The young knight was strikingly handsome and tall, with a warm smile that inspired instant affection.
Yet his excessively powerful build did not quite match that refined face. His shoulders were so broad that two children could have sat on them, one on each side. When his arms hung at his sides, his hands nearly reached his knees.
Arms that long were bound to give him an advantage no one else possessed in battle. After all, no technique could compare to hitting your enemy before he hit you.
The knight walked up to Baldwin and Cesar, carefully examining their clothes and expressions. His gaze lingered for a moment on their two golden crosses. Then he looked into their eyes—one pair blue, the other green—and immediately seemed to recall something. His manner became even more respectful, and his voice softened.
He knelt on one knee, as though afraid of frightening them. "How did you get here? Did you arrange to meet someone?"
"We only wanted to see what squires did," Cesar answered honestly. "We'll become squires soon."
"You're going to become squires already?" the young knight asked. "Are you fourteen?"
"Not yet," Baldwin said. "Since you've recognized us, you should know that we have both received God's blessing, beheld Saints, and are already fit for the battlefield. It may be a little early, but in Jerusalem, being able to throw oneself into battle sooner may not be a bad thing—you're young too."
The other man burst into laughter. "Yes, I'm young, but I spent seven full years as a page, another seven as a squire, and three as an apprentice knight before I finally became a knight."
Cesar silently did the sums in his head. "You only just became a knight, didn't you?"
"This is the first tournament I've attended since