The Knight Behind the Pillar (23 page)

             
Suddenly without warning, at least none that I could see, the cloak slipped away and I unexpectedly found myself with a view of the stranger’s exposed back.  I ducked down to suppress a gasp and could only imagine Arthur’s reaction!  It finally dawned on me what was about to happen and the exit seemed very far away in an instant.  Feeling unexpectedly and desperately awkward, instead of fearing for Arthur’s life I considered what I should do now.  My head took its time to provide the obvious answer to what I should do as I was also trying to think why I had never heard of this particular tradition before at the same time. 

             
In the end I quickly moved down to the last pew end.  I continued to crouched low to avoid being seen and hoped my footsteps remained silent.  From this position the main doors were in sight.  Crawling around the pew I dragged myself along the back of it and finished up at the beginning of the long aisle and almost to the main entrance.  I would have to take a chance of being seen to make it across the empty space and out of the chapel entrance.  It would have all been much easier had I first dived the other way and towards the side door in the first place. 

             
Carefully I peered around the timber post of the pew end and looked up the aisle towards the altar.  The woman was pushing Arthur vesture up over his head revealing the exposed thin pale frame of the future king.   Arthur himself appeared to have gotten over his initial shock and was now willingly allowing and helping her to remove his clothes.  She was naked before him and once his shirt was gone she stepped closer to him.  Her lips reached his neck and gently kissed.  Persuaded in very little time he then began to return her affection and reached out to pull her to him.  On seeing the two now embracing, her hands caressing his chest before together dropping slowly to the floor and I knew I had no fear of disturbing the two now.  With a smile at my friend’s luck I darted across to the doors and avoiding any sound from their opening I slipped out to the much colder open courtyard beyond. 

Chapter 3:  1 Squire

              It had occurred to me as I was hit by the cold outside the chapel that there was one bed free.  So I spent the night in Arthur’s own quarters and enjoyed the most comfortable rest and undisturbed night of my life.  Or at least since I had left my father’s home and what was my own room.  My good luck had somehow surfaced as I had got away with sleeping without interruption, despite the risk that someone might have found me in the future king’s room.  I might have felt sorry of Arthur enduring the stone steps of the altar given my own comfortable night had it not been for his obvious company.  With this in mind I was confidently assured he also had a good night of sorts as I now approached the chapel.

             
It was not yet dawn and I was ahead of most people getting up for the day.  It had been a struggle to get up so early and my body provided a lot of resistance to leaving a real bed, but I knew that I had to check on Arthur and also did not wish to wear out my new found luck.  I had to make sure he was alright before the lord’s visit and the next stage of the knighting ceremony.  If I were honest, I would have admitted that I was more truly motivated by curiosity to find out what had happened to Arthur after I left.  While my mind was therefore willing, my body was outlining concerns that so far in the last two days since meeting this squire it had suffered time and time again and now perhaps was not so willing to follow curiosity. 

             
Candle in hand, I stepped through the main doors and reaching the top of aisle I found before me was the future king.  Rather, I found instead an over large cloak that had wrapped around and settled to form a body shape of clearly one person on the ground.  I gently nudge it with my foot and it moaned in exasperation at being disturbed.

             
“Time to wake your highness” I said to the covered lump with an enthuse cheeriness veering on sarcasm. 

             
“Go away.” Replied Arthur in a low and very rough sounding voice. 

             
Looking around I lit a few candles, then gathered his clothes that were scattered across the floor and dutifully waited.  Arthur’s head emerged after a brief moment from under the cloak looking extremely tired with his fair hair sticking up and dark sunken eyes.  He looked like someone who had not slept for days who had suddenly had a taste of it and now realised what he had been missing.  This was near enough the truth as these last few days had included enduring a long horseback ride, stresses of realising you are the son of a king and then to help you feel better was the expectation to stay up all night praying for your soul before being asked to lead an army into a new war! 

             
I decided it was best not to mention all of this out loud in one go, the thought of it all was a headache alone.  “Morning.” I settled for.         

             
“Tor, what, what time is it, it’s still dark.” He groaned, holding his head. 

             
“Soon to be dawn, or in other words soon they’ll be here to check up on you and then have mass.” I informed and dropped his clothes before him.  “You’ll need these.”

             
Arthur half collapsed again to the floor, before making a genuine effort to stretch and attempt to wake up more. 

             
Tactfully I decided to give him a moment to wake and set about seeking out a bowl and some water so he might look a bit more refreshed.  I never believed squires before their knighting ceremony did actually spend the whole night praying without sleeping a little.  I didn’t think anyone thought so, but the idea had to be upheld.  On the other hand I never believed women joined future knights during their time praying either, but I was not against this particular idea I concluded. 

             
I wandered to the back of the chapel beyond the altar.  Water, wine and items for blessings were kept here and in a cupboard that might also hold a suitable bowl.

             
“Tor” Arthur apprehensively called over from behind me, “bout last night.”

             
“Hmm, what about it!” I answered as I dropped to my knees to open and start rooting through the cupboard.

             
“Did you, you know, I mean I saw you hide, but.”

             
Looking into the darkness of the cupboard I hid my face to conceal my snigger and smile as I listened to Arthur’s awkward sounding voice.  He wanted to know if I stayed and saw anything!  I made him wait a moment more and suffer his embarrassment as I found a large smooth wooden cup that would serve. 

             
“Did you want me to stay!?” I teased, but carefully made it sound like I was being serious.

             
Arthur responded immediately sounding horrified “No, course not.”

             
I stood and turned and laughed.  “Don’t be daft, I soon got out and left you.  Err, I didn’t want to…., well you know.”

             
Arthur’s head dropped and he busied himself rolling up the sleeves of his vesture, now obviously red faced and uncomfortable with it all. 

             
I couldn’t resist continuing the humiliation for him.  “I take it, it was....” I asked letting my voice fade out as I got a keen nod from him while he continued to look to the floor and his face just glowed redder.  “And she has gone?” 

             
I got another brief nod. 

             
He only looked at me directly again once I pass the cup of water to him.  “Thanks.” He acknowledged.

             
The room grew a little lighter as dawn announced its arrival.  In a respectful moment of silence I guess we were both thinking the same about the day ahead.  He was going to be knighted and then made king.  It was far beyond any expectation of a normal day, it did not feel real to me and yet I was not the one having to undertake ether of these things.  I would remain just a squire today and if I was lucky I would escape my normal duties and survive any annoyance of Aries or the other squires for avoiding them.  Then normal life would resume.  Art will be King Arthur, he will rule and go on to lead battles and never sleep on a stone floor again.

             
I realised the time and broke the spell of silence. “I better go before they get here.” I said. 

             
I took back the cup from Arthur and started to move away.

             
“But you’ll be there, at the ceremony won’t you?” Arthur asked, looking uncomfortable again for a moment.  “I need someone on my side, you know, a friend?”

             
His eyes exposed his plead, fear and I understood the bravely for such admission.  I smiled back.  Perhaps I was not just a squire from today, being a friend of the most powerful man in Briton had to be something.

             
“It’s a public event and beats polishing armour.” I joked casually, but after saying this I gave him a sincere nod to match the seriousness of the face before me. 

             
“Thanks.” He almost whispered.

             
“Any time.” I promised, then looked around.  “Better go.  Oh, and you need to be praying.”

             
I turned and quickly escaped down the aisle to the main doors. 

             
My luck was still holding and I found was out just in time.  I quickly stood casually in the shadows of the chapel doors as a group of dark cloaked figures walked across the courtyard towards me to enter the chapel.  The knighting would not happen yet, this was just the first stage.  Arthur’s brother, adopted brother now I guess, was among them and he acknowledged me with a nod and brief rising of eye brows in unanswered question as he passed by.  With the others he continued inside for a special mass where the qualities of being a knight would be explained.  It was joked that this was an unofficial test of patience and concentration to see if the would be knight can stay awake through it given that they had meant to have been up all night before.  Within this ceremony the sword for anointing would be blessed and passed on to whoever would be conducting the public knighthood ceremony later.

             
Until the main ceremony it was likely that Arthur would stay in the chapel, but I could not be sure.  I doubted in any event he would get more time to rest today, I doubted he would be left alone now and I doubted that there would be any food available yet from the kitchens, but decided that I would try going there next anyway.

             
Colours danced until you felt dizzy from watching them.  They reflected the wearer’s personal taste, their wealth and what they thought others might expect of them.  Together the clothes of people represented the feelings of a nation, one that was perhaps beginning to feel reborn.  Or perhaps such thoughts were a bit soon to contemplate.  At the very least it was an excuse to dress up in the best you had and for some this produced some strange results.  The chapel was the one place the unwashed had no choice but to assemble with nobility.  Browns of various shades blended with reds, blues, some rare clean whites and even rarer greens.  Unlike the outside there was no space to keep apart and gaining any space inside the chamber was for once very difficult to manage being so full.  Pews got in the way and everyone had a right to enter the chapel no matter who they were, a right that was an authority even a king would be foolish to deny.  No one noticed or needed to comment that there were no nobles forced to wait outside in the gathered crowds unable to get in.

             
Inside the result was an unsettling wash of colour, a mass of people of numbers never before seen in a space that must have thought that such a time would never come.  This oversized building was finally fulfilling some sort of destiny, its architect guided by forces unknown to him.  At least I am sure some would like to think so.  Everything was potential destiny, foretold or magical as so many people never seemed to accept things to be what they were.  The chapel was certainly a large building, but I doubted someone thought a new king of Briton would be made king here.  It was built to be statement of wealth and power and usefully just big enough and in the right place at the right time.

             
Despite the numbers of people assembled inside, the noise was a low rumble as everyone was at once self aware of the place they found themselves once they entered the doors.  Fear of the echoes capturing their voices or alerting some noble reduced their volume and yet they could not avoid speaking altogether due to the excitement along with complains of pushing pass each other to find room. 

             
I had no such problem with space or getting in.  Earlier I had entered from the side entrance and avoided the crowd.  A number of guards were stopping most from entering this way, but Kay had been there.  He greeted me quietly as your highness in jest which at once I rolled my eyes.  He then asked if I had been at the chapel before with a mischievous smile by which point I had gained clear understanding of his humour and ignored him.  He was person of two extremes, stern and tense to overly relax and provoking the next, but eventuality he allowed me through after having his fun.