Ordeal

The sun touches the top of the brick wall, and a hand touches my shoulder. “It is time, daughter.” Lady Jane holds a finger to her lips, reminding me to remain silent. A gauntlet of men and women, all knights, clothed in white cotton, await us-- rather, me --at the lists.

~

Not waiting for the first knight to attack, I charge barefoot into the gauntlet, slamming my shoulder into Sir Jessica’s stomach, tackling her. As I start to regain my feet, the tall woman tries to engulf me in a bear hug, but I slam my fist into her belly, and she withdraws.

I must prove that I can fight to the extent of my life. Jessica was easy. It will be tougher with each opponent. A light breeze of wind that still carries the morning’s chill refreshes my resolve.

I spin towards Sir Eric, The Viking, and throw a roundhouse punch, hitting the man’s ribs. He jabs hard into my chest, and my back hits the moist ground. Loud gasps escape my throat as I suck air. Say nothing. The big man starts to pull me up. I put my right knee into his ribs, the exact location I had hit him. Good. His grimace tells me he’s hurt. Pushing with my feet, I break his hold. Free, I stand and deliver three quick punches--left to the ribs, right to his other side, and an uppercut to his chin. He staggers, so I follow with a head butt to his chin and bounce back, but Sir Eric cannot follow.

I turn to see Sir Willow, who remains still and expressionless. I attack the battle-tested knight with a flurry of punches to no effect. She blocks every blow and my arms tire, so I deliver a direct kick. The knight grabs my ankle and twists me to the ground before assuming a defensive stance. Again I attack, charging in but stop short. She tries to block a punch I fake. Finally, I deliver a punch to the woman’s nose, and blood flows. She withdraws.

Sir Bear, my knight master, approaches. He smiles, but I take no comfort in it—his fist slams into my tattooed chin. My left wrist moves to deflect his next punch, which rakes the side of my face, and I feel my ear ripped off. I kick his crotch and met air as he sidestepped the blow. I rotate on my heels bending low to avoid his next punch. It’s time to dance with the Devil. He had taught me to fight dirty, and I will show him the results. I stomp his toes, grinding my heel on them. The knight pushes me in return. Circling before he can walk again, I jump on his back, wrapping an arm around his neck, locking the hold with my other arm. He grabs my short hair, pulling a clump. He loses strength as his head turns purple. My mentor falls forward, and I let go. A quick feel assures me I still have both ears.

A blaze of long red hair on a short figure approaches Sir Amara, my former roommate and fellow member of the First Tree. I have often observed her fight. Amara charges in with a grunt to grab my outfit, pulls me in, and strikes my tight belly. Amara lets go as she kicks my stomach. My muscles give out, and I gasp for air. Amara steps back to wait with a feral grin. I regain my bearings, look at the shorter knight, then choose wild action. I ignore two hard punches and grab her in a bear hug, dragging her down. She hits the ground, and I jump up to clear the counterattack. Instead, she springs up and kicks. Sweeping her leg aside, I smash my fist into the knight’s face, and she falls, stunned.

I look around for more knights and see Whisperblade standing with her sword down low towards me. I look around for a sword, but Bear holds out my crooked staff. Grabbing it, I punch Bear on his upper arm for good measure. Spinning back to Whisperblade, I dodge the swing at my head. The sword does not harm the hard staff. As she pulls the sword back to strike again, I deliver a blow to her leg. There, that got her attention. Fending off another swipe of the lethal sword, I deliver alternating blows. In a few short exchanges, I strike a blow to her upper arm, and her sword wavers. The crooked staff impacts the knight’s forearm with my next swing, and the blade is held only by the offhand. She steps back in defeat.

Sir Bear taps my shoulder, hands me a knife, and points at Sir Raven. I hate knife fighting, and he scares me. He attacks with an overhead stab, and I block it, forearm to forearm. Keeping my eye on his knife, I stop and deflect strikes from every direction. I’m not going to win this one. Surprisingly, he stumbles, and I take advantage of his awkward movements, bringing my knife to his throat. He raises his arm in defeat.

No one else steps up to challenge me. I jerk around looking for my next attacker, only to see Lady Jane holding out her hand. I know her to be dangerous in a fight, but she wears her most elaborate kimono, one she would never ruin in battle. She leads me by the hand to the infirmary to be treated by the nurse, who puts a few bandages on me while Lady Jane applies makeup to cover the darkening bruise on my cheek. Other injured candidates arrive one by one, followed by wounded knights, including The Lion. Finally, Wolf enters with a massive bandage about his thigh dripping with blood. Whisperblade, his mother, has stabbed him with her sword. She follows him in, her hand wrapped in bandages; Wolf gave as good as he got, and I smile at him.

~

Ladies and Knights

It is afternoon, and we have dressed in new knight’s uniforms. We sit outside the ballroom. Sir John FitsOsborne, The Lion, is the last person to enter. Sir Whisperblade comes out to escort Pell into the room, and I hear a cheer in minutes. Next, Whisperblade comes out to take in Wart, her other squire, and I listen to cheers again. Next, lady Jane comes for Jenifer; she will be a lady and wears a dress. We help her to her feet and offer her a cane, but she refuses it and enters the room on unsteady feet. This time the cheering is quick and intense. She had once had quadriplegia until Wolf touched her with the staff from Aman, the first tree. In turn, George, Harold, Hildegard, and Richard are each led by their knight masters, leaving Sally, Wolf, and myself.

“Sally, why did you withdraw your protest?“ Wolf asks.

“Wolf, sometimes you have to do the right thing even when you hurt, but you should know that. So from now on, I wish to be called by my real name, Sara. Things are different now, and you will not take me for granted.“

“Yes, Ma’am.“

I see a knowing look pass between them, and they smile. Lady Jane comes out of the room and escorts Sara inside, leaving me alone with Wolf.

I study Wolf, who fidgets and say to him, “The Lion's left us for last. Either he is saving us as the best or the worst.“

Wolf grits out, “The worst; he isn't happy with me.“

“All I have to say is, good or bad, you deserve what you’ll get. Except for that marriage thing, you're the hero of the Kaniwa expedition.“

“That's very generous, but one O-oh cancels out a lot of good, and I've had more than my share of trouble.“

“What's he going to do, fire you?“

Wolf grimaced and said, “Worse, I'm enthralled to him. He can make me clean toilets, all day, every day.“

“We've all done that.“

“Yeah, but it wasn't forever.“

“Wolf, you worry too much; you wouldn't be sitting here if he was going to do that to you.“

“Yeah, you're probably right.“

I grin and say, “Think of all the lives you've saved; each one was worth everything, wasn't it? I know; I'm glad you came along for me.“

“It was Raven who saved you.“

“He saved me from being murdered, but you were the one who convinced me to leave the streets. That is what saved my life, and for that, I am forever grateful.“

“You won't say that when you receive a shield with a scarecrow on it.“

I hit him on the shoulder. “Hah, I wouldn't mind it; not now.“

Sir Bear interrupts us. “Wachinga, it's time.“

“Thank you for everything.“ I kiss Wolf on the cheek and follow my knight master into the ballroom.

~

We walk in to stand in front of the dais. The Lion says, “Grace Wachinga, you are here for the final Ordeal of knighthood. It is a grave obligation that you will take upon yourself. Do you wish to proceed?“

“Yes, Sir, I do.“

“Who sponsors this woman into knighthood?“

“I sponsor this woman,“ Bear answers.

“Is she well trained? Is she worthy of being a knight? Will she uphold her duty?“

“I have trained her well. She is in all ways worthy, and she will perform her duty.“

“Grace, kneel.“ I drop to my knees, and the Lion pronounces the oath. “Do you Grace Wachinga swear to uphold the laws of your country? Do you swear to do good for mankind? Do you swear that all worthy people shall have your attention? Do you swear that you will support and defend the helpless, even to the extent of your life?“

“As a knight, I swear these to be my duties, even to the extent of my life,“ I answer.

He steps off the platform, draws his sword, and says, “By my right as a liege lord, I confer upon you the title, the rights, and the responsibilities of a knight.“ As he says it, he brings the flat of his blade down on my left shoulder, raises it, and places it on my right shoulder, returning it to my left shoulder. Finally, he sheaths his sword and reaches down to take my right hand, saying, “Arise Sir Grace Wachinga.“ The Lion motions me to turn around and face the assembly's applause.

The clapping soon ends, so I turn back to the Lion. He picks up a sheathed sword from its stand and presents it to me. I ease the engraved blade from the sheath, point it up, and face the audience to extend it high above my head, and everyone cheers. I turn to the Lion and sheath the sword. Sir Whisperblade and Sir Jessica kneel to each side and strap spurs to my boots. Lady Sara and Mrs. Cunningham stepped forward carrying a covered shield. They pull the cloth off to reveal a coiled rattlesnake set on a tan field. It is my ensign as a knight.

Sir Whisperblade replaces Sir John at the dais and says, “Sir Grace Wachinga, kneel.”

I again kneel.

The knight stands in front of me, holding a hatchet with a spike on the offside of the head. She lays the flat of the blade on my head and says, “As Supreme Commander of The Order of the Hatchet, I Sir Aurora Whisperblade, Enter you, Sir Grace Wachinga, into the rolls of The Order of the Hatchet. Arise and accept this token of your bravery.”

I accept the hatchet and grin for all to see.

I mount my shiny shield on the left arm and sit down in the row of new knights. Lady Jane takes my hand and leads me to a side entrance of the ballroom to the sound of murmurs from the students. A royal blue dress, shoes, and a black wig lie on the table in a small room. She sets to work helping me out of my uniform and into the fitted gown, adding a white sash, and applying more makeup to my face covering my expanded bruises and softening my tan lines. I sit while she eases the black geisha wig over my short blond hair. Looking in the mirror, I see the apparition of a fine lady. She did not cover my tattoo, which now gives me a no-nonsense look as I force my face to be an unsmiling mask. I stand a head taller than my mentor, which adds to the effect. Outside I see Wolf has gone in to receive his knighting. I hear clapping and cheering for him. As soon as it quits, Lady Jane opens the door, and I follow her in to stand once more before the Lion to a gasp from the assembly.

“Grace Wachinga, you are here for the final Ordeal of Ladyship. It is a grave obligation that you will take upon yourself. Do you wish to proceed?“

“Yes, Sir, I do.“

“Who sponsors this woman into ladyship?“

“I sponsor this woman,“ answers Lady Jane.

“Is she well trained? Is she worthy? Will she uphold her duty?“

“I have taught her well. She is in all ways worthy, and she will perform her duty faithfully.“

“Grace, kneel.“ I sink to my knees with liquid grace, and the Lion pronounces the oath, “Do you, Grace Wachinga swear to uphold the laws of your country? Do you swear to do good for mankind? Do you swear that all worthy people shall have your attention? Do you swear you will support and defend the helpless?“

“As a Lady, I swear these to be my duties.“

He takes my hand and orders, “Arise, Lady Grace Wachinga.“ He presents me with a dagger, which I leave sheathed; the handle has bands of polished white stone and royal blue lapis lazuli. I tuck the blade into my white belt. Lady Sara steps forward with a buckler and pulls the cotton cover off, revealing a white field with five blue vertical lines, my ensign as a lady, representative of the chin tattoo I acquired and now boldly wear. I sit beside Wolf but not before the cheer, “Wachinga, Wachinga, Wachinga,“ erupts from the students.

We, the newly knighted, march out under the crossed swords of the other knights.

~

In uniform, I walk down the hall to Whisperblade's apartment to enter the open door. Whisperblade smiles. “Grace, good, we're all here.“

I look around; Whisperblade sits in her wingback armchair, surrounded by Raven, Sheriff Ben, Johnson, Lady Jane, Wolf, and Mrs. Cunningham with her kids, including Hanna and Wart. I bow to Lady Jane and Mrs. Cunningham, who return curtsies. My wolf, Lady Gay, and Wolf’s Shadow are there, and she starts to jump up on me, but I stop her with a sharp word to heel. Hanna had watched her the last two days, keeping both of them occupied; Lady could not be allowed to watch the fighting, or she would have tried to protect me.

Sir Whisperblade says, “Wolf, I once told you that I had five other children by adoption; well, we are all assembled. You know Amara, Ben, Jane, and Clara, whom I adopted at the same time, and Raven is my oldest.“

I stare at Wolf and say, “You're my uncle? Agah!“

Wolf walks up to Raven and demands, “You're my brother; why didn't you tell me?“

“Discipline; I had to be your knight-master. Do you understand why?“

Wolf, taken aback by the logic, says, “Yeah, well, sort of," Then, turning back to his mother, he asks, “Is there anybody at this school to whom I'm not related? What about the Lion?“

The Whisperblade remains silent.

Wolf cries, “No!“

I feel for him.

His mother grins. “When we were squires, we pricked our fingers and declared ourselves blood brother and sister.“

“And the Viking?“

“Hmph, you are safe there,“ Whisperblade answers. “Let us drink to family?“

Ben pops the corks on two bottles of wine and opens a bottle of grape juice for Hanna. Then, with our glasses filled, I propose the toast. “To Family, the most important thing.“

Clara answers. “To Family, may we ever grow.“

We all say, “Here, here.“

“To Wolf's future wife,“ proposes Whisperblade.

“Here, Here“

Grrr, Whoever she is.