by Paul Green
Then Bors glowered at Sagremor. "I will know what is down there!"
Even Sagremor was beginning to grow nervous; and he wasn't the superstitious type. Sagremor took a deep breath and then pointed a finger at Accolon. "If there is something down there, you are coming with me. If it kills me, you shall kill ... whatever this 'animal' is. Understand?"
Accolon nodded and took a deep breath of his own. Sagremor's little exhortation seemed to help break Accolon out of his temporary fear. "I am right behind you, Brother."
Sagremor smiled at Accolon and nodded; for 'Brother' was a term of comradery the Knights would sometimes call each other.
"That is more like it." Sagremor grinned. "Let us go kill this beastie."
Bors snorted. "I was afraid I had two women on my hands. Thought I was going to have to go down there, myself."
Sagremor chuckled as he began climbing down into the hole. "Do not even consider it, Battlemaster. It gets more narrow as I go. You would become as a cork in a bottle."
Accolon grinned at Bors.
Bors growled at Accolon.
Accolon stopped grinning.
And he began to climb in after Sagremor.
*** *** ***
"Oh ... dear ... God in heaven." Sagremor's voice carried up from the deep hole from below, shortly after he reached the bottom. "Accolon!" Sagremor shouted. "Get down here!"
Accolon practically slid down the ladder in an effort to reach the bottom as fast as he could.
"SAGREMOR!" Bors barked in command. "REPORT!"
"No monsters down here, Bors!" Sagremor shouted back up. "Just ... two ... people. This may take a moment, Battlemaster. Accolon! Give me a hand!"
Having just reached the bottom of the thirty foot descent, Accolon found himself in a very small underground cavern, which had been naturally carved by a small, slow moving spring, and was about 15 feet by 20 feet with a low hanging ceiling of rock.
As Accolon spun around with his candle, he was stunned to see in the black darkness a woman of about thirty years of age. Judging by her shredded clothing and ragged appearance, the woman looked like she was a servant, and had herself could have likely been living down there for thirty years; for her hair was wild and unkempt and she was covered with dirt and mud.
But the most surprising thing, was that the woman was beating on Sagremor with her fists, trying to prevent him from peering down into a pit.
"Accolon!" Sagremor yelled. "Pull this crazy woman off of me! There is someone else down here!"
Accolon rushed over and grabbed the woman by the arms and manhandled her away from Sagremor. Then the woman burst into tears. "PLEASE! DO NOT HURT HER!"
"Calm yourself, woman!" Accolon replied. "We are not here to hurt anyone! We are here to help!"
"PLEASE! DO NOT HURT HER!" the woman pleaded, again.
"Oh ... dear ... God in heaven." Sagremor repeated a second time. "There really is someone in here."
The woman then began to wail. "PLEASE! DO NOT HURT HER!"
Accolon, do something about her, would you!?" Sagremor yelled, while reaching down into the pit with his candle. "I think that crazy woman is deaf; she cannot hear you."
Accolon then turned around and faced the woman. As she continued her weeping, Accolon pulled out his sword.
And offered it to her.
The woman instantly stopped crying. And looked at Accolon in shock; who was offering her his sword in outstretched arms.
Accolon began to speak slowly and deliberately, forming his words carefully. "Not ... hurt. Help."
The ragged woman looked at Accolon wild-eyed, then looked at the sword he was handing her with a smile on his face.
Again, Accolon spoke slowly to her. "We ... not ... hurt. We ... friends."
Then woman's eyes flashed back and forth between Accolon's smiling face and his sword. Then she quickly snatched the sword out of his outstretched hands and held it point first towards Accolon's face.
"Uh oh."
The woman looked at Accolon intently for a time. Finally, she then pulled the sword away from his face, and raised it up high in a threatening manner.
Then she nodded.
The woman was giving them permission to access whoever was in the pit, but at the same time, giving him warning.
"Oh ... dear ... God in heaven." Sagremor repeated a third time. "There really is someone in here!! Accolon, get over here and help me."
Accolon smiled nervously, at the woman with wild crazy eyes and his sword in her hands. "We, uh ... we ... are friends. We ... are ... here ... to ... help." he said, again.
The woman nodded again in understanding; but kept her hands tightly on the raised sword, just in case.
Accolon then turned from her and went over to join Sagremor, where Sagremor was lying on his stomach, holding his candle down into the pit to get a better view. Accolon knelt down besides him and then saw what Sagremor had seen.
The tiny pit was four feet in diameter and six feet deep. At the bottom of the pit was a tiny girl who didn't look to be any more than six or seven years of age. What few strips of clothing she had left to her, were shredded and ripped and torn and covered in blood; just as her flesh was also covered with many terrible cuts from knives. The smell coming from the pit was rancid, for it was quite obvious she had been living in the pit for a very long time; most likely all of her young life.
The little girl was extremely frightened of Sagremor, and was trembling and shaking, as she sat cowering in a tiny ball like a terrified mouse, pressed up against the opposite wall.
"No!" Accolon gasped in horror when got his first good look at her.
"We cannot leave her in there, Accolon." Sagremor growled. "I do not care if this is Igraine's daughter or not. I shall not leave her in there like an animal. Arthur's orders or not, I absolutely REFUSE to..."
Accolon nodded as he interrupted. "No, I agree with you. How shall we get her out? Shall I climb down?"
"One of us has to. You stay here; I shall climb in and get her and then hand her up to you. I hope she does not bite."
"Wait..." Accolon said, stopping Sagremor with his hand. "This child looks as if she might perish from fright. I think ... this woman is her ... caretaker or something. Allow her to speak to the child, first."
Sagremor turned his head and looked at the woman in surprise. "She has your sword."
"It seemed like a good idea at the time."
Sagremor shrugged. "Very well. Call her over."
Accolon beckoned the woman to come over. The woman still held the sword raised high in both hands, warily studying Accolon's eyes.
"Friend." Accolon said simply, waving her to join them. "Help. Come. Speak."
The woman finally nodded her head and cautiously approached to the two Knights, lying on their stomachs at the edge of the pit.
Accolon then pointed at himself. "Accolon. Friend."
The woman looked at Accolon for a time, and then nodded. "Accolon." she said.
Accolon nodded and then pointed at Sagremor. "Sagremor. Friend."
The woman looked at Sagremor for a time, and then nodded. "Sagremor."
Just then Bors shouted down from above, "WHAT IS TAKING SO LONG!? WHAT IS HAPPENING DOWN THERE!?"
As Accolon and Sagremor instantly looked up, the woman immediately lurched backwards, when Accolon said, "No!" Then he pointed towards the ladder. "That is Bors! He, too, is a friend!"
Once again the woman studied Accolon's eyes to look for signs of deceit.. Finally, she nodded again.
Accolon shouted out to Bors, "WE ARE COMING!! WE ARE BRINGING THEM WITH US! ONE OF THEM IS A GIRL!"
"HURRY UP!" Bors shouted back. "THE SUN SHALL BE RISING, SOON!"
Accolon turned back and looked at the woman. "We have come to take you away from here. Do you understand me?"
The woman looked at Accolon for a moment, and then looked towards the ladder. "Go?"
"Yes. Go. We shall take you away from here. Where you shall be safe. And you shall never have
to come back."
Then a tear came to her eye as she looked longingly at the ladder. "Go?"
"Yes." Accolon smiled, tenderly. "You have been down here a long time, haven't you?"
"Gorlois?" the woman asked, nervously.
"He is not here." Accolon replied. "We must leave quickly, before Gorlois returns."
The woman's eyes widened in alarm. Then she looked at the pit. "Morgan?" she asked.
"Morgan?" Accolon repeated. "Is that the name of the child?"
The woman nodded. "Morgan."
"Morgan is coming with us." Accolon said. "But she is frightened. Can you speak with her? And tell her what is happening?"
The woman then touched both of her ears, indicating that she was indeed, deaf.
"I understand." Accolon. "You read our lips."
The woman nodded. Then she pointed at Accolon's candle.
"You ... do not have light down here. It is always dark?"
The woman nodded.
"Which also means ... you can never read Morgan's lips."
The woman shook her head.
"What is your name, woman?"
"Luella." the woman replied. "I am nursemaiden of Morgan."
Accolon nodded. "My friend, Sagremor, is going to climb down and retrieve Morgan, and then give Morgan to me. Can you explain this to Morgan? So that she shall not be afraid?"
Luella nodded. "I shall try. She is always afraid when they take her out. She does not speak for a long time when they put her back. But I shall try."
Accolon smiled at her and then moved aside, making room for Luella to approach the pit.
Luella walked around to the other side of the pit, the area just above where Morgan was cowering against the wall. Then Luella lay down on her stomach in the dirt and reached down into the pit; something which by all appearances, she was obviously quite accustomed to doing.
Luella then reached down as far as could, stretching down her arm until finally ... her hand barely reached the top of Morgan's head.
And then like magic, Morgan began to calm down when she felt Luella's hand upon her head. Morgan was still looking up at Sagremor and Accolon, terrified; but Luella's hand upon her head seemed to be doing wonders.
Then ... Accolon began to understand why.
Luella was communicating with Morgan, with her hand. In the flickering candlelight, Accolon could make out Luella's hand going through a sequence of patterns on top of Morgan's head. Luella continued repeating the same sequence of patterns, over and over, again.
Until finally, Morgan's shaking and trembling began to cease. Still with her eyes wide in fear, Morgan then raised her own small hand, and touched Luella's hand. And then, Morgan began patting out her own sequence of patterns upon Luella's hand.
Then it was that Accolon realized it was language; their own special form of language they had developed together. And tears came to Accolon's eyes when understood that both the small child and her nursemaiden, had been living in total and absolute darkness for untold years; and that this was the only way they had to communicate - the nursemaiden reaching down into the pit and tapping upon Morgan's head.
"HURRY UP!" Bors shouted, once again. "THE SUN IS BEGINNING TO RISE!"
Morgan instantly stiffened at the sound of Bors' voice.
Which at least indicated that the small child was not deaf.
"Luella..." Accolon said, touching her shoulder, "...we must hurry. We do not have much time."
Luella nodded and quickly began patting out a message to Morgan. Morgan then stopped Luella's patting with her hand, and looked up at her. Then finally, Morgan nodded.
Sagremor sighed. "It is about time!" Then he quickly climbed down into the pit with Morgan and turned to face her, as Morgan looked up at Sagremor in terror.
"Go easy, Sagremor." Accolon reprimanded.
"Sorry, little girl." Sagremor said, as he quickly yanked Morgan up by the shoulders. Morgan whimpered, but she didn't fight; as is she was used to be handled roughly. "But we do not have time to go easy. We have to leave. Now!"
Sagremor then spun around and quickly thrust Morgan up to Accolon. "Do you have her!?"
Accolon gently reached down under Morgan's arms and lifted her from the pit. He sighed to himself, because she hardly weighed anything at all. "I have her. Let us go quickly."
Holding the tiny whimpering girl in his arms, Accolon turned toward Luella. "Can you climb the ladder?"
Luella nodded. "I shall try."
"I will go first, carrying Morgan. Then you go. Sagremor will come up last, behind you; should you need assistance."
Luella nodded.
*** *** ***
Bors was standing at the front door keeping watch outside, while also keeping watch of the still unconscious servant and the creepy sleeping four sons. The servant had once started to rouse, but Bors saw to it that he went back to 'sleep'.
He gave a sigh of relief when he saw Accolon rising quickly up out of the hole. "Finally! What took you so ... so ... dear God in Heaven..."
The moment that Accolon came out of the hole, he turned around and strode towards Bors. "This is Morgan. Stand back, Bors; the child is fearful and fragile. Let us ride now and talk later."
Bors found himself overcome with emotion at the sight of tiny girl curled up into a tight ball in Accolon's arms. Morgan was nervously looking back and forth at Accolon and Bors, as if in fear they were about to do something terrible to her.
Then came Luella, who managed to climb all the way up the ladder without help.
And once more Bors gasped, at the sight of the dirty raggedy woman.
Sagremor quickly followed, urging Luella to continue moving quickly and not stare in horror at the unconscious bodies or the dead man hanging upside down on the wall.
"This is Luella." Sagremor quickly introduced to Bors, pushing her out the door. "She is deaf. She rides with me."
Bors took one last look at the house of horrors, trying to decide if he should burn it down with the bodies inside. But then the rays of the morning sun broke over the eastern hills, and Bors quickly strode to his horse to join the others who were already mounted and turning their horses around. Luella was straddle behind Sagremor, while Accolon held onto Morgan, who was sitting sideways and in front of him with his left arm tightly around her small body to hold her steady.
And together, they galloped off as fast as their horses would carry them in the direction of the rising sun.
Chapter 41
In less than an hour their horses finally crossed the river which separated Uther Pendragon's kingdom from that of King Eldon of Cadwell.
While they had been riding eastwards towards the sun, Accolon noted that Morgan had never stopped whimpering, and was desperately trying to keep her head turned inward into Accolon's chest. He also noted that Luella, who was straddled behind Sagremor, also had to keep her eyes closed and her nose buried into Sagremor's back. And Accolon understood, that the two were not accustomed to light and that the painfully bright sun was hurting their eyes.
"Battlemaster!" Accolon shouted. "We need to stop!"
"NAY!" Bors shouted back. "We must continue on!"
"The child is fearful and the sun harms her eyes! At least stop so she may be comforted!"
Bors turned his head to look at Accolon holding Morgan and sighed. He nodded and then slowed his horse to a stop, in order to allow Sagremor's horse to come up alongside Accolon. "Be quick about it! We may already be being followed!"
"Nay, Battlemaster!" said Sagremor. I have been watching; there are none following.
"Only a moment." Bors replied. "Then we ride on."
"Thank you, Bors." Accolon said, as he turned his horse around to shield Morgan with his body from the bright rays of the early morning sun. Sagremor did likewise and turned his horse around, sidling up against Accolon's horse.
"Luella?" Accolon asked. "Can you speak to Morgan? Tell her she is going to a better place where shall be safe."
Luella nodded and l
ooked at Morgan who had tears in her eyes. But rather than speak to Morgan, Luella reached over from Sagremor's horse and placed her hand atop Morgan's head; to communicate in the way they both knew best.
Within moments, Morgan's whimpering ceased, as Luella translated Accolon's words in their secret language. Finally, while Morgan looked at Luella, she reached up and touched Luella's hand atop her head, and they both 'spoke' words of comfort to each other.
Once Luella was satisfied that Morgan was okay, she nodded at Accolon. "She understands. We may go, now."
Bors nodded at Luella. "Forgive us for riding in such haste, nursemaiden; but it is for the best."
Luella nodded her head. "I have told this to Morgan. She understands. She shall be brave."
Bors smiled at the woman. "Forgive us for also riding into the sun; but again, we have no choice."
Suddenly to the surprise of the others, Accolon pulled off his armored breastplate and tossed it onto the ground.
Bors raised his eyebrow. "Sir Knight? What do you think you are doing?"
Accolon then removed his heavy woolen undershirt, leaving his upper body shirtless and bare skinned. He then took his heavy undergarment and placed it over Morgan's head. "This shall help protect her eyes." Accolon replied.
"Sir Knight, you are naked." Bors replied with a slight smile.
"I still wear my pants, Battlemaster." Accolon grinned, as he turned his horse towards the eastern sun. "We are ready."
Just then, Sagremor followed suite and tossed aside his armored breastplate. He also removed his heavy woolen undershirt and handed it to Luella, who gratefully put it over her head. Then he also turned his horse around towards the sun and grinned at Bors. "Ready when you are, Battlemaster."
Bors chuckled at the two breastplates lying on the ground and turned his horse. "I think we shall enter the fortress from the rear. I shall not be seen riding with two naked Knights."
"Camelot, Sir Bors." Accolon corrected with a smile. "I believe we now call it ... Camelot."
Bors chuckled again as the three horses once more took off galloping towards the east.
*** *** ***
It took another three hours to reach Castle Camelot at full gallop. During the entire ride with Luella straddled behind Sagremor, she kept her head covered with Sagremor's heavy shirt. Accolon's large shirt was plenty big enough to cover little Morgan's entire body. It helped protect her eyes from being blinded by the sun and also protected her body from getting burnt, as the only clothing she had were raggedy strips of cloth which barely covered anything.