings the boy may have about his intentions, Freeman decided to ask him why he was afraid.

"Are you going to cut all my hair off Sire?"

"Do you want me too?"

"No Sire."

"Then we will not cut it all off but I do have to trim some of it so you can see better; there are also some knots that I will not be able to comb out."

"Yes Sire."

The boy seemed to be resigned at losing his hair although he was obviously not happy about it; Freeman decided to learn more about the sad look on the boy's face.

"Why don't you tell me why you want your hair long, perhaps we can come to some arrangement?"

"My uncle Sire."

"What about your uncle?"

"He told me it was a part of being with the old ones; our hair is our strength just like the Woad and the amulet of runes."

"I see, well then far be it for me to play with another's beliefs; what say we trim the front and top so you have a clear vision and we leave the back long but tie it up in braid form?"

Eventide felt better as he smiled up at the man whom seemed to understand things so easily.

"Thank you Sire; that would do well."

Freeman set about trying to take the thick and heavy knots out of the boy's long hair; after using the larger teeth he then turned the comb and once again went through the thick hair with the smaller and finer teeth.

By the time he was finished, it had taken the best part of half an hour to get the hair to a state where he could now begin to trim it back. Another half hour passed before he could step back and look at the results of his hard work; what he saw pleased him greatly.

After his bath and hair cut, Eventide felt like a new person although he was now becoming very tired; it had been a long and exciting day and it was all catching up with him. Freeman saw the boy yawn widely and smiled; it was time for the boy to rest; there would be plenty of time to get to know him better in the months and years to come.

Freeman half carried the boy to his room on the top floor of the tavern; after leaving the semi naked boy standing in the centre of the room; he went to a rough wooden cupboard and pulled out a thick straw pallet; laying it on the floor next to his own bed; he threw two thick blankets on it and pointed to it.

The boy Eventide was only too glad to fall onto the pallet and pull the thick blankets over his semi naked body; he was fast asleep before Freeman had even removed his own boots. He smiled at the already sleeping boy and quickly readied for his own bed; tomorrow was going to be a busy day.

The next morning, much to Freeman's surprise; Eventide was up at first cock crow, just like himself; after both had used the wooden bucket set in the corner and splashed their faces with the cold water in a bowl on the sideboard, Freeman looked at Eventide with a calculating eye; Eventide felt embarrassed by the searching gaze of the man who had rescued him.

"Well now, what are we going to do about some new clothes for you and you will need some boots as well if you are going to ride?"

"Ride Sire?"

"Of course, no Squire of mine is going to walk all the way to the King's county."

"But I don't know how to ride Sire."

"There's nothing to it, just sit on top of the horse and let him do the work; it's what horses are for. Now let's get you outfitted in the manner my Squire should be. Put your old smock on for now; it's not clean but better than showing your body parts to the wakening world."

Eventide did as he was asked; the feel of the dirty smock left him with a shiver; the only good grace was the thought of actually having new clothes; something that had never happened to him.

Freeman led his small charge down the stairs and into the tavern; from somewhere in the back they could hear the sound of someone starting to cook breakfast; they would return after their purchasing to eat.

As they walked through the dark tavern, they noticed that there were still those who never made it back to their homes or rooms. In one corner were two locals bent over a table snoring loudly; in another corner there was the unmistakeable sight of a young Squire with his trews around his ankles and fast asleep partially under what looked like one of the town guards; both were sound asleep and ignorant of anything around them.

Freeman had seen it all before but was amused to see the blush on his charges face as they opened the door and left the rank smell of stale ale and other nefarious goings on of the night before.

The new day was typically overcast but the freshness of the day soon had their blood working. It took only minutes for them to find the local shop where clothes were sold; as expected it was still closed but it did not seem to worry Freeman as he began to knock loudly on the closed door.

It took a little while before they could hear a grumpy voice approaching the door; as it unlocked, the shop keeper was about to complain he would not open for business for another few hours; that was until he saw who is early morning customer was.

"Good morning Sire, I'm sorry I am not really prepared for business at such and early hour."

"Well my needs are more important than your sleep; I need clothing for my Squire and we don't have much time; if you wish for my custom then let us get it done and you can return to your bed the sooner."

"Yes Sire, as you wish."

"Good man, now let's get this boy clothed. First I want two of the best underclothes you have; next two good woollen shirts and two pair of strong woollen trews also four pairs of hose; can you do it?"

"Uhm, yes Sire but the underclothes may be a little on the large size; there is not a lot of call for them in this village at his size."

"I'm sure they will be ok for now; I will have better ones made when we get to the manor."

The sleepy shop keeper walked to some shelves and began to look through the bundles of linen on one of them; after laying some linen underclothes on the counter, he next gathered the best trews and shirts he had that would fit the boy; the hose was easier and it was only a short time later that he had everything placed out for the noble and his Squire.

Freeman looked at the quality of the clothing and grimaced at the poor fabric of them; as he saw it at least his boy would have something better to wear; he would have to have him totally refitted when they got to the manor and had the benefit of the larger city to shop in.

After Eventide was allowed to dress in his new clothes; Freeman paid the shop keeper and left to find a leather worker; Eventide had been wise enough not to put on any of the new white hose, he would have to wait until they found some boots for him.

At the leather workers shop the scene was the same and again it took a lot of thumping on the door before the half asleep man answered; Freeman wasted no time in telling the man what he wanted and how quickly. Eventide was surprised at the forcefulness of his new patron.

After looking through some of the leather clothing; Freeman asked if that was all he had to fit his squire; most of it was not up to his exacting standards. As the poor man looked at the small pile of what would fit such a small boy; he looked up at Freeman and told him.

"Sire, I do have one outfit that may measure up but it is not cheap; I personally made it for another boy who sadly died before his father bought it; it may fit the young Squire."

"Let me see it; I only hope it is better quality than what you have shown me so far."

The man bowed and left for a back room and soon arrived back carrying a small bundle of black leather clothes; one look and Eventide could see how good they were; Freeman on the other hand was not overly impressed but he had little option if he wanted his squire properly clothed to travel.

There was no doubt they were of better quality but still not used to what Freeman would have used. After having Eventide try them on he relented and took them, after all, they were only two silver coins and would do for his boy as rough training wear at a later date.

The next stop was a boot makers; here they found a reasonable pair of riding boots and a softer pair for around the manor; after having the shop keeper provide a wash bowl of water for Eventide to clean his feet of the dirt of the street; Freeman had him put on a pair of the light linen hose and then his stronger riding boots.

Eventide could not believe the coin that his mentor was spending on him; so far it had amounted to more than four silver coins and yet the man still did not seem to be finished.

"What is your best weapon, Eventide?"

"I only know the staff Sire."

"Then a staff it will be for now."

Freeman led his boy towards the blacksmiths shop; it was plainly obvious that this man was an early riser; his apprentice was already at work on the large bellows as the forge heated up.

They were greeted by a large and somewhat grisly man; his huge hands were ingrained with the coke of his forge and his thick leather apron was well worn.

"Greetings Sire and young sir, what do you need of me?"

"I want a good dagger and a solid staff for my Squire; what do you have?"

"The dagger I have many of, some are more expensive than others; they are not of city quality but I think you will find them well serviceable; as to the staff, I do have one although it is a little used. I made it for my own son when he was smaller than today; it is made of good solid Yew and I personally capped both ends with cast iron. Perhaps the young squire would like to test it?"

"Very good, let him try it out while I look over your daggers."

Eventide could not believe his ears; daggers of any quality were expensive and he had little use for one or even how to use it properly; the staff however was more to his style.

When the staff was given to him, it was as though it had been made just for his hands; as he spun it around and went through his own practice round it felt good in his hands; if he was allowed to keep it he would treasure it for the rest of his life.

When Freeman looked at him; he smiled and nodded his head; freeman turned to the blacksmith.

"The staff is good we will take it; of the daggers there is only one that I find reasonably suitable; find a scabbard for it and send your boy for a belt, make sure it is properly honed and have the boy deliver them to the tavern before midday; we will be leaving then. I will have your payment ready when they arrive."

"Yes Sire, and the staff; will we have it also delivered?"

"No, we will take it with us now; make sure the rest is on time."

"It will be as you wish Sire and thank ye for the custom."

Freeman was now satisfied, his boy was clothed and booted properly for travel and would soon have his dagger for more protection although he had been surprised at the ability of the boy with the staff; he was showing all the promise he thought the boy had.

Breakfast in this small village was a surprise; there were ample eggs and well cured bacon along with a hot, sweet mead; it all went down well and it was good to see that Eventide ate well and until he was full; the boy was catching on to the fact he could now eat as well as he wanted.

Just as they finished breakfast, the blacksmith arrived with their earlier purchases; Freeman was pleased to see it all so quickly; it would allow them to get away earlier than normal and would miss all the rush of the other visitors leaving for the King's Joust.

After having Eventide put his new clothes in one of his own travel bags; Freeman led the boy towards the taverns stables where his horses were waiting; for Eventide this was to be another surprise.

As they entered the stable, the first three stalls were filled by Freeman's horses, two were his war horses and the other was his riding horse; Eventide could not believe what he was looking at.

The riding horse was nearly sixteen hands and was almost a pure white but it was the two war horses that caught his attention the most.

Eventide was hesitant about getting too close to the enormous horses; he felt that even if he stretched to his utmost he would not be able to reach their backs. Their manes, tales and hocks were all long white hair and their main colour was a dark brown almost too black.

As he looked at the enormous horses he saw that their heads looked to be even bigger than his body; tentively he looked at Freeman and then asked.

"Sire, can I ask a question?"

"Of course you can, if you don't ask questions you will never learn; anytime you see something you don't understand, just ask me; I want you to learn everything you can."

Eventide thought for a moment then asked his question, the first of many as he would find out later.

"Why are they so big and what are they; I have never heard of such giant horses?"

"Aha, your first question is a good one. Well my new squire, these are my war horses; they come from the Flemish coast and are called Percheron's; they are the finest war horses you can get. This other one is my riding horse, it is called an Arabic; it comes from the great deserts of the Holy Land."

"What is a desert?"

"Another good question, you are doing well. A desert is a wasteland of yellow and red sand; a man can travel for a hundred days and not see water. It is a dangerous and hot place; not the place for a scared man to travel."

"A hundred days without water? How can a man live there and why would you want to have horses in such a place?"

"These Arabic horses are specially bred for the hot dry climate; they also have an animal called a Camel; they can travel for days without drinking and live their lives in the middle of deserts."

Eventide tried hard to get his mouth around the word until finally he asked.

"What do Camel's look like if they can travel without water?"

"Now there is a very interesting question. Camels are like no other animal I have ever seen; they are very tall with long ungainly legs and a long neck; on their backs they have a large hump that carries their water reserves. The Saracens use them to ride and carry goods."

"Who are the Saracens?"

"They are the men we are fighting on the crusades; they believe in another god which is strange to us but they are very good fighters and can be holy terrors in battle."

Eventide thought he had asked enough questions for now; there was a lot to think on and learn, of course it did not take away the fear he felt of the two great horses; at least the riding horse looked to be a normal size.

Freeman took the boy's hand and led him towards his two war horses; he could feel the boy shaking as they got closer.

"Here let me introduce you to Ajax and Achilles; don't be afraid of them, they only eat Saracens not Squires."

Freeman laughed as he told Eventide that the horses were docile; as if to dispel any doubts as to their use; the closest one, Ajax, lifted his great head and snorted in Eventide's direction, making the boy nearly jump out of his skin; quickly Freeman jumped to calm the boy.

"That's enough you two, this is Eventide and he is going to live with us so you behave or there will be no more oats for you ever again."

Eventide could almost have laughed if he had not been so scared of the huge horses as they both dropped their heads as though they understood every word Freeman spoke.

"Now we have to get my goods loaded and then we can leave; you will ride on Ajax; don't be afraid of him, he would never hurt you and he will follow along without trouble."

The hostler arrived to help Freeman load his three large travelling trunks on the two war horses; their two travel bags were loaded onto Achilles along with one of the trunks; Eventide would sit on top of the two trunks on Ajax; he hoped his new leather trews and jerkin would protect him.

When everything was loaded and the three horse were led outside; Freeman boosted Eventide high up onto Ajax back; it took a little time to find a comfortable place and the height scared him a little; he did not want to fall from so high up.

Freeman handed up Eventide's staff after making sure the boy had his new dagger on his belt; with that done he mounted his own horse and they left the small village just as others were waking up. Freeman wanted to be well ahead of any others; they would be at his manor by nightfall so the boy would not have to suffer to long on the huge horse.

Eventide was surprised that Freeman had no lead or rope on either of the two great war horses; they both seemed to be happy to follow along behind Freeman's horse as they rode out onto the road.

By midday, Eventide was feeling the need to relieve his swelling bladder; as though Freeman knew his discomfort he pulled his horse to the side of the road and dismounted; next he reached up to help Eventide get down to the ground. Freeman almost laughed as the boy ran to the nearest tree to ease the growing pressure in his bladder; after a few minutes and with the soft sound of a groan of pleasure; Eventide walked back to his waiting mentor.

Freeman got out a small sack that held some fresh bread and cheese; they both sat under a tree and ate their midday meal with only the sounds of the nearby forest for company; Eventide found it peaceful and pleasant, it was the first time in his short life he had ever felt so at peace.

"How do you feel?"

"My legs feel sore from trying to sit on such a big horse; I can't reach all the way around his large belly."

"Yes you need longer legs for that; however it is only for the rest of the day and we will be at my manor and we can relax; there is much for you to see and a lot to learn before we go to see the King."

"I 3; I will see the King?"

"Of course you will, you are now my Squire; he will like you; he is a very powerful man but he likes honest people so he will like you. There are not many honest people in a King's court, all you have to do is be yourself and he will like you."

"I will see the King."

Freeman almost chuckled at the awe in the young boy's face as he repeated the phrase; it was good to see such innocence; now Freeman began to feel a new feeling of freedom from the dark dreams that had always filled his mind.

The afternoon passed slowly for Eventide; riding on the huge horse for the first time was making parts of him ache like nothing he had felt before; he only hoped it would end soon or he felt he may never be able to walk again.

Late in the afternoon, as they finally exited the latest forest; Eventide saw a great swath of farm land before them and, in the distance, a large manor house surrounded by a high stone wall. Freeman turned in his saddle and smiled at Eventide.

"That's my manor, it won't be long now and you can rest and eat your fill; the servants should be able to see us coming now and will have everything ready."

When they neared the large manor; the gates had been thrown open and all the servants were lined up in front of the large three tiered manor house. Eventide could not believe the size of the manor house; he had heard tales of such houses but this was the first one he had seen; his mouth hung open like any yokel's would.

When the three horses stopped; one of the older men ran forward with a broad smile on his face and an enquiring eye towards Eventide;

"Welcome home, My Lord Baron; we have your rooms cleaned and ready and supper will be served in two hours. Where would My Lord like his young guest to be roomed?"

"Thank you Huntingdon; this is my new Squire; he is to be taken to the Quadroon wing; make sure it is ready for him. His word is my word, make that clearly understood to all staff. Now we will look over any waiting missives so you have one hour and a half to ready his rooms."

"As My Lord Baron commands."

The man turned and clapped his hands loudly while yelling out orders to different servants. Eventide watched as most began to scatter in all directions; as they did so a number of young men arrived and began to take charge of the three horses; Freeman jumped off his horse and then helped Eventide to the ground and waited until the boy's legs were a little more steady.

Freeman helped Eventide to walk towards the huge house; for Eventide it felt as though someone had pulled his legs apart so wide they were broken; his walk was now more of a hobble as he tried to mount the stone steps into the house.

"Don't worry my young friend I'll have a servant rub your muscles free before supper. You are just out of practice; in time you will be able to ride any horse you choose."

"After that I am worried I will not want to ride ever again Sire."

Freeman laughed loudly as he helped Eventide into his chambers where all his important work was done. Freeman helped Eventide to a large leather bound chair and watched the expression on the boy's face as he stared at all the large books and old tomes on the floor to ceiling shelves.

As he sat behind the large oaken desk and looked at the pile of scrolls and letters from the court; Freeman could not help but think his time on the road was the best part of his days; now that he had finally found a young boy worthy of being his first Squire, he began to have hope once again of a future for his many holdings; both in England and over the channel in Flanders.

Freeman read one of the last letters and sighed heavily.

"Damn, I was not expecting this so soon."

Freeman picked up a small bell on his desk and rang it; as if by magic, Huntingdon appeared at the door and bowed.

"Yes My Lord?"

"We have to go before the King tomorrow; send someone to the village and ask seamstress Bedford to come right away; I can't have my Squire dressed as he is for his first appearance. Also find one of the boys to help Eventide with his bathing tonight, he will need to know how to work on Eventide's muscles; I don't want him hobbling before the King."

"Yes My Lord. If I may, cook's youngest son is very good with freeing up muscles, perhaps he would do?"

"Is he the redhead one that attracts dirt like flies on dead meat?"

Huntingdon chuckled.

"Yes My Lord, the very same."

"Damn it, very good; tell cook that the boy is to be scrubbed until his skin shines and get that damn mop he calls hair cut short or I will use him to sweep the floor."

"Very good My Lord."

Huntingdon left still chuckling to himself as Eventide sat with his mouth agape.

"What's the matter Eventide?"

"Uhm 3; me 3; the King?"

Freeman could not help the small chuckle that escaped as he watched the stunned look on his young Squires face.

"Yes Eventide; you and the King, now I have to get some clothes more fitting to your new station made before we leave at midday; the poor seamstress is going to have her girls work all night; still it will be well worth it. I thought we may have a little more time to get you ready; still it is better to get it over with so we can start your training."

"But Sire, I don't know anything about meeting a King."

"Then this is a good time to learn, now we have to get you settled into your rooms; you just have time to bath before we sit down to eat."

Freeman rang the bell once again and, as before, Huntingdon appeared like magic.

"Huntingdon will you take young Eventide to his rooms; is that walking mud pack ready to look after him?"

"Scrubbed and trimmed, My Lord and the hearth is swept and the fire set; his bath water is also ready and waiting."

"Thank you Huntingdon, please escort our young Squire to his rooms."

Huntingdon turned to the bemused boy.

"This way please young Sir."

Huntingdon led him out of the chambers and down the long hallway; at the end were a set of double stairs; one leading to the upper left and the other to the right. Huntingdon pointed to the left stairway.

"Your rooms are to the left in the east wing, young Sir; the west wing are those of My Lord Baron. The upper floor is for the servant's quarters should you find the need to call on them at any time."

Eventide arrived at a long wide hallway at the top of the stairs; along each side were a number of doors.

"Uhm, Mr. Huntingdon?"

"It's just Huntingdon, young Sir."

"Uhm, Huntingdon; which is my room?"

"All of them, young Sir; the east wing is yours to use as you will."

"All of them?"

"All of them; now let me show you to your bedroom; young Ted should be waiting for you."

"Ted?"

"Yes he is to be your servant for the near future; he is also the cook's and my son. He's a bit of a ragamuffin but a swipe of the cane on his rear will soon make him more attentive."

Eventide was starting to like Huntingdon; the amused chuckle in his voice told Eventide he was only partially joking about caning the boy.

Eventide was led to the last room in the hallway; on opening the door he looked in with awe; the room was larger than most of the old tavern he had been living at.

Thick rugs covered the floor and a huge fire place was set in one wall with blazing logs at its centre. Beside the fire place stood a ten year old red headed boy; the boy's hair had been cut short and plastered down; his wide smile showed a missing tooth in his upper gums. He was dressed in a simple wrap around of white linen and was holding a bar of soap and a soft looking cloth.

"Squire Eventide, this is my youngest; if he plays up there is a cane on the shelf; don't hesitate to use it; he has a bad habit of forgetting himself. I will leave you in his hands for now and he can show you to the dining room when finished. You may later want to look over the rest of your rooms after supper. Teddy, you watch your manners."

"Yes Father."

"Mr. Huntingdon to you young man."

"Yes Mr. Huntingdon."

The cheeky smile on the boy's face undid any attempt at true servitude to his father's wishes. Eventide found it difficult to hold back the giggle he felt rising in his throat as the older man left his bedroom shaking his head as he left.

Eventide looked around the huge room; his small travelling bag was empty and the few clothes he had been given by Freeman were neatly set out on a side board at the foot of the massive four poster bed.

Eventide did not know what he should do and looked at the younger boy for help.

"If your Lordship would strip and get in the bath I will see to the water Sir."

"Uhm 3; I'm not a Lord anything; until yesterday I was just a pot boy in a tavern."

Eventide smiled as the young boy giggled and then blushed.

"Well you are a Lordship now; well a Squire anyhow and that's the same thing to me; if you would like to jump in the bath I can get you nice and clean and then see to those sore legs of yours 3; Squire." Again the boy giggled.

Eventide had little hesitation in stripping out of his clothes; he did not feel any embarrassment being naked in front of the boy; he had been through far worse things in his short life.

As he settled into the hot steaming water; Teddy began to wash and soap his bare skin after untying the leather thong that had held his long hair in place. Eventide began to relax and enjoy being washed; the young boy's hands were firm but not rough as he worked his way over Eventide's body; he made no attempt to do anything unsavoury.

When Eventide was clean and his hair was well washed; he got out of the bath and sat on a small wooden stool as Teddy went about drying him and then running a copper comb through the long hair until it was nearly dry.

When Teddy was finished, he indicated that Eventide should lay on the bed on his stomach; Eventide watched as the boy got a small vial filled with a yellow substance.

"What is that Teddy?"

"It's a special oil that My Lord Baron brought back from the crusades; he said it was good for sore muscles and is made by the Saracens."

Eventide lay back and waited while Teddy hopped up on the bed and began to rub the oil into his sore and aching legs although, after the hot bath they were not as bad as before.

Finally Teddy jumped off the bed; Eventide felt as though he wanted to sleep but knew he had to get up and dress for supper. Teddy began to clean up while Eventide dressed; once done he led Eventide back down the stair case and showed him into a massive dining room then left to do other things.

Freeman was standing in the centre of the large room waiting for Eventide to arrive; a large table, enough to seat twenty people was set with silver and gold ware; three large candle holders were alight and along with the wall sconces lit up the whole room.

"Well young Eventide, how do you feel now? That boy must have magic in his hands I do swear. Now then, a small change; it seems we have some visitors arriving very soon; I think you will find it interesting but we will have to wait a little for them to arrive."

Eventide could only smile and look around the huge room; he knew of houses that would fit into this one room. Around the walls were hung tapestries and long banners of many colours. Large dressers for cutlery and dish-ware lined one wall; they also acted as serving tables.

As Eventide took in everything in the room, he heard a soft cough from the doorway; he turned to watch as Freeman said.

"Yes Huntingdon?"

"His Highness, Emir Saed Ben Haman and Nephew My Lord."

A tall stately looking man walked into the room; Eventide's breath was taken away when he saw him and the young teen at his side. Eventide had never seen anything like it; both were dressed in long flowing robes of a very light weight fabric, the likes of which Eventide could not even imagine.

On their heads were a strange gold cloth wrapped around to form a sort of hat; hanging down one side was a longer loose piece that swept across to hang over their left shoulder. In a wide red sash around their waist was a large curved and bejewelled knife; it too Eventide had never seen the likes of before.

Both people wore very expensive rings and other jewellery; some with huge red, green and clear stones; Eventide could only stare open mouthed at the pair; he vaguely saw a number of others lined up behind the two.

The tall man was fairly dark complexioned as was the young teen; both had dark flashing eyes and Eventide noticed the teen had a rather strange dark line around his eyes; it was as though he had painted the colour to accentuate the brightness of the dark pupils.

The tall man bowed and did something strange with his hand; first touching his chest, then his lips and finally his forehead.

"Salaam Alahkim Baron Tremaine, thank you for offering your hospitality to us at such short notice."

Eventide was surprised to see Freeman return the bow and same gesture.

"Alahkim Salaam your Highness; you and your Nephew are always welcome at my table. May I introduce my Squire, Eventide of the Old Ones."

Eventide was surprised to see the tall man and then the young teen bow to him and offer the same greeting. With a little hesitancy he tried to follow what Freeman had done and said, even though he got a little tongue tied and found it strange to bow like the others.

The tall man smiled at Eventide and nodded his head as though he approved of Eventide's attempt; the young teen smiled more widely and also nodded in appreciation of the attempt.

"Thank you for your consideration Squire Eventide; it is not often I see such good manners from an English Squire; I hope you and my nephew will become good friends."

"Now then Your Highness, what brings you to my home; it is unusual for you to be on the road at this hour?"

"Baron, please call me Saed, we are not at court now and, after all I am imposing on your hospitality."

"Thank you Saed and please call me Freeman and my home is at your disposal; I have my servants preparing rooms for you."

"Thank you, perhaps my nephew would like to join young Eventide in his rooms; it will give them a chance to talk and I am sure my nephew will appreciate the company of another young man."

"Then say no more, it shall be as you wish. Eventide could you share your rooms with the young man?"

"Yes Sire, I will be very happy to have the company."

"Ah 3; how careless of me; Squire Eventide let me introduce my nephew, Prince Mahmud Sal-A-Hadin."

The Prince smiled widely as he again bowed low; almost as though it was now automatic, Eventide returned the bow and the smile.

"Let's go to the table, you both must be hungry after your travels."

The four made their way to the huge table; already there was a veritable mountain of food being laid out. Fine silver mugs of hot mulled wine were placed in front of each setting and the supper began.

The conversation was light and most of it went over the head of Eventide as he had not been to court and did not understand most of what was discussed; seeing his confusion; the young Prince leant over and began talking to him.

"Don't you find adult talk is boring; there are far more interesting things for us young ones to discuss. Do you like hunting Squire Eventide?"

"Uhm 3; I don't know, I have never been on a hunt and please, just call me Eventide or just Even."

"Why thank you; Even it is and I am Mahmud; after all we are going to be good friends I can feel it. Now as to the hunt, I think it would be well if we both went out with the Falcons and I taught you the good parts of hunting; would this be agreeable?"

"I think I would like to try that Mahmud. Uhm 3; how do you hunt with Falcons?"

"Oh this is too good; hunting with the Falcons is the greatest of all sports; we will go for two days and stay out to watch the stars in the sky at night and the sun rise in the morning; I will bring some of my people and make it a special time for you."

"I feel I should tell you a truth; perhaps you will not want to go with me then."

"How so my new friend?"

"Well I am really only a pot boy; I have no graces like royalty or Knights. This is the first time I have ever been in such a big house or eaten food like this; I am really a nobody."

Mahmud lent back to look Eventide over; there was a faint smile on his lips as he sized up the boy next to him. After giving his Uncle a smiling look he turned back to Eventide.

"Friend Even, I am not sure what a pot boy is but he cannot be lower than I was; before I was a Prince I was a goat herder. In our land you can wake in the morning a goat herder and go to bed at night a Prince; of course the opposite is also true; in the morning you are a Prince and go to bed a slave. You my new friend are no different than I; we will go on the hunt as friends and return as brothers; of this I can promise. In my lands an honest man is worth more than his weight in gold coins; and you we will fatten up so you are worth more coins."

The sound of laughter filled the dining room as the two men also overheard Mahmud's words. Eventide blushed but also felt it was not he that was being made fun of only the situation.

"Saed, you never told me what delayed your travels to the King's court?"

"Oh yes, there was a small altercation with my nephew and a young Squire; it seemed the Squire did not appreciate a Saracen sharing the same road. We tried to tell him we were not Saracens but Bedouin; still you know how ignorant some Squires can be. My nephew had to borrow a crook from one of the local herders and put the Squire on his back before he could pull his sword. After a little discussion with the boy's Knight we declared honour had been satisfied but it left us a little late to get back on the road; hence we have imposed on your well known hospitality."

"Believe me Saed, there is no imposition; it is and will always be a pleasure to host you and yours whenever it is needed."

"Thank you Freeman; it is people like yourself and this new Squire that makes me have hope for both our people in the future."

The two men continued to talk of court related things while the boys now well into being good friends, put their heads together to talk over the upcoming hunt they would take.

As the night grew on, it soon became time to go to their beds; as it turned out, neither boy felt in the slightest put out by sharing Eventide's huge bed; if anything it gave them more time to talk about things that Eventide had never thought of.

Eventide was spell bound by Mahmud's tales and stories; as they lay each on their own side of the huge bed; Mahmud began to tell Eventide a story of long ago; the sound of his new friends voice seemed to make the tale of famous Saracen Knights to have happened only yesterday and Eventide truly felt he was right there in the midst of the battle; slowly his eyes grew heavy and the lilting sound of his friends voice finally sent him off to sleep; it had been a truly magical day.

The next morning revealed a house in a hurry; Eventide did not even get the chance to look at the rest of his east wing of the house. Quickly both boys were up for breakfast and it was then decided they would all travel to court together; to say the boys were happy about the decision was obvious.

Eventide told Mahmud he was not happy about riding another horse so soon but his new friend assured him he would be alright as he would watch over Eventide personally.

By midday they were ready to leave; Eventide was surprised at the number of men and boys in Mahmud's party; there were guards with strange huge swords and long lances. A large baggage train also followed along behind; the carts piled high with all manner of things. Eventide was to learn that the Emir and the Prince had just arrived from their homeland only a few weeks earlier and were making their way to the King's court as emissaries and friends of the King.

Eventide did notice that there were many fine looking horses in the train, most were being led by hostlers and young boys dressed in baggy white pantaloons with black boots and the same wide sashes but without the big jewelled daggers.

As the day got to late afternoon; the King's city and castle appeared; within the hour they were close to the gates of the city. From the high ramparts flew multiple banners and there was a feeling of celebration in the air. As the long train entered the city, Eventide got his first view and feeling of large crowds.

Everywhere he looked there were Knights and soldiers milling around with hawkers of wares and farmers packing ready to leave the great city for the night. Eventide was amazed at the city and above it the mighty castle of the King.

The travellers continued through the city streets until they came to the mighty gates of the castle; there they saw the line of guards that protected the gate; as they passed through, Eventide noticed some of the angry looks on the faces of some of the guards when they saw the Emir and his Nephew; the times of the crusade had not been forgotten and the talk of a second crusade had brought dissent in the country.

The second crusade was being espoused by the Baronies of Normandy and the Vatican city. Eventide knew little of the politics of the time and could not understand why anyone should go and fight in a far away land when he could plainly see how good and nice his new friends were.

Freeman had only brought one of his great horses; it carried changes of clothes for both himself and Eventide; as he held his own apartment in the castle and he had much of what he would need, there was little to carry apart for Eventide.

The two boys, even after such a short time, were inseparable; they had spent the whole trip talking and laughing as they rode side by side; Eventide was only glad Freeman had found a smaller horse for him to ride; his legs did not feel as bad as the last time he was on the big horse.

When they arrived inside the castle; Eventide was surprised to see it was as big as some cities; they soon had to part from their new friends as the Emir and Mahmud turned to the left while Eventide and Freeman turned to the right towards another side of the great wall.

Freeman told Eventide they had a few hours before they would have to present themselves to the King and his court; the time was spent bathing and changing into his new clothes that had been made overnight for him. The new clothes felt strange and he could not imagine dressing like this ever before meeting Freeman.

It was just after dark when there was a knock on the door; Freeman called for the person to enter while having one hand on his sword; Eventide had his dagger in his belt and was holding his new staff in his right hand.

The young man that entered, bowed to Freeman and then stood straight as he said his message; Eventide then understood the young man was one of the King's many heralds.

"My Lord Baron Tremaine; the King wishes your presence at his court forthwith."

"Very good. Come on Eventide, time to pay the piper."

Freeman laughed at the outrageous look on the young herald's face; had the herald been older he would have known about the closeness of Freeman and the King; as it was, the comment made the herald shuffle his feet in discontent at the words of the Baron.

Following the herald into the main castle, Eventide was again amazed at the size of the place and the number of people moving through the castle hallways until they came to the central great hall.

The hall was filled with people, many of them Knights and off to one side were a large number of well dressed ladies of the court. At the far end of the great hall was a dais and the King sitting on his large throne; around the King were men of all types, many of them did not look the type to be fighters or Knights.

Surprising to Eventide were the two extra smaller thrones; to the King's left sat Saed and beside him sat Mahmud, both smiled widely as Freeman and Eventide entered the noisy hall.

As the pair walked the length of the great hall, Eventide noticed a sudden hush come over the hall; everyone was watching the man they well knew but it was the young boy at his side that had brought the hush to the noise. The fact that Freeman, Baron of Lancaster and Flanders was accompanied by a young boy who evidently was now the Knight's squire, became a note of conjecture. No one among them had ever seen the Baron with a squire before.

Freeman had explained the correct way for Eventide to greet the King. As they came to the bottom of the dais; Freeman, with Eventide following his example; knelt down on one knee and bowed their heads; Eventide heard the firm voice of the King speak.

"Welcome home Baron, it is good to see the King's Champion return; I see you have finally found one worthy of your training; please introduce us to your Squire."

Something told Eventide the King already knew who he was but he kept silent as he had been instructed by Freeman.

"Your Majesty; I would like to introduce Eventide, descendant of the old ones and newly taken on as Squire by the house of Lancaster."

"Eventide, stand and let me get a good look at you."

Eventide rose and stood with his staff in his hand; he looked at the smiling face of the King and waited for him to speak first.

"I understand you have already made friends with our most valued ally; I hope you will become better acquainted over time, they are truly valued by us."

Eventide bowed and then said.

"Thank you Your Majesty, it would be my wish also to keep my friendship with your allies."

"Well spoken young Squire. Baron, would you take your rightful place by my side and perhaps your squire would be so kind as to take his place beside his new friend."

With a small signal of his hand, the King had another chair brought to the dais for Eventide to sit beside Mahmud; the two friends smiled at each other as the rest of the court continued.

After a long time of introductions of the many Knights and other dignitaries; the King called for the great dining hall to be opened; everyone in the hall stood and then waited for the King and the Emir to leave first; just behind them walked Freeman and Eventide along with Mahmud.

Once inside the great dining hall, Eventide found himself being led to the long, wide table at the top of the hall; he noticed there were already some people there. Most were young boys and they all stood against the stone wall behind the row of tall chairs at the table. Eventide noticed two of the boys were dressed in the same clothes as Mahmud although not as fancy.

The King took the central chair with Freeman on his right and the Emir on his left; Eventide was ushered to the chair beside Mahmud but was amazed at the large amount of food spread out on the table top; he had never seen so much food in one place before.

The thing he could not understand was a strange tool on the table; no matter how he looked at it he could not fathom what it was used for. It had a handle of bone and then the rest was made of metal; it had two sharp prongs; as he looked at it, Mahmud leant over and told him it was for holding the meat instead of using his fingers; he was told they called it a fork and was something that the Saracens had used for ages but was new at the King's court.

Eventide smiled at his friend in thanks even though he had not asked; it was good to know his new friend was watching out for him. For the first time in his life since losing his uncle, Eventide felt good that he finally had a friend.

As the great feast went on and the night grew later; both boys began to feel the late hour. Mahmud whispered to his uncle and then turned to Eventide.

"Shall we leave, you can come and stay with me tonight; this will go on for hours yet and the men will drink more and more so we will not miss anything but drunken old men playing like boys?"

Eventide noticed the large smile on Mahmud's face and turned to Freeman; without a word, Freeman nodded and smiled; he had heard every word and agreed the two boys should leave to be on their own.

Eventide followed Mahmud's lead as they both stood and bowed low to the King; with a smile from the man they both left via a door behind the big table with Mahmud leading the way.

Eventide was surprised at how long it took to get too his friend's rooms, what awaited his eyes was even more of a surprise after a day full of surprises.

Mahmud's rooms were every bit as large as his own at the manor but in Mahmud's there were about ten young boys waiting.

"Who are all these boys?"

"Them? Oh they are just some of my servants, they are also good friends as you will see when we go hunting tomorrow."

"Tomorrow, can we really go so soon?"

"Of course, I have arranged it all with Uncle; he was only too happy that I had found such a good friend in this country. Now first we bath then we can talk and perhaps I will show you one of the games we like to play."

"You seem to do a lot of bathing?"

"Yes, a clean body will give you a clean mind or that is what they tell us. At home we have little water, to be able to bath like this whenever I want is truly a luxury."

"Why do you have little water?"

"We are Bedouin, or as we prefer to say 'Bedou' we are the people of the desert and water is scarce and protected by the sword and spear when found.

"I have never seen a desert; what are they like?"

By this time the many servants had poured their baths and the boys sat in the metal tubs side by side as the servants held plates of strange looking fruit for them to pick from.

Mahmud pointed to the plates of strange items.

"Try the dates, they are sweet and very nice; I am sure you will like them."

Eventide picked up one of the dark brown looking things and tentively put it in his mouth; much to his surprise he did enjoy chewing on it as the sweetness filled his mouth.

"Now to your question. The desert is a huge sea of sand and rocks; you can walk for a hundred days and not get to the edge; that is if you live that long. It is the hottest of hot places; very little grows and you have to be born there to survive in the heat and dangers."

"I think I would like to see it one day; it sounds very wild and free."

"It is that indeed and I make you this promise on my blood that one day you and I will stand side by side to look out on the great sandy desert. We will fly our Falcons and hunt the wastes for Lions and Gazelles; we will have a great time."

"So how do you find water if there is none?"

"There are many Oasis if you know where to look for them, they are small pools of fresh water surrounded by mighty date palms where you can while away the heat of the day. When you come to see it I will make you a son of the desert; that is my blood promise."

"What is this blood promise?"

"It is the most sacred of all promises for a Bedou, it means I would rather spill my own blood than not keep it; we do not make this promise lightly."

"If it is so sacred than why make such a promise to one such as me, I am nobody."

"You are my friend and one day you will be my Brother; a Brother deserves a blood promise."

Eventide suddenly felt overwhelmed at Mahmud's words; no one had ever promised him anything, let alone a blood promise.

After bathing the two boys lay down on special couches while the servant boys rubbed their bodies with scented oils until they were almost asleep. Finally, with a soft groan, both boys found the large bed and were soon asleep; although both were naked, any thoughts of unusual behaviour were far from their minds.

It was still dark when Eventide was awoken by a young hand. Looking up from under the covers; he saw the young servant held a steaming mug with a fragrance he had never smelt. Gingerly taking the small cup he sipped the strong smelling brew; he was to learn later that day it was called mint tea; he grew fond of it immediately.

Movement beside him told him Mahmud was also awake and ready for the long day ahead; it was to be Eventide's first ever hunt and he was already feeling excited at this new turn of events.

Breakfast was served in their large room; it consisted mainly of dates and other unknown fruits along with more of the mint tea. Hardly a word had been exchanged between the pair until after they had eaten; it was Mahmud that had started the conversation.

"So friend Even, did you sleep well?"

"Very well friend Mahmud; this new day has me very excited; I have never been on a hunt before."

"Ah, then we must get you dressed correctly so you can move in comfort."

Mahmud clapped his hands and two young servants appeared as if by magic. Mahmud spoke to them in his own language and they ran out only to return quickly with a pile of clothes.

For the next ten minutes, Mahmud helped Eventide dress as he was in the baggy pantaloons, shiny black riding boots, a white undershirt and a small waist length, tight, sleeveless jacket that was highly decorated with fine embroidery; as a last piece, Mahmud showed Eventide how to wind the long length of cloth they called a turban around his head.

In a polished metal dish they called a mirror; Eventide looked at himself for the first time; apart from his pale skin and blue eyes he now looked like one of the Bedou.

Mahmud clapped his hands as he excitedly exclaimed that Eventide was now a true Bedou; both boys laughed and Eventide whirled around to look at himself once again, much to the delight of his new friend.

"Now my friend Even, to cement our friendship I want to offer you a small gift; I hope you will accept it as a mark of our lifelong friendship."

"You have already done so much for me Mahmud; there is little need for gifts between us. You are the first true friend I have ever had and that is enough for me."

"Nonsense my friend; it is nothing but a small gift that would please me greatly for you to accept."

"Well if it is to make you happy then I will accept it and treasure it all my life."

Again Mahmud clapped his hand in delight, his smile was wide and Eventide felt happy that he had made Mahmud feel good.

"Come it is outside waiting for you."

"Outside?"

"Of course, I could not very well bring it inside the castle walls; it would not be polite to the King; come we must go."

Eventide followed Mahmud as they wound their way down and along the many halls until they came to the great doors that guarded the main castle. As they stepped outside, the first sun beams were just showing in the morning greyness.

At the bottom of the wide stone steps of the castle keep were a large number of Mahmud's servants; from where he stood he could see another long train of his servants already leaving the castle; all the horses were packed with goods.

At the bottom of the steps, Mahmud called to one of the boys; the boy held the reins of a young jet black horse; it was no more than perhaps 13 hands; its long flowing black main and even longer tail, gently moved in the dawn breeze. Its head was smaller than most horses but its neck curved from thick strong muscles at the chest to a finer line nearer the head.

Eventide could not believe the sheer beauty of the black animal although the fire in the eyes of the young stallion gave Eventide pause to wonder how he could possibly control such an animal with his limited experience.

Mahmud stood beside him with a smile on his face; from somewhere inside his clothes, Mahmud produced a large red apple; taking his large knife from his sash, he cut the apple into four and handed it to Eventide.

"Come and greet your horse; his name is Shaitan. Give him one piece of the apple and stand in front; talk to him softly and wait for him to make the first move. Do not be afraid, I would not let anything injure you; show him you are his new owner."

Eventide held out the quarter of apple; slowly the black horse stepped forward and sniffed at the apple then again sniffed at Eventide's hand. To his surprise, the horse took the apple piece gently with his lips before chewing happily on it; all the while, Eventide spoke to him softly.

The horse finished the apple and nodded its fine head up and down as though it understood what Eventide was saying; he reached out tentively and rubbed the horse's forehead, which it seemed to enjoy.

"Good, he likes you, now it is time to saddle him."

"Don't you have to put the steel bit in his mouth first?"

"Bedou horses don't need it; you will find that only one man can ride any one horse; the steel is bad for the horse's mouth and makes them pull hard. You will have better control with your legs than any piece of steel in his mouth. Now let's find him a blanket for the saddle."

Mahmud spoke to the boy again in his own language; the boy turned to a table close by and pulled out a large wool blanket in red and yellow pattern.

"Take the blanket and let him see and smell it."

Eventide carried the large blanket to the horse and lifted it close to the horse's head; to his surprise the horse shook his head as though to say No; it then grasped the blanket in its teeth and dropped it on the ground at Eventide's feet.

"Hmm, he does not like that one."

Mahmud spoke to the boy again and he carried over a smaller shaped sheep skin with black wool. Eventide held that out for the horse to inspect; much to his delight, the horse nodded his head as though to say ‘Yes'.

Mahmud showed him how to place the wool pad on the horse's back; next came a small beautifully embossed leather saddle; this Eventide placed on the horses back after it had nodded its head again. After learning to cinch the saddle tightly, Mahmud had him give another piece of apple.

The final act was a colourful over cloth; it had a strange pattern on it and a lot of long tassels along both edges; after placing this over the saddle and pulling the silver stirrups through the slits, it was time to mount.

Eventide gave the third piece of apple before he tried to mount the horse; much to his delight, the horse stood as still as stone for him. The young stable boy knelt down on all fours so Eventide could place one foot on his back to get enough height to put his left foot in the stirrup.

Once up on the horse; he leant forward and offered the last piece of apple; the horse turned his head and again took it delicately with his soft lips; as he happily chewed on the apple, Mahmud adjusted the stirrups to fit Eventide's shorter legs. When he was happy; Mahmud called for his own horse and quickly mounted.

Taking it slow he led them both out of the castle and into the open lands. They walked slowly so Eventide could get used to the smaller horse and the horse; or so Mahmud said; could get used to him.

It was not long before the two boys were trotting; for some unknown reason, Eventide felt totally safe on this new horse; it was a new feeling he had not had on the other two he had ridden. Now and again the horse would give a snuffling sound, it was as though he understood what Eventide was thinking; it was a good feeling.

Eventide was happy to move along at the trot; for now he wanted to enjoy the early morning freshness and the feel of this beautiful animal under him.

It did not take long and, under Mahmud's directions, Eventide was soon turning the horse with just leg pressure alone; the reins were held loosely in his hands and barely any pressure was used.

Eventide enjoyed the ride probably more than Mahmud who was; as he told Eventide; born on a horse. It was not too long before they came up to a group of Mahmud's servants; three of them had large leather gloves on their left arms and on each glove sat a hooded Falcon.

Eventide looked around for the rest of the servants he had seen leaving the castle but there was no sight of them; Mahmud caught his gaze.

"You are looking for the other servants, yes? They have gone on ahead to set up camp for us; tonight we sit under the stars and eat and tell stories; perhaps tomorrow we will return to the castle or; if the hunting is good, the day after. Do not worry; your Baron knows where we are and whom you travel with; this is our time to make a closer friendship so let's enjoy it; just you and I."

Eventide smiled widely; not in his wildest dreams did he ever think he would be able to do something like this.

"Yes Friend Mahmud, let's own the world for today."

Mahmud laughed loudly at his new friend's words, it was just as he expected, this new friend was going to be someone very special. The Magi back in his homeland had foretold of such a meeting and the goodness it would bring them both. Mahmud thought about the upcoming night; he truly hoped that Eventide was truly the one.

Mahmud and Eventide led the way; the three servants with the Falcons followed close behind. It was not long before Eventide realised they were now travelling faster; he was to learn it was called a canter. It proved to be a smoother ride and he quickly adjusted to the new pace.

His hair had not been plaited as it was neatly held in place with the new turban; the feeling of the wind in his face and the ruffling of his new clothes gave him a sense of true freedom; he had never thought in his wildest dreams he would feel so free.

Finally they came to the top of a rise; below them was a wide open plain of long grass with small copses of trees; Mahmud told him it was a good place to start the hunt.

Mahmud told him he would leave the servant called Salud, with him and the servant would teach him how to fly the Falcon; he explained the Salud was the only one of his servants that spoke a little English but was a good man and very patient.

For the next four hours, the two rode and flew the Falcon; Eventide was enthralled at learning about how to carry and fly the Falcon; at the end of the four hours, they had bagged three fine rabbits and Salud then turned them towards where they would have a rest and have a meal with the others.

They rode until they saw the others waiting under a huge Oak tree; there had been a small canopy set up and a large multi coloured rug laid on the ground for them to sit on. A young servant arrived to take Eventide's horse to water, feed and rub down.

Eventide was ecstatic; the thrill of the hunt, the speed and freedom of the horse and the fresh country air; all made this experience very special.

After removing his boots at the entrance, he was shown inside the canopy; next Eventide was introduced to the way of eating with the Bedou; he sat cross legged beside Mahmud; only the three teens that had carried the Falcons joined them on the carpet.

At the centre of the large carpet were two huge round platters of metal piled high with hot food; beside them were two silver trays with small glass cups and a tall glass jar with a green liquid steaming inside.

Mahmud explained about using only his right hand to eat with after he had washed them in scented warm water from a dish carried by one of the servants. Mahmud also explained about not showing the soles of his feet to another as it was deemed a great insult.

It took Eventide a little while to get the hang of eating with just one hand; the rolling of the small white seeds he was told were called 'rice' took a little practice and time; at first a fair amount landed in his lap much to the delight and laughter of the others; although none of it was malicious. Eventide just had to join in the laughter at his failed attempts.

It was a great way to eat and the green mint tea was refreshing and helped the food go down. When they had all finished eating; Mahmud clapped his hands and the servants came to clear away the trays; he was told the food left over would be eaten by the servants so there would be no waste.

Next came a silver tray with a strange fruit; Mahmud reached over and cut one for Eventide; inside it was almost the colour of blood with small black seeds.

"This is a delicacy from my home; it is called Persimmon; try it, I am sure you will like it."

Eventide took a bite and almost fell over in ecstasy; never in his wildest dreams did he ever think such a fruit existed. As the juices ran down his chin he reached for another; after two he had had enough, it was too special to be hogged down in any great number. One of the servants appeared with another bowl of warm water and a fresh cloth so Eventide could wipe off his face and hands.

As they all sat and talked, Mahmud translated for Eventide as the others except for Salud only spoke their native tongue.

It surprised Eventide to find they were extolling his efforts in the hunt and the fact he had caught three fat rabbits on his first try with a Falcon; even though Mahmud had caught ten Eventide's captures were extolled highly.

A short time later, one of the servants appeared with a strange, tall bottle like piece. Its bowl was of clear glass and filled with water; above it there were six flexible tubes fitted with metal tips; it then continued up to a narrow neck with a small conical lid on the top.

"This is called a Hookah, the water cools the smoke so it is easier on the throat, come you must join us; it will help to relax you so we can all take a short sleep before moving to the camp site for the night."

Needless to say, it took Eventide a while to stop coughing and get used to the use of the hookah; eventually he felt drowsy and, like the others; laid back with his head on a padded block supplied by the servants. As he drifted off to sleep; Eventide thought that this had to be the best day of his life; there would never be anything to top the feeling of friendship and joy he had at that moment.

Eventide woke to a feeling of someone shaking his shoulder; suddenly he remembered where he was and opened his eyes fully to see Mahmud smiling down at him.

"Come on Friend, time to go to the camp; they are readying our supper and we have an hour's ride to get there."

Eventide yawned widely and smiled at his one and only friend; shaking the sleep from his mind, he got up and went in search of his boots.

Outside his black horse stood waiting patiently for him; once mounted he followed Mahmud towards the west where the sun was sinking in a clear sky; it looked as though they would be able to sit and look at the stars all night.

It was almost dark when they came across the encampment; Eventide saw that there were two tents. One, the smaller was a dark blue colour and had many servants working over open fires. The second was very much larger and totally black in colour; apart from two lines of black riding boots lined up outside, there was no sign of anyone else.

Mahmud led Eventide to the covered closed doorway of the black tent. Under the small canopy sat two low chairs. Eventide saw that the other boots were lined up each side of the tent entrance and it appeared there must be at least twenty others inside yet there was no sound of talking coming from the tent.

Mahmud sat in one of the small chairs and indicated the other for Eventide. A servant boy knelt and helped to remove their boots and lined them up beside the others.

"Now my Friend; when we enter we have to give the greeting like you did when we first meet. I will go first as they know me then you follow. Whatever happens be brave, I will be close by to protect you."

With those words ringing in his ears; Eventide began to feel a sense of fear rising in his chest. Something was not right and he was not sure what he should do; he was a long way from the castle and, if truth be told; was not sure how to get back.

Mahmud stepped into the tent and Eventide heard him say the words "Salaam Alahkim" A rough voice answered him with the return greeting "Alahkim Salaam" next Eventide heard the soft cough that was the signal for him to enter.

With a great deal of trepidation, Eventide stepped into the black tent; as he got inside he saw that the tent was mostly dark and only a very small oil lamp hanging from the roof cast dark shadows everywhere.

Eventide could just barely make out the almost black images of others seated around the outside of a large carpet; only the lighter colours of Mahmud's costume showed him where his friend sat.

Eventide tried to do the greeting with the hand gestures as best he could. Suddenly, from one dark corner came an angry voice. Had Eventide not known that the only person that was able to speak English apart from Mahmud was Salud, he would have run for his life.

Although he knew it must be Salud; the anger in the teen's voice really scared him; this was not the young smiling and patient teen he had spent a good part of the day with; this person was really angry.

"Who allows this Infidel into the tent of brothers; speak now or I will take his blood as it should be for all Infidels'."

Eventide was ready to back out as he was sure he caught the glint of a bare blade in the person's hand. Suddenly he saw Mahmud stand up and turn towards the person with the bare dagger.

"I, Red Scorpion called this Infidel to my brother's tent."

"Red Scorpion, why would you break the covenant of the brotherhood of the Hashin and invite this Infidel into our sacred sanctum?"

"My blood tells me he is one with us."

"Then I tell you Red Scorpion, your blood is wrong. We never allow the Infidel into the brotherhood."

Eventide realised they were speaking English for his benefit; all the others were silent but he thought he made out some nodding heads when Salud spoke about his not being there.

"Brothers; I have given a Blood Promise that this boy will become a Brother. If this is against the wishes of the brotherhood then I will spill my blood here and now."

Eventide saw Mahmud pull his fancy dagger from his waist band; he was holding it in both hands and to Eventide's eye it looked as though he was really going to plunge it into his own chest.

Something took hold of Eventide; he could not bear to think his first and only friend could do such a thing. Without thinking, Eventide ran forward and grabbed the knife out of Mahmud's hand, accidently cutting his own hand in the process.

Eventide was too stunned to even notice the deep cut as he looked at Mahmud as though his friend was totally insane; all he could say was.

"Why 3; why for me?"

"I gave you a Blood Promise."

"But 3; but."

Eventide heard Salud's voice echo in the silent tent.

"Red Scorpion, your friend has courage and we can all see he would shed blood for you; will you stand for him in the trial?"

"I will stand; I so swear on my blood."

"Infidel, take a seat beside the one who is Blood Promised."

When Eventide was sitting beside Mahmud, the rest of the people began to talk in their own language; Mahmud leant over to him and whispered as to what was being said.

Suddenly three of the people stood up and began to argue with Salud; the gestures were angry and Eventide could only wonder what was being said; Mahmud leant in close and told him the three were actually defending him.

The three sat down and the discussions continued in a quieter manner. Salud stood and looked at Eventide; he could only see the teen's eyes as, like the rest of the people in the tent; they were all covered from head to foot in black clothes with only their eyes showing through a narrow slit.

"Infidel, do you think you are brave?"

Eventide could only answer as honestly as he felt.

"I do not know."

"Infidel, would you shed your blood for your brothers?"

"I have no brothers but I would bleed for my only friend."

Salud suddenly whipped out a very thin knife and threw it at where Eventide sat; it was so fast he did not have time to react and was not quite sure if he had seen it at all until there was a thin dagger buried in the carpet only inches from his crossed legs.

Salud turned to the others and spoke clearly, he then spoke in English for Eventide's benefit.

"As you can see brothers of the Hashin; he sits without fear, he bleeds for his friend; are there any who would say Nay?"

When there were no replies, Salud walked over to Eventide and took up the dagger and cut his own hand; next he grasped Eventide's and said.

"My blood is your blood to the end of time; welcome to the brotherhood of the Hashin."

Salud then removed the cloth from his face so Eventide could see him clearly.

"I stand for the Infidel; from this day on he shall be known as Shaitan Bin Izurak, the devil with the blue eyes."

Salud then went back to sit in his place as another of the people stood before Eventide and repeated the words but in their own language after making the same cut and holding his hand. Soon everyone had performed the same ceremony; Mahmud was the last and then held his hand out to help Eventide to his feet.

"Brothers of the Hashin; here stands Shaitan Bin Izurak, a new brother who has traded blood and will now take the oath of silence and secrecy. Brother Shaitan Bin Izurak, on your honour and blood; do you vow to keep all the secrets of the Brotherhood of the Hashin and should you break them, willingly give up your blood to your brothers."

"On my blood I promise."

"Brothers, you have heard a Blood Promise, does anyone forbid him entry into the brotherhood?"

No one spoke so Mahmud declared the meeting closed and that Shaitan Bin Izurak was now a brother of the blood. A great ululation went up around the tent. Immediately a troop of servants came in with many more oil lamps and lit up the tent in full.

Eventide now looked around and saw how young some of the people were; there was also a variety of skins and eyes around. Some were almost as pale as he was and others were as black as the night; all of them were smiling and began to relax.

A short time later, the servants began to bring in many large trays of food and a new drink he had not tried before; it was not long before he realised there was something strong in his small glass.

The mood got lighter and lighter the more they drank and ate. Again when the main food was finished, the large trays of fruit appeared followed soon by six Hookah; this time Eventide saw them put a dark sticky substance in the hookah that was not like the green leaf of before.

Eventide asked Mahmud what it was.

"That is the Hashish, it is where our name came from; when we go into battle it makes us fearless and our enemies tremble when they know we are looking for them."

"So it is the brotherhood of the hashish?"

"Yes and no; we will teach you our language and you will understand that sometimes the same words can mean something else; in the case of the word Hashin it also means in English, Assassin."

"Oh, so I am now an assassin?"

Mahmud laughed and told the others in his language what Eventide had just said; instantly they all laughed and shook their heads.

"My brother Shaitan, you have just entered the world of the Hashin; we will now begin to train you until you are truly one of us and become a true Hashin, or as you will an Assassin."

Eventide could only sit with his mouth open as the others nodded and smiled at him.

"Now Brother, it is time for the gift giving. Black Scorpion, it is time for the gifts."

Salud stood and went to stand before Eventide, in his hands he held a long, carefully folded black cloth.

"Brother Shaitan, I give you this gift of the turban of the Hashin, wear it with pride and remember your Brothers."

Eventide took the cloth and carefully placed it beside him. One by one the others came up and said words in their language that he presumed were the same. A black Robe, black boots, black pantaloons. Next came the trappings of the Hashin; a small pouch containing six metal vials; Mahmud told him it was to carry his poisons after he had learnt about them.

A beautiful curved scimitar in a jet black scabbard, a set of four thin throwing knives in a holder. There was also a large curved knife with a black hilt and set in a bright black scabbard.

The last gift was a thick silver ring with a black stone that had a small star inside it; suddenly Eventide recognised the ring, it was identical to the one worn by his patron Baron Freeman. Mahmud saw the recognition and smiled as he nodded his head in agreement.

Eventide now knew why the Baron was so well known and accepted by the Emir and his followers.

"So the Baron is one of us?"

"Yes, but like the Emir my uncle, they are called Elder Brothers."

"Is this why he is called the King's Champion?"

"Again the answer is yes and no. His abilities as a Knight and the fact he has been on crusade would give him that title anyhow but, he has more to do than just be the Champion; being a brother of the Hashin he also has carried out assassinations for the King, that is why he is in such favour with your King. Nearly every Knight in the land is in fear of him."

"And he chose me for a Squire."

"I am sure he saw the same thing in you that we all have seen; you have an honest heart and I think you will find you are brave beyond words. Time will tell and we are sure we will be proven correct. Now enough of this idle talk; everything you need to know we will teach you; it is time for the Hashish and a good time."

Mahmud called for the others to bring the Hookah outside so they could lay and watch the stars as they smoked. Eventide found there had been a lot of soft couches laid out under the stars. All were set close to each other so the tubes from the Hookah could be easily reached. From that moment on, Eventide could not remember much except for the brightness of the stars and clear dark sky.

The next morning found the hunting party ready to leave for the castle. Mahmud had insisted that Eventide should once again dress as one of them for their return; he said it was so Eventide could get a feel for the new form of dress and would in the future, feel more at home with his new brothers.

The large hunting train did not try to hurry; they had all day and would make the castle with plenty of time to spare. Eventide even now felt at home on his small black horse; the new clothes of his friends felt light and gave him a freedom of movement he had never had with his old ones.

It was past midday when the troupe approached the outer walls of the castle. Before they entered, Mahmud told Eventide to pull up the long tail of his turban and hide his face; once that was done they then began the trek up to the castle proper. All around them were people going about their daily tasks.

The narrow streets were almost filled with shoppers and farmers as well as Knights and their ever present Squires. The group had only just turned down the final street towards the castle when Eventide felt something hit him hard in the ribs; from the crowd came loud raucous laughter.

Eventide looked down at his once clean new clothes; where his ribs now ached a little, he saw the unmistakeable dirty splotch of horse dung; he also saw the laughter coming from a group of about six Squires. Before he could react, Eventide felt a hand on his arm; it was Mahmud. It was only seconds later the Squire who had thrown the offensive dung was looking down at four very sharp lances only inches from his throat.

The Squire's voice which had been saying something about the dirty Saracen was suddenly silenced by the closeness of the sharp points.

Before there could be more trouble started, there came a loud and very easily recognisable voice as Mahmud had drawn his fancy dagger and was about to fly at the Squire from the back of his own horse.

"Hold your hand Prince Sal-A-Hadin; why do you draw a weapon on my streets?"

Mahmud bowed low from his horse and salaamed the King after which he replaced his dagger at his waist. Mounted beside the King were Saed on the left and Freeman on the right; both looked at the boys with an almost wry smile as they recognised the smaller frame of Eventide; even though he was barely visible under the disguise and showing only his light eyes through the thin gap of the scarf and turban.

"Your Majesty, my brother has been dishonoured in the most foul of ways; I was trying to decide which of two penalties should be reigned down upon the perpetrator; this Squire."

The King had not recognised Eventide in his disguise and had assumed he was just another of the Bedou boys in the very large troupe that had arrived with his friend and ally Saed.

"If that be the case, then why does not your brother take back his own honour?"

"Your Majesty, he is new to your court and is not familiar with the ways of chivalry; I wished to stand in his stead."

"That may be very honourable of you young Prince but, what had you planned with your dagger?"

"Your Majesty, I was of two minds; there was the possibility of drawing his blood and then facing your wrath for his death or; I could have taken his manhood and sent him to my uncle's harem as a eunuch. At this time I was not decided."

By now the small group of Squires were starting to look for ways to disappear; unfortunately for them, the large crowd of towns folk had moved so close they could not move; it was not unintentional that the commoners had done so; they wanted to see a Squire brought down as they had the reputation for harassing many of the common boys as they were looked upon as beneath the Squires and their Knights.

"Perhaps your brother should have the final say on the Squire's future, after all; he is the one offended?"

"As you command, Your Majesty."

Mahmud sidled his horse closer to Eventide and leaned over to whisper in his ear.

"Follow my lead; we will have a little fun at this Squire's expense. Pretend to speak to me but keep your face hidden and voice low so no others can hear you."

"What have you got in mind; I don't know anything about fighting to be able to beat him in a duel of honour."

"You won't have too; listen this is my plan; if you agree."

Mahmud continued to whisper his plan to Eventide; only the widening of Eventide's eyes indicated anything about the plan Mahmud had in mind; not only was it clever but also very devious and would break with all traditions of the joust that was to come in a few weeks.

Eventide nodded as asked when Mahmud stopped whispering, he then sat back on his horse and let Mahmud do all the talking.

"Your Majesty, my brother; who is of a gentle nature and who has decided to be magnanimous towards his attacker; would ask of you a boon?"

"Tell your guards to put down their weapons and pull back then tell me what your brother asks of me."

Mahmud gave the order for his four guards to retire and then looked back at the King; it was noticeable that Saed and Freeman were looking at the two boys with some interest and a little mirth; both knew of Mahmud's tendency for fun; even if it was a little twisted at times.

"Your Majesty, my brother would ask that the offender be given pride of place at the Squire's melee and; as he has taken the first strike against a Saracen." The inflection on the word Saracen did not go unnoticed by either of the three men. "He also asks that such bravery be rewarded with the white surplus and Red Cross of a crusader and that he be at the fore front of the charge to lead the Squires into the battle?"

"A most unusual request Prince Sal-A-Hadin, still if he is satisfied with that then so it shall be."

The King turned to the offending Squire and gave him a glare that would have caused other lesser men to wilt away.

"Squire; you have heard the boy's request; are you truly brave enough to wear the cloth of a crusader and lead the charge at the melee?"

The Squire went to one knee and almost glowed at being asked; he could not fathom why the filthy Saracen would give him such an honour after being smeared with horse dung; still the boy was only a filthy Saracen and was obviously scared silly of the Squire; he felt it was a shame the boy would not be on the field when they crushed the commoners like they did every year. He could just imagine a few extra heavy blows with his wooden sword on the smaller boy.

"As Your Majesty commands, it would be my honour to lead the charge and win the day."

"I only hope you can carry it through, young Squire. Well Prince Sal-A-Hadin; your boon is agreed and your brother's wishes shall be fulfilled."

"My brother and I humbly thank Your Majesty for his boon."

Mahmud bowed low again as the King turned his horse back in the direction of the castle; Eventide did not miss the smile on the faces of the other two men; he also did not miss the lifting of their forefingers and the slight nod they gave him as they indicated they had seen the black stone of his new ring.

Had Eventide's face not been covered, everyone would have seen the bright red blush fill his cheeks. As the three men left and Mahmud rejoined him; his new brother smiled widely and reached over to slap Eventide on the back lightly.

"My brother, there is fun afoot, come we must go and make our plans, we have much to do before the day of the melee."

Mahmud took the lead towards the castle, Eventide settled in beside him as the long train of the hunting party wound their way back to the castle keep.

After the evening meal and sitting alone in Mahmud's rooms, the two boys began the planning for the upcoming melee. Mahmud told Eventide what they would need and how they were to go about it. As the plan was revealed, Eventide became more enthusiastic and let his imagination run wild with possibilities and suggestions. It was late into the night by the time the two boys had worked out a rough plan of action.

As they settled back into the large bed side by side, Mahmud said.

"You know we are going to completely disrupt all the old laws of the melee with this plan; don't you?"

"How would I know? I've never been in a melee but your plan does sound interesting, if only we can pull it off?"

"Oh we can pull it off my brother; the surprise factor alone is worth ten men for each of theirs; now tomorrow we must start to fulfil what we have discussed and we must keep it all as secret as the King's gold."

"If this works, you know we are going to be talked about a lot and not all of it will be good."

"My brother, if this works there will not be a single person; Knight or Squire that would dare touch or confront us ever again."

With those last words, both boys settled back and fell asleep; they would need all their strength and cunning for the next few weeks until the melee; there was a lot to do and hard training for not only them but all the others they hoped to bring into their plan.

Two days later and it was time for the vows to be made by the commoners and Squires alike; as well the Knights would give their vows to honour the joust rules. The King would then tell them when and where the joust and the Squires and Knights melee would be held.

At the annual joust there were many parts. On the first day it was the day of the lysts where the Knights would fight with horse and lance. On the second day it was the individual fights with sword or axe. The third day of the joust was the Squire's melee and finally it was the Knight's melee.

Each day was separated by two days of feasting and entertainment by travelling troupes of acrobats and other entertainers; there were also games for the children and adults as well as copious amounts of ale and cider along with roast wild boar and other meats.

The King's joust each year was a celebration of all that was good and fun in the land and would call people from all around the country to watch and enjoy the spectacle of Knights jousting and fun at the two week long fair.

The day dawned bright and sunny; it was the height of summer and the conditions were ideal; as they were each year for the King's joust. At the large palisade where the lysts would be set up for the first day of the Knight's joust; the King and his selected advisors were sitting up on a covered stage; around the outer edge of the central ring were all the people of the land; many were high up in nearby trees to watch the spectacle of the vows.

The first of those to enter the ring and say their vow each year were the commoner boys; from the crowd there was silence as the very large group of boys shuffled into the ring; there were many ribald calls from the Squires at the rag-tag group of almost two hundred commoners; most were dressed in their best clothes; although they were not much better than their everyday wear; this also caused many remarks from the Knights and their Squires.

The King had a stern look on his face as he heard some of the remarks; he did not appreciate most of them; these were his people; they were the back bone of his armies and the suppliers of his food and weaponry.

The King raised his arms to call for silence; he looked at the large group of boys, some as young as twelve summers and others as old as seventeen summers; The King rose up and looked down at the boys of the commoners.

"Have you selected a leader for the people?"

A large well muscled young man stepped forward and then knelt down and bowed his head to his King before he looked back up and said in a strong voice.

"I am called Bernard, son of the blacksmith; I have been chosen to lead the people in the Squire's melee."

"Then Bernard, son of the blacksmith; I ask under which colours do you fight?"

For the last ten years, the commoners had never had any colours to fight under but were asked just the same as the Squires or Knights were; each year they had said nothing; there was nothing to say; instead, this time Bernard looked the King in the eye and said loudly and with a certain confidence.

"We are the King's people; we fight under the colours of the King, Your Majesty."

The King was suddenly unable to find his voice; while he was trying to avoid a tear coming to his eye, the rest of the two hundred boys knelt down and raised their right had in a fist and, in one voice said.

"We the King's people fight under the King's colours and will bring honour to our King."

The hush of the crowd was suddenly broken as loud cheering from the commoners roared out drowning any loud comments and laughter from the assembled Knights and squires.

"Then my people, I say welcome to the joust and may your valour win the day."

The large group of boys moved away to the far edge of the ring to let the squires perform their vow; there would be no disturbance of the Squire's vows by the common folk; they would show that they had honour for the occasion.

The King sat back down to listen to the vows of the Squires that would be followed by all the Knights. It was easily noticeable that the Squires were far better equipped than the commoners would ever be. They were dressed in their best clothes and armour and carried fine swords and daggers; the commoners had been empty handed and wore only the best clothes they could manage; many had no other clothes but what they stood in.

The first squire rode up in front of the King and bowed his head; each of the one hundred squires would follow the same vow as the first; it was noticed that the first was the Squire that had thrown horse dung at the disguised Eventide; only Freeman and Saed noticed that both Eventide and Mahmud were missing from the ring and could not be seen anywhere.

The first squire began.

"Your Majesty, I am Nevel Thorain; Squire to Sir Justin of Kent; I fight under his colours and will lead the Squires to victory once again."

"Squire Thorain, I hope you will do justice to your claims and fight well; I see you already wear your surplus of a crusader; may you bring honour to it and to your Knight."

The Squire bowed and turned back to join the others as the next came up to vow his place in the Squire's melee. As the last Squire turned back to join the others who were, by now well happy with themselves; there came a small disturbance below the stage where the King sat.

From out of the crowd came a smallish built boy; the King as well as Freeman and Saed immediately recognised Eventide; he was dressed in rough woollen trews, short strong sandals with criss-crossed thongs tied half way up his calves; he was bare chested and carried only a wooden staff; the King looked at him with askance on his face.

"Your Majesty, I am Eventide; Squire to Baron Tremaine of Lancaster; I stand under the colours of the King and fight for the people."

Freeman looked at Saed as if to say 'I told you something was up'

Before the King could reply; Mahmud appeared from the same place; he was dressed in the plain blue of the Bedou, even his dagger was plain and without adornment; he bowed to the King and said in a strong voice.

"Your Majesty; I am Prince Mahmud Sal-A-Hadin; I stand with my brother under the colours of the King and fight for the People."

From every corner of the ring came the cheers of the commoners; it completely drowned out any discontent by the Knights and their Squires; the fact that two boys who should have been fighting on the side of the Squires; even if they were disliked by those same boys; had blatantly thrown down the gauntlet and flouted all the rules of the joust.

For the King it was almost the proudest day of his life; there were no rules to say the boys could not fight alongside the commoners; over the years it had just been assumed that all Squires would fight the melee as one group; that unspoken rule had now been thrown aside by two small boys; this may turn out to be a good joust after all.

As happy as the King was to see the two boys declare their honour for the King and the common people; he did not hold out much hope for their future; they would now be marked for special treatment by the Squires should the occasion arise.

The King held back a particular tear that was persisting in trying to roll down his cheek as he gulped to clear his throat.

"Welcome to the joust to you both; however I have one thing that puzzles me. You say you fight under the King's colours yet you have no such colours to show me."

For the first time in his life, Eventide took the lead.

"Your Majesty; while we would like to stand under your colours, we can still fight for your honour without the colours flying overhead as they are in our hearts and that will suffice in our moment of need."

"Well said young Squire but not good enough."

The King turned to a young page boy of about twelve summers and pointed at him and then to a pole with his colours hanging on them; it was the bright red banner with a single gold lion sewn on it.

"Page, take those colours to our valiant Squires; they shall have our colours flying above them when they fight."

The young page hefted the banner and ran down the steps to stand in front of Eventide and Mahmud; before either of them took the banner, Mahmud whispered something to the pageboy. The young boy looked at Mahmud and a wide smile broke out on his face as he knelt down and bowed his head; his grasp on the banner pole grew tighter.

Mahmud looked back up at the King and smiled.

"Your Majesty, we the King's people would ask of you a boon?"

The King smiled wryly and even lifted one eyebrow.

"Again? Well ask away."

"We the King's people would ask that Page Robin be the bearer and defender of your colours in the upcoming melee?"

The King smiled broadly; what else could he say to such a forward and cunning boy as the Prince.

"Agreed, you have your boon; page Robin rise and face me."

The young boy stood up and faced his King.

"Page Robin; do you swear to bear and defend my colours with your very life if such is needed?"

In a young, clear but high pitched voice, Robin replied.

"Upon my life I swear, Your Majesty."

"Good, then I give you the title of Bearer of the King's Colours; defend them with your life and your honour."

There was hardly a dry eye in the large crowd as the boy again knelt down and swore his vow; only the Knights and Squires had a few choice words to say as to the fate of the small boy when the melee began and ended as quickly as it usually did.

In the past the longest the commoners had been able to hold out had been less than one half hour; this time the Squires had a lot more to fight for and the victory would come that much sooner; of that they were sure.

It was late in the afternoon before the last Knight had made his vows; the King then rose to tell everyone when and where; for the common boys it had been a long day and these final words only went to confirm the suspicions they had had before.

"In two weeks time the first two days of the fair will take place here; on the third day the jousting will take place in this palisade. On the third day after the first joust will take place the hand to hand combat and duels in this arena. On the ninth day the Squires melee will take place at the valley of Kent; as normal, the commoners will select their ground to defend first. On the twelfth day the Knight's melee will take place at Commons ground; sides will be selected according to ballot as is usual. Bernard, son of the blacksmith; how do you select your ground?"

Bernard stood from where he had been seated on the ground and looked at Eventide and Mahmud; after a quick nod he looked up at the King.

"Your Majesty; we the King's people would select the western end of the valley and defend your colours from there."

Even though the King was a little puzzled by the decision of the boy he had to agree; it was normal for the common boys to pick the wider end of the valley as they numbered so many more and needed the extra space to try to manoeuvre against the better trained Squires.

For them this time to elect to defend the narrow slope of the western end was beyond him, they would have no space to move and would be at the mercy of the Squires charge; still it was not his to reason why; they had selected the western end and that was that.

"Then as the rules of the melee allow, the western end is yours to defend; may luck and honour be on your side."

It was the last thing to be decided and now it was time to return to their homes; the common boys now had a little more than two weeks to prepare to once again meet their fate at the hands of the arrogant and better trained Squires.

Freeman and Saed noticed from that day on, both boys would now spend their nights in each other's rooms; they also noticed that the boys were gone early in the morning with their hunting falcons and a small troop of ten other Bedou as guards and would not return until almost dark.

The boys were away all day on their hunts; the two men were not really sure what was going on as the returning boys usually had very little to show for a full days hunting; normally it was only a few birds, rabbits or hares; barely enough to fill a couple of stomachs for so many hours spent out hunting.

The weeks passed and there was nothing but hustle and bustle as everyone prepared for the upcoming joust. As the first day of jousting arrived; Freeman and Saed saw little of the two boys; even today; the first day of competition, there was no sign of them.

The jousts were fast and furious; being only allowed to use blunted lances there were no deaths but there were a number of broken bones and lacerations. The modern joust, while a lot of the blood had been taken out with the banning of metal pointed lances; was still not for the faint of heart; falling from a horse in full armour could still do a lot of damage and not only from the lance strike.

Once again Freeman was triumphant as the King's Champion although his left shoulder ached intolerably from a good strike by his last opponent but he was still the best Knight there. Freeman did not have time to wonder where his new Squire had got to; the boy had asked to be excused from his duty as a Squire for the period as he had little knowledge of what to do for a Knight in a joust; besides, the King had provided his champion with all the squires he needed.

For the next two days, Freeman was; as the champion and best Knight of the joust; feted wherever he went; there were many ales to be drunk and stories to be told. When the day arrived for the individual competition, the King asked Freeman not to enter; he had once again proved himself and Saed had requested that he be allowed to fight in the arena for his own amusement; who was the King to forbid another crowned head his pleasures.

Saed proved to be far more than an ordinary swordsman; using his own lighter and better made scimitar; he cut a swath through the competition to step forward as the winner of the individual competition; again there were more rounds of feasting and ale; of the boys neither man had seen a sign of them; they had continued to go out hunting while everyone else was training and preparing for their own fights.

Finally the day of the Squires melee arrived. The Kentish valley was set in a tear drop shape; around the upper sides were the positions for the spectators to watch the melee. Half way along a great platform had been set with bunting and flags for the King and his guests to watch.

The valley was a long shape; at the wider end were all the mounted Squires; they could not use their horses in the charge and had to go to foot when they reached a line drawn by two white flags about one hundred paces from where the commoners would be.

The common boys were now pressed into a tight narrow section; as the watchers looked down they could see the commoners milling around in what looked to be total confusion. They had no armour and very few of what could be called weapons.

There was a murmur of doubt all around the arena like valley; the lost and forlorn look of the commoners was made worse by the high spirits and better equipment of the Squires; Freeman and Saed could still not see any sign of their two boys. They had little doubt the boys would be here; the thought of dishonour by not showing was just not an option; Freeman decided he had to take a closer and better look at the disorganised rabble below them. Something did not feel right.

The Squires could plainly see the disorganised rabble of the two hundred commoners; the jeers and laughter rang around the valley much to the concern of the common folk watching above them; it looked as though, once again their boys would be in for a hiding; of the King's colours and the two Squires there was no sign.

Freeman moved over to stand beside Saed; he also was looking closely at the shuffling rabble of the commoners.

"Do you feel this is not what it looks like my brother?" Freeman asked Saed quietly.

"Yes brother; something is not right and I am starting to put together some questions my nephew has asked me over the last two weeks."

"Funny; Eventide has also been asking me strange things as well."

"Such as?"

"He asked me to tell him about ancient battles and things like that; he even asked me to start to teach him to read and write his letters."

"Very strange; Mahmud asked much the same; what the Shaitan are those two up to; there's something going on down there but I can't put my finger on it."

"I feel much the same."

The two friends watched as a few of the squires made a line charge on their horses and then turned back when they reached the white banners; it appeared to frighten the commoners even more as they crouched down and hid their heads; only the tall thick body of Bernard could be seen moving around talking and whispering to some of the boys on the field.

On the other side of the valley stood a line of ten red banners; as the time grew closer for the melee to begin, one of the banners would be dropped to indicate the start was close; both men watched as the first banner slid down; there was now only about nine minutes to the beginning of the battle.

The Squires took another opportunity to make one more false charge before the next banner fell; the atmosphere grew even grimmer as the time ran down; it looked as though the commoner boys had been totally cowed.

It was as the third banner fell that something caught Freeman's eye; it was a group of boys sitting at the back of the others and higher up on the small slope. He looked closer and then smiled as he nudged Saed and silently pointed to the small group of about twenty boys who were dressed in rough woollen cloaks that covered them completely; it was then he saw that they were not the only ones covered by the rough cloaks.

The only thing that seemed out of place on the side of the commoners were a line of ten small carts being held by farm horses, they were stacked high with hay.

"You know brother; if they used those carts as a barrier, it may well slow down the Squires charge," Freeman said.

"I don't think it would help my brother, the Squires are trained for assaulting barricades; it will not slow them down much."

"I don't know, there's something going on here that we can't see."

Just as he finished speaking, the fourth banner fell; suddenly there was a blast of a horn that sounded much like a cow horn; what happened next stunned all those watching, especially the Squires.

As one person the boys all stood tall and threw off their homemade cloaks; underneath they wore solid looking leather jerkins; at the same time the straw was thrown from the carts and a mass of boys began to take wicker shields and long poles with a small square wooden cap on one end.

At the centre of the field a large number of smaller boys also threw off their cloaks and revealed that they were holding small bows and quivers of blunted arrows; further back, the twelve largest boys took up what looked like solidly made tall shields about six feet tall and four feet wide.

Behind the largest boys now stood twenty black clothed boys in their Hashin garb, only their dark eyes showing. Just behind the Hashin there was suddenly a small stage; at one corner now flew the green banner of Lancaster and a smaller blue banner of Eventide. On the other side flew a black flag with strange writing on it.

Up on the stage stood a small slim boy dressed in blue and green striped trews; on his feet were the leather sandals with the cross hatching of thongs tied up the calves; his chest was bare and he had bright blue swirls drawn on his chest and shoulders. Across his forehead was the dark blue woad of the Iceni and his long hair was bound back in a long single plait.

Beside Eventide stood the smaller frame of the page boy; much to every ones consternation the small boy was armed with a real steel sword and in his hands was the King's banner; it appeared he was truly going to defend it with everything he had; he also had a cow horn over his shoulder on a thin strap.

Even as they watched, the boy lifted the horn to his lips and blew three short blasts. The activity increased down on the flatter ground where the Squires would hit first. Suddenly, from disillusionment of earlier; there came a hive of activity.

What was once a down hearted muddle of boys there was now three tight lines of wicker shields; some little distance behind them and up the slope a little stood three lines of young boys with their bows at the ready.

To the right hand side of the front lines stood a figure in black clothes, a metal shield on one arm and a short wooden sword in the other. The front line of shield bearers also had short wooden swords while behind them stood two solid lines of boys with the long poles and wicker shields.

As the second last banner fell and battle was now imminent. The front row of about fifty boys formed up close to each other and locked shields; it was noticeable to anyone who took the time to see it, that the front line was all of larger boys; ones who could take the first charge and keep their feet; they were all well built boys from the farms and knew all about hard work.

The second and third lines pushed the long poles forward so the blunt wooden end rested on the top of the front line of shields; Mahmud stood to one side of the front line and gave orders and encouragement. It was noticeable that there was a certain silence now from the massed Squires; they had never seen the commoners do anything like this before and they were not sure how they should proceed.

"Tell me brother, what are those poles?" Saed asked Freeman as they watched the preparations below them.

"They are called pikes; the farmers use them for holding up the stacks of straw when they are building them; it is to stabilise the stack until it is finished."

"Ingenious, I am looking forward to see how they use them."

"So am I my brother; so am I."

Everything had happened so fast that the Squires had not had time to try and change tactics; as they tried to change things, the last banner fell; there was little they could do but charge. There was hope the sight of the horse charge would unsettle the boys in front of them; even though they could not use the horses to actually attack the line.

As the Squires charged, Freeman caught the movement of Bernard moving from his upper line down to stand beside the smaller boys with bows; as he watched he heard the long then short blast from the horn; it seemed every boy suddenly straightened up even more and prepared to fight; they were not the same group that had huddled and listlessly moved around before.

Freeman turned to Saed.

"Well it looks like we have an Athenian shield wall backed up by Persian bow lines; it's the large shields up top I can't work out and the twenty boys of the brotherhood standing behind them."

"Well as you know, the black flag is the signal for Jihad so those boys are up to something; the three lines of bowmen is new to me; there are only about thirty boys all told so it will be little effect on the Squires line. Not enough mass power but, I must say it is going to be an interesting day."

As the Squires began to walk their horses at the beginning of the charge, the commoners on the far slopes grew silent; from the Knights massed around the stage on which the King and his advisers sat, came a loud cheer and many ribald comments towards the waiting lines of commoner boys.

Freeman could not resist the temptation to rile up some of the less honourable Knights.

"Sir Justin; I see your Squire leads the charge; mayhap he will also be the first to fall?"

"I would not think so My Lord Baron; I personally taught him and he is a good student; he will break their lines and we will sit for lunch before the commoners get back on their feet."

"But you have not allowed for the interest of both my Squire and the young Prince?"

"An inexperienced boy and a Saracen? Really Baron I see no competition there."

"Perhaps then a wager would be in order?"

"A wager would be welcome but my honour says I am stealing from you Baron Tremaine; the Squires have won every melee for the last ten years; you stand little chance of winning but; if you insist I would place ten gold on the Squires."

"You have great confidence in your protégé, perhaps twenty gold would be a better indication Sir Justin?"

"If it is your wish Baron, then twenty gold it is."

Suddenly both Saed and the King spoke up almost together with finally the King taking the place of the speaker.

"Sir Justin, I and the Emir would also like to wager on our people; it is the least we can do."

At the sound of the King's wager, suddenly every other Knight wanted to get in on the wager; none were refused; Freeman turned to the King.

"Sire, if our boys do not find a solution to the Squires we could all be paupers by day's end."

"True Baron but a slight error; I will be a pauper; both you and our friend have enough land and gold to rescue me afterwards so I hope we will remain friends?"

"As my King requests; we shall both bail you out of debt should our boys lose."

The three men laughed and turned back to watch the field; with over a hundred Knights in on the wager, the three men were indeed in for a large loss if their boys failed on the field.

The Squires had started back at about 800 paces; they would increase their pace until it was a canter and then for a short distance a full gallop although they would have to slow as they reached the white markers and dismount. Grouped close to the markers were a mass of young page boys dressed in the colours of the Knights; they would take the horses off the field once the Squires had dismounted.

The Squires were lined up in two ranks of approximately fifty five boys in each; out in front as promised, rode Squire Thorain; his white surplus and Red Cross standing out on the green field. It was obvious to any there that the Squires were far better prepared for the melee; they all wore heavy padded leather jackets over which was a well made chain mail shirt; on their left arm was a large metal shield and in their right hand they carried a four foot long heavy wooden sword.

As the pace of the charge increased, the thunder of the horses hooves began to fill the narrow valley; for the defenders at the far end it must have sounded like the very devil himself was coming; yet they stood calmly and waited.

Freeman and Saed heard a soft cough behind them; turning they saw a small gesture from the King to come and stand at his side; the two men obeyed. Once beside the King and with the other advisors more interested in the valiant charge of the Squires; the King asked them both.

"Am I getting old or are my eyes deceiving me?"

"How so Your Majesty?" Freeman asked the King.

"The Squires appear to be compressing their lines as they move forward; if they continue in this fashion they will have less than thirty at the front line; it would lessen their attack by more than fifty percent."

Freeman and Saed looked closer and watched as the charging horses closed in on each other; both began to chuckle at the same time as they saw the outer horses slow and fall behind the others; the further they moved into the valley; the more fell back.

"No Your Majesty; your eyes do not deceive; those two have used the ground to blunt the charge. The sloping sides are interfering with the horse's gate and forcing them to fall behind; even now we can see how they are beginning to string out in a column instead of a strong front."

"Very cunning those two boys. I see also that they have set their three lines at the front in the ancient form of an Athenian shield wall; what worries me is why they would have those tall stronger looking boys of the third rank at the rear; surely they would better be able to hold the front line instead of the shorter boys in the first line?"

Freeman and Saed took another look at the three lines of the shield wall; the first and second lines looked to be of equal height but the front line looked to be of heavier build. The second line of boys appeared to be a lot younger but were the same height. Of the third line there was a marked difference in height and size by at least a head height; the two men looked closer.

After a few more glances at the three lines; Freeman took out his dagger and held it up level with his own eyes; after a few seconds he began to chuckle and replaced his dagger before telling the other two.

"It's the rise of the ground; where the Squires will begin their attack is rising ground; they will be fighting up-hill all the way. The first rank are boys of the same size as those in the third rank; the second rank is smaller and younger boys; why they hold the second rank is beyond me as yet but the boys must have their own reason."

"But why do they have at least six or eight boys in the first rank that are partially up the slope; they are no good there when the attack hits the line?"

The other two looked again; the King had seen something they had missed. This time it was Saed who pointed out the changes.

"Your Majesty; if we look at the second rank there are perhaps eight or ten boys up the side slope and the third rank has a few more; now if those extra boys were at some stage to move around and down, they would outflank the frontal assault; would they not? Add to the other fact that the Squires will be strung out in columns instead of a broad attacking front; then those boys up the slope will be in perfect place to raid the flanks."

The other two also now saw what Saed had described; both nodded in agreement.

"That looks to be the case Friend Saed; but what about those very young archers; there are not enough to make much of a difference?"

"True Your Majesty; but at this stage I cannot see how they will be of any use; it appears we will have to wait for developments but the boys must have thought this out if the rest is any indication."

Slowly the battle field took shape; the Squires charge had now weakened and was strung out in five or six long columns and the pace had never been able to reach its full potential. The tactics had fully blunted any hope of a strong and fear inspiring charge.

When the horses finally reached the markers, there was a certain amount of disarray in the Squires ranks; as they all dismounted and let the pages take their horses; there was a sudden loud blast from the cow horn, it was quickly replaced by a loud shout from Bernard who stood to one side of the three lines of young archers.

"Front rank ready."

By now all the Squires had dismounted and were trying to reorganise their attack lines for the foot charge into the commoner shield line which was only one hundred paces away; to anyone looking and not really understanding the lay of the ground; it appeared the Squires would have a straight run; to the three men that had seen the tactic, the squires would be moving up-hill all the way.

With the horses now off the field and the squires about to move forward; the next loud spoken order from Bernard filled the valley.

"Front rank, Fire."

Within a second the order continued.

"Second rank, Fire: Third rank, Fire: First rank, Fire."

And so it continued; the three men watched as a veritable torrent of blunted arrows took to the air; with the first line being ready to fire as the third line released theirs it was a continuous stream of arrows. While the first arrows only numbered ten, by the time they actually hit the lines of Squires, there were more than ninety others already in the air and coming down at them.

The continuous rain of blunted arrows caused the Squires to lift their shields to protect their heads and faces from the storm; without realising it, they left their bodies wide open; it also caused many of the boys to keep their eyes on the sky which created stumbles and falls which only went to make others fall over those already down.

The Squires kept moving forward but they were now disorganised and their solid line of attack was slowing; the heavy punch they hoped to hit the front line with was all but gone; from now on they would be almost on the back foot. For Squire Thorain at the front none of this was seen; all he looked at and thought about was the shield line in front of him; to his best knowledge he had the backing of a full healthy charge with the power to force through the thin line of commoners and take the King's banner.

As the torrent of arrows flew through the air; the three men on the stage smiled at the cunning use of the thirty archers; the King was the first to speak.

"Well that answers that question; the charge looks like it is broken; from now on it will be just guts and hope for the Squires."

The other two looked at the young Squires who had already fallen; they appeared to number about twenty and; apart from one unlucky lad who had got hit in the eye with an arrow; the rest were those who had been tripped or fallen over and been stepped on by their fiends. There was an obvious number of sprained or broken ankles and even a few holding injured arms where they had fallen on the heavy shields and dislocated a wrist or shoulder.

As yet the Squires had not even reached the front line but had already lost twenty men; it did not bode well for the rest of the day; add to that the continuous need to watch above for the arrows that continued to rain down on them and the line charge slowed even more.

As the line closed on the waiting shield wall; it also became noticeable that some of the Squires were tiring; their training was concentrated more on horseback tactics and fitness; the long run under fire along with the weight of the heavy armour was already taking its toll.

"Well Your Majesty," said Saed. "It appears the boy's tactics are already showing benefits; the Squires have about twenty down and probably out of the fight and a large number are feeling the weight of their armour and the rising ground so are slowing to not much more than a walk. A good commander would pull back now and reorganise his men but I doubt that will occur to the young Squire leading the way."

"I fear you are right friend Saed; perhaps this will be a good lesson for the boy; still, he has a good ninety men yet so they might still break through with their superior weapons; we will have to wait and see how the boys on the shield wall hold themselves."

The other two men nodded but were also now a little more sure that their two boys had pulled a rabble of commoners into a viable and tough fighting force; the Squires were not going to have it easy by any means.

Finally the front line of about twenty Squires hit the shield wall, or they would have if they had not suddenly been stopped short by the long hard wood of the pikes that had been pushed forward and into the very faces of the front line of squires.

Squire Thorain had been the first to have his head rattled by a hit on the forehead by the thick block of wood on the end of the long pike; it sent him to his knees as others were struck about the head or held away from the wall by the strength of the double row of boys holding the long pikes.

Those at the very front of the shield wall stood solid and ready, they knew their turn was coming. Squire Thorain was on his hands and knees; his metal helm had taken some of the sting out of the blow but he still had to shake the stars out of his head before he could rise again and charge the waiting line.

Around Thorain lay some of his friends; the strange pikes had taken a toll on the first to reach the waiting commoners and those behind had stumbled over and onto those already down; the charge had become a rabble of shouting and cursing Squires and still, the pikes did their hard work on those trying to get back on their feet.

Thorain regained his feet but, after only two steps he was felled again; this time by a heavy blow in the chest; he had forgotten in the heat of the moment to raise his shield; again he struggled back to his feet and moved forward.

To the attackers, it seemed an age before they actually met the shield wall; as more and more forced their weight against the wall it slowly began to bend but not give.

Behind the lines, the archers had now moved into a new formation of a single line; the three watchers on the stage saw a number of the Hashin run forward with replacement quivers for the archers who were now taking aim at individual targets; none of the arrows would do much in the way of harm but they were distracting for the Squires.

The centre of the front line was now bending a little further; suddenly the second and third lines stepped forward and used their shields to hold the front line and keep it solid; they did not try to straighten the line but just help hold it.

It was now plainly obvious that the squires were tiring although still trying to push forward; it was a game of cat and mouse at best; when the Squires eased off to get their breath back; the front line would suddenly open their locked shields and attack with short heavy wooden swords; not to slash but to stab at open points on the squires; when it looked as though the squires were going to return to the attack; the shield wall would close and lock once again.

The to and fro continued for more than an hour; there were now young Squires almost on their hands and knees from exhaustion and the summer heat; their heavy armour was doing them no favours.

Suddenly there was the loud blast of the cow horn; it ended on a rising note; at the end of the blast, the front line suddenly began to move in what at first sight appeared to be a break in the line. A loud cheer went up from all the assembled Knights; their Squires had broken through the front line; there would be little to hold them back now. Sir Justin raised his voice and called Freeman.

"What now Baron; I don't suppose you would like to double our wager now that the line is broken?"

From the stage it appeared differently to the three men as they looked over the whole battle field. The front line was not broken; it was obvious they had heeded the call of the cow horn and were moving not back in retreat; but to the side. The line had split at the centre and each of the two parts had moved slowly sideways until they were now covering both flanks of the squires.

Freeman looked over at the Knight.

"Doubled it is Sir Justin."

"Add ours Sir Knight," called the King.

It now could be seen that the boys of the shield wall were slowly forming a deep pocket for the squires to fight their way deeper into. The boys up on the flanks now stayed off but guarded against any of the Squires breaking out of the narrow front they were fighting on.

The second and smaller line was now holding and fighting the very tired and, in some cases, totally exhausted Squires. The younger and smaller boys along with the aid of the large friends behind them; held the line although it did bend a little at the centre.

One hundred paces back, the archers were breaking up and retreating up behind the twelve large boys behind them; from the rear appeared four black clad boys carrying what looked to be earthenware jugs; pulling the stoppers, the four boys poured something over the ground about ten paces from the twelve waiting boys above them.

Once finished, the four disappeared back behind the last line to mix with the archers who seemed to be busy with something else not quickly apparent.

With the archers safe and the four young figures now out of the way; the cow horn blew one long and two short blasts; much to the delight of the squires, the second line of young boys broke.

The three men watched with a faint hint of amusement on their lips as more cheers and yells went up from the watching Knights; their Squires had easily broken the second line; none noticed the smaller boys moving up beside those of the front lines out on the flanks and above the weakening Squires.

The pocket created by the defenders now had the Squires deep inside; looking down the three men saw that there were now only about fifty squires left able to fight; many had injuries and others were just totally exhausted to such a stage they could no longer stay on their feet and had collapsed where they were.

The third line was fresh and took a toll of the weary Squires; when the cow horn sounded for them to retire to the flanks, there were only about thirty Squires still standing. The loud cheering from the supporting Knights gave those left a new lease of strength.

At the sound of the cow horn, the third line broke and went to join their friends up the slope. The last line made their way up the slope to join those waiting from the other two lines; as they joined the younger ones, the boys from the first line moved down behind the Squires back where the first Squires had fallen and formed a double line in their rear; the Squires were now hemmed in with no escape.

Freeman nudged his friend and pointed up to the slopes where the shield wall boys were now standing.

"Look, they came prepared for a long fight."

Saed and the King looked up at the mass of boys on the slopes that now formed the flanks of the deep pocket; a loud chuckle came from them as they watched each boy take a small water flask and crust of bread from a pouch at their waist and begin to eat and drink to restore their strength.

Squire Thorain had taken many hits and seemed to ache in every part of his tired body but, he had broken the last line, now all he had was a few boys above him less than fifty paces away and the King's banner was his.

Thorain called the last of his men to him; they had one more hard push to win; even though it had now taken three hours for them to break the lines they were now in sight of victory.

The rules of the melee were that no person not in combat could enter the field without being called by one of the combatants; the boys of the first line, now started to walk towards those that had fallen early; as they reached a downed Squire, one would point his sword and ask the squire something; the Squire always nodded yes. At the nod from the Squire, the boy would raise his sword high above his head; it was the signal that the Squire had yielded and could leave the field or that a page could come and assist him to leave if he was unable to do it on his own.

Slowly the boy's double line moved forward, always closing in on those Squires standing ready to make the final charge; it did not take long before the last Squires were hemmed in and surrounded in the pocket.

Before Thorain could call for the final charge at the twelve waiting boys above them, Eventide appeared at the right end of the twelve large boys; many were surprised at the volume such a small boy could use as he called out to the remaining Squires.

"Squire Thorain; I ask you to yield the field; you cannot win this day and can leave with honour; all of your men have fought well and it is no dishonour to retire in the face of certain defeat."

Thorain looked up at the blue painted small boy; what did the boy think he was saying; he still had thirty or more good Squires and he was only paces away from a mere dozen boys that did not even have their shields up. It was a whisper from one of his other Squires that caused Thorain to turn around and look behind him.

For the first time in his life, Thorain felt a touch of fear. Both the rear and both flanks were a mass of waiting Commoners; no one could say what caused the words to come out of Thorain's mouth but they sealed his fate and the fate of the last few Squires.

They had formed themselves into a wedge shape in readiness for their last charge; Thorain grasped his shield tighter and lifted his long wooden sword; once again he was at the leading edge of his men.

"We are soon to be Knights; we do not bow down to common curs nor filthy Saracens; CHARGE."

The massed wedge began to run up towards the twelve boys; Eventide disappeared behind the larger boys and was soon replaced by all of the young bowmen and Hashin. For those watching closely it was evident that the bowmen were now scouts; they were in groups of three; one boy held a long handled two pronged pitch fork, the other carried a small round buckler on his left arm and a flail with the handle cut short; the Hashin with them carried a long quarter staff.

Saed asked Freeman what the small boys were carrying as he pointed to one of the boys with a buckler on his left arm.

"It looks like a cut down flail that the farmers use for separating the grain from the chaff; it would normally have a longer handle to generate more power for the threshing; it will be interesting to see how they use them."

Saed nodded his head as he watched the one time bowmen and his Hashin split into two and take a flank each. While all this was going on and the squires were starting their charge; the twelve boys above them suddenly leant down and lifted the huge wooden shields; it was then that the watchers saw the two long steel spikes at the base of the shields.

The twelve boys; in a display of pure power; lifted the heavy shields and drove the spikes into the ground; each shield was touching the one next to it; the boys then set two thick poles behind the shields to hold them in place; they had quickly made a large and tall solid siege wall.

Freeman, along with the other two; chuckled as he saw the siege wall erected; with the two poles and the shoulders of the twelve large boys; there was little chance the squires would breach it; what happened next made it an impossible task for the squires to win the day.

When the charging wedge was only ten paces from the daunting wall; the Squires began to slip and slide as they lost their footing; the charge died as they tried to keep their feet on the grass that had been well oiled by the Hashin after the young bowmen had retired.

On both flanks there was suddenly short sharp raids by the one-time bowmen and the Hashin; the boy with the pitch fork would run in and catch the squires shield arm between the two tines; with a twist he would open up the Squires body for the Hashin to come in with his longer staff.

On the other side, the boy with the flail used the buckler to deflect the now weak attempt with the long sword and strike four or five quick blows with the flail head; usually at the wrist or arm of the Squire. Once done and with the squire down, the three would run back to their line and let another three attack.

It became a continuous and painful skirmishing line. It took only a few minutes to bring the last of the Squires to their knees; only Thorain still stood and none of the Squires had made it to the siege line; the orders had been to not take down Thorain; injure; yes but not bad enough that he did not reach the last line of shields.

From behind the wall strode Bernard; he had even dressed in his blacksmiths leather apron. Bernard had been told by Eventide and Mahmud the final honour was to be his for all the insults to the people by the Squires.

Even though the melee had been truly won; not a single cheer went up from the commoner boys; their battle was not over until their two new friends; the young Squire and the Prince; led them to stand before the king and declare the victory.

The boys all stood silently as Bernard made his way to the exhausted and now cowed Thorain; with an open hand he cuffed Thorain hard and sent him spinning to the ground. Bernard then showed just how strong he was; bending at the waist he turned Thorain over and grasped him by the back of the neck and the seat of his pants then lifted him bodily up; turning towards the solid siege wall of shields; he rammed Thorain's face into the solid wooden wall; it was said that the sound of breaking cartilage could be heard around the whole field; when Bernard dropped the now totally stunned boy on the ground; it was apparent Thorain would never breath properly from his nose ever again; Bernard had the last word.

"You can now tell your friends, that you were the only one to reach the wall."

Bernard turned his back and stepped over beside the waiting Eventide, Mahmud and Robin; each was holding their own banner; Mahmud nodded to Bernard with a wide smile.

Robin took his cow horn and blew a long high note; immediately the mass of commoner boys began to reform. The three front lines were given pride of place at the front and formed up in three separate phalanx; behind then came the smaller phalanx of young bowmen and the twenty Hashin. Next in the parade was Robin with the King's banner then behind him and on each side were Eventide with his green and blue banner and Mahmud on the other with his black banner.

Flanking the three banners were the twelve larger boys of the siege wall; they stood six to a side. At another blast of the horn, the procession moved down the field until they came opposite the King's stage; there they formed up and Eventide nodded to Bernard; everyone had decreed that Bernard was to be the leader and take the congratulations from the King.

Bernard stepped forward until he was beside Robin.

"Your Majesty; the people return your colours and declare a victory in your name."

The King looked at the boys below him; had anyone looked closer they would have seen the two tears running into his beard; the King coughed to clear his throat.

"The victory belongs to the people and so does the banner; I declare that tomorrow night; in the great hall, every boy who fought today will appear for the feast in their honour. Robin, Bearer of the King's Banner, I would ask you why you carried a steel sword into the melee when the rules state it is illegal."

"Sire, I pledged on my life to defend the colours; had they fallen then the sword was for my own use."

"A noble gesture that shall be rewarded at the feast tomorrow night. I declare the victory of the Squires melee go to my people and, never was a better battle fought by any man or boy."

That was the final signal for the boys to release a lot of pent up pressure; almost as one voice they all raised their right hands and yelled at the top of their young voices.

"FOR THE KING AND THE PEOPLE"

The boy's voices were soon joined by the common folk who had remained silent through all three and a half hours of the melee as they all yelled and celebrated their great win after ten years of being nothing more than target practice for the arrogant Squires; there was a lot of frustration to be rid of on this day.

During the raucous celebrations, only two people saw Eventide, Mahmud and the twenty black clad Hashin disappear from the crowd of boys; they would have their own little celebration out of sight of the crowd; even Freeman and Saed would be excluded; as it turned out those two would be busy collecting a veritable fortune in gold from the assembled Knights.

Eventide along with Mahmud and the twenty Hashin hurried to their quarters in the castle, once they were all there, they sat and began to laugh and enjoy their own victory; the hookah were brought out and large platters of food and fruit appeared as they all discussed what they could have done better; it was decided that very little would have been changed.

As they all sat around laughing and joking; there came a heavy knock at the door; one of the young servants went and opened the door and immediately stepped back and to the side as a tall man dressed in the black of the Hashin strode into the room.

With little preamble his coal black eyes; the only part of him that could be seen; looked at the happy boys gathered on the floor.

"The Commander of the Brotherhood decrees that all those present will appear at his tents to the south of the castle at the setting of the sun; all those of the Brotherhood will appear as Hashin."

The tall man turned and left without an answer as there was none to give by the boys; it was a decree from the Commander; who of course was the Emir and Mahmud's uncle.

The boys all sat stunned at the turn of events; those in the know, which did not include Eventide, knew that the Commander only called all of the Hashin to assemble in one place for only one reason and that was not usually a good one; something must have gone wrong for all of them to have been summoned so seriously.

The sudden change caused the celebrations to wilt as the boys tried to work out why they had been told to attend; had it been that they had shown themselves in public without the advice of the Commander; it was a possibility and if so there would be dire consequences for all of them.

The closer the time came for them to leave for the tents; the more nervous all the boys became; none of them had ever been called before the Commander; even when they had done something a little daring or not totally honest.

The time came when they could wait no longer; Mahmud helped Eventide into his black garb; making sure everything was correct and that his weapons were placed in the right way and place even though Eventide had now had three weeks of training.

With the other twenty Hashin following them, they made their way to where their horses were being held by some of the servants; there was not a single boy that did not have a little tremble in his step as they mounted and Mahmud led them out of the castle grounds and into the darkening landscape.

It did not take long for them to see the black tents and smaller fires of the encampment; the closer they drew to the tents, the more their nervousness increased. In the camp it was almost totally silent; in front of the largest tent stood two young Hashin; they would assist in taking off the boy's boots and then enter.

As normal each boy was required to show his face before he could enter the tent; when Mahmud and Eventide showed themselves, the two waiting boys told them they would enter last. For Eventide this reminded him of the last time he was presented in such a way and what had happened; was this going to be even worse and more blood spilt?

When all the other boys had entered; the last two were allowed to remove their boots and then the helpers left them alone to enter last. As they entered the tent, Eventide saw there were four oil lamps burning; while it gave a little more light than the last time, most of the tent was still in shadow.

Eventide glanced around and saw there were at least thirty adults as well as the twenty boys now in the tent; as he walked beside Mahmud, a Hashin adult at the far end of the tent called to them.

"Red Scorpion kneel at the centre and bow to the Brothers of the Hashin."

Mahmud walked forward to the centre of the large carpet and knelt down on one knee with his head bowed.

"Shaitan Bin Izurak kneel at the centre and bow to the Brothers of the Hashin."

Eventide tried to keep the shaking in his legs from being seen; as he moved to follow Mahmud to the centre he saw that every man and boy was holding a thin cane in their lap; he hoped it was not for him.

Eventide did the same as Mahmud and bowed his head; the two boys stayed in that position as the man in black continued.

"Brothers we all know what has transpired this day; two of our number revealed our presence without the word of the Commander of the Hashin; for this they must pay a price. There is also a matter of a certain victory organised by the same little brothers; what say you on their fate?"

For Eventide kneeling at the centre and feeling very alone and afraid, the soft whisper of his friend and brother, Mahmud was good to hear.

"We will be alright; we take our punishment and then it is over; I will defend you as you did not know of the rule of secrecy so my punishment will be more than yours as I knew I was breaking our rules."

Eventide whispered as quietly as he could.

"No, we are brothers and friends; I'll take my own punishment beside you."

Before anything more could be said; the Commander called for quiet and the many conversations stopped immediately.

"Red Scorpion, you have been found wanting in using your brothers in the battle today without my consent; do you wish to speak for yourself?"

"Lion of the Desert, I would not speak for myself as I was the one to ask for my brothers help in the battle but, I would ask mercy for my brother Shaitan Bin Izurak; he is not at fault as he did not know our rules; I will stand in his place for punishment."

"Shaitan Bin Izurak; do you have words to say?"

"Lion of the Desert; if my brother is at fault then so am I; my ignorance of the rules of the brotherhood are no excuse; I stand for my punishment beside my brother."

"Then so it shall be. Each brother will take one stroke of the cane upon the back of the two and then it will be forgotten as they are valiant brothers with honour. Let me be the first to strike and the Falcon shall be second."

With his head down, Eventide could only follow the Commanders movements by sound. Eventide only hoped he could stand the pain of a cane stroke from so many grown men and not cry out like a child.

Eventide did not know how to take it when there was a simple and very light tap on his shoulder; he almost cried with relief as each man and boy did the same; just a light tap and then moved on. When the last boy had tapped both boys and moved back to his place at the edge of the carpet, the Commander, with almost a laugh in his voice said.

"Well I hope our two little brothers have learnt their lesson; now onto better things. Red Scorpion, Shaitan Bin Izurak, stand and look to your brothers.'

Both boys stood up and looked around the men and boys sitting in the tent; when they turned back to the Commander, they saw him remove his face scarf to reveal the Emir; standing next to him was the one called Falcon; when he took off his scarf Eventide saw it was Freeman; the relief was enormous.

Each man and boy removed the covering from their faces and smiled at the two boys standing in the centre of the carpet. The Commander began.

"We, the brothers, saw today a feat of arms that would go down in any scroll as a tactical victory on a level of Alexander and Sparta. The use of history to win the melee was well thought and efficiently carried out. There are many sorry squires who; even now are working hard in the stables as a penalty for losing what should have been another easy victory. Brothers, today we saw something great on the field of battle that we should remember. Our two little brothers showed courage and honour in victory and it is now time for them to get their reward. As Commander of the Brotherhood of the Hashin; I give the lands and palace of Wadhi Sufaria to our brothers Red Scorpion and Shaitan Bin Izurak for all their days. Who is next?"

Freeman stood beside Saed and began next.

"I, Falcon of the Sands ask that as I have no heirs that Shaitan Bin Izurak become my legal son and his brother Red Scorpion be forever welcome in my house and on all my lands."

Eventide could not believe his ears; he would now have a father and be heir to the lands of Lancaster and Flanders; even after hearing Freeman's words he could not believe it. Another man stood.

"I, Ben Kahlif of the Bedou and the Brotherhood, gift to our little brothers, ten horses and twenty camels; each of which they may chose to their own liking."

When the man had sat down, another rose and walked over to the two boys; in his hands he carried two very ornate scimitars in scabbards covered with expensive gems, gold and other inlays that Eventide could not identify.

The presentation continued until all but four of the young Hashin were left; the four boys rose and carried two small chests between them. Placing one in front of each boy, they stepped back and bowed low to Eventide and Mahmud; one of the boys spoke to Mahmud in their own language and then all four went back to their places.

Mahmud smiled at Eventide and told him what the boy had said.

"Our brother has gifted us with the winnings of their wagers for the battle; it seems they all wagered four gold coins on us winning and want us to have their winnings as a gift for proving them right; it also helps that most of it comes from the Squires."

Eventide looked at the huge pile of gifts; he suddenly realised most of them had been given to him alone; there were new clothes and boots, fine leather worked saddles and pads; beautifully worked leather belts with fine silver buckles; a complete black tent rolled up tightly that had taken three men to carry in.

Some of the saddles were strange in shape but Mahmud told him they were for his camels which the boys would select when they went to Mahmud's homeland sometime in the future.

Once the gifting had finished; Saed called for the servants to serve the food and drink; it turned into a very late night that the boys did not awake from until well into the next day and they still had another feast later in the great hall.

As the two boys lazed in their hot baths; Eventide asked Mahmud what the Wadhi Sufaria was and why it was given to them.

"It is a great fort; the Palace itself lies within the fort and has a hundred rooms between tham and a large courtyard for our guards. The Wadhi Sufaria is the most important of all the forts on the trade routes; it is here that the merchants gather to form their caravans and enter the great sands to cross to the large cities of the western ocean. Some call it the Great Road, some call it the Gateway of the Sands and others call it the Great Silk Road because much of the goods come from places far to the east. When the merchants reach the Wadhi Sufaria, they have to pay a tax on their goods to pass through to the great sands; Brother Shaitan, you and I are now very wealthy boys."

"But how will we ever look after it; you may be able to go there but I am here and see no way to watch over such an important place; I know nothing of commerce and taxes or even the great sands; I'm just a pot boy who has good friends and now a lot of brothers."

"Oh, you have much more than that; now that yours and my names are marked on the scrolls as the Kahlifs of Wadhi Sufaria; you are also uncle to the Emir's many children as well as being protectors of the people and merchants of Sufaria. Now we have to arrange for your servants; I have talked with our brothers and six have volunteered to be your teachers in the ways of the Brotherhood. When you return to the Baron's Manor they will go with you to help teach you all that you will need to know; the Baron has already approved them; most of the time I will have to stay here with uncle to learn about your court but I will try to get away to visit with you as often as I can. It has been agreed between the Baron and my uncle, that in three months you and I will visit my homeland where we will stay until the Squire's melee next summer. The King himself asked that we once again return to defend his colours with the people."

Eventide tried as he might to take it all in; for a pot boy only a few scant weeks ago to a wealthy titled boy now was catching up with him. Last night before bedding down, he had looked into the small chest; it had taken his breath away; he had never seen so much gold coins in one place before; he thought it would take him a full day just to count them all.

His other gifts now filled one corner of the large room that was his; how he was going to move it all was beyond his understanding but; the greatest gift of all was now having a name that others would respect, Squire Eventide Tremaine; heir to the Barony of Lancaster and Flanders and now also Kahlif of Wadhi Sufaria. Eventide shook his head while still trying to fully accept what he had become.

"Mahmud, what about these children of the Emir; how is it that I am now their protector?"

"Now there is a lesson we should take while the servants rub our bodies; come, we will move to the tables to let them work."

The two boys got out of the tin baths and let the servant boys dry them off with soft clothes; once dry they both lay down on the narrow tables for the boys to massage their bodies and rub in scented oils. Eventide was almost over his shyness for getting an erection at such times although it did not stop it from happening but his blush was a little less; the servant boys did not seem to notice.

"Now then, the Emir has twenty two wives; most are political marriages; he also has a large harem of girls and boys for his own enjoyment but that's another story. Now his wives must conceive a child to validate the marriage. So far the Emir has fifteen sons and nine daughters. As I am just his nephew and my father and mother have gone to paradise; I cannot take his throne; only one of his sons can do that. Now as his eldest and closest nephew, it is my duty to protect my cousins and as you are my brother of the blood, you also now have that duty. When it comes time for one of the sons to take the throne; we will both swear to defend and protect him. By gifting the Wadhi Sufaria to us it gives us enough power and prestige to hold sway in our court; even the sons of the Emir cannot take away the Wadhi; only the death of both of us will make it available to a new Kahlif."

"So the eldest son takes over when the Emir passes and we watch over the new Emir?"

"Not always the eldest son; the court of the Bedou is even more dangerous than your King's court; it is the strongest son that will take the throne, for us we will have a special position in the court; whomever takes the Emir's throne knows that we will never try to take it from him; they know that you and I are the only ones that can keep it in his hands and that we do not covert his place; we are the only ones with no interest in ruling so they feel safer with us around than any others; even the many court officers could try to take the throne given the chance. As Kahlifs we both have all we need."

"It sounds very complicated and also dangerous."

"Yes it can be complicated and for those in the court, very dangerous when the sons get close to their majority. The oldest son is now only seven years old but over the next ten years you will see a thinning out of some of them."

"What of the daughters?"

"They cannot take the throne; they will be married off for political reasons and to strengthen ties with other tribes or kingdoms."

"It seems a strange way to live."

"For you and I it will be a free way to live; we have the richest Palace in our lands and will have a great army to protect it as well as being of the Brotherhood; you and I brother, are going to do great things; of this I am certain."

When their massage was over and Eventide was feeling a lot better than earlier; the two boys dressed; Mahmud in his own style and Eventide now in the more traditional garb of a Squire; he would much have preferred to continue to dress like his friend and brother but they were in the King's castle and it would be disrespectful in court.

The rest of the day was spent taking lessons from Mahmud in the Aramaic language of Mahmud's homeland. Eventide was surprised that he found it a little easier than he thought it would be; Mahmud said he must have a talent for language to be able to pick it up with such ease. Eventide could not help the blush that coloured his young features.

The time to leave for the victory feast arrived; as they left Eventide's room where they had spent the afternoon; a Royal Page waited for them; he told them they would be asked to enter the great hall last along with Bernard after the commoner boys had been arranged inside the great hall.

Eventide and Mahmud soon found Bernard and began to talk with him; the young blacksmith was still feeling the weight of their first victory over the Squires in ten long years.

Before they could be called into the great hall, Eventide saw Freeman approaching with what looked like a scroll in his hand; the other two boys saw him and began to move away to give the pair some privacy; before they could, Freeman called to them.

"I would ask you both to stay; we may need your witness if Eventide agrees."

"Witness to what, My Lord?" Eventide asked.

"Why young man, these documents; the King has agreed to my request for you to become my heir and adopted son; that is if you agree and sign this document and can find two friends as witness for you."

Eventide was at first confused; it had only been two days ago he had finally been able to sign his own name; as yet he could not read well enough to even begin to understand the rolled document. Eventide looked helplessly at Mahmud as though to ask for help.

Freeman was quick to pick up Eventide's distress;

"Don't worry too much Eventide, there is time yet and if you wish for your brother Mahmud to read it for you then I will wait but, if you are to sign it, it would be better to do so before entering the great hall."

Freeman gave the rolled document to Mahmud and stepped back as the boy unrolled the scroll and quickly read it through. Once finished he looked at Eventide.

"It is good, you should sign it with your name; it will give you presence in the King's court and in your lands."

Eventide took the scroll and looked for a desk; at the side of the hall was a small table, he laid the scroll down and carefully wrote his name as he had just learned, next Mahmud took the quill and signed his name in the Aramaic script. As Bernard did not know how to write; he dipped his thumb into the black ink and laid it on the scroll; Mahmud carefully wrote his name in the English script beside the thumb print.

Freeman came up and, after placing a large gold ring on Eventide's small finger, he looked at the finished scroll; taking a small flask from his cape; he dusted fine sand over the ink to help dry it; once completed he rolled the scroll and returned to the great hall. The three boys looked at each other until Mahmud said.

"I suppose we should call you Baronet Eventide now."

"Wha 3;" Eventide was looking down at the large gold ring; it had the crest of the Baron on it and, although it was just a little loose, Eventide wondered how many more rings he would have to wear; the gold in this one alone would keep a farming family in food for more than two years.

Before any more could be said; a page appeared and asked the three to enter the great hall one at a time starting with Bernard; he also told them how to behave when they entered; Mahmud already knew but the other two were looking nervous; it would not do to make a mess of their introduction to the King in front of more than one hundred and fifty Knights of the Realm.

A man dressed in black with a long black staff came up to Bernard and smiled at the nervous boy.

"Come, it is not as bad as you think."

The man led Bernard down the long walk to the stone dais at the far end; on each side were long tables; seated on the benches were all the other boys of the battle; behind the long row of tables were more that held the Knights; the boys had been given the central place of honour for the evening.

The man in black took Bernard to the bottom of the stone steps and banged his staff three times on the stone floor.

"Your Majesty, I have the honour to introduce Bernard, son of the blacksmith and Commander of the people's army under the King's Banner."

Bernard went to one knee and bowed to the King as the man stood above him.

"Arise Bernard, Commander of the People's army and defender of our colours; it is we that should be bowing to you for your well planned and executed victory in our name."

Bernard stood up with his mouth agape; he was sure the blush he felt on his cheeks could be felt around the great hall.

Next the man led in Mahmud; the same three knocks and then he said.

"Your Majesty, I have the honour to introduce his Highness, Prince Mahmud Sal-A-Hadin, Kahlif of Wadhi Sufaria and a loyal ally."

Mahmud bowed low and performed the movements of his salaam to the king.

The smile on the King's face could be seen by everyone. Even from his place at the entrance; Eventide could hear the mutterings of the Knights; it appeared they had very much underestimated the young Saracen. There was not a Knight there that did not know the importance of the Wadhi Sufaria on the trade routes of the known world.

"Welcome Kahlif Sal-A-Hadin; it is our honour to welcome one of the architects of our victory and a favoured ally of our people."

It was now time for Eventide to enter; he followed closely behind the man in black and tried to keep the shaking in his knees from being seen by everyone else; what he was to hear only made it worse for his knees.

"Your Majesty, I have the honour to introduce Baronet Eventide Tremaine, heir to the Barony of Lancaster and Flanders, also Kahlif of Wadhi Sufaria."

The King turned and looked at the Emir sitting at the large table behind him; Saed just smiled and shrugged his shoulders as thought to say 'What could I do'

"Welcome Baronet Eventide Tremaine; again we must thank you for your aid in the planning of the victory in our name. I would ask all three of you to sit with us so we can discuss your tactics in the great victory."

Mahmud took the invitation in his stride, Eventide was a little nervous and Bernard was just plain shocked to find out he was going to sit at the King's table. Slowly the three boys made their way up the steps and around behind the long table; much to Bernard's surprise, Freeman stood from his chair beside the King's larger one and indicated for the boy to sit there while he took the next one with Eventide beside him; Mahmud took a seat beside Saed on the King's left.

Once the King had taken his place he clapped his hands and what seemed like a horde of servants appeared carrying large earthen jugs. It did not take long for all of the large silver goblets to be filled with strong sweet mead; the King stood up and raised his goblet.

"Knights of the Realm; I ask you to stand with your goblets and offer a full toast to the victors of the melee; We are sure that you have never seen such a victory at any joust held in these lands. To the victors."

Every Knight lifted their goblet and called out in a roar; "To the victors" they then all emptied their goblets and returned to their seats as a number of servants appeared to refill them. Immediately Mahmud stood with his own goblet raised and looked out at all the boys below.

"Your Majesty, we your humble servants would like to answer your generous toast; boys of the People's army and defenders of the King's colours, I ask you to stand and raise your goblets. To the King and the generosity of the Knights of the Realm."

All the boys rose along with Bernard and Eventide as Mahmud spoke; when he called the toast they all repeated it.

"The King and the Knights of the Realm."

All the boys then drained their goblets as the Knights had done; no mean feat for smaller boys not used to the stronger mead of the King's court; amid a few hiccups, the boys sat down as the Knights thumped their fist on their tables in a sign of appreciation; the boys had shown a sign of honour even though the Knights and Squires had shown them little; it was to be a good lesson for some of them.

As the toasts had been taking place; a number of servants had carried in more tables and placed them in a line at the bottom of the steps; more servants appeared with colourful bundles and small chests; then some chairs had been placed behind the table at intervals; the chairs were soon filled with men that looked like clerics and had rolls of parchment and quills before them. The King called for silence.

Eventide looked down at the long rows of tables in the centre of the hall; it was plainly evident that the boys had not fought the battle unscathed; he could see five or six with thick bandages around their heads; four of the smaller boys from the second rank had an arm in a sling. Quite a number had black eyes and many more had scraped knuckles and even one boy had a badly broken nose but the wide smiles took away any pain they may have been feeling.

The King rose once again as the clerics got settled.

"Knights of the Realm, defenders of our colours, as with any army; the soldiers must be paid for their service and honours given to those who have shown valour in the face of the enemy; it is now time for us to pay our dues. Soldiers of the first rank of swordsmen, rise."

The fifty boys who had held the first line all stood from where they were seated.

"As you were the first to hold the line against the full charge of the enemy and due to the donations of the Knights wagers I decree that each of you shall receive the sum of one King's gold coin in payment for your services; you are also to give your name to one of the clerics and take from them the red sash with double chevrons of a Yeoman of the King's army. Upon reaching your majority, should you wish to join our army you will be given such rank when you start your training."

The standing boys could not believe what they had just heard; a King's gold coin was the largest and most valuable in the Realm, it was more than a farmer could earn in two years; added to that if they wanted to join the army when they reached eighteen they would already be a junior officer. Stunned, the fifty boys made their way to the long tables and began to give their names and receive their reward; each one of them proudly placed the red sash over their shoulder and went back to their place at the table.

When the last boy had taken his place at a table, the King stood once again.

"No less valiant were those boys of the second and third ranks, although we could all see they were used as a delaying force, they still fought with valour and great heart; to those soldiers of the second and third rank, we gift one King's gold and the red sash with one chevron so that, if they wish to join our army on their majority, they will do so as swordsmen of the first rank."

The hundred boys of the two ranks stood and made their way to the tables and began the long process of giving names and receiving their rewards. While all this was going on, the goblets whether they were Knight or boy, were kept full; when the last of the shield wall boys sat down it was time for the King to rise again.

"We now ask for the archer skirmishers to rise."

When the thirty boys were standing, the King continued.

"We have seen many battles where the archers were not as effective as you all were; at first we thought you were too few in number to make any difference yet you forced many of your enemies to the ground by your steadfast fire and even more went down when you changed to skirmishing; your reward is as follows; you shall all receive one King's gold coin and the blue sash with gold bow of the King's archers; should you reach your majority and enlist in our army, you will be called First Rank Archer."

The boys could not believe their ears, as they went to the tables and gave their names and received their reward, some said they saw a tear in many of the very young boy's eyes. The last archer boy took his seat and the King rose again.

"Page Robin, come forward."

The small boy walked out before his King, while he was not overawed by the occasion, he was still nervous at being singled out; after all he had done nothing but hold the banner and blow the horn.

"Page Robin, from this day on you will no longer be called Page; from this day on you are to be the sole bearer of our banner at all occasions; your title from this day on will be Squire of the King's Colours; where we go you will follow with our colours, your single duty is to those colours and no other. As with those who fought, you will receive one King's gold coin; also you will now wear the gold rosette with ram's horn to mark your station and will receive twelve silver coins per year for life."

Robin almost felt his knees give as the King finished his speech, with shaky steps he went to the table to give his name and receive his reward then went back to sit at the table with the other boys; before he could do so the King's voice called to him.

"Squire Robin, our colours hang beside this table; it is there your new duty lies; you will join us up here."

Robin was now ready to faint as he turned about and shakily walked up the stone steps and took his place on a chair near the end of the table but only an arm's length from the very banner he had carried in the melee.

"There now are only two more presentations to give out and then we can feast the night away. Of the two both are as important as the other yet we find ourselves in a quandary for one is sure and certain yet the other is far more complicated so we will go forward as we first planned. Commander Bernard, come forward."

Bernard left his chair and walked to the front of the dais so he could see the King's face before him.

"Bernard, son of the blacksmith, from this day you shall be known as Squire Bernard the Black, you shall wear on occasion the gold rosette of the King's Commander of the People's Army, also the blue rosette with crossed swords as a Junior Officer of the King's Guard and the red rosette for Valour; upon your majority, should you wish to join our army you will be given rank and take position in the King's Guards. As your father would miss your aid at the forge, it shall be given the mark of Royal Approval. Along with these titles I gift ten King's gold as dues for the Commander of the People's Army and a further fifty silver coins as reward for showing valour, honour and courage on the field of battle."

Bernard could not find any words, he was still trying to take in what the King had just said as that same man led him to the table below to get his rewards and rank; afterwards he did not even remember how he got back to his seat at the table; only the sound of the King's voice brought him back to reality.

"We would now ask Kahlif Sal-A-Hadin, Baronet Eventide Tremaine and our twenty Bedou allies to come forward."

When they were all standing at the bottom of the steps, the King continued; it was noticeable that the twenty boys of the Bedou were now dressed in the dark blue of the Bedou and not the black of the Hashin and their faces were revealed and not hidden.

"It is here that we are in a quandary; we are not sure what reward should be offered to the architects of the battle which; I may remind our Knights; was the longest melee ever fought in any joust we can remember. We find it difficult to reward the architects and our twenty young allies. We are sure that they already have wealth more than they would need; also they have titles that far exceed most in this hall. We could not offer good horses as they already ride the best that are known to man and we are sure they have more in their stables. After long consideration we could think of only one thing that they did not have but richly deserve. To this end we have written out and signed with the Royal Signet a King's Passport for each of you. This will entitle you to free and full travel within our Realm without hindrance or delay; it also entitles you to food and lodging in any village, town, city or castle without delay and at the expense of the King's treasury; should you be in need of an army, you are entitled to call on any Knight of the Realm for assistance that cannot be denied. We hope that you will also be prepared to script the melee for the next joust as you did for this one. We would be interested in how you would perform for us once again."

The King walked down the steps and; with a cleric following him; he handed each of the boys his own Royal Passport; the parchment was rolled in a fine leather cover for protection and had a heavy Royal Seal attached to a red ribbon tied around it.

When the last Passport was handed to the last Bedou, all the boys bowed low and were then allowed to return to their seats, Eventide and Mahmud went back to the top table as the King also stood at his chair; with a clap of his hands, the King called for the feast to begin.

The feasting and many games went well into the late night hours; when the servants came in next morning, they were surprised to see so many young boys asleep on the floor of the great hall; all of them showed the signs and smells of too much mulled wine, ale and mead; there would be many sore heads later in the day. It took more than an hour to get all the boys out and on their staggering way to their homes;

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