The Knight Behind the Pillar (5 page)

             
Alain continued to approach Arthur’s father with notable caution, “But perhaps now most of us are here, it would help everyone if you at least tell us why we are waiting.  What importance does he hold for you sir?  For I must admit my curiosity is at breaking point and we have been here a long time already.  I for one would be grateful for a clue my friend.” He asked, sounding falsely polite and sounding out certainly words and making then unnecessarily longer than needed, like he enjoyed the tone of the sounds he could make. 

             
I surprisingly thought he sounded as little like my own father, and then quickly scolded myself for the thought.  My own father had a similar tone of voice he used when he wanted something done, but knew force was a waste of time.  Not that stopped him using it after he had what he wanted I knew and again told my head to stop thinking!  

             
“As I have told you, sir, I will wait for his arrival before allowing anything else.” Ector stated flatly, but like me had understood the tone and had mocked it a little with excessive distaste at the word “sir” used by Alain. 

             
He was clearly defiant of any pressure being mounted by the others.

             
“Do you really have a choice?” Morvid threatened fiercely and at last he stepped forward into my view.

             
This man wore a dark red tunic without a cloak or much adornment compared to others.  He maintained a grip on the hilt of his sword hanging from his belt, perhaps for his own sense of security.  Dark hair, probably black if seen in better light and was clearly thinning on top with strands of hair brushed across in a failed attempt to hide the truth.  Most prominent was his crooked nose, it was very large and protruding and a significant feature compared to the size of his botchy face.  I wondered if someone had broken it in the past then it swelled up and afterwards it never recovered fully.

             
“Shut up Morvid, or I will send you back to Gloucester.” Snapped Alain without any time taken to play with his words this time. 

             
Alain was obviously in charge of the man and was now my first candidate for the cause of any injury this Morvid may have suffered in his life.  Uncomfortable silence filled the room for a moment. 

             
Morvid having quickly assessed his options dropped his head and half bowed.  “My apologies Sire,” he said and fell back into the shadows.

             
“In any event,” Aries spoke up unexpectedly with opposing brightness to the gathered clouds who were quick to look and stare back to him as he continued, “I have spread the word that people should return tomorrow, but I’m sure many will stay as they have travelled long distances in many cases.  It’s been a long time since the fort has been so….”

             
Aries’s polite chat and courage fell away to nothing as his instincts to know when to shut up caught up with him at last.  His stab at something in the fog like atmosphere was a lost.  Perhaps feeling the pressure of eyes bored of him, he moved to one side and leaned on the table.  It was answers this audience sought and I concluded Aries was not the one with the right ones needed.  I watched him attempt to appear at ease, yet he gritted his teeth and held back his frustration.  This amused me for a while as it had been the first time that I had ever seen Lord Aries have no authority, no command or power compared to these strangers.  He was just a knight in this room of kings and higher nobles and his position as the lord of Caerleon failed to matter. 

             
Nothing happened for a time.  The whole world seemed to stop as the room waited.  The noble’s postures relaxed and the gap of silence allowed perceived tensions to ease a little.  Some found chairs and dropped into them to get more comfortable.  I felt that suddenly everything had arrived at this point and nothing else could happen or would be allowed to happen.  This was the right moment for the awaited man to arrive.  The air filled with expectation, the nobles waited, the room braced itself for the answers this man would bring, but the moment passed and disappointment replaced expectation and then awkwardness followed. 

             
As with all awkward gaps of nothing there was eventually a need to fill the void.  The longer the gap lasted the more desperate the need to fill it became.  What words would be appropriate now to cut through the stillness, who would be the first to fight the unending quiet?   Not Aries that was certain.  My eyes flickered between each figure in view, knowing someone would have to speak and break under the pressure of silence.  

             
“I cannot understand why this man has any answers for you Ector, he is a fool.” A bitter voice finally answered the demand for a sound, “Yet, he has seemingly convinced many of his so called wisdom.”

             
I knew this voice and now finally remembered where he had heard Arthur’s father’s name before.  It was because this new speaker had said it in the halls earlier this morning when I was late.  Craning to see him without falling out from behind the pillar I could just make him out.  I caught sight of the glint of gold that continued to line his hand.  I had not seen his face before and still struggled to see it now, but he seemingly had a well kept formal beard and was a dark haired man, but had little hair on his head to speak of.  I was sure he was the nobleman I had stopped for in the hallway earlier.

              Regretfully Aries tried to say something of use again, “Perhaps we should meet again when he arrives.”  He suggested cautiously from the side line.  “It is clear my lord Sir Ector does not wish to proceed until does.” 

             
“I think we shall wait a little longer,” was Alain’s flat reply with sufficient pause to attest his authority, before choosing to explain.  He seemed to constantly have a hand to his face and his thumb rested under his pointed chin while his remaining fingers conducted his words or occasionally stoked the end of his neatly refined black moustache.  “With respect to you all it took long enough this morning to bring you altogether and I have no intention to spend more time finding you all later, or waiting as needed.  As for your comments Archbishop I have met this man a handful of times in the past and I have my doubts that he is anyone’s fool.  Playing the fool when it may serve him is another matter I would observe!”

             
“After all,” Another stranger’s voice chipped in from the back of the room, “Did he not establish the tournament in the first place and set the challenge of the sword?” 

             
“Yes Leodegrance he did, that must be, now when?”

             
“Ten years ago.  Oh there was some fighting over it at the time then I can tell you, oh yes.” Leodegrance finished.    

             
I could not see Leodegrance, but he was the first friendly, almost jolly, voice I had heard so far.  It was like he had to struggle to contain his laughter. 

             
Alain looked thoughtful for a while “That long is it.” He exclaimed, nodding to himself. 

             
“Yes and we laughed at him then!” Added the Archbishop, obviously keen to keep his point alive and valid. 

             
Alain smiled faintly as some thought amused him.  “But only after thousands of men tested themselves against the sword, all of them failed and then and only then was his challenge declared a trick as you say your grace.  Then we laughed at it.  And yet, amazed as I am I admit, here we all are,” He said, once again pausing and the respectful silence responded.  He was in control of this room without doubt I realised.  Whatever the status of the others, he had the reverence needed and appeared to enjoy his influence over them.  Slowly he strolled around the room to immerse himself as he continued.  “As I say, a fool I think not.  He set the sword as a challenge, but it was not for us to beat.  After a few years of trying to pull the damm thing out and I confess I had my full of trying as well and so did every single person here.  Here we are.  We all forgot about it, yes, yet we each allowed the memory of it to linger in the back of our minds, that understanding that we had each once tried and failed has stayed with us.  We now have a boy not even knighted who has done it, he met the challenge and because none of us did, nor did the thousands of other men, suddenly everyone in the country understands the significant of the deed and so they know this boy is special.  As for Merlin, a fool I think not.”

             
              I looked once more at Arthur who was listening intently.  I wondered what it was that meant he could pull out this sword when others had failed.  Certainly Arthur didn’t look overly strong.  The old rusted thing in his room only just qualified as a sword, its grace all but eroded through time.  But more of a concern and to my amazement was the fact that this was indeed serious!  These were various leaders of the realms and they have just got together over a boy who pulled a rusted useless old sword out of some rock!

             
Trouble!

             
I thought I was avoiding it this morning, but I had just walked into a real nightmare now.  Instead the impossible may in fact be very possible!  And I persuaded him to leave his room!

             
“Of course whatever the trick was, it might have just worn thin and the sword just came out for the boy.” Said Morvid, suggesting the very answer I needed for a rational world to return.

             
Leodegrance stepped into the light enough so that I could distinguish him now.  An older man, maybe a little older than Alain.  He had light hair, a blend of almost yellow and white.  A red cheek face, notable dense eyebrows of a darker yellow or ginger with matching moustache that stuck out at the sides of his face.  Certainly he had laughter lines that portrayed an age of enjoyment that complemented his voice. 

             
Leodegrance shocked his head, but continued to appear ecstatic “I can assure you Morvid many of us tried to pull it out having replaced the sword a number of times and it answered only to the boy, ahh,” He explained pausing to think of the name. “Arthur, isn’t it?”

             
“Yes Leodegrance it is.” Alain confirmed close by.

             
“Not a bad name for, you know, not bad name for one.” Leodegrance hinted raising his eyebrows suggestively.

             
              I looked again at Arthur who despite my intent staring refused to look back at me.  He too had said others had tried to remove the sword.  The world was not rational anymore I now decided.  What he was thinking, how was he reacting to all this?  While my mind was struggling to take in the enormity of the situation, Arthur at least had the benefit of thinking about maybe being a king for the last few days that perhaps grounded him now.  Actually, perhaps not!  Thinking you’re a king all of a sudden would be the last thing to ground you! 

             
I froze when all at once I was aware of a figure approaching behind me as the light from the doorway flickered and turned into a shadow.  Turning I realised this could only be one person and even Arthur too had become aware and glanced around.   The weakness of our hiding place was if someone looked directly to the side as they entered the doorway then we would be seen for the briefest of moments.  The cloak of darkness would do nothing to hide us from that angle and we would of course look very suspicious standing there peering around the pillars.  To my disappointment the figure did exactly this.  I couldn’t avoid eye contact as the man’s eyes fell upon me for an instant and in mid step he paused.  To me this felt like an age.  He appeared old, he was completely bald, but still it was hard to judge exactly how old he was as despite the greyness of his neat short beard he had a healthy complexion and clear young bright blue eyes that contemplated our existence. 

             
Surprisingly without a word or comment on the sight of two figures hiding behind the pillars, the man swept his cloak across the floor and continued to step on into the room as if appearing to glide silently.  I questioned briefly if we had been noticed, but I was sure we had been seen and now worried why nothing was said!

             
A voice boomed and I was not looking to see whose it was, “Ah Merlin, at last you have arrived.” 

             
It was the type of voice that had one purpose.  On the outside it was to welcome someone, but its true purpose to alert the others to shut up especially if you were discussing the man in question. 

             
“As summoned my lords.” The deeper tone of Merlin answered, but with a degree of exuberance.

             
Arthur and I both spun around to watch and were released from our idleness.  At last why did Ector want to see this Merlin!  Immediately the sound of Ector’s chair scraping the stone floor filled the room as he rose from his seat.  His purpose could not be clearer and he awoke from his self made seclusion within the room.  Merlin had stepped forward and halted at the centre, he stood tall and confident and calmly waited.  Feet away the stout Ector looked like he was about to explode, taking deep breaths to control what it was bubbling beneath. 

             
Whatever it was, Ector had been thinking about it for a few days now and this was the moment.  “You,” He managed, but it was a false start as the stress of whatever it was briefly too much to bear.  Shaking his head, he collected himself and tried again.  “You sir have taken me for a fool!  You have a lied to me!  You have done this.  And I don’t take kindly to being dragged into some game of yours.”