He had little chance to gape. He and the others were promptly herded into the fort, where they waited in an untidy line in the huge dirt yard—the outer court—as Chatelaine Dhuoda and her retinue set up a table and began to call the company forward one by one. Alain found himself in a group of young men, and soon it was his turn to stand before Sergeant Fell.
“Can you ride a horse? Ever handled a spear? Worked with horses, perchance? No, of course not.” The burly sergeant motioned for the next man in line to step forward.
“But, sir—” Alain began desperately. Had it not been promised him, to learn the arts of war?
“Go on, go on! We haven’t time to train new recruits into men-at-arms, not now. Count Lavastine is already gone out to hunt the Eika and we’re marching out with a second force in twenty days. Get into the other group and don’t waste my time, lad.”
Chastened, Alain retreated to the other line, this one composed of women as well as men, lads his age, and girls not quite women, folk of varying degrees and ages and stations. He came in time and in his turn before Chatelaine Dhuoda. She asked him a few questions. He did not truly hear himself answer. Though her hair was veiled by a clean linen cloth, it showed a tendency to come free of its confines, wisps of reddish, coarse hair curling at her ears and on her forehead.
“What an accent!” she said to the young cleric in the plain brown robe of a frater who sat next to her, marking out the list for Count Lavastine. “Well, boy, Master Rodlin can use you in the stables. Who is next?”
“But Brother Giles taught me the letters. I can write all of them in a neat hand.”
At this, the frater looked up with interest. He had a fierce gaze, like a hawk. “Can you read?” he demanded.
“No … no, I can’t read yet, but I’m sure I could assist with the clerics. I can count—” The frater had already looked away dismissively, toward the next candidate. Alain turned desperately back to Chatelaine Dhuoda. None of this was going as he had dreamed it would. “Surely you remember my Aunt Bel telling you I was meant to be confirmed as a—”
“Move on!” said Dhuoda. A young woman stepped forward to take Alain’s place, so Alain had no choice but to do as he was told.