The Misadventures of Ka-Ron the Knight (5 page)

Jatel had obtained a barrel of spicy beer during the tournament. Years of service had caused the squire to know that once his master was finished for the day, he would be thirsty. Before Ka-Ron had taken off his helmet, Jatel was there, holding up a mug.

"Ah, good!" Ka-Ron said, beaming. He took the mug of beer with a nod of gratitude. "You are a wonder, my dear friend."

Jatel bowed, taking three steps back.

Ka-Ron, drinking his beer, noticed Jatel's actions. Once more, the Errant-Knight found his beer both pleasing and bitter. In his mind and in his actions, Ka-Ron considered Jatel his equal. Indeed, he considered the man his closest friend. Several times, his squire had saved his life. He, in turn, had repaid that debt by saving Jatel's.

"Jatel," Ka-Ron said, lowering his mug. The knight had drunk his beer too fast, and tried to combat an approaching burp. He failed. "You need not take steps back. We are brothers, you and I. Have we not seen the fear of combat together?"

"Yes, master."

"And stop addressing me as master!"

Echoheart started to become jumpy, hearing the voice of his owner's rising in anger.

"I am who I am, sire." Jatel tried to explain. "Could you stop being a knight?"

"No," Ka-Ron's features turned solemn. "I suppose not."

Jatel returned to his duties. Finished with Echoheart's saddle, he started to repack their supplies. This time, he would be at Ka-Ron's side in case the Xows decided to seek revenge for the knight's action earlier in the day. Jatel suspected that no action would be taken, for the Xows were not loyal to one another, but there were exceptions.

"Kind squire," Jatel heard the whisper behind him.

Startled, the servant dropped a looking glass. He turned, noticing once more the seductive features of his mysterious female visitor.

"My lady!" Jatel fumbled, stuck between wanting to show respect to his visitor, and picking up his master's looking glass.

Kai moved from the shadows, beaming a kind smile to her startled admirer. "Apologies for my not letting you know that I was still here. I wished so much to meet your master, Ka-Ron."

Jatel shook his head in understanding.

"He is here, my lady."

Kai turned, glancing at Ka-Ron. She let out a gasp of surprise. She had known the Errant-Knight since he was a boy. In the pleasant eyes of her mind's past, Ka-Ron was an innocent, who never seemed to separate what he could eat from what he could not. There were times, when the Wicca Master had to explain to Ka-Ron, the child, that no matter how hungry he was, he could not eat mud or tree bark. Now, however, Ka-Ron had changed. As a woman, she could see and understand why Kym had allowed her hearts to be conquered. Ka-Ron had become as handsome as he was considered brave.

"He seems to be a walking vision of both strength and beauty," Kai mused.

Jatel let out a tired sigh.

This last caught the attention of his guest.

"What pains thee, squire?"

Jatel waved his hand in the air, silently.

"I insist you inform me."

"My lady did not visit to hear my sorrows."

Kai placed a hand on Jatel's shoulder, facing him. "I am a woman of the Wicca. I shall help and learn from you. So, please, educate me."

"I am at the mid-point of my expected life, my lady. I saw the way you marvel at the sight of my master, and it brings the point of the matter close to heart."

"I did not mean you any disrespect, squire." Kai pointed out.

"This I know, my lady." Jatel stated, holding back the pain in his voice. "I am ordinary. I am worth ignoring. This is not disrespect; it is just the way of the world. I am lonely. I seek a mate - a woman who could love me for&just me. I am a failure in love's arena, and it is a bitter pill to swallow."

Kai's face brightened with revelation. Jatel did not understand the sudden burst, but, to his credit he was both respectful and all attention.

"I have found a solution, dear squire." Kai stated, controlling the formation of an evil smile. "I will help thee."

"How, my lady?" Jatel's voice dripped with sarcasm. "I am a squire."

"We learn by doing."

"I wish we could."

Jatel turned away from Kai, picking up the looking glass he had dropped. To his relief, the thing did not break.

Kai saw her chance. She reached in her robe's pocket, pulling out a pair of hair snippers. With lightning reflexes, she clipped off a piece of the squire's hair.

"Lady?" Jatel said, reaching for his hair in surprise.

"Be careful of idle wishes, squire." Kai warned, placing both snippers and Jatel's hair in her spell pouch. "When they come true, most are not prepared to handle them."

"I will bid you a good night, my lady." Jatel said, securing his master's gear. "I seem to be growing tired of playing host today."

Kai said nothing. Her invasion had been complete.

The squire left the barn, nodding silently towards his master. Ka-Ron seemed to treat his servants with equality. This last seemed to cause Kai's rage to grow. How dare he care so much for those he employs than for those he loves.

The time had come.

Kai approached Ka-Ron, who was busy eating his dinner. Before he had retired for the night, Jatel had provided his master with a fine roasted hawk. Vegetables, rose melons, and steamed bread garnished the meal, which was topped off with a barrel of wine. The Wicca Master needed some of the knight's hair, and she had to get it when his guard was down. Although powerful, she respected Ka-Ron's skill, knowing full well that he had the ability to kill her if he wanted to.

With her hands shaking, both out of fear and rage, Kai reached into her spell pouch and pulled out her hair snippers. Everything became a blur as she darted toward Ka-Ron's beautiful long blonde hair and snipped off a tiny portion.

The sensation did not escape the knight.

"Hey?" Ka-Ron stopped his eating, rising. His face was a cross between anger and confusion. "What manner of solicitation is this?"

Kai bowed low, trying to hide her face.

She was not successful.

"Kai?" Ka-Ron beamed. "Is that you?"

Kai cleared her throat, blinking her eyes sharply. She would have preferred to wage war with the Errant-Knight on equal terms - where it would both shock and hurt at their zeniths. But, sometimes, one cannot pick where war will break out.

"It is I." Kai stated, rising. She gave the knight her warmest, if not the best controlled smile.

"It does my hearts good to see you, my lady!"

Ka-Ron did something Kai had not expected. He hugged her. His massive arms enveloped and crushed her towards his ribs with heartfelt warmth. This made her anger grow even more.
Damn! The nerve of the man.

"You have&grown." was all Kai could bring herself to say.

"Thanks to your kind wisdom." Ka-Ron added. "Come! Sit! Tell me of your adventures in the world." He offered her some of his meal. Kai kindly refused.

Ka-Ron did not see the Wicca Master place his hair in her spell pouch. Nor did he seem to care. The knight loved this woman, as one would cherish his mother.

"I have just arrived home." Kai said, warming her hands by the fire.

"I too! From a wondrous battle. Peace has been our victory."

"I have come to finally teach my daughter the ways of the Wicca." Kai shot Ka-Ron a hard, controlled, stare.

In the stable, nearby, Echoheart started to become restless.

Ka-Ron's face fell. He started to escape by glancing into the fire.

"My lady, I have brought shame to your house."

"How so?"

The Errant-Knight buried his face into his hands. This was agony to him. How could he tell the woman, who had practically raised him, that he had broken her daughter's hearts? This was not the way to repay a home, which gave him shelter after his parents had died. This was, perhaps, the hardest thing Ka-Ron ever had to do.

"There is a matter with your&daughter." Ka-Ron began to explain.

"Kym?"

"Yes. I have broken her hearts." Ka-Ron paused. "This was not my intention."

"You&used her?"

Ka-Ron's eyes filled with both shock and insult. His body language made his horse react.

"To the Gods! I did not!" Ka-Ron rose, towering over Kai. Instinctively, his hand reached for the hilt of his sword. "I&misunderstood."

Kai placed her hands in the hip pockets of her skirt. She was becoming so enraged that she had started to shake. She wanted to hear everything from Ka-Ron's point of view, knowing that the effect from a male's egocentric perspective would help the spell, later on.

"Please, sit." Kai instructed.

< Do not trust this one! >

Kai shot an evil glance toward the horse. A mysterious force seeped from the borders of Echoheart's stable, surrounding the creature. With one last gasp of air, the horse was rendered silent. In Ka-Ron's perspective, his horse was just grumbling, falling asleep.

"Explain the reason for your misunderstanding." Kai's voice was almost an order.

Ka-Ron's features turned soft. His eyes could not seem to look up from the fire.

"After I returned to Teal, I stopped by your family's ale bar. It was a familiar place - one of pleasant memories. I had seen enough of war, even with the Xows." Ka-Ron paused. "I wanted a sense of home."

"Funny way of showing it!" Kai's rage was losing its control.

Ka-Ron's features changed. He studied Kai's face. "What has happened?"

Kai's body began to shake. She glared up at the knight, trembling. Without warning, the Wicca Master began to scream, wail, and cry uncontrollably. Her feet began to pound the ground, and she lashed out at Ka-Ron in vengeance.

The knight was beyond words.

All he could do was allow the woman to attack.

"What has happened, my lady?" Ka-Ron's voice became softer, almost a whisper.

"Kym is&dead."

Shocked, Ka-Ron let go of Kai, backing off.

"You lie!" the knight shouted. Ka-Ron's eyes began to tear.

Kai fell to the ground, looking up. "She&is&dead."

Ka-Ron froze, trying to make some sense out of the madness he was hearing. He had wanted to turn back. He had wanted to go to Kym's embraces and take away the pain he had caused. He had wanted to visit with her and make right what had been wronged. But, he shook it all away - the guilt was all in his head. Or, that is what he had thought.

"She called to me, and I ignored her."

Kai gawked at Ka-Ron not believing what she was hearing.

"You&heard her?"

"A voice in the wind, my lady." Ka-Ron explained. "I had thought I was hearing things. I had left Kym alone, and she had been quite upset with me."

"You ignored a soul call?"

Kai approach the fire and started to open her spell pouch.

"Oh, you will pay, knight."

Ka-Ron's hand instinctively went for the hilt of his sword. He stood, holding out a warning hand. "Kai, please, do not make me an enemy of yours. I would not have the hearts to strike."

"I will!" Kai shouted.

The Wicca Master pulled out the strands of hair she had taken from both Ka-Ron and Jatel. Weaving them together, she made them one. Ka-Ron could see that the woman was praying over her actions.

"Woman, I am warning you!" Ka-Ron started to pull out his sword.

Kai paid the knight's threat no head. She was working on primal emotions - those of a mother in mourning for the life of her child. In her left skirt pocket, she removed a knife. It was small, almost dagger-like. Its blade was made of a black alloy Ka-Ron could not identify. It was ancient, and it had carving on both sides: Wicca symbols of the highest order.

"No, Ka-Ron, I will&educate&you!"

At lightening speed, Kai cut the palm of her hands, throwing the knife and the intertwined strands of hair into the blue tongues of the fire. As her hand gushed out a trickling stream of blood, she added her substance to the flames, turning them an unusual color of reddish-orange. Never had the knight seen a fire of crimson red - it was just unheard of!

"To the Gods!" Ka-Ron whispered in fear. He took his sword and aimed it at Kai's head. The mad woman had to be stopped.

"I shall take from you that which you hold quite dear," Kai started to say. Her voice vibrated with both pain and vengeance. "No more will you break the hearts of womankind. Their burdens you will share."

Ka-Ron let out a battle roar. He raised his sword. His aim was sure, and he intended to strike.

Kai turned her hands out toward the advancing knight, splashing blood all over him. Her curses were fast. Her magic was swift.

The knight could not understand what was happening to him. He suddenly discovered that he had lost the ability to walk, let alone run. Every muscle in his body rebelled and cried out in pain. The scream he heard echoing through his mind was his, and as he dropped his sword, he became aware of the fact that his body armor was falling off of him in pieces.

"I shall enjoy this." Kai giggled, insane.

It was the last thing Ka-Ron heard before he passed out.

Ka-Ron woke to find himself resting on the stable floor. His muscles ached with a misery he had never encountered; accept for those rare occasions when combat had taken a turn for the worse. There was a slight feeling of awkwardness, as he noticed a strange weight pushing down on his ribcage. He thought that perhaps he was coming down with a cough.

His body armor lay around him, cast aside in many pieces. Ka-Ron soon remembered his encounter with Kai, Kym's mother, and town Wicca Master. He remembered her informing him that his lifelong friend and companion had taken her own life. He remembered the pain of loss.

"Oh, my Kym," he whispered.

A hand went to his mouth.

Something was terribly wrong.

The knight noticed his hands. They were small, soft, and not even close to belonging to a man. Long fingernails, painted a rose pink, wiggled at the end of his digits.

"What the hell?"

Ka-Ron rose from the ground, inspecting his new clothing. To his horror, the man was wearing a dress. And, he was wearing it quite well!