Temple Knight

3. Settling In-1

Summer 1095 SR

The next day, after prayers, Charlaine made her way to the dining hall for breakfast. A line of sisters waited by the kitchen door where a short, red-headed woman spooned porridge from a large pot. Charlaine took her place behind Danica, watching with interest.

“Here,” said the young knight, handing her a wooden bowl and spoon, “you’ll need these. Sister Helena’s serving today.”

“Meaning?”

The raven-haired woman smiled. “Meaning, we’ll get larger portions.”

They advanced and held out their bowls. Helena poured a scoop into Danica’s bowl, then turned her attention to Charlaine.

“You’re the new girl,” she said, dipping the ladle back into the pot.

“I am,” said Charlaine as she watched the porridge get deposited in her bowl. It fell in a clump and sat, unmoving, like a pile of mud.

“Move along,” urged the red-head, “others are waiting to be served.”

Charlaine held the bowl before her as she looked at the table. Sister Danica pointed out a spot. “Come,” she said, “you can sit with me.”

They moved across the room and sat. Metal goblets rested on the table along with pitchers of water. Danica poured two cups, setting one before the newcomer.

Charlaine sniffed her bowl, wrinkling her nose.

“You get used to it,” said Danica, her face full of mischief.

Charlaine shrugged. She had never been a picky eater, and so she grasped the spoon, ready to dig in.

“Wait,” said Danica, “the captain has to say the blessing.”

Charlaine looked around, seeing all the sisters sitting at the table, their eyes watching the captain"s door expectantly.

Time appeared to slow down, and Charlaine started to think that her hot porridge would likely be cold by the time their leader appeared, but just as she was about to mention this, the door opened.

Sister Nina, the captain, walked to the end of the table and stood still, bowing her head. The Temple Knights all stood, adopting a similar pose.

“May the spirit of Saint Agnes bless us this day,” the captain intoned, “and guide us in our sacred duty. We give thanks in her memory and swear to uphold the vow we have taken in her name, Saints be with us.”

“Saints be with us all,” they chanted.

Charlaine, ready to sit back down, started to lower herself, but Danica grabbed her arm, pulling her back up.

The captain, a flash of annoyance on her face, continued her speech. “Let us welcome our new sister, Charlaine, and see that she is introduced to our simple ways.”

She paused, looking at each Temple Knight in turn before continuing. “You may eat,” she announced.

The sisters all sat, eagerly digging in. Charlaine, never one to shy away from a meal, picked up her spoon, ready to follow their lead.

The captain, rather than remaining to eat with her charges, disappeared back into her office.

“Is that normal?” asked Charlaine.

Danica shrugged. “Normal enough, she doesn’t spend much time among us.” She returned her attention to her meal, dipping her spoon into her porridge and then taking a tentative bite. The look on her face betrayed her emotions. “This is disgusting,” she called out. “What did you put in this, Helena?”

“It wasn’t my fault,” her fellow sister called out. “It was Sister Rowan, she’s the one that insisted on using up the old oats.”

“Waste not, want not,” added Rowan.

“I think they were bad,” muttered Danica. She sat back. “I can’t eat this.”

“Give it here,” said Teresa. “I’ll eat it.”

The table broke into laughter. Charlaine looked at her companions but failed to understand their humour.

Danica passed over the bowl, then looked at Charlaine. “Teresa is notorious for eating anything,” she offered.

All around her, the others were picking at their food. Charlaine took a bite, finding it passable, if not entirely appetizing. She was soon finished.

“Looks like you’ve got a healthy appetite,” said Danica.

“I’m used to eating much more than this, then sweating it all out during the day.”

“Sweating it out? What’s that supposed to mean?”

“I was a smith,” Charlaine explained. “I used to spend most of my day in front of a forge.”

“And so you gave that up to join the order? You must be extremely pious.”

Charlaine smiled. “Let’s just say that Saint Agnes has always held a special place in my heart.”

The other knights began rising from the table, each taking their bowl, cup, and spoon.

“Come on,” said Danica, “we have to go and wash our things. They don’t clean themselves, you know.”

Charlaine followed the younger knight outside to where a rain barrel sat where the other sisters were dunking their bowls and swishing them around in the water, then setting them on a table to dry. She waited for them to finish, then repeated the action with her own bowl.

Her task complete, she turned to Danica, “Now what?”

“Now, we check the duty roster. It’s this way.”

Back inside they went, then over to the captain"s office. Beside her door was a scribbled note detailing everyone"s responsibilities.

“You and I are on stable duty,” said the young knight. “I hope you don’t mind getting dirty.”

“We had a horse back home,” said Charlaine, “I’m used to it.”

“Looks like we"re going to get some rain,” mused Danica as they crossed the courtyard.

Charlaine looked skyward to see dark clouds rolling in from the west, promising a heavy downfall. “Do you get much rain here?”

“No, it’s usually hot and dry, but when it does rain, it comes in a torrential downpour.”

“Where would you like to start?” asked Charlaine as they entered the stables.

“There are bales of hay down that way,” Danica replied, pointing. "You grab the pitchfork, and I’ll start mucking out the stalls.”

“How often do we do this?”

“It’s done every day, but the work rotates.”

“And do I always work with the same person?”

“Usually, but the captain mixes us up on occasion.”

Charlaine wandered back towards the hay, searching for the pitchfork. She soon found it and whiled away the morning in physical labour.

Sister Erika poked her head into the stables. “The captain is going into town. Charlaine, get her horse ready.”

“I can do it,” offered Danica.

“No,” Erika replied. “I told Charlaine to do it.”

“She’s new.”

The scarred warrior cast a venomous glare at the young knight before speaking, “That doesn’t excuse her from her duties.”

“That’s not fair,” the young knight responded.

“Don’t talk back to your seniors,” Erika warned.

“I’ve got this,” said Charlaine. “Does the captain have a particular horse, or is it first come, first serve?”

“The captain"s horse is over there,” said Danica. “Come, I’ll show you.”

Sister Erika watched them for a moment. “Make sure it’s ready in time,” she said, “or there’ll be trouble.” She left without another word, returning to the chapter house.

“Is she always like that?” asked Charlaine.

“Who, Erika? Yes. She likes to throw her weight around from time to time. It used to be me she picked on, but now that you’re here…”

“I’m the new target?”

“Yes, exactly.”

“That’s all right,” said Charlaine, “I have broad shoulders.”

“I’ve never heard that term before,” said Danica.

“It’s quite common where I’m from.”

“Which is?”

“A city called Malburg. Ever heard of it?”

Danica frowned. “Can’t say as I have, but then again, I don’t know much about the Continent. I was raised on a farm in the Duchy of Andover, way up on the northern coast.”

“The northern coast? And they sent you all the way down here?”

“I was trained in Corassus, to the east,” the raven-haired knight explained.

“That’s fairly unusual, isn’t it? I would have thought Eidenburg would have been closer, that’s where they trained me.”

“Normally, that would have been the case,” said Danica, “but there were extenuating circumstances.”

“Ah,” said Charlaine, “you needn’t say anything else, I’m more than familiar with that phrase.” She walked to the wall, where saddles sat on frames. “Does the captain have a particular saddle she likes to use?”

Danica laughed. “Yes, you might say that. Our captain is exceedingly particular when it comes to such things.”

“I had no idea,” said Charlaine. “This is all still quite new to me.”

“You must have worked with saddles before?”

“I have,” Charlaine admitted, "but when I arrived in Eidenburg for training, I had never used a fighting saddle. We only had one horse growing up, and she was a riding palfrey. I had no idea the saddles would be different.”

“But you rode in on just such a saddle!”

“I did,” Charlaine confessed with a grin, "though I must admit my behind still hasn’t recovered.”

“War saddles are the only thing we have around here,” explained Danica, “but if you want to know more, I‘d suggest you talk to Cordelia, she’s the expert on such things.”

Charlaine lifted the saddle, carrying it across to the captain"s horse. The beast shifted nervously at her approach.

“There, there, Warlord,” said Danica, trying to soothe the animal. She looked at Charlaine. “He’s a bit nervous around strangers.”

“Understandable, I can’t say I’d enjoy letting strangers dress me.” Charlaine had said it in jest, but she saw the effect it had on her young comrade. “I’m sorry,” she said, “I didn’t mean to give offense.”

“It’s not you, it’s me,” said Danica. “I have a… troubled past.”

“That’s all right, you don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to.” She could see the look of distress on the young woman’s face. “Perhaps you can show me how to do up these straps?” Charlaine knew well enough how to equip a horse, but the request appeared to bring her fellow sister out of her melancholy.

“Watch carefully,” said Danica, beginning the process.

They finished equipping the horse and were walking it out of the stables when Captain Nina exited the chapter house. Taking the reins, she hauled herself into the saddle without a word, then dug in her spurs and galloped off in a hurry to get to her destination.

“I wonder what that was all about?” said Charlaine.

“Church business, I would expect,” said Danica, “but that means Cordelia’s in charge now.”

“Is that a good thing?”

“It is for you and me. She doesn’t put up with Erika’s attitude towards new knights.”

“Well,” said Charlaine, “we"re done here, for now, though doubtless, we’ll have to water the horses later this afternoon.”

“Yes,” her companion agreed, “and make sure they have lots of clean hay to eat.”