Those stone grey eyes kept boreing into me. It took all my might not to shrink away from the giant mountain of a man with his wild black hair and beard. I wasn't even sure that I would really be able to move. My legs had frozen.

Not even when I had my motorcycle accident did I feel anything like this. Back then my mind filled with more of a blank surprise than anything else.

Now, though, there was a dangerous presence which threatened to overwhelm me. And there wasn't much I could do about it.

'I'm starving, I haven't eaten since yesterday breakfast.' The gritty voice of the giant man said, breaking the intense pressure on me.

All of a sudden I was back in the guest chambers above the North Gate. From outside the narrow slit windows came the sounds of the smithy and the stables working. The large bed with its curtains sat behind Hallvard.

'I'm sure there would be something in the kitchen.' Alis suggested quietly, not really wanting to draw attention to herself.

'Nah,' the giant of the man exclaimed as he stood up. His face, hidden behind the wild black beard, was back to its normal ruddy colour. The chair creaking in relief as his giant weight of him, his muscles, and his armour was removed from it. 'We'll stop and trade for food at a nearby village.'

The nearest village to us was a days walk along the North Road, half a day along the River Road, or if we cut across the fields and meadows half a day march somewhere in the south-westernly direction.

I followed him down the narrow spiral stairway. He had to twist his body to even fit in it. But it seemed second nature to him as walking down these spiral staircases was for me, so I didn't pay it too much attention.

During the workday the North Gate was left open, even though there was never any real traffic. Normally, and there was now, a small group of trainees stood guard on the gate. All of this group wore much better uniform tunics than what Alis or myself had. Which wasn't hard really, as we were the only two who had such poor quality tunics.

All of the trainees were armed with proper weapons. When they saw Hellvard they shrank back. One took a half step back, then froze when Hallvard paid attention to him.

In the courtyard itself there was a half-hearted weapons training happening. The stocky figure of the head trainer was keeping more of an eye on the North Gate than on the half-hearted practice fights happening.

'Before we go, was there anything you need to collect from your belongings?' Hallvard asked.

I shook my head, other than my clothes there wasn't anything replacable that I owned. In fact the only thing which had been precious to me had been stollen and destoyed soon after I got here. That had been the clothes I had been wearing, complete with gash marks and blood stains, that I had worn when Aggard had first blessed me.

Thinking about it, other than the wax tablets, some poor quality course scrolls, and clothes our chest was remarkably empty.

Alis shook her head too.

I wasn't sure just how to take Hallvard's sigh and that look he gave as he turned around and headed towards the stables just outside the North Gate.

The stable block was slightly older than the infirmary, and just as ornate, right down to the gleaming tiles and decroative gilt monsters on the roof. Beyond the tall entrance gates, tall enough to comfortably ride through there was an office, a stable hand waiting room, a noble's waiting room. Running through the centre was a large flagstone corridor which stretched all the way back housing stools for horses. Most of the stools were currently empty.

When Hallvard strode in, through the oversized doors, he walked past the office and waiting room and directly towards where a horse stood. I wasn't really good at horses, their breeds, and purposes. But due to being trained on horseback I knew that this one had the look of a pure breed charger.

Not only that but it was much larger than the two chargers that were kept for advanced training.

A stablehand, using a step stool, was brushing the flank of the horse with some sort of brush.

'Get my horse ready for me, I'm departing now.' Hallvard said in a booming voice which startled the stablehand and the horses most of whom started whickering. 'Also I need two more horses for my squires.'

'A-at once, Milord.' The stablehand stammered as he rushed off to a room somewhere near the back, the tack room if I remembered correctly.

Three stablehands came back, all holding sadles. The first stablehand put a full warrior's saddle on the charger. The other two stablehands carried training saddles. They headed towards some stools near the entrance.

'Not those horses, those ones.' He stated, his gravelly voice flat with annoyance.

'But, they're pure breed chargers, not mounts for trainees.' A brave stablehand spoke up.

Hallvard strode forward towards the stablehand.

'Maybe I did not make myself clear.' Somehow Hallvard seemed to loom even taller than before. Even though I was behind him and the displeasure wasn't aimed at me I felt like the pressure that he gave off.

The stablehand gave a slight eep and slunk back slightly.

'Do you think that you can disobey an order from me? Not only I am a Knight Champion while you are but a mere lay brother, but I am also a Bishop.' Hallvard fished into his armour around his neck and pulled out a metal necklace. From this distance all I could see was the rainbow gleam of the metal as it shone in the light.

This was not simple iron metal, no, this was some sort of magical metal.

'So tell me, lay brother ,' Hallvard's voice said, colder and more dangerous than before, 'where do you get the authority to refuse my orders? I want those two horses there.'

Both of the stablehands stumbled overthemselves to rush to the stools housing the chargers that Hallvard had picked for us.

The stablehands had finished saddling the three horses and led them to us.

Just as we were about to mount an authoritive voice called for us to halt.

The head of the training fort, an almost non-descript man if you ignored the fact he alone had a beer belly and is haughty tone, stood in the centre of the doorway leading out of the stables. Standing next to him was the stocky figure of head trainer, nervously playing with the handle of the sheafed sword. On the head's other side was the second priest assigned to the fort.

'You overstep your boundaries, Knight.' He said in his usual haughty tone. 'You cannot take any trainees from this fort without my authority and I do not give it.'

He gave a smirk, one I reconcised from his long tortours lectures on just how bad I was, one he gave when he knew he was right and I was wrong...

And I had been so hopeful on escaping this place today.