Mrs Temby’s year five class had a new student. She was petite, sported a pretty pink dress with yellow flowers, and had her light blonde hair was tied up into two pony tails. She entered the class looking a bit confused. Putting on her best nice to meet you small child smile Mrs Temby ushered her newest charge into the room, introduced her to the rest of her wonderful children and bid her to sit down in any empty seat that she could find.

Though the new girl listened to every word in class, she was rather silent. Too silent. She refused to take down notes for math and science, and for playtime did not want to touch the putty with her bare hands. She barely spoke to the rest of the class though they were piling her with questions. She mainly nodded, shook her head or mumbled.

Try as she might Mrs Temby could not get the little girl to do anything, except sit in her chair and nod her head to the lesson at hand. Wondering what the board would say to her about unproductive students, and noting that teacher evaluations would be coming up at the end of the week, Mrs Temby felt she had to do something to rectify this. The sooner the better.

At the end of the day Mrs Temby held the girl behind to counsel her on her inability to function as school society dictated.

“Sara I noticed that you didn’t do anything at all today.”

The girl nodded at her teacher and looked down at her desk. There is nothing on the desk. Nothing to look at. My eyes are up here. Mrs Temby had the urge to yell this school had a no yelling policy and she did not want a pay cut.

“Don’t worry Sara, it must be because it is your first day of school and you must be very shy. But we all come to school to learn and learning means taking notes and answering questions. If you are not going to learn or play then really, what is the point of coming to school.”

Mrs Temby had a long day. A very long day. Aside from Sara’s inability to perform any sort of task, she had to stop a boy from eating his boogers, send a girl to wash her hands six times, stop three boys from chucking pencils at each other and stop six girls from throwing notes at each other about the three boys chucking pencils at each other. She also was late for lunch, having to set a mini detention for a boy who forgot to do his homework for the fifth time, and only had cold potatoes to contend with, the children having finished most of the cafeteria food. The coffee had also all run out in the staff room and no one would own up to who was to do the next coffee run. So who knew when they would get coffee again. All she wanted was to go to bed, but she knew she had to begin her marking for last week’s homework that she had not touched yet though she promised the children their results tomorrow. This, she just now decided, she would do with a glass of wine in hand. Or a bottle. A bottle of wine in hand.

“So really you have to start doing things and join the rest of the class alright? I’m not trying to be harsh on you but no one will do the things that you don’t do for yourself. It’s not like there’s a knight on a white horse coming for you to do things for you.”

At this sentence the little girl’s eyes open a little bit wider and she sat up a little bit straighter. She leaned closer. “You know too miss? Or did papa mention it already?”
“Know what?” Mrs Temby asked. 
“Or maybe… do you have one too miss?”
“Have one what?” 
“Why, you were just talking about him. A knight on a white horse!”

Before she could utter another confused sentence with the word ‘what’ it in, there was a very loud neighing. The unmistakable sound of a horse at the window. She turned to look and there it was. A white horse looking in at them from the window. “Little miss, little miss, sorry I’m late, I’m coming in, don’t fret now!” Came a voice from out the window.

“Sir Algernon! He’s here!” The girl said happily whilst clapping her hands in excitement. “Oh I was wondering when he would come, he was meant to come with me at the start of the day, but he was busy with daddy,” the little girl explained. Moments later the door burst open, nearly flying of its hinges. Then a man in a shiny iron suit of armour clanked his way through the door.

“I’m here little Miss Sara!” The man said while clanking over to her side. “I apologise for my lateness, your father had more moving to do then we anticipated. But from tomorrow on, I do say that I can remain by your side during school hours as per your request.”

“Oh Sir Algernon, it’s alright. I know papa is busy with everything. But you’re being awfully rude, you haven’t said hello to Mrs Temby. Here is Mrs Temby, my new teacher. She knows about the white knights!” She said the last sentence in a remarkably loud whisper. Mrs Temby noticed the knight looking at her and quickly proceeded to shut her agape mouth.

“Sir Algernon Shirferster, white knight, at your service ma’am. I’ve been assigned to aid little Miss Sara as you can guess. So you know about the Company of White Knights that keep you Company do you? Do you have a knight of your own?” He looked her up and down, his helmet creaking as he did. “I say though, you look much too old to have an assigned knight. Unless of course you had a knight in your childhood. Then you would have been written in the books somewhere but I’ve not heard of a Mrs Temby.”
“Temby is her married name silly, she wouldn’t have gone by Mrs Temby when she was a little girl!” Sara giggled.
“Ah, I see, I see, how right and clever you are little miss!” He said and tapped her with an iron finger on her nose. She giggled in delight. The knight turned to Mrs Temby and bowed “pleased to be acquainted Mrs Temby.” 
“I… I what?” Mrs Temby mumbled. 
“Well, I have been assigned to keep company to miss Sara, and from this day on will not leave her side, baring of course bathroom visits,” 
“Sir Algernon!” Sara said horrified at the mention of bathroom visits. 
“Now, now, we must state specifics of the contract to any guardian, you know this, and Mrs Temby as your tutor is your assigned guardian in this school is she not?” 
“Yes,” she groaned.

Then Sir Algernon finished listing what he can or cannot do to aid Sara in her activities and after finishing, he shook Mrs Temby by the hand. Then he promptly picked up the girl, put her on his shoulders with a “now it’s well past going home time and your father will be worried sick. Come now we must away.” They walked out the door, out of the school, he put her on his horse and together they rode away home.

Mrs Temby promptly called the police, then the principle, and then the girl’s father.

All gave her the same answer.

The paperwork checked out and Sir Algernon is allowed to remain at the girl’s side for at least the remainder of the school year. Then she packed up her belongings and went to down that bottle of wine without finishing her marking.