Kormean (the beginning)

Kormean has been contacted by two knights looking for a squire:

Morood Staelek - A young knight who has yet to prove himself. His family is barely noble, and it is upon Sir Staelek's success that their name will ride. They live too far to be of any true political use, and so are hoping that he will be able to make good in deeds. He has set up a small keep that is able to host himself and only three others including servants.

Marian Ogutt - Lady Ogutt is well known in the circles of the knights. She has proven herself time and again at jousts, tourneys and celebrations as a superior competitor. But she has not to date shown prowess in any real battles or in deeds. There are rumors (never spoken in her presence of course) that she is a "Ermine Knight"...one who is very decorative but not functional. It has been heard out and about that she intends to rectify this situation and prove herself outside of the tournament circles this season. Whether this is true or not remains to be seen, but she is still favored by some higher noble families because of her great successes at competitions.

Kormean thinks about both of his choices very hard and thoughtfully.

Morood Staelek is hardly known and lives far off. Though Kormean has never really been a socially man, one of the reason he enjoyed the woods, He does want to branch out a little. Besides that he isn't very well known and Kormean doesn't know how well he will be able to teach him. On the other hand there is Marian Ogutt a VERY well known knight. She has proven herself very capable in many things, though if the rumors are true of her being a Ermine Knight then Kormean would be making a wrong decision before he starts. He doesn't want to be just decorative, He wants to prove himself more than capable in both battle, joust, and tourneys. Maybe he is being to ambitious but he wants to be the best.

After thinking long and hard he finally picks Marian hoping that he made the right choice.

Kormean is met the next night by a messenger with a missive. The note instructs him to arrive at the Lady's keep no later than midday of the next day and to not to bother to bring anything except the clothes upon his back. Everything else that he may have need for will be provided, and nothing else will be allowed including personal objects. There will be a horse awaiting him at sunrise if he desires to leave early. A rider will be dispatched to take the horse away after the midday meal and another squire selected if he does not arrive with this rider.

Apparently, the Lady is the punctual type and expects her squires to be the same.

Damn Kormean thinks, he was never a good at arriving on time. "As long as she trains well I will do as she says" he mutters to himself. The next morning he says his goodbyes and leaves at sunrise to find the horse. "Better to be early than late" he told his family as he left them behind to start his new life as a squire.

[OOC - My apologies for not replying sooner. I'll do my best to keep up]

Kormean was met by a page who was waiting outside his home with the extra horse. Before he was even able to greet the man, the page spoke.

"You'll have no need for that meal you are carrying, we will arrive before the afternoon meal. And your belt purse will have no purpose on the Lady's estate. Please leave that behind as well."

Kormean paused momentarily, then went inside and dropped the 'offending' objects on the table and exited once again. When he came out, he raised his arms and turned about. The page said "Very well, we should get on, the Lady does not like to be kept waiting."

As they rode, the page introduced himself as Byron and explained "Do not be insulted by these requests. The Lady believes that anything you carry with you could be distracting to your duties to her. When you signed the indenture contract, you commit yourself to her service and she wishes to be sure you are able to perform to your fullest extent."

The two chatted as they continued on and Byron seemed to be a likable man. Hopefully all of the Lady's servants would be this way. He was already sure that some of her requests would raise his hackles, but she was a champion in the tourneys. She must therefore have much to teach Kormean. He would do his best to not complain in her presence.

Before long, they gained the keep. It was a large building with two three story towers and was obviously well maintained and had several decorative flags flying in front. They entered the open area and dismounted. They were met by a horseman who took the rides away. Byron then said "We'll show you to your room. There will be clothing there to put on. You'll have the rest of the afternoon to look about and get some food. At supper time, we will fetch you to dine with the Mistress where she will discuss her expectations with you. Good day to you."

Byron whistled to a young boy who was nearby and told him to escort Kormean to his room. When they arrived, the lad bowed and walked away. Kormean entered and there was a well laid out bedroom with four sets of clothing folded neatly on the bed. He selected one, changed, then put the others away in the large chest at the foot of the bed. Now it was time to try to find something to eat.

[OOC: Not a problem]

Kormean was very disappointed that he couldn't bring any of his personal belongings with him, but he is a squire now and that meant he had to follow orders. When he got dressed he looked around the hallway thinking which way he should go looking for the dining hall. He turned to the right and looked around the keep. He didn't like it very much. To closed in with suffocating stone walls and not a tree in sight. He was still hungry so he kept up his search in the twisting and turning halls.

It was not long before Kormean found the kitchen and dining hall. The smells came strong and delicious; roasting meat and ale. As he entered the kitchen a tall man in his 50s looked at him and asked "Who are you and what do you want?"

"I-I'm the new squire" said Kormean.

"Ah then wonderful! Have a seat over at the cutting board and we'll see to a meal for you'"

The man pointed over to an enormous table that could easily seat 8 men. There were piles of meat and vegetables and odd spices that Kormean had never seen before on it in various places. The smells were now overpowering and they made his stomach grumble loudly. He sat down in a tall stool at a somewhat clear spot near some herbs.

After a few minutes the tall man came over and placed a large platter in front of him. It was filled with a steaming stew. Kormean picked up his fork and dug in. He had always admired his mother's cooking as any good son will do, but this meal made him second guess anything he had ever eaten before. And there was a mug of ale that also was better than anything he could recall.

After the meal was done, he asked the tall cook about his plates. "Take them over there and wash up. If you could, also clean up whatever there is next to it. There's a good lad!"

Kormean walked over to the large wooden basin filled with water and lemons. He washed his dishes and placed them in a basket nearby. Turning to another basket next to it were at least 25 soiled plates, cups and cutlery. "Well. tis not what I had in mind, but that meal was worth washing these up."

It was about 40 minutes before he was done, and he reported back to the cook. "Thank you m'lad. You can call me Nicolas. I am head chef for the Lady. I hope what you were served was acceptable. Now I cannot stay however, I am needed across the Green." With that, Nicolas trundled off with a large cart filled with several covered platters.

Kormean found himself once again alone exploring the keep.

So far Kormean had mixed feelings about the place. The keep was closed in, but the food was the best he ever had and the people seemed nice enough although he only meet three. Kormean started to get restless and decided he wanted to find the training yard. That was the reason he came here wasn't it? so with a full belly he went on a mission to find the training yard and well.. train.

Finding an exit that lead outside was a little more daunting that Kormean had anticipated. The Lady's house was large and seemed to be designed in order to confuse a new comer. He wandered to and fro across hallways and past locked doors with no success. Finally after at least half an hour, he ended up back in the main hall. It was a grand place, with two large doors at the entrance and a central staircase that split at the top.

On the walls where the stairs divided there were all manners of trophies, ribbons, flags and other decorative awards. Each one was from a tournament of one kind or another, mostly from formal jousts. There were others still from general competitions that tested the skills of a knight - horsemanship, archery and even armed man to man combat. The awards were in the vast majority 1st prizes with only a handful 2nd place and just 4 were 3rd place. Truly Her Mistress was an excellent competitor.

As he was staring up at the wall of honor, Kormean was startled by a booming voice from behind him. "She does quite well for herself does she not lad?" Kormean turned round to see a barrel chested man that reminded him more of the bear he slew than a human being. His face was covered in a full thick dark beard and judging by his arms, Kormean estimated that the man had more hair on his back than most men did on their whole body. He grimaced inwardly, hoping to never have that thought again.

The man stepped forward and slapped Kormean on the shoulder firmly. It was quite obvious that he was holding back considerably and that if he wanted to, he could probably crush Kormean on the spot with no effort at all. "My name is Galen Farlen. I am the Lady's man at arms. I take it that you are to be the new squire?"

Kormean nodded his head and introduced himself. At least he would not have to keep trying to find the training yard.

"Well lad, tis good to have you here. Once you have supped with the Lady, I sure that she will send you my way sooner or later. But it will be up to her to decide where you shall be first assigned. She likes to interview every new hire personally and evaluate their skills herself before they are placed to work. But let me show you where the main yard is, you'll need to know how to find it and I recall how long it took me to learn the lay of the keep. Come."

With that, Galen went bounding forward and Kormean found himself following instinctively. This Galen must be a natural leader. "Why he is not a full knight himself must be an interesting story." Kormean thought. He tried hard to keep the route to the yard in his head as they walked along. Galen must have understood that because they walked in silence. They reached a set of double doors before long and he threw them open to reveal the inside yard.

It was huge - a full stables and jousting court as well as fighting arena. A full tournament could easily be held here at a moment's notice. Kormean looked around wide eyed. Galen said "Here you are lad. Take your time and walk around the place. But, be certain to be back at your quarters and dressed for supper an hour before sunset. Lady Marian expects punctuality from all her charges. I must be off now, I am sure we will see one another many times in the next few weeks."

Kormean was a overwhelmed by the main yard. Were should I begin Kormean thought aloud. He decided that he will just look around the yard and acquaintance him with all the different areas then go clean up for dinner when the time came. Looking up at the sky to see how much time he had left before he had to leave this magnificent place he started towards the center of the yard.

Kormean spent the rest of the afternoon in the yard. He went from place to place looking at everything there was and meeting so many people that he could no longer keep track of who was whom. But one thing was constant throughout all his meetings - everyone respected Lady Marian greatly and everyone knows how much she expects punctuality and protocol.

He also learned that The Lady had need for three people. One was a fletcher. One was a stablekeep. One was a personal servant. The fletcher would spend their time making arrows and the feathers that were attached to them. Kormean assumed that this would also entail assisting Lady Marian at any tournaments involving archery.

Being a stablekeep was a taxing yet rewarding job. The many horses needed almost constant care and the work was both hard and dirty. But the task was also very well respected because the knight relies on her horse more than any other item in her possession, even more so than her sword or lance.

The personal servant could be a good job or it could be a horrible one. There were no details in what aspect of servitude that was needed...it could be her personal messenger or it could be washing her dirty leggings after jousts. And as much as a knight puts forth a public image, no one knows their true side as a person unless and until they are in their direct intimate employ.

Kormean kept all these things close to his heart as he walked back to his room. He decided to forgo lunch in order as to not seem ungrateful to Lady Marian at dinner. As he dressed for the meal, he could not help but wonder where she would place him. Hopefully he could be of service and still enjoy his time here.

When Kormean finished dressing he followed the same hallway towards the dinning room he had earlier in the day. As he got closer and closer to his destination he thought more about the jobs he could be given. Kormean did not think he would be much good at fletching because he was not a man with the great deal of precision needed to do the job well. As for the stable keeping job he would do better, maybe not much better but better none-the-less. Kormean had never been good with animals although he did have a bit of experience when it came to horses. Still animals in general did not seem to like him and he did not seem to like animals for that reason. Though if an animal were to see him as a friend he would have no problems with them. Then last and defiantly least the personal servant job. This would be the one that he would do best at because there is not a great deal of precision or animals involved in this job. Sadly this job would be the worst of them all. Kormean hated to clean even after himself but introduce another's mess and he may go insane. As he walked into the dinning hall he came to the conclusion that it was not his decision what job he got, and it wont matter which The Lady gives him he will do it to the best of his ability.

Entering the dining hall, Kormean noticed that there were no place settings on the great table. No dishes, cups, silverware or candles. Neither was there a fire in the hearth. He was a bit puzzled by this. Why would the dining hall be totally empty if they were to be eating soon?

As he was about to call out for someone, Kormean recalled Galen's words to him earlier in the day as they entered the training yard:

Galen Farlen wrote:

"But, be certain to be back at your quarters and dressed for supper an hour before sunset."

"By the gods! Perhaps dinner wasn't to be eaten in the Great Hall!" Kormean took to his heels as fast as he could. As he reached the second floor and rounded the turn to the hallway where his room was, he ran directly into a page and the two of them went spilling onto the floor in opposite directions.

A few seconds later, Kormean saw the hand of the page offering to help him up. He grabbed hold and stood. The page was nursing a bloody lip, but otherwise seemed unshaken.

"You all right then? I was wondering where you had gotten to, the Lady said to collect you from your chamber. We'll be going to her private table tonight...are you ready?"

"Oh yes I am fine, I went to the dinning hall and forgot to stay at the room." Kormean looks at the pages lip and asks if he is okay as well.

"I'm fine. If you're ready then, we'll be on to the Lady's room?"

The two walked on in silence, Kormean could not figure if the quiet was a general rule around here or if the page was angry at him. "Well if he is mad, he'll have to get over it." he thought.

Suddenly it occurred to Kormean that he was not paying attention to the route they were taking. They were already in an unfamiliar place; he did recall walking past the Great Hall but not through it. Hopefully he would be able to retrace his steps later on.

Finally they reached their destination. The page stopped, bowed slightly and opened the door for Kormean. Not used to the treatment, he paused a moment, but then went into the room. It was a cozy dining room with a roaring fireplace, a large round table in the center surrounded by six chairs. There was a door in the back on the left wall that was shut and an open window through which a crisp night breeze wafted.

On the table was a large candelabra, and two place settings. The food had already been served and was steaming hot. It looked to be rack of lamb with a side of vegetables. There was also a bottle with a dark red wine in it, as well as a bowl of fruit and cheese.

The Lady sat on the left side, and Kormean's place was directly opposite her own. She carefully watched him as he entered and closed the door. "Come in Kormean, sit down, dinner is just now ready." She was a stunningly beautiful woman with long golden tresses that flowed over her shoulders and icy blue eyes. She was wearing a dark green gown made of crushed velvet with gold and red trim. She was absolutely not what Koremean had envisioned at all. He swallowed nervously, and took his seat.

"Would you like some wine?" He nodded silently and took the bottle and filled his flagon. It was silver, and intricately carved with the Lady's crest - a serpent-like dragon breathing fire onto a glowing anvil and hammer.

"I trust you have found everything to your liking?"

"Y-yes milady. Everything's fine."

"Good. Now let us eat this wonderful meal that Nicolas has created for us. It is not an everyday occurrence that we will have such a repast, it would not do to let it get cold."

As they ate, Kormean noticed that the Lady's manners seemed impeccable. He had seen higher class people at a feast before and knew some of the rules of etiquette. But she seemed to know them all and observed every one flawlessly. One thing that stood out however was her goblet. It was made of just simple wood and was not decorated as his was. It seemed odd and she must have noticed him starting as she drank.

"Tis a family heirloom." Marian said as she gestured toward it. "My great-great grandmother made it as a wedding gift to her daughter and it has been in my family ever since. I cannot bear to part with it at all. But come, we need to discuss your assignment. Have you given any thoughts as to your tasks here?"

"Yes milady, a bit. But I am still unsure of what would suit me most. But I will do whichever you would have me do to my best I promise."

"I'm sure you will. Galen tells me that you took an interest in the training yard today. Tell me, what do you think of it?"

"It's wonderful milady! I've never seen one so large and fully capable."

"It has served me quite well to date. You've seen the trophies as well."

Kormean nodded vigorously. "Yes, they are very impressive."

They ate a bit more quietly. The food was even better than his breakfast and Kormean found himself regretting that he could not take a bit back with him for tomorrow. As they finished up, Lady Marian spoke again.

"Well Kormean. I believe that based on what Galen has told me and our conversation here that you would be best suited to act as my personal servant. Do you feel that you are up to the task? If not, I can move you to the stables or the fletcher's. But I think it would be best if you did this for me. So. What say you?"

The meal was better than great but sadly it was over to fast. Wishing he had savored it the meal more The lady had proposed his new job. "As I said earlier milady I will do whichever you deem would fit me and I will do it best I can." Kormean feels a bit disappointed about his job but he had made a promise to himself and then voiced it to The Lady so he would not break it, and it would probably be rude to say no. unlike Marian Kormean didn't have very many manners so he just sat in his chair not knowing if he should get up or not he looked around the room not knowing what he was looking for.

"Very well then. To begin with, you shall have your room moved to this area. You will sleep here tonight and your clothing will be moved tomorrow while we are out. Come, I'll show you your new quarters."

The Lady rose and gestured towards the closed door in the back of the room. Kormean walked with her and as they paused, he caught on that he was meant to open it. He pulled the door open and there was a hallway lit with sconces on the wall. As they reached the end, the hallway branched left and right, each ending in a door.

"Your room is down there" Marian said, pointing to the right. "It should be sufficient for your needs. My chambers are here to the left. You should not enter without being summoned or knocking and called in first."

Kormean nodded.

"Now, on the morrow we will need to go into town to purchase some items I need. I will require you to awaken me no later then 5 o'clock, and be ready to leave within 30 minutes. We will be taking the large cart and two horses. They will be at the gate when we need them. As your first task however, you will need to clear away our meal. Leave the candelabra on the table but extinguish it. Everything else is to be taken to the kitchen for the maids to clean. Do not be longer than 20 minutes; I will need to speak with you again before retiring for the night. Knock on my door when you are finished."

"Yes milady" Kormean says as she walks into her chambers. "First things first" he says quietly to himself as he walks into the room they ate in. Picking up all the plates and dishes he notices The Lady's wooden goblet was not there and not remembering her picking it up he finds it strange. As he gets the last of the dishes he snuffs the candle out and walks out of the room. Looking around the hallway he remembers he didn't pay attention to were they were going. He walks aimlessly around for a few minutes until he finds a maid who seeing the dishes and knowing that he was going the wrong way points him in the right direction. Finding the kitchen and putting all the dishes in the sink he hurries himself back to The Lady's room. Remembering to knock he does and he also calls her.

"Come in Kormean" came the reply. Kormean opened the door and was immediately struck by the beauty of the room. The furniture was very well made and decorated. It was obvious to even his untrained eye that it was extremely expensive. All of the walls had beautiful tapestries on them and there was a large box filled with exotic looking plants at the window. There was a large bookshelf along the wall to the left that was filled with countless tomes large and small. There was The Lady's bed with a large chest at its foot in the center back of the room and an armoire fully seven feet tall on the right hand wall.

The Lady Marian sat in a large plush chair next to the roaring fireplace holding a book and drinking from her wooden goblet. On the floor stretching from the hearth all the way to the other side of the room was an intricately woven rug. The scene on the rug showed several knights in a battle with a dragon. But it was not a usual picture of victorious men over beast - the dragon had felled four knights and only two remained standing. They were clearly losing the fight and Kormean wondered who would make such an odd looking depiction.

But the one thing that struck Kormean most was the well. Never in his life had he heard of a well being built directly in one's bedroom. But there it was immediately to the left of the bed, with a bucket tied with a rope and a ladle next to it. How strange indeed.

Kormean took a step into the room but the moment he moved, Lady Marian held up a warning hand and indicated him to stop. A second later, the most enormous and ferocious dog Kormean had ever seen walked from around the bed. Its shoulder was as high as the mattress and it was looking directly at him with blood in its eyes. It was wearing a chainmail coat and spiked collar. There was no question whatsoever - this beast would tear Kormean's throat out before he even had the chance to cry out.

The Lady stood and spoke sharply to the dog: "Malchien! Hold!" The dog looked at her and sat obediently still watching the new guest to the room carefully.

"Kormean, this is Malchien. He will not harm you if you are properly introduced and you let him know that you are to be obeyed. Approach me slowly and keep your arms down."

Kormean did as he was told and when he reached his Mistress, she spoke to Malchien once more. "Malchien. Friend."

"Now, hold your hand out to him - palm up. Let him sniff you out."

The dog's breath was heavy on Kormean's hand but after a quick sniff or two, he relaxed his posture and lay on the floor in a playful pose.

"If you ever have a problem with him, say 'Hold' to him, but be strong about it or he won't listen. But for now, he will allow you passage in here anytime, he knows you are not an enemy."

"Y-yes milady."

"Now. It is time to retire. As I said, awaken me no later than 5 o'clock tomorrow morning. Good night."

Kormean was a little surprised by the dog's size; he had never seen one as big or ferocious. Kormean had imagined he dog jumping at him with his teeth heading straight for his neck. Kormean didn't have a weapon to combat the beast so he would have surely died if that had happened. Luckily for him he was still alive and heading towards his room. As he entered his bedchamber he felt tired from the long day and got undressed. He lay in his bed for only a minute before he fell asleep.

Kormean slept fitfully. He was afraid of oversleeping and found himself waking several times in the night wondering if it was after 5 o'clock. But each time he looked out the window, he saw the moon creeping slowly across the sky. Hopefully this night would not be a normal occurrence.

When he finally felt confident enough to get some real rest, he was awakened by the unmistakable cry of roosters. So, it was to be likely a long and difficult day. Kormean grumbled to himself as he rose and dressed. When he was finished, he opened his door to find a tray with the day's breakfast on it. There was a pear, two biscuits, a wedge of cheese and a mug of warm milk.

Kormean ate and watched as the sun started to break over the horizon. The warm milk happily took the bite off of the morning chill and before long he was starting to feel a bit better about the coming day's events. As the sun reached halfway up, Kormean gathered his belongings and made way to wake Lady Marian. He knocked loudly with the brass clapper on the door and called out for her. He heard her answer back to him.

"Good morrow Kormean. I need you to go downstairs and make sure the horses and carriage will be ready to leave within the hour. Return to me when all is prepared. Tell Byron to be sure to put all of the needed bags and the large chest in the carriage."

"Yes milady, right away."

As he turned to leave, Kormean saw his room door close. He wondered who would be in there so early and what their business was. He crept up to the door and peered in. As he was looking, he nudged the door open and it let out a loud creak. He heard a startled gasp and saw a young lass gathering his breakfast dishes. She was about the same age as Kormean. She wore the clothes of a servant and had her brown hair tied back in a large braid. She had a guilty look on her face for some reason and bowed her head sheepishly when Kormean stepped in.

"Excuse me, I was just...cleaning up here. I trust you found your meal to your liking?"

"Errr....yes. It was fine. And you are..."

"Oh. Excuse me. I am Mandy. I work in the kitchen with Nicolas. I saw you in there last night when you brought down the supper trays. Let me get out of your way. I hope your day will be a good one."

Mandy hastily placed everything on a tray and bustled past Kormean. As he watched her disappear down the hallway, he recalled his orders and moved to fulfill them as soon as possible.