Clayton joust.”
“Alright,” Thomas answered. “I’ll be there as soon as I finish here. Will you pick me up another candied apple along the way?”
“Will do,” he smiled and walked off.
Thomas turned and walked toward the group of boys that were being divided up into teams. “We’ll take him!” the leader of one of the teams yelled.
Usually Thomas was picked last for any team. He stood there slightly embarrassed and very proud. He hid his smile and walked towards his team.
When both teams were picked, and older boy called out the rules. “When I say go, start pullin’! The team that gets pulled into the mud pit loses! Understand?” Both teams stood there and shook their heads. “Alright then! Get ready!”
Each team started cheering and yelling. Thomas walked to his place in line and grabbed the rope. He looked down. His hand had nearly doubled in size from the muscles and callouses. He grabbed the rope firmly and planted his feet firmly for a well balanced stance.
“Ready! Set! Go!!” the older boy yelled.
Thomas pulled on the rope as hard as he could and both teams stood there holding the rope not budging. The rope lurched forward in his hands. His hands burned from the rope slipping through his hands. He tightened his grip, leaned backward, and pulled with all his might. Instead being met with futility, the rope began to move. He grunted and pulled again. He gained more footing and rope. His team erupted with cheers and the sound of young boys grunting with all their might.
The other team scrambled to keep hold of the rope. Their efforts gave way to the first half of their line being pulled head first into the large puddle of mud. Thomas and the others on his team fell backwards as all tension on the rope was lost. They lay there panting and laughing. Thomas’ muscles in his arms burned, but in a good way. He stood up and brushed himself off. He looked around at the other boys and noticed they way there were looking at him. They admired him and were thankful toward him. Both feelings were knew to him and he liked it. He held his head a bit higher as he walked out into the crowd.
“Those buckets of water really paid off, huh?” a man’s voice came from behind him. It was Braddock. Thomas just smiled as he turned and ran off to find the other boys. Braddock smiled as he watched the young boy leave.
Thomas found Brandon and Clayton standing in line for another game. The line was the longest for any game he had seen that day. “What’s goin’ on?” he asked.
“Hey, where’ve you been?” Clayton asked.
“Played a game of tug-of-war. Just checkin’ out the rest of the festival. What about you guys?”
“We’re waiting in line for the chariot race. It’s probably the biggest event of the day,” Brandon said, unusually excited.
Thomas looked again at the long line. “Sure is gonna be a big race,” his own excitement rising. The thought of standing in a chariot being pulled by a valiant steed racing around of a huge arena with the crowd cheering brought forth images from every gladiator movie he had ever seen.
“What?” Clayton asked. “No. Don’t you remember? All the boys have to sign up and then they chose only eight to race,” he said looking at Thomas curiously.
“Oh, yeah! I forgot. We have to sign up,” he said looking around, ignoring Clayton’s stare. “I was thinking of, of the joust. Yeah. How did you do at the joust anyway?”
“It was great! Charging down the line one that horse with your pole, the wind on your face, the crowd cheering…there’s nothin’ else like it,” Clayton said.
“He got knocked on his arse!” Brandon added laughing.
“Really?” Thomas laughed.
“Yeah,” Clayton rubbed at his chest. “It still kinda hurts.” Brandon and Thomas both laughed. Finally Clayton let out a chuckle as well followed by a wince which sent the boys into even more laughter.
“Why didn’t you do the joust?” Brandon asked after they calmed down. “You work a lance pretty good. I figured you’d be good at it.”
“Oh, well,” Thomas stammered again. He dared not tell the boys that the only horse he’d ever ridden had been at a fair sort of like this one, however, the horse was tethered and only walked in circles. “I just never seen the point in a joust. The concept of riding straight at someone, jabbing at their chest with a pointy stick, trying to knock them off their horse…not much of a test of a person’s actual skill.”
Clayton looked questioningly at Thomas and then returned to rubbing the sore spot on his chest. “Yeah, it is a stupid game. No skill required at all,” he murmered as if he was trying to convince himself. Brandon just smiled.
“Thomas? Is that you?”
Thomas turned towards the unfamiliar voice. “Grady?” he said staring at the boy. He had changed drastically since he had last seen him. He no longer had the dirty face, greasy, unkempt hair, dirt caked under his long fingernails. Before him stood a very different person. His hair was still long, but now it was pulled back into a braided ponytale. His skin was clean and his nails were well manicured. Gone, also, were the ragged clothes of an unwanted orphan. Now he wore a long purple robe of the softest looking material Thomas had ever seen.
Grady rushed at him and they hugged. “How have you been, man? How’d the training going? You enjoying the festival?” he bombarded Thomas with questions. “I’m sorry,” he caught himself. “It’s been so long since I’ve had anybody to talk to.”
“That’s ok,” he said. “I’ve missed having you around too.” That last statement was true and surprising. Thomas had only spent a few minutes with Grady his first day here, but he was always catching himself missing his fellow orphan. “This is our first day out since we were taken in my by Master Braddock for training. Are you ever allowed out into the city? A day off?”
“A day off? No. But he does send me out into the city sometimes; mostly to the various markets and such so that I can gather spell components for him,” he said as his smile faded. “Other than that, I just spend my time reading and cleaning up around his tower.”
“Isn’t great to be a magician though?” Thomas added trying to get the other boy excited again. As for the reading, Thomas could tell it was really paying off. Grady’s voice and manner of speech sounded so much more sophisticated.
“I guess so. I’ve seen and done some really neat stuff. Stuff I thought I would never be able to do,” he said with some of the excitement returning to his voice. “But, even so, you know I’ve always wanted to be a knight since we were little kids.” He paused and let out a little sigh. “Watch this though,” he said as he looked around somewhat nervously. He lifted his hand up and snapped his fingers. A bright blue flame erupted from his thumb.
“Wow!!” exclaimed Thomas. He was truly amazed. He’d seen magicians back home but he knew this was true magic at work. No slight of hand, smoke, or even mirrors; purely, truly magic. “That is awesome!” he said feeling a little envious.
Grady smiled proudly. “Touch it,” he instructed Thomas.
“Wha..Are you sure?” he hesitated then reached his hand out and passed it quickly through the blue flame. He slowly swung his hand back and forth through the flame and then stopped with his hand in directly above it. “It’s not hot.”
“Nah. It’s just an illusion. Your mind sees it but it really isn’t there,” he said trying to act cool. “It’s a very basic spell. So, are you enjoying the games?” he asked.
“I played some tug-of-war and that was it. Me and the others,” he said turning and motioning towards Clayton and Brandon, “are signing up for the chariot race. You wanna get in line and sign up with us? I have a feeling this is going to be really fun…”
“I can’t,” Grady cut him short as his face grew long again. “Chadner would have my hide if he caught me playing any of these games. No, I’m just here to be out of that tower.”
“Oh, ok,” Thomas said feeling sorry for the other boy. His training often pushed his mind and body past any limit he had ever known and sometimes he’d wished he wouldn’t have to do it,
but atleast he had the other boys’ companionship. Grady had nobody. He was stuck alone in a dusty old tower with a crotchety old man.
“How about we sneak out one night and go hang out?” Grady asked as his smile returned.
Thomas caught himself before he blurted out the word no. Braddock would definitely punish him good if he were caught, but he knew that Grady needed this. He needed to get out of the tower and be with boys his own age. “I have night watch tonight. How about tomorrow night?” Thomas wanted to do it on a night that he didn’t have watch duty. Just in case something needed his attention while he was on watch, he knew that sneaking out and neglecting his watch would result in an even more severe punishment.
“That would be great. Meet me tomorrow night at our old tree house on the outskirts of the city,” he said as he slapped Thomas on the arm. “I’ll see you tomorrow. I had better be going,” he to walk away.
“Yeah, tomorrow,” Thomas waved goodbye just then realizing that he hadn’t the slightest idea where their old tree house was located.
“What’s goin’ on tomorrow?” Brandon asked as Thomas rejoined them.
“Oh, uh, nothing,” he stammered. “That was an old friend of mine. We grew up together at the orphanage,” he said, changing the subject.
“Wasn’t he the one chosen by Chadner the wizard?” asked Clayton. “That would be nice. I bet he doesn’t have to work his arse off.