Meeting your Squire

You were working on some final papers in preparation for the departure tomorrow. The church handled most of the actual grunt work of finding the artisans and craftsmen who would be tasked with ensuring the maintenance of your orders equipment and supplies. Armorers, weaponsmiths, farriers, quartermasters.

A knock on your door distracted you.

"Enter." You called. You finished pressing your seal on the last page that needed your attention. The door opened and...

It wasn't hard to tell who she was, as far as you were aware there weren't many half-orcs in the citadel who would have a reason to come see you. She came to the front of your temporary desk.

"Grandmaster my name is Squire your Alexandria!" She said quickly eyes full of hope that quickly turned to fear and dread as she realized what she just said.

You stared at her for a long moment, then looked down at your papers you couldn't suppress a small chuckle that seemed to put her at ease. "Let's try that again. All of it." You said, indicating the door.

She all but ran to it, closing it gently behind her. After a moment you heard another knock.

"Enter!" You called out once more looking up. She walked in a but more slowly and once again took her position.

"Grandmaster, my name is Alexandria, your squire." She said, taking great pains to enunciate.

"Better." You said, standing up from behind your desk. "You are my squire. As such, I don't expect you to do things perfectly, but I do expect you to improve each time you do them." You instructed. "We won't have as much time as I would like to start your training. We'll have to do quite a bit on the road. For today we'll start with your weapons and equipment. Has the church provided you a set?" You asked, unlike an unblessed squire she wouldn't be expected to furnish her own gear. Especially considering who she had backing her.

"Yes Grandmaster." You would have been surprised if she'd said no.

"Good. We'll start with mine first." You said, moving to where you'd already prepared your travel set. It was currently resting on an armor tree to the side. It wasn't the more elaborate battle plate that most people associated with knights, it was for when you were off on your own and couldn't count on an extra pair of hands to help you get dressed. A compromise between protection and comfort. "As my squire, you will be responsible for both my equipment and your own. When I tell you to prepare my travel plate this is what I mean."

You could tell she'd thought you were going in a different direction when you'd asked about her gear. There would be ample time for combat training later, understanding and preparing one's equipment was critical for knowing how to use it in battle.

"... and unless you find a smith who can imbue your sword you'll need to keep it sharpened and oiled." You finished, fortunately for you, you'd found such a smith two years ago. She didn't need to know that part though as you worked her through the steps to keep the edge maintained.

You noticed it was getting late. With the next day to be spent on the road you dismissed her to get some rest. You intended to get an early start.