Gene Wolfe - The Knight

He drew his sword. “This’s the best kind for foining. A little taper to the blade, and a good sharp point. You want a light point for finesse, but you want some weight to your blade, too, so it foins hard. Foining’s the best way to get through mail. Did you know that?”

I shook my head.

“It is, and it’s the best way to give him a deep wound, whether he’s got mail or not. The Angrborn don’t wear mail very much.”

“I didn’t know that, either.”

“I think they think they don’t need it with us. Have you ever fought one?”

“No, I saw one once, but I didn’t fight him. I was scared stiff.”

“You’ll be scared next time, too. Everybody is. You see one, and you think you need a whole army.”

“Have you fought them?”

Garvaon nodded. “One. Once.”

“You killed him?”

Garvaon nodded again. “I had a couple of archers with me, and one put an arrow in his chin. He threw his hands up, the same way your man did when you got him in the face. I ran in and cut him right over the knee.” Garvaon’s finger indicated the place. “Right here. He fell, and I foined all the way through his neck. We brought his head back to show Lord Beel, pulling it behind two horses.” Garvaon smiled at the memory. “It was about as big as a barrel.”

“They’re as big as people say, then. I know the one I saw looked terribly big.”

“Depends on who the people are, like always. But they’re big, all right. It’s a jolt anytime you see one. They aren’t made quite like us, either. Their legs are thicker than they should be. They’re wide all over, and their heads ought to be smaller. When you cut one off like I did, it’s so big it scares you.”

For perhaps the hundredth time, I tried to visualize a whole raiding party of Angrborn. Not one alone, but a score or a hundred marching down the War Way. “I understand now why this road’s so wide.”

“The thing is, they’re slow. I don’t mean slow walkers. They’ll get someplace a lot faster than you will, because their steps are so long. But slow at turning and things like that. If they weren’t, we wouldn’t stand a chance.”

“Speed is everything,” I said.

“Right. I’ve fought you. With those practice swords we use, I mean. You’re strong, one of the strongest men I ever came up against. But you’re not stronger than one of them, so you’ve got to be faster. And smarter. Don’t think it’s going to be easy.”

“I never have,” I said. “I knew a man who fought them.”

“Did he win?”

I shook my head. “I want to ask you more about foining. But first, what do you think about what Lord Beel’s going to do tonight?”

“My honest opinion? Between the two of us?”

“Between the three of us.” I smiled as I stroked Mani’s head.

“All right. I doubt anything will happen, and probably we won’t find out anything.”

“I thought you were worried about it,” I said, “when we were in his pavilion, I mean.”

“I was.” Garvaon hesitated, and looked around. “I’ve been with him before when he’s tried to do something like this. Usually nothing happens, but sometimes something does. I don’t like things I can’t understand.”

“May I ask what happened?”

Garvaon shook his head. His face was grim.

I let out my breath. “All right. I’ll see for myself tonight. Do you think we ought to have a look at the moon?”

“Not yet. I want to talk to you a little bit more, and it hasn’t been long enough anyhow. We haven’t been together very long, but I’ve been doing my best to teach you, like I said I would. You’ll allow that?”

“Of course.”

“We fought the Mountain Men together, too.”

I nodded. “Yes. We did.”

“So we’re friends, and you owe me a boon.”

Mani, who had been ignoring us since it became apparent that there would be no more talk of magic, regarded Garvaon with interest.

“You’ll admit that, Sir Able?”

“Sure. I never denied it.”

“I reserved my boon, and I wasn’t going to ask it, since you won. We both know it.”

“I owe you a boon,” I said, “you only have to tell me what you want.”

For a second or two Garvaon sat studying me. “I’m a widower. Did you know that?”

I shook my head.

“I am. It will be two years this fall. My son died too. Volla was trying to bear me a son.”

“I’m sorry. Darned sorry.”

Garvaon cleared his throat. “Lady Idnn has never showed any interest in me.”

I waited, feeling Mani’s claws through the thick wool of my trousers. “Not until today. Today she smiled at me, and we talked like friends.”

“I’ve got it,” I said.

“She’s young. Twenty-two years younger than I am. But we’re going to be living in this Frost Giant king’s stronghold. There won’t be many real men around.”

“You and her father,” I said. “Your archers and men-at-arms, and her father’s servants.”

“Not you?”

“Right. I won’t be there. I’m going to find Pouk and get back my horses and the rest of my stuff. When I’ve done it, I’ll take my stand someplace in these mountains. That’s what I promised Duke Marder I’d do, and it’s what I’m going to do.”

“You aren’t going to stay?”

“I’m not even going as far as King Gilling’s stronghold, if I find Pouk before we get there. Do you still want your boon? What is it?”

“You’re younger than I am.”

“Sure. A lot.”

“You’re bigger, too, and you’re better-looking. I know all that.”

“I’m a knight with no reputation at all,” I reminded him. “Don’t leave that out. If you’ve wondered why I’m so hot to find Pouk, one reason is that he’s got everything I own with him. You’ve got a manor called Finefield, don’t you?”

“Yes.”

“A big house with a wall around it.”

“And a tower,” Garvaon said.

“Fields, too, and peasants to plow and plant and herd your cows. I don’t have anything like that.” All the time we were talking, I was thinking about what Idnn had said about Beel giving her to King Gilling, but I could not tell Garvaon and I would have been afraid of what he might do if I did. And underneath those things I kept thinking over and over that if Idnn really wanted to be rescued, here he was.

Garvaon said, “You wish me to name my boon. This isn’t easy for me.”

“I think I can guess it, so you don’t have to.”

“I want you to give me your word, your word of honor, that you’ll do nothing else to lessen me in her eyes. You’re a better bowman than I, and everyone knows it. Let it be enough.”

“I will.”

“If she rejects me, I’ll tell you. But until she does, and I tell you so, I want you to promise you won’t try to win her for yourself.”

You’ve got my word.” I offered Garvaon my hand.

He took it; his own was like he was, no bigger than most but hard and strong. “You want her, naturally.”

“I don’t.”

“She’s beautiful.”

“She sure is.” I nodded. “But she’s not the one I’m in love with.”

“She’s the daughter of a baron, too.” For a moment Garvaon looked ready to give up. “His only daughter.”

“You’re right. Beel won’t make it easy.”

Garvaon squared his shoulders. “I have your word, Sir Able. What was it you wanted to ask about foining?”

“What should I do when the other man foins? How can I guard against it?”

“Ah.” Garvaon stood and picked up his shield. “That’s a good one. First you need to know that it’s hard to guard against. If he likes it, you’ve got to take that very, very seriously.”