Knights.

Bella cuddled beside the fire, cup in hand, "Pa, tell another story. Please!" 　

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Alfred smiled, "Well, Bells, I’m afraid I might run out of stories if you keep on insisting." His eyes were touched by warmth. "Hmm..how about a story of the faithful protectors of their land? The tales of knights? Or an Arthurian legend of King Arthur and his loyal servants of the round table?" 　 小 荷 作文网 www.zww.cn

  　

"No! No...Not those stories, I've heard them before and I don't want to hear it again. They're just fake, I want real stories. Tell me actual facts about knights, Pa." 　

  　

Alfred let out a small chuckle, "Why, why, our Bells has grown up has she, can’t take in any fairy-tales now?" Alfred took a sip from his own mug, and said, "Very well, Bells. 　

  　

"To understand a knight you must, first of all, understand that he is very different to the perfect and romantic knights in legends and poems. After all, life in the medieval period was dark and cruel. The battlefield has no sympathy for weaklings, and so the knights – the warriors – must kill the enemy with whatever weapon they have, or they might be the ones getting killed. 　

  　

"But, of course, there's also an idealistic side to the knight, as well. All knights are to follow the Chivalry–" 　

  　

"Chivalry? What's that?"Bella stared up, curiosity glimmering in her eyes. 　

  　

"It's a code for knights to follow, consisting of various knightly morals." 　

  　

"Like what?" 　

  　

"Loyalty, courage, generosity, justice... I can't name them all, Bella. But all the virtues mean something deeper than what they seem to mean. Courage here doesn't stand for boldness; it's more of willing to sacrifice for the task set for him even though there aren’t any glittering rewards. Generosity implies sharing something more than material goods – time, understanding, knowledge, emotion...” 　

  　

“Wow! So...as long as one follows the Chivalry, he can become a knight?” 　

  　

"No, no, not nearly so. You see, to become a knight you must train; you must go through three processes: page, squire, and accolade. Not everyone is allowed to train, naturally. Normally, only the sons of nobles are to be sent to another castle at the age of 7 or so, to train as a page. 　

  　

"A page learns only the most basic skills, and serves the aristocrats. Then, years later, he graduates to be a squire. It is then that he gets to handle weaponry and armour, and be taught how to fight. 　

  　

"Next, when the boy is finally 21, accolade. It is more like a ceremonial bestowal of knighthood, but some also look at it as a more standard stage a squire – where you become skilled at combat, and learn how to use a wider range of weapons. It's after all those years of training, that you get knighted at last." 　

  　

Bella nodded knowingly, trying to digest all the knowledge she just gathered. "You mentioned weapons before. What weapons do they use, Pa?" 　

  　

"Swords, mostly. Then there's lances, bows, axes, and maces. But the important part is the armour – no knight rides onto battle without an armour! Indeed, the armour is quite complex. There are too many specific parts of the armour; I cannot remember them all. But I can tell you that there's the crest, the breastplate, and the gauntlet. Ah, the knights armour is quite a fine thing, it's like the owner’s life, see. Oh - and it is also the knights' squire's duty to take care of the armour: clean and polish it frequently. 　

  　

"Bells, I'm sorry to say that my knowledge of the medieval knights is quite scarce. That's are all I can tell you for now." Alfred checked upon his antique watch and winked. "And, yes, it is time for you to go to bed now, dear." 　

  　

"But Pa I’m not tired! I’m really –" 　

  　

"I'll allow you to finish your hot chocolate, then straight to bed, okay? It's late, Bells, more stories tomorrow."