Name: Class:

Kayvan the Brave

By Elizabeth Laird
2009

"Kayvan the Brave" comes from a collection of Iranian short stories, retold by Elizabeth Laird.
Laird is a British writer of children's fiction and travel. As you read, take notes on how people
form their opinions about Kayvan’s skills as a warrior.

[1] A long time ago there was a weaver’s

apprentice called Kayvan. He was a big lad
with broad shoulders and long legs, who knew
nothing of the great wide world beyond the
weaving shop and the little house he shared
with his mother. He sat all day and worked at
his loom,1 and in the evening he went home,
ate the supper his mother had cooked and
went to bed.
"The ballistic shot" by Ben Gun is licensed
One day, as he worked away, throwing his under CC BY-NC 2.0.
shuttle2 to and fro, he caught sight of two
mice nibbling at the cloth he was making. He was so startled that the shuttle shot out of his
hand, flew through the air and hit both the mice at once, killing them on the spot.

The other apprentices, who liked to tease Kayvan, began to stamp and cheer.

“Wa-hey!” they cried. “Did you see that? What a warrior! What a man!”

[5] And they began to chant:

“Kayvan the brave

with his arrow and bow

killed two lions

1. a machine for weaving fabrics

2. a wooden device with two pointed ends, used for weaving

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 with only one blow.”

Kayvan, who believed everything he was told, blushed with pleasure and pride.

“You’re in the wrong job, my son,” one of the apprentices said, winking at the others. “An archer,
that’s what you should be. Out hunting. In the desert. A talent like yours is wasted here.”

“Really? Do you really think so?” Kayvan said.

“A hunter! Of course! Yes, yes!” the others chorused, laughing behind their hands.

[10] Their words lit a fire in Kayvan’s heart. He stood up and left the weaving shop, not even
stopping to lift his jacket from its hook, and ran straight to the bazaar.3 There he bought
himself a bow and a set of arrows.

The bow was a good one, fine and strong, and the arrows were straight and sharp, but Kayvan
frowned. Something was missing. At last he realized what it was.

“I want you to write on this,” he said, handing the bow back to the shopkeeper.

“Write? What?” said the man, surprised.

Kayvan squared his shoulders and said proudly:

“Kayvan the brave

with his arrow and bow

killed two lions

with only one blow.”

[15] The shopkeeper stared at him respectfully.

“Two lions, eh? Yes, sir. At once, sir!”

When the work was done, Kayvan hitched the bow over his shoulder and marched off into the
desert to look for game. On and on he went until, tired and thirsty, he saw a stream with a tree
bending over it. He stopped and took a long, cool drink.

3. a market in a Middle Eastern country

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 It was shady and pleasant by the stream.

“Even a great hunter needs to rest now and then,” he told himself, and he hung his bow and
arrows in the tree, lay down and fell asleep.

[20] A little while later, a captain of the Shah’s4 cavalry5 came trotting by. He stopped to look at
Kayvan, then saw the bow and arrows in the tree.

“What’s a strong young fellow like this doing all on his own out here?” he asked himself. “And
what’s that written on his bow?” He leaned forward to read the inscription. “Two lions with one
blow, eh? Well, well!”

He got off his horse and sat down beside Kayvan, who woke with a start and stared at him.
“Now, my boy, who are you?” the captain barked.

Kayvan opened his eyes and blinked. He couldn’t remember where he was.

“Kayvan the brave

with his arrow and bow...” he began feebly.

“Yes, yes. I’ve read all that. But what are you doing here?” demanded the captain.

[25] “I — I came to hunt,” said Kayvan, sitting up.

“I see. Good shot, I suppose? Range, accuracy, distance and so on and so forth?”

“Oh, yes,” said Kayvan proudly, remembering the mice.

“Excellent!” cried the captain. “You’re just the sort of chap we need in the army. You’d like to
fight for your Shah and country, eh? Honor and glory, victory or death, and so on?”

“Fight?” said Kayvan, puzzled. “Glory? Is there a war?”

[30] “Unfortunately not, but there’s bound to be one soon,” the captain said, mounting his horse.
“Follow me!”

And so Kayvan joined the army and lived comfortably at the Shah’s expense, eating as much as
he liked and marching about in his uniform. He never said much, but always looked grand and

4. the former title of rulers in Iran

5. soldiers who fight on horseback

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 brave.

“He’s a great champion, you know,” everyone whispered. “Killed three — or was it four? — lions
with only one arrow.”

Soon enough, a war broke out, just as the captain had predicted. He came to find Kayvan,
cracking his riding whip.

“Here’s your chance to show what you’re made of, my boy. Been champing at the bit,6 I’m sure.
There’ll be no holding you now!”

[35] “Eh?” said Kayvan.

“Get yourself off to the stables. The grooms have saddled a horse for you. Then off you go to
the battlefield!”

Kayvan had never ridden a horse before. At the stables, he stared in dismay7 at the huge war
horse the grooms led out to him.

“I’ll never be able to stay on this thing,” he thought, so he said to the grooms, “Do me a favor,
boys. Tie my feet together underneath its belly.”

The grooms hurried to obey.

[40] “He’s got some wonderful trick up his sleeve, you’ll see,” they whispered.

From far away came the sound of the enemy’s trumpets.

The war horse knew what their wild music meant. He loved fighting. He pawed at the ground,
flattened his ears and shot out of the stable. Kayvan nearly lost hold of the reins, and had to
clutch at the horse’s mane.

“Help! Stop!” he shouted, dropping his bow and arrows, but the horse only bolted faster,
striking sparks from the stones with his great iron hooves, leaping over streams, bounding over
bushes and dodging between trees as the sound of the enemy’s drums and trumpets grew
louder and louder.

In desperation, Kayvan clutched at a passing branch, expecting the horse to skid to a halt, but
the horse was going so fast that the tree was torn up by its roots. On and on they raced, with
Kayvan and the tree tangled up together on the horse’s back.

6. a phrase that means “to be eager or impatient”

7. Dismay (noun) a feeling of alarm or disappointment

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[45] The enemy was in sight now. Their lines of spears and helmets glinted in the sun. But Kayvan,
the tree and the horse galloped straight towards them, and it was a sight so terrifying that
strong men trembled like babies.

“I can’t stop! He’s run away!” Kayvan was shouting.

The enemy soldiers turned to each other, their faces pale with fear.

“What’s that he’s saying? Don’t stop? Come this way? There’s a whole army behind him! There
must be! He’s calling them to follow him, and if they’re all like this great champion, who can tear
a tree up by its roots, we haven’t got a chance!”

And they turned and fled, every man of them, and the Shah’s soldiers raced after them, hassling
and harrying8 them all the way home.

[50] The Shah was so pleased with Kayvan that he presented him with golden dishes and fine robes
and jewels and palaces and gardens full of pomegranate trees, and he made him Commander-
in-Chief of all his armies.

But Kayvan, who had seen enough of war, never wanted to fight again. He kept his armies safe
at home and for as long as he lived, the whole country enjoyed days of peace and plenty.

"Kayvan the Brave" from Pea Boy and Other Stories from Iran retold by Elizabeth Laird. Reproduced
by permission of The Agency (London) Ltd, © Elizabeth Laird 2009. All rights reserved and enquiries
to The Agency (London) Ltd. 24 Pottery Lane, London W11 4LZ, [email protected]

Unless otherwise noted, this content is licensed under the CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 license

8. carrying out an attack

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 Text-Dependent Questions
Directions: For the following questions, choose the best answer or respond in complete
sentences.

1. PART A: Which sentence describes the theme of the short story?

A. A simple misunderstanding can easily get out of hand.
B. Misleading someone can have great consequences.
C. People are more likely to believe you if you are confident.
D. There are always consequences for lying.

2. PART B: Which detail from the text best supports the answer to Part A?
A. "'An archer, that's what you should be. Out hunting. In the desert. A talent
like yours is wasted here.'" (Paragraph 7)
B. "'You'd like to fight for your Shah and country, eh? Honor and glory, victory
or death, and so on?'" (Paragraph 28)
C. "Kayvan had never ridden a horse before. At the stables, he stared in
dismay at the huge war horse the grooms led out to him." (Paragraph 37)
D. "He kept his armies safe at home and for as long as he lived, the whole
country enjoyed days of peace and plenty." (Paragraph 51)

3. How do Kayvan's true skills compare to what others think about his skills?
A. Kayvan has only ever killed two mice by accident, but others think he is a
great warrior.
B. Kayvan is a great warrior, but he has been unable to prove himself to
others in war.
C. Kayvan is a poor warrior, but others believe that he can be trained to
improve.
D. Kayvan has only ever killed two mice, but others believe he might be a
great warrior some day.

4. Reread the quote: "strong men trembled like babies" (Paragraph 45). What does this
suggest about the soldiers?
A. The soldiers are extremely young, and therefore resemble babies.
B. The soldiers have never been in a war before and have the experience of
babies.
C. The soldiers no longer appear as brave warriors because they are so
afraid.
D. The soldiers are unusually small for grown men.

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5. How does paragraph 44 contribute to the development of the story's plot?

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 Discussion Questions
Directions: Brainstorm your answers to the following questions in the space provided. Be
prepared to share your original ideas in a class discussion.

1. In the text, Kayvan changes his identity based on what other people think of him. Do
you think a person's identity can be changed? How is Kayvan able to change from
being a weaver's apprentice to a warrior? Do you think he has also changed as a
person? Why or why not? Have you ever changed your identity because of someone
else's opinion of you?

2. In the story, the Shah believes that Kayvan is a hero. Do you consider Kayvan a hero,
despite the misunderstandings surrounding his actions? Why or why not? Do you
think Kayvan considers himself a hero? Cite examples from the text to support your
answer.