Two or three of the children — the older ones — instantly made a shushing sound when he said ‘bad man’. All of them looked a little fearful. The little boy seemed to relax when Sir Isaac crouched down. “This is Summer. She’s my sister. I’m Laurence,” he added, almost as an afterthought. “Are you a real knight?”
Sir Isaac nodded and ensured that he remained at their eye level, gracing them with a small smile. “It’s nice to meet you, Laurence. And I promise not to go until your big sister is awake again, just in case the bad man comes back.” He chuckled lowly then and nodded, curls flopping down to make him look a little younger. “Sir Isaac, at your service, your majesty.” He teased playfully, adding a little bow for measure.
The boy’s eyes grew round, and all the other children abandoned Summer’s limp, shallowly breathing form to crowd around Sir Isaac. Curiously they poked at his armor and one of the other little boys picked up his sword, which was bigger than the child. Laurence said, in a tiny voice, “Real knights protect people. Don’t they?”