The Rose and the Skull

by Jeff Crook

  "And besides," Gunthar continued, "I call them here on such frequent occasions to keep an eye on them." He smiled. "I'm not so big a fool as you think I am."

  "My lord!" Liam exclaimed.

  "No, no you don't have to pretend. I know you think I've grown soft in my old age. You may even think I'm a few sticks shy of a cord," Gunthar said.

  "Lord Gunthar!" Liam protested. "I never doubted… "

  "Yes, you have, as have many others. They will doubt me still more after tonight. Look there! My friend has got his cap back," Gunthar said, abruptly changing the subject and pointing to the rat-skin capped gully dwarf.

  Gunthar raised his cup in silent toast to the small filthy creature on the floor before him. The gully dwarf's nestlike beard parted in a wide grin, and he blushed to the tips of his ears.

  3

  The feast continued well into the evening. Many knights ate to the point of near-paralysis, having their fill of beef, pork, mutton, and chicken, as well as ducks, geese, capons, and woodcock. There were also pies galore, in which had been baked all manner of meats and vegetables, potatoes and carrots, leeks from Solamnia, onions, and garlic from the Abanasian plains. There was sheep's stomach stuffed with meat and barley, lamb boiled in butter and poured over a shield-sized platter of rice from Northern Ergoth. It fairly rained bread and sweet butter.

  Lord Gunthar ate sparingly, as was his habit. While the meal continued, minstrels played from the alcoves around the hall while skalds sang of battles, Knights, and quests of long ago, of the coming of dragons, of the fall of Istar, of the sacrifices of Huma Dragonbane and of Sturm Brightblade. Some of the gathered Knights told of their most recent adventures or of news from across the sea. Many discussed the devastation of the Dragon Purge. More argued about what was to be done. Few agreed about anything, except for the need for more wine. More wine was served.

  Wagers were laid on the game of tossing bones and gristle to Lord Gunthar's hounds and the gully dwarves, but as the gully dwarves were, in general, the more devious and resourceful, they most often obtained the best scraps, with the exception of one small, nimble-footed female hound whose speed and agility won her an unusual share of the spoils. As the evening wore on, she again and again robbed unwitting gully dwarves of their prizes. Once she was caught, and a tug of war ensued between the hound and two gully dwarves over a large and meaty beef bone. The hound had the larger end firmly gripped in her jaws, while the gully dwarves, one male and one female, wrestled over the small end.

  Finally with a howl of frustration, the female gully dwarf loosed her hold on the bone and made a leap for the dog, her yellow teeth flashing as she prepared to make use of the gully dwarf's primary mode of attack. She grabbed the hound by the paw and raised it to her mouth. The hound, sensing danger, released the bone and scampered away, her nails scratching at the slick stone floor.

  Before the female gully dwarf could enjoy her triumph, a low brown blur dashed in and tossed the gully dwarf free of the bone. The female gully dwarf climbed to her feet and snarling, faced her attacker.

  "Gulpfunger spawn," she spat. She shook the nap of hair from her eyes.

  She cringed when she saw her opponent. "Uh oh," she said. Her face grew pale, and she quickly glanced around for an escape route.

  "That right, Gerde!" shouted the rat-skin-capped gully dwarf who had earlier drawn the attention of Lord Gunthar and Sir Liam Ehrling. "How many times I tell you, no bite my friends the dogs?"

  "Don't know," squeaked Gerde. "Two?"

  "Two and two and two!" he answered.

  Without warning, a silver cup whistled by the rat-skin capped one, splashing him with wine. He ducked, too late to do any good as he'd already been missed, but Gerde took that opportunity to escape. Meanwhile, the male gully dwarf, forgotten in the commotion, slunk away with the bone.

  A Knight directly opposite him stood, his face red with anger, his auburn Solamnic mustaches trembling. "You miserable little rat!" the Knight shouted. "You cost me a small fortune just now! I'll teach you to break up a contest on which I've wagered." The Knight reached across the table for a heavy silver meat platter. The gully dwarf curled into a ball on the floor.

  "Sir Limpole!" Gunthar roared as he leaped to his feet. The Knight stopped with the tray poised above his head.

  He eyed the elderly Grand Master. "Put down that tray this instant," Gunthar growled.

  "Put it down, I say!" Gunthar shouted when the Knight did not immediately obey. Slowly now, Sir Limpole returned the tray to the table. Gunthar glared across the room at the young Knight of the Sword.

  "Consider yourself under sanction, young man, until we can convene a general chapter to review your actions," Gunthar said. A gasp escaped most of the Knights gathered at the feast.

  "My lord, I must protest!" the young Knight shrieked in his surprise. "He's… he's only a gully dwarf!"

  Liam leaned closer to Gunthar and said in a low voice, "My lord, you can't mean… "

  But Gunthar did not hear him. "Only a gully dwarf! Only a gully dwarf!" he cried, he jaw muscles quivering. He pushed back his chair and strode around the end of the table, down the steps of dais, and over to the cringing gully dwarf. Though elderly, Gunthar's steps were still sure and confident, energetic, not faltering or hesitant. Only the shaking of his hands and the slight nodding of his graying head betrayed his advanced age. He stepped between the gully dwarf and Sir Limpole.

  "This gully dwarf is the master of my hounds," Gunthar said.

  "My lord, I do apologize," Limpole began, but Gunthar cut him off.

  "Servant of this household or not, it matters not. He is weaker than you, and you are bound by honor, Sir Knight, to protect him, never to attack him," Gunthar said. "I have been lenient to a fault with the lot of you, as Sir Liam will testify." He turned slowly to gaze at all the gathered Knights as he continued. Few met his eyes, and those who did quickly looked away.

  "Many times, I have let slide your lack of respect for your elders and your betters. When others would have you punished for your insolence, I have argued for leniency. But what Sir Limpole has done here tonight betrays a marked deficiency. Such matters must come before a general chapter for discussion and judgment. These are not my rules. They are the rules of the order to which you all belong."

  He turned then to look down at the gully dwarf cringing on the floor. "This little fellow displayed great honor and courage by confronting one of his own kind to protect his charge—the hound. I wonder how many of you would have done the same," he said. At these words, a low mutter circled the room. Sir Quintayne rose from his chair.

  "Lord Gunthar, these are strong words. What Sir Limpole did is unconscionable, but to compare a blooded Knight with a gully dwarf… why it's… it's simply preposterous," Quintayne said.

  "Is that so, Sir Knight?"

  "There is no comparison. Gully dwarves are notorious cowards. They are weak, cruel, and selfish. They'll sell out their own people if they think it will save their own miserable hides, not to mention the treachery they display when it comes to other races. Only their staggering stupidity keeps them from being a danger to us all. Even a brave man must fear a coward," Quintayne argued.

  "Who here can honestly say the same despicable traits are not present in much of the human race? They are present in abundance, even within the Knighthood. There are some of you here tonight who would sell out all your fellows just to preserve your own lives, some who would do anything to revenge an imagined wrong. Some might even kill their own brothers if it increased their power," Gunthar said.

  He turned to the gully dwarf. "Stand up, my boy Don't be afraid." Slowly, the terrified gully dwarf rose to his feet, but he shrank as best he could behind Gunthar's legs, clinging to the old man's knees and not daring to face the stern looks of the gathered Knights.

  Gathering his courage, Sir Limpole said, "There are some here who would say you care more for these vermin than you do your own Knights, Lord Gunthar."

  "I do care for my g
ully dwarves a great deal, especially this one. They are weak and deserve our protection. If you doubt the honor of this one, I will tell you more about him and let you judge for yourselves," Gunthar said.

  "Lord Gunthar, consider what you are saying," Liam said. More and more, angry looks were turned upon the elderly Grand Master as he stood beside the gully dwarf.

  "I have considered it, Liam." He turned to face the others and said in a loud voice, "Knights, I present to you Uhoh Ragnap, esquire, of the race of Aghar dwarves. Uhoh is master of my hounds, with all the duties and responsibilities attendant to that position. On this day, when one of my hounds was come under threat of physical harm, Squire Uhoh defended the hound against one of his own kind, another gully dwarf. What say you? Were the actions of Squire Uhoh honorable and commendable as is fitting for a squire to a Knight?"

  A roar of outrage answered the Grand Master. Quintayne pounded the table and shouted, "Lord Gunthar, be reasonable. Surely you aren't suggesting a gully dwarf be admitted as squire into the Knights of Solamnia?" Liam Ehrling merely placed his face in his hands and sighed. Arguments broke out all around the room and continued unabated for many minutes.

  Slowly, Gunthar's head drooped. He seemed to wilt with age before their very eyes. He heard some calling for his resignation, some saying he had surely lost his mind and was no longer fit to lead the Knights. But amidst the tumult, he heard one voice calling, "Yea, yea!" He searched the crowd until he found the lone dissenter. It was a young man from Tarsis, a Knight of the Sword. For the most part ignored by those around him, this one Knight stood and repeated his answer to Gunthar's question. Gunthar's spirits rose.

  "Sir Ellinghad," Gunthar shouted until the din subsided. "Sir Ellinghad. What say you?"

  "I say yea, the gully dwarf's actions were honorable," Ellinghad affirmed.

  "There you have it!" Gunthar shouted, but before anyone could answer, he turned to another. "Lady Meredith, Lord High Clerist, what say you?"

  "The gully dwarf's actions were… yes, they were honorable," she began. Again, shouts of disapproval arose, but she pounded the table with her fist until they quieted. "Yes, the gully dwarf performed honorably, but I must agree with my peers in this matter, Lord Gunthar. You cannot mean to admit a gully dwarf into our ranks."

  "That is not what I intended," Gunthar said. He reached down and patted the gully dwarf on the top of his rat-skin cap. "Uhoh is brave and honorable for a gully dwarf, but he is not, nor could he ever be, a Knight."

  "Then why, in heaven's name, why did you… " Liam cried, only to end in stammering dismay.

  "To prove a point," Gunthar answered.

  "Milord, with all this talk about our rules of admission, what exactly are you proposing?" Meredith asked. "Why did you bring us here?"

  Before Gunthar could answer, a horn sounded from the tower battlements outside. Another followed from the courtyard below the window. Strident it blared, silencing all arguments, resounding with a note of fear. Before its last echoes died away, the door to the chamber burst open, and a Knight entered, breathing heavily and sweating from his run.

  "Lord Gunthar," he panted. "Dragons approaching from the east."

  4

  "What kind?" Liam shouted, rising to his feet. "What color?"

  "Blue dragons, milord," the Knight answered.

  "The Knights of Takhisis have broken the peace!" Liam roared. "I knew they would."

  "Send for the silver dragons! Break out the dragonlances. To arms! To arms!" Sir Quintayne shouted as he leaped atop a table, sending plates and bowls crashing to the floor.

  Gully dwarves, momentarily distracted by the horns and the sudden commotion, forgot their fears and rushed in to clean up the mess. Soon they were growling and snarling as though nothing had happened, happily licking spilled soup from the flagstones.

  "Wait a moment!" Gunthar shouted into the din as the gathered Knights rushed to prepare for battle. Adding to all the noise, the hounds began to bark excitedly. Gunthar fought his way through the throng, trying to reach the door before anyone could get out.

  "Wait!" he shouted. "Sir Ellinghad, hold the door!" The young Knight of the Sword was the first to reach the door and was about to tear from the room when he heard Gunthar call his name. He stopped and did as he was told, preventing anyone else from leaving.

  "There is no cause for alarm. I invited them!"

  The room grew suddenly quiet at these words. Liam slowly turned to face Lord Gunthar. Through clenched teeth, he growled to the messenger, "How many blue dragons have been spotted?"

  "Twelve, sir," the Knight answered. "Four flights of three each."

  "Has the shore watch spotted any ships?"

  "None so far."

  Liam's mustaches began to quiver, and his dark eyes smoldered beneath his brow. "Lord Gunthar," he said with obvious restraint, "How do you know this isn't the precursor of a larger attack?"

  "I know, as I said, because I invited them," Gunthar said, then tripped over Uhoh, who had not left his side and was, in fact, still clinging to his legs. Sir Quintayne caught and steadied the elderly Grand Master. "Uhoh, my boy, you'll have to let me go so I can go greet our guests," Gunthar said.

  "No, Papa. No go, Papa," the gully dwarf whimpered.

  Angry at the interruption, Liam said loudly, "You should have warned us, milord."

  "And what would you have said, had I told you I sent overtures to the leadership of the Knights of Takhisis, inviting a discussion of the merger of our two great orders?" Gunthar asked as he pried the gully dwarf's fingers loose from his thigh. A gasp escaped the gathered Knights. The tension between the Grand Master of the order, and his protege and handpicked successor, electrified the air.

  "You didn't!" Liam whispered.

  "I did. And what would you have said if I had told you that they accepted, enthusiastically? That we both agreed that if any Knighthood at all is to survive upon Krynn, it must be a united Knighthood."

  "Lord Gunthar, how could you have done this on your own, without consulting us?" Lady Meredith asked. She stepped before Liam Ehrling, breaking the tension between the two powerful Knights. Continuing, she said, "It goes against everything we stand for. It is a direct violation of the procedures called for in the Measure."

  "I know that, Meredith. Aren't I rewriting and revising that very Measure?" Gunthar said as he finally freed himself from the grasp of the gully dwarf. "Houndmaster Uhoh, take the hounds to their quarters and see that they have water," he ordered. Reluctantly, Uhoh stepped back and nodded.

  Satisfied, Gunthar turned to the door. For a moment, he and Liam faced each other in silence. Liam, a head taller than the elderly Knight, seemed on the verge of challenging his master or preventing him from leaving the room. Gunthar, seeming to sense this, straightened his back and stepped toward the door. Liam's eyes dropped, and he stepped aside.

  "Open the door, Ellinghad, and attend me," he said.

  The young Knight obeyed, swinging wide the door and falling in beside the Grand Master as he passed. The other Knights filed out of the room behind them.

  Liam Ehrling gave one last look around the wrecked banquet hall, its floor still crowded with dogs and gully dwarves, the tables littered with food and dripping with spilled wine. His eyes lighted on Gunthar's houndmaster. Strangely, the little creature snapped to attention and saluted in perfect imitation of a Knight. Liam snorted, turned, and stalked out.

  Gunthar led the way from the banquet hall to the courtyard. All along the way, servants and men at arms rushed about, frantically making ready for the unexpected visitors. Some seemed preparing for war, while others acted as though a visiting dignitary had arrived unannounced. As he walked calmly through the chaos, Gunthar explained his actions.

  "Desperate times call for desperate measures. There often comes a moment when one man, or one woman for that matter, must make a decision and take upon his shoulders, or her shoulders, the responsibility of that decision. If I had brought this before a Grand Chapter, you would
have argued for centuries before making a decision, and by then it would be too late." He turned a corner and descended a wide staircase, Knights trooping behind him.

  "When Pyrothraxus discovers how weak we really are, he won't long remain content to enslave the gnomes of Mount Nevermind. He has already learned that he can attack with impunity the shipping around this island. A few months ago, he sank an Ergothian privateer and the ship the Knights of Takhisis sent to capture her. They then sent an expedition to find their lost ship, and that expedition vanished without a trace."

  Gunthar paused in an archway at the foot of the stairs and turned to the Knights above him. "It won't be long before Pyrothraxus tests our northern defenses and finds them nonexistent. Our castles there are virtually empty, the lands around them lying fallow, growing wild. We need Knights to man the towers and the walls and dragons to defend them. I'm no magician, able to conjure up armies from the rocks and stones, just like that," he said with a snap of his fingers. He turned and continued down a corridor lined with torches in silver sconces.

  "We need experienced fighting men," Gunthar said. Someone behind him cleared her throat. "And women," he amended over his shoulder.