The Temporal Knights (25 page)

Ellyn gasped quietly but said nothing, and found that she could not take her eyes off the two lovers. She looked them up and down, trying to memorize every feature. They were on their backs, their eyes closed and their faces relaxed and peaceful under the warmth of the sun. Her
eyes moved over Murphy first, lingering, then ended on Selby. Her breasts were full and tipped with large, dark nipples, which made Ellyn very conscious of her own small breasts. The girl had one leg pulled up, and her head was in the crook of Murphy’s arm. It looked as if they were sleeping, but then Murphy suddenly raised his head and his eyes found them.

Ellyn jumped, embarrassed, but Matt only smiled, nodded and led Ellyn back downriver. They stopped just over the rise and heard two loud splashes and then a few giggles, and then the soft rustling of clothes. Ellyn looked up at Matt and into his eyes; her face was still flushed with excitement. Her breathing was shallow and fast. They said nothing, just stood close, looking at each other, wanting each other, and then Murphy appeared, and soon after him Selby.

“Sorry about that,” Giles said, “we kind of lost track of the time.”

Selby was smiling, her face down, not looking at either of them, but her hand found Murphy’s and squeezed. Ellyn just stood there a moment and stared at the girl, who was obviously very happy. Selby finally looked up and her eyes went from Matt’s to Ellyn’s and locked. The young noblewoman’s gaze bored into the common girl’s and Selby felt a moment of panic and fear. Finally Ellyn smiled, her eyes twinkling, but she said nothing. They gathered the horses and made their way back to Athelney, talking of such inconsequential things that Ellyn could hardly stand it. She was dying to speak with Selby about what had happened and about men in general. She knew one thing; Selby would not get away from her this day. She would know everything.

They reached camp in about fifteen minutes, and dropped the horses back at the stables, then said their good-byes; Matt and Murphy had work to do, both in the ship and out. Once they were gone Selby made to leave as well, since she had work in the kitchens, plus she wanted to tell her mum all about the afternoon...well not all about it. But Ellyn grabbed her shoulder and turned her around.

“
Come Selby,” she commanded but with a kindly smile, completely dominating the common girl, though she was several years younger. She was born noble, and therefore born to lead and give orders. “Methinks a talk wold be a verily good thing this afternoon, wot?”

“Yah, M’lady,” the kitchen waif answered with a nervous smile. Ellyn led her out back, along the river and to a small gazebo. They sat for a moment looking at the water and taking brief glimpses of each other, Selby nervous because of Ellyn’s noble birth, and Ellyn nervous because of Selby’s greater knowledge.

“Tell me Miss,” Ellyn began, “how is it yor yet unclaimed?”

Selby felt her face grow hot and felt a moment of anger but quickly quelled it. “Twas married to Bendle Conner for most of three years…he died of the fever last winter,” she answered stiffly, wanting to be gone.

Ellyn gasped and suddenly felt very ashamed, but when Selby made to rise she reached out and grabbed the older girl’s hand. “Me pardons,” she said hastily.  “I’d na mean to pry,” Ellyn blurted, becoming uncomfortable, and Selby’s anger quickly left her and she grew curious.

“Tis a hurtful memory still,” Selby answered and her voice grew softer. They sat silently together for a time, watching the river and then Ellyn gathered her courage.

“Wot twas it like...this morn with Captain Giles?” She asked and blushed fiercely.

Selby, who had a large mouth, now smiled widely and her eyes sparkled with kindness. Finally Ellyn saw the beauty hiding within the common girl. Selby’s face flushed momentarily and she wondered briefly if the Lady would think her some gutter wench if she told her truly.  But Selby saw only great curiosity in the young noblewoman’s eyes and so trusted her.

“Twas beautiful, and verily pleasing. Master Giles’ need was verily great, but he be kind and vary gentle.”

“Ye...ye have been with many men?” Ellyn asked wanting to know, wanting to learn. The boys she’d been with, however briefly, were too clumsy and too eager and she had never let it progress very far.

“Na...just Murphy, and before that Bendle. Twas yet a maid when I let Bendle have me...Bendle was a brute, though I still love him dearly,” she added and they both laughed together.

“I...I’ve not been with a man,” Ellyn confessed slowly, her gaze back on the river. She thought of Murphy lying naked on the rock, “and ‘ave seen only a few...and those long ago.”

Selby sat quiet for a spell, thinking, trying to decide if she dare tell this Lady the secret most common women in Athelney already knew, then Ellyn smiled at her, and Selby took the risk.

“Ye know na of the strangers then?”

The girl shook her head.

“They smell divine, eh?

“Yah,” Ellyn answered and instantly recalled Matt’s delicious sweet smell...of his hair, and arms, and clothes.

“Well, they bathe near continuously,” Selby confided in a whisper, looking about for any possible spies. “Cleaning
themselves in the morn, then again most days in the evening before the nightly meal.”

“Forsooth?”
Ellyn asked, for it seemed very strange. Ellyn bathed more than most in her time but she rarely did so more than once a week…and never twice in one day.

“Forsooth!
They bathe together in the river on the far side of their camp...many of the girls cross over to a grove ‘nd watch,” Selby said now truly taking a chance. “Mayhap ye wold like to come along.”

Ellyn thought about it, torn. It was a common thing to do, spying…but at the moment she never wanted to be more common. Selby grinned at her. “Come?” she asked.

“Yah,” Ellyn answered smiling, and they made a date for the late afternoon, then they talked longer, perhaps an hour more, slowly becoming more comfortable with each other and beginning to be friends.

Matt, on the other hand, could not get the mornings’ happenings out of his mind. His desire was still building, as was his irritation, especially with Murphy and his constant whistling and smug expression. But what really concerned him was that every time he thought of Ellyn, of holding her, he would have flashbacks of those the last, horrible days on old Earth, and he could push neither from his mind.

Chapter Seven

N
early forty miles to the west, General Peebles and his men were going through a similar crisis, though it was not brought on by the touch of a beautiful woman, but rather by the stench of decaying bodies littered about the burnt out village of Pilton. There were twenty-two bodies to be exact, nearly half of them women and children. The horrific scene, coupled with the powerful smell, brought back the dark times vividly for the Americans. The Earl and the Ealdorman were at first unaware of the deep distress the massacre was causing their new allies, but after finding the body of a young mother cradling her dead child, the shock and rage the soldiers felt was readily apparent.

They were all horror stricken by the carnage around them; each man lost in his own terrible memories, before Colonel Lemay looked up and cleared his throat.

“I’ll organize a burial detail,” he said simply, but before he could move off Peebles grabbed his arm.

“I killed those Danes without a thought,” the General said grimacing, guilt washing through his soul. “Just as I would have a Skawp, but they were human beings...I…we killed them. I’m not sure I can do such a thing again.”

Lemay looked long and hard at his commander, assessing his strength. “You will do so again,” he stated flatly through clench teeth. “We will all do whatever’s necessary to complete this mission, Sir. If killing is necessary, killing will be done...better by us than some stinking aliens.”

The General stared at his second in command for a long moment and then nodded. The conversation was not lost on the Earl, though what moved these men so strongly he did not know. These were strange men indeed, in both actions and abilities, but he knew that he would do well to understand them. He made a mental note to send off another messenger to warn the King about the stranger’s devastating power. He must be very cautious and would council the King to be likewise.

“All right Colonel....” the General said finally finding his voice, “then I volunteer to join the detail.”

Again Lemay stared at his commanding officer, but this time his features softened and he smiled sadly. “I’ll only take volunteers then,” he replied and was not surprised when ten minutes later every man in the outfit had stepped forward to help.

    They spent most of the morning and early afternoon digging graves and burying the dead. Both the Earl and the Ealdorman felt it was proper to say a prayer over each new grave. The rest of the day was spent putting out what fires were still smoldering and looking through the rubble for possible survivors. It wasn’t until everything was in order that the General felt they had earned the right to leave. Sir Æthelred and Sir Æthelnoth, along with all of their knights watched this display of sorrow and respect for two dozen Anglish peasants with a mixture of curiosity and gratitude. The Ealdorman, remembered the incident with the serving wench a few days back in his Hall, tried to impart some of this knowledge to the Earl, who found his respect growing for these strange soldiers.

After a bit of a late lunch, a very light one, the entire troop began the trek back to Æthelnoth’s castle, all of them traveling much slower this time to accommodate those on horseback, and it wasn’t until late afternoon that they finally rolled into the overwhelmed village
of Crook. It took the Ealdorman of Somerset nearly twenty minutes to calm the local folk, explaining that these strange soldiers had routed the Danes at Countisbury Hill and avenged the plunder of Pilton. After a few moments of shock, the people of Crook, like so many people of these lands, quickly accepted the new strangers and an immediate celebration began. The villager’s joy at the demise of the Danes was pure and unabashed and helped to lift the spirits of the General and his men.

Peebles excused himself a moment and reported back to Major Thane, informing him that they would be spending the night in Crook at the insistence of the town Magistrate. They would arrive at Athelney sometime early the following morning, since Crook was just over ten miles from the Ealdorman’s town.

“We’ll manage, Sir,” Thane reported back happily. “Everything’s in order. We’ve had the bugs up all day...no sign of any threat.”

“Call at the first sign of trouble Major. We’re only about fifteen minutes away in an emergency.”

“Yes Sir...I don’t foresee any problems,” he answered back, his good cheer coming through the airwaves.

The General wondered at his mood since the Major was usually such a reserved fellow.

“Keep things tight...out.”

“Out,” Matt replied and indeed his mood had changed suddenly toward the end of the afternoon when he realized he would see Ellyn again this night...again at a dance, which was all these people seem to do. Drink, dance, and tell stories...perhaps he should introduce them to some alternative form of entertainment.
‘A movie,’
he thought instantly.
‘Monitors could be set up...maybe something romantic.’
He was thinking of Ellyn again, of this morning, but this time nothing stirred in his mind, but something did in his pants. He smiled.
‘Yes, something romantic,’
he thought again then went to talk over the idea with Dr. Rice.

“I think that’s a marvelous idea...how about a classic, maybe
“Gone with the Wind,”
he suggested. Matt thought about it. It was a love story of sorts, but...

“Do you think they’d understand what was going on? I was thinking more of a period piece...maybe
“The Round Table,”
or
“Romeo and Juliet.”

Rice nodded. “Yes, maybe you’re right...perhaps King Arthur, but I like the earlier version called
“Excalibur,”
better. Have you seen that one?”

Matt shook his head.

“It handles the storyline a bit more honestly I think; though the effects don’t really stack up with the newer version.”

“Whatever...sounds good to me, as long as the locals can understand and relate.”

“I think it should do nicely...I’ll cancel afternoon classes and get Private Guon and Osage on it immediately. Excellent idea! Oh, by the way, the Lady Ellyn was in class again today, and I must admit she is becoming quite the student, asks almost as many questions as Leoforic. She seems very motivated to learn about us and our ways.”

“Really?”
Matt asked surprised and delighted.

“Really...you’d better watch yourself with that one. Someone could get hurt,” Rice cautioned and though he was loathed to do it, he did it in any case. It was his duty after all; he was in charge of everyone’s well being, physical, mental, or emotional.

Matt soured immediately, but then shook it off. He couldn’t think about that just now. He would tell her...soon, just not now…not tonight.

The news traveled quickly, once the obstacle of translation was overcome. At first the Lady Merwinna did not truly understand what Dr. Rice and Major Thane were trying to say, but after a bit of jockeying came to realize that they were talking about a play, and a group of players, but not live players, rather gnomes on the magic box. Then it was all very exciting and soon the entire town was buzzing about the night’s activities. Traveling players were rare, coming seldom and never trusted. Most were looked on as vagabonds, and probably spent time as highwaymen when they were not otherwise engaged. But a play on the box would be something to see indeed, and everyone was extremely thrilled.

Preparations for the night’s entertainment went smoothly. The monitors were placed as high as possible for easy viewing but they were not overly large. The largest screen was only 32 inches, so five monitors in all were set up in a staggered formation around the field where they would show the film. Additional speakers were also erected so that everyone could hear, and by the time they were finished most of the Americans were just as excited by the prospect as the locals. Matt sent up a bug about an hour before the evening meal, but nothing threatening was spotted in the vicinity and the outer sentries reported the all clear. Still, for some unknown reason the Major felt edgy and continued to have the guard doubled.

It was about an hour before dinner when Ellyn finally gave into her desires and marched into the kitchens and commandeered Selby from her duties, much to the surprise and delight of Selby’s mother. But the older woman said nothing, nor was it her right to question someone of noble birth, not that she would have complained. If Selby and the Lady Ellyn became friends it would certainly help their family’s standing in the community.

Once outside, the girls began to giggle and continued to do so all the way through town and out the back gates. Directly west of the town, the river was wide and slow, and a manmade rock path led to the far bank. Anyone could easily wade across at the ford, since at no point did the Exe get more than a foot deep, but the rocks were handy and kept the girls from getting their clothes wet. Selby led the way, admonishing the Lady to be quiet as they crept up to the spot in the woods that overlooked the river from a high bank. There were already three common girls lying on their stomachs in the grass, staring intently through the brush down to the river below. Ellyn recognized one as a field worker but the other two were strangers and had the look of Pilton rabble. The girls turned, and when they caught sight of Ellyn their eyes went wide and each felt a moment of panic. They were in trouble, caught! There could be no denying their actions before the young noble woman and they’d likely be whipped good.

Selby put a finger to her lips and moved the
girls aside, saying nothing. Ellyn followed, and once the girls realized they were being joined rather than caught, they relaxed and giggled into their hands.

Ellyn eased herself forward until she had a fine view of the water below. She was red faced, nervous, and a little ashamed for invading the privacy of others, but her heart was pounding in her chest and she was very, very curious. It would have taken several horses to drag her from this spot. The river was very slow here, stopped up as it was by a tangle of dead trees, roots and rocks, making a perfect swimming hole.

In the water below was one man, a Moor with dark skin and hair. His dark body was clearly visible in the clear, clean water. He was swimming easily about, not a care, revealing himself occasionally with quick glimpses that only served to frustrate the girls. Ellyn was smiling as she watched, but she wasn’t aware that she was doing so. The Moor finished momentarily and stepped out of the water revealing his dark, firm backside to them. Ellyn did not take her eyes from him, not even when he turned and gave them a perfect view of his manhood. She gasped and held a hand over her mouth. The other girls giggled. The dark man dried himself, dressed slowly and left, leaving the river empty below. Ellyn, nervous again, began to rise to leave, but one of the girls she didn’t know gripped her arm and pointed across the river. Along the path, on the far side, a group of men were coming toward the river, but it wasn’t until they broke out of the woods that she recognized Matt among them. Her hand again went to her mouth and her breathing all but stopped. She knew she should leave, that this was very wrong, but she stayed anyway. She just couldn’t make herself leave. The men undressed, but Ellyn didn’t even notice the others. Her eyes were fixed on Matt, drinking him in. He was tall, built, with a hairy chest, and his skin was very white when compared to the Moor. She looked him up and down, her eyes lingering on the spot just below his waist. Now her breath was coming faster and faster and then the Major dove into the water and his body was lost from view.

“He ‘as a nice bum,” Selby whispered in her ear, and Ellyn suddenly realized that she wasn’t alone. She smiled, and took one last glimpse of the man she wanted then carefully moved backwards. The girls did not follow, but stayed to watch which somehow left her uneasy.

“Come,” she whispered, not wanting them to see her man. They ignored her.

“Come or I’ll be tellin’ on thee,” she added a bit louder this time and the girls grudgingly followed her back down the path toward the Hall.

“Why M’lady?” asked one of the Pilton girls. She was young, no more than thirteen.

“Tis na proper,” was all that Ellyn could say, knowing the girls would return and hoping that she would not be so tempted. Her heart was still beating wildly in her chest. “Tis grand,” she added with a smile, “but na proper.”

They made their way back without incident, but it was not until she was inside her own rooms with her aunt that Ellyn felt safe from discovery, and even then the old woman looked at her curiously.

“Yor flushed child. Have ye been running?”

“It’s hot,” Ellyn said, for in truth it was very hot now to her.

“Well, ye best rest verily good a’fore tonight. Ye know how ye are with the dancing and all.”

Two hours later the night’s festivities started with yet another feast of roast lamb, venison, and wild hare, along with the usual fruits, nuts, fish puddings, and wine. By now all the locals were relaxed and comfortable in the presence of the Americans who were quickly becoming friends rather than strangers. The two groups were mixing together regularly, especially the available women of the land, who gravitated toward the new men as if hypnotized.

The meal was served and eaten leisurely, but not overly so. There was little entertainment besides a small group of musicians, and the Lady Merwinna, who hosted the meal, hurried the process along as quickly as the etiquette of the day would allow. She looked forward to the play, but was also having the time of her life sitting between Major Thane and Dr. Rice even though the Major spent a good portion of the time glancing down the table at the Lady Ellyn. She separated the two by design, for Merwinna wanted the attention of this tall, handsome Major...to get to know him better. And he obliged her, answering all her questions, asking a few himself, and generally treating her with charm and grace, as did all the men from his land. They were all so attentive and respectful that she almost wished that her husband would never return.