Dreams ~ by Claire F.

Dreams

Running past the fields, I could make out the wonderful colors of a tournament in progress. There were blues, reds, pinks, and oranges. Name a color, and it was there. These colors were displayed on magnificent flowing ribbons and flags. The beauty astounded me, and nearly knocked me backwards. All around the field were peasants, knights, and nobles. I made it to the field just in time to see a pair of knights ride out on their massive horses. As I was gobbling this sight up with my eyes, a young voice called out, "Gregory, come! Come!” When I looked in the direction of the voice, I saw my little brother, Peter. He was nine years old, five years younger than me.
"Hi, Peter," I called, "Looks like you found us a seat."
"Indeed I did, and it's a pretty nice view, too!" It may not have been comfortable, but the view was spectacular. We were right next to the fence, where we could watch all the action take place. The spot he had found was also on the ground, with all the other peasants. Right next to us were the galleries, where all the nobles sat. I felt ashamed to be sitting on the rough, hard ground while the nobles got to sit in a nice shelter, away from the burning sun, but I was thankful Peter found us a seat before they were all taken by the swarming crowds.
The swords clashed as the knights danced around each other. Peter and I talked for a bit about whom we thought would win and which horses were the most extravagant. My favorite knight was tall and muscular. His name was Fendrel, and he was known throughout the land. Not only was Fendrel's horse draped in flowing reds and blues, but he himself was too. He'll win, I thought. There wasn't a doubt in my mind.
I was engaged in this tournament, trying to take in even the smallest detail,for I'd probably never see such a spectacular sight as this again. A tournament was a once in a lifetime chance, for I was a peasant, and we rarely were able to attend an event hosted by the lord. Tournaments are the only special event peasants are occasionally allowed to go to. I was thankful this was a extraordinary one.
We peasants received no respect. Father said we were very lucky to have the great stability, laws, and army of our lord. But I disagreed. We were treated like pigs in my point of view. Nothing was ours, for it all belonged to the lord. We weren't even allowed to leave the land without the lord's permission. Because of this, I wanted freedom. I wanted the freedom the knights had. I wanted the freedom the lords had. I wanted the freedom that everybody but the peasants had. I wanted it, and I wanted it badly.
But most of all, I wanted to be a knight. Everyone had told me there was no chance, since my father was poor like everybody else. But I knew I could fight. My brother and I always played around with the branches we found on the ground, and I, of course, always won. I am not much of a bragger, but I was by far, the most skilled village boy there was, when handed a sword. Although the others said I had no chance of becoming a knight, I knew that it wasn't impossible, for nothing was.
When I saw Fendrel ride out onto the field, I returned my focus to the tournament. The fight was coming to an end, and Fendrel was charging with full speed at his opponent. He held forward his lance, determined to strike down the enemy. The opposing knight, William, was confident, but when he saw Fendrel's calm, steady gaze, fear entered his eyes. When they were just inches away from each other, Fendrel's lance struck William straight in the shoulder and tore him of his horse. I heard a pop, and he landed with a thud on the ground. Fendrel rode over to him and dismounted his horse. As he was bending down to claim William's armor, William struck out his lance, knocking Fendrel to the side. The crowd gasped as Fendrel fell to the dirt, but he stood back up and spit into William's face. There was clear hatred between these two knights, for I was close enough to see it in their eyes. Fendrel kicked up dirt into William's eyes as he walked towards the crowd. He scanned the crowd, looking for a kipper. This kipper would be employed by him to force William's valuables off of his body, using only a club as a weapon. As Fendrel was looking around the audience, he spotted me. "What's your name, boy?" he called.
"Gregory, sir," I replied in a timid voice. Would I be his kipper? I thought myself.
"Very good. Now come here." I walked towards Fendrel as all sorts of feelings were flowing through me, including astonishment, joyousness, and fear. When I arrived by his side, he shook my hand and introduced me to his squire, Bryce. Bryce was fourteen just like me, but taller, and stronger too. “Are you enjoying the tournament?" he asked.
"Yes," I replied, "I am."
"Wonderful, me too. My father, Sir Leofrick is your lord. As you should know, he is the one hosting this magnificent tournament." I have never seen anyone so proud of his father as Bryce was.
“So you're the famous young fighter. I’ve heard so much about you. They say that you’re going to be the next great knight of the land!” I complimented. I was jealous of Bryce, for he had my dream. He would become a knight in only six years, for now he was a knight in training, helping with the cleaning and caring of Fendrel's horse and armor.
"Well thank you. Good luck fighting, William."
I turned my attention back to Fendrel. "Take this," he commanded as he handed me a heavy club. My heart skipped a beat as I walked out onto the field. Compared to William, I was helpless. I may have had the weapon, but he had the experience. When I looked through William's helmet I noticed his eyes staring into mine, as if staring into my soul. Fear struck me, but I pushed it aside and continued forward. When I was ten yards away, I dashed towards him. William struck out his lance, aiming to trip me. But I dodged it and pranced behind him. Swinging my arm forward, I thrashed the heavy club into the back of William's head. He let out a shriek as he slumped to the ground.
I couldn't believe it. With one strike, I had defeated a knight.
With a mighty swing, I tossed my club to the side of the arena. I grabbed William's lance, shield, and armor, leaving him in his undergarments. When I gave Fendrel William's valuables, his mouth was agape. I didn't understand why. The task of being a kipper had been so much easier than I thought. "That was amazing!" Fendrel exclaimed. I couldn't understand what he meant. I didn't think it was that amazing.
Bryce saw the expression on my face, so he said, "Gregory, Fendrel didn't believe that you could actually do it. When he picked you to be his kipper, he was just testing you. He wanted to embarrass of you." When Bryce said this, my heart nearly fell to the ground. He didn't trust me at all. He was just trying to make fun of me. I stood tall, trying not to show the humiliation I felt.
"It's not a bad thing, Gregory. You didn't embarrass yourself. Didn't you see the crowd's uproar when you knocked William out? Your skills are outstanding. You must be proud of yourself."
Fendrel suddenly interrupted and said, "Gregory, Bryce is right. You are a great fighter. That's why I'm going to make an offer."
"What do you mean?" I replied, extremely confused.
"What I mean is that your skills shouldn't be wasted." Fendrel checked that there weren't any people in hearing distance, then he added, "You should become a knight."

I nearly fainted at this request, but at a time like this I would have been ashamed, so I finally gathered up enough courage to speak, "I would be honored to become a knight, Sir Fendrel."
"That's extraordinary," Fendrel replied, "I knew you would."

At that moment I realized the horrible problem. I was poor; my father was no one of importance. In order to become a knight, he had to be a noble. How would I become a knight? I hung my head low and mumbled the words that deflated my dream. They brought it down to the level of impossibility. "I can't," I said regretfully. "I have no money, and I'm just a lowly peasant."

"I can help you with that, Gregory," said Bryce.
This confused me greatly. "How will you get me a different father, a lot more money, a horse, armor and weapons?"
"Oh it won't be too hard for me. Don't forget; I'm the son of a lord. You just wait and see," he replied. "Go get your belongings. Fendrel and I will meet you at the oak tree by the river."
I was too stunned to speak, so I nodded my head by way of reply, my curiosity rising by the second. I knew better than to ask questions, for by the sound of Bryce's voice we were in a hurry. I was glad we were meeting by the oak tree. That's where all my fond memories of my life had taken place when I wasn't working like a pig. For if we were to leave the land I wouldn't ever of seen it again.

When I started running in the direction of my cottage, Peter yelled, "Wait up, Gregory, I'm coming with you." I had to slow my pace so that he could follow. We both jogged past the luscious green fields. I was tempted to looked back, and when my curiosity finally flooded over me I saw Bryce and Fendrel going through the huge oak doors in the castle. Why would they go in there? I asked myself.

When Peter and I got back to our wooden cottage, I went straight to my room. I took my leather bag out from under my bed and packed my only other pair of clothes. I also put in a loaf of bread and my knife. Our house only had two rooms, so we couldn't store very many things in it. As I was about to step out the door Father yelled, "Just where do you think you're off to, Gregory?"

"Father, I'm leaving."
"Where to?" he asked. Father was strict, and he was not to be fooled.
"Off the land. I plan to make a new life as a knight," I replied. "I am fourteen years of age, and I feel that I am quite capable of making my own living."
"NO. I will not let you do that. Your mother and I need you to help us on the land. Farming is difficult, and Peter is not old enough."
"You can not make me do anything, Father. I still love you, for you are my family. I will send you money, because I do not want you to perish. Go ahead and let Peter be the heir of our household. I'm going to be free! I'm going to capture my dreams!" With that I strode out the door. I hoped that father would forgive me, for that would probably be the last time I would ever talk to him.
But when I turned around to get a very last glimpse of our house, my father sighed and yelled, "I wish you luck, Gregory." I gave my father one last smile. I knew he would come around at some point and support me, even if he choose the very last second. I slung my pack over my shoulder and sprinted towards the river. I ran as fast I ever have, for I was anxious to see how both Bryce and Fendrel would complete this miracle.
When I arrived at the oak tree, they were already there, chatting to each other softly. "Hi, Gregory." said Bryce when he noticed me. "First of all, to become a knight, you'll need some cash," he said, tossing me a bag of coins. My jaw dropped, but I accepted it willingly. He then retreated behind an immensely thick tree and came back with a tall, white horse. The sun glinted off his hair, making it shine like a thousand little diamonds. The horse's saddle bags were filled with clinking metal. Longing for this horse gathered up in my heart, and I could already feel a strong bond between this horse and I. But I knew that it had to have been either Bryce's or Fendrel's.
"Is he yours?" I asked Bryce, overcome with curiosity.
"Nope." Bryce replied.
"Oh. So he's Fendrel's?"

"Wrong again. He's yours, Gregory!" I was speechless as he said this so I let my jaw drop open once again. "His name is Bruno. Go ahead, hop on."
I wandered over to Bruno and looked in his saddlebags. I was astonished when I saw heaping piles of some of the most expensive armor there was. "Where did you get all this?" I questioned.
"That's my uncle's old armor, and I took Bruno from the stables. My father gave me a lot of cash when I became a squire, and that's only part of it. Fendrel's going to fill in the position of your dad, for to be a knight you must have an important father."
“Thank you so much. How can I repay you?” I asked.
“By showing you skill on the battlefield,” Fendrel replied, with a wide smile on his face.
Why would he do such a deed for only a peasant? I asked myself. My best guess was that he only was doing this to make himself look grander. Everybody would think that he would be the greatest knight, because he would have trained me. But I didn't care, for I would do anything to become a knight.
“I can do that,” I said, confident in myself. I saw Fendrel and Bryce mounting their horses, so I hopped on Bruno and chuckled silently to myself. Who knew that I would become a knight? No one believed me. But in that moment I wasn't thinking that I had showed them up, instead I was hoping that my success would allow them to believe in their dreams, too. I gave Bruno a tiny kick and we rode off into the brilliant colors of the sunset. I ran into the colors of flags and ribbons, and I rode into the colors of the sun, the colors of hopes and dreams.

By ~ Claire French