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king facing Tor swung at Tor's left, but with a move that Terence recognized easily, Tor leaped lightly to his right and chopped left-handed, and the king dropped. Immediately, Tor joined Sir Kai, who had just sent one king reeling backwards. In a moment, the other king lay sprawled at their feet. They turned toward Gawain, but Gawain had already dismounted and was wiping his sword on the grass.
    "Are you hurt?" Sir Kai called to him.
    Gawain looked resentfully at the body at his feet. "He bit my finger," he said.
    ***
    "Sir Kai and Sir Gawain," King Arthur said, "I honor your courage, your skill, and your loyalty. Even more, I thank you. You have won a great battle for my kingdom; all I have I owe to you." He kissed them on their cheeks and smiled warmly.
    Terence was so proud of Gawain he thought he would burst. After the Five Kings had been killed, the planned ambush had never happened. As soon as Sir Kai had reported their victory to the king, Arthur had ridden alone up to the leaderless knights waiting in the forest, requested their surrender, and—having received it—sent them home unpunished, all swearing eternal allegiance to such a courageous and magnanimous king. Now, back at Camelot, Sir Kai and Gawain stood stiffly while their king thanked them formally. Terence beamed.
    "Squire Terence?" the king said. Terence jumped with surprise. "For your part in this adventure, I also thank you. Will you do me the honor of accepting a small gift?" Terence gulped and nodded. Arthur took a thick yew longbow from a page and extended it to Terence. On his outstretched hand was the ring that Terence had taken from the kings. At Terence's request, Gawain had given it to the king privately. Arthur saw him look at the ring. His eyes glinted with a secret smile, but he continued, "This bow cannot be broken, nor can its string rot. Merlin says you still have to aim it, though."
    "And now," the king continued, turning away from Terence, "where is Tor?"
    "Here, your highness," Tor said, stepping forward.
    "Kneel, Tor," Arthur said. Tor dropped at the king's feet. Arthur drew Excalibur from its scabbard and touched Tor on his shoulders and head. "Now rise, Sir Tor, and welcome to the Fellowship of the Round Table. Be ever true to your God; protect always your neighbor; honor always your king."

4. A Hart, a Hound, and a Very Ugly Woman
    The wars were over. Only a few rebel knights and barons still resisted Arthur's authority, and these holdouts Arthur chose to ignore as insignificant. Instead, he turned his attention to being as skillful a leader in peace as he was in war. He established courts of justice and made laws restricting the taxes and forced labor that the lords often levied against peasants. The land knew peace for the first time that anyone could remember.
    There was peace within the castle walls, too, though Gawain called it tedium. Every day was a leisurely round of feasting and telling tales and dallying with fair ladies. Gawain devoted much time to the ladies, all of whom seemed to find him irresistible. He soon acquired the reputation of being a ladies' favorite, but to Terence it seemed that Gawain preferred his evenings spent drinking and arguing with other knights. The king and Sir Kai and the king's judges stayed busy, but the knights were left to amuse themselves. Even Terence, who as a squire actually had a few daily tasks to perform, had more time than he knew how to fill.
    A squire, Terence learned, was a sort of in-between person. His position was too low for the knights to notice him, but at the same time too lofty for him to be welcome among the servants. He wasn't even at home among the other squires. They all dreamed of becoming knights themselves, and all their talk was about the great knightly deeds they would perform. Terence had no such ambitions. Only around Gawain and Tor did he feel at ease.
    One other person in the court did show an interest in Terence. One day in a corridor, Merlin stopped him.