Men of Iron

That summer, Myles and Gascoyne spend their free time exploring, and discover an abandoned tower attached to an older, decrepit part of the castle. According to Devlen Castle folklore, the structure, known as the Brutus Tower, hosts a labyrinth from which there is no return. The tower had been tightly secured long before Gascoyne arrived, but Myles thinks they can find a way in. With Myles confidently leading, and Gascoyne cautiously following, they begin a treacherous climb, scaling the tower and sneaking in through a window. They climb until they reach the top of the decaying, ivy-covered structure. The tower’s roof has mostly collapsed, and from their vantage point inside the old chapel, Myles and Gascoyne can see the goings on in the castle below. Enchanted by their newfound hiding place, Myles commissions a set of metal spikes which they drive into gaps in the stone wall to aid their future ascents.

Myles and Gascoyne spend most of their free time in their new hiding place, the Eyry (the Brutus Tower having been renamed after an elevated bird’s nest). The former imparts the knowledge he acquired at St. Mary’s Priory, and the latter shares the news he is privy to in the Earl of Mackworth’s household and describes the intricacies of courtly life and its customs. Gascoyne asks Myles why he has been relegated to a squire of the body, excluded from household duties. Myles trusts Gascoyne and chooses to reveal his father’s exile. Gascoyne assures Myles that he loves and accepts him, and that his loyalty to his friend remains unchanged by his secret.

Eventually, the Eyry evolves from hiding place to a fortification, as Myles begins to build a loyal alliance among his fellow squires. Myles resents the bachelors’ bullying of his fellow squires and decides to incorporate a brotherhood, which he names “Knights of the Rose,” modeling it after the values espoused by the legendary King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table. Gascoyne is reluctant to participate, but relents because he believes Myles’s cause is just. Myles, Gascoyne, and those invited to join them elect Myles as their Grand High Commander. With the Eyry serving as their headquarters, this fraternity quickly becomes admired and envied among their peers.

When a young page is beaten by one of the bachelors for taking too long to fetch his beer, Myles summons the Knights of the Rose to the Eyry. He declares that he can no longer tolerate the abusive treatment of their peers, and calls upon his fellows to stand with him in opposition to the bachelors. Though there are 15 of them assembled, the squires are reluctant to commit to action, citing the size, strength, and superior fighting skills of the bachelors. Myles does not disguise his disappointment and disdain for their passivity. He asks that the Knights at least intervene to prevent him from being unfairly overpowered should the bachelors descend upon him all at once. Gascoyne is the first to speak up and commit to ensuring that Myles has a fair fight, and the other Knights of the Rose pledge to do the same.

The following morning, when two of the squires depart to fetch water for the bachelors, Myles shouts across the dormitory “Stop! We draw no more water for any one in this house, saving only for ourselves” (74). The Knights of the Rose gather behind Myles in anticipation of a confrontation. Gascoyne shouts that he and the others will not allow the bachelors to gang up on Myles the way they did before. All 13 bachelors produce weapons and advance toward the Knights of the Rose. Myles, citing the fact that it was Walter Blunt who beat him while he was subdued on the ground during his first skirmish, proposes that he and Blunt settle the matter man to man. Gascoyne announces that he saw Blunt conceal a dagger and urges Myles not to engage with him. Blunt calls Gascoyne a liar, and Myles asks Blunt to swear that he does not have a weapon. Blunt swears, but as soon as he is close enough to Myles, he reaches for his dagger. Myles intercedes quickly enough to prevent Blunt from drawing the weapon, and the two grapple. In a swift application of his extensive wrestling training, Myles throws Blunt to the stone floor, to the astonishment of the squires. Blunt is instantly knocked unconscious, and for a moment, it appears that Myles may have killed him.

The bachelors are disillusioned by the humbling of Walter Blunt. When their bathing basin is suddenly absent from the dormitory, they pretend to be angry, but the consensus among the squires is that they removed it themselves to save face. The bachelors warn Myles that Blunt plans to exact revenge on him when he recovers, a threat Blunt repeats in person. Myles musters a brave front, but cannot escape a feeling of foreboding. The Knights of the Rose caution Myles against continuing to pursue his challenge, but his conscience will not allow him to relent. With the bachelors present to hear, Myles addresses the squires, reiterating his declaration that they will no longer serve the bachelors. The following day, a page tells Myles that he overheard several bachelors planning to ambush Myles and cut off his ears. This gesture, meant as a punishment for criminals, is a grave insult. Gascoyne wants to inform Sir James, but Myles considers this a cowardly approach. Instead, they find the Knights of the Rose who are not on other duties and arm themselves with wooden staves, proceeding to the narrow passage into the Buttery Court where the bachelors are waiting.

Following a plan devised by Gascoyne, Myles proceeds alone into the corridor, while the Knights of the Rose linger out of sight to give the impression that Myles is alone. When the bachelors appear, intending to ambush Myles, the Knights of the Rose advance. The bachelors retreat, barricading themselves behind a wooden gate and throwing rocks at the Knights of the Rose. Spectators, summoned to the courtyard windows by the commotion below, shout for the young squires to hide behind the stone pillars. Blunt calls for a parlay with Myles and accuses him of unfair tactics, citing Myles’s wrestling skills. Gascoyne is incensed, reminding Blunt that he concealed a dagger, even after swearing he had not. Blunt, though caught in his hypocrisy, accuses Gascoyne of lying. Blunt suggests that he and Myles once again fight man to man, but insists on weapons only used by more advanced squires, with which Myles is not yet experienced. One of the squires, Edward Wilkes, accuses Blunt of cowardice, but Blunt ignores the insult and goads Myles, claiming that Myles is afraid to fight him. Myles will not back down from the challenge, and the two proceed toward the armory.

As Blunt planned, Myles is at a significant disadvantage. Blunt wounds Myles several times, but shows restraint, not intending to mortally wound him. The bachelors cheer for Blunt, while the squires watch in anguish. Gascoyne pleads with Myles to surrender. Even Blunt wants to stop the fight, but Myles reminds him that he was the instigator and now he himself must settle the matter. They continue, and at an advantageous moment, Myles employs a tactic Sir James taught him, stabbing upward beneath Blunt’s helmet. Blunt falls to the floor, blood seeping from his wound. Once again, Myles fears that he may have killed Blunt. Myles is then summoned by Sir James. Blunt is to survive, but Sir James punishes Myles with a week of confinement to the dormitory as penance for his continued commitment to disruption. Sir James sternly addresses Myles, but when he relates the events to the Earl of Mackworth, the Earl finds great amusement in the exploits of the tenacious squire. At Sir James’s recommendation, the excuse of a promotion is used to remove Blunt from the dormitory.