I Spy With My Little Eye... (Sir Kolby)

[Brynn Reade]

Things had calmed down a bit now Prince Arthur had finally set out to his famous quest to relieve the Fisher King’s Triad. The days before the decision and the night before the departure had been so agitated Camelot had resembled a bee hive more than a respectable castle. Not that Brynn would have had any part in that excitement. The geese still were to be lead out towards the meadows and brought back in before nightfall. Still, such agitation was contagious and sometimes the girl had been sure even her geese felt it. So now it was actually a little relief to see things had gone back to normal.

Even the training session of the knights continued, even if their leader was away. So Brynn actually thought it normal enough to resume an old habit of hers, to spy on the knights while they were training and battling themselves for fun. There was a wall surrounding the training ground and as it had been some sort of last defence in previous times – at least that’s what her father had told her – it was littered with tiny recesses containing embrasures. Some of those recesses were even linked by a narrow tunnel almost too strait to squeeze through, which made her wonder how any guard in chainmail could manage that. One of those recesses had been her hiding place for years, as she could access it from the other side of the wall, unseen by everyone when she came from the meadows.

The geese were safely kept in a fence for the time being, she didn’t need to worry about them until the sun set. And it only was for a few minutes anyway…
With gleaming eyes she watched the knights fight. Discipline was actually a bit lacking since the Crown Prince was away, there were more fun combats going on than usual, and as it was pretty warm some knights had already gotten rid of chainmail and shirt!
Brynn’s eyes were practically glued on them, even if she felt ashamed for her behaviour. They all thought themselves unobserved, had they known she was watching they would have never done such thing!

And yet, she couldn’t bring herself to go away just yet, like she should have. Even though she knew she might be in serious trouble if she was caught, Brynn actually crept closer to the opening of the recess, leaning forward to watch a particular heated but nevertheless friendly fight between Sir Leon and a knight who’s name she didn’t quite recall… Coulby? Corby?
In any way, the fight was a feast for the eyes, and as Brynn had watched the knights fight for years she was apt enough to see how very skilled they both were. So lost in the sight she was, she didn’t pay attention to where her hand was resting on and when she put weight on it, shifting her balance a pebble broke loose, clanging on the ground.

Her heart missing a beat, Brynn retreated into the shadow, praying it had gone unnoticed by the knights.


Tag: Sir Kolby
Timeline: The Eye of the Phoenix, season 3
Time of day: early afternoon

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[Sir Kolby]

Kolby was winning and he loved it. "Really Leon old chap I think you are getting old!" He good heartedly teased his friend while trying to annoy him at the same time. Leon was a good strategist but Kolby was a better swordsman. It made them about even, even if Leon won more then Kolby did. They did not keep score, but a man had his pride! He knew when others were better then he was.

The day was warm, so the men opted to forgot formalities and practice with blunt swords rather then sharpened steal and to rid them selves of they heavy chainmail that trapped the sweat to their bodies. It also gave them a chance to show off battle wounds with out being overly boastful. And scar here, twisted skin there. Signs that you have lived to fight another day when the battle had grew dangerous. Kolby had his share of scars, but none that stood out; when the others would joke and ask him where his badges of courage were he would tell them in his cheekiest tone that he was to good to get wounded.

Leon was making a sharp swinging blow towards Kolby when he noticed movement near the wall. Distracted by it, he was only just able to block the blow and move out of the way. He had however, lost his sword in the effort. Annoyed, Kolby glared up at the wall but saw nothing. He gave Leon a formal bow that came out a bit to casual and mocking to be truly formal before allowing another to take his place.

Someone had just cost him his win! He moved up the hill towards the wall, in effort to find out just who--or what---had done it. Once up along the wall, he moved to the loophole entrance so he could peek in. There was someone in there. He reached in, and moved his arm closer until his hand found fabric and then he pulled whomever it was out by the handful he had. It was a little girl! He dropped his hold on her, once he saw it was a girl but he wasn't about to let her just walk away. "Who are you and why do spy on the knights of Camelot?!" He demanded, wondering who sent her here. Was it Cenred? He had a spy here! Everyone knew it!

[Brynn Reade]

There seemed to be no little reprieve for Brynn, once her heart had calmed down a little. She had moved farther back into the alchove but close enough to still see what was going down there. With growing horror she realised how the other knight was distracted for just a split second by the sound the pebble had made and when he looked up she thought his eyes were piercing hers, even if that was impossible at that distance. He could not very well see her, right? Then she had to fight down a gasp as Sir Leon exploited this moment of distraction immediately to lever the sword out of his companions hands. She had just caused a knight to lose a fight, however much of a teasing fight it had been! If Brynn knew anything about knights or had learned anything in her years of watching them, it was they never liked to lose, not in training and certainly not in a real fight. There would be hell to pay…

Her unease turned into blank horror as Sir… Kolby – that was it, why on earth did his name come to her now of all times, in a moment of severe panic? – seemed to head her way, and Brynn bit her knuckles not to cry out. Don’t panic… he’s only retrieving his sword… look, it flew quite some way in this direction…he’s taking it up now, he will turn around surely… oh god, he doesn’t…! Has he seen me? … Brynn Reade, get it together and RUN…go, go, GO for heaven’s sake!
But before she could wake up from her freeze response, a shadow crept closer and darkened the entrance of the recess, blocking off the daylight almost completely. Brynn shuffled as farthest back into the alcove as she could possibly manage, pressed herself against the hard stone wall, squeezed her eyes shut and held her breath. It was the the typical childish reaction of: ‘If I can’t see you, you can’t see me!’ but in that particular moment Brynn couldn’t care less about maturity.

She heard his slightly agitated breathing as the fight had left him a little out of breath, and to Brynn it sounded like the snarling of a beast, having finally trapped its prey and now taking a moment to either rejoice in the ultimate victory or to toy a little first with the poor trapped soul.
It’s dark, he can’t see me… if I stay frozen and make no sound he will think it a trick of the eye… and leave… any minute now…
Just then she felt a sleeve of her shift dress being seized and she was brutally jerked forward into the open, gasping with fear, her eyes growing wide. What could she possibly do? Would he hurt her? Well, at least he seemed more surprised than furious for the moment and maybe she should exploit that fact?

Curtsying awkwardly as her panic stricken mind could just not deal with graceful moves for the moment, she lowered her gaze. “Forgive me, Mylord, I did mean no harm, believe me! I was just… watching. I am Brynn Reade, goosemaiden of Camelot, I am no spy!”
She dared to look up to him with a meek expression on her face, shrugging. “I am sorry I caused you to lose, that was by no means my intention. You had him good…Sir Leon I mean!” Brynn slammed her mouth shut and hunched her shoulders. Oh, her cursed mouth! Surely that had been far too bold to be directed at a Knight of Camelot!

[Sir Kolby]

Kolby watched the young girl speak and noticed that see seemed afraid of him. Kolby was no so evil that he enjoyed her discomfort but spys were very good at what they did. He was not ready to trust her just yet. Her name however sounded familiar. Reade? Was there a man he knew by that name? Not a knight but a guard in the castle perhaps. If the girl held some sort of relation to Reade then maybe she was only looking for him?

Kolby fought the urge to shoo her on her way, after a reprimand for he had to be sure she was no spy before letting her go. "You were watching the men train while hiding out of sight. That sounds allot like spying, little girl. If you are Cenred's spy then what business do you have watching the knights train?" He demanded, his normal joking and teasing tone lost as she was only a servant (as evident from her clothing) and because she could also be a spy.

While Kolby was not as judgmental as the others he was still a snob. He was a Knight, born to a family of good blood and breeding; and while he would lay his life down for any servant, farmer, or citizen of Camelot he still saw him self as above them. He was raised with things like honor and nobility, and he knew the level in which he held him self was above any servant's.

[Brynn Reade]

The longer she stayed around Sir Kolby, the less frightened Brynn was. He still thought her a spy? Well that, could be remedied, all she needed was getting her father to sort out the confusion. Even if she so didn’t like to disturb him with such a request. He had enough on his plate as it was, without having to look after his reckless eldest who should finally learn to grow up. She was old enough to be married!
What helped to relieve her from fear as well, maybe, was Sir Kolby’s casual appearance. Yes, he did carry a sword, but he was still shirtless. A full plate of armor surely would have done the trick to send Brynn cowering before him.

“Well, would you have let me watch if I didn’t hide?” she asked, trying to get her logic across. “Now as I am already busted I can admit I’ve been doing this for years. Not regularly, but every once in a while. It’s… entertaining!”
How could she possibly describe to him what made her do this? She was not like her little brother Gyrth, entertaining high hopes of knighthood and glory, but she still liked to watch them fight. It was almost as if seeing them train made them more… human in her eyes. Those skills they showed in tournaments were actually quite hard to obtain, with sweat and sore limbs. Knowing this and watching them train was like being let in on a very special secret.

“In any way, Mylord, I can only just repeat I am sorry. I know it was unseemly, and I should be back with my geese this very moment.”
She debated on saying more, but decided against it for the time being. A servant was only to speak when he was asked something by a higher born. She already had enough to answer for without a show of insubordination. Knights who just came fresh from the fight might be a little testy about such things. And he still had that sword in his hand…