“We will ride right alongside the coach,” Noble promised. “Perhaps when we get to Granny’s cottage you and William both can take a turn on Valiant, if your parents will allow it.”
“Hurray!” the small boy crowed. “Mother, may I?”
“We shall see,” the queen promised. The group got underway just then and the carriage lurched to a start.
The captains of the Guard led the way, with the king and duke right behind them. The coach followed, with several knights on either side, and more knights brought up the rear. Though it was early as they rode through the city, there were already crowds in the marketplace, and they cheered now as the royal party made its way through the streets and out of the gates. It was just as Noble had feared. There was no way they could quietly get away for the day. The whole town—and the Dark Knight, as well—would soon know which way they had gone.
The trip to Granny’s cottage went well. It was a bright spring morning with the sun shining and birds singing. If danger lurked nearby, they saw no sign of it. Spirits were high, especially n the carriage with the two young people. Dominique had begged to bring Hero into the coach with them, and now he was enjoying all the attention and petting his little heart could desire.
Granny was working in the garden when the royal party rode up. She rose to her feet and brushed off her hands, and met them at the gate, smiling her pleasure at this unexpected visit. Her face lit up when she saw Noble, but she curtsied first to the king and queen and their guests, before she turned with open arms to her grandson.
Noble handed Fly’s cadge to Jamie and slid off his horse. “Good morning, Granny!” he said as he hugged her. “I have brought King Stephen and the Duke of Conwy, and their families, as well, to visit you! They wanted to meet you.”
If Granny was surprised at this news, she didn’t show it. The carriage door opened and Queen Gwyneth stepped down with the help of one of the knights. The Duchess of Conwy followed, along with Prince William and Lady Dominique. Noble made the introductions and presented his grandmother to her royal guests. Granny welcomed them all as warmly and naturally as if they were simply neighbors from down the road. The ladies especially were drawn in by her warm-hearted welcome, and they in turn accepted her as if she were an old beloved friend.
“And so this is Prince William!” Granny said when she could finally turn her attention to the young people. “Your Highness, I have heard so much about you from Noble! My grandson values your friendship greatly. He tells me you are a fine young man!” William beamed from ear to ear. It was wonderful to hear that his hero, Sir Noble, thought as highly of him as he did of the young knight.
“And my Lady Dominique,” Granny said, “Noble has told me of your adventure, and the courage you showed in seeking to rescue your father last year. He tells me you are a remarkable young lady!”
“Thank you, Dame Talbot,” Dominique said with a smile. “Noble is a very special person, as well. That is why I so wanted to meet his grandmother and see the place where he grew up.”
“Well, I am very happy to welcome you all to my home, such as it is! Now, may I make you all some tea? I just baked scones this morning, and I have freshly churned butter and blackberry jam that I made myself.”
The queen smiled. “Thank you, Dame Talbot. The scones and tea sound lovely, but we are far too big a crowd for you to feed! We have brought food with us, and in fact, we have brought gifts for you, as well, from the kitchen at the castle.” Jamie and a couple of the knights began unloading large packages from the coach and carried them into the cottage.
Hero had jumped from the carriage when Dominique and the others had stepped out and was exploring the garden. Now he ran back to Granny and began jumping around her skirt, barking a greeting and demanding her attention. She laughed and scooped him up. “My little Hero!” she chuckled as she scratched him under his chin. “I am happy to see you, too”
“Granny, we have come to visit you, but also because they want to see what Fly can do out in the fields,” Noble said. “If we are going to go hunting, we need to do it right away before the sun gets much higher in the sky. The small animals and birds go into hiding in the heat of the day.”
“Oh, yes! Then go now, if you wish, but perhaps when you return you will do me the honor of having tea with me?” Granny asked.
“By all means!” the king said. “We will have an early picnic lunch in the field, but when we return this afternoon, I will look forward to some of your scones and blackberry jam, Madam Talbot!”
Granny curtsied once more and with cries of farewell and promises to return as soon as possible, the group moved on.
Noble had asked if he could leave Hero with her for the day. “I don’t want Fly to mistake him for a rabbit or woodchuck,” he said. Granny agreed, and now she and the little dog watched as they rode out of sight.
The carriage could not go much further. The road ended and the ladies and William got out. Several of the knights put them up upon their horses and led them out into the fields near Granny’s cottage.
Noble and the others had only been gone a short while when Granny decided to make some more scones for the afternoon’s tea. She went back into the cottage and got to work measuring the ingredients and kneading the dough. Hero was doing his usual exploring in the nooks and crannies of the small room and she smiled at the sight of his little tail poking out from under the bed.
Granny set the bowl of dough aside on the window ledge so that it could rise in the warm sunshine, and began to dust and straighten the small room. Some fresh flowers on the table would look nice, she thought, and turned to the door to go back out to the garden.
“Oh!” she exclaimed in surprise as a man stepped into the doorway, blocking her way. He was a knight. They must have forgotten something and sent him back, Granny thought to herself. “Yes? May I help you, Sir?” she asked pleasantly.
The knight stepped into the cottage. “Yes,” he snarled in a deep, nasty voice. “You can.” He slammed the door behind him and stepped toward her.
A chill went down Granny’s back. Who is this man? she wondered. In a split moment she knew he was no knight of King Stephen’s. Then, all of a sudden, she remembered the man Noble had told her about—the man he was hunting for throughout the kingdom. What did Noble call him? Oh, yes! Suddenly she realized she was all alone and face to face with the man himself—the Dark Knight!
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CHAPTER NINE
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Out of the Shadows
Dominique watched Fly streak across the sky. She held her breath as the falcon suddenly dove toward earth, pulling up only at the very last second to sink her talons into an unlucky rabbit. The bird huddled over her prey, screeching triumphantly. Noble ran across the field and slipped the hood over Fly’s head.
“Good Fly!” he praised softly as he took the rabbit from her grasp and grabbed her jesses. He headed back to the others who were waiting at the edge of the field. William, as usual, was jumping up and down in excitement.
“Look, Noble!” the young prince exclaimed. “That is the third rabbit today! And Fly got two doves, a duck and a pheasant, as well!” William had laid out the game on the ground and was examining it. “What a clever falcon you are, Fly!” he said. He turned to Dominique and added, “I cannot wait until I am old enough to have my own falcon someday! Father has promised that I shall have one, and Noble said he would teach me to train it, didn’t you, Noble?”
Dominique turned her eyes away from the dead animals and birds lying on the ground. She loved seeing Fly in action, but she felt sorry for the little creatures that fell prey to her sharp talons and beak. It was nature’s way, the way God intended it to be, she knew, and the animals were used for food and not wasted, but still her soft heart went out to the poor little things.
“Yes, that is true,” Noble was saying to William. “But now I think it is time we give Fly a rest. I promised that you and the Lady Dominique would have the chance to ride Valiant today. Sh
all we ask your parents’ permission? If they are agreeable, we will go for a ride.”
Permission was granted and Noble handed Fly’s cadge off to Jamie. He put William up on the big black stallion first. He climbed up behind the small boy and they took off at a slow trot across the field. William was laughing and bouncing in the saddle, clinging for dear life to Valiant’s mane. He chattered happily as they went. Valiant tossed his head, and turned to eye the child every once and a while, but he did not seem to be unhappy at having his mane pulled, or his sides kicked, or his back bounced upon. Indeed, the great warhorse seemed to delight in showing off for the young prince, and pranced proudly as Noble put him through his paces.
When they finally came back to the others, William shouted, “Did you seem me, Father? Mother, were you watching? Isn’t Valiant beautiful? And smart, too! Father, when I get bigger I want a falcon like Fly and a horse like Valiant! It won’t be long until I can ride Valiant all by myself, I’m sure!”
His parents laughed. “Oh, I think it will be a while, yet, William,” his father chuckled. “But someday you will have a horse like Valiant, too!”
Noble turned to Jamie and asked, “May I borrow your horse, my friend? The Lady Dominique wants to take a turn at riding Valiant, and I think she can handle him, but I want to ride alongside her just to be sure.”
The duke helped his daughter into the saddle, and Noble mounted Jamie’s horse next to her. Valiant whinnied loudly when Dominique took the reins, and pranced happily for a moment. He had always liked the pretty girl! Noble reached out in concern to grab Valiant and steady Dominique in the saddle, but she merely laughed and said, “No, no, Noble! I am fine—truly I am! Valiant is just excited, aren’t you, boy?” She stroked his neck fondly and the horse calmed down. When Noble was sure Dominique was alright they started across the field.
The two young people rode around the far edge of the field near the trees. Noble was impressed with how well Dominique handled Valiant. She rode smoothly and held the reins lightly but firmly in her hands. She showed no fear and made staying on Valiant’s broad back look easy. Of course, it helped that the stallion was on his best behavior for the pretty girl, too!
They were near the forest’s edge when Noble glanced into the shadows under the trees. All was still in there, as if the forest itself were holding its breath. Noble suddenly thought of the Dark Knight and wondered if they were being watched by unfriendly eyes at that very moment. Perhaps being this close to the forest and far away from the others was not a wise place to be. He kept his thoughts to himself, though, and simply said, “Come on, Dominique! Let’s go see if that picnic lunch is ready yet. I’m hungry!”
They were being called for lunch before they had even reached the middle of the field. The queen and duchess, who usually had servants to do that sort of thing, had delighted in setting out the blankets and food themselves and were giggling like little girls when Dominique and Noble returned with the horses.
The sunshine was bright and the afternoon warm as they enjoyed their picnic lunch. If thoughts of the Dark Knight crossed the minds of the others, no one mentioned it. They were out in the open, the sun was shining – there were no shadows to fear. Noble lay back in the deep grass and thought about Granny, wondering how she was doing as she prepared for their return later in the day.
Actually, at that moment Granny wasn’t doing very well at all. She took several steps backwards as the Dark Knight drew near. “What do you want?” she asked, her voice trembling. Hero had popped out from under the bed when the stranger spoke, and now he stood next to Granny, feet firmly planted and head lowered, growling and barking as ferociously as his little puppy dog voice would allow him. He sensed the man was danger and he would protect Granny with everything he had!
“What do I want?” the knight snarled. “What do I want? I want your grandson, old woman, that’s what I want! I want him to pay for what he did to my father—and to me!”
The threatening tone of the Dark Knight’s voice was all it took for Hero to attack. The pup leaped at the knight’s leg and sank his little teeth into his ankle. The man yelled and tried to shake the small dog off, but Hero clung tightly. It wasn’t until the knight struck at him with his sword that Hero finally let go. The pup saw the sharp blade swinging toward him and ducked just in the nick of time. What Hero didn’t see was the iron boot that followed. The knight gave the puppy a mighty kick and sent him flying through the air.
Granny had made a dash for the door when Hero attacked the Dark Knight. Now at the sound of the puppy’s yelp she looked back and saw little Hero lying all crumpled in a heap against the wall. “No!” she cried in dismay. She turned to go back for the little dog. Suddenly out of nowhere, a blow hit her in the back of the head. She fell to the floor. Noble! She moaned within herself. I have to warn him! were her last thoughts before everything went black and Granny lay still upon the floor.
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CHAPTER TEN
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In the Cave
When Granny opened her eyes everything was still black.
Have I lost my sight? She wondered. But no—her eyes were adjusting to the darkness and when she turned her head she could see a small gleam of light coming through a crack.
A crack? A crack in what? she wondered. Where am I? She strained to see in the deep gloom. Her hands and feet were tied, but she could feel small rocks beneath her, cutting into her skin, and the deep chill of stone. This is a cave, she thought. But where? Why did he bring me here? And where is he, the Dark Knight? Will he come back? Will Noble find me first?
Granny did not know whether to hope for her grandson’s help, or to pray that he would stay far away from the clutches of the Dark Knight. “Lord, You know where I am! I ask now, Father, that you would protect me, and especially my dear Noble from this madman, this Dark Knight! I will trust in You, Lord,” she prayed, “and wait on You to save us both!”
She had hardly finished praying when she heard footsteps behind her. A shadow blocked the one ray of light she had seen and she turned in its direction. “Who are you?” she asked, trying to still the quiver in her voice.
“You have heard of me, I know,” the cruel voice said out of the darkness. “Your grandson has searched for me, and though he thinks he is so clever, he has not caught up with me yet! We shall see how clever he is when he finds you missing and comes looking for you, old woman! I will be waiting for him then, and he shall pay for what he has done. Oh, yes—he will pay!”
The knight bent down and jerked Granny to a sitting position. He began to tie a cloth over her mouth so that she could not speak. “No more talking now! You will not warn him when he shows up—I will see to that with this! And I must see to it that he comes alone, as well. I have thought of a plan to draw the king and his men away. There will be no help for your boy, then, old woman! Oh, no!”
The Dark Knight pulled the knot tighter, making the cloth cut into Granny’s cheek. “And then, while Sir Noble, and the king, and the duke, and all the men are away chasing after me—they think—I have another plan—a way to make the king and duke pay, as well! They’ll all pay for what they’ve done to my father and me!”
The Dark Knight pushed Granny back to the ground again and stood to his feet. “I cannot fight them all, but while they are gone I shall take away those they love best, just as they took my father away from me! When Prince William and my cousin Dominique are left unprotected, then I will make my move, and they shall meet the Dark Knight face to face, just as you did!” The man laughed wickedly. “Oh, yes, they will all pay for what they’ve done!”
His footsteps echoed as the Dark Knight left the cave. Granny was chilled to the bone—chilled far more by his evil words than she had been by the cold stone upon which she lay. Oh, Lord! she prayed over and over as the minutes ticked by. Please save us from this terrible man! Please protect those children—and especially my Noble!
Out in the fields Noble had finished his lunch when he suddenly said
, “Your Majesty, would you mind if I go back to my grandmother’s cottage ahead of the rest of you? I know she is preparing tea for you all, and perhaps she needs some help.”
“By all means, Noble! Go help your grandmother and spend a little extra time with her! Tell her she must not fuss, though. We shall be happy with simply tea and her fresh-baked scones,” the king said. “We will be along shortly, but for now we want to just enjoy this beautiful day in the sunshine.”
Noble bid them farewell and mounted Valiant. Though he had just eaten, the thought of Granny’s scones made his mouth water. I hope she has an extra one, he thought. Cook and her helpers made scones often back at the castle, but no one could make them as tasty as Granny!
The cottage looked pretty and peaceful in the sunshine. “Granny!” Noble called as he tied Valiant to the gate. “I’ve come back to help you!” There was no answer as he hurried into the cottage.
Noble stopped in his tracks. Granny was not there. A chair lay toppled over on the floor. Flour was spilled all over the table, and a bowl of dough had fallen from the window ledge and lay in pieces below. What had happened here?
Suddenly Noble spied a crumpled little ball of fur lying against the wall. “Hero!” he cried. He rushed to the little dog, fearing the worst. “Oh, Hero! What happened? Who did this to you?” He gently touched the pup’s side. Hero let out a sharp yelp and opened his eyes.
Relief flooded over Noble. At least his dog was still alive. Hero lifted his head and gave Noble’s hand a little lick. His big brown eyes looked in pain at his master. “Wait, Hero,” Noble said. “Let me get you some water.”
He brought back a bowl of water and placed it in front of the puppy. He cupped his hand and brought a drink up to Hero’s mouth. The dog took a few licks of water and then staggered to his feet. He shook his head, as if to clear it, and then looked up at Noble, his tail wagging weakly.
Shadow of the Dark Knight (Noble Heart Book 3) Page 5
