"Sir Wallace, how could you not bring this to my attention? Do you not recognize your old teacher?"
Everything began to spin in my head. The King knew my father, and my father was Sir Wallace's teacher? I didn't understand any of this.
"I'm sorry my lord. I did not recognize him. The fault is mine own." Sir Wallace had a clear look of shame on his face as he apologized and then bowed to my father.
"How have you been Falren? Where have you been? It has been far too long since you have graced my presence."
"My apologies my lord. When the Blind War was over, I took my leave for the Colsteen Village in the mountains. It was my home before the war, and I longed to go back when it was over."
I was looking at my father with astonishment. I had no idea that he knew the King, much less that the King knew my father. He quickly turned towards me and looked at me with guilt. There was a bit of sadness there as well.
"We must go to the castle, you three will be our guests for dinner."
"That isn't necessary my lord. We must be readying ourselves to return home soon."
"Now Falren, would you deny my an opportunity to have a meal with an old friend and the best Captain that fought in my army?"
My jaw dropped even further, and that look of guilt grew even more on my father's face. I felt a tug on my arm. I turned and it was the Princess, she was signaling me to walk with her. I looked at my father again, and then turned to follow Princess Alma.
"Your father is Captain Falren? I've heard so many stories about him, and not just from my father, but also from Wallace and the other Knights."
"I don't know. This is the first time I am hearing any of this. My father told me he fought in the war, and that he then became a blacksmith when the war was over. He said that he learned it from Galdren during the war."
"Bards sing songs of your father. The Captain that taught Knights how to wield their swords."
"He told me that he was only a soldier in the infantry, and that he learned swordplay from his Captain."
"It's told, that your father is the reason that we won the Blind War. If it wasn't for the Swordsman's Euphoria that he taught the Knights, we would have lost for sure."
I was now beyond shock. It was like my mind was mush.
"Will you introduce me to your father?"
I simply nodded and began walking back to where the other men were talking. The King's head was lifted high with pride, while my fathers' head was low. He had a smile on his face, but it seemed like it was drawn on, instead of being there intentionally. I was about to do something that no person in the realm should ever do. I was about to interrupt the King.
"Excuse me my lord. Please beg my pardon." There was a quiver in my voice as I spoke. "The Princess would like an introduction."
"Where are my manners? I'm so caught up with seeing an old friend again, that I've forgotten myself. Would you like to do the introduction Pitre?"
I nodded and bowed to the King. My father had always taught me proper etiquette for introductions. You were always to introduce the younger person first, to show respect to the elder by letting their name be spoken last. This was a different case though, this involved nobility.
"Princess Alma, I would like to introduce you to my father, Falren of the Colsteen Village. Father, it is my great honor to introduce you to Princess Alma."
My father bowed deeply to the Princess, but the Princess waved her hand for him to stop.
"Please Captain Falren, the honor is all mine. I have heard so many tales of your accomplishments. I never dreamed that I would ever meet the great Captain of the Blind War."
"No no, the honor is all mine. It is not every day that you meet a Princess. Is it true, that you bested my son in the melee? I couldn't bring myself to watch it." My father seemed to cheer up a bit as he spoke to the Princess.
"I did, but your son is very talented. Is it true that he has only been training for a year?"
"Indeed it is. He wanted to begin training after he saw the Knights last year at the birthday celebration."
"Your son would make a fine Knight of Targen. He showed incredible skill in the tournament. If he has been training with a sword for only a year, he must have been training longer with a horse. His skill there is wonderful as well." Sir Wallace beamed at me as he said this.
"He has had no formal training on horseback, only the occasional ride here and back to the village."
The King, Sir Wallace, and the Princess all gasped at this. The looked at each other and large smiles grew on their faces, and the began to laugh.
"This is a jest. You are trying to fool us Falren."
"No, my lord, it is all true. He only rides a horse when we come here, and when we leave. From time to time, we will ride to the river near the village, but that is it."
The trio stopped laughing and looked at each other again, and then at me. It felt like the pressure of a thousand stares as the looked at me trying to detect if my father was telling a tall tale and waiting for me to give up the goat. I shrunk back a bit and lowered my head. Sir Wallace was the first to speak up.
"My lord, is there any way that we could allow him into the Knights Academy? He truly is remarkable."
"Wish that I could, but there rules are the rules, and even I should not break them."
"But King?"
"I hear you Wallace, but what would this kingdom be if we all started shirking the rules. I do agree with you though. Young Pitre here is rather remarkable. I'd say as remarkable as his father is."
The King stroked his chin and stared at me for a long time. I shrunk even further into myself. I wanted to hide. The King was not just staring at me, but through me, and not only him, but everyone was.
"Pitre, you competed valiantly today, but the rules are the rules, and I cannot permit you admission to the Knights Academy this year. What I can do however, is ask you to come back next year." The King said this with the grace of a fox about to sneak it's way into a chicken pen.
"I thought that the tournament was only on odd numbers years?" My father boldly asked the King.
"Yes, it is Falren, but on the years that the tournament is not held, nobles are permitted to sponsor a child for the Knights Academy. I would like to personally sponsor Pitre. Although I don't know what the academy could teach him that the best instructor in the realm couldn't."
I couldn't believe what I was hearing. The King was going to sponsor me to become a Knight.
"Falren, will you continue to train Pitre, until it is time for him to come back next year? I'm sure whatever time would be lost from him not being in the academy would be gained and even more so, by your training of him."
"Yes, my lord. I will continue to train him."
"Very well, I grant you permission to bare swords. You are also permitted to make armor as needed. Did Galdren teach you how to smith armor and blades?"
"Yes, my lord. I taught him every trick I know. The lad will have a fine set of armor and weapons."
I looked down at my sword. The one that my father had made. The one that Galdren said was better than what he could make. My father had a lot of hidden secrets, and I was hoping to learn them.
"Very well, it is done. You will be my guest in the academy next year Pitre, but now, we should go eat and catch up. I'm sure your father has plenty of stories to tell me. First of all, is how he was here with you last year, and I didn't hear about it."
The King motioned for everyone to follow him, and he led the way out of the tunnel and to the castle. The Princess fell back and walked with me in the rear of the impromptu parade.
"You really didn't know any of that about your father?"
"No, none of it."
"Then you are going to learn quite a bit at dinner I think. I truly haven't seen my father this excited in years."
I think I was going to learn a lot, but with everything that had happened. The end of the tournament, losing to the Princess, the King knowing my father, my father being the hero of the Blind war, the one thing that was finally settling in was, I was going to go to the academy. It finally hit me, that I was truly going to become a Knight. I think I frightened the Princess, because out of nowhere, I leaped in the air and let out a boisterous, "WOOHOO!".
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