‘So you’ve turned traitor, have you, Mikhail?’ Conrad said. ‘It was only a matter of time. Aurelian should have ruled from behind the throne, rather than taking it as his own, I always thought.’
Mikhail, to give him his due, was not flinching or cowering under such close scrutiny. He had several inches advantage on Conrad, in terms of height, although the older man was powerfully built and strong. ‘I do not disagree, sir. But that is a discussion for another day.’ He looked behind him, to where Emfil and Clara stood. ‘We have a strange tale to tell you, sir, my friends and I. You need to hear what we have to say. A company of knights has come to Aurelian’s aid, and their presence in Varuz may well alter your plans. Will you hear what we have to tell you?’
Conrad looked back at his generals, who all nodded their own interest. So Conrad went and sat in a high-backed chair, and gestured to the three travellers to come before him. ‘Speak,’ he said, and Mikhail launched into an account of the arrival of Lancelot and his men at the Great Hall, of their quest for the Grail, and how Aurelian had commanded his own knights to join the quest. Conrad sat listening intently. ‘But what is it, this thing, this Grail?’ he said. ‘A weapon?’
‘Of its nature, I know very little,’ admitted Mikhail, ‘although its power is such that it has kept these knights in search of it for years. But my friend here –’ he nodded to Emfil – ‘may know a little more.’
Conrad turned to Emfil, who, with much stammering and stuttering, explained something about his search for the Glamour. At Clara’s whispered instruction, he skipped the part about being from another planet. Conrad surely wouldn’t believe that and he might doubt the rest of their story as result. And, besides, Conrad seemed to have the conquering bug. Clara wasn’t keen on putting the idea of whole new worlds in front of him. When Emfil finished, Conrad sat for a while, his chin resting in his hand, deep in thought.
‘These are fascinating tales,’ he said at last. ‘I must admit that the temptation is very strong to chase whatever Aurelian is chasing, and to beat him to this object.’ He leaned back in his chair, and stretched out, like a lion taking its ease in the afternoon sun. ‘But the simple truth is, I do not care a fig for grails or glamours.’
One of the generals stepped forward. ‘Sir,’ she said, ‘this might not be wise—’
‘Fear not, Lucinda,’ he said. ‘I’m not a fool! This seems a distraction to me, and an unnecessary one. But I do understand the significance of symbols. If this quest for the Grail will unite Aurelian’s knights and the people of Varuz behind him, then I will do what can to prevent him.’
The general stood back, satisfied. But Clara wanted some answers. She had come hoping that she might persuade Conrad to listen to Guena’s petition, but she saw now that this was a waste of time. His hatred of Varuz ran too deep, and informed every decision that he made.
‘Why do you want Varuz so much?’ she said. ‘I suppose it’s pretty enough, or some of it is, and the walking holidays must be excellent. I know my calf muscles won’t be the same again after all this. But it’s falling apart. Why bring an army all this way? It’s like cutting a loaf of bread with…Well, with a laser-sword. Why not just leave it be? Leave Varuz to quietly crumble?’
‘I rule from the eastern sea to the mountains,’ Conrad said. ‘I rule all the wide green lands beneath the sun. Except Varuz.’
‘So what you’re saying is that you don’t like a gap in your collection?’ Clara shook her head. ‘Emfil, I thought you were wasting your time, but this is something else.’ She turned back to Conrad. ‘You know, wanting to have everything is not a great reason to start a war. In fact, it’s a pretty terrible reason. Probably the worst one out there.’
Conrad was starting to look impatient. ‘I do not know who you are, lady, but I think you know very little of our history. Varuz was the conqueror once. Over many years, we have pushed them back and we will continue to do so until their influence is washed away.’
‘That sounds unpleasant for Varuz,’ Clara said. ‘And I’ll confess I don’t know much about your history, but I’m fairly certain there’s nobody alive there now who was responsible for conquering you. And, anyway, you can’t keep fighting wars because of the last one.’
‘There will be no more wars after this one,’ said Conrad.
‘I’ve heard that before,’ said Clara.
‘There needn’t be war now,’ Conrad said, ‘if Aurelian will hear my embassy and surrender his rule.’
The three travellers looked uneasily at each other.
‘Sir,’ said Mikhail. ‘We have bad news—’
‘Your embassy,’ said Clara, ‘isn’t going to reach Aurelian.’
Mikhail put his hand upon her arm. ‘I should be the one to explain,’ he said, and he did, describing how they had found the bodies on the hillside, and explaining their unhappy end. The others there gasped in horror, but Conrad remained coldly in control.
‘Who did this?’ he said. ‘Did Aurelian order this?’
‘Sir, we expected your embassy, but we had no knowledge of when he might arrive and what route he might take,’ said Mikhail. ‘We did not know enough to waylay him.’
‘And, anyway, Aurelian wouldn’t do that,’ Clara said. ‘Well, he wouldn’t!’ she said again, when she heard muttering around the room. ‘He’s prepared to meet you in battle, but he wouldn’t send assassins to kill your ambassador.’
‘You speak highly of Aurelian,’ said Conrad.
‘I think he’s made a lot of mistakes, and I think he’s mistaken if he thinks he can hold you and your army off, but I don’t think he would do something as brutal and as underhand as that. Look,’ said Clara, ‘I don’t have any vested interest in all this. I don’t want land, or riches, or jewels, or titles. I just don’t want to see you all killing each other, and I particularly don’t want to see ordinary people hurt, because it’s usually ordinary people who get hurt when lords and generals start a war with each other. I’m just telling it to you straight.’
‘That,’ said Conrad, ‘is not always an appealing quality.’ He turned to Mikhail. ‘Nevertheless, I am prepared to accept your word, lord, that Aurelian did not order this massacre.’
‘You have my word,’ said Mikhail. ‘And I am no favourite of Aurelian’s.’
‘That I certainly know,’ said Conrad. ‘Yes, I can accept that Aurelian would not be duplicitous in this way. How true that is of the rest of his court, I am not sure.’
Clara flushed at this, thinking of her own scheming with Bernhardt and Guena.
‘I see that the young lady, at least, has some idea of what I mean,’ Conrad said. ‘Aurelian is not perhaps informed of all that happens in his halls. But if Aurelian did not order this murder, then who might? Who could have killed these people?’
One of the generals spoke. ‘There are many bandits in this country. Aurelian has struggled to sustain his rule across his lands.’
‘It’s only falling apart because you’re barricading them in,’ Clara pointed out. ‘You know, I wouldn’t be surprised if you ordered the murder of your ambassador yourself so that you had an excuse to invade—’
‘Er, Clara,’ whispered Emfil. ‘Is this such a good idea? I thought you were supposed to be, well, you know, trying to broker peace—’
There was anger around the room at Clara’s words, and Conrad, looking very coolly at her, said, ‘I shall forgive you that since you say that you know very little about the history of these lands. Do you know what kind of master Varuz was? A cruel one that used its superior strength and knowledge to crush the rest of the world so that its nobles could lead luxurious lives. Even now, the Duke uses the remnants of their power to attack us in our lands. Sudden explosions in our towns. Buildings turned to rubble. People killed and maimed—’
Mikhail intervened. ‘Sir,’ he said, ‘I know nothing of this, but I know you would not lie, and for the harm done to your people by mine, I am sorry. Had I been Duke, it would not have happened with my cognizance. But all o
f this must end,’ he went on. ‘You and I, sir, we must stop all this. None of us is served by this.’
Mikhail turned to address the generals too.
‘Aurelian represents the old order, looking back to a lost past that can never be regained, and which we should not want to see again. Those days are gone and the secrets of Varuz are gone with them. But there is no future for any of us in war, sir. Not for your country, not for what remains of mine, and not for all the green lands beneath the sun. Someone must be willing to look towards the future. Someone must be willing to end this impasse.’ Stepping forwards, he knelt before Conrad. ‘I am the heir to Varuz, sir. And I offer you my service. I will find you this Grail, this Glamour, if that is what you want.’
‘Mikhail,’ said Clara. ‘I’m not sure this is a good idea…’
But Conrad was highly amused. ‘You begin with an offer of peace and then give me an offer of service! Perhaps, if we talk a little longer, you will give me the keys to the city!’ Then, rising from his seat, he held out his hands, and helped the young man to stand. ‘I make light of your offer, which is unfair of me. You are a brave man, I think,’ he said, ‘and a wise one. I accept your service. But as for this Grail?’ He smiled wolfishly. ‘I have another task in mind for you, Mikhail.’
—
We left the city in the early morning, and I will admit that I was unsure whether I would see my home and my lady again. Where would this quest take us, in the end? If such a thing as the Grail did indeed exist, I had heard tell of nothing like it in all the lands between the mountains and the sea. Yes, we had tales of quests, of objects that were desired and lost and found and then discovered to no longer be desired in the same way – but are such tales not universal? Do they not speak to every human heart? For they speak to us of our follies, of the limits of our self-knowledge, but they also speak of the necessity of hope. I do not believe there is a land beneath the sun or a world spinning round a star that does not tell such tales. But an object of such mystery as the Grail? That I had not heard of before, and to know that it came from a distant world only confused me further. Why would it have come to Varuz, and by what means? Did our fathers indeed voyage amongst the stars? Their powers were extraordinary and their appetites mighty. Could they have visited Clara’s home, once upon a time, and other worlds too? Did they bring back with them the relics of other worlds? Were they plunderers, our forefathers, gatherers-up of the wealth and treasures of others? That was a hard thing to think on.
But such thoughts consumed me as I rode through the city, and the rest of the company too seemed caught up in their own reveries, for we rode in silence. As we passed, however, cheers rose up at our passing, and sometimes even songs that instructed us to have heart, to be brave in the way that only the people of Varuz knew how to be. I saw us through the eyes of these witnesses, and thought that we must seem a very strange band. Lancelot and his grim knights were at the fore; behind them, I led a company of knights, the flower of Varuz. The Doctor rode beside me. The gates stood open, and we filed through. Beyond the city walls a great dais had been raised, and there Aurelian waited for us. We halted our progress and gathered around to hear him.
And such a speech he gave! Hearing him, my heart was filled again with great love for this man, companion of my youth and manhood, my Duke, lord of the land that I loved best. He spoke to us of Varuz, our home, and its greatness. He spoke to us of the charge that fell upon us: to bring aid to Lancelot and his men in their quest and in so doing, bring honour and renown to Varuz. Beside him stood his Duchess, Guena, and throughout the speech she and I were careful to make sure that our eyes never met.
When at last Aurelian finished, we cried out his name, Aurelian! and we cried the name of our home, Varuz! and then we set forth again. As the road bent away from the city, I turned to look back one last time, and I saw Guena, standing alone. She lifted her hand. Farewell.
For some time, I could do little more than make myself ride on. But at length, I found my voice again, and I turned to my companion. ‘Tell me, Doctor,’ I said, ‘about the tales that came from Clara’s world. What became of the knights that rode upon the Quest? Did they find what they were looking for? Did they find their Holy Grail?’
He did not reply at once, and I wondered if he had heard me, but at length he sighed. ‘The Grail could only be seen if a person was pure at heart – if they had led a pure life.’
I smiled at that. ‘Can such a person exist?’
‘In stories, yes,’ he replied. ‘And so it was in the case of this story. One of the knights, Galahad, had lived a pure life. He was courageous, and gentle, and courteous, and brave.’
‘Now I know we are in a story,’ I said. ‘No such perfect knight could exist.’
‘Galahad travelled in search of the Grail, and he came at last to a waste land. All that was left there was a ruined castle, and in the castle lived a wounded king. Inside the castle was the Grail.’
‘And what happened when he saw it, Doctor?’
‘He died, Bernhardt. He died, happy.’
I pondered this tale for a while, which seemed to me amongst the saddest that I had heard. Was any vision of perfection worth one’s life? ‘And what about Lancelot?’ I said. ‘Did he see the Grail?’
‘Lancelot,’ he said, ‘was in love with Arthur’s wife. And she was in love with him. Because of this, Lancelot never saw the Grail as anything other a dream – and even then, it was a blur.’ He looked at me keenly. ‘Was this failure? I’m not sure. Perhaps it was better to have loved the Queen and been loved in return, than to have touched the Holy Grail. But who am I to say?’
‘And Arthur? What happened to him?’
‘He died, of course, in battle. All kings die, in the end, and their kingdoms fall to ruin.’
I looked back again, but the road had bent away, and the city was lost in the misty dawn. My heart was heavy. I did not believe that I would find any grail on this journey, because I left behind me what I loved most of all. We rode on into wilder country, where the ruins of Varuz were plain to see and the bright morning sun only served to make their destitution all the more poignant and sorrowful. The land was empty and eerily silent. But, beside me, the Doctor was whispering these words:
‘Far-called, our navies melt away;
On dune and headland sinks the fire:
Lo, all our pomp of yesterday
Is one with Nineveh and Tyre!’
—
‘Another task,’ said Mikhail, slowly, as if trying to guess what Conrad could have in mind. ‘What might that be?’
‘This Quest,’ said Conrad. ‘If I understand correctly what you have told me, then Aurelian is sending out his knights throughout Varuz to hunt for the Grail, whatever it might be.’
‘Yes, I believe that to be true, sir,’ Mikhail replied. ‘And I can aid you in your own search for it. I know the lands as well as any farmer or goatherd. I have travelled them as much as any knight of Varuz. There are many dangerous corners, these days. I can guide your people through.’
‘And all of this may well prove useful for your task,’ Conrad said. ‘But the Grail – I spoke the truth when I said I cared nothing for such a thing. So I think that we will let Aurelian’s men ride wherever they wish. Let them chase whatever they like. They can go hunting for all I care. What matters to me is that while they are busy on this chase, the city lies open. Therefore we ride for the city.’ He smiled at Mikhail. ‘And you shall ride with us! You know the lands well, you say – and I daresay you know the city’s defences well, too. This is the service that I require of you – that you bring me and my men to the gates. While Aurelian’s knights are busy – we take the city. We take Varuz.’
There was a brief silence. ‘Mikhail,’ Clara said, in a warning voice. ‘You need to be very careful now.’
‘You ask a great deal of me, sir,’ Mikhail said, slowly. ‘To be the one that delivers Varuz into your hands?’
‘Service to me requires more than the idle hunt of
an idle nobility,’ said Conrad fiercely. ‘A chase? A quest? A grail or some other trinket? Useless!’ He went over to his maps. ‘I want the city. I want Varuz, the land between the mountains and the sea.’
‘You can’t ask him to do this!’ Clara said. ‘This is his home!’
‘But I offer a great deal in return.’ Conrad turned to Clara. ‘You dislike me, I think, but perhaps you would like me better if you knew that I am no duke. No royal blood gave me rule. I rule through debate, persuasion, argument – aye,’ he said, ‘and some skill at arms. For years I have guarded our border with Varuz, preventing the crossing of those who would attack our people in their homes. Under my rule the whole world has been kept safe from the schemes and sorceries that blighted the lives of our ancestors. Never again will Varuz command our lives.’ He turned back to Mikhail. ‘In the old stories, I would perhaps name you my heir and put you on some throne. This I cannot do. I do not sit upon a throne. I may rule, but I cannot promise you that rule, because it is not mine to give. It was granted to me, on condition that I guarded the lands and kept the people safe. But if you achieve this task with me – you will be welcome in my country, and you will be welcome at my side. Your country, and my country – united, and the chance to prove yourself worthy in turn of the rule of it all.’
‘Peace in our time,’ Clara muttered to herself. To Mikhail, she said, ‘Are you really falling for this? Listen to him, Mikhail! He hates Varuz. Your home. Your people. What’s he offering you in return, really? A chance to stand for Parliament? And what do you think his promises are worth?’ said Clara. ‘He’ll get you to do his dirty work, invade and conquer, and then he’ll thank you by killing you.’
‘Clara, please,’ said Mikhail, the struggle plain on his face. ‘This is not the time or the place—’
But Conrad was laughing. He reached down to his belt and drew his dagger. Then he nicked his thumb with the blade, so that a bead of blood appeared there. ‘I am no great lord,’ he said. ‘I am no duke, with a thousand years of lineage behind me. The people of my country were asked who should rule them, and they called my name. No, I am not royal. And neither am I a liar.’ He let the blood drip onto the ground. ‘You have sworn an oath to serve me, Mikhail. There are witnesses here to hear me say that if that service is rendered then you will have my blessing as my successor, and the chance to prove yourself to all the people of our united countries. The chance to let them see your actions and your worth, and have them call your name – when the time comes.’ The blood speckled the ground and, with the toe of his boot, Conrad rubbed it into the earth. ‘My blood,’ he said, ‘your land. Let them be united.’
Doctor Who: Royal Blood (Glamour Chronicles, Book 1) Page 10
