A Knight's Quest

This tale has graphic scenes of violence and executions.

The Geography is also mythical.

*

King Marican the Mighty came from a long line of stout men. Great, but very fat warriors.

He fell dead at the Battle of Reunification, without a mark on his body. The songs would marvel about the men he killed that day, only to die from the movement of plaque in his bloodstream. It may not have been the blood sausages that he ate with his dozen eggs and leg of lamb for breakfast, but it did not help.

His eldest son officially became King Corican before the week was done.

His Father and the High Dukes had plans in place for the strengthening of the Kingdom, and they involved both of the Royal sons marrying the two daughters of King Filimond of the Northern Reaches thus bringing the two great families together.

Prince Jerican was two years junior to his brother, but neither had been allowed to marry, while their father schemed for greater power.

I am Sir Corzian of DeVille, though I was not born a Knight, I was certainly destined to be one. I am taller than many horses and broader in the chest than any blacksmith, and I have known many smithys, as they call for my strength when the heaviest of loads need lifting or the hammer strokes have to be harder.

My thick mane of blonde hair makes me look like a Highlander, especially with the red, that only shows in the summer's noon light. I was far from a Highlander though, having been born to a Catana maid that Prince Jerican took to his bed.

Of course I require the biggest of horses, and my armor has to be of the highest quality steel since weight is always an issue with the cast iron that most Squires have to wear. Being the senior concubine son brought my father's wealth to bear, so I am well trained and well armed.

At present time my father, Prince Jerican is first in line to the throne.

If King Corican comes up with a male heir then father would drop to second, and Queen Isabel is large with her fourth child.

The court was alive with rumors and whispers, but no one could know until God decided that it was time.

Since my mother is not of Royal blood, I could never be a Prince, and I had to fight my way to my Knighthood.

"Will there be an Heir born today Coz," the Horseman asked his Master.

"Probably not, Gimpy. Those two sisters from the north can't make a single boy between them," I answered.

"Father and the King have 7 fine Princesses to parlay with other nations for favor, but no Princes that could rule in this one," I trailed off sadly.

"I still say that you are next in line after your Father, Coz. You are the senior man among the Concubine's offspring," Gimpy insisted.

"Don't start on that again, Featherby. You're going to get yourself in trouble, if the wrong ear hears that talk," I cautioned my fellow rider.

I am known by Coz, only to my family and closest friends. Gimpy, my Horseman got his nickname Featherby from me, after he purchased the outrageous ostrich feather and started displaying it in his cap.

"Where are we off to today Coz? You usually tell Pinkee or Robin, who tells me so I'll know whether to pack for a field trip or an estate trip, or a drinking trip..." Gimpy trailed off as he often does.

"We're slipping into Catanaland tonight, old friend," I replied. "My mother sent word and I didn't get it until this morning.

"So it's two nights in the field, or can we stop at the Forest Inn for a night?" Gimpy asked me, hoping for the soft bed in the hotel and maybe the warm body he might parlay. His feather hat had enticed quite a few bar wenches over the years.

"Neither, I'm afraid her message said come right away, but there was also a secret mark that means - hurry. So we will have to do it in one night, my Horseman," I instructed my childhood friend.

I heeled my steed into a gallop to emphasize the need for haste, but we would not be able to keep up a-trot for two days.

"Let's get two more horses from the River Armory so we don't overly stress our friends," I commanded my Horseman.

"Yes Sire," Gimpy mumbled, no doubt thinking about the austere conditions at the Catanaland monastery where my mother, Lady Syrma lives. No one drinks or fucks there.

I used my father's stamp to commandeer the extra horses while Gimpy picked out the best two from the stable.

This bridge is the border point to my mother's land, and though we are at peace, there will always be a small force here.

"Oh No!" the Holder of the Gate cried out when he saw the horses.

"Must you take both of my Captain's horses?" His face suggested that he would be blamed even though I had rank over any Captain.

I flipped him a coin.

"Either pass that along with my thanks, or keep it and take the beating," I instructed the man.

He bit it, as most men do to make sure it's not wooden, then slipped it in his pocket with a smile and a tip of the hat.

There are no barracks or gates on the east side of the river. People and trade cross this bridge freely.

We kept a steady pace, with my skilled Horseman in the lead. That gave me the opportunity to think about what lay ahead, while my horse just followed.

Mother's note also contained a symbol of danger, but I could not know if it was for me or her.

It was dark for hours but I recognized the barn that Gimpy picked out for our escape from the rain.

The farmer came out and offered his home, but I assured him that the barn would be best, so we could keep the dirt of the trail from his abode. This was not a simple farmer, though he did till the soil, his real job included loyalty to my father and his Royal family.

"Doesn't this farmer have daughters?" Gimpy grumbled as he made my bed in the loft.

"You know he has four, but they are all children," I told my hot blooded friend.

"Well, he takes enough money from your father that he should honor you with his wife or a sister!" he grumbled.

"If we have the time on the ride home, we'll stay a night at the Forest Inn," I offered, then I pulled my cover over my head and slept.

The farmer woke me, but Featherby already had the horses ready.

"The misses made you some breakfast that you can eat a-horse, but you are most welcome at our table if you have the time my Lord," the farmer gave a sack to my finely feathered servant.

"Thank you, Kilrad, but we must decline your offer and hurry to our duty," I responded. "Please thank your wife for us."

This day would be a long one, with the wind starting in our faces.

After 4 hours of quiet riding, Gimpy indicated that we needed to stop.

"One of the Captain's mares has gas from eating while we ride," Gimpy explained. "He didn't train them for that, is my guess."

"You are the horse expert," I said, acknowledging the need for a delay.

I marvel at how well a Horseman knows his craft. How to dress them with armor is hard enough, but their health is another matter altogether.

My Horseman massaged the flanks of the large beast with broad firm strokes, while I had to dismount myself. Of course I could have traveled with my entire crew; Harold the Herald, the twins Pinkee and Robin, and Jon my Page but that would have involved at least a dozen horses and then a wagon would probably be smart... Not very fast, and certainly not quiet.

"I am going to have a word with that Captain when we return Sir," Gimpy grumbled. "They're not even shod correctly for the season," he complained.

We again mounted and continued at a slightly slower pace. Featherby would assume that riding them into the ground was not in the plan, and I was not going to order that, in case the danger warning from mother was for me. We would need our horses fit if we came upon a trap, or a large group.

Even without armor, the two of us would be hard to take down, unless you had longbows, and skilled archers.

In the forest, archers did not have the edge, so we kept to paths in the woods and skirted the sides of meadows and pastures.

"We will be taking the quiet approach, Featherby," I shouted to my path finder.

"You mean the one your Father uses when he comes for a secret fuck?" Gimpy boldly responded.

"You are referring to the Prince and Lady Syrma?" I challenged my impudent friend.

"Yes sire," he continued with his improper reference to my royal lineage.

"You must give me my due respect, Horseman, though you may have saved my life a time or two, I wouldn't want someone to slice your throat before I could stay their hand," I instructed my wayward friend. A child could call his father sire, but a citizen would never call a person of Nobility by the title of Sire, which is always reserved for Royal Lineage.

"Yes my Lord," he sang and mumbled some more that I easily ignored.

When we got to the farmer's house we headed straight to the stable. I thought the horses were making odd noises, but Gimpy was ahead of me so I let him think on it.

"Let me go silently to the house Coz, something doesn't feel right," Gimpy whispered, then without an answer he hustled around the stable.

I loosely wrapped the reins around the rail so the horses could drink, but none of them drank when they heard the hiss of my sword being drawn from the scabbard. The Captain's horses were trained a little better than Gimpy suggested, as they stood ready for a command, nostrils flaring as they drew in breath, but mostly silent.

There were no screams from the farmer's house, but I watched my Horseman wipe blood from one of his knives before he pushed them into their sheaths. He came towards me fast from the back door of the house.

I could not detect any other threats, and the horses only showed alertness to their Horseman, so I carefully pulled the stable doors open, in case there was a threat hidden inside.

Four cows blinked at me, but not menacingly, so I swung back around to my Horseman.

"The farmer was dead when I got there Coz, the other four are of my doing," he continued, which explained the sprays of blood all over his clothes and face. The red stain in his feather was going to drive him into a fury when he saw it!

"I guess I should have told you about the danger sign too, my friend," I offered as an apology. "It was not specific though, so I..."

"...So you kept quiet," I bet it doesn't seem like a good idea now, does it Coz?" he impudently continued as he pulled his cap off.

"Oh blazes!" he swore as he saw the stained feather.

I offered him my water bladder but he combined an insult with respect, by refusing it.

We left our horses tied at the trough, where they drank deeply once our weapons were put away. They would have to wait for more attention though, as I had to see my mother, and Gimpy would not let me go alone.

We skirted the river, staying away from the banks so that our silhouettes did not give us away.

The convent had a rough wall, which was very hard to climb, unless you knew where the hand and toe holds were.

Gimpy jumped to the lead, in case any of the hidden recesses had blades to sabotage this approach.

"Careful my friend, you wouldn't want to fall," I whispered.

"I expect you to catch me my Liege, God knows I couldn't catch you, with an ass that big," he brazenly challenged my patience.

Our concerns proved baseless as we mounted the corner tower without a misstep.

I took the lead, but kept quiet as we soft stepped our way to my mother's chambers.

Just as I reached the door it swung open and one of mother's handmaids grabbed me by the arm.

"Oh Sir Corzian, you finally got here," Matilda purred in my ear with her mouth so close it was tempting to just kiss it, but I kept my head.

I hustled Gimpy into the room so we could close off the light. Mother sat at her dressing table looking concerned, but beautiful.

"Someone was looking to stop me, Mother, and Mr. Gilbert paid the full price. I just hope that his family is safe somewhere," I reported, but I could tell from her face that she had not heard of that particular danger.

"I am afraid that they were looking for your Father, Corzian, but they were not prepared for your personal Demon I see," she had caught sight of Gimpy with the blood stains.

"Matilda, clean this man's clothes and give him a bath, but let him clean his own cock please," Lady Syrma ordered her servant.

"Oh! You never let me do the fun stuff!" Matilda mocked, but took Gimpy by the hand and led him to another door.

"That Horseman was a horrible choice as your Adjutant son! You should have waited and accepted one of your Father's Captains, but instead you listen to a rogue," she complained, and not for the first time.

"Featherby has saved my life a half dozen times, including today Mother, so could you please honor me with a kiss and let this one go," I pleaded to my strong headed mother.

She gave my cheek a peck, but couldn't quite let my words be the end of the matter.

"You would remind me of how that scoundrel entices maids to his bed like moths to the fire!" she pleaded. "You could speak Latin, Greek, English and Gaelic by the time you saw your 6th snow, and yet you travel with a Horseman! Someday you will marshal legions of fighting men! I pray you have more wisdom at your elbow than that man can offer!" she finished, shaking her head with resignation.

"Mother, I know that you see things that others do not, but do not spur me against Gimpy. If you feel that you must continue, it will soon be to an empty room," I gave her my ultimatum, and felt confident that my friend had earned that commitment many times over.

She blinked seven times slowly, then shrugged her shoulders.

"One of you will die for the other, but I don't know which of you lives," she explained. "Nor do I know when, but I am as sure of it as the sunrise in the morning," she finished.

In case you hadn't figured it out, Mother is in fact, a Witch.

Of course she is not a BaWitch. She is a part of the Order of Labido which comprises hundreds of women around the known world. They are pacifists and proponents of kindness and comfort and sexual intimacy. The BaWitches steal, rape and sacrifice babies to their Satan Lord.

The Nun that ran the convent sent her gardener for our horses. The body of farmer Gilbert and the fate of his family would have to wait until the morning.

"What was so urgent Mother?" I had to change the topic and get to the reason for my summons.

"The Queen gave birth to a son this morning, but it was dead in the womb," Mother informed me.

The news was a shock, but my first question was how she could know so soon?

"I just know Coz," she answered my unspoken question. A Witch can know things even before they happen.

"The High Dukes will start to plot for control," Mother continued with her message,"...and they will think of you first." she finally made her point.

My head was abuzz. I thought Gimpy was playing a fool when he suggested that I could take a part in the Royal Lineage, and now this.

"What about Father?" I asked, thinking that I had better hear the whole story.

"Father will not be considered, as his wife only produces girls too! They will jump to you first, and they won't wait for long before they bring the idea to you, though they might seek your Father's support first," she pondered, revealing how unclear she was on future events.

"You were born of Royalty, my son," but none of those Dukes can ever know that I am the Granddaughter of King Denalli of Catanaland.

The news shocked me to the core. Mother is of royal descent!

We talked well into the night.

Mother told me of the day that she became a New Woman, and how a Prince took her to his bed, and how she has never taken any other in person.

She told me of her own Mother, just one of a dozen daughters of King Denalli the Wise.

Mother reasoned that the discovery of my roots would put the Dukes at odds, since their fortunes were strongly aligned with the Northern Reaches, but Mother's ties to the East would shift the King's influence to their Catanaland competitors.

It was nearly light out before I found my sleeping kit in a room down the hall from Mother. Featherby was asleep underneath the wench that had washed him, and all she wore was his hat.

"Get out of my bed you Godless Fornicators!" I hissed quietly, so I wouldn't attract attention from the wakening convent. I kicked the bedpost for added effect.

Gimpy rolled out from under his female friend, coming up on his feet after a very theatrical roll. His brain had commanded that knives be in his hands, but there was only air.

"Careful that you don't cut yourself, Featherby," I teased my bewildered friend.

"Did you just stop fucking before I got here? You act like you didn't get any sleep at all, have you worn her out my friend? Will she ever be able to love another?" I barked like a drill instructor, but my smile gave me away.

Matilda didn't open her eyes, she just reached back and under my nightshirt.

"Are you sure you're up for some action my Lord?" she cheekily asked with one beautiful breast bouncing in the morning light.

I only lasted one round, then we all slept like babies.

Somehow we slept until noon, then someone gave the door a hard knock. Matilda had slipped off hours ago, but Gimpy jumped up, knowing that I would want some food, and he would be hungry too.

I took the time to wash myself, and I even found a brush in the nightstand and worked for an eternity to untangle my long hair.

I closed my eyes as I brushed, picturing the three High Dukes.

Mother thought that one of them would push for the oldest of the King's bastard sons, but that prospect was only 2 years old. The other two she was certain would approach me very soon, in an effort to establish control, either through marriage, money, or extortion.

When I suggested that they might simply ask for Royal Favor, she laughed at my naivete.

"Don't forget that you are a bastard too son. A big, beautiful, powerful Warrior-Knight, but still a Bastard. They don't know about my bloodline, but they know that I never married. They will insist that you need their support if you are to challenge for the Realm. If they knew about my bloodline, they would realize that their hold over you would be tenuous, so they would try to find another way to control you."

I felt the air change and my eye caught the difference in the light, as the door opened soundlessly. I knew without looking that it was my mother. Somehow she knew that I was thinking of her.

"Your Horseman made quite an impression on the Sisterhood son," she began, as she closed the door behind her.

"The Sisterhood? When did he meet the Ladies of Labido mother?" I asked in confusion, then I saw the feather in her hands.

"Matilda is in our Order, Coz, so when he joined with her body last night, the entire Sisterhood held him in their arms.... And yes, I know she mounted you too son, but that was just Matilda," mother conceded.

The Sisterhood is connected through their sexuality. When they make love, you will either be loving that one woman, or the entire Order. There is no in-between.

"Featherby showed Matilda why the ladies love his feather so much, and she brought the entire Sisterhood into the love making," Mother confessed.

I saw that the feather looked perfect. Where the white had been stained pink, and the blue and copper eye of the plume was matted with cum and blood and sweat, it now stared back at me in pristine condition.

The combined Ladies of Labido have not made love with a feather in more than a generation, son. It appears that we underestimated your childhood friend," she conceded.

How Gimpy uses that feather remained a mystery to me, but I was glad that they liked my Horseman now, even if it wasn't for the same attributes that come to my mind.

"I'm relieved to hear that I did not fuck my mother last night, Lady Symra," I said mockingly to my mother.