With a Jester of Kindness

by K. C. Herbel

  “They’re awful, terrible beasts!” said the lady.

  “They ought to be destroyed!” said another.

  “My Bruce says the king would never have allowed them here before Magister Ergyfel,” said the third.

  “That awful, terrible man!” added the first.

  “That’s what my husband says!” said the last.

  “Did you see? That horrible beast tore my dress!”

  “Well my husband says that the whole kingdom would be better off without that wicked man.”

  “Oh, he’s really not so wicked.”

  “Maeven? . . . Have you an eye for the magister?”

  They blabbered and giggled their way across the crowded outer ward. The lady with the torn dress occasionally glanced back at the gate.

  Billy dusted himself off and ran to catch Lady Myrredith. He was curious to see what “beast” could have the ladies so agitated.

  Lady Myrredith, her maids, and Gullinburst were passing into the shadow of the gateway when Billy caught up with them. As Billy drew near, the pit of his stomach snarled. His legs froze, and the hair on the back of his neck stood on end. He didn’t know why, but he felt distinctly in danger.

  “Lady Myrredith!” he cried. “Stop!”

  At that moment, an eerie howl arose from the darkened gatehouse. Impulsively Billy reached into his pocket and touched his mother’s ring. He did not feel the warm, smooth comfort he had expected; instead, it felt oddly cold and sharp. He wanted to climb inside of something and hide. Unexpectedly, Billy found that he had slipped the ring onto his finger. A shiver inched its way up his already tingling spine as another woeful howl bellowed forth from the darkness.

  The beastly sound filled the air and slowly replaced the buzz of the outer ward as people stopped what they were doing to listen. Billy saw Lady Myrredith enter the sunlight on the other end of the gatehouse with Gullinburst. She and all the other people on that side were staring into the gateway. Billy looked around him. Everyone in the ward seemed to be staring at him, and then he realized he was standing directly in front of the gate. Two guards backed away from their posts by the gate, and Billy took this as his cue to do the same.

  He took one step back, then another. Just when he was about to take a third, something moved in the shadows. Billy froze once again when a large wrinkled hand with long black claws fell into the light. Slowly, with calculated motion, the creature dragged the remainder of its sizable body from the murk. It was roughly humanoid in shape and largely covered with dull, scraggly brown hair and warts. Sickly bald spots of splotchy grey skin showed through the hair around the creature’s joints, hands, and head.

  Billy’s eyes followed the muscular front limb up to the oddly misshapen shoulder and then to the gruesome face. The creature’s physiognomy horrified Billy. He felt his heart skip and his mouth go dry, as the miscreated visage confronted him. It raised its long filthy snout and sniffed the air, at first carefully, almost cautiously, and then it breathed more deeply. The elongated lower jaw eased open, and the beast’s lips peeled back to reveal rows of sharp yellow teeth. Its deep-set crimson eyes scrutinized Billy, dissecting his every pore. Its breathing increased until its ugly great body heaved with the inflation and deflation of its lungs. The raspy sound filled the outer ward.

  The same fear Billy felt when he was face to face with the dragon now enveloped him. The monster, now just ten feet away from him, squinted its sanguineous eyes and flattened its ears back. Billy spun around to make a dash for it, but before he could take a single step, he was downed.

  As Billy lifted his face off the cobblestones, he felt the firm grip that had enveloped his ankle release. Without hesitation, he scrambled to his knees and was knocked down again from behind. At once, an irresistible strength dragged him backwards and tossed him over onto his back. Billy felt like a child’s stuffed doll. He started to lift his head, and immediately a huge coarse hand circled his throat. The ugly beast’s face came down to Billy’s and inspected him like a nearsighted carpenter looking for a splinter in his palm. Its nose twitched and sniffed at him. Its fetid breath struck Billy’s nose, and he tried desperately to pull away. Suddenly its eyes widened, and the corners of its long mouth broadened into a smile of malefic pleasure. Slobber drooled from its maw as it snickered and hissed at Billy.

  Billy’s tormentor raised its second horrible hand and pointed the long black claw of the index finger at Billy’s left eye. It then moved it back and forth with a twisting action. Billy felt sure that the creature meant to take his eye, if not his life. He cried out, and the creature silenced him by tightening its grip around his neck.

  There was a hissing sound and the smell of burnt flesh as Billy instinctively grabbed at its thick wrist with both hands. His captor cried out in pain and pushed Billy away. The monstrous beast grabbed its wrist and raised its face to the sky. The anguished howl, which issued forth from its misshapen lips, caused both commoner and noble to shudder.

  Billy rubbed his throat and swallowed painfully. As he regained his wits, he felt a strange sensation in his right arm. It was a tingly burning, which grew stronger in his hand and fingers. He looked down at his hand, and for just a moment, he thought he saw a faint blue glow from his mother’s ring. Forthwith, the burning began to retreat down his arm and disappear, until all that remained was a slight tingle in his ring finger.

  Billy sat up as if someone had pricked him with a needle. The creature squatted back on its hind legs, holding its wrist and glowering at Billy. It snarled at him and lunged for his ankle. There was a flash of steel, and a long shiny blade struck the stones between the horrible long fingers of the beast’s hand.

  Billy and the monster looked up to find a warrior standing beside them. The sun’s rays sprayed off his well-polished armor, obscuring his countenance, except for his clear green eyes that glared down at the beast with contempt. The beast growled at the man and recoiled from the sword that impeded its attack. The staunch knight remained unmoved, until the hideous monster began to slink away. Billy, no longer in fear for his life, noticed that the beast was tethered by a long chain attached to an iron collar around its neck.

  Billy’s savior leaned over and offered his free hand. “I can’t leave you alone for a minute,” he said with a smile.

  “Sir Hugh,” said Billy, “I’m sure glad to see you!”

  Billy reached up to take the knight’s hand, and suddenly the creature turned and sprung at Hugh.

  “Sir Hugh!” cried Billy.

  With an arrow’s speed, Hugh moved aside and kicked the beast in the ribs. Immediately he followed with a slash of his sword. The creature fell to the ground, howling and holding its right ear. As Sir Hugh approached, it balled up and cowered from him. The noble knight gave the loathsome wretch a kick to its foul behind. It whined, much like a dog, and then wormed its way back to the darkness of the gateway, keeping an eye on its subduer.

  Sir Hugh sheathed his sword and helped Billy to his feet.

  “Are you well?” Hugh asked.

  “Aye, I think so,” said Billy patting himself.

  “Hurry along now. Lady Myrredith is waiting for you,” said Hugh. He patted Billy on the shoulder and sent him through the gate.

  Slowly Billy edged his way to the gateway. As he started into the shadows, he heard the heavy breathing of the beast and stopped.

  “He won’t bother you now,” said Hugh from behind him.

  Billy looked back to Hugh for reassurance. The handsome knight nodded, and Billy turned back around. He took one well-measured step into the gateway and then broke into a sprint.

  Billy flew into the sunlight of the inner ward and ran directly into Lady Myrredith’s arms. Her arms surrounded him protectively and squeezed. Suddenly, a hand on Billy’s shoulder tore him away from his patron’s embrace.

  “Get away, you little ragamuffin!” shouted Gullinburst. “This is the Lady of Cyndyn . . . and you are not allowed in the inner ward until the feast!”

  Billy star
ed up at him, bewildered. Gullinburst mistook his expression for one of mocking and drew back his hand to strike. Billy watched in openmouthed amazement as Lady Myrredith smacked the obtuse servant with a resounding slap across the face. The blow rocked Gullinburst back on his heels. The resuming hubbub of the inner ward abruptly fell quiet again. Billy nervously glanced around him. All of the lords, ladies, guards, and servants were staring silently at them.

  “What do you think you are doing?” demanded Lady Myrredith.

  “I-I don’t know what you mean, Your Ladyship,” answered Gullinburst, rubbing the cheek of his puzzled face.

  “You were about to strike him, weren’t you?” declared Lady Myrredith, and she placed her hands on Billy’s shoulders.

  Billy recognized the commanding tone of her voice. It made him shiver uncomfortably inside, even though he was not the one she was roasting on a spit.

  “I-I-I,” stammered Gullinburst. “I thought he was one of the entertainers . . .”

  “William is not one of your cheap jongleur. Any fool can see that!” Then Lady Myrredith turned to Billy. “Are you hurt, William?”

  “No, milady.”

  “That awful troghoul didn’t hurt you?”

  “No, milady.”

  The stupefied servant cast his eyes on Billy. “I take it that he . . . is with you, milady?”

  “However you take it, Gullinburst, you needn’t bother showing us to our chambers. I know the way.” With that, the Lady of Cyndyn Hall turned and started to escort her young friend away. “William? What did you do, to cause that beast . . . ?”

  “But, Your Ladyship . . .” spouted Gullinburst.

  Lady Myrredith spun around and glared at him. Immediately he became silent.

  “Consider yourself lucky, Gullinburst,” said Lady Myrredith coolly. “With the princess’ wedding, I’m in a generous mood.”

  “But . . .”

  “Don’t press your luck.”

  Gullinburst lowered his eyes and bowed apologetically. “Yes, milady.”

  Lady Myrredith and company made their way around the huge two-storey barracks adjoining the wall near the inner gatehouse. Billy walked, wide-eyed, past groups of the king’s guards and knights who were in abundance here. Every bit of metal was polished and every strap buckled in place. He had never seen a finer, more complete display of armaments.

  As they neared the smoky kitchen, at the end of the barracks, Billy looked back and saw Sir Hugh enter the little courtyard area. First one knight shouted his name, then another. Without delay, nearly all the warriors turned and moved to greet their king’s champion. The men cheered him, and Billy could see the genuine joy they showed at his arrival. To them, Hugh was more than their best warrior; he was the exemplar of all knightly virtues. Billy wondered if they would feel any different if they knew about Hugh’s moments of “weakness” or his forbidden feelings for a certain lady. Billy shrugged these thoughts off as nonsense. After all, Hugh was still Hugh, no matter what his feelings. He smiled and watched with unbridled adoration as Hugh disappeared, laughing, into a swarm of his clamoring cohorts.

  When Billy turned back around, he couldn’t believe his eyes. Across the huge inner ward stood the most spectacular keep he had ever seen. Not that he had seen that many, but this one put to shame anything he could have imagined. This grand edifice—the donjon—was the heart of Castle Orgulous and housed the rulers of Lyonesse.

  Billy could remember hiding at the foot of the stairs in his father’s inn at night, listening to weary travelers talk of the world’s wonders. He especially loved hearing tales of the king and his splendid court. Every time he had heard the name Orgulous, he would practically jump out of his skin. His head would swim with images of himself standing before the king, being rewarded for some heroic deed. Before his father could discover him, he would rush back to his bed and dream.

  Now, all the images created in Billy’s mind were like dust before a sudden zephyr. From the pristine white marble steps to the blue and silver domes crowning the half-dozen towers, it was nothing short of incredibly magnificent.

  Lady Myrredith had to drag Billy along as he gawked, slack jawed, at the splendor of the inner ward. As they approached the grand front steps, Billy stared up at the keep. He placed one foot on the first step and came to an abrupt halt. Despite its grandeur, the donjon gave Billy a distinct feeling of foreboding. He sheepishly took his foot off the bottom step and turned around, pretending to be more interested in the inner ward.

  Lady Myrredith reached the head of the broad stairs and turned to see Billy at the bottom. “What is it, William?” she asked.

  Billy spun around and answered, “Um, what do you mean?”

  “Is there something the matter?”

  “Oh . . . no. No,” he said shaking his head. “Nothing.”

  Lady Myrredith observed Billy for a moment. He held his hands behind his back and rolled up on the balls of his feet, trying to appear relaxed.

  “It’s all right, William,” she said to him soothingly. “Don’t be frightened.”

  Billy saw a number of people staring at him from the top of the steps. He folded his arms and said, “Frightened? I’m not frightened.”

  Lady Myrredith raised an eyebrow, and Billy could see that she knew better. He took a deep breath and reluctantly placed his foot back on the lowest step. With a sudden burst of courage, he bounded up the steps, skipping every other one.

  When he reached the top, Lady Myrredith smiled and placed her hand on his shoulder. “Well,” she said, “I was frightened the first time I came to the king’s home, but I suppose, you being a boy and all . . . No, a boy like you wouldn’t be afraid . . . or even a little bit nervous.”

  Billy was unaccustomed to the ironic manner in which Lady Myrredith often chose to prod him. The simple folk in the Valley of the Yew were not so subtle when it came to jokes or teasing. He looked up at her, crinkled his nose, and shrugged. Lady Myrredith laughed and took his hand.

  Lady Myrredith led her young companion through the extensive passages of the beautiful donjon. Everywhere he cast his eye, Billy saw intricate carvings in stone and tapestries of the finest quality. There were flags and weapons along many walls as well, which according to his guide, were trophies from defeated enemies of Lyonesse.

  As in Waru-Dunom, the donjon of Castle Orgulous was bustling with servants, guards, and visiting nobles, only more so. It was slow going as they made their way up the keep. In the corridors and even in the stairwells, lords and ladies stopped them to greet Lady Myrredith and wish her well.

  When finally they arrived at their quarters, Lady Myrredith asked the servants to unpack and went with Billy to explore the other rooms. They were spacious compartments, each with a different view of the inner ward. They could also see over the outer walls of the castle to the surrounding hills. There was a large marble balcony off the central room. Billy went on to it and looked down at the people far below.

  “They look so small from here!” he remarked. He climbed on to the balcony rail and gazed out over the walls. “Are we in the sky?”

  “No, William,” said Lady Myrredith with a nervous laugh, “but we are rather high, so please come down from there.”

  “Oh, very well.”

  Billy came down, with Lady Myrredith’s help, and stood next to her. Together they watched the comings and goings of the tiny people below.

  “Say, there’s Sir Hugh,” said Billy. Then he yelled, “Sir Hugh! Hello-o-o! I guess he can’t hear me from here.”

  “Probably not,” said Lady Myrredith.

  Billy was quiet for a moment and then regarded his lovely patron. “That monster . . . that attacked me was a . . . ?”

  “Troghoul,” supplied Lady Myrredith.

  “That was a troghoul?”

  “Yes,” answered Lady Myrredith bitingly. “They’re foul, dirty creatures. Ergyfel is the only person vile enough to exploit them. King William would never have allowed them! I fear the magister’s hold on the
king is strengthening.”

  “Who’s Ergyfel?”

  “William, I’m sorry, but please don’t say that name! He’s the king’s cousin.”

  “The king has a cousin?” asked Billy incredulously.

  “Yes, William,” said Lady Myrredith, “even the king has cousins.”

  “Oh yeah, you’re his cousin too!”

  “Only distantly.”

  “Can he become king?”

  “Well, not now, thank goodness! Now that Kathryn is to be crowned heir, her lineage becomes all important and his claim becomes worthless as dust.”

  “Oh,” said Billy, noticing how happy this seemed to make Lady Myrredith. “How come he has such a hold on King William?”

  “Many years ago, when the magister first came to Orgulous, the king unwisely appointed him as his first counselor. After the queen died, the king’s health began to fail. Since then . . . his dreadful influence has grown, both in the king and the kingdom.”

  “Where did he come from?”

  “Across the Eastern Sea. It seems an ancestor of the king was careless there. Now we have to deal with their mistake.”

  Billy looked deeply into Lady Myrredith’s eyes. She seemed to be in a trance. He could see the hatred for Ergyfel welling up in her. He had never seen her so angry. His instincts were screaming at him to change the subject, but his curiosity got the better of him.

  “Why do you hate him so?” asked Billy.

  Lady Myrredith blinked away her trance and glanced at her observant friend. She started to deny it. “I don’t hate . . .”

  She made eye contact with Billy, cleared her throat, and restarted. “No, that’s not true . . . I do hate the caitiff. He’s a backstabbing, power-hungry, snake! What’s more, he brought evil sorcery to Lyonesse.”

  “He’s a sorcerer?”

  “Of the blackest kind,” said the lady with solemn surety. “That’s why you should be cautious when you say his name. It’s difficult at times, but you must be careful.”

  “But if he uses witchcraft, why don’t they . . . ?”