Chapter Six - The Sword and the Pen

Once again Sir Gawain, Knight of Legend and renowned warrior of Kandarin, surveyed the green rolling land of his home. An early morning mist clung to the fields and trees of the gentle countryside and the sight did not surprise him in the least.

The journey back had been filled with a dread of what they would find in the wake of a barbarian army many thousand strong streaming out of the mountains. It had turned out to be otherwise and he was relieved but not troubled. What did bother him was the fact that he had made it so far accompanied by two gnomes and an apprentice esquire without so much as an angry squirrel to contend with. He had also been expecting parties of knights out looking for him, to deliver him under arrest to his sentence before the kings of Runescape. The parchment holder on Fulgar’s belt had turned out to be as empty as the Magic box and this was must have been a sign that he had failed. It’s revocation could only be made by the kings or by destruction in the event of their quest being incomplete. It was obvious they had all been used, but why? Would he ever find that out?

It had taken nearly eight days to reach their own lands again and the gnomes had proved themselves to be as unhelpful as ever. He was not sorry to have parted from them two days previously as they scurried away into the trees and their own Kingdom. Gnomes would forever be an unpleasant memory.

Karl had stayed and rode behind him, looking every bit as tired and travel sore but had proven himself a worthy apprentice. Ahead of him would lie many trials but first they had to sort this mess out.

The sun had passed the noon when they reached Ardougne and rode it’s unchanged streets, the inhabitants blissfully unaware of their situation. Their faces had more or less healed so that they just looked like another pair of road stained adventurers returning home for a well earned rest. Gawain was curious as to why his cousin the stall holder barely gave him a second look and it was not a particularly friendly one either. Just another thing to be filed away.

The two travellers crossed the bridge to the castle and hardly gave the training ground a second look. A few of the boys turned their way and stared at Karl, wondering who he was and how he came to be riding a horse with a sword at his side. Karl did not even look at them. There were matters a lot more important to be faced.

Yolander left the guards he was shouting at and walked briskly to them. There was no smile of greeting and obviously he knew more than the others. Without so much as a second glance at Karl he waved for them to follow and lead the way into the inner courtyard.

Their horses were taken by stable boys and Gawain refused to leave until he had stroked and bade farewell to his faithful friend who nuzzled him in reply. Then it was off to the Castle and the King to face their sentence.

At the wooden doors the Steward stood waiting, motionless and grave as usual. He did not speak but opened the doors to the chamber and ushered them all in. Yolander stood to one side and Gawain motioned for the boy to stand back for now. In front of them, King Lathas was talking to some clerks who were busy scribbling away on parchment, the quills being dipped in ink regularly in an effort to keep up. This was not the sight Gawain had expected to be greeted with and looked around at Yolander who frowned and nodded at him to face the king.

Finally King Lathas looked up and took in his guests with a smile.

‘Ah there you are Sir Gawain, wondered when you’d be back. Pleasant trip? I take it everything went to plan?’

The Steward stepped up and had a hurried conversation with the King in whispers, looking at the knight every now and then. Gawain’s heart was pounding in his ears.

The Steward stepped back and allowed the King to speak again. This time his tone was a little flatter, colder even.

‘Well now, it seems you have some explaining to do’ he said, finding his throne and sitting back in it.

Gawain cleared his throat and decided he would not show himself up.

‘Sire, I have to report that my mission to escort the gnomes to the Hidden Forest was completed. There were many incidents on the way and we lost a great many of our party but I was there when the gnomes reached the forest and I was there when Fulgar placed the box at the tree. For my part sire, I was obliged to renounce my oath to your service and swear allegiance to the gnome under whose command I remained and still remain awaiting your sentence in accordance with the warrant of death’

About now Gawain realised just how silly it all sounded. The expression on the King’s face also reflected this.

‘You renounced your allegiance to me?’ He asked incredulously. ‘What the…did I hear you right man? You swore yourself…. TO A GNOME?’

Gawain suddenly wished he was facing the vampire again. This was turning into one of those moments when the world ending didn’t seem like a bad thing.

‘Sir, it was only on pain of death and in order to secure the safety of the civilised world. The barbarian army…’

‘Barbarian army? Has this job sent you mad Gawain? What are you ranting on about? And answer my question. Why did you renounce your service to me?’ The king sat up and glared at the knight who was at a loss for an answer.

‘Sire. Fulgar had a warrant, signed by you and the kings of Misthalain, Asgarnia and King Shareen….’

‘He most certainly did not’ Shouted the King and slammed his fist down. ‘What is this madness? I gave you a simple job, all you had to do was escort a few gnomes to a forest with a precious artefact and you come in here ranting on about people being killed, renouncing your oath and having a death warrant? Have you been drinking? Speak man!’

At this point the Steward coughed and moved forward. This earned him a nasty look from Gawain, Yolander, the King and even Karl. The Steward was notorious for finishing the careers of any he disliked.

‘If I may sire, there are some details that you need to be made aware of ’ Every eye in the room was fixed on him and he awaited a curt wave of the royal hand before continuing.

‘ I must ask that you do not interrupt nor express any profanities Sir Gawain. The others of course are aware of the procedures of court etiquette’

The remark did not include Karl but as far as the Steward was concerned, Karl was little more than a table in the grand order of things.

‘ King Narnoed Shareen has been a troubled monarch this past year and a half. Many problems beset his borders and his enemies in Khazard have been causing the gnomes much hardship. As you know, their Grand Tree is the centre of their culture and from what we can gather, their power. Yes Sir Gawain, they do have power. You do not remain in this harsh and cruel world for centuries and flourish without something up your sleeve.

It seems though that the troubles with some of the Gnomes a few years back, which I acknowledge you helped to resolve, were not entirely without consequences. Several disgruntled gnomes were deeply resentful of the King’s treatment of his own kind and had decided they would establish their own little kingdom far in the south away from the Gnome Village and it’s Tree Spirit. The problem was, they could not hope to have a Tree Spirit of their own to guard their land without the sacred artefact that the King just mentioned. There was some, shall we say, trouble in the Village, and the artefact was stolen during a night of confusion and mayhem. The Gnomes responsible fled the area and made to flee to Karamja where they would hide in the dockyards which some of them still inhabited until the fuss died down. A desperate and foolish plan I agree but nevertheless up to a point it worked. Whilst you were away on ‘other business’ one of the many pirate ships which plague the southern oceans raided the dockyard and the artefact was lost.

This naturally was a disaster of immeasurable consequence to the gnomes, whose power and existence revolve around that very treasure. Without it, the Tree Spirits would fade and die along with the protection for their people. Their enemies would make short work of wiping them out and seizing their considerable wealth and lands’

At this the King shifted in his throne but no one noticed.

‘The artifact looked to be lost forever and word got out that the gnomes were vulnerable. Imagine then the chances of this thing suddenly coming back into the hands of an ally. And as chance would have it, that ally was us. Imagine also how dangerous it was since it could easily fall into the wrong hands and be used for who knows what? The devastation an evil Tree Spirit could cause is unthinkable. So, a way had to be found to return this artefact to it’s rightful owners. Obviously the Khazards would immediately demand that we hand it over since they still dispute the lands occupied by the gnomes. If we refuse to comply, we risk open war with them and they do have some powerful allies. Matters are never as straightforward as they appear.’

‘So where is this artefact? ‘ Asked Gawain, trying to take all of this in and seeing no connection with his own predicament, or for that mater with the quest he had just returned from. Lives had been lost and he had had several near death experiences himself. The memory of the vampire was still haunting his dreams. The Steward glowered at him.

‘ If I may continue’ He snapped, the cool exterior momentarily slipping. He loved moments like this and people who spoiled his flow deserved death.

‘ So, where force of arms could not prevail, a more subtle approach was adopted. The gnomes of course had already got their own plans in motion. The artefact had been tracked by them for some weeks by Fulgar and he had organised a recovery party to seize it. Not a small feat for such a diminutive race but this was a very precious item to them. They were following one of the pirates who had left his old band and was travelling the land making a nuisance of himself and generally behaving like a Highwayman. A more inept piece of work never took to a life of crime. On a deserted road one night he decided to jump a lone traveller and demanded his money. He had the misfortune of picking on a certain battle hardened warrior who not only refused to hand over his purse but left the robber naked, bound with his own rope and laid semi conscious in a ditch. Having made sure the man would not suffocate and taking what items looked to be of worth, the warrior rode off…..’

‘ Ye gods, you mean…..’

The King sat upright and stared at the Steward. He was the only one who could interrupt without being punished but that didn’t mean the Steward wanted him to.

‘Yes your majesty. None other than our own brave and noble Sir Gawain’ . He turned and bowed slightly to the knight who was on the point of exploding. A look from the king soon stopped that and the Steward continued. Only Yolander smiled quietly to himself. Karl dared not move and was happy to be ignored by everyone.

‘Fulgar now had a dilemma. His warriors were not keen on either fighting or killing a Knight of Legend but they needed to get that artefact back. Fulgar sent his companions back to their king who raced here to demand it be handed over. Of course you, took matters into your own hands and gave it to your cousin in the Market Place outside. That really pleased Shareen when he learned of this and I believe that is the point where you came in here Sir Gawain’

He stopped as if giving the Knight permission to speak. Gawain looked steadily at him and said;

‘Fulgar tracked me didn’t he? He was following me from that night and I nearly caught the little…’

‘You nearly caused an international incident’ Warned the Steward. ‘It was fortunate that gnomes know their field craft. When he saw you enter the city, Fulgar sent word to the King that you had arrived but how they knew you had given the artefact to your cousin is still a mystery and probably one we shall never solve. I would like to know though, because if the gnomes can spy on us that effectively it has implications beyond this’

Gawain and the King both made to speak and given his circumstances, the knight bowed to his sovereign and remained silent.

‘So Shareen knew the mission was a decoy’ He muttered

The Steward turned and acknowledged the King’s comment.

‘Indeed sire. In fact it was Shareen who ordered Fulgar to let word out that Sir Gawain’s party were departing and that they were heading north to a Tree Spirit with a treasure. That ensured that every enemy knew about it and would track them closely. This left the way clear for the real artefact to be recovered and taken back to the Tree Spirit without the slightest chance of it being intercepted’

‘ And you knew all this and let me go off to battle every damned monster between here and the mountains. I had to face…’

‘Come now Sir Gawain, your mission was an important one. The fact that you were carrying nothing more than a box to a forest is irrelevant. That mission, costly though it was in lives, doubtless saved many thousands more as well the entire race of gnomes who owe you a great debt of gratitude’

‘But the Tree Spirit in the hidden forest, I saw it! I touched it!’ Shouted Gawain

‘A magical tree indeed, a tree of power and light indeed. But a Tree Spirit? Nothing of the sort. The gnomes knew of it through their real Tree Spirits and it was a myth known to many peoples. That made it believable so the mission actually worked out better than we had planned. We have established that there is a hidden forest, where it is and what it contains’

‘But what of the barbarian army? And that warrant signed by his majesty and the others’ The Steward smiled patronisingly and shook his head in way that made Gawain want to separate it from the rest of the body.

‘Oh really Sir Gawain, you didn’t believe all that did you? A warrant of death? Please! It was a fake, a simple ruse to guarantee that you stayed on side. Fulgar took a huge risk using it but obviously he thought you were on the verge of leaving. He needed you to protect them all and keep the box from being captured. Once the enemy learned of the deception, it would all be over for them and real artefact would be found somewhere between the Grand Tree and the Gnome Village. The attacks against your route were organised by Fulgar so that you went the way he knew you could be found.’

‘That was why he let that map go. Crafty little…’Gawain was fuming.

The King stood up and stretched. Now that it had all been sorted, he saw no reason to worry about it anymore. Matters of State that he should worry about were pressing.

‘Well that’s that ’ He said and felt the meeting was over. Gawain thought otherwise.

‘But my oath and that army’ He stammered The Steward cut in before the King could lose his temper again.

‘The army of barbarians were a hallucination Sir Gawain. The gnomes are expert herbalists and it wouldn’t be difficult for them to slip a potion into your food out there on some rain sodden hillside where you would be grateful of anything warm. Did you not think it odd that you never met any scouts? How did they manage to cross the river when the flood waters were so high? How come there were no more following up the main force? Where were the supply wagons? I expected better of you’

‘As for that ridiculous warrant’ Said the King, feeling he had to say something, ‘Utter tripe. As if I would put a death sentence on my most trusted knight over a few gnomes.’ He smiled at Gawain, finally appreciating what he had been through.

‘Besides, do you really think I would want to lose half of my household guards trying to kill you?’

Yolander guffawed at that.

‘Make that three quarters your majesty’ He said gruffly.

The king nodded and walked up to Gawain.

‘I have no doubt Sir Gawain that you have performed feats of arms and bravery worthy of the greatest Knights of history. Your service to me and to the kingdom are still in place. I cannot thank you enough but your deeds will be made known to gnomes who I assure you WILL pay for their treachery’

‘Most certainly sir’ Said the Steward ‘They will’ The King suddenly seemed to notice Karl stood back and hoping to get away from the audience without being seen.

‘And who is this?’ Asked the King, signalling for the boy to approach.

Karl paled but moved and stood before Lathas upright and looking every bit the esquire he was.

‘This’ Said Gawain looking at the boy with pride ‘Is my new esquire. He has shown courage, skill and faith Sire. He has fought wolves, forest bats and single handed slew a mountain troll. I have taken the liberty of presenting him with his sword of office already. In the field as it were. Or should I say, in the river’

Karl flushed with gratitude.

‘In that case Karl’ Said the King ‘ One who has been honoured in such a way by our most esteemed knight has no place in the King’s guard. Give me your sword’ The King held out his hand and Karl glanced at Gawain who nodded quickly. The boy drew his sword, knelt and presented the hilt first. Seeing his future being thrown away was hard and it took every bit of self control he possessed to obey.

The King took the sword, noting the blade needed a visit to a decent armourer as it had seen action. He looked down at Karl, winked at the Knights and laid the sword on the boys shoulder.

‘ Sir Karl, I welcome you into the house of the Knights of Kandarin. May you serve them well and with honour’

He brought the new knight up to his feet and handed him back the sword. Still too stunned to say anything, Karl took it and bowed low.

‘Now you had best visit a decent tailor. You have much to learn and knowing Sir Yolander, you will be shown no special favours’

Yolander bowed and awaited the King’s dismissal. Lathas bowed in return and the Knights left the chamber through the great doors. The Steward floated along behind and when the doors were closed he smiled to himself.

It really was amazing how some people managed to be taken in. But then the King had been and to a certain extent so had he. He was mildly satisfied with the outcome and his involvement. The dragon had been a challenge to organise but without Fulgar to blow the real story, it didn’t matter.