Knight Assassin

by James Boschert

  Talon aimed deliberately at the oncoming horse. He loosed his arrow at twenty yards and it buried itself deep into the chest of the galloping animal. At the same time another arrow buried itself deep into the rider’s right side. Belth had shot his arrow from the battlements. The horse nosed over in a somersault, tossing the its dead rider almost at Talon’s feet.

  Talon dodged the dead man’s shield that flew past him to bounce once and then slam into the wall of the fort with a metallic clang. He looked around desperately for the other rider and saw that that man was also down, with two arrows in his back. The Welshmen in the woods had taken care of him. His horse was standing loose not far away. Talon could see the crossbow men shooting at the woods, but they were also trying to make their escape—they were now caught in a crossfire from the woods and the fort.

  He turned to look up at the fort. The men on the walls were shouting and cheering and the gates were open. His father, mounted on his horse, followed by Philip and Max, rode out brandishing their swords. They galloped past with yells of greeting to Talon and then set about chasing the luckless crossbow men around the field, slashing at their running figures with their swords until none were left standing.

  Talon didn’t watch the end. He made his way tiredly through the gates to where his mother was standing, clutching Guillaume, holding him tight to her with one arm while she held onto a very ragged Aicelina, who was crying with relief. Even Guillaume had forgotten himself and was whimpering into his mother’s skirts.

  They looked up as Talon came in and he found himself in the middle of a collective embrace. Everyone was talking at once and there were more tears from his mother. This time a shaking Aicelina was also weeping.

  Eventually they parted and Marguerite looked at Talon with tear-filled eyes. “I thank the Lord God for his kindness, he has been kind and has delivered you and your brother and Aicelina back to me. Now, Aicelina, you must get out of those soaking clothes and do the same for Guillaume or you will all die of cold, and then all will have been for nothing,” she scolded them. “Talon, you look and smell like a badger, do you want a bath? You will take this brother with you and make sure he is bathed, too. Then I want to hear all about this adventure. Aicelina tells me that you rescued her from the castle of my uncle? Dear Lord and his Saints be my witness but that perfidious man has gone beyond all redemption now,” she gasped out, her hand on her heart.

  Just as she finished Sir Hughes and Sir Philip with Max right behind them came trotting in through the gates. They were followed by Drudwas and Devonalt. The men were exultant and grinning with their victory.

  Without getting off his horse, Sir Hughes called over to the group by the hall doors. “We took care of the vermin, I don’t think any got away. Talon, are you all right?”

  Talon nodded. “I am fine, Father, and right glad to see you again. Hello, Uncle and Max. Drudwas, Devonalt, and Belth, thank you for your help. It was a bit close out there.”

  There were chuckles at that from the Welshmen and the onlookers gathered around.

  “I think you were in more trouble from that shield the man tossed at you, m’lord!” Belth laughed. “It fair shook the walls of the fort when it struck, it did!”

  Talon grinned at the memory and clapped him on the back. “Thank you, my friend,” he said.

  “Your Welshmen continue to make a good account of themselves, Talon. I hope you can pay them,” Philip laughed.

  “I am more concerned about Gareth and Ap-Maddock right now, Uncle. They led the hunting hounds away from us into the forest.”

  “Don’t you be worrying about them, m’lord,” Devonalt said. “Gareth is a clever man in the woods; they will be safe enough, God willing.”

  Indeed, almost as he completed the statement there was a shout from the ramparts over the gate. “The archers are coming, m’lord.”

  This wild-mint-scented scene

  And wild roses

  And wrinkle of water descending

  Tending to laughter;

  Together, then

  After.

  —Geoffrey Grigson

  Chapter 11

  A Swineherd

  Talon held a family conference after an exhausted sleep and waking up when the sun was almost down in the west. The story of how Aicelina and Guillaume had been captured came out during the meeting. The two had been walking only a mile from the fort on the other side of the village. They were looking for mushrooms, hedgerow asparagus, and other plants, something they had done often before without any fear.

  Horsemen had suddenly appeared on the wide path that led back to the village which was a good mile away. Sensing that they meant harm, Aicelina had seized Guillaume by the hand and tried to run toward the village and safety, but after a short chase they had been stopped as one of the horsemen rode in front of them, barring their way. Marcel had then revealed himself; they were all now standing in a small clearing in the wood next to the track.

  He had stared down at them from his horse with a sneer on his face.

  “Well look what we have found here, a maid and her babe,” he had said with satisfaction.

  Aicelina had been frightened, but had stood her ground with Guillaume at her side and faced him. She had demanded to know what he wanted and he had pointed to Guillaume. She had told him that he had no right to take the boy but Marcel had dismounted, thrown his reins to another rider and walked right up to her.

  “It is not your place to tell me what I can or cannot do.” he had snarled and then struck her hard on the side of her face with his gloved fist, knocking her down.

  Aicelina confessed that there was little she remembered after that until they were dismounting in Guillabert’s castle courtyard. She then went on to tell the assembled family and friends how Talon had rescued them and then the long night in the woods. Guillaume, who was there with them, piped up on occasion to correct a detail in the story that he felt was important.

  There was a silence when she finished her tale. The assembled family and retainers were appalled at what they heard and even more so at the information that Talon imparted after Aicelina had finished.

  Sir Hughes and Philip were raging with anger and demanded that he repeat several times what the bishop had said. Talon had not mentioned the threat against Guillaume. He was going to take care of that in his own time.

  “Unfortunately, we have no proof other than your word, Talon,” his father said kindly, patting him on the knee to take the sting out of the comment. “We will need more than that for the court, I’m afraid. But where Guillabert is concerned he is now my sworn enemy and God help him if he comes near here again. I am sorry, my dear,” he said turning to his wife, “but your cousin and his sons have gone too far this time for me to forgive them.”

  Marguerite nodded. “I am forced to agree with you. Reluctant as I am to have a blood feud within the family, they leave us no option, God save us.” Her face was pale and she sounded very sad as she said this.

  Talon stood up and came over to her. “Mother, they have not treated you as family since you came back from Outré Mere. You owe them nothing, and now Guillabert has contemplated the murder of our family. That man has an evil heart and so does the bishop.” He put his arm around her to comfort her and she leaned against him as though seeking support.

  There was a lively discussion between the members of the family after this, even Gareth and Max were involved as they all debated the question about what to do about the grievous affront to them. It was clear to everyone that to rush off and lay siege to Guillabert’s castle would be futile as they could barely muster enough men to man their own fort, let alone attack Guillabert in his lair.

  Talon swore to himself that he would take care of the matter in his own way when the time came, but he did not discuss that with anyone.

  Sir Hughes made certain that from then on no one from the family strayed far and that if they needed to go even just to the village, they must have an escort.

  Life resumed at the for
t and there was time for Talon to take his ease and enjoy the remains of the summer. Most of the Welshmen were out in the forest scouting for intruders; Sir Hughes did not want a repeat of the incident with Marcel. So far, after a week, they reported that there seemed to be no one in the woods who should not have been there.

  Talon accompanied them when they went once to the edge of the forest and watched the activity at Guillabert’s castle, but all seemed quiet there, too, although it was far better guarded than before. Sir Hughes and Sir Philip reasoned that Guillabert was nursing his wounds and most probably he had been cautioned by the bishop to take no further action for the time being.

  They all sobered at the thought of the court case to come. The bishop was now declared to be on Guillabert’s side and as they did not have any support from any other quarter, the situation looked bleak. But Sir Philip came up with an idea that seemed to have some merit. He told them that he had to go to Carcassonne and pay his respects to the Captain of the Order.

  “Perhaps I will be able to get an audience with the Count and present our side to him?” he suggested hopefully.

  After a private discussion aside with his brother, Sir Hughes addressed Talon. “I need you to go to Carcassonne for me. Philip is going to the Temple house there, and I think it would be a useful thing for you to be seen at the court. Philip will be paying his respects to the Count and I want to have you presented at the court on my behalf. I dare not leave our home under present circumstances but if you go with Philip in my place and explain the situation I am sure he will understand. I and Philip think that it is time to ask for some help if it is possible from the Count himself.”

  Philip nodded, smiling. “We shall leave in a day or so, Talon. Make sure you pack your best clothes. I have some business with the Temple and then we have to attend the court for a short while and pay our respects to the Count. Perhaps he will hear our case and provide some support.” He smiled at Talon’s surprised look. “We will go to pay homage to the Count of Carcassonne, my boy. Your father is expected to do this once a year at the very least. We will leave in a couple of days.”

  “Will it not be dangerous to leave with the situation as it is, Father?”

  “You have a good point, Talon, but I shall have the Welshmen as my scouts to warn me if there is any treachery afoot. I do not think that Guillabert will make his move until after the court case. We will be safe enough if we are careful and no one wanders off too far.”

  “You will enjoy Carcassonne, Talon,” said his mother. “It is a huge city, larger even than Paris. At least I hear it is. Beware of the intrigues of the court, my boy, particularly the maidens. They are as wolves and will snap a young man up within a minute.” She pretended to look severe.

  “Yes, Mother I shall be careful,” Talon said dutifully and with a playful grin.

  Sir Hughes chuckled. “Your mother is not interested in the lively world of the Carcassonne court. My dear, I swear that your life in the Kingdom of Jerusalem has turned you into a prude. He is going to the court of love.” Hughes leaned toward her on the bench and tried to kiss her but got a gentle slap for his pains.

  Marguerite bustled out cheerfully, calling for Aicelina. The men were left alone to discuss the journey and what might be said to the Count of Carcassonne should an audience be granted.

  Talon later made his way out of the hall, having decided to bathe at the stream where he had been fishing with his brother. It was a warm August day and the thought of taking a dip in the cool waters was very appealing. He could not find Guillaume whom he assumed to have hidden, knowing that his brother wanted to throw him into a bath. Neither had he seen Aicelina, so he figured it was a good time to take advantage of their absence.

  The pool he had in mind was deep, so that he could plunge into it and later perhaps tickle a trout out of it. Few came this far into the wooded hills so he was fairly sure of his privacy.

  He told his men that he was going for a walk in the woods and not to worry about him, then walked out of the gates unobtrusively. His men by now knew that he could more than care for himself in the forest so they let him go unescorted without demure. Once clear of the village he headed up the slope to where he and Guillaume had spent happy days fishing through the midsummer weeks. It was now August and the forest hummed with insects and was sleepy with the summer heat.

  He heard his name called behind him and looked back. Aicelina was hastening after him up the slope. He waved and then waited until she caught up with him slightly breathless and flushed from the climb.

  “That takes care of my bath.” He sighed but he was glad to see her nonetheless.

  “Talon, are you going for a walk in the wood? I would accompany you.” She seemed to blush. “It is not safe for me to be on my own in the forest now,” she added by way of explanation.

  He smiled awkwardly. “Of course you are welcome to walk with me. I shall be glad of the company. But how did you leave without mother or someone knowing?”

  “I talked to Gareth and he told me to hurry and I would catch up with you, which would be safer for me.” She smiled disarmingly.

  He smiled at that.

  Despite the fact that he wanted a bath he had no objection to her company, welcoming the unexpected interruption.

  They walked on in silence. It was some way to the stream, nearly a mile in all, so they went slowly, enjoying the warm day. Despite this Talon was vigilant and trod carefully, keeping off the main paths; he did not want to be surprised by Marcel’s mercenaries.

  They disturbed a fox that had been sunning itself in a glade as they walked by. The sleek, red-coated animal got up lazily and ambled off into denser cover. They did not pause but moved quietly along the faint animal track until they were following the banks of the stream. Aicelina stayed close but said nothing, seeming to be content with just keeping near. He still intended go to the pool by the river as it was a quiet place where they could sit and enjoy the late summer warmth.

  The woods were thin here, allowing the sun to break through, leaving a dappled pattern on the forest floor, and the light was warm on his face as he walked. He put out his hand to steady her at one point. She gave hers to him and he enjoyed the feel of her cool fingers as they slipped into his palm. Then it seemed natural for them to stay hand in hand.

  They heard a splash as they came to the crest of the bank where the pool was. Both of them froze, startled, then crouched instinctively. Talon drew his sword and eased forward until he had a good view of pool and the surrounding banks. An otter was playing with its mate in the cool, deep water.

  He smiled and indicated the playing pair to Aicelina, who eased forward to lie next to him and she too watched them cavorting and laughed silently. He liked her good teeth and her smile tugged at him.

  The animals must have sensed that they were being watched because they slipped out of the water and with a backward glance in their direction wandered off into the undergrowth on the other side of the pool.

  Aicelina stood up, as did Talon, but she walked to the pool and before his disbelieving eyes began to take off her long dress. The sun sparkled through the tree branches around the pool in warm patches. She was standing in one so he had a clear view as the sun lit her face and arms. Then her dress was over her head, followed by her shift and then she stood naked in front of him. The sunlight was full on her, illuminating her full round breasts with the dark nipples sharply defined against her white skin. His eyes strayed without a will of their own down her ribcage to her smoothly formed belly to the dark patch between her thighs. The long thighs tapered to two slim knees. He suddenly wanted to touch her and stroke those legs. She was well formed and slender. He had liked her slim ankles before and now his admiring eyes could do the same for the rest of her. Her long hair, which came down to her waist, was unbound and spread over her back.

  Aicelina broke into his lustful thoughts. She looked at him and said as though she had divined his intent from the first, “Talon, did you not come to bathe, too?”r />
  Then she was in the water, while he still stood on the bank admiring her form from behind. He felt a stirring in his groin that would not be stilled. She was humming to herself a troubadour song, and to his surprise he remembered the song from the time they had spent at the fair.

  Talon was quite unsure of what to do. He stood on the bank and stared at her like a gaping yokel as she stood in the water up to her waist. All the while he was admiring the symmetry of her breasts and her taut stomach.

  Aicelina turned toward him her hands covering her breasts self consciously said. “Talon, come into the water, I shall not bite.” Her lips were curled into a little hesitant smile of encouragement.

  Talon moved to the bank and began to undress. Aicelina regarded him frankly and without embarrassment; it was somewhat disconcerting. He eased himself into the cool water and sank gratefully into it.

  She was only a few feet away and smiled at him. “You smelt like a rabbit when you came back from the castle. I approve of you bathing; few men seem to hereabouts, and your little brother is a badger about it.”

  Despite a twinge of guilt Talon could not help it, he laughed. She did, too. It broke the tension.

  “I shall wash your back if you wish?” she offered, moving toward him, no longer covering herself and he could admire her more closely.

  “How beautiful is the female form,” he said.

  She smiled at that but didn’t answer, by then she was looking at his scars with wide eyes. “Did the lion do this to you?”

  He nodded, then she was close and pushing him gently around so that she could wash his back.

  The sensation of her hands on him was delicious, she had brought some kind of soap with her that she had taken out of one of her pockets before going into the water and this she now moved over his skin. He could not help it—the effect upon him was spectacular and he was becoming acutely embarrassed. He suffered the gentle torture for as long as possible while she washed him with hands that seemed to explore. Then he turned in the water and she allowed his hands to stroke her. They explored each other; she traced his scars but he simply enjoyed the slippery feel of her skin as his curious fingers traced her contours. Finally, he could bear it no longer.