It's 3 AM and I am inspired
EarthPhantom02
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"Richard!"
The resounding call from afar brought the young boy to attention. He jostled awake and rubbed away at his deary eyes, having fallen sound asleep after holding in his sickness from the bumpy carriage ride. The seat was soft, cushioned with goose feather pillows, a luxury unfamiliar to him yet one that lulled the boy to sleep in a matter of minutes. Across from him sat another alert boy who was just a few years older, with dark eyes deeper than a raven's feather and a sour expression on his face. They hadn't exchanged any more words than strictly necessary and merely tried to ignore each other's presence... Though that did little in terms of soothing the gloomy atmosphere. His nap was the young boy's respite from the awkwardness of it all.
"Why are you taking so long? Show some respect." The older boy gestured with a grumpy nod to the carriage window, which was closed loosely to allow the rider to just prop it back open again. Outside were silhouettes of two men, one riding casually on horseback and the other at the front seat of the carriage, though the boy couldn't exactly make out who was who.
Wordlessly, he cracked open the window and peeked outside.
"Richard, there you are." The armored man on horseback turned around with a warm smile. He was graying slightly at the roots and had long lines that marked his face, but the man's eyes were bright with an energy that betrayed his age, and he regarded the young boy with a kindness so different from the hostility from within the carriage. "We are almost there. Put on your best smile, eh? Good impressions matter, and I am afraid my daughters are quite picky about which sort of boys get to talk to them, ha!" He laughed at his own comment, to the chagrin of the blonde-haired man who sat near the window.
"He is to worry about his duties as a squire; the ladies can come later. Richard, do you remember what we discussed the other day?"
The boy nodded. Because of financial hardship, his parents had entrusted his care to a certain knight and allowed him to be trained as a squire under the Weiss family. At least, that was his interpretation of things. He was going to be a squire here and be inducted by the Church as a official knight at the end of his training.
His father said that he was free to write back whenever he wished. The boy was literate as most nobles were, but their impoverished status meant that he barely had a general education most other boys would've already mastered by now. Frankly, he was a little bit of an idiot, and the boy decided that writing will have to wait until later. When he was better at it, of course.
"Right. Make sure you treat Sir Weiss and his family with the utmost respect. Understand?"
"Oh, don't be so harsh on the kid. I bet he's still missing his momma." The knight laughed again and flicked the reins to bring the horse to a quick trot. "I betcha cried yourself to sleep the first night you became a squire yourself, Sir Clitherow."
"And I remember you soiling your pants. Now, are we going to have this conversation in front of the boys, or are you going to be a noble and proper knight and let me have this talk?"
"What talk? All you're doing is scarin' him. Ah, Richard, that's all--- just prep yourself now for the big arrival!"
"You..."
The boy slowly closed the windows as he was dismissed, leaving the two to their bickering outside.
The other boy shot him a dirty look once he made his way back to the seats. "Just because Father likes you doesn't mean anything. We're not a charity, you know. It's an honor to be recognized by the Weiss family, and I have no idea what Father sees in you. You can barely swing a sword. So make sure not to embarrass us in front of other people."
