An Apprentice's Choice

III

The first town the pair came to was splendid indeed, Col had to admit, then again, anything and everything outside of his own small town was a novelty to the boy. Anardil chuckled as he watched his borrowed charge of the moment glance about. "You remind me of myself, a bit older though, when I first took off on my own to do good in this world" he admitted to, "It's a wide wonderful world, my good Sir Nicholas, and t'would be a pity for a lad to never see it!".

"Like Daw", Col guessed and said, not minding as Sir Anardil called him Nicolas as was his own full but unused name, "never found out I mean".

"Yes, just like my stubborn, worthy brother", Sir Anardil said, swinging down from his horse, yet then smiling, "but forgive me, he is also your own Master and I shouldn't speak ill of him to his Apprentice, even if he is...ah, Gregory!". Thankfully spotting a nearby local of the town halted whatever insult Arndil would have thrown his brother's way.

Col swung off of his own pony and followed, grabbing both the lead of his pony and Anardil's horse so they wouldn't run off.

"Good Sir Anardil!", Gregory returned the greeting, "What brings you through town?". He then spotted Col coming up and smiled, "So you've taken a Page" he said, a Page being what Knights called their own apprentices.

"Oh, no, he's my brother's Page, or normal Apprentice since as we know, Sir David shrugged off such a title I offered him", Anardil said, and though he chuckled kindly, Col frowned.

Maybe it was this comment on top of the others back at the shop. He knew what Anardil meant and that he was just teasing, but he quietly piped up, "D-Daw does a fine job at making horse shoes and blades though".

"Of course he does, lad, none dispute that!", Anardil put a kind hand upon his shoulder and Col smiled again. The knight then turned back to Gregory and finally answered the question, "and we are here to sell some of my brother and this lad's fine made blades. Show him, Col".

Gregory smiled between both as Col pulled out the dagger he had sheathed and held it out for the man to inspect. Taking it, the man glanced over the weapon and gave a 'hmm'. A good one. One that showed he was impressed. Col smiled a small bit, just seeing someone unfamiliar with both himself and his work give a favorable impression first off!

"Tis a fine blade, very fine, your brother and the lad are quite skilled", Gregory glanced up. He gave a moment's thought, then reached in to his coin purse at his belt and brought out the largest collection Col had even seen gathered all at one time. It was actually not so much an amount as would ever surprise a King or even Sir Anardil, but the young Blacksmith's Apprentice from a small town was impressed, and showed such in his wide eyed look.

"About fair, lad?", Gregory asked, handing the coins to Col for the boy to hold in his cupped hands.

"Yes Sir! Thank-you!" was the boy's naive sort of answer. Anardil patted his shoulder, "He shall learn with time to hold a merchant's straight face and hold out for a deal, but your price is fair Gregory, thank-you, you have helped me show my point already. Perhaps next I can convince David to come along and...".

"What's wrong with your horse?", Col suddenly pipped up, and then realized he had interrupted the two adults speaking. "Oh...sorry". Neither took offense, yet both frowned confused a bit and glanced over to where Gregory's simple brown mare stood tied.

"Nothing lad", Gregory answered, "Why would you think something amiss? I rode her just yesterday and but for being tired and below her own pace usually set...".

Col moved of towards the animal even as these words were said, then turned back to Gregory. "M-May I?", he asked permission to inspect the animal, not sure himself why he was so sure but for it seeming apparent something was wrong in the way the back foot was tilted. Gregory nodded. Col nodded a thanks and moved over.

"Hey girl...", he began, smoothing along the animals nose, acquainting himself as it were and putting her at ease that he was not a threat. "What's wrong?". Col bent and lifted the back left foot that had drawn his attention and frowned. Oh!

"I-is she alright?" Gregory walked up. Col nodded a more or less yes to this, yet soon commented, "She's Quicked". One of the nails holding the horseshoe in was aligned off and cutting into the more sensitive part of the mare's foot. Like walking on a splinter only worse, Col always thought to put the horse's perspective into his own. It would no doubt help with his trade, since his town didn't have a Farrier to shoe the horses and it fell to Daw's Blacksmith shop.

Col was hardly aware what he was doing, certainly not taking stock of how he pushed beyond the bounds of politeness perhaps in taking over this man's horse. "You got pliers?", his hand came out expectantly as he still held the foot up.

"Now Boy, you can not be expecting to...", Gregeory began, weighing how small Col looked against his doing such a job that would surly see him kicked by a full size horse. Col only turned back as the pillars were not given. "I got it, same thing happened last week...it might have been my fault, but I fixed it and...do you have pliers?". Why were they wasting time on his effectiveness, this mare had a sore spot and problem that needed fixing.

With both adults still looking a tad baffled (Sir Anardil just stood there, hand to his immaculate beard, studying the situation), Gregory walked over to a nearby table, took some pliers off of it, as well as a new shoe and hammer and nail tin as he knew the lad would need, and came over with them.

Quick as anything, hardly seeming to have to give much thought to it, Col pulled the nail, jumped aside as the animal did kick, came back over and soothed as much as he could, lifting the foot once more and driving in a new nail just to be assured of it's straightness. Then he stood, and turned to Gregory. "It's still going to bother her a day or two, but she should be good now", he handed the hammer back.

Both Gregory and Anardil just stared, and the smile that had come to Col's face faltered. Had...he done something wrong? Soon enough, Gregory moved and shook his head. "Lad...that was an impressive amount of skill", he next chuckled, "You should be good if you have call to shoe a horse in the midst of an adventure!". Gregory turned a smile back to Anardil.

Sir Anardil just stood there a bit longer, then a small smile came to his own face. "Well, I dare say we should probably get you back on the morrow after spending the night here to rest" he said.

Col smiled back, "So you can tell Daw all about how you were right and he should come out here and see the world!", he readily agreed. Sir Anardil's answer surprised him, "No, my good Sir Col, so that I may tell my brother of the first great and about only important tale this trip has given me, that he has done a fine job in his profession and in passing down such skills and...doesn't need me to vouch for them and steal the glory. Not when he's produced such a fine array of blades and young apprentices".

Once speaking, Anardil glanced over to Gregory with another smile, "I have already noted that your town does not hold such an enthusiastic inn keeper as my worthy brother's, in that Col and I were able to enter town and not be immediately offered a room". The Knight Errant heard Col chuckle behind him, and couldn't help smiling as his jest was understood for what it was. "Would there be a convenient inn where we might rest and find a meal better than our rations before heading out in the morning?", Anardil was trying to push past pride and get to the point.

"Oh, of course, you should have just come to your point, Sir Anardil", Gregory nodded, and lead the way over to where the two guest could find lodging for the night.

Anardil shook his head, then glanced down to the boy who walked over to keep pace with him and smiled up at him with both a stunned and also admiring gaze. If anything, Sir Anardil thought he may have jumped even higher in Col's estimation with this one allowing of modesty than with all the grand boastings of before.

"I only confess such to you fully, in the hopes that, when we reach town, if I freeze upon trying to deliver the apology to my brother you may perhaps be kind enough to be my voice for me?" Anardil went on to explain his prior statement to the jesting with Gregory on inn keepers.

"T'would be my pleasure Sir Dil!" Col agreed happily.

The Knight Errant gave a thoughtful hum as they walked on, "Sir Dil? You know I rather like the sound of that title!". He grinned.