Knight Fall (The Champion Chronicles Book 1) (24 page)

“Of course,” the king said with a wide smile.  “What do you wish to know?”

Princess Elissa returned a smile to her father and said, “Everything.  Start from the beginning.”

Chapter Nineteen

Conner woke with numbness in his arm.  He rolled over and his arm flopped along a moment later.  He shook it and a warm pain flooded through it.  The tingling went all the way to his fingertips.  He kept shaking his arm, waiting for the feeling to get back.  The light that trickled through the window at the end of the hall where his chamber was located told him that he had slept in late.  He jumped up in a panic and started to quickly dress.  As a squire in training, he was always supposed to be up before the sun, fed and dressed and ready for the day's work.

With his shirt pulled up over his head, he suddenly realized that he was no longer a squire in training.  He did not need to get up early.  The second wave of panic came over him as he realized that Master Goshin would now be long gone.  He finished dressing while yelling at himself for falling sleep.  Maybe with a fast enough horse, he might catch him before night fell, assuming he could find his trail.  He rummaged through his belongings and collected a thick wool cloak, his bow, quiver, and a handful of arrows.  He had a few coins stashed away and stuffed them into a small leather purse.  His next stop would be the kitchens where he would try and steal away with a loaf of bread and maybe some cheese.  He would need enough to get through the day without having to stop and forage for his own food.  Once he caught up with Master Goshin, they would be able to survive off the land.

With sack in hand, he ran through the halls of the squire barracks.  It didn’t surprise him that they were empty, as they should all be out training.  What did surprise him was the hustle and bustle of the rest of the castle.  The halls were filled with people moving quickly from one place to another.  There was electricity to their actions.  They all looked excited at doing their jobs, which seemed as mundane as hauling sacks and crates of this and that from one part of the castle to another.   He found the kitchen to be packed full of cooks and servants busy cooking like there was to be a grand feast in the evening, but he could not remember what it could be.  Fortunately for him, the busyness of the kitchens made it easy for him to grab two large loaves of bread and a handful of dried and cured meat.

What piqued his curiosity, though, was when he passed by the training field.  He wanted to avoid it all together, but it would have required him to backtrack through the entire castle.  Rather than spend one more minute longer in the castle, he decided to just walk past as quickly as he could and hope that no one bothered or cared to notice him.  He noticed the lack of sound even before he arrived.  The field was empty.  Even the day after the festival, the squires were still supposed to be training.  Every day.  Rain or shine.  They always trained.  But now they weren’t.

The stables were next, and they were nearly as empty as the squire practice field.  All of the knight’s horses were gone.  Only a handful of the smaller horses used for messengers were left.  That was okay with him, as he wanted a faster, lighter one anyway.  But it concerned him that all of the war horses were gone.  He was about to claim one of the smaller riding horses when he noticed the stable warden carrying an armful of hay.

“Sir Kal!” Conner called out.

The aged master of the stables had long since passed the days of swordplay and jousting.  Bent from age and misuse of his body, he was one of the oldest living knights and spent his days managing the stables.  It was an easy job because he had a team of servants and squires to do his bidding.  He simply needed to walk around the stables telling everyone what to do.  It was actually odd for the old knight to be carrying anything.

The old knight turned to look at Conner.  He squinted, trying to figure out who was calling his name.  Conner walked forward until he was just a few feet away.  “Squire Conner?  Is that you?”

“Yes, Sir Kal, it is,” Conner replied.

“Looking for a horse for another ride through the forest?” Sir Kal asked with a toothless smile.

“As a matter of fact, I am," Conner said.

Sir Kal shook his head.  “Sorry, young man.  But there are none that are left.  They are all gone.”

Conner looked around.  He counted five that he could see.  “But there are still some left.  Over there are two of them.  And three against that far wall.”

Sir Kal cleared his throat.  “Those are for the royal messengers.  They are not to be used but by the messenger who must travel to the field of battle.”

The words caught Conner off guard.  “Field of battle?  What are you talking about?”

“The battle field," Sir Kal replied.  "The war.”

Conner stood with his mouth agape.  “War?  What war?  And where are all the other horses?   The knight’s war horses?”

“They have all mustered for battle,” Sir Kal replied.  His words were so matter-of-fact it was as if going to war was a daily occurrence.

“Sir Kal, you are not making any sense.  What battle are you talking about?”

“Were you not called to arms this morning?" Sir Kal asked.  "All the squires and knights were called.  They are being fitted for weapons and armor.  Many are leaving this afternoon to scout the way north.  Those who are left are to scour the city to gather all the men and prepare them for war.”  He shook his head, as if he were talking to a crazy man, and walked off with his armful of hay.

Conner’s head spun.  War?  And against whom?  Were they finally going to invade Thell?  Or did Thell decide to invade us?  The thought of war was both exciting and horrible at the same time.  Everything he did for the past few months had really been about this moment.  They didn’t train for peace, they trained for war.  A strange feeling of dread started in the pit of his stomach.  He really couldn’t comprehend what war meant.  He had heard about it.  There were stories of glory and honor about it.  But the last real war that Karmon was in happened way before he was born.  He really had no idea what going to war truly went.                        

Conner looked at the closest riding horse.  It was in a stall about fifteen feet from where he stood.  It was a light tan color with a black mane and tail.  It was currently rummaging through the hay at its feet, being picky about what it decided to eat.  Conner could have it saddled and ready to ride in two minutes.  No one would know.  No one would catch him.  And certainly now, with the squires and knights called to battle, no one would surely chase after him.  But the thought of war really scared him.  Not because he was afraid of combat, but because he was afraid of what it meant for the kingdom and for Princess Elissa.  His hesitation told him what he should do.  Now was not the time to run away. 

He returned to the squire barracks to put back his bags and supplies.  Oddly, he found Arpwin, the king’s personal assistant wandering the halls of the barracks.  Conner was about to walk right past him, but Arpwin, raised a hand and smiled at him.

“Ah!" Arpwin said in greeting.  "It seems that your services are being requested by the king himself.”  He motioned down the hall towards the castle.  “Shall we?”

"What is going on," Conner asked without moving.

"It is war," Arpwin replied.  "Have you not heard?"

"Yes, but who?  Why?"

"The knights are marching to the north to battle Thell,” Arpwin said.  "As to why, King Thorndale believes that peace can never happen through diplomacy.  He believes it is now time for a military solution.”

“Then I should prepare as well.  Where are the knights meeting?” Conner turned to leave, but Arpwin put a gentle hand on his arm.

“It is not the battle field where you are needed,” Arpwin said softly.  “The king wishes you to attend to your duty.”

“I am not going to sit back and babysit some snot nosed princess!” Conner shouted.  “I am a soldier, and I am going to battle.”

Arpwin lifted his hand off Conner’ arm.  “I am but the messenger, but I think your promise to the king and to the princess should not be overlooked.”

“The princess has plenty of guards," Conner said.  "The king’s guard are not going to war, are they?  They will still need to be around to guard the city gates and the castle.”

“That is true,” Arpwin replied.  He started to say more, but then stopped himself.  He scratched his beard and looked from Conner, to the ground, and then back to Conner.  “Conner,” he finally said.  “I have been the king’s attendant for many years.  So many years I have lost count.  I am no soldier or trained in any way to fight in a battle.  I serve the king and do what he asks.  We talk some, but mostly he talks and I listen.  I am not one to give advice.  I do not have the blessing of the gods like the king does.  But I have seen and heard much in my many years.  It has been a very long time since we have been at war.  There have been battles and skirmishes here and there.  But not a war.  Not like what is happening now.  The line of King Thorndale is long and historic.  He is a direct ancestor of the first king of Karmon.  That needs to stay in place in order for the kingdom to survive.  I hope you understand that.  That means the princess must survive.  In whatever way is necessary.  You did it once, and you may have to do it again.  I don’t think that the king really trusts anyone else other than you right now.”

“Really?” Conner asked.

Arpwin nodded his head and put a hand on Conner’s shoulder and squeezed gently.  “Come with me.  For the princess and for the king.  It is true that there are still a number of royal guard in the city and in the castle to protect the princess, but it would mean more to both of them if you would stay and fulfill your promise.  Whether you like it or not, you are Princess Elissa’s Champion.  There are plenty of knights to fight upon the battlefield, but there is only you to stand at her side and protect her.”

Conner dropped his head, resigned to a fate that he did not want.  Now that the knights and army has been called to arms, he knew that his duty should be to the kingdom.  He should be taking up arms and fighting for his kingdom.  And once the fighting is over, he would go find Master Goshin and continue his training.  But he had made the vow.  And as much as he didn’t want to stay back, he knew now it was the right choice.  With a slight nod of his head, he let Arpwin lead him back up from the dark halls of the barracks to the waiting king.

***

King Thorndale was dressed in a simple grey nightshirt when Conner was let in.  There were dark stains under the armpits and down the front of the shirt.  The king’s hair was matted and unkempt, but he wore a wide smile.

"Conner!" the king shouted.  "You must excuse my appearance.  I have been spending some time reacquainting myself with my sword.  It seems that at some point the past few years, the swords have gotten heavier!" He laughed at his own joke, but his laughter faded when Conner didn’t join in.

Conner stood stiffly, still quite uncomfortable in the presence of the king.

An attendant handed the king a goblet of wine and he gulped it down.  "Wine?" the king asked.

"No, your majesty," Conner replied.

"You do not seem quite yourself," the king asked.

Conner didn’t know how much he should really say, so he paused a moment to consider his words carefully.  "Your majesty.  I know I have made a vow to be Princess Elissa’s champion.  But I have trained very hard and I feel..."

"Enough," the king said softly.  "I know you have trained hard.  I know that Master Goshin has taught you well, trained you well.  But you are not trained for battle.  You have not trained atop a horse.  Fighting from a horse is more than just being able to swing a blade.  You have to know your horse, know how it moves and reacts to both swordsmen and pikemen.  Defeating a pikeman with a ten foot pole is not an easy task.  Trust me, I know.  In my youth I did fight in battles against ranks of pikemen.  Man on man, a knight is dominant, but a good pikeman balances out the battle.  Unless of course, you have trained to defeat them.  Your training has been to defend the princess, not the kingdom."

"I know, but..."

The king approached and put an arm around Conner.  "I know how you feel.  The men and boys you have been training with are going to war and you are not.  When I was young, the same thing happened to me.  My father took arms against a rogue Lord and I had to stay at the castle.  Being the next in line for the throne, my life was even more important than my father’s.  I had trained even more than you.  I had trained as a knight, trained to fight from a horse.  And I was left with the women in the castle.  It is a humbling thing.  But we all have our roles to play.  Mine is to lead this war to finally rid us of the threat of Thell.  Yours is to stay and protect my daughter.  She is the last link to the next generation of Thorndale’s, and the lineage must not be broken."

Conner nodded his head.  He still did not like having to stay back, but it was the right thing to do.

"Now that we have that settled," the king said with a hearty slap on Conner’s back.  "There is a lovely young woman wandering the battlements atop the castle alone.  I think she could use some company."

***

Conner found her standing in the space between two sections of the battlements that lined the top of the castle.  Down below them the knights and squires were preparing for war.  Armor needed to be tended to.  Swords needed to be sharpened.  Tents, blankets, and all sorts of supplies needed to supply a force of knights marching to war needed to be loaded onto wagons.  It was a business that seemed chaotic, but a careful eye revealed that that everyone was doing something with purpose.