Tybalt Halfaleil considered himself to be a good man. A good man, is kind and honourable. He felt that in his old age, he had come to honour those who did him justice and was kind to those whom he felt deserved it. Tybalt was a faithful man, with a wife of twenty years, whom he had taken in the summer solstice of his teenage years, she had bore him many children in which he loved equally and respected admirably. Tybalt was no means a thief. He was a hard worker, a nobleman of Gawant, royal adviser to Lord Godwin himself. An important asset to the Kingdom of Gawant.
As much as he considered himself to be a good man, he was by all means reluctant to say the least when Lord Godwin had asked his advice on a delicate situation.
The Kingdom of Gawant, and the Kingdom of Deira had been under a feud for the past ten years. When Camelot would hold jousting competitions, and tournaments, the Kingdoms of Gawant and Deira would stand and smile at each other, all hard feelings would go unnoticed. But when Princess Elena of Gawant, and Prince Berinon of Deira had declared their supposedly 'undying' love for each other in Nemeth during their annual hunting tourney, Lord Godwin was by no means impressed.
Lord Godwin had always been a patient man, a patient man who understood the reasons for marrying for love. After all, he had allowed his daughter, Princess Elena the freedom of not becoming the young Pendragon's wife for she possessed no genuine feelings for him. But of all the Princes, Knight's and Lord's, Lord Godwin would have been more than happy for his daughter to marry, she had picked the one Prince that he could not stand the sight of.
Tybalt had only encountered Prince Berinon of Deira once, he was arrogant, pigheaded, and quite the opposite to the fair Princess Elena. Tybalt had told Lord Godwin desperately that perhaps love knew no boundaries.
This had not gone down too well.
According to Lord Godwin, love knew no boundaries, all except for one.
Unfortunately for Princess Elena, she had over stepped the boundary when she had professed her love for the snotty Prince of Deira. This had caused Lord Godwin's fuming rage.
It was true, Lord Godwin had always been a patient man. But there was no escaping Godwin's wrath. As the King's adviser, it was Tybalt's job to advise the King by all means possible. But every bit of advice Tybalt seemed to give the King, just seemed to make him angrier.
So on that particular spring morning, Tybalt had received quite enough grief from his master and sought for peace and quiet. He marched down to the Royal stables purposefully, picking a well bred chestnut, before saddling up, and riding through the forest of Brechfa.
As he rode through the forest of Brechfa, blissfully enjoying the peace and quiet, he noticed a broken tree branch, in which hung a small, but sure piece of pale blue fabric. Tybalt rode closer to the broken branch, and slowed his horse down to a walk. Taking a hold of the branch, he examined the small piece of pale blue fabric. It appeared to be off of a tunic, or dress of some sort. Frowning, he pocketed it, and rode on.
Perhaps there was lurking danger nearby. The forest of Brechfa was not the most dangerous of woods. There were no hairy spiders, like that of the forest of Balor, simply just the odd traveller, making their way to Camelot or Gawant, and sometimes Nemeth, if they were approaching Rodor's Kingdom from the North.
Tybalt rode on purposefully and noticed, through the trees, where the forest became more dense there was another piece of pale blue material hanging from a tree branch. Riding over to it, he examined it, comparing it with the other piece of material he had found. It appeared to be that of the same tunic or dress.
He rode, and found another, and another all of which were ripped, but of the same fabric. Someone must have been riding in a struggle, to have been as careless to catch themselves on multiple branches.
Something moved in amongst the trees. Tybalt glanced around frantically. He had brought no sword with him, for there was no usual danger in and amongst these woods so close to the Gawant castle. But still, something was lurking. Was it following him? Perhaps he should turn back. Tybalt began to turn his horse when a voice behind him stopped him.
"Stay where you are!"
Slowly, he turned around, to locate the source of the voice.
It was a woman. A woman wearing what seemed to be what was left of a pale blue dress and was holding a long sword in her right hand. It was clear to Tybalt that the dress was the source of the pale fabrics hanging in and amongst the trees. He regarded the woman for a moment, the dress she was wearing was so badly torn, that it was showing a dangerous amount of the woman's legs. Unconscious of his actions, he licked his lips slightly, and the woman, seeing this, swiped her sword angrily at the horse, causing it to rear, and poor Tybalt to fall to the forest floor with thump. He looked up at the young woman before him, slightly fearful.
She looked thin, and unhealthy, her long dark curly hair, fell about her shoulders, tangled and matted. Dirt smudged across her face and she looked down at Tybalt, meeting his eyes. As she did so, she blushed slightly, obviously uncomfortable with confrontation.
"I possess no desire to harm you," The woman before him spoke quickly, pointing her sword at Lord Godwin's adviser. "Just merely to appeal to you in what I require." She said shifting her weight, her long sword, still pointed at him.
Tybalt slowly raised his hands in surrender. He was unarmed. He did not know where this woman had come from, but she seemed somewhat familiar, as though he had seen her once before. "What do you require from me, for I am but a humble court adviser, seeking peace and reserve in these woods from a distressed King. I mean you no harm." He said most humbly.
The woman before him looked slightly embarrassed. A blush appeared on her honey coloured cheeks. "Y-Your trousers." She said quickly.
Tybalt's jaw dropped. What an earth did she want with his trousers? Did she want to perhaps...Was she that sort of a woman? He was married! "Excuse me Miss, but I am married!" He said, shocked at the woman's proposal.
The woman before him suddenly realised her fault, putting a hand over her mouth and gasping slightly. "No! Oh no, I am so sorry, I did not mean like that ergh!" She grimaced, a look of revulsion gracing her soft features.
Tybalt began to stand, but was quickly beat down once more when the woman, returned her poise and pointed her sword at him, her soft almond, brown eyes glaring at him.
"I need your trousers!" The woman said, brushing a strand of matted curly hair, furiously away from her face, attempting to hide her embarrassment. "Now! Take them off, or you shall pay with your um...Your life! You shall pay with your life!" She said warningly, raising her sword.
Tybalt Halfaleil had never been a brave warrior, and did not want to lose his life over a pair of trousers at that. He stood up slowly, and began to pull down his riding trousers, revealing a pasty set of bony, hairy legs. He handed them to the woman quickly, raising his hands. "Is that all?" He asked, shaking slightly, feeling vulnerable, stood there in just his underpants.
The woman, took the trousers out of his hands. "Yes, I mean no." She stumbled over her words, still blushing slightly.
If she was not holding a rather sharp and dangerous sword Tybalt would have got the better of the woman, and had her put in the stocks for trying to humiliate the King's Royal adviser.
"I require, your shirt, thank you." Said the curly haired woman, prodding him slightly with the end of her sword.
"M-My shirt?" Asked Tybalt in disbelief. "You require my trousers, and my shirt?" Looking at the woman, in utter shock.
"Indeed," Said the young woman before him, her brown eyes frowning at him before she prodded him once again with her sword, urging him to remove it the garmant.
Tybalt was no means a young man. He had grown wrinkled and thin, in his slight old age. Sighing, he slowly began to remove the soft navy blue shirt he had been wearing and handed it to the woman. If he had felt vulnerable before, there was no explanation for how humiliated poor Tybalt felt now, knelt before the woman, in just his underpants and boots. "Anything else?" He spat bitterly.
The woman pondered for a moment before smiling slightly. "Your horse!" She said brightly, and with that she hopped up, holding her sword, Tybalt's trousers and shirt in a bundle in her arms, before mounting atop the beautiful chestnut horse that was once Tybalt's and settling herself comfortably in the saddle. "Farewell...um what was your name again, Sir?"
"Tybalt," The older man croaked slightly, getting to his feet slowly. It was a good job that it was a bright spring morning other wise Tybalt would have been rather chilly.
"Thank you Tybalt. Bare in mind, kind Sir, that you have helped a maiden in great need, I thank you!" She smiled brightly before beginning to ride off.
"Wait!" Cried Tybalt, after the woman. "Tell me, to who do I owe the pleasure in donating my shirt and trousers charitably to?"
She smiled brightly at him, her cheeks glowing rosy. "Gwen. My name is Gwen. Thank you again Tybalt!" Gwen called, as she cantered off into the deeper realms of the woods, leaving Tybalt stranded without any trousers, or shirt.
"Gwen," Tybalt mumbled under his breath. "Gwen!" He scoffed as he slowly began to make his way back towards the castle of Gawant feeling rather exposed and cold.
After a few hours had passed, he had finally arrived there, and was causing quite a scene. People in the main square of the Kingdom were giggling at his pale spindly legs, as he heaved himself up the stairs of the castle, blushing furiously.
With his head hanging low, he passed Lord Godwin past the throne room, whom was shocked to see his humble adviser Tybalt in such a state.
"Tybalt!" He spluttered in bemusement, probably one of the first times he had smiled, since the news of his daughters new profound love proclamation. "What are you-Why are you? I don't-"
Tybalt turned slowly around to face the King before smiling slightly. "Sometime's the er...Job gets a little stressful my Lord, and one has to er..." He trailed off.
"Remove their clothes?" Asked Lord Godwin, knowingly. "Come, I shall walk you to your chambers, Tybalt. I have quite some gossip. Have you heard that the King of Camelot's broken off yet another engagement? That'll be the third now!" He chuckled.
"Oh? Who was the betrothed my Lord?" Tybalt asked, attempting anything to distract his King, from his rather naked state.
"Princess Mithian of Nemeth apparently." Said Lord Godwin, absentmindedly. "Ah well, I am sure the worthy bachelor will find a Queen soon enough," He chuckled heartily, as he reached Tybalt's chambers door. "Now Tybalt my friend. In all my years of Kingship, and ruling, I too have often had the urge to remove my clothes also. However one must-"
"My Lord I-" Tybalt protested.
"I understand Tybalt, but you see, streaking is simply not permitted in Gawant and although you are my trusted adviser, and I dare say best friend." The King paused, and sighed at his adviser. "I simply cannot make exceptions."
Tybalt huffed. "That is quite alright my Lord." He nodded briefly at the King before scuttling into his chambers, rather embarrassed. He huffed before throwing open his wardrobe and redressing himself. He had been robbed, by a girl! It was humiliating, and peasant girl at that!
But of course, what poor Tybalt Halfaleil did not know, was that his shirt, trousers and horse had not been stolen by any old 'peasant girl', but the once and future Queen of Camelot.