Sir Derrick's travels away from the keep may well have been the longest three weeks in Evan's life, but the last fifteen minutes seemed nearly as long. Sir Evan felt as if he were an errant squire again, standing before his knight in shame to confess some wrongdoing. This time though, that wrongdoing was not his. Not that such a minor detail made this task any easier. He shifted in his seat, trying to avoid the steady and patient gaze of his liege lord, wishing he had kept his big mouth shut. He knew though, that he could not have kept this from Derrick if his life had depended on it. Derrick was a kind and generous man, but ran his household with an iron hand. Such irresponsible behavior as was shown while Derrick was away would earn several young men very sore bottoms, and Evan was not glad to be the one to make this particular report to the knight. Actually, he would have preferred to be on the receiving end of a solid thrashing, than be the one responsible for it happening to someone else.
Evan gazed into the fire wearily. The scent of burning wood brought back fond memories of many long talks before this fireplace. If only this occasion was for an equally pleasant task. How did he get into this mess? Wasn't it just a few days ago that he played in the fields with John, Conal, and the other boys? Rode through the woods with them? Wrestled in the mud? Well....almost a year actually, but it seemed like mere days. Despite being nearly four years older than John is, they had always gotten along well aside from a few boyhood scuffles. He took his share of lickings from Derrick along side John and Conal, and more often because of them when he was still squire to the knight. He never thought to be the one to intervene when all of Derrick's wards decided to take advantage of his three-week absence. This was all Derrick's fault. He never should have gone away for so long. What business does a knight have gallivanting all over the countryside negotiating trade agreements anyway? His business was war. And war there certainly was, here in his own keep. Derrick's heavy sigh shook the young knight out of his reverie. The older knight chuckled lightly and shook his finger at the man who was once his squire.
"Evan. You would think, from all the practice you have had that you could keep a straight expression on your face when you are trying to hide something from me. That you have some news I will not be pleased with is written over every inch of you." Evan winced at the truth of the observation and shrugged his shoulders.
"No, sir. You aren't going to be happy about what I have to say. I am just wondering if I should be saying anything at all. There are better ways for you to hear this." Evan studied the fire intensely, wishing for all the world that a hole in the floor would open and swallow him up.
"Such as?" No hint of anger or irritation edged Derrick's words, and his steady calm made Evan want to choke him. Evan slapped the arms of the big overstuffed chair and bolted out of the seat.
"AUGH! I can't stand trying to figure out whether I should say anything at all to you much less HOW to say it, and you are sitting there grinning like a cat who has just eaten a mouse!" Derrick laughed heartily at Evan's outburst, causing the younger man to do the same despite himself.
"I just don't understand it, sir. Never in all of my years that I have served your household have I ever known you to explode in temper. Never once did you ever scold or punish me with anything more than calm determination. And I think if you had to, you would wait for days for a page or squire to confess something to you if you thought the waiting would be better than pressing the matter. You could sit there all day with that....that....GRIN on your face, laughing at the trouble I am having telling you what needs to be said, and I AM NOT EVEN THE ONE IN TROUBLE!" Evan flopped back into his chair and scowled at Derrick.
"You are a very annoying man, sir." Evan shook his head and gazed into the fire. Perhaps if he just got up and left....
"It comes from years of training, Evan." Derrick smiled at the younger knight, prompting him to lob a pillow at his mentor.
"Come now, Evan. What is bothering you? Someone obviously got into trouble while I was away, and I am assuming that someone is one of my pages or squires." Evan nodded sullenly, despising himself for ratting on the boys.
"But I should not be the one to tell you any of this, sir. Maybe I should just let matters take their own course." Evan stood up as if to leave and Derrick raised a hand to stop him. Before either man could speak, a knock sounded at the door, and John poked his head into the study.
"Oh- I'm sorry sir. Good evening, Sir Evan. I didn't mean to interrupt you, father. I'll come back later." John started to retreat when Evan darted to the door and pulled him into the room. The young knight whispered something, and John nodded. Evan nudged John toward Derrick and the boy enveloped his father and knight in a tight embrace.
"Welcome home, father. I missed you." His voice muffled through the wool of Derrick's tunic. Derrick returned the embrace and kissed the top of John's head.
"I missed you too, son." One glance at Evan and the particular tightness of John's embrace told Derrick that John was somehow involved in what Evan was trying so hard to avoid. Derrick took John by the shoulders and stroked his cheek with gentle fingers. His eyes tinged with rising tears, and Derrick knew all he needed to know. Derrick raised his eyebrow at John and pointed to a chair.
"Now, both of you sit down." Derrick put on his stern master's voice, and the two younger men responded the only way years of training at Derrick's hand allowed. They sat. Derrick pinned each one to his seat with a firm glare.
"I don't know what is going on here or what happened while I was gone that has both of you on edge, but I want an explanation NOW." John and Evan looked at each other, each nodding for the other to begin. Evan shook his head and leaned toward the boy.
"It will be better if you tell him what happened first, John. I will speak my peace later." John nodded slowly, trying to figure out how best to say what needed to be said. He didn't want to say anything at all, but knew from long experience that punishment in this household is harsher when bad news comes from someone other than the guilty party. He looked at Derrick and met the same gentle expression he always saw when the knight was settled into listening, and swallowed hard.
"Father, I....uh....I kind of... I mean....there were....I was....uh....there's something that....uh....Sir Evan wanted to tell you." Evan snorted at John and punched him in the shoulder causing the boy to yelp. Derrick gave Evan a look that reminded him he is a knight now, and Evan nodded acknowledgement to the silent rebuke. John rubbed his arm and slowly moved to sit on the stool at Derrick's feet.
"Father....I....didn't.... exactly....behave....as well as....I should have....while you were away." John bowed his head, ashamed to admit his fault. "Sir Evan had to discipline me, and I guess that's part of why he's here." Derrick nodded at John to continue.
"I....uhm....didn't....gotomylessonsforthreedays." He blurted in a rush.
"I told the tutors I had errands to look after for you while you were gone, and spent the mornings riding in the woods." Evan nodded when Derrick looked to him for confirmation, and Derrick encouraged John to continue.
"Sir Evan figured out what I had done after the second day. He tried to warn me that I was making a big mistake. He told me to go back to my lessons the next day, but I didn't listen."
"So you did it again?" Derrick asked without a hint of anger or judgement in his voice. John nodded and a tear trickled down his cheek.
"Yes, sir. But when I returned here at lunch, Evan asked to talk with me. Only he did his talking with a strap. He was really angry with me for not listening to him. He said he knew I was doing it only because you were gone, and he wasn't going to let me get away with it." John swallowed hard and looked at his father. The fire in the fireplace burned against his back and he imagined his backside would be as warm very soon.
"He was right about everything. I was being irresponsible. I needed a break from my books and took advantage of you being away. I never would have done something like that if you were here. Sir Evan convinced me of how stupid I was being, then gave me a hiding that made me think you were at the other end of the strap. I'm very sorry, father. For not behaving better and for putting Sir Evan in the position I put him in." Another tear trickled down John's cheek and Derrick engulfed him in a fatherly hug while he mulled over what was said.
"Sir? If I may?" Evan spoke quietly. Derrick nodded at him to continue.
"I, in no way, want to try to excuse John's behavior. I was very surprised at the decisions he was making and knew it was not like him. That's why I intervened. But there are circumstances that I think encouraged John to behave the way he did, and I think you should hear the whole story before you make any decisions about how to react." John pulled out of his father's embrace to try to stop Evan from continuing, but the young knight stopped John in his tracks with a look.
"John, he needs to know what happened. I have never seen such poor behavior by a group of his students. So far, you have been the only one to come forward on your own to admit your fault, but all of you behaved badly and he needs to hear the truth." John slid from his stool to sit on the floor next to Sir Derrick's chair, leaning his head on his father's knee. As Evan spoke, he revealed everything that John could wish had not happened over the last three weeks. The fighting and bickering, skipping lessons, teasing and harassing the servants, creating more work for them, being rude and harsh with them, creating chaos for everyone. John's eyes filed with tears as the story of their misdeeds unfolded.
"Sir, every squire and page in this household began behaving badly only a couple of days after you left. Most of them were reined in by their own knights, but your wards refused to accept direction from me. The young ones especially took advantage of the situation and made everyone's lives miserable. I wanted to let them have a chance to settle themselves down before I put my foot down, but they just would not respond to my warnings." Derrick reassured Evan that he was right to take action and encouraged him to continue.
"Many of the older boys were skipping their studies in the morning. I truly think it was the overall mood of the household that prompted John and Conal to do the same. They, at least, squared themselves away after I disciplined them. They have behaved as well as I have ever seen them for the last two weeks. Michael and Seth told me outright I was not their knight and had no right to punish them. They refused to accept any correction from me at all and I have practically had to lock them in their rooms to keep them under even some control. Richard and Blaine took their punishments from me, but it didn't help change their behavior. John and Conal could not set them straight either." Derrick glared down at John, lifting the boy's chin to meet his eyes.
"It is very difficult to lead in a different direction when you have set a bad example to follow to begin with." John nodded, tears brimming his eyes.
"I'm sorry, father. I don't know what got into me." Evan interrupted John's admission with a wave of his hand.
"Sir, the younger boys were acting out long before John and Conal did. They tried to keep them in line from the beginning. Many of the pages were causing all manner of trouble and getting away with it. I don't approve of John or Conal skipping their lessons, and lying to their tutors in the process, but they did a lot to try to set things right with the younger boys and the servants after I helped them see the error of their ways. They were up all night cleaning up the stables with Randolf and the stable hands after the pages made a mess of the place. They have scrubbed floors and repaired equipment the boys made disasters of and made full apologies to everyone involved in their own errors." Evan shrugged his shoulders and shook his head with regret.
"I know it doesn't undo what they did, sir, but they truly did their best to make amends. Conal is out right now helping repair a fence. It is your four youngest that the staff are seeing red over." Derrick's expression was one Evan had not seen in many years, and he wished he were not seeing it now.
"The only thing that really helped was reminding them that you were expecting a full report of their conduct when you returned." Evan continued. "They have been sweet as pie for the last two days. The servants are livid with them, sir. I'm sure you will be hearing all about this from the seneschal before the day's end." Derrick scowled at Evan, knowing how true that prediction would likely be. Even normal boyhood exuberance was often frowned upon by many of his staff, but the last few weeks certainly seemed to be excessive. A knock sounded on Derrick's door, and the knight called for the visitor to enter. Conal stopped in his tracks, taking in the scene before him. He knew before he said a word that his goose was cooked.
"Come here, Conal." Derrick commanded, and the squire obeyed without hesitating.
"Something you want to tell me, young man?" All three young men shivered at the tone in Derrick's voice and Conal nodded reluctantly. Derrick pointed at a chair with his chin and Conal sat. He added his own version of what happened to what John and Evan had already said, their stories agreeing in all of the major details. By the time the three had said all they could, Derrick was certain he would wear his arm out from disciplining his six very errant boys.
Derrick rose from his chair and quietly walked to the cupboard where punishment implements were kept. He removed a heavy cane and strap and closed the cupboard again, crooking his finger at John to come to him. Squire approached knight, obedient and solemn, knowing full well that he was not going to escape further punishment for his behavior. Derrick led John to a worktable, and stood him at one end. He pointed at Conal, then at the opposite end of the table, and Conal took his place without protest.
John's stomach roiled with anxiety. He would rather be strapped so hard he couldn't sit for days than be caned. Conal fought hard to keep tears from building before the first stroke was even felt. Neither boy could argue their fate, but both felt an incredible urge to beg forgiveness or run away.
"I am very disappointed in you both. I thought you would be able to handle things yourselves despite my leaving Sir Evan to supervise you. I trust the two of you to look after the younger boys in this household. When you don't behave yourselves, the younger ones certainly won't. They don't have the self-discipline yet to control themselves under such tempting circumstances. Apparently, neither do the two of you." The boys hung their heads, quietly taking in Derrick's reprimand.
He rested one hand on Conal's shoulder and lifted the boy's chin. "I am very pleased that you were able to settle back down and tried to make amends for your behavior." He stroked Conal's blonde hair, reinforcing the sincerity of his words with a gentle squeeze of the boy's shoulder.
"However," he moved to John, stroking his son's cheek, also careful to make sure his senior squire made eye contact with him. "The error should never have occurred to begin with." John's shoulder's sagged at the words and he choked back a sob.
"I'm so sorry, father." John stammered, trying not to beg to be let off this once. Conal nodded his agreement to the sentiment.
"I know, boys." Derrick wagged the cane at both of them. "But I am afraid you are going to be a great deal more sorry. Please take down your trews and underclothes." The suddenness of the command took Conal by surprise and he hesitated a moment before obeying. Evan stood to leave, but Derrick motioned at him to stay and the younger knight resumed his seat.
The coolness of the winter air made John shiver and he distractedly pondered to himself how much more a caning hurts when his backside is cold. Derrick ordered the boys to bend over the table and reach out to grasp each other's arms. The boys did as they were told, and gasped as bare flesh made contact with the cold tabletop. Conal entwined his fingers in the fabric of John's tunic, and John followed suit.
"You will each be given twelve strokes. A very lenient punishment, I think, but reasonable given that you have already been punished once by Evan." The boys blinked back tears, hoping they would not embarrass themselves by bawling like little boys. A futile hope, they knew. Derrick always knew how to bring any one of his boys to tears.
"I expect you to stay in position throughout your punishment." Derrick walked around the table, spreading legs, straightening knees, adjusting bare bottoms to his satisfaction.
"If either of you allows the other to move his chest off of the table you will both be given three extra strokes. Is that clear?" Both boys nodded and tightened their grip on each other's arms.
John looked directly into Conal's eyes, willing courage to his squire brother, and begging for the same in return. Conal's eyes grew wide as he saw Derrick position himself behind John and raise the cane high. John heard the swish of the cane through the cold air before he realized what was happening. The cane bit into both cheeks of his buttocks in a searing line of red-hot pain. John gasped but did not move a muscle, nor did he break eye contact with Conal. Derrick moved beside Conal and raised the cane again. John watched it rise through the air, and his breath stuck in his throat as it crashed into Conal's buttocks. Conal gasped and squinted hard as the pain of the stroke registered, but held his position without assistance.
Derrick moved from one boy to the other in a stern dance, measuring out each stroke with grim calm. Both boys bore their punishment well, though it was obvious they fought every moment to control themselves. John's resolve broke when he could not resist crying out as the seventh stroke landed, leaving another line of fire across both cheeks of his already sore buttocks. Hot tears sprang from his eyes and he hissed through gritted teeth. Conal latched onto John's arms all the tighter as he watched him work through the intense pain. He was so concerned about his best friend that he did not notice Derrick move behind him. He did not hear the rustle of Derrick's tunic as he lifted the cane, or hear the cane whistle through the air as it fell again. The impact of the rattan shot pain through the top of his head, and he too could not help but cry out at its intensity. It took all of his will to keep his chest against the table, and John gripped his arms tightly, as if he knew how strong the need to stand was. The eight and ninth strokes were only a harsher reprise of the ones before, both boys breaking down more with each swat.
John stiffened as he felt Derrick move behind him for the tenth stroke. He shut his eyes tight and grit his teeth, tears seeping from his eyes against his will. Derrick tapped John lightly on his backside, and John flinched hard at the contact.
"Relax your buttocks, John." He waited a moment to allow the boy to compose himself. John tried to obey, panic rising and ebbing in his mind. The more he tried to do as Derrick instructed, the harder it was to maintain his composure. Conal was at a loss to help, lost in his own remorse and pain. After several long moments, John regained some semblance of control. As soon as Derrick sensed the emotional shift, he raised the cane again. Three more times he planted the cane hard across John's backside, each stroke quickly following the other. John yelled harshly with each successive blow, finally breaking down and sobbing when it was all over. He was aware of the blazing fire in his buttocks, of the wetness of his own tears, and of his fingers wrapped in Conal's tunic. Nothing else in the world existed. He neither heard nor saw the final three strokes given to Conal, but felt the pull against his arms as the other squire struggled against the blows. Derrick took in the scene of very contrite tears being shed, the column of cane welts on each boy's buttocks assuring him that the needed lesson was learned and neither would be in a hurry to go riding in the woods this week.
Derrick gently lifted Conal up, and held the boy in a tight embrace while final tears were wiped away. He motioned to Evan to come help the boy replace his trousers and lend some small comfort. While Conal collected himself, Derrick exchanged cane for strap and returned to John who obediently remained in position at the table.
"You, of everyone John, should know what I expected of you while I was away. I am not only disappointed in your behavior, John. It is so unlike you I am hard pressed to believe what I have been told." He raised the strap high over his shoulder and slammed it into his squire's buttocks. John shouted at the stroke and gripped the edges of the table as hard as he could. He could only nod through his tears, acknowledging the truth in his father's words.
"I can not believe you took such advantage of the situation." Another swat blazed a path of fire across bare backside and John sobbed out his sorrow with his tears.
"I expect you to exercise some leadership with the other boys." And again, leather seared bare skin. John stomped his booted feet on the stone floor, bawling exactly as he feared he would and hoped he would not. Only Evan's strong arm around Conal's shoulders kept the boy from trying to restrain Derrick and beg him to stop the punishment.
Derrick paused, waiting for John to calm down enough to hear his words. The boy stamped and kicked, trying to shake the fire out of his buttocks, knowing very well that it was wasted effort.
"Ohhhh! Oh f-father! I-I-I'm so s-sor-r-eeee!" John could hardly breath from the pain of the thick, heavy strap and thought he would do anything if Derrick would just stop the punishment. Anything, that is, but ask for his father's mercy.
"I know you're sorry, John. But you must learn how important it is to tend to your responsibilities. One day, other people's lives will be in your hands. Will you run off then for a gallop through the woods?" John bawled that he would not, and the scolding he was getting even drove Conal to new tears. Evan wrapped the younger squire into a compassionate embrace, remembering his own harsh lessons of leadership at the end of Derrick's strap.
"John." Derrick's voice was commanding and firm to penetrate the fog of pain and remorse John was engulfed in.
"You will not be this irresponsible again." John shook his head vigorously, not even able to choke out the words he wanted to speak.
"Let go of the table." John's fingers slowly relaxed, releasing their grip on the edges of the table. John continued to sob despite his best efforts to accept his punishment with some dignity.
"Spread your legs as wide as you can." The squire obeyed, stiff knees slowly inching further apart. While John shifted his position as he was instructed, Derrick exchanged the heavy, stiff strap for the wicked, supple flexibility of his white belt.
"Now reach back with both hands and separate your buttocks as far as possible." Evan blanched at the command, knowing what was coming next. He gently but absent mindedly caressed Conal's hair, trying to calm the boy. John obeyed his father's command and gasped roughly as he rubbed against his very sore bottom. His anus and the tender inner walls of his buttocks exposed, it was not difficult for John to realize what was coming next. Derrick stepped back and cracked the end of the long belt against John's backside, its tip snapping against John's very exposed anus.
John yelled at the impact and nearly lost his position while fighting through the pain. He leaned hard on the table, more tears soaking into the hard wood.
"Two more, John." Derrick raised the belt again and whipped it into the crevice between John's cheeks. John and Conal both cried out from the pain, Conal frightened for John and ashamed he was not bearing the same punishment with him. The third lash snapped into its target, leaving an angry red blotch in its wake. John cried hot tears while Derrick put strap and cane away, and wrapped his belt around his waist, watching through grim eyes as his son and squire struggled with the pain he was enduring.
Conal and Evan watched as Derrick eased John from the table, gently gathering the very chastised young man into his arms. John sobbed out his pain and grief, begging his father's forgiveness for his errors. Derrick lavished encouragement to the boy while he helped him replace clothing, assuring him that he has already been forgiven.
The two squires were dismissed and confined to their rooms for the evening, and Evan let out a heavy sigh when the door to the study closed, leaving him alone with Derrick. Derrick looked closely at the younger knight and put a supportive hand on his shoulder.
"Evan?" Merely hearing his name spoken brought tears to his eyes, and Evan was next to be enveloped in a comforting embrace.
"You would think I was the one just beaten." He sniffed through Derrick's tunic. Derrick led the young man back to his seat before the fire, prompting him to talk about what was upsetting him. Evan dragged his sleeve across tear filled eyes, and Derrick smiled to himself. Evan was but eighteen years old, knighted less than a year ago. His age often betrayed him, making him seem more boy than man at times like this, disguising the fierce warrior who has proven himself worthy of the accolade many times despite his tender years.
"I can't count the number of times you broke a cane across my backside or blistered me with that very strap when I was your squire. I have put down wounded horses. I have killed men in battle. I have been wounded myself and watched the battle surgeon stitch me back up again without uttering a sound. But I can not watch you discipline two boys without being in tears myself before you are through." Evan sat back in his chair and stared at the fire, an insistent tear or two sneaking down his cheek.
"I can't help but think if I had not waited so long to take matters into my own hands, that" Evan pointed at the work table "would have never been necessary. I would rather have been the one being punished than watch them be beaten." Derrick smiled softly at the young man, remembering how hard it was for him to discipline his first squires.
"Evan, do you punish your squire when he misbehaves?" Derrick asked quietly. Evan nodded, another tear falling down his cheek. "Do you use corporal punishment?"
"Only once. I haven't had him in service long enough for him to really get into much trouble." Evan slumped into his chair.
"It isn't easy, is it? In fact, it is very very HARD, isn't it?" Evan nodded again, more vigorously this time, sniffing back more tears.
"GOOD." Derrick said with such conviction that he nearly knocked Evan out of his chair. "That's the way it's supposed to be. To this day, Evan, I would rather be the one being beaten than the one giving it." Evan snorted and raised his eyebrows, thinking he recalled several thrashings that he was certain Derrick took some satisfaction in delivering.
"I know it can be very hard to understand, Evan. I do not enjoy whipping my squires, despite what they may think. The truth is, it is one of the best ways I know to drive a lesson home. What we teach these boys while they are young may save their lives on the battlefield later. We can not afford to be soft in punishing even if it pains us so to be strict." Derrick laid a hand on Evan's shoulder, and the young knight looked up at him, eyes red from unshed tears.
"I know." Evan whispered. "That is why I do it even though I despise it." Derrick massaged tight muscles, urging Evan to relax.
"Hating it makes us be judicious in when we administer it. It helps us teach and not torment. It is how I am able to never punish out of anger, Evan, even if I am furious. When I discipline a boy, it is for his benefit and not my own. The purpose is to train and correct- not to sooth or avenge a flared temper." Evan nodded again and took a deep breath.
"I understand, sir. I just hope I am able to be as objective about it as you are some day." Derrick assured Evan that the task became more tolerable with maturity and offered him a mug of hot mulled wine to drink.
"I guess this brings me to my next question, sir." Evan looked across the wool rug to his mentor.
"If you were this harsh with John and Conal, who were by far the best behaved through all of this, what are you going to do about the others?" Derrick _c_o_c_k_ed one eyebrow at Evan and took a long draw at his wine.
"I have John and Conal to settle in for the night first. If you will be so kind as to go find the seneschal and bring him here in about a half hour, we will discuss that very issue." Derrick stood and stretched hard.
"And I suggest you get cook to prepare a try of food for the three of us for supper. This is going to be a long night."
The two knights went to tend to their given tasks, leaving each to muse to himself about the events of the evening and those yet to come. This was going to be a very long night indeed.