The Misadventures of Ka-Ron the Knight (19 page)

"Useless!" Ka-Ron cried. "Useless!"

Keeth remained silent, doing his part to control his curiosity.

Ka-Ron finally took hold of her emotions, and dried her eyes.

"I am sorry, dear wizard." the knight said, wiping her nose. "I have been through a lot."

Keeth pointed to Jatel. "You addressed this man as your squire."

"Yes," Ka-Ron confirmed.

Keeth shook his head, trying to put all the pieces together. "Not that many females in this world are knight-errants, if I may be so bold to say so."

"True."

Another long awkward moment.

Keeth picked up a stick and started to draw images in the sand. Doodling. Thinking.

"Who has done this to you?" the wizard finally asked.

"Done what?" Jatel defended, silently ordering Ka-Ron to sit back, saying nothing.

Keeth looked long and hard at Ka-Ron. "You are a most lovely woman. Painfully lovely. I have lived a long time, and I have never met a woman with your bountiful charms." After pausing, he said, "So, I'll ask again, knight - who has done this to you?"

Jatel rose.

"You knew?"

"I'm a wizard, young man," Keeth stated. "I didn't fall off the carrot cart just yesterday."

"A woman who was like my second mother did this to me," Ka-Ron confessed.

"Sire! No!" Jatel shouted. "We know not this man's intentions."

"Oh, sure!" Keeth huffed. "I purposely had myself swallowed by a sea dragon, ending up here, just so that I can steal your coin purse. Grow up, young man. Know a friend when you see one!"

Jatel sat back down, feeling quite stupid.

"Continue, please." Keeth's eyes turned soft from the asking.

"It is a dreadful curse for a knight to be under," Ka-Ron tried to explain. "In my acts of omission, I was blamed for the death of a woman. The only daughter of the local Wicca Master."

"Ah! A Wicca Master," Keeth mused, rubbing a thoughtful hand against his chin. "This explains much."

"In her rage, the Wicca Master took away my true form, changing me into this&" Ka-Ron motioned her hands around her body. "What you see before you."

"Then, when born, you were a man?"

"Correct," Ka-Ron stated. "I was known as Ka-Ron, Errant-Knight to the kingdom of Idoshia."

Keeth's eyes widened.

"Even in the belly of this beast, I have heard of you." he bowed his head. "It's an honor to have crossed your path, sir."

"We were on a ship, heading for the Fire Mountains," Jatel explained. "We believe that this Wicca Master is there."

"What are your intentions?"

"Confront her, sir!" Jatel roared, angry. "Confront her, and beg forgiveness, in the hope that the softening of her heart will reverse the spell."

Keeth studied Jatel. "You love your master. Do you not?"

Jatel turned uneasy.

Ka-Ron's hopeful stare in Jatel's direction did not pass his keen observations.

"It is all part of the curse, wizard."

Ka-Ron's eyes turned sad and a little watery as she lowered her head.

"Is it?" the wizard asked.

"I have suffered much, dear wizard." Ka-Ron concluded. "I want my identity back. I want, once more, to carry out the duty of protecting my lands from her enemies."

"Who says you cannot do that as a woman?"

Ka-Ron's face turned sarcastic. "War is no place for the gentle sex."

"Obviously, you never had to face a woman's wrath," Keeth chuckled.

Jatel hid his face. The squire was laughing.

Ka-Ron ignored what her squire was doing. Leaning forward, she asked, "Is there anything you can do to help return things to normal?"

Keeth quieted. His face turned serious.

"I believe I can help in some way," he stated, stoking the campfire. The flames were burning a bright blue. Insects alien to both Ka-Ron and Jatel lightly screamed and dove into the fire, gladly giving up their lives. "But truth is important here. Ego will not cure this curse. It will only worsen the pain."

"Agreed!" Ka-Ron said, cheered.

This time, Keeth studied the squire. A silent pain crossed his eyes.

"This is, after all, a very complicated thing," Keeth said.

"In what manner?" the knight asked.

Keeth grunted, uneasy. "An oversight on the Wicca Master's spell seems to have surfaced."

Ka-Ron and Jatel looked at each other, befuddled.

"You two love each other." the wizard explained.

There was an awkward moment of silence.

Ka-Ron and Jatel looked deeply into the eyes of the other.

Both laughed.

Both turned silent.

"It is true, then?" Keeth asked.

"I believe&"

Ka-Ron gave Jatel a longing look.

"Yes!" Jatel concluded. "I do love her."

"Then I will help," Keeth stated. He headed back to stir his stew. "But, we should all eat first. Spells have a way of draining vital energy from those involved. So, who will aid me in the preparing of the meal?"

Ka-Ron raised her hand.

"This has to be done with a quick hand."

It took Keeth a long time to rummage through his personal items, hoping to find the right knife for the job. If the knife were not correct in the actions needed, the wizard explained that his deeds could disrupt the atomic field surrounding their little world, collapsing it upon them.

The wizard's shaking hand rested itself upon the spongy wall of Tork's stomach. "Grab hold of something. This will harm him, some."

The wizard plugged his dagger into the dragon's side, allowing a great deal of blood to pour out into a golden bowl he held in his other hand. As predicted, Tork responded with gusto. He flinched, causing all within his unknown little world to shake in a violent response. Jatel was almost knocked to the ground.

Almost immediately, all three were attacked by a most horrible stench. The wizard had prepared himself, but both Ka-Ron and Jatel were taken unaware. The squire, upon smelling the horrid odor, released his breakfast in a violent upheaval.

"Yes," Keeth relayed. His eyes never left the golden bowl he was holding, making quite sure he got his quota of dragon's blood. "Nasty sort of stuff, is it not?"

"To the gods!" Ka-Ron whispered, her hands covering her nose and mouth. "It is more horrid than the rotting of flesh."

"Still, no truer magical substance exists in this or any other universe."

The wizard removed the bowl, allowing the blood to spray upon the ground. Upon doing so, the blood transformed into a new patch of grass both green and inviting - proving Keeth's theory of dimensional transference. Ka-Ron and Jatel marveled at the sight.

"Amazing!" the knight said, trying her best to control an almost childlike excitement.

"And, observe," Keeth said, directing his guests' attention towards the knife wound.

An ugly scar began to form. The wound would have killed any mortal creature. It was about the size of an average man's fist, for the knife used was designed to harm a dragon. Slowly and subtly, Tork's flesh moved in upon itself, stopping the spray of blood, and appearing, by all evidence never to have known its original pain. It was as if Keeth's episode with the knife had never taken place.

"This is the secret to a dragon's immortality," Keeth explained. He studied the contents of his bowl. "Ahh! It appears that we do have enough to both start and help the two of you."

Ka-Ron and Jatel exchanged happy glances.

"Still," the wizard warned. "As with all my spells here, this could only last under three suns. Please, keep that in mind."

Again, Keeth had noticed a certain painful expression cross the face of Ka-Ron's squire. Quietly, he placed his hand upon Jatel's shoulder, causing the young man to stop and pay attention.

"Young lady," Keeth said, "could you, by chance, attend to the fire, whilst I converse with your squire about duties and attentions I will need from him?"

Ka-Ron gave both men a curious stare.

"All is correct, child," the wizard reassured her. "Have no worries."

With that, Ka-Ron nodded and proceeded back towards the campfire. Her body language stated clearly to Keeth that the knight did not wish to venture on, but, to her credit, she continued with her journey.

Jatel's eyes fell upon the wizard.

Keeth put up a warning finger, waiting for Ka-Ron to travel outside of earshot.

"What is all this, then?" Jatel inquired.

"You care."

Jatel blinked his eyes, hard. "What?"

"You care for her, don't you?"

"Of course!" Jatel started to pace. "I am her loyal squire, and have been so for several seasons. I have always been by her side, and will continue to do so."

"You care for Ka-Ron as a woman, do you not?"

Jatel's eyes filled with rage.

"Just what are you intending, wizard?" The squire controlled his wrath.

Keeth spoke with caution.

He knew he was treading on sacred ground.

"Young squire, I mean neither you nor your master any disrespect." Silently, Keeth motioned Jatel to join him. Both rested on a fallen tree. "Still, your heart is in crisis here. I would be less than a wizard, if I did not see this."

"Meaning?"

"Meaning," Keeth paused, placing his hand upon Jatel's shoulder, "you love this woman. The one you are both trying to recreate into the former form and identity of your master."

Jatel remained silent. He looked down at his shoes.

"Your silence speaks with more eloquence than you ever could."

"I have had a very lonely life," Jatel finally confessed, almost whispering the words.

"And, admiration itself has never been in doubt between both you and your master. Correct?"

"Ka-Ron is a great warrior," Jatel stated, his face flashing both pride and amusement.

"And still you wish to help." Pausing, the wizard studied Jatel's face with wonder. "You would give up all this curse has given you, just so your master could once more have what she has lost."

There was a long pause from Jatel.

"Yes," he finally confirmed. Jatel trembled a little in the saying. "Her happiness is more important to me than mine."

Keeth took in a deep breath, exhaling slowly. He shook his head with understanding, and, for a moment, realized that there were still things in this universe he did not quite understand. And, that thought alone was indeed reassuring to him.

"I do not believe I have ever met a person of your salt, Jatel. I admire you, sir." He patted Jatel's shoulder. "We should start back to camp. Ka-Ron will worry."

"Yes, she will."

The wizard allowed Jatel to venture ahead of him, while he fell behind admiring the couple as they once more reunited at the fire. Ka-Ron took hold of Jatel's hands, looking up into his careworn eyes, admiring all. Keeth was curious: What part of Ka-Ron really wished to return to her former self, and what part longed for Jatel's embrace on a cold night?

In any case, the wizard knew that these people and their quest were what he had been waiting for.

Ka-Ron pulled out her hip dagger and reached for a strand of her hair.

"How much do you need?" she asked.

"About a finger's length," Keeth stated, making sure he never stopped stirring the dragon's blood.

Closing her eyes, Ka-Ron cut off a lock of hair.

"Is this enough?"

"About," Keeth agreed, continuing his stirring. "Drop it in the contents of the bowl, please."

Ka-Ron placed her hair in the bowl, hearing the acidic blood claim it with a small hiss. The knight controlled the smile forming on her face, after looking into the sad eyes of her squire. This last did not escape the attention of the wizard.

Both Jatel and Ka-Ron were anxious to reverse Kai's spell, due to the fact that Keeth's attempt to keep the two of them apart was about to run its course. If something were not done before the setting of this internal world's sun, both Jatel and Ka-Ron would again find themselves attached and unable to halt their desires to make love. Although a delightful situation, Ka-Ron had pointed out, in the long run it was an exhausting affair.

This could all end, if Keeth were successful.

"What ails thee, squire?" Keeth inquired, noting Jatel's troubled brow.

"It is nothing."

"Speak up!" Keeth ordered. "I am not above the criticism of others."

"I just feel that the one who cast this spell should be the one who reverses it." Jatel pleaded to Ka-Ron, "Sire, please, think greatly about your actions."

"I have," Ka-Ron agonized. "I want what I was, Jatel. I what normalcy, again."

"At the cost of what we have found in one another?"

"What we found was discovered while being the victims of a cruel spell."

There was a long pause.

Keeth continued his stirring.

"Surely not all, Ka-Ron?" The look of pain was quite obvious.

Ka-Ron started to fidget. Her gaze grew uncertain.

"Jatel, I was not meant to be a woman."

"You know what is best, master."

Jatel walked away from the fire. The knight greatly wished to follow after her squire, but she was stopped by a silent commanding hand, coming from Keeth.

"Leave him." he ordered. "He is quite entitled to feel the way he does."

"I know&" the knight's voice trailed off.

"He loves you."

"I know that, as well."

"And you wish to continue with this? Knowing what you know?"

Ka-Ron looked down upon her body, realizing that her new dress was showing way too much of her impressive neckline. Absently, she pulled at the cloth, hoping to cover what she felt was inappropriate.

"My destiny is to protect the kingdom and people of Idoshia." the knight struggled to say, her voice giving away her inner pain. "I cannot do that in this form."

"How can you think so little about who you are?" Keeth's concern almost had caused him to stop stirring. He corrected himself.

"Let's just get on with it." Ka-Ron ordered. The knight was on the verge of crying. She forced herself to turn away from Jatel, not able to look in his direction.

"So be it." the wizard stated. "We shall begin."

Keeth stopped his stirring.