The Letter for the King

  Sir Edwinem! So that was the name of the Black Knight with the White Shield!

  Ristridin did not wait for an answer, but opened the door. “Come,” he said, “let us go to the great hall.”

  They walked in silence. Now and then, Tiuri glanced at Ristridin. The knight had guessed much of his secret. But perhaps he knew more than Tiuri; he had known the Knight with the White Shield – Sir Edwinem. Tiuri was burning to ask questions, but he did not have the opportunity, as the lord of Mistrinaut and Sir Evan came towards them. The two men wished them both good morning and the lord asked if he had slept well.

  “You are still wearing your habit,” he said. “I have clothes that will fit you better.”

  “Thank you,” said Tiuri. “But perhaps this clothing will attract least attention.”

  “So you need a disguise?” asked the lord. “Do not forget that everyone in this castle is already aware that you are not a monk. In any event, you can wear chainmail beneath it. Or do you think that will be unnecessary?”

  “Oh, that would be most helpful,” said Tiuri.

  “So you are planning to leave us and travel onwards?” continued the lord. “When?”

  “As soon as possible,” replied Tiuri. “Right away.”

  “Don’t be too hasty,” said the lord. “At least wait until Sir Bendu and his nephew have returned. Perhaps they will have some news that could be of benefit to you.”

  “Do you fear the Red Riders?” asked Sir Evan.

  “Yes, sir knight,” said Tiuri. “With good reason.”

  “I have no doubt of that,” said the young knight. “They may of course have travelled on to the west, through the pass and over the mountains, but I think not. They will certainly not be welcome in the land of my king.”

  “Are you… Do you hail from the Kingdom of Unauwen?” asked Tiuri, surprised.

  “Yes, I am a knight of King Unauwen.”

  “Did you know the Knight with… Sir Edwinem well?”

  “I served under him,” answered Evan, “before I was a knight. I was in his retinue when he was sent out to secure the Forest of Vorgóta. Sir Ristridin was also with us.”

  “The Forest of Vorgóta?” repeated Tiuri. He had never heard that name before. “I know little of King Unauwen’s land,” he added.

  “The same is true of many of your compatriots,” said Evan. “It is a pity. Maybe this will change, now that more people from our land are travelling to the Kingdom of Dagonaut. I was sent by King Unauwen to bring a message of friendship to your king.” He turned to Ristridin and the lord of Mistrinaut. “You are among the few people in this land who know us better,” he said. “You are our friends and you fear the same enemy.”

  “Which enemy?” asked Tiuri. “Not… Eviellan?”

  The land of Eviellan lay to the south and bordered on the Kingdoms of both Dagonaut and Unauwen. In the past, attacks had often been led from Eviellan into Dagonaut’s land, but since one of Unauwen’s sons had reigned there, there had been fewer raids. Tiuri had heard there was conflict between Eviellan and the Kingdom of Unauwen, but he had always thought this strange, because Unauwen’s son had caused Eviellan to prosper. Generally, discord between Eviellan and the kingdom to the west was regarded as something that did not concern the inhabitants of Dagonaut’s land.

  “Yes, the land of Eviellan,” said Sir Evan.

  “The Black Knight with the Red Shield comes from Eviellan,” said Ristridin. “All the knights of the King of Eviellan carry red or black shields. The King of Eviellan is the younger son of King Unauwen and also his greatest enemy. At least, that was always the case.”

  “There were rumours that he was going to make peace with his father,” said Sir Evan, “to the joy of many people, including myself. But now I’m no longer sure if I should believe it.”

  Tiuri listened with great interest. He had little or no knowledge of these matters. Might the letter be connected to the feud between the Kingdom of Unauwen and Eviellan? The Knight with the White Shield had been one of Unauwen’s knights, but Tiuri still knew nothing about him other than his name. The Grey Knights could surely tell him more about the knight. If only they would!

  “What will you do now?” he asked Ristridin and Evan. “Are you going to look for the Red Riders?”

  “Yes,” replied Ristridin. “And the Knight with the Red Shield. We shall not rest until we have found them.”

  By then, they had reached the great hall.

  “Go and eat, Tiuri,” said the lord. “You may travel onwards whenever you wish, but please wait until I have found better clothes for you. And you may keep the weapons I gave you… unless you prefer the ones from my daughter.”

  Tiuri thanked him warmly. Then he said, “The black horse is here – Ardanwen, the steed of the Knight with the White Shield. I should like to ride him again.”

  “Robbers stole the horse from you, didn’t they?” said Ristridin. “We took it back from them.”

  “I know,” replied Tiuri. “I was hiding in a cave and I saw and heard everything.”

  “Oh, really?” exclaimed Ristridin.

  “Is there anything else you need?” asked the lord.

  “No, thank you,” said Tiuri. “Oh, actually, yes. A length of cord. I’d like to hang the ring around my neck again. It seems wiser than wearing it on my finger.”

  “That sounds like a fine plan,” said Ristridin. “Why did the robbers not take the ring from you?”

  “They wanted to,” said Tiuri, “but…” He paused. He wasn’t keen to talk about his encounter with the robbers.

  The knights and the lord waited for him to continue. “And?” asked Ristridin.

  “They let me keep it,” was all that Tiuri said.

  The others asked no more questions.

  “This is a precious ring,” said Evan. “Only a chosen few of our knights wear such a ring. King Unauwen gives them to his most faithful paladins. Some say there are only twelve of these rings in existence. Others claim there are only seven.”

  Tiuri looked at the ring with even more admiration than before. So that was another reason not to wear it on his finger. After all, he had been given the ring only so that he could show it to the hermit Menaures as proof of who had sent him. He would have to return it to King Unauwen later.

  Tiuri walked alone into the great hall. The others had already eaten and they all had things to do. The hall was not very busy. It seemed that people ate at whatever time suited them.

  Lavinia was sitting at the high table, on her own. Tiuri greeted her with a bow and a smile. He sat at one of the other tables, but a servant came over with a message from Lady Lavinia asking him to join her. Tiuri got up and walked to the high table. He could feel the servant watching him. He was surely amazed – along with the other residents of the castle – that someone who had been a prisoner one day could be an honoured guest the next.

  “Eat with me,” said Lavinia. “It’s terribly impolite of you to leave me sitting here alone. And it’s such a strange day. Everyone is so restless… as if all manner of things were about to happen. How are you feeling now?”

  “Very well, thank you,” said Tiuri, as he sat down. “And how are you, Lady Lavinia? I should like to thank you once again for what you did for me yesterday.”

  “Oh, it was nothing!” said Lavinia. “I am just happy to have you sitting here beside me now, safe and sound. Even though I understand very little about the matter. And Father gives me answers of one syllable… or no answers at all. So tell me… Who are you, what are you doing, where did you come from, where are you going, and why did they take you prisoner?”

  Tiuri laughed. “What a lot of questions all at once!” he said. “And,” he added in a more serious tone, “I’m afraid I can’t give you many answers.”

  “Oh, Father already told me not to ask you anything! But I do know one thing. Your name! It’s Tiuri, isn’t it? Is Tiuri the Valiant truly your father?”

  “Yes, milady,” answered Tiuri, feeling rather
proud. “Do you know him?”

  “No, but I have heard of him. He is one of the knights the minstrels sing about. There’s Tiuri the Valiant, and Sir Edwinem, and Ristridin of the South…”

  “Sir Edwinem,” said Tiuri. “Did you know him?”

  “No, I didn’t know him either. The only famous knight I know is Sir Ristridin – I used to ride on his back when I was a little girl, and now he’s suddenly refusing to tell me what’s going on. I was so surprised when I heard that he was one of the Grey Knights! He seemed so angry and sombre. I’d never seen him like that before. But you were asking about Sir Edwinem. Did you ever meet him?”

  “Only once,” said Tiuri.

  “My father knew him, when he was in the Kingdom of Unauwen. We once had a minstrel here who sang a beautiful song about him. It started like this.” And Lavinia sang softly:

  Sir Edwinem the brave rode out

  from Forèstèrra in the west.

  Of all the knights of Unauwen,

  he surely was the best.

  His heart though stayed in Forèstèrra,

  by the forest, by the shore.

  Edwinem rode like the wind,

  so that evil would be no more.

  He rode south with the north wind,

  up mountains topped with snow.

  And as he passed, the bells rang out,

  to let the people know.

  Here comes the lord of Forèstèrra,

  by the forest, by the shore.

  Now he has come to fight for us,

  and evil will be no more.

  Greetings to you, oh Edwinem,

  with your shield so white.

  Your name shines like the rainbow.

  You fight for what is right.

  You have left your home in Forèstèrra,

  by the forest, by the shore,

  and ridden out to fight for us.

  Now evil is no more!

  Lavinia stopped. “I can’t remember how it went after that,” she said. “It was very long, full of brave deeds, a story from the Kingdom of Unauwen. I have also heard Sir Ristridin talk about Sir Edwinem… Why exactly was Sir Ristridin so angry with you?” She paused and then said with a smile, “I am asking too many questions again. I can tell from your face. Father says I’m too curious and that I talk too much. But,” she said in a whisper, “I also know when to be silent. Secrets are safe with me.”

  “Do you think I have a secret?” asked Tiuri.

  “Of course,” answered Lavinia. “Tell me. What is it? You really can trust me.”

  “I believe you, milady,” said Tiuri. “But my secret is not mine alone, and I cannot tell it to you. It would be better if no one even knew I had a secret.”

  Lavinia looked disappointed. But then she smiled and said, “I can take a hint. Never fear, I promise that I shall not speak about the mysterious pilgrim who was our guest. Will that do?”

  “Thank you, Lavinia,” said Tiuri.

  Then they spoke about other things, but not for long, because Lavinia’s father arrived and asked Tiuri to accompany him. Tiuri took his leave of Lady Lavinia and followed his host to the room with the low ceiling, where the Grey Knights were waiting for him.

  “Sir Bendu and Sir Arwaut have just returned,” said the lord. “They did not find the Red Riders, but they did find their trail.”

  “Yes,” said Bendu, “they were certainly nearby. Several people saw them. But they are no longer in this area, or they are hiding very well.”

  “We believe they have travelled onwards to the west,” added Arwaut.

  “So we too shall head westwards,” said Bendu.

  “Along the Blue River.”

  “That is our plan,” said Sir Ristridin to Tiuri. “And as you also have to travel in that direction, would you like to ride with our company, at least for some of the way?”

  “The company will make quick progress,” said the lord. “You shall ride the horse Ardanwen, of course, and I will provide equipment for you.”

  Tiuri thought for a moment. The idea was an appealing one. He would be able to travel quickly and safely and he might also find out more about the Black Knight with the White Shield, Edwinem, the lord of Forèstèrra. “Yes, knights, I would like to journey some of the way with you,” he said.

  “And I suppose we are not allowed to ask how far you will travel with us, and what your destination is,” said Bendu.

  But Ristridin said, “You may travel with us for as long as you please. We do not know how far we will go. We are to follow the First Great Road and the trail of the Red Riders. Your destination may lie beyond that.”

  “And why would that be?” asked Bendu, looking at Ristridin, then Tiuri.

  “I intend to follow the Blue River,” said Tiuri. He paused briefly and added, “To its source.”

  “To Menaures?” asked the lord.

  “Yes,” replied Tiuri. “To Menaures.”

  “The hermit Menaures,” said the lord. “So that’s where your road is taking you! Then it is a good road,” he continued, looking at Bendu, the only one of the Grey Knights who still seemed not to trust Tiuri entirely. “Give him my regards,” he said to Tiuri. “I have not seen him for a long time, and that is wrong of me, as I have much to thank him for. It is about time I visited the mountains again. Please do give him my greetings!”

  “I shall do so,” Tiuri promised.

  “Then we shall make ourselves ready,” said Ristridin. “We wish to leave as soon as possible.”

  “As do I,” said Tiuri. “As do I.”

  PART FOUR

  ALONG THE BLUE RIVER

  1 BACK ON THE ROAD

  Half an hour later, a large company rode over the drawbridge. The group was made up of Tiuri, the four Grey Knights, their squires and three of Mistrinaut’s men-at-arms. Tiuri rode on the black horse Ardanwen and he wore the same chainmail and blue tunic as the men from Castle Mistrinaut. He still had his monk’s habit with him, though, rolled up in his saddlebag. He had said a fond farewell to the lord of the castle and his wife, and to Lavinia. Riding alongside Sir Ristridin, he set out on the next part of his journey.

  The guards stared in astonishment as the group passed by. Perhaps they even forgot their game of chess for a moment as they wondered how someone could be first a monk and then a prisoner, before becoming a person of importance, riding away on a fine horse, in the company of the mysterious Grey Knights.

  The First Great Road followed the course of the Blue River, sometimes meandering, but always leading westwards. Tiuri looked back once again at the castle. It still seemed forbidding, but he knew now that the people who lived there were his friends. He could see someone standing at the top of one of the towers, waving. Could it be Lavinia? He waved back and then turned to Ristridin.

  “Sir Ristridin,” he said, “This is rather strange, but I still do not know the name of my host. What is the lord of Mistrinaut called?”

  “His name is an unusual one,” Ristridin replied. “He is called Sigirdiwarth Rafox of Azular Northa. Long ago, he was the knight of a king in the north. War and civil strife forced him to flee his homeland. After long wanderings, he found himself here. At that time – almost twenty years ago now – a wicked lord ruled Castle Mistrinaut, and he was the terror of these parts. Sigirdiwarth Rafox took up the fight against him and defeated him, liberating the region from a great evil. King Dagonaut was most grateful to him and he granted the castle and its lands to him in fief and gave him leave to call himself lord of Mistrinaut. Rafox has been living here for a long time now and he has become one of our own.”

  “He knew the Knight with the White Shield, didn’t he? Sir Edwinem?” asked Tiuri.

  “Yes, he met him long ago in the Kingdom of Unauwen.”

  Tiuri hesitated before asking his next question, “Sir Ristridin, could you tell me more about the Black Knight with the White Shield?”

  “What do you want to know?” asked Ristridin.

  Tiuri rode closer to him. “Everything,”
he said quietly.

  “Well, that is more than I can tell,” said Ristridin with a smile.

  “I know hardly anything about him,” said Tiuri. “Little more than his name, and I heard that for the first time from you.”

  The knight gave him a searching look, but showed no surprise. “He had many names,” he replied. “Sir Edwinem, lord of Forèstèrra by the Sea, the Invincible, Paladin of King Unauwen. He performed many great deeds, always battling against evil. He was a good and noble man. It is rare indeed to meet a man like him.”

  “Did you know him well?” asked Tiuri.

  “He was my friend,” Ristridin replied. He fell silent for a time and then said, “Look, Sir Bendu is indicating that we should go faster. We shall ride at some speed for a while. Later, when we stop to rest or are going more slowly, I’ll tell you how I met Sir Edwinem, and how we fought side by side, even though he was a knight of Unauwen and I a knight of King Dagonaut.”

  The riders urged on their horses and raced along. People at the roadside watched in surprise as they went by; they were probably wondering where they were riding so quickly, those four Grey Knights and their grey squires and the four men in blue from Castle Mistrinaut. Tiuri’s horse was the fastest of all. He sometimes had to rein it in or it would have flown past the others. They rode on quickly, not stopping for rest until the sun was high overhead. Then they stopped, rubbed down their horses and allowed them to graze. The men sat down by the side of the road to eat their own lunch. However, Bendu and Ristridin did not rest with the others. They walked away from the group and stood on the riverbank for some time, talking quietly. Then they returned to the company and Ristridin sat down beside Tiuri.