The Knight Behind the Pillar (25 page)

             
“Just like his mother,” I heard Ector whisper across to Kay, “always did the unexpected.  Blood or not it don’t matter, cause we brought him up.”

             
“I guess that means I take after you, looks and all” Kay answered with gentle irony.                “You could do worst son.  Your mother was an attractive woman, but some of the suitors she had were awful and you might’ve ended up looking like one of them.”

             
“She was saved by you coming along!”  Kay coughed. 

             
“Something like that.” Ector replied in good humour. 

             
“And now I have a king as a brother.”

             
“No son,” Ector was quick to answer, “You have a brother who happens to be king.”

             
“It’s the same thing.” Kay questioned and I could see his forehead creased now as he turned his head back to his father. 

             
“No it’s not, don’t forget it.” Corrected Ector as only a father could. 

             
Kay paused in thought for a moment, before turning away without a reply.  He returned his eyes to look towards his brother once more. 

             
While listening to Ector and Kay I had not noticed that Arthur had now stepped up to the altar and a large chair had been placed behind him.  It was the best find for a throne I assumed.  Arthur now looked out across the crowd and there was no chance of pretending they were not there for him now.  While Alain had looked down on Arthur before, Dubric had to look up to him now and the stage was ready for the coronation to begin.  I wondered if Arthur would do something unexpected this time, but at this moment he was just a wide eyed small boy staring at the people before him.  Any confidence gathered during the knighting appeared to have dispersed once again and he seemed uncertain and gathering second thoughts.  If it were me fear would have had frozen every bone.  It was a good idea to have the chair on hand as he appeared to be going very pale, even to the point of fainting.  Then it was not every day that the weight of the known world suddenly attempted to see if you would crack under the pressure of it all.

             
I knew not what to expect, this was my first coronation to witness.  I was not sure how much of a ceremony there would be or how long it would last.  The moment a king dies the eldest son or whichever son is selected as heir was normally made king at once.  To that end a coronation was nothing more than a large scale announcement.  Except in this case Arthur’s claim was less known and many areas of the country had deserted the notion of an overall ruler or high king.  Also there were unusual circumstances with swords in stones, adoptive parents and annoying old men!  If you put it altogether I suppose I saw the point of this particular coronation as it would go some way to clearly sanction Arthur’s claim.  Besides it was an ideal time for the new group of kings and nobles, the new alliance of kingdoms, or at least those present, to publicly swear allegiance to their new king and was a test in itself.  During the change over the crowd had accepted unspoken permission to talk amongst themselves, but now the expectant fell silence again.  I along with them awaited a new king to be crowned.

             
To my disappointment the actual Coronation was the most boring event I had ever had the misfortune to witness.  Dubric unquestionably enjoyed himself with word after word about the virtues of being a good leader and following the faith, its principles, its virtues, avoiding temptation and more virtues again.  His singular tone of voice droned on and I wished I had a chair or even better a bed!

             
Arthur was right.  He had no chance to say anything now as there was no place for any involvement for the king himself except to agree.  For the most part he luckily just had to sit there and look interested.  While Arthur managed to be seated early on, it took me ages to slowly work my way down the wall to find some comfort siting on the ground without being noticed.  Somehow Arthur held his composure throughout, his head high and appearing to listen to each and every word, something he was amazingly able to do this against such relentless attack of monotony.

             
Yet I feared Arthur’s stronghold only encouraged Dubric to talk more.  Dubric continuously split between addressing the crowd and then would return to Arthur in his address.  After a while I had developed a game, each time Dubric turned back to Arthur I looked for who would move to betray their own boredom and after a while see who was showing just how tired and fed up they were.  A stretch of an arm, a shake to regain focus and even a well timed yawn!  The lengths people went to in an attempt to hide such actions were themselves of amusement at least for a while before this also became dull.  The only interesting moment after that was the loud coughing from Merlin at one point that gained a brief, but welcome break from Dubric’s attempt to kill us all by words alone.

             
Finally a crown was revealed, it was a plain gold band with a few red gemstones spaced out around its length.  An understated symbol of the power it represented.  On the placing of the crown, he was announced to be king.  We all bowed our allegiance and hailed the new king and the new uncertain destiny to come.  The following cheers were loud enough to convince Dubric not to dare say anymore and the cheering followed Arthur outside to be certain.

             
As celebration, a feast was announced back within the great halls.  Anyone who was not referred to as a Sir or Lord or an even greater title knew by instinct that the invitation did not apply to them.  My own instincts were thrown into confusion.  The social order of the known world returned to normal outside of the chapel and was represented by two clear groups of people.  One was a huge mass of people leaving the chapel and standing to hail the new king, all cheering and cerebrating with unlimited excitement.  While the other was a line of nobles heading towards the main tower.  With the up most caution I carefully followed the nobles.  My ears alert to the possible order to go away as I was not wanted or not allowed, but the command did not come.

             
Before long I was back inside the fort and found festivities had begun.  While the previous ceremonies were devoid of sound except for the individual words of men, this part of the celebration was a chance to make some real noise.  Some played flutes or similar and there was drums, while others still liked the sounds of their voices a lot more.  It all amounted to a competition of sound and friendly chaos.  As I wandered around I glanced at smiling faces, laugher or those stuffing food into their mouths.  They had all forgotten what lie beyond the walls, from invading Saxons, kingdoms still wanting to rule themselves to people wanting their own choice of high king and not wanting Arthur.

             
Despite these thoughts I enjoyed the atmosphere for a little while, the excitement of people enjoying themselves gave out a feeling of warmth and comfort that was good to share.  I was not sure what to do next, not sure if I might see Arthur.  Doubts formed, would I want to speak to him and if I did see him what would I say?  After all, he was king now, no longer an equal in anyway.  The instance I thought of him, my eyes without the consent of my own will sought him out at once and quickly found him.  It was a relief in a way to find he was unreachable.  He sat in a chair behind a long table full of food and wine.  Countless nobles surrounded him, keen to show willing and support to him and he was trapped.  This included the guarding presence his father and brother behind him.  The only one missing was Merlin not around on this occasion.

             
Now I decided I had seen all I needed to see and had done all that was expected.  With sorrow I realised that this was it and I had to return to my life as a squire.  This peak at the beginning of a new king had been a welcome distraction, despite the bruises, but the end had finally come and I could not extend the time away from my own life any further.

             
I looked around at the madness once again, the faces of strangers eating, drinking, making deals, complaining, singing, be it badly, along with dancing and playing and I suddenly felt like a trespasser.  Any title I once had no longer gave me permission to be here now.  Back to my plan, working hard with my head down and to work towards one day being a knight.  On that day I would have earned a place among these people rather than a privileged one.

             
I turned away and started to head out, bumping from one body to another and had to resolve to pushing through the growing numbers of people.  The scent of leather and rose petals was a strange mix that overpowered, but this was a gathering of the rich.  Then I remembered her, wondered if she might also be here?  Looking some more I failed to see the woman I collided within the halls the other day.  I seemed to be unable to extract her from my thoughts and nothing more entered my head for the times I thought of her. 

             
“More wine lad.” A lord nearby suddenly demanded, pulling my sleeve and along with it my arm and the rest of me across to him.

             
“Eh?” Was the just a sound of my surprise to the request and nothing else followed. 

             
The nameless woman vanished from my mind and I had frozen unsure how to react, except to pull my arm back at once.  The unknown lord of whatever rank sat at a table sharing food with others.  He gave me a look that told me at once that he considered me to be very much beneath him

             
“Well go on, hurry up.” The lord sought my compliance further and with growing annoyance he turned back to his company to complain about the poor service.

             
“Sorry, yes my lord at once.” I finally answered as my inner survival instinct took over at last.

             
I moved away on the pretence I was going to find a drink for the lord, but I had already decided I was just going to leave.  In truth I needed to leave, get some air and get away.  A fool I was to think I was more today than a serving squire, a servant without pay.  The past was the past.  Did I really think I was more thanks to a change of clothes, just new rags compared to some ruined ones?

             
I pushed through more people and headed towards the open doorway.

             
I needed to escape to breathe and find quiet away from the madness, but then another hand touched my shoulder.

             
“Yes,” I responded sharply with a jump and expecting another noble full of demands for me I turned to face them, “Oh!”

             
It was Arthur standing there.

             
“Tor.” Arthur greeted keenly. 

             
He appeared very cheerful and relaxed, not as terrified or unsure of himself as I imagined he would be, especially compared to how I was feeling right now.  Before I could answer I could not help but glance behind him and the empty path he had opened up through the crowd to get to me.  He had managed to clear a straight line between where he had been seated and me.  Either side the new aisle and beyond stood a number of staring lords and ladies curious as to the reason their king had just needed them to move out of the way.  I guessed he must have also needed to go under or over the table he had been seated at to escape his brother and father.

             
Aware at once of an audience to our greeting, I quickly switched back to Arthur.  “Your highness.” I addressed formally. 

             
This time it sounded right.  It suited him now and no longer sounded strange as it did only a day or so ago.  Today he had the presence and power without a word to push aside a whole room.  I also dropped my head and slightly bowed it for a moment and that did not seem wrong either.  We were no longer equals and I needed to witness his coronation to understand this and see people now react the way they now did.  No longer were we both squires with the same demands and complaints or even equal as we may have pretended as princes.  Except he gave me hope that he was not completely one of them yet as I saw him unseen by the others roll his eyes when I looked up from the floor having finished bowing my head.

             
“You were able to get away and come.” He said openly and with confidence to be heard by the attentive crowd, but as he indicated for me to walk back with him and stepped to my side to add a whisper.  “Thank you.”

             
“Arthur!” Alain called from the main table ahead, “we haven’t finished introductions yet and I especially wish you to meet King Bors here.”

             
There was no sign of Alain being a subject to the new king in his voice.  It was not a voice of a friend calling another across, but of a commander ordering his recruit to return and obey.

             
“Yes my lord,” answered Arthur, acknowledging evenly, “but may I introduce Tor.”

             
I shot him a glare of protest.  If looks could kill I would have been hanging for murdering the king within the hour.  I could not believe he was going to present me to this crowd of noble men that was nothing more than pit of lions and I was being dragged into it.