The Rose and the Skull

by Jeff Crook

  "Seamus Gavin! I thought I heard you out here. We'd almost given up on you," Lady Meredith Turningdale chuckled as she helped the elderly merchant from Palanthas to rise.

  He patted her arm and sighed. "There never is enough time in the day, Lady Meredith. If it's not one thing, it's another. I don't know how I manage. Thank you. You are so very kind," he said as she gathered his papers and books and carried them in a stack into the library. "Just set that anywhere. I'll sort it out after I catch my breath."

  As he entered, some of the other Knights in the library greeted him cordially, and he smiled and nodded to each in turn. Quintayne Fogorner poured him a glass of brandy, while Liam Ehrling offered him the largest and most comfortable chair nearest the fire. Meanwhile, Lady Meredith introduced him to the other Knights, the ones he didn't know. These men and women were not Knights of Solamnia. They wore the dreaded symbols of the Knights of Takhisis. He shook hands with Lord Tohr Malen and Alya Starblade, and with the queer-looking dark elven Knight, Sir Valian Escu. Last of all, he met a Knight robed all in gray; Trevalyn Kesper was his name, but this man declined to offer his hand in greeting. Instead, he shot Seamus a look of appalled indignation and returned his attention to the book in his lap. With an icy glare at the Knight, Meredith pulled Seamus away and settled him into a chair by the fire.

  "We were just discussing what the Knighthood should be called, now that our two grand orders are to be joined," Lady Meredith said to Seamus.

  "Is that so?" Seamus said pleasantly. "And what have you decided?"

  "Nothing as yet. Sir Quintayne and many others believe it should remain the Knights of Solamnia, but Lord Tohr is against this. He believes Gunthar's intention was that the two orders of Knighthood should merge, not that one should absorb the other," Meredith said.

  "Yes, but as the new Knights of Solamnia. Greater, stronger, more powerful than before," Quintayne said.

  "Then why not call it the Knights of Takhisis?" Alya asked as she smiled over the rim of her wine glass. "What difference would it make?"

  "For one thing, Takhisis abandoned Krynn, along with all the other gods, during the Chaos War," Quintayne answered. "For another, she is anathema to our order."

  This was followed by tense silence.

  "How can we be called the Knights of Solamnia if we represent all the peoples of Krynn?" Alya argued smoothly.

  "We were named not after a land, but after the founder of our order, Vinus Solamnus," Quintayne said.

  "Our founder was Lord Ariakan. Perhaps we should call ourselves the Knights of Ariakan," she countered.

  "Perhaps Lord Gunthar had some ideas about what we should call ourselves," Lord Tohr said.

  "Sir Liam would know," Meredith said.

  Liam sat in his chair and stared into the fire, looking very tired. The others had noticed the dark circles under his eyes; they hadn't been there before Lord Gunthar's death. It seemed some terrible burden was wearing him down. In the days since the hunt, he had hardly touched his food. No one had even seen him until the day of the funeral, and since then his every attempt to be sociable ended in weary sighs. His voice seemed strained, when he bothered to speak at all.

  " I… " he began, then sighed.

  "Sir Liam will know shortly," Seamus interrupted. "Lord Gunthar left a scroll with me, which he directed be given to Sir Liam, should the unexpected occur. Well, as we all know, and to our everlasting sorrow, the unexpected has occurred, and that is why I have called you together this evening. Thank you all for coming."

  He stood and moved behind the table where Meredith had laid his papers and books. "Lord Gunthar left his will and other important documents with me, the executor of his estate," he said as he shuffled through the papers. "He was not survived by any blood relatives, so he directed that you all be present at the reading of his will. Ah, here it is! Now what did I do with that—ah, there. Now then. Where was I? Oh yes! The scroll for Liam." He shuffled through all the papers again, then searched his portfolio. With a worried look, he patted his pockets, then with a triumphant smile he produced the scroll and handed it to Liam. Liam unrolled it and scanned its contents while Seamus moved on.

  Seamus returned to his chair and from a case at his belt removed a quill and a small bottle of ink. He spread a sheet of parchment across his knee, dipped the quill in the ink bottle, and said, "Now then, so everything is nice and legal, let's see…" He squinted and began to write, slowly voicing each word he penned. "Gunthar uth Wistan, Knight of Solamnia, Grand Master. Of Sancrist Isle, Castle uth Wistan." Satisfied, he leaned back and dipped his quill in the ink.

  "We must write it all down for the ages. Cause of death?"

  "Wounds suffered in battle with a wild boar, exposure, and old age in general," Meredith answered wearily. "He shouldn't have been out there in the first place, at his age," she mumbled.

  "Yes, but could you have stopped him?" Quintayne asked.

  "Death by misadventure," Seamus wrote aloud. "Now then, I assume the body was examined in the usual manner—by a cleric recognized and acknowledged by the Order of the Sword?"

  "As Lord High Clerist, I speak for them," Meredith said. "There were no clerics available, other than the Lady Crysania, and she could hardly be expected to pronounce the cause of death."

  "There were witnesses to the tragedy then?" Seamus asked.

  "There were no witnesses," Meredith answered.

  "Then who… ?" Seamus asked.

  "I determined the cause of death!" came the answer from the corner. Trevalyn Kesper rose from his seat and crossed to the fireplace.

  "You?" Seamus exclaimed. He turned an incredulous glance upon Lady Meredith. She shrugged.

  "Sir Trevalyn was a cleric of Takhisis before he joined the Order of the Thorn. His investiture is still recognized by the Knights of the Skull," Tohr said.

  "But this… this is irregular," Seamus stammered. "There is no precedent."

  "There is no precedent for any of this, Seamus," Meredith said. "We live in unprecedented times. But the Knights of the Sword have agreed to recognize Sir Trevalyn's authority in this matter."

  Seamus scratched his head. "Well, I suppose it will have to do," he muttered, "if Sir Trevalyn will sign his name here."

  With indifference, the gray-robed Thorn Knight placed his mark on Seamus's document. "And Lady Meredith, sign here to signify your acceptance of his judgment." She signed where he indicated.

  "Now two witnesses," he said.

  With a heavy heart, Liam also signed his name at the bottom of the paper. Seamus sprinkled sand on the ink, then turned to await the final witness. No one seemed willing to volunteer. It was as though by not signing the death certificate, they might prolong the day when they must finally accept the reality of Gunthar's death. When no one else seemed ready to step forward, Valian Escu rose from his seat.

  "I'll witness it," he said.

  Seamus did not at first seem willing to hand over the quill. Then Meredith whispered, "We are all one Knighthood now, Seamus." With obvious reluctance, he finally allowed Valian to sign. That accomplished, Valian returned to his seat and drank deeply of a glass of pale white wine. Seamus spread the document on a side table to allow the ink to dry thoroughly.

  "Well, now we can begin with the will," he said as he shuffled more papers and set them aside, holding out one and spreading it on his lap. "Are we ready?"

  "Yes," Meredith answered.

  "I, Gunthar uth Wistan, being of sound mind and body, do hereby acknowledge and authorize Seamus Gavin of Palanthas to execute my wishes in regards to my estate and properties, as described below."

  "To the Knights of Solamnia, all properties and treasures in my holding shall be returned according to those amounts set forth in the Measure, except for the following as noted below."

  "To Uhoh Ragnap, esquire, my 'adopted' son, I leave the estate and property known as Castle Kalstan, to be his own, and to be master thereof. An amount of money already set aside in trust shall be used to maintain and keep th
e estate in a condition worthy of its status and lineage, and to provide for the well-being of the master of the castle."

  Liam leaped to his feet. "What!" he screeched. Trevalyn Kesper began to laugh hysterically, despite the dark looks given him by Lord Tohr.

  "That was his wish, Lord Ehrling," Seamus said.

  "Seamus, really! Did you know of this beforehand?" Meredith scolded.

  "I did. I drew up the documents, including the papers that make Uhoh his ward. It is all perfectly legal," the old man said.

  "That crazy old fool, he speaks of a gully dwarf as if he were his son! Seamus, you have been a friend of the family for more years than I can count. How could you have let him do this?" Quintayne asked.

  "I advised against it, but Lord Gunthar had made up his mind. As you know only too well, when Gunthar set his mind to something, neither you nor I nor Paladine himself could sway him from it," Seamus said. Wracked by sobs of laughter, Trevalyn had to find a seat to keep from falling over.

  "Sir Kesper, if you cannot control yourself, you may be excused," Tohr whispered. "Speak not a word of this to anyone, I warn you."

  "Lord Tohr, who would believe me if I did?" Trevalyn said as he wiped tears from his cheeks and made his way to the door. He shook his head and giggled, "Gave it to a gully dwarf. Oh, this is too rich!" He closed the door. They heard him laughing all the way down the hall.

  "My apologies," Tohr said.

  Liam spun back to face Seamus. "You don't honestly intend to honor this will, do you?" he said.

  "It's a legal will," Seamus said.

  "But that is one of the most important castles on the entire isle. It's my castle. It's where I live, by the gods! Gunthar gave it to me first. We can't possibly give it to a gully dwarf," Liam argued.

  "You can challenge the will, if that is your desire," Seamus said.

  "Of course I challenge it!" Liam shouted. "Seamus, I can't believe you actually intend to honor it. Couldn't you see that his mind was not sound?"

  "He seemed perfectly sane to me, no different than his usual stubborn self," Seamus said. "In any case, if you intend to challenge the will, that is your right. In the meanwhile, I must meet with the gully dwarf, Uhoh Ragnap, to inform him of his rights."

  "I'll send someone to fetch him from the kennels. That's where he lives," Meredith offered. She opened the library door and stepped out into the hall. A moment later, she returned. "He'll be here in a few moments."

  "He's a gully dwarf. He won't understand a word of what's going on!" Liam said in amazement. "I myself can't believe what I am hearing."

  "Nevertheless, he is Gunthar's legal heir, and as executor of the estate, it is my duty to represent his rights, even if he doesn't understand them himself," Seamus said to Liam. "And don't be in such a hurry to contest the will, Sir Liam. There may be other parts of it that you won't find so foolish."

  "What do you mean?" Liam asked narrowing his eyes.

  "Allow me to finish reading the document, and you will see," Seamus said coldly. He cleared his throat and resumed his reading.

  "I, Gunthar uth Wistan, also hereby make my wishes known concerning the succession of leadership of the Knighthood. Therefore, those who would honor my memory, honor my wishes and elect Lord Liam Ehrling to the Grand Mastership of the Knights according to the rules provided in the revised Measure.

  "The undersigned, on this day, et cetera, et cetera," Seamus finished. He folded the will and returned it to his portfolio. "There are many minor provisions included also such as measures for providing a seneschal for Castle Kalstan. However, if you choose to challenge the will… "

  "I am not concerned about the succession," Liam said. "I am the leader of the Knights of the Rose, the Lord High Justice. I am the natural choice."

  Quintayne nervously cleared his throat. "Ummm, my Lord Ehrling, not to be disrespectful, but I believe there are those who would challenge that assumption."

  "Who?" Liam asked suspiciously. Quintayne pointed at Tohr.

  "He's right, Liam. The Knights of Takhisis have every right to put forward and elect their own leader," Meredith said. "It is foolish to assume that just because you are the Lord High Justice of the Knights of Solamnia that you should be elected Grand Master of whatever Knighthood emerges from this."

  Tohr shifted uncomfortably in his chair. "I did not want to say anything with the pain of Gunthar's death still so fresh in our hearts, but Lady Meredith is correct. I honor your loyalty, Lord Ehrling, but if I correctly understand Lord Gunthar's intentions, that our two Knighthoods truly be merged, then an obvious candidate for the Grand Mastership is our current leader, Lady Mirielle Abrena. She has led us successfully for five years now, refounding our headquarters in Neraka, and piecing together the remnants of our forces that survived the Chaos War. Under her leadership, the Knighthood has been reforged into the strong body it is today."

  "He has a point, Liam," Quintayne said.

  "Surely you aren't serious," Liam laughed. "Do you mean to tell me that we are going to sit here and allow the Knights of Takhisis to accomplish through happenstance that which they were unable to win in battle?"

  "What are you insinuating, Lord Ehrling?" Valian Escu demanded. His deep, angry voice charged the air with tension.

  "I am insinuating nothing, elf," Liam answered. He turned to face his fellow Knights of Solamnia. "I am merely saying that we shouldn't let them defeat us using our own Measure."

  "We are not at war, Liam," Meredith said. "No one is winning or losing here."

  "If you must blame someone," Alya said, "blame Lord Gunthar. He is the one who made all this possible."

  "But he chose me!" Liam shouted.

  "Yes, and as you have asserted, he may not have been in his right mind when he did it!" she returned, undaunted by the older Knight.

  Liam turned away, shaking his head in frustration.

  "What is the nature of the document Lord Gunthar left for you, Sir Liam?" Meredith asked. "Perhaps it will shed light on this issue."

  Liam sat heavily in his chair and reached for his wine glass, but his hands shook so he nearly dropped it. He sighed and returned it to the table. "It gives directions for the naming and ordering of the new Knighthood," he said.

  "Really? Then read it to us directly," she said with forced enthusiasm.

  A soft knock on the door interrupted them. Meredith rose and answered it. Jessica Vestianstone entered, followed by a squat, filthy little gully dwarf dragging an empty sack and a doll with no eyes.

  "Is this Uhoh?" Seamus asked.

  "No sir. I could not find Uhoh," Jessica said. "He is nowhere to be found. This gully dwarf is called Gerde. She claims that Uhoh has run away."

  "That right," Gerde proudly proclaimed. "I see Uhoh go way."

  "And when did he leave?" Seamus asked as he covered his mouth and nose with a handkerchief. The others in the room reacted similarly to Gerde's profound body odor.

  "Two days," she answered.

  "That would be the day of the funeral," Seamus remarked.

  "No, before that," Gerde said. "Two days."

  "I see. Tell me, do you know where he was going?" he asked.

  "Yes," was her answer.

  After waiting a few moments and seeing that was the extent of her response, Seamus asked, "Where was Uhoh going?"

  "Home."

  "Where is home?"

  "Town."

  "Which town?" he asked,

  "Only one Town," she said.

  "There are many towns on Sancrist. Which one is home?" Seamus asked.

  "Town," she said.

  "Where is this town?" Meredith asked, trying to help.

  "Town is home," Gerde said.

  "Town is home, home is town. What can you expect from a gully dwarf?" Liam groaned.

  "Excuse me," Jessica interrupted, "I think I know where she means. Occasionally, I find gully dwarves rooting around my castle at Isherwood. They tell me they are from someplace called simply Town. I believe it is somewhere near the
castle."

  "Excellent!" Seamus exclaimed. "Of course, someone should be sent to find Master Ragnap and bring him back here as soon as possible."

  "Sir Valian and I are leaving for Isherwood in a fortnight," Alya said. "I was hoping Jessica could accompany us, if not to stay, at least to show us the way and familiarize us with the castle and surrounding lands. Afterwards, Valian will continue onward to inspect the other border castles, while I oversee repairs to Isherwood's defenses."

  "To my knowledge, Lady Jessica has no pressing duties," Quintayne said. "She can go if she likes. In any case, she probably needs to return to the castle to collect her personal belongings."

  "Lady Jessica, will you ride with us?" Alya asked.

  "I am honored," she answered, bowing.

  "We can search for Uhoh along the way," Alya said. "By all accounts, gully dwarves are notoriously slow travelers. They tend to stay wherever there is food, until it runs out. We should find him within a few days, then we can send him back with a squire and continue on our way."

  "Most excellent indeed," Seamus exclaimed. "Well, if you don't mind, I'll skip the reading of the scroll, and I bid you all good night. I have many other duties to attend to before I find my pillow."

  After gathering his books and papers, he managed to find his way out the door. Meredith saw him out, then returned to her seat.

  "I think we can also send our… guest on her way," Tohr said, holding his nose.

  Jessica steered the gully dwarf to the door. "I'd better take her back myself, so she doesn't get lost," she said.

  "Good idea," Alya laughed. "See you in the morning."

  When they had gone, Lady Meredith said, "I think, ladies and gentlemen, that it would be a good idea that none of tonight's discussion find its way outside this room. Until we determine how the succession is to be decided, the others do not need to know that a dispute even exists."

  "Agreed," Tohr said, "but the question remains, how is this to be decided?"

  "I think that answer lies with Lord Ehrling. Liam, you were about to read Lord Gunthar's directions."

  "Yes, well, it rambles a bit. You can all read it, but basically it does name the new order. Gunthar wished that it be called the Honorable Knights of Sancrist Isle," Liam said.