When he was done, the KITs were staring in awe.
 “Anyone have any questions?” Lisson asked proudly.
 “I do,” Iyana said as she walked up.
 “Yes?” Keldf asked.
 “Where did you learn that?”
 Keldf’s eyes widened and flickered around the practice yard.  “I’ve watched the KITs in many places.  You begin to pick up on things after a while, you know?”
 Even the two guards seemed impressed at his formations.
 
“Hey, Keldf, could you, uh, perhaps do that one you made up?” Lisson asked.  “I’ve never been able to block it correctly.  What did you call it?”
 “High Tide.”  He went through the long formation he knew so well.  When he was done, he was thoroughly worked-out and breathing heavily.
 “Very nice work,” commended Lisson.  “But where did you get that bruise?  Honorably, I hope?”
 Keldf leaned in next to Lisson so no one else would hear.  “I got in the way of Prince Floans’ foot.”
 “And you did not defend?”
 “I was not allowed; I am a servant here, now.  Prince Floans was the one who created the dishonor because he knew that I could not fight back.”
 Lisson nodded.  “I will speak to the prince about kicking warriors who are not allowed to fight back.”
 “No, it’s all right.”  He really didn’t want Floans thinking that he was some kind of infant who couldn’t deal with a few hits.
 “A prince should care for his honor more than his life.”
 “Ah, well.  Then remind him about the dishonor of kicking a mother who’s working her second job just to support two children because she was widowed after her husband died honorably in a challenge.”
 Lisson’s eyes flashed fury, but were merry again.  Then, he turned to his KITs.  “All right, you’ve had your rest, get back to work!”
 “Sir Lisson,” Keldf said.
 “Please, called me just ‘Lisson’.  It can get tedious listening to everyone address you properly.”
 “All right...  Lisson, I need to warn you about that banquet tonight.”  He didn’t want anyone getting hurt, and if that meant not only guards, but knights guarding, then that’s what he was going to have to ask for.
 “I know,” Lisson said sadly.  “The Matrice army knows, too.  They are camped about a mile--maybe less--from the castle.  A lot of people are going to get hurt tonight, but we cannot cancel.  It’s too late.  Our King, may he live forever in goodness and honor, acted without thinking things through carefully enough.  I will try to hold them off as long as possible, but this is something we cannot win without preparation and a battle ground, and a banquet is definitely not a battle ground.”
 “I tried to warn the King; Iyana and I was summoned today because I needed to get proper clothes.”
 “Yeah, that was a question I had for you, Keldf.  I do not mean any disrespect of any kind, but how come I’ve only seen you wearing the same outfit?”
 Well, Keldf knew it would come to this one day.  He couldn’t keep his shame a secret from Lisson for very long.  “Well, I only came to this city three months ago.  I always go to the knights’ practicing yard first wherever I go; I like to watch the training.  And...  Lisson, what I was a thief.  I stole food or possessions to get my food.  But that was all I stole.  These clothes, they were a gift from someone who had let me stay in shelter in their barn.”
 Lisson looked surprised, but not angry.
 “You are not angry with me for not telling of who I was?”
 Lisson began leading Keldf back to the armory.  “My boy, Keldf, most people believe that thieves have no honor.  Me, I don’t think so.  Well, some kind of thieves have no honor.  And though I don’t approve of you not telling me of this, I can understand your reasons.  But you are not a thief anymore, are you?  No, of course not.  First of all, you talked about it in the third person.  Second, you told me you’re a servant here, now.  But how’d you manage that?”
 “I was caught and Iyana freed me and the only way to do that was for her to have a responsibility over me.  So I’m basically a servant.”  Keldf liked this man; he was nice.  Probably the first man that had ever really talked to him without asking for work or a slave.  “But I have to get her out of here and to the west.  She won’t come, though, and I understand why.  But, Lisson, you know what’s going to happen tonight!”
 “An honorable knight does not run.”
 “Yes, I know.  But I have to run.  I have to save Iyana, even if she doesn’t want to go.  Because when the fighting starts, she’s not going to be able to defend herself and she’ll be easy prey.  Especially being the daughter of an allied king.  I can fight them off for long enough, but we’re going to have to get out as soon as possible.”
 “And you want to know if I can come.”
 It really wasn’t a question, though Keldf really did want Lisson to come with them.  “I’m not asking that, Lisson.  I just want to know what you think about it.  Do you think it would dishonor me if I run away to save Iyana?”
 “It would dishonor you to run away without her, and more dishonor if you do not fight at all for her.  The greatest honor would be to die in battle, but I can see that that is not an option for you.  Well, fight long enough to get her out and then it would be honorable enough.”
 “Are you going to die fighting?”  Keldf really worried for his new friend, Lisson.  He didn’t want him dying in a needless battle that could have been prevented if the king had thought things through more carefully.  Because of that mistake many people were going to loose their lives and the king, queen, princess, and anyone related were going to be very, very sorry; Keldf was sure.
 “Not if I can help it, lad.  But I’ll tell you this:  You head west, and I’ll catch up, OK?  I’ll find you because who wouldn’t want to earn the favor of a knight?”  Lisson smiled and clapped Keldf on the back.  “Now stop worrying, Keldf!  Enjoy this day while you still have it!”  Lisson walked back to the practice yard to help his KITs.
 Keldf was going to go over to Iyana, but he could see that she was talking to one of the guards for some reason and he didn’t want to interfere.  He knew the guards didn’t like him, and they had every reason not to, so he stayed away.  He headed back

onto the practice yard to watch the KITs practice.  Many were older than he was; few were younger.  He stood against the
fence towards the city and got the familiar view of the yard that he had seen every day before Lisson would invite him in for a little sparring.
 “Hi,” a female voice said.  A young one.
 He turned around to see someone about his age next to him.  “Oh, hello.  How are you?”  He decided he would be nice to the people who came up as he used to do.  Most knights never gave him any courtesy, and some even chased him away.  But what did they expect?  Their practice yard was right next to the city!
 “I’m fine.”  She giggled.  She had bright, long, golden hair, a round face, and features that were all proportioned to her size nearly perfectly.  Except for her eyes.  She had big, brown eyes.  “I saw you doing those things with that sword before.”<br>
 “Really?”  He nodded thoughtfully.
 “Are you a knight?”
 “Nope.  I just pick up things as I go along.”
 “You’re very good.”
 “Thank you.”  He looked back to see if Iyana was done talking to the guard yet; she wasn’t.  Now she was talking to both of them and a knight.  When he turned back, he saw that she was looking at him strangely.  “Is something wrong?”
 “I just thought that maybe I’d seen you around before.  But you’d be in the main tower, wouldn’t you?”  She giggled again.
 “I didn’t come to the tower until yesterday.”  Was it really only yesterday?  It felt like a lifetime ago.
“Oh, so I could have seen you.  I think I might’ve seen you yesterday.  Yesterday afternoon at the market.  You were alone, though.  And you seemed to be just wondering.”
 “Yep.  That was what I was doing.”  That was what he had been doing until he had seen Iyana.
 “But before I could talk to you, you ran off and talked to that other girl.”  Keldf wouldn’t have been surprised if this girl would have spat on the word ‘other’.