Narrator:
After Blackbird is done talking to Schol, Luther and the others, she politely excuses herself and goes over to one of the soldiers who was with the officer who made the "screw loose" comment.
Blackbird:
Do you know where I might find that officer who walked out earlier after his little exchange with Sir Hesketh and me?
Soldier: [answers]
Blackbird: [leaves the tent and finds the officer using the instructions she received. Approaches the officer carefully]
Excuse me. May I speak with you for a moment?
Narrator:
The officer looks up and an expression of wary apprehension appears on his face. Duelling words with an Anchor is not his idea of fun.
Officer: [carefully]
Do we have anything to say to each other?
Blackbird:
I think so. I would like to apologize for what I said at breakfast. I hope I didn't offend you too much -- I tried to pick something that would seem comical without actually being harmful. You see, if it were anyone else the comment was directed toward I would have said nothing, maybe would even have laughed. But it was Sir Luther. The poor man spends so much time as the butt of other peoples' jokes that he does not even notice mild comments such as yours.
But I do. I see how the barbs, great and small, have marred his spirit. I want better for him -- I think there is a real knight hidden in that stunted body. He just needs some patience, and some respect.
Officer: [ticking off items on a list]
...and a better vocabulary, a bit of self control on his mouth, and a wee bit of respect for others. He'd make a fine soldier if had a bit more self control. If he could spend a week the way he spent this morning, *I'd* go and apologize for the crack I made.
Blackbird: [grins]
I'm working on those things. He's a tough student. I'll settle for the respect and a bit of self-control. His vocabulary can wait until later.
I stand up for him because he needs to be shown that people think he is worth standing up for. Now I've made myself very vulnerable to you, because he'd be embarrassed to find out that I was deliberately protecting him. If you want to hurt him or me, I have given you a way. But if you would do me a favor, then you would give thought the next time you speak to Sir Luther. Don't treat him needlessly gentle, that would be pointless, but treat him with the respect you would treat any knight.
An Anchor will be very grateful to you.
Good day.
Officer:
Lady, if you have improved his behavior to the point where he's tolerable, then *I* owe *you* a favor. But trouble follows that little man like a cur dog looking for a handout.
Blackbird:
I can't take all the credit -- the Baron Sir Richard seems to have had quite an effect on Sir Luther. He was responsible for Luther's improved behavior this morning.
I think it will be too much to ask for it to last permanently -- something will go wrong -- but it's a start.
[she leaves]
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