Bloodless Knights (29 page)

Vivian
nodded and went to the house. She quickly returned with a few quilts. “It’s all
I could see without digging through personal items. I don’t feel keen on that.”

Trave
nodded and looked at me, “Lay down in the box. Vivian, wrap him up the best ye
can.” Trave adjusted some straps on the wagon, as I situated myself for a bumpy
ride.

Vivian
gazed down on me. Her shiny hair flowed over her firm arms. The sun behind her,
made it appear that a halo hung over her head. I could feel the longing in my
body, as my eyes held hers.

“This
is it.” She said. “When I see thee again we will be in the castle. Please be
careful.” Then she leaned over and kissed me once more. Trave rolled his eyes.

Vivian
disappeared. I watched Trave bend over and appear again with a tiny orange cat.
He put Lugina back into his knapsack, and got atop his steed.

“Here
we go. And remember, whatever happens, whatever ye hear - or think ye hear - do
not move. If even an inch of thy hair blows, hold the same position thou art
in, or everything will be ruined.” Trave hollered down to me. I couldn’t see
him, and for that I was entirely grateful.

I
took a deep breath, realizing it would be the last for a while, “Aye, Trave. I
will try not to even breathe.”

I
smiled when he said, “Oh, I could only hope.”

#
# #

The
wagon bounced along the rough snow. With every jolt, my back ached! Trave was
probably searching out every rock and purposely hitting it. I gave him the
benefit of the doubt, knowing that he wouldn’t be stupid enough to destroy the
cart; our easy way through the castle gate.

After
what seemed like days of travel, we reached our destination. As we assumed, the
gate was shut tight with a guard waiting for Trave to state his business.

“Nobody’s
allowed passage!” The guard yelled through the trap door in the gate.

Trave
cleared his throat and bellowed, “I am not, ‘nobody’! I have brought the king a
gift; his dead son! I want my reward. Open the gate and let me pass.”

I
felt uneasy at the following silence. Then suddenly, I heard the gate drag open
and the cart moved again.

“Well,
I’ll be! It really is Sir Tristen.” The guard’s voice was not known to me. I
wanted to open my eyes to see the man’s face but I resisted the urge.

Trave’s
voice cut the cold air again, “I need to take him to the priest for his last
rights. It was his dying wish. I’ll take him to the stable so my horse may eat
while I find the clergyman.”

The
guard’s voice whined, “Well now, that doesn’t seem like a large request. Go
ahead. At the palace though, they won’t take as kindly to ye as I have.”

“I’ll
take my chances with that sir.” Trave snidely replied and the cart moved
forward; this time on smoother ground.

The
ride was short, and the wagon slowly rolled to a stop. I heard Trave’s feet
land on the ground, and then the stable door opened and shut. I was alone
outside, feeling vulnerable in a way that had never overcome me before. It
didn’t last long though; the hinged door creaked open again, and the wagon
traveled into a manure-scented abyss.

“Tristen?
Is it really him? Ye best tell me what’s goin’ on.” Phil’s familiar deep voice
tore through the darkness in my head. I opened my eyes and was never happier to
see the decrepit old groom.

“Phil!
It is I. Let me explain,” I said.

Trave
cut off our conversation, “I’m going to find the friar. Ye think he’s in the
church?”

Phil
nodded, as he stared at me as if I was a ghost. He warned, “Ye best be watchin’
out for Blad. That un’s got a temper on ‘em.”

I
sat up and looked around the stable, “Who’s Blad?”

“The
new sheriff. Ye probably saw him a few times without even knowin’ who ‘e was.
An’ I’m not real shorn what’s happenin’, but I hear Sheriff Albott returned
from some kinda mission only to discover he’s been relieved from his position.
Right upset, that ‘un is.” Phil limped over to a stool and sat on it. He picked
up an intricate carving of a dragon. I almost ripped it from his hand.

I
did know Blad; he was the dumb bloke who was chasing me. I looked forward to
running a blade through him.

“I
will return shortly, after I have my hands on that friar. Do not let anyone see
thee, Tristen.” Trave demanded, while adjusting his sword.

I
looked at Trave and sighed; the man was simply unbearable.

I
waited for him to leave. After the door clicked shut, I addressed Phil, who was
already lost in his personal carving world. “Phil, what news have ye on my
mum?”

Phil’s
head abruptly snapped up as a solemn expression passed over it. He peered at me
over his spectacles and let out a long whistle. “Well now, thanks for making me
the bearer of
that
news. Sorry, my lad, yourn mum passed away not too
long ago. There’s a rumor that her lady-in-waiting, Sheifa, disappeared shortly
after. Not sure if there’s a connection there…”

Phil’s
voice was drowning out by the flood of unbearable pain through my head. My
whole body went numb. The only thing that repeated itself was words I didn’t
want to hear: ‘yourn mum passed away’. Phil continued speaking, but I heard
nothing he said. I stared at the straw thatching over my head, only seeing my
mum’s sparkling blue eyes smiling down at me.

A
sudden fire burned in my chest. I felt a need to run to the castle and deal
with my father. Sadly, I knew I wouldn’t get through the gate alone. I waited
silently in the cart for Trave and Thespis, while Phil rambled on. Horses
whinnied and grunted loudly every so often, reminding me that I was still
in-hiding with no end in sight. I rolled over, onto my face, and let the tears
falls. They pooled beneath me. I almost hoped I would drown in the puddle.

Soon
Phil realized I wasn’t listening to him, and shut his yapper. He laid a horse
blanket over my shivering body.

I
had nearly cried myself to sleep, when I heard the door rattle. I jumped from
the cart, drawing my sword. Thespis’ brown woolen cloak appeared, followed by
his large tummy. When he saw me, his eyes bulged from his head. The man was
visibly startled by a blade in his face, and jumped backward, only to find
Trave’s blade pointed at his back.

Phil
huffed from behind me, “Whoa, I ain’t a part of this, Friar!”

“Thou
art, now.” I said while pointing at the bench he had risen from. “Sit back down
and do some whittlin’ Marshal. This doesn’t concern thee, but ye aren’t
leaving.”

Phil
turned quickly, and returned to his seat. I focused on Friar Thespis.

The
friar held his hands up, “Now, Tristen, I don’t particularly knoweth why thou
art upset with me, but if ye’ll just let me explain! I know thine questions can
be answered without violence.”

“Quiet
Friar! Thou wilt have plenty of time to speak, but for now, shut thy black,
empty-worded-hole, until I allow thee to answer everything I bid. Right now,
thou shall get in this stall.” I grabbed his arm, pushing him into one of the
empty horse stalls. I slammed the door behind his rotund bum. Trave had
followed us and stood next to me.

The
friar stared at me with a sad look in his eyes, and leaned against the back of
the stall. He held his hands together, bringing them to his lips, as if
preparing to pray. “This really isn’t necessary Tristen; I will tell thee what
ye wish.”

“I
knowest thy will, Thespis. I’m keeping ye in there so I don’t kill thee!” I
spat out my words like they were poisonous berries. The friar disappointedly
shook his head then looked at the ground.

I
returned my sword to its leather sheath. Trave did the same. I studied the
friar, debating what I wanted to say first. Then it struck me. “Ye pompous,
arrogant ass! Ye sent away my lady without my approval! That sent me on a
tailspin like none other. Dost thou knowest the problems thou hath caused me?”

The
friar opened his mouth to speak, but I ranted on, “Also, ye better answer this,
right quick: what knowest thou about me being the ‘piece of the puzzle’? Why
did ye tell Patrious that? If thou learnt something of this mess, during someone’s
confession; I need to know about it! What dost thou know that the rest of us
don’t?” I slammed my fist into the wooden door, and then wished I would have
thought that out first as I shook the searing pain from my knuckles.

“Tristen,
before ye continue this tantrum, why not simply let me tell thee what’s going
on? Spare thy fists for when thou really needs to bare them. I haven’t tried to
hurt ye, lad, regardless of what thou believes. Everything I have done has been
to help thee and this kingdom, so maybe thou shall quell thy anger and listen
for a spell.” Thespis walked toward me, leaning against the side of the stall.

I
exhaled defeat, shouting, “Fine! Speak!”

“Well,
I can share this now since it’s no longer a confidence. I assume thou knoweth
that thy mother has passed on, may she rest in peace.” Thespis paused, I nodded
slowly. “A few weeks prior to Brendan’s dubbing ceremony, thy mother came to
confession in a frantic panic about her sons. Said the king had gone mad, and
done a very stupid thing. She was afraid if she didn’t confess it, she would be
accountable for knowing.

“I
asked her what thing the king had done. She told me that she had overheard him
talking to Sheriff Abbott about giving his soul to the devil. She went on to
say, his deal with the devil, was that he would become the greatest artist
alive, so long as his line of blood relations was deceased before him. The
family members couldn’t die by his hand. She was upset because the king had
sent Sir Abbott away on a secret mission. She was sure it would lead to her
sons’ demises.

“I
absolved her from her part in knowing and told her not to worry, that
I
would keep an eye out for her boys. I didn’t hear from her again, until right
before the tournament. She told me she overheard the king speaking to a man
named Blad. The king told him that he had sent for his nephew’s widow to take
thee out at the tournament. Apparently the woman had been trained in fighting,
and somehow, he had bribed her to do it.”

Trave’s
knapsack flailed. He gently grabbed it and rubbed the side. Apparently Lugina,
or Vivian, didn’t like the information being divulged. I had a question of my
own.

“What
dost thou know of my father’s nephew or his wife?” I asked the friar, while
still watching Trave coddle the angry kitten.

Thespis
shook his head, “Well, I knoweth naught of them; didn’t even know thy father
had kin. But, I do knoweth that I saw thee and a black-haired lady ride from
the tourney tents, when thou thought nobody was watching. Sadly, I’m the one
who had ye arrested, Tristen. Believe me, thy father didn’t knoweth ye were
there. I had him distracted; to be sure nobody could tell him thou was there. I
couldn’t risk ye being with the lady; I knew she was planning to kill thee.
When I had thee put in jail, it was for thy safety. When I told her thou had
asked her to leave without thee…well, that was to save thy life. The minx was
planning to slay thee, to appease thy father. I couldn’t allow that to happen.”

I
glared at Trave. “What dost thou knoweth of this? Was Vivian going to kill me?
Is she my cousin’s widow?” Again I watched the bag, expecting a tiger to tear
it open any moment. I wanted to grab it and let her out for questioning, but I
had promised not to tell her secret.

Trave
closed his eyes for a brief moment. “Honestly, sir, I don’t know if Vivian was
going to kill thee. However, I do knoweth that a man named Mr. Hat came into
her home in the middle of the night and kidnapped her daughter. He threatened
to kill her if Vivian didn’t kill thee.”

I
rudely interrupted, “Vivian has a daughter?”

“
Had
a daughter, sir. By the time we returned home, Mr. Hat had murdered her; didn’t
even wait for Vivian to return. As far as thy cousin being Vivian’s husband,
yes, Olan Dow was married to my sister. He is deceased. Olan’s father,
Langston, was thy father’s brother. They had a terrible falling out. Langston
fled to Luttginna to build his own kingdom. Langston let us live with him. He
took care of us on the condition that Vivian marry Olan. She did, and they had
a daughter. Olan mysteriously died and Langston felt responsible for his
daughter, so he kept Vivian and me at the castle.

“Upon
Langston’s passing, he wrote a letter of truce to Ladislas, apparently telling
him that Vivian and her daughter needed to be cared for. At least, that is what
Mr. Hat said. But I knoweth the letter is how Ladislas found out about Vivian.
It’s unclear what the letter fully disclosed, but it was apparent that Mr. Hat
knew Vivian is a skilled and well-trained warrior. The man, who raised us, had
taught her how to fight in our army and she is simply the best. Somehow,
Ladislas knew that.” The knapsack had settled down as Trave spilled the
secrets.

My
jaw had dropped. So much information poured from Trave’s tongue, I didn’t know
whether to cry at the thought or laugh at all the secrets that people kept. I
was uneasy. What more didn’t I know? The thought unsettled me further.