My Knighting

I have not been able to write in a while because I have been so terribly busy with all of my work for Sir Elton John. I had been trying so hard to prove myself worthy of being a knight. One day in the middle of my duties, Sir Elton John came to me with some great news. He told me that the Lord of Southwark had noticed my excellent work and had agreed to knight me at a dubbing ceremony the next day. That night I had to dress in a lavish white tunic with red robes. I had to fast and pray for the purification of my soul. My sword was blessed by the chaplain and he laid it on the alter at the church for the next day. I then slept for a very short time because I had to bathe before sunrise. At dawn, I had to go to the church and confess my sins to the priest to ensure that my soul was pure. I then had a very lavish breakfast put together by Sir Elton John's cook. It was the best meal that I have ever eaten. After breakfast I was very excited for the ceremony that was to be held in the courtyard of the Lord's castle. Many of my family and friends were on hand to watch the ceremony. I was also very excited to see my beautiful lady had come to support me as well. There was also many distinguished knights and lords from all over the country of England. I knelt in front of the Lord of Southwark and he picked up my sword. He tapped my lightly with the blade on each shoulder. I'm glad this ceremony was not like the old times when they actually struck the knight hard. He then proclaimed me a knight and lay the sword in my hands. I was now officially a knight. I have some big shoes to fill walking in the footsteps of my father, but I have the confidence in myself and my abilities that I will become the greatest knight in the history of England.

Day 37: Work is Going Good

I have been working for Sir Elton John for about one month now. I really believe that he is training me to become the best knight possible. I have definitely adjusted to the lifestyle around here, as I have just been continuing to fulfill my duties as a squire for Sir Elton John. I take care of horses and his armor. I make sure I clean up around the castle and the pasture. As far as helping myself become a knight, I have been working on numerous things such as jousting, swordsmanship, dancing, and musicianship. Now that I am getting close to my dubbing ceremony, I am studying the Code of Chivalry, which I pretty much know word for word. I am very excited about becoming a knight.

Day 15: My Last Day at Home

Today was my last day to be home before I moved in full time with Sir Elton John. I got to spend time with my family, say goodbye to me lady, and pack up everything I would need for my journey ahead. Throughout the day, I was moved by all different emotions. There were points where I was excited, sad, and joyful. I was excited because this day symbolizes a time for me to move on with my life. I am going from a squire boy that used to live at home with his family to someone who is almost a man, thus I am close to reaching my dearest dream: to be a brave and faithful knight. I was sad because I am going to miss my family and the young woman that I currently love. However, the day was altogether joyful because I got to spend time with the people I love.

Day 14: Home Sweet Home

This morning Sir Elton John allowed me to sleep in a little because he felt guilty about working me so hard yesterday. I went down to the dining area and joined him for breakfast. He told me that today I was able to have a relaxation day. I decided that today would be the best day for me to travel home and collect all of my personal belongings. I think I am going to ask Sir Elton John if I could just stay the night at my own house so I will be able to see my family and say goodbye to them.

On the way to my home, I ran into my best friend known as Peter Plowman. I have not seen him since I first began my training as a Squire. There is a very long story behind our friendship. We met at Squire Camp when we were both thirteen years of age and we both had a passion to be a Knight. We took many tests and worked very hard to be able to become a Squire. However, the Plowman did not work as hard as many other young trainees and his passion to become a Knight died. He did not follow through with the Squire Camp. Instead, he started shoveling poop as his main career. I am glad that we are still able to be friends.

After having a nice conversation with Peter, I made my way home...

Day 13: A Tough Day

After a long day arguing with the Miller, I expected a relaxing day going home and collecting the rest of my belongings. However, Sir Elton John gave me one of the toughest days yet. He woke me up before the sun even rose and led me out to his quarters to clean and polish his weapons. When he first told me what I was going to do, I thought it would be a fairly easy and quick task. Boy, was I wrong. He gave me a tutorial on ways to polish every single crook and crevice. Then he left me by myself to finish the job. It took me three long and excruciating hours and a sliced finger to finish.

After I finished, I went looking for Sir Elton John to let him know that the task that he gave me was accomplished. I was expecting a "good job" or "way to go", but instead I was just given another task to prepare the horses, once again.

I cannot wait until this hard day ends. I guess I will not be able to go home today...

Day 12: Confrontation With the Miller

I thought I had done my job, but it turned out Sir Elton John was not satisfied. It turned out the Miller did cheat us by making us pay extra money for the amount of wheat we got. Sir Elton John got furious and he swore he would never buy wheat from the Miller again. He then ordered me to attack his lair. I showed up with my battle axe, sharp and ready. I stormed into his store and told him I would show no mercy unless he gave us ten pounds of free wheat. I do not want to say exactly what happened, but I can assure you that I got the free wheat.

Midnight: Seeing Me Lady

I was laying in the giant bed that Sir Elton John made up for me, not being able to fall asleep. I just could not stop thinking about my beautiful lady! She has been on my mind the whole time that I have been here. I have not had a chance to see her in over a week, since my interview with Sir Mixalot. I missed her birthday because it was the same day as my interview with Sir Elton John. I just felt so bad, so I thought I would make it up to her. I decided to give her a call.

She answered the phone with a yawn and I could tell how beautiful she is just by the sound of her angelic voice. I asked her if she wanted to meet by our favorite tree; the tree where we first met. Even though she still sounded half asleep, I could hear the excitement in her voice.

After a long walk, I saw her divine silhouette. As I approached her, my heart began to race seeing her face lit up by the moonlight. When she saw me, she ran as fast as she could right into my arms. It was the best feeling in the world. I was not able to stay very long with her, though. I had to get back to my duties as soon as the sun rose. I left her with a gentle kiss on her silky-soft cheek.

Day 11: Meeting the Miller

Today, Sir Elton John had me go to the Miller's place of work to pick up some wheat. He had me go do this because when his cook was concocting breakfast, he realized he did not have a complete amount of wheat to make a full meal. I should add, however that breakfast was still remarkable; the best one I have ever eaten.

I took one of Sir Elton John's horses and made my way to the Miller's wheat store, which took about quarter of a day's time to get to. The Miller was an intense man, who seemed to be suffering from a rough night before. He insisted that I hand him the money for the wheat first, and then he weighed it on the scale. It seemed as though it was less of an amount than he said it was, but I guess I do not have much experience measuring wheat. By the time the day was over, I had finished my assignment.

Day 11: Morning After

Sir Elton John invited me over to stay the night last night in my own little quarters that he reserved for me. I have never stayed in such a lavish environment. I was so excited. My pillows were made of goose-feathers and the sheets were made of silk imported from India. This room is truly fit for the Worlds Best Knight!

I woke up this morning to the smell of delicious food cooking after the best sleep I have ever experienced. I walked down the long hall into the dining room and Sir Elton John was sitting at the wood table eating a hearty breakfast. He was wearing this ridiculous purple polka-dotted nightgown. He looked like he was enjoying himself, however. He's a jolly guy. When I walked into the room he asked me if I would like to join him eating breakfast and also mentioned what my tasks would be for the day.

Day 10: My First Day as Squire for Sir Elton John

Today was my first day serving as a squire for the noble knight, Sir Elton John. I truly am confident that he will help me complete my goal of becoming a respectable knight, just as he is. He started out the day by showing me around his castle. He showed me where his battle equipment, training gear, and horses were. He also showed me where I will be eating, resting, and cleaning myself up after a hard day's worth of work. To get my day of work started, I studied over the Code of Chivalry for about an hour's time. For me, studying the Code is very hard because I have trouble staying still and focusing on just one thing at a time. After that, I cleaned up his horses and called it a day. For the most part, today was pretty easy. I am looking forward to doing whatever Sir Elton John has me do tomorrow.

Day 9: I'm So Excited

I cannot sleep. I have too many mixed emotions for my first day as a squire for Sir Elton John. I'm nervous to be starting a new job away from my father. When I worked for him he did not criticize my every mistake. He took it easy on me some of the time when I messed up, but I don't think that Sir Elton will do this. I just hope that he does not yell at me too much or I might get very angry at him. I'm also very excited that I have finally found a job. I am glad that I no longer have to train by myself everyday, as it got pretty boring. I am also very excited because this job means that I am one step closer to my dream of being a knight. I hope that I can get some sleep so that I have energy for my first day.

Day 9: Hooray!

I was so nervous waking up this morning awaiting the call from Sir Elton John. I felt more confident on how I did in this interview than I did in Sir Mixalot's interview because I had more experience this time. I also practiced a lot harder and took it more seriously. The first interview I basically took as a test to see what an interview was going to be like.

Finally, after waiting, which seemed like months, the phone rang. I picked up the phone and was excited to hear Sir Elton John's voice. "You got the job, young Squire!" sang Sir Elton John. "Come to my castle tomorrow and we will discuss your duties as my Squire. I will tell you your duties and I will show you how to become the best knight to walk this earth."

Day 8: My Interview with Sir Elton John

Today, I had my interview with the knight, Sir Elton John. I felt like the jousting practice yesterday helped get me physically ready for this. It was a big hike to find his place of business, but once I was there he greeted me with great warmth. I started out my interview by telling him I am twenty years old and have a good amount of experience working with my father for the past seven years. I added that the reason I was looking for a new knight to work with is because I wanted a change and that I need some extra work to become a knight, which I am so close to becoming. To see what I was made of, he timed me to see how long it took for me to get his horse cleaned up and ready for battle. After that, I carried all of his battle gear to him as fast as I could. I really hope I receive this job; I feel that I have earned it. I guess I will find out tomorrow when he calls me.

Day 7: The Joust

After my relaxing day of learning the Code of Chivalry I had tons of energy. I decided to put this energy into good use by working on my skills of the Joust. I asked my dear friend Louis if he would accompany me to the field and joust with me. After he graciously accepted we borrowed two horses from his master Sir Paul McCartney. We each grabbed a lance, a battle axe, and a sword and headed out for the field. We started on opposite ends of the field riding at each other at full speed. We did this three times for each weapon. My favorite weapon was the battle axe with which I easily defeated Louis. I was not very good with the lance and ended up losing to him. So, it all came down to the final weapon, the sword. On the first pass I struck Louis with a devastating blow,but he somehow managed to stay on his horse. The next pass I missed and he struck me hard in the chest causing me to lose my breath. On the final pass I was still struggling from the previous blow, however I noticed that Louis also seemed to be a little dazed from his previous hit. I realized that if I was patient I would have no trouble knocking him from his mount. So we headed towards each other at full speed. My excitement was building but I knew I had to remain calm. Louis was very aggressive and quickly swung when he got to me. This was a major error in his judgement as he completely missed me and left himself exposed. This was my chance. I reared back and swung as hard as I could and struck him across the stomach. This blow was more than he could handle and he fell backwards off his horse. I was VICTORIOUS!!! This was the first time that I had ever beaten Louis in the Joust.

When I returned home I saw that I had a message from Sir Elton John asking me to come to his castle for an interview. I am very excited to have an interview with such an excellent knight.

Day 6: The Code of Chivalry

After a hard day work, yesterday, caring for the horse, I thought today would just be a relaxing day to study the Code of Chivalry. I found this and I made sure to memorize:

The Ten Commandments of the Code of Chivalry

I. Thou shalt believe all that the Church teaches, and shalt observe all its directions.
II. Thou shalt defend the Church.
III. Thou shalt respect all weaknesses, and shalt constitute thyself the defender of them.
IV. Thou shalt love the country in the which thou wast born.
V. Thou shalt not recoil before thine enemy.
VI. Thou shalt make war against the Infidel without cessation, and without mercy.
VII. Thou shalt perform scrupulously thy feudal duties, if they be not contrary to the laws of God.
VIII. Thou shalt never lie, and shall remain faithful to thy pledged word.
VIIII. Thou shalt be generous, and give largess to everyone.
X. Thou shalt be everywhere and always the champion of the Right and the Good against Injustice and Evil.

I also read about different ways on how to perform Chivalry. Some include:

-Live to serve the King and the country
-Be respectful of host, women, and honor.
-Never abandon a friend, ally, or noble cause.
-Respect women
-Never attack from behind.

Some things that I actually never knew about were:

-Avoid lying to your fellow man.
-Crush the monsters that steal our land and rob our people.
-Never attack an unarmed foe.

Good thing that I rested today, because I thought it would be a good idea to call my jousting friend, Louis for a good one-on-one jousting battle tomorrow.

Day 5: Caring of the Horse

I am determined to become the best Squire ever!

I have dedicated today to perfecting how to attend to the Knights horses. First I need to be able to define what on the horses' armor is what. For example I need to recognize what the Crupper, Peytrel, and Greave are. I am pretty sure that I am well aware what the Saddle Steel and Armored Reins already are so I do not need to worry too much about those items. Next, I need to perfect on where the armor is located on the horse. By the end of today, I am sure that I will be able to locate every single piece of armor and what each piece is named on the horse.

Day 4: ChiLlin' with the OC

I woke up very late today because I am very upset about my rejection. I did not feel much like myself because I mostly just moped around and sat around my house. Even though I know I should start training harder, I did not.

However, when I went out into the busy streets of Market Day, I ran into the good ol' Oxford Cleric. I chatted with him for a little while and he invited me back to his own home. While we were sitting in his den, I asked the Oxford Cleric if he knew any good advice on how one could become a Knight, considering that the Oxford Cleric was one of the smartest men I know. I told him everything that I have done so far, such as taking care of horses, fetching the Knights' armor, and the daily rituals of being a Squire. He replied, "it takes a lot of time and practice to become a Knight. You seem to be doing everything right so far. Just be patient and work hard. You will soon be rewarded for your actions and hard work."

A little later on, I left his home with great advice and a better outlook on what is expected of a good Squire. I now realize that I have to have patience if I want to become a knight and I am now ready to work hard towards becoming one.

Day 3: After the Interview

I thought I did well during the interview, but I guess I was wrong...

When I met Sir Mixalot, he seemed like a very humble man. He offered me the most expensive wine known in England. It was delicious! The very first thing that he had me do was to prepare his noble steed. I was very nervous doing this because I did not have a lot of practice dealing with horses. He took me out to his horses' stable and showed me to his favorite named Ernie. What he had me do was to shampoo the horses' coat, brush him, and get him ready for battle. I really tried my hardest but it turned out that I did not tie the saddle on correctly and he was very upset about that. Because of his mighty temper, he immediately told me to leave. I asked him why and he told me, "even though you are a very energetic person, you did not treat me horse with great respect."

I left without looking back. Perhaps I shall start practicing harder.

Day 3: Before the Interview

I got up very early this morning because I could not sleep the night before. I ate a very hearty breakfast of smoked meat and stale bread. On the way to my interview with Sir Mixalot, I met up with me lady and chatted with her for awhile. She wished me luck and I was on my way. Since I am not yet a Knight, I was not able to stop at the stables to pick up a horse. Therefore, I had to walk all the way to Sir Mixalot's castle. It took me a good while to make it there, but I was able to meet this very nice young fellow known as the Oxford Cleric. He told me that he was on his way to the new bookstore to pick up the latest novel of Aristotle. He also informed me on how there is going to be a meeting at the Tabbard Inn and how twenty-eight other pilgrims are going on a journey to Thomas á Becket in Canterbury. He invited me to go along with all of them, and I thought that sounded like a fun adventure.

After two long hours of making my way to Sir Mixalot's castle, I finally made it and he showed me inside.

Wish me luck...

Day 2: Great News!

When I got home from jousting practice, I got a message from Sir Mixalot. He's looking for a Squire that is a talented young fellow. I thought that description fit me perfectly so I gave him a call back. He told me that he needed a Squire as soon as possible and told me to come to his castle the next day for an interview. I am so excited and I plan to take my weekly bath tonight before I go to bed. I also need to shine my chain mail and my family shield. Tomorrow I will find out whether all of my hard work will pay off.

Day 1: Squire for Hire!

Today is finally my twentieth birthday. I have been working for my father for about seven years but it is time that I moved on. I just need a change and a little more experience before I become a knight. I hope to one day walk in my father's footsteps as one of the greatest knights. So I've decided to dedicate myself to love and money. I just need to find another great knight to gain more experience from. I will begin by looking for new, exciting jobs as a Squire by putting a classified ad in the Daily Olde Times.