Knights were very famous in the kingdom. All children dream of being a knight at least once in their lives. But being a knight was not so easy. Every knight must be able to afford and maintain their own set of armour, sword and warhorse at the standards set by the kingdom. Only affluent people or strong people with a patron could afford to be a knight.
When a child, or more likely his/her parents, decided that he/she wanted to become a knight, they would go to live in the household of a knight when they were seven years old. There they would serve the knight as a page. As a young page, he/she basically was a servant for the knight, performing tasks such as serving meals, cleaning his clothes, and carrying messages. While working for the knight's household, the page learned the proper way to behave and good manners. Nobles were not required to be a page and could directly become a squire.
Around the age of fourteen, the page would become a squire. As a squire, the young man would have a new set of tasks. He would take care of the knight's horses, clean his armour and weapons, and accompany the knight to the battlefield.
Squires had to be ready to fight. They trained with real weapons and were taught fighting skills by the knight. They had to be in good shape and strong. Squires continued to practice their horsemanship, perfecting their skills at jousting and fighting from the saddle. Most future knights worked as a squire for five or six years.
If a squire had proven his bravery and skill at battles, he would become a knight at the age of twenty-one. He gained the title of knight at a "dubbing" ceremony. At this ceremony, he would kneel before another knight, lord, or king who would then tap the squire on the shoulder with his sword making him a knight.
At the ceremony, the new knight would take an oath to honour and protect his king and his subjects. He would be presented with a pair of riding spurs and a sword.
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Max got a letter in the morning stating that his master would be arriving at her mansion at noon. He was told to take some minimal belongings and arrive there at 12 sharp. He was also told to deal with any previous duties that he may have as he would be living with and following his master for the next 7 years. Max had already sent a letter home the previous day informing his family about his situation. He packed 3 sets of training and equestrian clothes each. He also took 5 sets of formal suits, 5 sets casual wear and ample numbers of undergarments. After that, he left the mansion to the steward and climbed on Thunder (his horse). He was now leaving his identity as the third son of an Earl behind to start his own path as a knight.
Soon he reached his master's mansion. Being a Sword Saint has its own benefits, one of them being state-sponsored. All expenses are taken care of by the King's treasury. So it was surprising when Max came upon a quaint, 2-storey brick mansion. It wasn't the least bit gaudy but aesthetically pleasing and humble with a fountain at the front, wood to the left and a lake to its right. Upon arriving, he was informed that the Sword Saint Miriam was currently visiting the royal palace and that she would be back shortly along with the princess. Max decided to wait outside the front door for his master.
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Half an hour later, he spotted two horses coming towards the mansion. On one of the horses, he could spot the familiar red hair of princess Reina. Beside her on a magnificent white horse was the blue-haired sword saint. Miriam. She has a perfect affinity with the water attribute and was known as Water-blessed during her time at the academy. Her sword style was known as the ' River Styx ' style. Bystanders describe her sword style as a torrential river, washing over the enemy's defences and taking away their souls like the River Styx. Along with her demon sword with a scarlet blade, the Scarlet Swordswoman is the terror on a battlefield.
Max waited for the two ladies to dismount and the horses to be taken away by the stable hands. Miriam stepped forward with Reina following behind her. As soon Miriam got close, Max went down on one knee, "Greetings to the Sword Saint. I, Maximillian Radcliffe wish to follow thee through thine battles and share thine burdens in lieu for thy knowledge till the day I become a capable knight. Will thou let me carry thy shield and take me as thine squire?". Miriam observed Max for a while before curling her fingers below his chin and raising his face so that she could look into his eyes. "So, you are the Irregular I heard about from my father. Hmm....you are more handsome than I thought. Good! Now rise, Maximillian, from today you are my squire. You will follow me and train under me until the day I see you fit to wield your sword for the Kingdom."
Max stood up and followed Miriam and Reina into the mansion. He was assigned to live in one of the servant quarters. The princess too, apparently by her own decision. For the first week, they were taught how to clean weapons, tend to horses and do other menial jobs. During this time Miriam didn't interact with them much. Every morning, she went to the academy and returned late in the evening. Max wakes up 5 in the morning, has a light breakfast, cleans the stables, change the feed and groom the horses before releasing them to graze. After that, he cleans Miriam's and his own equipment, followed by the Saitama workout (100 pushups, 100 crunches......the whole shebang). After that, he takes a bath and sees off Miriam. The rest of the morning goes by doing any other job required of him or studying the materials from the academy. Max's main focus was Advanced Magic theory as he tried to understand his body's condition. He takes a 2-hour nap after lunch. In the evening, he does his gymnast routines followed by some basic sword swinging and spear thrusting. Next comes yoga and meditation, the latter performed in the presence of special elemental stones provided by headmaster Marvin for his experiments. Max had to write a report every day regarding any changes in his physique. This became his schedule for the first month in the mansion.
Princess Reina was assigned to more personal duties like washing clothes and washing Miriam's back while bathing. Therefore, Max and Reina did not interact much, even though Max caught her sometimes spying on him during his training. Luckily, she did not try to emulate him so Max didn't have to stop her from hurting herself.
After the first month, Miriam called Max and Reina to the training grounds. "My cute squires! Both of you seem to have settled in your duties by now. So it is time to start your training. As you both know, the sword style I created is known as the River Styx style. My source of inspiration came from a trip to the Great Evergreen forests when I was young. There I saw how the rivers cut through the land, sometimes meandering around the rocks, sometimes carving through sheer force. I was awed by this natural phenomenon. So I tried to incorporate the principles in my own fighting styles. You see, during the hundreds of fights I fought in my lifetime, I found out that the most important aspect in a fight is neither strength, nor agility, nor endurance nor weapons. Can anyone of you tell me what is the most important factor in fighting?" Max was pondering on her words when Reina raised her hand and replied, "It's distance."