Several of the children crept over the wall, patting at the maiden’s face and hands. One of them, a boy of about four, stood between Sir Isaac and Summer, hands on his hips and trying very hard to look fierce. “You can’t hurt her!” he declared, defiantly. One of the little girls began to cry.
A fearful expression flickered across Sir Isaac’s face and he cast his sword aside before dropping into a crouch and gazing at the gathering of children before him. “I wouldn’t hurt her — I’m nothing like that bad man, I promise. I want to help her…can any of you tell me her name?”
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?”