"The Orphan Knight" by Amy ´the Ames´ Perkins

Since my boyhood I’ve aspired to be a knight, always wandering the countryside looking for people to help and dragons to kill. My younger brother and I would pretend to be in Tournaments. We had hobby horses from our father and sticks would be our swords and lances. We would clobber each other and come home with bruises and smiling faces.

That was before the war.

My father was called away to serve our lord of the land. When the war ended he did not return. My mother took sick the next winter and no healing art could help her. She died by the start of summer, leaving my brother and myself alone in the world. So many things changed very quickly that winter. A new king took the throne and my brother and I were left to live alone. We knew enough of our farm to continue to live off of the land. My brother and I lived this way for a year.

It was in the spring of the year that I turned ten and three that a stranger rode to our door, asking for a place to stay for the night. It was stormy, the rain pelting down and trying to force its way through the straw of our roof. The man was wearing a soaking wet cloak and his horse was dripping as well. We let him in, thinking only to show him a kindness. He gratefully accepted our bread and soup. We let him sleep in our parents bed but before settling in for the night he asked us a favor.

"Do not tell any person that I am here. Please, for your safety."

While my brother checked on the man’s horse, I set the fire so it would not die in the night. I heard the door open and my brother called my name.

"Kenneth!" There was fear in his voice so I went to see what was wrong. Brandon was standing in our main room with two men. One had a dagger to Brandon’s neck. The men wanted to know where our stranger was. I told we didn’t know any strangers. We were just two orphans living alone. He cut Brandon’s throat and the two men left. My brother died in my arms.

I was still crying on the floor when the stranger came down.

"That was a hard thing to do boy. Thank you." I could only look at the man.

"My brother died because of you." I leapt up and began hitting him with my fist. He just stood there and let me continue until my rage was spent.

"Are you done?"

I looked at him with tear stained eyes. "I hope your life is worth my brother’s. He is the last of my family. I have no one else."

The stranger looked at me carefully. "What is your name?"

"Kenneth."

"Well Kenneth, the least I can do is take care of you until you are a man. Will you be my squire?"

It was my dream come true. Finally I would realize my dreams of becoming a knight with only the bittersweet trade of my brother’s life. The stranger and I traveled together. He on his bay charger and me on our farm horse, a chunky grey draft. I learned about the life of knights. The stranger I was now bound to was named Hiten. He had discovered that the King he was sworn to serve was corrupted and evil. Hiten forsake his vows to that King and became renegade. For that he was being hunted. From him I learned that sometimes the vows a knight swears before his King must be forgotten if the deeds asked of you violate your vow as a knight. These things I learned. I traveled everywhere with Hiten. We always had to watch for the men from the corrupt King. On these travels we would always stop and help those in need.

Several years later, Hiten and I joined an army and single-handedly developed a strategy to drive off the marauding savages. The King of the small was so grateful he gave Hiten lands and he knighted me. Finally I was a knight. Sir Hiten settled down on his newly acquired property to live out the rest of his life in peace. I took my leave of him and continued traveling, helping where I could.

One fateful day, I got lost. The road I turned on was not on my map and I did not realize this. The forest became dark and the trees grew misshapen and seemed to want to tear at my clothes.

That was when I heard the scream. I had been traveling half the day in the s dark forest. My horse was nervous, despite the battle training he had received. We had just crossed a tepid pool of water when I heard the yell. I charged ahead, racing along the path until I came upon a group of wood savages. They had surrounded a young woman and her horse. She must have been a highborn lady who had gotten lost just as I had. I knew that it was my responsibility to save her. She was afoot, her back pressed against her horse’s side and she held out a dagger. Both she and the horse were circling around, trying to keep an eye on each of the savages that had surrounded them. The horse looked threatening, his ears were flat back and he looked ready to strike. Knowing I had to act quickly I spurred my warhorse onward.

"Begone foul savages. You shall not trouble this Lady any longer!" The lady looked up, surprised. I do not think she had seen me, or even expected help. I charged into the group of savages, scattering them into the woods. When they had gone I turned back to the woman. She was tucking her dagger back into her dress in a most inappropriate place. She looked at me, her green eyes sparkling like emeralds.

"Sir Knight, I thank you for your assistance but I assure you, I was in complete control of the situation."

"M’lady, you were outnumbered ten to one. You needed my help. Permit me to escort you to your destination."

"That is not necessary…" She stared at me as though I couldn’t hear her.

"No, you are a woman. It is my duty to assist you." I dismounted, "Let me help you onto your horse." I offered her my hand and she reached out hesitantly but when our flesh touched, she gasped and stared into my eyes. I was suddenly concerned.

"Are you alright m’lady?" She seemed to shake her head clear of a vision.

"Yes, yes I’m fine. Though I think it is a good idea to travel with you Sir Knight." I smiled with relief as I helped her onto the horse.

"Since we are to be companions, may I ask what your name is?" I hoped I wasn’t being too forward.

She smiled shyly at me. "I am called Tara McCarther by some Sir Knight."

"That is indeed a most noble name Lady Tara. I am Sir Kenneth, the orphan knight. It has always been my mission in life to help those in distress, such as yourself."

She looked over at me and flashed a dazzlingly radiant smile. Her teeth were of a white I’d never thought possible and her golden hair was pulled back in a braid which started at the tip of her forhead and continued down to her midback. She wore a cloak of forest green and beneath it was a finely cut dress of a material I did not recognize.

"I believe I shall enjoy your company orphan knight, though I wonder if you shall enjoy mine. I may cause you more distress than I shall be in myself. Did you know that I wanted to speak to those people you chased off? I had need to speak with their leader about a matter of great import and I had not yet made known my identity to their scouts when you arrived. I still need to seek them out."

"Truly you are not serious Lady Tara!"

"I am very serious, this is a task I must do. Will you see me through it?" Before hearing my answer she turned her mount into the forest, off the path and began racing away. Startled, I urged my own horse after her.

"Lady Tara, I had not yet given my answer!" I called after her. She turned around in her saddle, her horse still charging on, and laughed a most crystalline and pure laugh.

"Sir Knight, you must realize, I will do many things before you agree to them. This will, in fact, become a standard occurrence." She turned back around and slowed her horse, allowing me to catch up.

"Lady, do we have to travel with such speed? My horse has had many charges today, I doubt he is quite ready for a headlong rush through the woods."

"Do you wish me to slow down orphan knight? Very well." With no signal that I could see, she slowed. I wheeled my own mount around only to see that she had stopped.

"Why have you stopped Lady Tara?"

"We are there."

"Where?"

"At the stronghold of the people of the forest."

"I see no such stronghold."

"Then they have hidden it well. Do you never look above yourself Sir Knight?" And I looked. Above me, well into the tops of the trees were houses and bridges stretching across in a lacy network of a city in the air. It was beautiful. Then I noticed a basket being lowered. It had a person inside it.

Tara dismounted and called out to the descending figure. "I am the Web Weaver. I wish to meet with the King. There are matters of importance that I must discuss with him." She spoke again, though this time in a musical language. The figure answered her. She turned to me.

"Leave your horse here, we have an audience with the King of the Forest." She dismounted and walked into the basket that had now reached the ground. "Come Sir Kenneth. It is time to go."

I too dismounted, and taking her hand, stepped into the basket with her. She smiled at me.

"Welcome into my services."