Gribb Thornwhisker's Arc

Chapter 1 of 2

Gribb Thornwhisker swung a sharpened stick at a tree and told himself it was a sword. He was a knee-high elvin dwarf with blue skin and yellow teeth, and he wanted, more than anything, to wear the king's colors. The knights tested newcomers in three days. Gribb had never touched a real blade in his life. He practiced behind his cottage, where tangled vines climbed the walls and moss dripped from the roof. His wooden pike had a taped grip and a whittled point. He stabbed a knot in the bark. The stick bounced back and cracked him on the nose. He sat down hard in the wet grass. "That," said a voice, "is how you lose a hand." A man leaned against the porch rail. He had blond hair and a smile that seemed to enjoy Gribb's misery. Steel covered one shoulder. A red cape hung from the other. Gribb had seen that armor style on the king's men. He scrambled up and pointed his stick. "Who are you?" "Aldric Fairwind. I used to serve the crown." He pushed off the rail. "Then I stopped. Long story." His eyes moved to the wooden pike. "You're trying out for the knights." "In three days," Gribb said. "They'll test me." Aldric laughed, but not cruelly. "They'll laugh you out of the yard. You hold that grip like a spoon." He walked closer and crouched to Gribb's height. "You've never held real steel, have you?" Gribb's face burned. "No." "Then a wooden stick won't save you." Aldric reached under his cape and drew a real sword. The blade caught the light. He turned it and offered the handle. "Take it." Gribb wrapped both hands around the grip. The weight dragged his arms down at once. His wrists shook. He nearly dropped it in the mud. "Heavier than a stick," Aldric said. "That's the whole problem. You've trained your hands for a lie." He guided Gribb's fingers, one at a time. "Thumb here. Elbow in. Let the weight fall, then stop it." Gribb swung. The blade tugged him sideways, but this time he caught it. He swung again. The tip stayed level. Something clicked in his shoulders. "Better," Aldric said. "You held real steel and didn't drop it. Now you know what the test feels like." Gribb grinned, sharp teeth and all. For the first time, he believed he could stand in that yard. Aldric took his sword back and sheathed it. His smile faded. "But hear me, boy. If I train you, the crown will hear my name again. There are knights who'd pay to know where I am." He glanced toward the trees, then back. "Teaching you puts a target on both our backs." Gribb looked at his wooden pike lying in the grass. Then at the man who could turn him into a knight. "Teach me anyway," he said. Aldric nodded slowly. "Then we start tonight. And we keep it hidden."