Burchard opened his mouth and shut it. Cook is right. I don’t have anywhere else to be.
Lady Gladys slid her bowl of stew closer to herself. “What about my responsibilities? I was going to make the meat pies for dinner tonight…” Her voice trailed off when Cook shook her head.
“You, my dear lady, are here because you want to help. None of your tasks are required. I thought you would enjoy having some time with Burchard. Once he is cleared for training again, you won’t have much time together,” Cook explained.
Burchard felt a blush creeping up his cheeks. “We’re not…we’re not…” he stumbled over the words.
Cook chuckled again. “Yes, yes, I know you’re just friends. But since Lady Gladys is not a boy, she can’t exactly go train with you and continue your friendship that way. Take this time while you have it.” She paused. “Besides, not all friendships with people of the opposite sex have to be romantic.”
Out of the corner of his eye, Burchard saw Lady Gladys squirm as Cook kept speaking. “It is good to have a variety of friends who come from all walks of life.” With that, Cook turned on her heel and headed back to one of the large stoves.
Burchard was still blushing. Instead of looking at Lady Gladys, he decided to just eat his food. Thankfully, she followed suit. They sat in companionable silence and ate their stew. When they both finished, Burchard stood up and took their bowls to the wash basin, then returned to the table.
“Did you want to play more cards?” he asked, standing at the edge of the table, debating if he should sit back down or not.
“Sure,” Lady Gladys said and shuffled the deck.
The door from the kitchen into the main part of the castle banged open. Burchard turned to face the door and saw Colonel Frost standing there peering at each person in the kitchen.
Lady Gladys groaned. “I guess I will need a rain check. My father must need me for something.”
Burchard nodded in understanding. “Well, I had a good time today. Thank you for teaching me how to play War.” He bowed and then headed out the kitchen door closest to them that would let him go outside.
As he wandered around outside the castle, Burchard mulled over what Cook had said, about how you can be friends with almost anyone if you want to. I doubt that is something my father believes. He always seems to detest anyone who is not a noble or a knight, as though interacting with a servant for too long will somehow contaminate him in some way.
It took Burchard four more days to fully recover after he sparred with Reggie. Each morning after breakfast when Reggie headed to the training yard, Burchard made his way to the kitchen where Lady Gladys was waiting with a friendly smile and her deck of cards. After the second day, Burchard realized how nice it was to have these few hours each morning, to not think about training but to just be fourteen. He knew it wouldn’t last, but he wanted to enjoy it for what time he did have.
When the healer cleared him, exactly one week after his sparring round with Reggie, Burchard was pleased to hear his brother had been sent out on a two-day scouting assignment with two squads of knights.
The two squads of knights Reggie was accompanying were not the only ones sent out over the next several days. Alderth Castle had been bustling with activity once King Roland had given the General approval to attack the Stinyian rebels. Messengers arrived daily, and scouts frequently came and went. Luckily Burchard’s father was too busy planning the upcoming battle to pay much attention to him.
Unfortunately, Burchard’s regular horse was not recovering well, so Chip had become his full-time mount. Captain Thomas still thought he was crazy to ride her, but Burchard didn’t care. He and Chip had an understanding that worked. He didn’t mind that everyone was afraid to get too close to her. It meant most would leave him alone when he was riding, which suited him perfectly.
Under Sir Peter’s watchful eye, Burchard and Ruschmann were able to practice mounted sword fighting after lunch in the field outside of the castle. Although Burchard wished he still had time to see Lady Gladys more, he was excited to work further on mounted fighting techniques. When they weren’t practicing mounted swordsmanship, their riding lessons focused on other important skills such as how to ride with a wounded companion and how to dismount while their horses were moving, both intentionally and not. Burchard preferred making the choice to dismount over having Sir Peter pushing him from Chip. He had to admit, though, he was quickly figuring out how to stay balanced when he landed regardless of how he had come off. With the threat of the Stinyian rebels at the forefront of everyone’s mind, Burchard was glad to know continuing to develop his skills was still a priority.
The third afternoon, as Burchard and Ruschmann were riding out toward the field, Sir Peter met them halfway. “Sorry, squires, but we have new orders. Captain Hugh Grayson just returned with information on the location of a rebel camp and the General wants us to be in the group going to investigate.”
Burchard pursed his lips. Captain Grayson was leading the group Reggie went with. “Is Captain Grayson’s squad coming with us?”
Sir Peter shook his head. “No, he was able to provide enough information that Colonel Frost should be able to lead us to the correct location.”
“Colonel Frost is leading us?” Ruschmann asked.
“Do you have a problem with that?” Sir Peter demanded, eyes narrowing.
Ruschmann blew out his breath. “No, it’s just he’s Lady Gladys’s father.”
Sir Peter raised an eyebrow. “What does Lady Gladys have to do with orders the General gave us?”
Ruschmann replied, “Nothing, forget I asked.”
Burchard glanced at his friend, wondering what that had been about. Normally Ruschmann didn’t question who was taking the lead when they went out with a squad of knights. He shrugged, deciding it didn’t matter. “Are we departing soon, or can we still practice?”
Sir Peter sighed. “I came out here because the General wants us to leave immediately. He is concerned the rebels will change positions and we won’t be able to find them again if we take too long. We leave within the hour.” The knight turned his horse back toward Alderth Castle, and both squires followed suit.
“How long should we anticipate being gone for?” Burchard inquired as he began running over a list of things he should bring with him.
“At least overnight, possibly a couple of nights. It depends on how quickly we find them and how long it takes to eliminate their presence,” Sir Peter answered.
Burchard stayed silent for the remainder of the ride to the castle. He quickly led Chip into her stall, pulled off her bridle, and gave her a scoop of oats. He hung the bridle on the hook outside her stall door and made a beeline for his barracks. He figured the mare would be happier with departing again if she had a chance to eat her dinner early instead of doing without it.
When he reached his bunk, he pulled several empty packs from under his bed. He packed one spare set of clothing, deciding that if he had to, he could just wear the clothes for multiple days. He was more concerned with adding extra weight if he needed to move quickly than about having clean clothes. Food was a different matter. Luckily, Burchard had learned quickly after his arrival at Alderth Castle the benefit of having a go bag of food readily available. His was filled with an assortment of dried meat, nuts, and dried fruit. Food that would offer him sustenance, and he would not have to worry about it spoiling.
Next, he checked his weapons. His sword was already on his waist in its scabbard, but he also grabbed his long knife, his bow, and a quiver of arrows. I should wear armor, he reminded himself. He peered around his space. He saw the edge of what he was hoping was his chain mail poking out from under the bed. Bending over, Burchard grabbed it and tugged. It wouldn’t budge. He tugged again; still nothing. Growling at himself, he wrapped both hands around the piece of armor and gave one final yank. Burchard found himself flying backward. He hit the dresser and fell in a heap.
Laughter came from somewhere behind him. Burchard blinked his eyes slowly, willing everything to stop spinning. He had hit the dresser harder than he expected. Taking his time, Burchard stood up and turned to face the source of the laughter. “Ruschmann,” he growled.
Struggling to compose himself, Ruschmann took a moment before responding. “That was quite exciting! What was your armor stuck on?”
Burchard rolled his eyes. “It doesn’t matter. What matters is it is the chain mail shirt I was hoping it would be.” He unbuckled his scabbard and set it to the side before scooping up the chain mail and sliding it on. Once it was on, he snagged his scabbard and secured it around his waist.
“Is that everything?” Ruschmann asked.
Burchard reviewed his packing list in his mind and then peered carefully at each of his bags. “Yes, that’s everything.”
“Let’s go then, before someone has to come find us,” Ruschmann urged.
