by Rocky Bills
Basilea said, “That’s an excellent cover story. By the way, we are going on the hunt with you. I will stop by the bread tent and tell them I won’t be there today. I’ll spin the same tale.”
Fulk looked at both of us for a long time, then said, “I expect I won’t see the two of you until the theatre field this evening. And I expect to see you both back here tonight!” He grabbed the diagram from the table, turned, and made a hasty exit through the rear door.
I looked into Basilea’s emerald eyes. “You better go talk to the bread-baking ladies. I need to polish up the horses and stick to my routine, perhaps a performance or two before the noon meal.”
“I’ll meet you back here by noon meal, unless I see you on the festival grounds, sir,” she answered.
We gave each other a long hug, although, with all the equipment we wore, it was somewhat ineffective and unsatisfying. Basilea turned and left before I could see the tears in her eyes. I was thankful, as my eyes also seemed to be running. Now I knew why Fulk had left so abruptly. I pulled myself together, wiped my eyes, and went out to polish the horses.
Demon and Mildred were finishing their meal when I arrived with the brushes and a comb. They trotted over to me, then stopped and looked me over. Demon started sniffing all over my body. “It’s okay, young man, just wearing a few different things today is all.” Both horses looked a bit puzzled for a moment, then Demon lipped the side of my face and gave a soft nicker. I said, “I’m okay. Let’s get you two polished up now.” I started to work on them, first the coarse brush out, then the polishing. Somewhere along the way, they had both fallen asleep.
As I groomed them, I thought about how much I loved these two beasties. When I got to braiding Demon's mane, I went into sort of a trance, never wanting these moments to end. I thought, If something happens to me, at least I got to groom them one last time. Fulk and Basilea would take good care of them, I knew. By now, I had moved to Mildred and happened to look over her neck. Demon was staring at me as if he was in some kind of deep thought. I guess he was picking up on my somber mood. I just couldn’t seem to help it today. When I ran out of the red ribbon, I was forced to stop. I put my equipment away and returned to the horses, who waited for me in the open turnout. This was unusual. Typically, they were still asleep after grooming. I said, “Well, what do you two extraordinary horses think? Ready to go get a snack?” Both horses gave a quiet nicker and moved their heads up and down slowly. “Come on, you two, cheer up. I’m okay, honest!” Both horses walked in their respective positions, Demon on the right and Mildred on the left. When I lowered the gate rails, neither horse left my side. Usually, they would be halfway to the kitchen with flowers by now. I walked over to a prime location for wildflowers, but neither horse seemed interested. I picked a couple of bunches and put them in their mouths. I said, “Come on, beasties, you’ll have to do better than this.”
When we got to the kitchen, both horses exchanged their flowers for pies and were slowly eating them when Fina asked, “Gamel, what’s wrong with the horses? They don’t seem themselves today.”
“Oh, they’re just a little slow this morning. We had a rough night—got some bad feed that bound them up. I oiled them, and they’re pooping normal again. They’re just a little tired after a rough night is all.” By now, the entire staff was outside to check on the horses.
Ada said, “Well, they’re eating ma pies, and that’s a good sign.”
Fina came over to me and gave me a good look. She put a hand on my shoulder, then pushed against my chest with the back of her hand. “You come with me, boy!” she said.
I followed Fina away from the others a good long ways, well out of hearing range. The whole staff remained standing around the horses but trained their eyes on us. Fina spoke in a serious tone. “Gamel, tell me what’s goin' on. First the lady comes through ta kitchen wearin' every weapon known ta man, actin' like it be goodbye or sumpton. Now you dressed fer war? Tell me!”
“We are just taking some extra precautions today is all, Fina.”
“Hog’s balls, boy. Even ta horses knows sumpton evil comin'.”
“Fina, I can’t tell you much, as it could affect the safety of some people.”
“Well, then, what da hell can ya tell me?”
“Dear Fina, tell your staff one of the play actors has come down with an illness the healers are yet to identify. Tell them anything you want, but keep your ladies and their families out of festival this evening. I love every last one of you. Please promise me to keep everyone away after midday meal. Close the bread tent early. Say they ran out of makings and will open again in the morning.” I put my arms around Fina and hugged her. I whispered in her ear, “Now, promise me.” I let her go and pulled back to look at her face. Her lip was trembling, but she was too strong to cry.
“I promise. God protect you, Gamel,” she mumbled.
I said, “May God protect you also, Lady Fina.”
We walked back to the kitchen staff and horses. Fina addressed the ladies. “Come now, ladies, back to work. We have many noble folk to get fed, and Gamel needs to do some errands.” The ladies had bewildered and concerned looks on their faces, but they complied with Fina and scurried back into the kitchen.
“Well, Demon, Mildred, you must feel better after the pie?” I said. Both horses gave a low nicker and dropped in alongside me in their usual places. “Well, I don’t think we're up to performing for the spoiled noble class today. There are a couple more places I want to go before we go home, though.” As we walked away, I looked back at the kitchen window where we had begged for so many pies. The entire staff was watching us walk away.
To avoid contact with everyone, I walked to the south instead of the north and circled the rear of the main house complex. When we cleared the rear of the complex, we kept walking due west to the fenced pasture edge, then turned toward the festival grounds after clearing the hold village. Staying within the fence line, we edged over close to the trees. I didn’t want to chance being stopped by anyone today. Ironically, we went right by the area we expected the attack to occur. As I scanned the trees and surroundings, Demon and Mildred seemed to be looking right along with me. I said, “Well, my beauties, this is the place we expect trouble this evening. I want both of you in your turnout this evening, safe and far away from here.” Both horses gave a low whinny and continued surveying the treeline with me. They looked at different areas, as if they were recording memories of the landscape. I asked, “Hey, you guys making pictures like Giselia said horses do?” There was no response from either horse, both preoccupied with looking over the surroundings. We completely circled the rear of the stage area, passing the actor and minstrel wagons. I spotted what I was looking for, Ivan and Giselia’s wagon. Both horses perked up at the sight, raising their heads up to a more attentive state. As we approached, Ivan spotted us, and smiling, he called to Giselia, who then saw us and started her customary hopping up and down and waving. There was a good crowd at their wagon, but when we got close, Giselia broke into a run, squealing and half skipping her way to us. She immediately grabbed me and gave me a strong bear hug. Suddenly, she froze, backed up, and started patting me down like Fina had. Giselia pulled my cloak open and took inventory of my belt. Circling behind me, she pulled up my cloak to see all of my other weapons. She was visibly shaking when she came around to face me. “Why for war you dress?” she asked.
“I am going hunting this evening, Giselia.”
“You not, weapon not for hunt, man killing me think!” Giselia moved to Demon and started rubbing his neck. She scratched behind his ear, and he just stood still, radiating melancholy. She moved to Mildred and looked in her eyes while rubbing her neck. “Horses happy not, sad be horses like you, thinks me. What Gamel be wrong?”
“Nothing is wrong, Lady Giselia. We are just being careful today is all.”
“Lying Giselia you be telling, no go Ivan, Ivan talking be to you, no go.” Giselia ran back to their booth and rattled off an excited outburst in th
eir language. Ivan looked at me, then back at his wife, who was still talking faster than any normal person should be able.
After a few more words exchanged with Giselia, he dropped what he was holding and came trotting over to me. “Gamel, what wrong? Why you ready go to war?”
“I cannot tell you why, Ivan. There may be some trouble this evening. We are just being careful.”
“Gamel, what you know that trouble be coming?”
“Ivan, you know that there is a big theatre show tonight, don’t you?”
“Yes, big show, very good show; Giselia and me watch tonight.”
“Do not go to the show tonight; go tomorrow night.”
“There be trouble at theatre tonight, we not go?”
“There could be trouble, Ivan. Do not let Giselia go to the show. Take Giselia to my house, and stay there until after I return.”
“You want Giselia, Ivan to stay your house while theatre, then you come home?”
“Yes, take Giselia to my house until after the theatre. She will be safe there. I will come back when it is safe to leave.”
Ivan thought for a moment. “Yes, I take Giselia to your house safekeep there until you, Gamel, return; yes, I do this thing.”
Smiling, I looked in Ivan’s eyes and grabbed his hand with mine. “Thank you, Ivan. Keep Giselia safe; you go to my house after the midday meal.”
“Yes, we go after midday meal, your house we go, keeping Giselia safe. Thank you, Gamel, good friend!”
Ivan turned and left for his booth. The horses and I headed in a roundabout way towards the bread tent. We had gone about fifty yards when a very excited Giselia caught up to us. She gave me a crushing bear hug, then she hugged both horses’ necks and gave them each a kiss on the nose. “Gamel, safe you be, thank you, for being safe I being, thank you.” She pulled my head down and kissed me on the lips, then turned and ran back in the direction she had come. The horses and I managed to make our way to the bread tent without being stopped along the way. The three of us were in no mood to entertain today.
Upon our approach to the rear of the tent, I could hear Trina talking to Fina. Trina said, “There is not'in' wrong with da flour, Fina, checked tit maself just dis morning.”
Fina replied, “We found da spoiled bag in da stores; inventory be needin' checked 'fore makin' 'nother batch.”
“If'n ya say it be, so then we be shuttin' down till mornin, then.”
When the ladies finished their conversation, they noticed me standing there. Trina spoke first. “Rogue Boy, why ya be dressed fer battle? First Basilea comes here wearin' weapons, now you comes ready to slay giants.”
“Basilea, Fulk and I are going on a boar hunt this evening. We are taking some noble sons into the woods.”
Trina replied, “That don’t be explainin' why ya dressed fer battle.”
“We seek an outlaw boar, over four hundred pounds of him. He’s been causing trouble, and there could be a battle. We just want to be safe in case he comes at us is all.” Trina wasn’t buying very much of the story. Her only reply was a grunt of dismissal. I asked, “I say, ladies, have you by chance seen the fairest in the land, the notoriously beautiful Basilea?”
Trina was giving me her worst death stare, but Fina responded, “She’s already left, Gamel. Gone back to the house, I s'pect.”
“In that case, my fine and beautiful ladies of the land, I bid you farewell until I may once more bathe in the light of your beauty.”
As we were walking away, I could hear Trina complain, “Sumpton ain’t right here, I tell ya; someone been shittin' in da wood pile!”
The horses and I left the festival grounds by the most indirect route possible. If I had to deal with some jealous nobleman right then, I was afraid I would just knock him on his butt. I wanted to see the brook again, so we took the trail Bells had used the day we moved to the house. When we arrived at the clearing in front of the steps, we spotted Basilea there, sitting on the grass. The horses got excited and trotted over to her. Demon immediately went to work sniffing and touching parts of her clothing.
Basilea said, “Ah, hello, my beautiful horses, and you have brought the honorable Sir Gamel with you.” Basilea was standing now, admiring the numerous braids in their manes. “Oh, look at all of these braids; your ribbons are so beautiful. You are the most beautiful horses in the land!” Demon and Mildred perked up a little after receiving the praise, but nowhere close to their usual standard.
“Basilea, remember the day we came to our new home?” I said, my voice filled with nostalgia. “Oh, yes, the perfect day. How could I ever forget it?”
“That is a day to hold onto in troubled times.” Basilea just smiled, grabbed my hand, and lightly squeezed it. “Come, my princess, just a few more things to do.” We took one more look at our brook, then began the ascent up the stairs.
When we arrived in the clearing in front of Sirates House, no guards could be seen. I called out, “Who’s in charge here?”
Stepping from behind a tree, a huge man dressed in personal guard uniform came forward. “That would be me, sir, Lieutenant Renald.”
“Lieutenant Renald, I am Gamel, and this is Basilea.”
“Everyone knows who the forest people are, sir.”
“Lieutenant, in a short while, a couple of very close personal friends of mine will be arriving, and I wish that they be accommodated in the house as long as they wish. They are the Gypsies, Ivan and Giselia. Do you know of them?”
“Yes, everyone knows of them. They kind of stand out from everyone else.”
“Good, then. I entrust them to your care, Lieutenant.”
“Consider it done, sir. What of the troubles that are coming, sir? It’s not right that we be stuck here on guard duty when there’s fighting to be done. This is our home, and every last one of us a blooded fighter.”
“I tell you what, Lieutenant, have two men stay to guard my friends, and when the fighting starts, you come running.”
Renald immediately rose to his full height. Ten men suddenly appeared from different locations in the dense woods, every one of them smiling. Renald asked, “How will we know when the battle begins, sir, and where it will be?”
“You will hear it, Renald; it will be close.”
“Sir, what of the other soldiers? There be neart one hundred souls itching to defend their home, all ordered to stand ready at the barracks.”
“When the fighting starts and the hold is under attack, your purpose is to defend. Damn the orders! Have the men ready and holding at the armory. When the fighting starts, defend the hold.”
Renald and the men were smiling proudly. Renald barked out, “Runner Ira!”
Ira, a small, thin man, stepped forward. “Sir?”
“Ira, do you know what to do?”
“Yes, sir, light armor, running battle dress, hold for the sign, kill them all!”
All the men, including Renald, let out a yell as if on cue. Basilea and I were impressed by their efficiency and enthusiasm. Huge smiles covered our faces. Renald barked again, “Ira, why are you still here?” Before Renald finished speaking, Ira was at a full run. Great clods of earth kicked up behind him as if from a horse's hooves. Renald looked me in the eyes. “Thank you, sir!”
“When this is over and you stand before Captain Terric, getting your ass chewed, I did not give you orders. I hold no rank and do not give orders to men-at-arms. Point out that every last De Ferrier soldier gave an oath to defend lord, hold, and home. To not defend when under attack is treason punishable by death. That should work!”
Renald grinned. “I think you’re right, sir.”
“I’m just glad that such fierce bastards are on our side!” I said vehemently.
Again, as if of one mind, the men gave their battle yell. I looked at Basilea. “Dear princess of mine, I am starting to believe we will survive this.” Basilea was smiling as wide as I was. Even the horses were at attention and feeling frisky.
As we walked away from the men, I could hear Rena
ld say, “All right, you murderous bastards. We draw straws to see who stays!”
Basilea went into the house to get something ready to eat. I put the horses in the turnout and saw to their feed and water. I said, “You two lucky beasties get an early feed. Things may be delayed this evening, so enjoy it now.” Both horses needed no further encouragement. They buried their heads in the feed grass and grain. I jumped the fence and trotted back to the rear gate to secure the rails. I didn’t want any chance of the horses getting out this day. Upon return to the house, a familiar smell filled my nostrils. Basilea’s black bread was cooking in her clay oven. I built a fire in the hearth, and we sat on the wide chair together, holding hands while the bread cooked. In about an hour and a half, we would have to leave our home.
When the bread finished baking, Basilea and I put five loaves on a tray with as many mugs as we could find. I carried a large jug of cider behind her as we made our way out to the men hovering about the porch. No longer concealing themselves, most sat on the porch putting their stones to blades. I spoke to them. “Can’t have you men fighting on empty stomachs. Dig in, men.” The men were more than happy to oblige. The mugs and bread loaves were being made good use of. I asked, “Who are the two unlucky men today?”
Two men were standing together away from the rest. One spoke up. “That be us, sir,” he said, looking less than happy with the prospect.
I said, “For what it’s worth, I understand the sacrifice you are making, and you have my gratitude. I’m sure next time you will be exempt from any guard duties.”
One of the men spoke up. “Next time, sir?” All the men stopped eating and turned to our conversation.
“History repeats itself,” I replied. “If you live in paradise, others would have it for the taking. You all have seen this and know it to be true. There will be more attempts to take our home or lives. We will be tested again.”
