"Incredible,"
he stammered. Thinking that this was all an alcohol infused dream.
"I mean to ask
you," the lady started. "I have no true protection here. I have no
loyal and brave knights. Would you be my brave knight here?" She enquired,
almost apologetically.
"My lady I would be
so honoured," Arthur replied with a clumsy bow. "It would be a true
pleasure,"
Lady Windermere sat back
in her chair with a wide smile of thanks.
She sat there beholding
him in his glorious new tunic.
Then her smile
straightened slightly.
"Sir Arthur, I
would like to hear you say it,"
"My
lady?"
"I would like to
hear you say that you will act as my loyal Knight…"
He looked
confused.
"Yes, I would be
honoured,"
"Please say the
words, sir Knight… for my… pleasure," he frowned and then pondered what
she was asking of him.
He stepped forwards,
gently took her fingers with his hand, knelt (somewhat clumsily), and held her
hand in front of his face.
"My Lady Guinevere,
Lady of Windermere and this magnificent abode, I offer you my humble service as
your Knight." He gently kissed her hand. She accepted it with a nod of her
head. But he continued. "I will serve you and protect you as befits the
role of a Knight of more noble birth than I…"
"Birth right does
not make one noble," Lady Guinevere retracted her hand sharply but still
elegantly. "You will remember that sir Knight. The actions of individuals
are what makes one noble."
Arthur nodded, receiving
his first lesson from his new Lady.
"I must anoint you
as a Knight, it would be befitting," she picked up a steak knife from the
table set. It was of unusual metal.
"This is no
ordinary metal, it is the metal from a falling star," she started.
She stood, for the first
time for hours, from her chair, held the small steak knife aloft, above
her.
Arthur looked up, looked
up at her glorious body, her beautiful chin, which looked up along her arm to
the knife which pointed skywards.
Suddenly the lady's
other hand gestured towards the main chandelier which was burning with
candles.
Arthur gasped as the
candle light, the fire, seemed to be sucked away from the candlesticks and
soared across the air and hovered in a ball of flame above her outstretched
palm.
She muttered some
foreign words, then shouted some more, her voice contained such power that it
felt like the ground shook.
Arthur suddenly felt
very heavy from his shoulders down.
He watched in
astonishment as she lifted the fireball and smashed the fireball at the
knife.
There was a crash, an
explosion of light and fire.
Arthur averted his gaze,
he lowered his face to the ground. Stunned. He felt searing heat on the back of
his neck, but he trusted his new Lady, who he was now the loyal servant
to.
"I dub thee,"
he looked up again, as she spoke in a regal voice. His eyes widened in
amazement. She was holding a magnificent broadsword aloft where the steak knife
had been.
She lowered the sword,
which was bejewelled with Ruby's, sapphires and other precious stones and
metals. It glistened with glory and looked sharp enough to cut anything.
"Sir Arthur of
Windermere," she gently tapped the flat of the sword on each shoulder.
"Rise sir Knight… my Knight," Arthur slowly stood and stood face to
face with her.
He smiled with honour,
but his smile faltered slightly, his lady suddenly looked ever so tired. Her
beautiful face was still beautiful but she looked slightly older. There were crow’s-feet
on the edges of her eyes. Her cheeks looked slightly more gaunt and her eyes
had slightly purple eyebags.
"My radiant Lady
Windermere," he bowed. "I thank you for your trust and honour
bestowed upon me this night," she gently handed the sword to him, which he
graciously accepted and he admired it.
The lady stepped
backwards, staggering slightly, and clutched the backrest of her chair, leaning
heavily on it.
"My lady," sir
Arthur stepped forwards to assist but she politely waved him off.
"I am well, sir
Knight. I believe I have just had too much wine. I must get some rest.
I will look forward to
breaking my fast with you in the morning." And with that she slowly walked
out of the dining hall.
Her maidens scurried in
and quickly whisked Arthur back to his room with his new outfit and magnificent
sword.
*
Arthur awoke with a
chronic headache. He rubbed his forehead and groaned. His throat felt
parched.
Then he remembered the
events of last night. Or indeed last night's dream, it couldn't possibly be
real.
He expected to wake up
with his horse next to him somewhere in the wilderness or the moors.
He groaned as he sat up.
He looked down his body, he had been undressed. He was in a large room with a
four poster bed.
There was a fire still
dying down in the fireplace and a bed warmer that was still warm. They must
have tended to him through the night.
There was a goblet of
water next to him. He downed the contents.
In the corner of his
room there was a straw manikin and it was adorned with his new tunic. Stood up
against the wall was his new magical sword.
He was amazed. It hadn't
been an alcohol infused dream. This was incredible. It was real.
He swung his legs over
the bed and got dressed in his new outfit. It renewed him with energy.
Heftng his sword up he
slid it into a scabbard on his belt and then started down to the dining
hall.
He was greeted by
maidens and again the vast table was covered with foods of all different types,
cheeses, quails eggs, duck eggs, hen eggs, breads and pastries, fruit and
savouries, hams and chutneys. Yoghurts and milks. He was stunned once
again.
"Is my lady
up?" He asked a maiden.
"Lady Windermere
invites you to dine and she will join you later to discuss your quest."
"Quest?"
Arthur asked with interest. The maiden curtseyed and offered nothing more. She
turned and left for the pantry.
Arthur ate his breakfast
with vigour and his hangover soon passed him by.
*
Arthur strode out in the
courtyard of the castle. The sun shone brightly through a dark cloud, causing
him to cover his eyes as he walked out to join Lady Windermere.
She was directing her
servants to preparing for something.
She turned to greet him
warmly.
"Sir Arthur, my
dear Knight, good morning. I trust you enjoyed breaking your fast. I do
apologise for not being able to join you. I woke up early to commence
preparations,"
"Good morning, my
lady, I trust you slept soundly. I truly enjoyed your company last night and
thank you for your wonderful gifts you have bestowed upon me." He bowed
deeply, working hard to avoid the tip of his scabbard from scraping in the mud
of the courtyard.
"One of your
maidens mentioned a quest for me…" he started.
The lady's face
darkened.
"Which maiden
mentioned the quest?" She asked abruptly.
Arthur spotted her
across the courtyard with some other maidens. She was packing some leather
sachels and trying to avoid eye contact.
"My lady I do not
wish to cause an altercation…"
"Sir Knight. I
thank you for your honourable intentions but please remember that honesty is
another virtue of a true Knight. I trust that you are an honest
Knight?"
"Indeed,"
Arthur bowed his head. He felt humbled by her very presence. "It was that
maiden over there my lady. Please do not punish her…"
"Seraphim,"
lady Windermere called to the maiden, who looked up sharply and visibly
quivered. The lady merely gave her a piercing stare and gestured to two other
maidens. "You've drawn attention to yourself, you can make yourself useful
in the stable," she gestured and Seraphim was taken by her elbows and
guided into the stables.
Arthur was disconcerted
by the look of fear on her face.
Lady Windermere had a
tough streak, that was clear. He had better remain on her good side.
"I heard that you
lost your horse and your knightly equipment," lady Windermere changed the subject.
She perhaps wasn't aware
that his horse was a pack horse, his sword was a rusty thing and his equipment
had gone mouldy days before he had arrived at the castle. He wasn't missing
much.
"Indeed my lady. My
steed has gone missing, I fear I cannot perform my Knightly duties you
deserve,"
"No matter,"
lady Windermere focused on the stable building and chanted in her foreign
language, she twirled her fingers and twisted and weaved them in the air.
She clapped her hands
together and there was a powerful bang and a shock wave. Arthur stumbled back,
feeling that he had witnessed more magic in action.
The stable doors opened
and two maidens exited leading a beautiful white mare. It had a long mane and
tail. It looked perfect, freshly cleaned, it somehow looked familiar to
him.
The horse stumbled out
uncertainly, initially.
"My thanks, my
lady," Arthur applauded her magic. "Incredible, my breath continues
to be taken away by your magnificence," he sighed.
Lady Windermere gave a
tired but satisfied smile.
Arthur suddenly looked
worried.
"My lady," she
stumbled slightly and he propped her up under her arms, he bore her weight,
which was very light.
"Dear Knight. The
magic has drained me, I haven't cast spells for such a long time," she lied,
partially. She regularly used magic but these recent spells had indeed taken a
toll on her.
Her Life Force Well was
empty.
"The magic has
tired my body and my soul. Without means to restore my magical well I will look
older and more tired to your eyes. I apologise for this,"
"Please my lady
never apologise. I thank you for your great sacrifice. Is there anything I can
do to restore your… magical well?"
Lady Windermere looked
at him and her beautiful eyes, surrounded with wrinkles, searched for
something. She smiled, seeing his adoration for her in his eyes.
"I need people to
be here around me at Castle Windermere sir Knight. I need to have many people
around me, their energy helps me to restore my magical well."
Arthur considered this,
she was probably being quite literal. He had no idea how magic worked. All he
knew was that he wanted to please her and return the many favours she had
bestowed upon him. It was now his knightly duty to serve her.
He took another breath
as the white mare approached.
The leather saddle was
magnificent. To its side was affixed a beautiful round shield with the dragon
logo on it. The same as his tunic. A head mail armour piece was part of the
equipment and a short sword.
"What shall we name
her sir Knight? We must name your horse."
Arthur pondered this for
a moment. He felt it should be a grand and meaningful name.
"I know, how about
Seraphim," lady Windermere suggested, with a wry smile. "Fitting….
considering she revealed your quest don't you agree?"
Arthur nodded eagerly;
he looked around briefly for Seraphim. He hadn't seen her leave the stable with
the other maidens.
The horse nuzzled him
and whinnied loudly.
"She's a spirited
one Seraphim. No doubt giving her a good long ride will help even out her
spirits," lady Windermere leaned close to the horse's head and peered into
its left eye.
The horse's feet trod up
and down quickly, she was jumpy.