A Song Of The Land: Part 1 (unedited)

"I will not fail you my lord, by oath I shall grant you sword and shield. My lance, mornigstar, mace and ax. I swear by life and death, that I will always serve you and protect you. For your life, before my own I shall serve," said a young squire several years ago. Only now that squires a knight, dressed in the garb of a peasant on a task of escorting his Lady to her Lord at Godderstead.

Though a proper escort, with flying banners, men-at-arms, knights and an equal amount of their squires would've been proper at times of peace. It's ironic that at times of war, an escort of a single knight. Wearing nothing more then a thin coat of mail under his commoners garb, a long sword at the belt, with a dirk and a knife to boot.

I felt highly uncomfortable while escorting my Lady. The lack of armor, which is my life, and the lack of weapons (as most knights carry at least 2 or 3 into battle) makes me feel frail. Weak. However, I must remain looking fierce and confident for the journey. Lest, the Lady doubt my abilities. She is my "daughter", for the duration of this trip at least.

"Ser Co-, I mean father. When are we going to reach our destination?" The lady pondered as she trotted along beside my workhorse with her pony. None of them such noble beasts as a true warhorse, such as my courser, but we must look the part and conceal our identities.

"It won't be for many days yet my child, we are approaching an inn just ahead of the road. There we can rest for the night, and you may refresh yourself as well while we stay."

"While we are there, can you tell me about the Lord that I am to marry," asked the shy 16 year old, "I would also dearly like to know what he looks like too."

Clearly, I must have looked shocked as I forgot how young she was. The young girl looked at me, with a queer expression of curiosity. Such an innocent little flower sent off, halfway across the kingdom to marry someone that she doesn't even know, it makes me feel pity not knowing how scared she must be.

I assured her calmly, "Your Lord is most kind and gentle of any Lord I know throughout my time here in the mainland. Here's the inn now, come on we'll give our horses to the stable boy and get something to eat."

The inn was full of cut throats, pick pockets, sell swords and off duty soldiers from the war. The air was a mix of food from the kitchens and an unpleasant odor only attained possibly from an inn full of drunk men at their business. The lighting was dark, with only evenings yellow light piercing through cloudy windows creating a mood of hidden anger or fear.

"It may not be the best of places, but were staying here for all it's worth," said I as I then addressed the obvious owner of the establishment,"Barmen, any rooms available for me and my daughter."

"Aye there's a room for two, if there are 5 shillings and a farthing from that purse of yours," demanded the man.

"A price too much I might add, why the high cost for such a room?"
"It's the war, it is now you want the room or not? I can tell that pretty bitch of yours doesn't want to stand around much longer," commented the inn keeper all too slyly. His eyes, not on my own.

"I will think about the room at a later time, I'll just have 2 flagons of ale and half a rabbit you've got charred on that spit," said I. Getting rid of that inn keepers presence, a temporary relief. I have forgotten how hostile places such as this can be towards women.

Gesturing the lady to sit with me at the nearest table. I managed a message of caution, "We should not stay here m'Lady. I fear for your safety at this location, I suggest we go further along the road or even camp outside tonight. If it pleases you m'Lady."

The lady replied all too innocently, "Why father? What makes this place so bad, when I see two knights around the corner. They swore the same oath as you, did they not." Looking at me with those big eyes, invoked a response of reassurance, but I had a duty to protect. I had to give a truth, even if sugared.

I pleaded in response, "They may be knights m'Lady, but they are still men. Men have minds of their own too, you must not forget that they are also here for their pleasure, not for justice. Not all knights are the hero's and dragon slayers from the songs and tales of old."

"So your saying your not one yourself? If trouble does fall upon us, I would simply announce my status. Knights are protectors of women, and most of all young maidens and ladies fare are they not," the young Lady replied.

Is there no use trying to convince her to leave? Wary of the eyes surrounding their table, I felt my hands instinctively grasping my the handle of my long sword. Suddenly a drunk man-at-arms, donning the uniform of the enemy, approached the Lady with obviously bad intentions.

The soldier said, "hey, I can be your knight, if you share a bed with me tonight. What do you say old man, a farthing for your daughter." He then laughed as only a man drunk, lost in his own world would laugh.

"Stay away from her, or you'll regret it," I demanded of the man. Slightly unsheathing my sword, so that the blade stood naked inches from it's scabbard. Glinting in candle light, shining in the sun from the windows.

"Oh, so the old man thinks he can fight! Well it seems I outnumber you," as he spoke about four men and the two knights stood from their benches, walking with weapons drawn. "Give me your daughter, and you can go home and make yourself a new one."

The situation was grim, it was doable against 4 men at arms, but the two knights with full plate armor most certainly sealed my fate, and the Ladies in direct confrontation. My long sword was instinctively drawn anyways, like a stick warding a pack of wolves. Except I'm not the target.

"Wait, or good Sers, why fight? Your supposed to protect people like me, I would be forever in your debt if you laid down your arms and let us pass," as she pleaded from her heart.

"The only thing I want from you, is your-" exclaimed one of the men of arms, before his neck was sliced open by my sword. Red blood squirted into my face, and onto the Ladies. People around the inn, stared at the scene in fear, disgust, panic and many other emotions. The now three men-at-arms and the two knights, stared aimlessly as the once living man before them fell into a pool of his own blood.

"Sell swords, I am rich and will reward you gratuitously, a gold coin per sword that helps in protecting me and my daughter," I exclaimed to the room with a thunderous voice. About ten of the free swords drew their weapons and pointed at the enemies. No one dared in making another move other then that.

One of the knights sheathed his sword and calmly spoke, "this is all folly. What are you and some sell swords are going to do against men of the crown? Serving under the rightful King and Lord among all peoples. You are hereby arrested for murder, and treason against the crown!"

"For the self protection of myself and daughter?" Even with the sell swords, taking down the two knights with their full plate armor would be unnecessarily difficult. Their close proximity to myself or the Lady is also dangerous, if I were killed then the Lady would surely be lost.

"I suggest a duel to the death, with you Ser knight, the winnings are obvious. I go with my daughter if you are slain, and you can do whatever you want with her if I am," I suggested ignoring the obvious gasp of fright from the Lady behind me.

"Duel accepted, meet me outside when you are ready. Use whatever weapons or armor you want for the duel, agreed?"

"Agreed."

"Then it's done, I shall be waiting for you," the knight proclaimed as he ungracefully moved out of the inn.

"What are you going to do," the Lady asked frightfully. Fear on her face, tears crawling on her cheeks. I wiped them courteously and held her shoulders in my hands. I felt her skin, cold as ice, her body shivering in fright. "Wha-... what if they kill you?"

"They won't kill me, I am your knight sworn to protect you," though his abilities against a fully armored knight without any armor himself is to be questioned. I hugged her, like a father hugging his baby girl, holding her body against mine. An embrace that reassured her, as much as it reminded me of what I will be fighting for.

"If I do fall, you must escape. The horses are in the stable, steal one of their war horses and fly straight down the road. You may not know the way to your new home, but at least you may be safe," I whispered to her ear.

I released her cold body turned warm, I stared into her eyes she had a look of fearlessness and pride all of a sudden. Telling me again not to fail. I left her for the door, but I turned back and said, "watch by the stables, return to me when I win."

Outside, the sun was setting with orange light filling the once blue sky. With shafts of light streaming through the trees in the distance, the air cool and smelled of trees. A refreshing scent, compared to the foulness of the inn. "I should take note of the suns' position during the fight," he thought. A fight was like a dance, a knights dance was to hack and slash. That was because he had armor, he lacked it. Today he wasn't a knight, he had to be water and get around his opponent. It shall be the knights dance vs. the dance of a craven, others shall think of it. I shall think of it as the lick of flames dancing from a fire vs. the water dancing around rocks.

My opponent met me, though I can't see m'Lady I knew she was watching.

"Draw your sword, and let's begin," demanded the knight, his armor turned a orange from the light.

I drew my sword, and without a word we began. Moving in a circle, his shield held high and his sword raised from the hip his body facing head on towards the tip of my blade. I adopted a stance of my blade directly pointing, my body facing the side as I moved with him in the circle of death. The dance begins!
He drew his swung his sword in a high arc over his head onto mine, I grasped the handle of my blade with both hands and drew it high and deflected his blow the broad side of my blade.

Stepping to the left, I swung lowly against his undefended side. He brought his shield from his left over to his right, and deflected it. My blade recoiled through my hands, wrist and throughout all of my arm as I staggered. He ran after me, and I ran away. I jumped over a nearby fence, and faced my opponent. He started running around the fence to a nearby gate, while people around the scene started shouting craven.

I jumped the fence again and forced him to run back, "so slow in his armor, and getting tired too," I thought. I continued running back towards the inn, with the knight following close behind. I picked up a fist sized rock and flung it high at the knight as he moved his shield to protect his face. I immediately took the chance and ran, swinging at his legs with my sword. My blade sheered through the metal at his thighs, and continued to cut deep into his flesh. I jumped back ready to run away, but was too slow as his shield caught my face and sent me back in pain. I spit out a tooth.

The knight clearly agitated, along with his companions taunting me with cowardice trickery. While I saw in my peripheral vision a young Lady, all too afraid for my well being. The knight threw down his shield, as he walked, with a limp towards me. Two hands on his long sword, fearlessly marching towards his opponent. "Perfect," I thought to myself, "the knight was already slow in armor and shield, now his leg is forcing him to make up for speed. Throwing away his shield might be fine in a battle, but not in a duel."

Meeting the knight, I swung first high and mighty over to his head. While his blade moved to block my blow, and gave a kick to his already injured leg, forcing him to kneel in pain. I then quickly took my dirk, with a free hand and jabbed right into his right shoulder. Screaming in pain, he headbutted my gut and threw me off balance. While in a rage, took my dirk out of his good arms shoulder and threw it lazily in my direction. "Great now he can't even hold his sword, his left is too weak to hold the blade up to meet mine," thought I, now confident in his current situation.

Lazily, with great ferocity he charged at my person. I easily dodged his thrust, and I hit his head with the hilt of my sword. He fell on the ground, while he struggled to get up I took my sword and embedded it into his left shoulder. He screamed in pain, with his friends helplessly watching the scene. Held back, with only a word of honor between two men.

The sword in his hand, was now on the ground, glinting in the sun without a trickle of red while mine had rivers of it running down its length. He stood on his knees, staring in disbelief at his loss to the sky, or was it to the gods? Perhaps he was asking for forgiveness of his past sins before he perished from the world. I stared into the faces of the crowd around me, the eyes of his companions, and for a moment I drank into the suspense filled face of my Lady by the stables. I gave her a nod, I was not sure what the nod meant, a nod of confidence, of reassurance, or of pure sympathy for the innocence that was ruined today. No one should see a man die such a violent death, but as her knight I had to protect her, but I can't protect her from what she was going to see next.

I took my sword in hand, and entered it into the back of the knights neck. My blade never seeing the light of day, as it traveled down his body. I removed the blade, as quickly as it came in. All covered in red, I sheathed the blade and let the body fall onto its own accord. The crowd stayed shocked, my Lady even worse off. I walked to my Lady, and just stared into her eyes.

My stare must have been cold, for she gave no reply. Only a far off look, and a face that pierced my heart in sadness. "I'm sorry for what you had to see," was what I never said as I offered my hand and helped her onto her pony. She climbed onto her pony, and I onto my workhorse. Without looking back, we left the inn quietly and onto the road.

Only when the inn was out of sight, did we break into a gallop. Guards, soldiers or bounty hunters would most certainly be out for us now especially after killing two men under service of the sorcerer King. So much for food and rest I thought. A pity we never had the ale or the rabbit. As we both raced towards the next town, and the next, until we reach safe haven at  Godderstead.