Free A Perfect Gentle Knight by Kit Pearson

catapults,” said Corrie.
    â€œWhat are catapults?”
    â€œThey’re like big slingshots. We made them out of branches and some stretchy rubber Sebastian found. Harry broke a basement window with his, though.”
    â€œOh, no ! Did your father take the catapult away?”
    Corrie laughed. “Fa never knew! In fact, the window’s still broken. We patched it with some cardboard.”
    â€œI wish I could be a knight!” Meredith said when they were settled in her room with cookies and milk.
    Meredith said this every day. “I could be Sir Perceval! I’ve been reading about him—he makes friends with a lion! Why not , Corrie? Don’t keep saying Sebastian wouldn’t like it. He wouldn’t ever know , so what harm could it do?”
    Meredith’s eyes shone and Corrie’s resistance began to melt. It would be fun to have Meredith as Sir Perceval. They could make swords to keep at her house and they could design Meredith a shield. Sebastian would be hurt and furious at her betrayal. But Sebastian wasn’t here, and Meredith was right: he’d never know.
    Corrie grinned. “All right. Shall I dub you? Knights can knight each other, you know.”
    â€œYes!”
    Meredith rushed downstairs and returned slowly with a long carving knife. She closed the door. “Mum would kill me if she knew I had this, but she won’t be back for a while. It’ll make a perfect sword.”
    â€œI just remembered,” said Corrie. “You have to have a trial, like I did.” She thought for a moment. What was Meredith afraid of?
    Heights … “Your trial is to climb all the way to the top of your cedar tree,” she said. As Meredith’s face whitened, Corrie regretted her words. She didn’t like this kind of power.
    But it was too late now. “All right, I will !” cried Meredith. She clattered down the stairs as if she were trying to outrun her fear.
    The cedar was huge. Corrie had often climbed to the top herself, but Meredith always waited below. But today she quickly ascended until her white face peered down from the top.
    â€œCan I come down?” called Meredith, her voice shaky.
    â€œYes, come down right now!”
    But Meredith looked down and froze. “I can’t ,” she said in a thin voice Corrie had never heard her use before.
    â€œCome on, Meredith, I’ll help you. There’s a strong branch right below your right foot.”
    But now Meredith was crying. “No, I can’t! I feel dizzy ! I’m going to fall !”
    Corrie was frantic. What if she did? What if Meredith fell out of the tree and killed herself? It would be all her fault.
    She took a deep breath. A knight is brave . She was Sir Gareth, a brave knight of the Round Table.
    She forced her voice to be calm. “Master Meredith,” she called. “You must not panic. The tree is perfectly safe and you are not going to fall. Remember you are about to be a knight. Do you not want to be one?”
    â€œYe-es,” gulped Meredith.
    â€œThen just come down slowly and carefully and you’ll be fine. Start with your right foot.… That’s good.”
    Corrie amazed herself as she guided Meredith down the tree. Her voice was as calm as Sir Lancelot’s and it seemed to calm Meredith as well.
    Finally Meredith reached the bottom branch and collapsed on the grass.
    â€œWell done, Master Meredith!” cried Corrie. She slapped Meredith on the shoulders. Meredith’s cheeks were streaked with tears.
    â€œOh, Corrie, I was terrified ! But I did it!”
    â€œYes, you did! Now you can be knighted!”
    They ran laughing into the house and back up the stairs. Meredith knelt at Corrie’s feet. Corrie tapped the knife on her shoulders as she said solemnly, “I dub thee Sir Perceval, noble knight of King Arthur’s Round Table.”
    â€œThere!” Meredith jumped up, flushed with pleasure. They returned