Flight of the Falcon (Noble Heart Book 1) Read online

  Well, almost all. At the other end of the kitchen the two falconers he had seen earlier out in the field came in. They saw him immediately and turned to one another, speaking heatedly. They cast spiteful looks at him and stomped out of the kitchen.

  One of the men at the table was speaking to him, and with a troubled heart he turned his attention back to the company around him. The food was delicious and plentiful. He could not help thinking of his granny, all alone with her pigeon stew, or perhaps roasted rabbit. He silently said a little prayer for her.

  The cook approached him. “My, my, boy! You are honored tonight! The king has sent a message to the kitchen asking you to join him and the queen in the drawing room. Rosie, show him the way, if you please,” she said to a young girl sitting nearby. Rosie obediently stood and led Noble from the kitchen.

  The huge castle seemed like a maze to Noble. Rosie led him up and down stairs and through several long corridors before she finally paused before a large door. She knocked and opened the door, “Sire, the falconer, Noble, is here,” she announced.

  Noble walked into the drawing room. The king was there, playing chess with a little boy—his son most likely. The queen was sitting by the fireplace with her needlework. A musician stood in a corner playing a fiddle.

  “Ah, Noble! Welcome!” the king said. “My dear, this is the young lad I was telling you about.” Noble bowed before the queen. “And Noble, this is my son, Prince William. William, Noble is a falconer. He learned from his grandfather to hunt with a falcon and he is very good at it. Perhaps Noble will take you to see his falcon one day, and show you how it is done. Her name is Fly. I think you would like to meet her.”

  The prince looked at Noble with a smile on his face. He looked to be about six or seven years old and was a handsome boy. “Oh, may I? I should like that very much!”

  The king looked at Noble. “Yes, Your Highness, I would be very happy to introduce you to Fly and show you what a talented bird she is,” Noble said to the small prince.

  “Tomorrow? May I go to the mews with you tomorrow?” the little boy asked eagerly.

  The queen spoke, “William, we will have to see what Nanny has to say about that. You have lessons tomorrow, you know. Noble, I am pleased to meet you. I, too, admired your grandfather, and am glad that you have come to help fill the empty place he left here at the castle. Please send my greetings to your grandmother the next time you go to see her.”

  “We will send for you tomorrow, Noble, if we desire you to come for William, “ King Stephen said. “How are your lodgings, and did you enjoy your first supper in the castle? And how is Fly doing in the mews?”

  “Fly is fine, I think. The master was most kind in taking a special interest in her. As for myself, I could not ask for better treatment, either. The memory of my grandfather has paved the way for me.”

  “As it should. Good night, then, lad. Perhaps we shall see you tomorrow.”

  Noble was dismissed. He bowed and left the room. To his relief, he found Rosie waiting in the hallway for him. She was friendly as she led him back to the kitchen, but she did not ask why the king had sent for him.

  Jamie was still in the kitchen when they returned, waiting for him. The sun had set by that time, so they grabbed a torch to light the way across the courtyard to the stables.

  It had been a long day, full of many unexpected surprises and events, he thought, as he prepared for bed. That morning he had risen, thinking only to do some chores for Granny and go hunting with Fly. By nightfall he had left his home and was living at the castle under the protection of the king himself! What an amazing day! Noble stayed awake just long enough to pray, “Lord, please care for Granny, and help me to always please the king—and You.”

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  CHAPTER SIX

  _________

  The Royal Mews

  Noble rose eagerly the next morning, anxious to begin his first day as a royal falconer. It was barely dawn, but already the castle was teeming with activity. He ran with Jamie to the kitchen to eat a quick breakfast of toasted bread and milk. The boys soon parted ways, Jamie to his work in the stables, and Noble to the Royal Mews.

  The master was there already—and so were the other two falconers. They did not speak to Noble, but went on with their work. The master welcomed him warmly, and soon set him to work cleaning out the mews and feeding and watering the birds.

  Fly let out a piercing cry when she saw him. She cocked her head at him as he went to the king’s gyrfalcons to care for their needs first, as he should. “I will come to you soon, Fly!” he whispered. “I have a job to do first!”

  The gyrfalcons were impressive. The largest of all the falcons, Noble could see why they would rank high above the other birds of prey. These particular birds were almost pure white, and beautiful to behold. In Noble’s heart, though, they could never surpass the beauty and grace of his own peregrine falcon.

  As he worked he could feel the angry stares of the two falconers, and heard their mutterings. He did not know why they hated him so, when they did not even know him. Finally, they left for a while, and he went to the master of the mews.

  “Master,” he said. “Who are those other two falconers? For some reason they have taken an instant dislike for me, and I do not understand why.”

  The master patted him on the shoulder. “Do not trouble yourself about it, Noble. They are brothers—Frederick and George Mullins. There is not much in this world that they do like, I fear. They are good falconers, but there is something about them that I do not like or trust. I am afraid they may be scoundrels, although I have nothing to prove it. The king hired them for their skills with the birds, but I do not think their true character is known to him, yet. They are jealous of your grandfather, Noble, although they were not even here when he was alive, and thus, they are jealous of you as well.”

  Noble looked troubled. “What should I do?” he asked.

  “There is nothing you can do, lad, except stay out of their way as much as possible. Trust me, you have nothing to fear, Noble. You have finished caring for the other birds, I see. Now go care for poor Fly. She thinks you have forgotten her already! Perhaps you and I will take a few of the birds out this afternoon, and Fly shall go with us. How does that sound? I am anxious to see you working together!”

  Noble put the thoughts of the unfriendly brothers to the back of his mind and went on with his work. Fly was excited to see him when he was finally able to go to her pen. She spread her wings wide and cried shrilly. He fed her a couple mice and took her out of her pen for a few minutes. He stroked her soft feathers and spoke softly to her.

  He had just put her back in her mews when he looked up and saw Frederick and George standing nearby staring at him. The master of the mews was nowhere to be seen. Noble decided to try to make the first move towards friendship.

  “Good day,” he said. “I don’t believe we’ve actually met. My name is Noble. I am happy to be working here with you.”

  One of the brothers crossed his arms and said, “Are you now? Well, we’re not so happy to be working with you!”

  “Now, now, George, don’t be so unfriendly!” the other man said sarcastically. “Don’t you know this is the king’s new pet? We wouldn’t want to say anything that would upset him now, would we?”

  “Nay, I wouldn’t want to say anything to upset the lad, but there’s a thing or two I can think of to do that might be a wee bit upsetting.” The two men laughed meanly and took a step closer.

  Noble stepped backwards and ran into Fly’s pen. She seemed to sense danger and shrieked. The men laughed again and stepped forward.

  “Not much she can do to help you, is there?” Frederick sneered.

  Noble prayed a quick prayer, “Lord, help me!” Just then the gate to the mews opened and the men stepped back.

  The king came through the gate with his little son William, followed by several of his men and the master of the mews. The king looked from the brothers to Noble and frowned. He could se
e by the expression on Noble’s face and the way he was pressed up against Fly’s cage that something was wrong.

  “What’s going on here?” he demanded.

  The falconers stepped forward and bowed low. “Nothing at all, Your Highness,” George said smoothly. “Merely welcoming young Noble to the Royal Mews.”

  The king looked at Noble. Noble glanced at the little prince and shook his head. He did not want to frighten the small boy. “I’m fine, Sire,” he said, although the look in his eyes said otherwise.

  King Stephen stared hard at the falconers, and said sharply, “Go! I have business with Noble. You may return to your work later.” The men bowed once more and hastened to leave the mews.

  The king took a deep breath and then smiled. “I have brought Prince William myself, Noble, for I, too, wish to hear and see what you have to teach him. We convinced Nanny that this is, indeed, a learning experience (did we not, William?) and that he should have some time off from his regular lessons.”

  Noble smiled and stepped forward. He held out his hand to the little prince and said, “Then allow me to introduce you to Fly, the best of all peregrine falcons!” He led the small boy to Fly’s cage. He explained how he cared for her and what she ate. He reached into her pen with his leather glove and put her hood on, and then brought her out carefully. “You may stroke the feathers on her back, Your Highness,” he said to the young prince. “Someday, when Fly is used to you, and if your father gives his permission, you may wear the gauntlet and hold her yourself. Would you like that?”

  William was unafraid of the fierce bird. “Oh, yes!” he said with his eyes shining.

  “Let us go, then, out to the fields, Noble,” the king said. “I am anxious for you to put Fly through her paces.” The group of men followed them from the mews.

  William could hardly contain his excitement as he stood near Noble in the center of the field. He bounced around, clapping his hands and chattering loudly. “Your Highness,” Noble finally cautioned him, “it is better to remain calm and quiet, especially when I take the hood off of Fly. We do not want to make her nervous or distract her from the job she is to do. And we must be careful not to scare off any prey that may be in the area.”

  William settled down immediately. Even after Noble cast the falcon into the air, the young prince quietly watched the amazing feats of the beautiful bird. He held his breath as Fly streaked across the sky and plummeted toward earth after her quarry. He clapped softly at each bird or small animal she brought back. All the while, the king enjoyed his son’s excitement even more than the exhibition itself.

  They put Fly back in her pen when they returned to the mews. The little boy stood outside the pen and thanked Fly nicely for the show she had put on. Fly answered with a shriek that had William covering his ears and laughing in delight.

  Noble led the boy to the mews where the king’s own gyrfalcons were housed. “These great birds are your father’s, Prince William,” he said. “They are gyrfalcons and only kings may possess them. You see, birds of prey are assigned a rank. An emperor may own a golden eagle, a king a gyrfalcon, a prince a peregrine falcon, and so on.”

  “I am a prince! May I have a peregrine falcon, Father?” William asked eagerly.

  “Yes, indeed!” his father laughed. “As soon as you are old enough!”

  William looked at Noble. “You have a peregrine falcon, Noble. Are you a prince?”

  Noble laughed. “I am afraid not, Your Highness. You see, your father gave Fly to my grandfather with special permission to own her, and my grandfather gave her to me. Your father, the king, has allowed me to keep her.”

  “Good!” the little boy said. “I’m glad you did that, Father! Noble is nice, and I can see that Fly likes him. I do, too!” he whispered to his father. The king smiled and rubbed his boy’s head fondly.

  Prince William turned back to Noble. “Do you always want to be a falconer, Noble? Do you want to be the master of the mews someday, like your grandfather?”

  Noble glanced up at the current master and said with a smile, “It would bring me great joy to follow in my grandfather’s footsteps someday, Your Highness, but that would be many, many years from now. The king already has a fine master.” Noble knelt down in front of the boy. “If I could have my dream, though,” he said softly, “it would be to be a knight, one of the king’s true men. I would serve and defend the king with all my heart and might! But a boy such as I can only dream of such a thing, for I am a poor boy and have no claims to nobility.”

  The young prince put his hand on Noble’s shoulder and looked him in the eye. “Why yes, you do!” he said. “Your very name is Noble!”

  ___________

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  ___________

  The Training Fields

  Noble was at work in the mews a few mornings later when Sir Robert stopped by. Noble was surprised, for he had not seen him since their ride back to the castle from Granny’s cottage.

  “Good morning, Sir Robert,” Noble said as he bowed. “Are you looking for the master? I’ll go fetch him for you!”

  “Nay, Noble, I have come to speak with you,” the knight replied. “I wonder how you would like to come out to the practice fields today and try your hand at archery and fencing with the knights?”

  Noble’s eyes lit up and he could not hide the huge grin that spread across his face. “Truly?” he asked, but then his face fell. “Oh, I am sorry, Sir, but I cannot. I have my work here in the mews to attend to this morning, and hunting this afternoon. Cook wants me to bring back something for the table tonight.”

  Noble looked up at Sir Robert, and then noticed for the first time that the Mullins brothers were standing nearby, listening to their conversation. They had not bothered him again since the king’s visit, nor spoken a word to him, but whenever they were around they would stare fiercely at him, and mutter about him to one another. Noble tried to simply ignore them and go about his business, but he always felt uneasy when they were around, and at times he was even frightened of them, though he tried not to show it.

  Sir Robert spoke, “It has all been taken care of, Noble. The king desires this, and has spoken to the master about you. It is arranged that you may have two or three hours off from the mews every day, and join the knights in the field. What say you to this?”

  The grin broke out again. “How then can I say nay to the king’s wish?” Noble said. “And my greatest wish, as well! Of course, I will join you! Thank you, Sir!”

  George and Frederick snorted loudly and stomped off just as the master entered the mews. “Ah, Sir Robert!” the master said. “It is arranged then?”

  “Yes, we were just about to leave, Master,” the knight said.

  Noble spoke up, “I am sorry, Master, to leave you all with extra work while I am at the fields each day.”

  The master laughed. “Noble, we will have no more work now than we had a week ago before you came to us. It is fine. As much as I enjoy having you here, I can see that this will be a good thing for you, and I am happy to have it so. Go, then, but just make sure you come directly back when you are finished!”

  “Yes, sir, I truly will,” Noble said eagerly. He turned with Sir Robert to leave. The brothers were nowhere in sight.

  Sir Robert questioned him on the way to the practice fields about the skills that he had with bow and sword already.

  “I have some skill in archery,” Noble said modestly. “My grandfather taught me well when I was very small, and often we would go out without Fly along to hunt animals in the forest where she could not hunt as well, or game that was too large for her. I have no skill whatsoever with a sword, though, for I have never even handled one.”

  “Good! We shall soon see what you can do with a longbow, then. I am glad you have not done swordplay before, for now we can teach you the correct way to fence, without having to overcome bad habits you might have picked up.”

  They were soon at the practice fields, and Noble was greeted warmly by the other kn
ights who were training there. Sir Robert quickly found a bow that was the right size for Noble and a quiver of arrows, and they walked over to the area where targets were set up at one end of the field.

  Noble was not nervous at all, for he was confident of his skills. He focused on the target and slowly, calmly aimed before releasing the arrow. PING! The arrow landed near the bulls-eye. When he had shot all the arrows in his quiver, he walked with Sir Robert to the target. Each of his arrows had landed in or near the bulls-eye.

  “Well done, Noble!” the knight praised him. “Have you used a crossbow before?”

  “I have tried a crossbow, Sir, but since we did not own one, I do not have much skill with one yet.”

  “Well, we shall soon see that you gain that skill. Here, try this one.” Sir Robert handed Noble a crossbow and some arrows. It took a while, but soon Noble was shooting with great accuracy with the crossbow, as well.

  They walked over to the place where several knights were fencing. Sir Robert suggested they just watch for the day, since Noble had never handled a sword before. Noble could not take his eyes off the knights and their swordplay. He noticed their footwork and the way they seemed to go back and forth effortlessly. He watched the way they handled the blades, swinging backhanded, and feinting and lunging. He hoped that someday he would be able to handle a sword as well as they did.

  His time at the practice fields was finally over and he returned to the mews alone, for Sir Robert had other business to attend to. He found the mews empty, to his relief. He walked over to Fly’s pen and spoke softly to her. “You would not believe what I did today, Fly!” he said. “I was invited to train with the king’s knights! It was wonderful! And I am to go again tomorrow! They are fine men, Fly, and true to the king. I would like to be as skilled and as brave as they are someday! We have much to tell Granny when we go home this Lord’s Day, have we not? This has been a week to remember!”