After the second time, she meets three girls, two of them sisters, who explain that they wish to train for knighthood as well. She jousts twice against Wyldon of Cavall, her previous training master, a political conservative who was initially vehemently opposed to Kel's training to be a knight. Due to the high incidence of kidnapping immature griffins for their magical powers, griffin parents attack any human who has ever touched one of their offspring, so this task is not without its dangers.Īs knight-master, Raoul teaches Kel the fineries of command, and hones her proven skills in jousting, eventually entering her into tournaments where she jousts against other squires and knights.

Along the way, Kel acquires a baby griffin from the bandits who kidnapped him from his parents' nest. As Lord Raoul's squire, she travels with the King's Own and participates in routine duties ranging from chasing rogue centaurs to helping to rebuild villages afflicted by natural disasters such as mudslides. While Kel is disappointed at not becoming the Lioness's squire, she shortly receives an equally prestigious offer from Lord Raoul of Goldenlake, commander of the elite King's Own and a personal friend to the Lioness. While she becomes frustrated at waiting for offers from knights, her best friend, Nealan of Queenscove, becomes squire to Alanna the Lioness, the first lady knight in Tortall, and Kel's personal hero. Having passed the 'big examinations', Kel becomes a squire without a knight-master.

Squire tells the story of Keladry of Mindelan's years as a squire, between the ages of fourteen and eighteen. It details Keladry of Mindelan's (Kel's) continuing quest for knighthood. Squire is the third book in the series Protector of the Small by fantasy author Tamora Pierce.

Tamora pierce protector of the small