The Knight Behind the Pillar (28 page)

             
A horse!  I cursed under my breath at the realisation.  Not again!  I needed a horse if I was to follow.  I could not think why a horse was needed to have a discussion, but in minutes two horses were being presented to the king and final preparations were taking place.

             
I was running out of time.  It seemed to be a familiar problem. 

             
“Tor!” A rough voice yelled, it caught me off guard and I jumped.

             
I feared I was wrong and someone did recognise me from taking the horse before, but then how would they know my name.  I look across to my side and found Harvis staring at me.  Harvis was an older squire, they all were, and like I did until just yesterday he answered directly to Aries and this made him one of the last people I wanted to see.  

             
“Thanks Harvis, I nearly died.” I snapped.

             
The answer pleased him, “Why, you up to no good?” He instantly implied with smirk and not that he knew it, I guess he was right. 

             
“No,” I denied at once, but as usual there was a need to fill the following void with an explanation.  “I have been asked to take Sir Kay’s horse out for a run.”

             
I congratulated myself on smoothly finding a good excuse to be at the stables with so little thought and on the spot.  Maybe this would get me a horse to ride and follow Arthur as well!  Looking past Harvis I could see the old man and young king had not yet left.  A returning hunting party and their horses now got in the way of my spying, but it seemed Arthur was still debating if to go or not.

             
Suspicion flowed across Harvis’s face, “He took his horse this morning.” He answered. 

             
My own face froze and strained to avoid letting out a curse or two.  “Oh.” I stalled, I needed another saving excuse fast!  “Err, he must of meant his father’s horse, Sir Ector’s.”

             
I tried to sound relaxed as if it were a simple misunderstanding, but I feared it sounded like I was hoping that his horse was not gone as well.  My attempt at fooling Harvis was likely to be over and I did wonder about just telling him the truth.  After all I just wanted a horse to follow the new king of Briton and Merlin to find out what they were up to.  When I had thought about it, I realised it would not only be the worst thing to do, but I might end my new life very quickly.

             
Harvis was not a friend, not that I did not like him nor had any opinion on him, only I did not know him.  Certainly I did not know him enough to trust him, but then this was true of most of the squires.  We just went about our tasks and when not busy a bed was calling loudly before you considered time for socialising. 

             
“His is over there.” Harvis finally answered and pointed to one of the end stables, luckily still some distance from Arthur to avoid being seen. 

             
“Thanks.” I said, also nodding my thanks and went to see what beast awaited me. 

             
Forcing myself to be calm, I walked at a normal pace to ensure I did not raise further doubt from Harvis or any mistrust from the stable hands.  Unfortunately he decided to follow and on joining me at my side wanted to talk some more. 

             
“The rumour around the kitchens is you’re now Kay’s squire that you have told Aries you have had enough.” Harvis stated accusingly and sounding slightly aggressive.

             
Rumours did get around quick.  I had only mentioned no longer being Aries’ squire to one person in the kitchen and that was to avoid taking food up to Aries when asked this morning.  I did not need this attention and hoped Arthur and Merlin would not look my way.  Disappointingly when I glanced again toward them I could see them now mounting their horses and were almost ready to go. 

             
“No, I mean yes I’m Kay’s squire now,” I answered switching back to the annoying squire, “but I never told Aries I had enough of anything.  I haven’t spoken with him.” I explained and it was too much I knew. 

             
Harvis looked shocked, “What not at all, not got permission even?   You’ll be best to avoid him then as he won’t be best pleased.  Mind you he’ll be happy to see you go, he was all upset about you the other day and we all got it in the neck.”

             
“I know, but I hadn’t done anything.”  I replied a little defensive while having a little understanding for anyone having to deal with Lord Aries and his high and mightiness. 

             
“Oh, but that’s just the point in it.” Harvis answered meaningfully. 

             
I paused at the stable door once I reached it and turned to face him.  “What does that mean?” I questioned sharply, plainly he was not going to go away quickly and wanted to say something.

             
“Rumour is you’re been with the new king and doing nothing else for days, decided to drop your duties and the like.  Now you say you’re serving the king’s brother.” Sneered Harvis with clear contempt, his nose in the air and I eyed it for a good punch.

             
“Your point is?” I challenged and held his stare.

             
There was no benefit to explaining myself, to tell him that I was following Aries orders would take time and who cared what he thought.

             
Harvis paused and weighed up his thoughts before answering.  “Just saying.” He concluded in disgust at me, but deciding against doing or saying whatever he might have been thinking.  “You be leaving with them, when everyone goes then?”

             
Satisfied he was backing down; I turned back to the door and opened it to enter the stable.  A horse was moving in the darkness and had suddenly realised my presence. 

             
I ensured that the lower part of the door closed immediately behind me and kept Harvis out.  “Well I can’t be Kay’s squire and stay here if he leaves can I!” I eventually answered sarcastically.

             
He pulled a face and it was not of amusement, but he continued to backed off.  “They’re right, you do think too much of yourself!  Hope you don’t fall off that horse.” He retorted.

             
These were his last words as he decided finally to turn tail and leave me alone.  The words were an aimless shot before running away and a coward’s tactic.  Yet I was not sure if he knew of my issues with horses or if he was he was just wishing ill of me.

             
“Someone has to.” I muttered softly after him as I considered what he said.

             
I gave him a second to be certain he had gone before quickly peaking out of the door to check on Arthur’s progress.  Arthur and Merlin were gone!  I spun around and faced Ector’s horse who had decided now to greet her new stable companion.  She didn’t appear to be that big.  A palfrey perhaps and in the available light looked to be a dark brown colour throughout.  A saddle was hanging close by and I rushed to prepare the horse, which remained reassuringly calm. 

             
As far as Harvis was concerned, now I knew him little better, I had concluded that he was no potential friend.  As far as the rumours and them, whoever they were, I did not care.  Only maybe I did a little as I was now more certain than ever of my decision to leave and serve Kay and Arthur. 

             
Minutes later I had the horse ready, having checked the saddle was on tight several times despite my haste.  Lesson learnt as I knew there was no point going and being thrown off again.  Feeling this could all be a waste of time given the head start they had, I still kept going.  Soon I pushed open the stable door fully once more.  Then I ran back and swung up onto the horse, had a quick pray to anyone who would listen and pulled the reins.  In less than a second my head was propelled forward towards the low support beam above the doorway.  I had no time to think or duck forward.  I leaned backwards as far as my back would allow and got a close up view of a number of ants and rusted nails sticking out of the beam as I rode underneath before being blinded by sunlight.  Snapping forward I regained the reins then breathed an enormous sigh of relief as I directed the horse towards the main gate.

             
Not a charge as such, but a reasonable pace was set and to my delight she responded to all my efforts to steer.  Once pass the gates I had my first decision to make.  Well it was one decision, but consisted of three directions to choose.  I pulled the horse to a stop and studied my options.  Within the town roads had hardened and were compacted with stone and dirt that lead north, east around the fort or west out to the wetlands and nearest forest.  The forest being the same one where the last horse I rode might still be wandering.  Many people had already left the town and the roads were not nearly as busy as they had been the last few days.  There were no signs of Merlin or Arthur on any of them and I had one chance in three of being right.  The longer I hesitated, the more likely I would lose them to further choices of directions ahead if I had not already lost them.  Stopping also allowed the fear of what I was doing was completely stupid catch me up, but the excitement of risk was gripping and my heart was beating hard for it.

             
I choose west as maybe they were just on the other side of the fort by the river and the training field, but then before I had made the horse take a single step I wondered why take a horse at all?  I turned the horse around again.  There was the fourth direction of give up and return to the stable, but just before I was about to confirm my failure, I spied two figures on horseback coming out from the shadow of a tree to the north. They were approaching my rock outcrop.   They were in no rush, mainly as Merlin appeared to be sticking to a slow trot while Arthur was almost circling him.  This at least meant I had a chance to catch up and again with no need to gallop hard.  My bruises were thankful for that and I set off, pleased at the willingness and response from Sir Ector’s horse.  I could only hoped Sir Kay’s horse was of the same stock as his would be the one I would care for the most in the future.

             
On reaching my rocks I could see now that Arthur and Merlin had just gone beyond the horizon and entered the next valley beyond.  I continued to follow, not thinking much on how to follow without being seen, just hoping I was far enough back.  The road disintegrated and became a rough track very quickly after the initial rocks.  This was the point the old Romans decided not to bother going any further with any sort of road and no one else even thought to try.

             
Soon instead of continuing to go up, I too had entered the next valley and was going downhill.  Large rock formations began to form a staggered hillside and part of the wider sides of the valley.  Mountains loomed far ahead, the top of most were covered in cloud.  In the shelter of had quickly become a shallow gorge the trees returned and just before I descended further along the overgrown path I could see the tops of the trees forming a green and brown swaying ocean ahead.  I had lost sight of Arthur and Merlin in the trees, but this meant they could not see me either.

             
As luck would have it the ground underfoot had become soft and wet and I could follow their tracks on occasion.  I was also confident given the terrain to the sides that mountain climbing was not their intention and they would be travelling north for a time to come. 

             
Glimpses of the sun through the trees, not nearly as thick as I feared, told me reasonable time was passing by.  Strangely as time moved on, my own mind drifted.  Just riding, being alone, doing nothing else was a taste of something I had never felt before.  Even if that feeling was false as I knew what the truth of the situation was and understood my commitments.  Despite all this, this moment was a taste of freedom.  A moment of freedom was the only true type there was because otherwise you were imprisoned by physical constraints or even restraints you held against your own mind.  To follow the tracks of two almost strangers was not likely to form much sense to anyone else, but there was nothing to remind me of my life, at least for just this moment.  I could pretend to be anyone, a knight patrolling his land, a scout finding somewhere new or just a no one which is as free as you can be.  This ride was a mindless moment of freedom.

             
More time passed and it was the point when you wondered if a lot of time had passed or you were just thinking it had when it had only been mere minutes.  The path weaved and changed levels as we travelled through the valley, but it had also dried out making finding evidence of recent travellers harder to find.  I knew I was not a trained tracker with years of experience.  The best I could offer was my time as a boy with my father hunting deer or boar in the local forests.  In truth he was not hunting with me, he wanted to teach his joy of the hunt to my older brother and I would join them hoping my father would notice me as well.  I would work hard on trying to track a beast and find its direction before my brother just to seize a scrap of the attention my father was giving out.  Any awareness of me from him was rare.  My achievements were never more than a distraction, a quick well done with an air of disappointment that my brother Aglovale had not got there first.  That was a time before I had decided my place was not at my father’s side, before I no longer saw the point of chasing the scraps and before my brother had gone.