The Knight Behind the Pillar

by John Pateman-Gee

  “Oh.” I said, now not as convinced that the whole king and sword thing was so much as nothing, but to disguise my sudden doubt I continued to ask, “Who’s your Father?”

  “His name is Ector.” Arthur answered, but saw through my troubled expression. “See you’re not so sure now are you!”

  I ignored him as I thought about the name and I was pulling a face because I knew it from somewhere.

  “No, no it’s that I know that name, I’m sure I do,” I pushed my head against the cold wall behind me, it didn’t help, “Can’t think where, ah, I can’t remember, but I know it I’m sure.” I exclaimed in frustration that the name was ringing a bell, but I could not remember where from.

  Arthur continued almost eager now for me to share his problems. “We made it here, this morning, well last night maybe, and then to the room. My father disappeared to talk to some people leaving me with Sir Briant, saying he would send for me later. I have never seen him look so mad, my father that is.” Arthur paused for a while and I took a chance to finish eating as well before he went on. “You are right none of these people know me and no one is going to care, but when they sort it out I doubt it’ll be good for me. And what about that crowd outside, I think they think a new king as arrived, being me!”

  “I don’t know, I was, err, late.” I admitted a little distracted, “Didn’t stop to ask when I went by them earlier. Look, I still don’t think you can be a king just by picking up some old sword though.” I pulled myself up and offered a hand up for Arthur. “Come on Art let’s see about a drink.”

  Despite my light heartiness I was beginning to contemplate the crowd, the sword and the number of important and even not so important people who had so quickly descended on the town and fort. There had been times before noblemen had gathered in good number, but this was different, the air was heavy with anticipation. However, I also knew without doubt you could not be a king just because you happen to come across a sword. Nevertheless, perhaps that didn’t matter, were people desperate for a new king of some kind and this was the excuse they needed and perhaps Arthur was it. It all seemed impossible and the answer would be end up being boring. Soon it would be over and I would be back to my equally boring life.

  We rejoined the battle to find our way out of kitchens and back to the hallways. I lead the way again. Getting a drink in the frenzy that had become the kitchen was a lost cause and I wondered where else to try. The dawn of the day had only increased the activity and the tempers of those working there. Instead we casually wandered along the halls for a while deciding what next to do. All the time I was thinking about what Arthur said and assured myself that if he was in real trouble they would have just locked him up and not put him in one of the best rooms. The fact it was the best room did not help my confusion.

  You can not just be a king from pulling a sword out!

  Suddenly I pulled Arthur to one side. My instincts were quick to react to the approaching figure approaching.

  “What is it?” Arthur asked nervously.

  He was so quick to panic, I would have tutted out loud in disapproval if I were not panicking myself. “Lord Aries is ahead.” I half whispered, the worry and fear was obvious across my face now paler than before.

  “Who’s he?”

  “The lord I serve. I’m one of his squires,” I whispered quickly and glanced back at Arthur who was still giving me daft expressions of confusion, so I had to explain more, “I was late this morning, it was my turn to attend him, prepare his clothes, armour, you know.”

  In fact there were twelve other squires, all older than me, that served Lord Aries and yet I still found myself being the one having to serve him most mornings and being late. Twelve was seemingly a lot considering the size of the fort, but as free labour to help run the place it was a good practice to volunteer to train many potential future knights as possible. He knew that some squires never make it to become a knight, but instead serve all their lives in hope as a squire. Hope was not the incentive in these cases, just a better word than failure. There also was not much other choice, at least no options I was willing to take.

  Lord Aries was making purposeful advancement along the corridor. It was clear he was not to be obstructed or disturbed with his black cloak flowing out far behind him and marking his pace. It was attached to a black shirt that partly covered his chainmail suit. His boots echoed each step, again they were black. His eyes were fixed solely on the way ahead and failed to see anyone or thing except for the next door. Importantly he failed to notice two squires who applied the art of disappearing in the shadows, only just obscured from view by a projecting piece of stone wall along the hallway.

  “Was that his normal face? He looked very upset. Perhaps you are in as much trouble as me.” Arthur teased cautiously after Lord Aries had passed.

  “Shut up.” I retorted, but smiled. An expression that then dropped away as I worried he might be right!

  “I wonder where he’s going, somewhere important perhaps?” Arthur continued thinking out loud.

  Both of us had now stepped out of the darkness. I had managed to find every cobweb that had gathered in the shadows, so busied myself brushing down my clothes again. Any attempt to make my clothes appear better made no real difference to their condition. Only I was perhaps more aware of my appearance than ever now as Arthur’s simple jest earlier had wounded me a little and had not yet been completely dismissed.

  “He doesn’t normally look that tense I admit and he looked like he’s late for something.” I said and considered briefly it would be my fault, before then freezing in realisation looking at Arthur. “Maybe it’s something to do with you; you know the thing with the sword. Do you want to find out?”

  “What follow him?” Arthur frowned not appreciating my sudden enthusiasm. “Better not, I’ll be missed soon if not already and we should really get back to the room to wait.”

  I rolled my eyes at the complete lack of interest Arthur was showing as he disguised his panic.

  I gave him a friendly punch to the arm. “Come on, you might get to learn your fate.” I teased encouragingly.

  “Or I might get to see where the stables are again as your master goes for a ride or get to see the person he looks like he is off to kill!”

  “Come on,” I repeated, but this time started to move in the direction that Aries had gone.

  “Tor I would rather not.” Arthur protested sincerely, but looking back I found Arthur’s resistance was nothing but talk and he was following once more.

  Lord Aries was easy to follow once we caught up. While the hallways were busy with enough people to hide followers, it did not matter as he was focused completely on reaching his destination. Another corner he marched around and the hallway opened out and the ceiling heightened unexpectedly before ended at two open doors. Beyond these I knew was much larger round chamber and was very much a dead end.

  Aries continued straight in through the open doors without any noticeable delay. Arthur and I half skipped to the edges of doorway to chance a look inside before either of us took a moment to think. Eyes adjusted to reveal at the centre and surrounded by pillars set in from the edges of the chamber was a large oak horseshoe shape table. This unusual piece of furniture was lined with chairs and many of these were filled with men of seemingly differing rank and status. There was no uniform to distinguish them from each other, just small differences from what they wore to how they sat and looked. I recognised Sir Briant as one of them, siting to attention and if awaiting instruction. It was clear now that this noble was not as high ranking as others and not as important to cause me any problems later for taking Arthur for a tour of the kitchens. Neither was he as important as Aries and I now had cause to worry having served him instead of someone of higher seniority.

  Others perched casually on the edges of the table, each quietly whispering to each other. Light softly lit the centre of the round shape room from windows high up within the stone vaulted ceiling. Darkness filled the edges of the ro
om where light failed to win and so it sulked around the pillars in disappointment. The pillars themselves were substantially wide and a marvel of engineering skill to support the decorated roof and sophisticated stone work and its concave above. It was a grand room for reasons long forgotten. Aries used it normally as his own council room or court as the occasion demanded, but mostly it was locked away and only the cold took refuge there.

  Within the confines of the horseshoe table that surrounded them I could also see a clear group of figures standing. These men were paying attention some attention to a map placed on one part of the table top. I had seen maps before, but had enough experience to understand they did very little to aid a traveller. In the opinion of a map the world was flat, which it was, but a map lived in a world where rivers had no depth and hills no height. What might seem to be a few hours journey on a map was in reality a two day hike up hills without spare clothes, food and water as they were washed down a river you crossed earlier that was far deeper than you realise it was going to be.

  Arthur realising we were just standing wide eyed within the open doorway and could be seen if anyone looked, tugged me hastily into the room and across to the first of the pillars. As wide as it was the pillar was too narrow to conceal us both from view and so Arthur darted across to the next pillar along. The darkness became our ally as we watched Aries finally slow to a stop within the centre of the room. It was a graceful and specific stop that took concentration to execute with such smoothness. His cloak dropped back to the ground, like a sail that had lost its wind, sweeping the dirt across the stone floor forward. His entrance gain the attention of the room and the resulting noise of interest was enough to disguise any that we made.

  As if awoken from a trance, Aries lifted his head first and then commenced an overly rehearsed bow of his body in greeting. I was unimpressed at the sheer amount of obnoxious self importance he seemed to exude.

  “My lords, your highness and your grace,” Aries acknowledged, his eye flicked quickly between a number of men before him checking he had not missed any title. “I am sorry for my delay. The crowd is growing restless and matters took longer than I expected.”

  I smiled broadly at the lie. I knew him too well and knew he would never directly deal with the townsfolk. Why have guards if could not use them to ensure you did not have to be within smelling distance of the common folk.

  “Did you heard that Ector? We must start making decisions now before we have two rebellions on our hands.” Said a high pitch voice, I could not see.

  Arthur and I looked at each other wide eyed with acknowledgment that we had both heard the mention of Arthur’s father’s name. Looking back now I was curious to find his father in the room and risked looking further out from behind the pillar.

  “We have time yet Morvid, so perhaps we need not be so dramatic.” Said another unknown voice. It was calm, precise and full of unmistakable authority to have undermined the first. “These matters take time and the people will wait a little longer yet.”

  I looked away from Aries who had now suddenly found himself at a lost, his grand dramatic entrance, greeting and self declaration of worth utterly wasted on these others obviously of higher title and value, or at least equally thought so. Instead I could see the owner of this second unknown powerful voice. He stood to the centre of the room and clearly he commanded it. He stood tall with a bright blue cloak over his shoulders and what I guess to be a silk tunic most rare and expensive by the way it reflected the light. Jewellery lined his fingers, enough on each to feed a village for a lifetime. This was a man of wealth and power and not afraid to show it.

  As luck would have it no one currently sat in the chairs near to us to hear our words and the chamber was vast with most men over the other side of the room.

  “Is that your father?” I chanced the lowest possible whisper across to Arthur who shook his head.

  “He’s Alain, a king.” He replied in an equally low voice. “He joined up with us and rode here with us last night.”

  A king I marvelled, such status explained the clothes and his expression of smug superiority.

  “The longer we delay the longer we give our…err.” Morvid began in objection, but stopped to fumble over what word to use and Alain took over.

  “Give them time to mount some form of opposition to us,” finished Alain with casual disdain. “We are all aware at what is at stake Morvid, but these things take time. They must have been subject to due process, be legal in the eyes of the people before we start sending our men to war do you not agree. A plan is needed here and in this case so is a king.”

  With a sweep of the cloak King Alain turned away and took a couple of slow steps towards another figure. This man sat behind the central part of the curved table, his face partly hidden within the shadows. His head was supported by his hands, but not in defeat or submission to the authority that was Alain. The seated figure was engulfed in his own thoughts; a seemingly intense battle was concealed tightly beneath his brow.

  Uncomfortable with attention generated by just not taking part, he struggled to contain whatever it was being hidden inside against the will of others. To me the red faced man looked like someone trying to hold back a storm. He did nothing to acknowledge Alain’s advance.

  “Father.” Mouthed Arthur to my side and I nodded in response.

  We were spellbound by the scene and both looked back at once. Instincts had already assumed it was him without Arthur announcing it. Both of us, well, certainly I now realised the importance of the meeting we had found themselves and the answers that might come forward. I stood nervously for fear of being discovered and with in trepidation of what might be said. My hand gripped hard to the ripples in the cold stone pillar to anchor myself to it. Every now and again I chanced a look as often as I dare to gain the best available glimpses of the meeting before me.

  Alain continued to approach Arthur’s father with notable caution, “But perhaps now most of us are here, it would help everyone if you at least tell us why we are waiting. What importance does he hold for you sir? For I must admit my curiosity is at breaking point and we have been here a long time already. I for one would be grateful for a clue my friend.” He asked, sounding falsely polite and sounding out certainly words and making then unnecessarily longer than needed, like he enjoyed the tone of the sounds he could make.

  I surprisingly thought he sounded as little like my own father, and then quickly scolded myself for the thought. My own father had a similar tone of voice he used when he wanted something done, but knew force was a waste of time. Not that stopped him using it after he had what he wanted I knew and again told my head to stop thinking!

  “As I have told you, sir, I will wait for his arrival before allowing anything else.” Ector stated flatly, but like me had understood the tone and had mocked it a little with excessive distaste at the word “sir” used by Alain.

  He was clearly defiant of any pressure being mounted by the others.

  “Do you really have a choice?” Morvid threatened fiercely and at last he stepped forward into my view.

  This man wore a dark red tunic without a cloak or much adornment compared to others. He maintained a grip on the hilt of his sword hanging from his belt, perhaps for his own sense of security. Dark hair, probably black if seen in better light and was clearly thinning on top with strands of hair brushed across in a failed attempt to hide the truth. Most prominent was his crooked nose, it was very large and protruding and a significant feature compared to the size of his botchy face. I wondered if someone had broken it in the past then it swelled up and afterwards it never recovered fully.

  “Shut up Morvid, or I will send you back to Gloucester.” Snapped Alain without any time taken to play with his words this time.

  Alain was obviously in charge of the man and was now my first candidate for the cause of any injury this Morvid may have suffered in his life. Uncomfortable silence filled the room for a moment.

  Morvid having quickly assessed his op
tions dropped his head and half bowed. “My apologies Sire,” he said and fell back into the shadows.

  “In any event,” Aries spoke up unexpectedly with opposing brightness to the gathered clouds who were quick to look and stare back to him as he continued, “I have spread the word that people should return tomorrow, but I’m sure many will stay as they have travelled long distances in many cases. It’s been a long time since the fort has been so….”

  Aries’s polite chat and courage fell away to nothing as his instincts to know when to shut up caught up with him at last. His stab at something in the fog like atmosphere was a lost. Perhaps feeling the pressure of eyes bored of him, he moved to one side and leaned on the table. It was answers this audience sought and I concluded Aries was not the one with the right ones needed. I watched him attempt to appear at ease, yet he gritted his teeth and held back his frustration. This amused me for a while as it had been the first time that I had ever seen Lord Aries have no authority, no command or power compared to these strangers. He was just a knight in this room of kings and higher nobles and his position as the lord of Caerleon failed to matter.

  Nothing happened for a time. The whole world seemed to stop as the room waited. The noble’s postures relaxed and the gap of silence allowed perceived tensions to ease a little. Some found chairs and dropped into them to get more comfortable. I felt that suddenly everything had arrived at this point and nothing else could happen or would be allowed to happen. This was the right moment for the awaited man to arrive. The air filled with expectation, the nobles waited, the room braced itself for the answers this man would bring, but the moment passed and disappointment replaced expectation and then awkwardness followed.