3. The Journey to Knighthood
Fox awoke late the next morning wondering why he was sleeping outside near the river. He sat upright only to find his body very stiff. With the pain, the painful memories of the day before flooded back to him. Fox wouldn't let himself cry. Remembering the promise he had made himself before he fell asleep, he hauled himself up off the ground. He then stiffly made his way back to the little hut and salvaged whatever food and supplies he could find for his journey to civilization. As soon as he was set, Fox headed west, towards the site where he had found his sister and towards the rest of humanity.
It was an extremely long walk. By nightfall, Fox was still in the woods. He made a little campfire and settled down for the night under a large oak tree. He awoke in the middle of the night feeling the presence of someone nearby. His first groggy thought was Samantha until he realized she was dead. With his half open, sleep leaden eyes, he thought he could make out a man wearing a large cloak watching over him. Fox sat up and rubbed his eyes to get a better look, but when he looked up again, the man, if he saw a man, was gone. Believing it to be a figment of his imagination, Fox went back to sleep.
When the sun had risen again and Fox had finished his preparations he continued on his way. As he walked along he thought of how he could avenge the death of his family. Thinking about his family made him realize that he was the only Mulder still living. Samantha had told him everything about their family. She didn't want him to forget his history and who he was. Fox's wandering mind now turned to the stories she told of his father. She said that he was a valiant knight, always very loyal and noble and told of his prowess and benevolence, his justice and humility, and his courage and faith.
As Fox thought more about his father, he realized what he had to do. Fox would have to become a knight. Only by becoming a knight would he be able to defeat and avenge his family. By becoming a knight, Fox would bring honor to his family's name once again. Quite pleased with his conclusion, Fox walked on, time seeming to slip by faster as he imagined all the noble deeds that he could do.
It was about mid afternoon, about the time Fox was beginning to stop for a little bite to eat when he heard a very unfamiliar sound. It was the sound of someone, probably a very young girl, crying. Following the sound, Fox found himself face to face with a bedraggled girl no more than six or seven years old.
"Hey," he said softly. "Don't cry, what's wrong?"
Sniffling, the girl looked up but didn't say a word.
"Don't be scared. I'm Fox, what's your name?"
Thinking his name was a bit silly, the girl cracked a tiny smile.
"Kate," she said softly.
"Would you like something to eat? I was about to have lunch," Fox continued seeing how thin she was.
Kate nodded vigorously.
The two sat down to eat a small lunch of dry bread and some water from the stream that Fox had saved in a little flask. During their miniscule meal he learned that the black knights had visited her house and destroyed it. She and her mother, along with her brother, had been instructed by her father to hide in the woods, but she got separated from her mother and got lost. Fox remembered Samantha telling him that one of knights' most primary duties was to serve ladies in distress. This was Fox's first opportunity to practice being a knight.
They quickly finished eating and Fox promised Kate that he would try to take her home. Continuing his journey, Fox entertained Kate by retelling stories that Samantha had told him. When he ran out of those, he began making up his own. He told of liver-eating monsters, killer cockroaches, and a strange salt-water monster that was afraid of fresh water along with other bizarre demons from his mind. In all of his strange tales a hero, bearing the likeness of himself or a redheaded, blue eyed heroine from his imagination (for Kate's sake) saved the day.
Night came and the two stopped under a large tree to go to sleep. In the middle of the night, Fox heard Kate scream. He snapped upright and looks at Kate who was trembling in her spot.
"What is it Kate?" asks Fox, alarmed.
"There was a man in a big cloak," she whispered.
Fox jumped up and looked around.
"Where?"
"He disappeared, like magic!"
Concerned, but very tired, Fox told Kate to go to sleep while he kept a lookout for the strange man. Kate did as he said and Fox did his best to keep his promise. He stayed up most of the night seeing nothing out of the ordinary and fell asleep a few hours before the sun came up.
He awoke before Kate did and began getting ready to leave. As soon as Kate was up and they both had had a piece of bread each, the two were on their way. It was Kate this time that told the stories while they walked. She told stories that she had heard about strange beings that rode in magical metal ships with strange symbols impressed into them.
"Some say that some of the creatures look like humans who can change into a different person and others are not much like human at all. They say that they have a body like ours, but they're very thin and tall and that they have leathery, gray colored skin. Their heads are supposed to be big and shaped like upside down teardrops with big black eyes and small mouths," Kate went on and on.
Fox found the stories very intriguing and pressed her for more information.
"Well, there are a few who believe that these creatures aren't from our land at all, but are from lands found deep in the sky. Mother says that that's not possible and only the people who are out their minds believe that."
When the sun was up high in the air, Fox noticed that ground they were walking on was beginning to look like some sort of forgotten, beaten up old path. Not long afterwards, the two found themselves walking on a path which Kate recognized.
"This is the path that mother and father told me not to go on! We're not far from home now!"
Half and hour later Fox and Kate found themselves on the outskirts of a little village. Fox was speechless. Though there were no more than a few homes and structures around and not more than half a dozen people milling about, he had never seen so many people and buildings before. Before Fox could stand there very long, Kate had pulled him towards one of the homes, which was in the process of being repaired.
"Kate!"
"Father!"
Fox stood aside as the two reunited with each other. Then Kate's father sent her off to her mother in the home next door and turned to Fox.
"Young man, I cannot tell you how eternally grateful I am that you found my daughter and brought her home. You have proven your chivalry by taking her back through the woods all alone. For that, I am forever in debt to you. Please stay with my family, we are moving back into our house tonight. I am Sir McKay of Montangue."
Sir McKay took Fox next door where he was received graciously. A feast was held in celebration of Kate's return and in gratitude of Fox's deed. When the feasting was done Sir McKay stood up and thanked Fox again.
"We must know the name of this noble young man for he will surely be a great knight.
"I'm -er, Mulder," stammered Fox, embarrassed. "Fox Mulder."
"A Mulder!" cried Sir McKay taken aback. "You can't be the famous Sir Bill Mulder's son?"
"I am, sir."
"Alive? But how?"
So Fox told a very condensed version of his story leaving everyone in awe.
"The wizard you spoke of must have been Deep Throat," murmured Sir McKay. "Only he would take such a risk against the Dark Lord."
"Deep Throat?" said Fox, "how can I find him?"
"You can't," said Sir McKay plainly. "If he feels the need, he will come to you."
Seeing Fox's concerned face, he continued on, "Don't worry about it, Deep Throat will come to you when the time is right. For now, stay with us. We are very honored to have Sir Mulder's son with us."
Sir McKay's family gave Fox a soft bed and new clothing. He stayed with them for three days. On the third night, he asked Sir McKay how he could become a knight.
"You need to be trained," said Sir McKay. "It would be best if you were trained by an actual knight too."
"Where can I go to find a knight to train me?" asked Fox.
"Well, Baltimore is the largest settlement close to here, and there is a castle there so most likely many knights will be around that area."
Interested, Fox asked directions to Baltimore.
"How about I take you there instead?" offered Sir McKay. "We can take my horse. After all, I am still in debt to you for saving our Kate."
The next morning after saying goodbye to the family, Fox and Sir McKay left for Baltimore. They reached the town by mid afternoon. Sir McKay insisted on staying with Fox, but he thanked him and persuaded him to return home to Montangue to his family.
When Fox was finally alone, he explored the city. It was bustling with busy people and full of surprises. Fox wandered around wide-eyed absorbing every little detail. When he finally had enough of looking at the city, he remembered his new task at had: finding a knight to train him. It wasn't as easy as he thought it would be. Sir McKay had been right. There were many knights in Baltimore, but they all looked busy and preoccupied. Fox wasn't sure what to do. Finally, he screwed up his courage and picked the biggest, burliest, and bravest looking knight he could see. He walked up to him and was about to get his attention when someone grabbed him away.
Fox turned around to see three men looking sternly at him.
"What do you think you're doing, boy?" said the short, plumper one.
"Are you trying to get yourself killed?" cried the taller one with long blonde hair. Fox would have mistaken him for a woman had he not seen his clothing.
"P-pardon me?" stammered Fox.
"You were about to get pulverized by Sir Damphouse," the short one spoke again, indicating the knight Fox had been approaching. "And we saved you."
"I was only going to ask him if he would train me to be a knight."
The men looked at each other for a second and then broke out laughing. Fox was thoroughly confused and a bit wary of the men.
"Sir Bob Damphouse is the meanest, most impatient knight known to man,' the third man finally spoke. He was the tallest and had a neatly trimmed beard and moustache. "You ask him anything, and your answer will be a spear through your head."
"Oh," Fox looked crestfallen. "Well, thanks for saving my life."
"You're welcome," said the man with the long blonde hair. "Now scram."
Fox turned away. Then he hesitated and turned back to the men.
"Now what?" asked the blonde impatiently.
"You wouldn't happen to know any nicer knights, would you?"
The three men looked at each other again.
"Boy, we are knights," said the short one. "Sirs Frohike, Langly, and Byers at your service."
"Would you sirs be so kind as to train me to be a knight then?" asked Fox looking brighter.
"Now wait a minute here," began the blonde, Sir Langly.
"Wait, Langly," said Sir Byers thoughtfully. He was the tall one with the beard. "We were talking about needing some help."
"Byers is right you know," said the short, plump Sir Frohike to Sir Langly. "He could be our squire."
"He's a little boy!" exclaimed Langly.
"All the better!" said Sir Byers.
'What do you think, little man?" asked Sir Frohike to Fox.
"I would appreciate it very much," said Fox excitedly.
"Then it's settled."
The three knights took Fox in as their new squire. They returned home to their small lair not far from Baltimore and began training Fox. Although they were unaware of it, they were also finishing up Samantha's job of raising Fox. Fox was on his way to becoming the famous knight Sir Mulder.
Fox awoke late the next morning wondering why he was sleeping outside near the river. He sat upright only to find his body very stiff. With the pain, the painful memories of the day before flooded back to him. Fox wouldn't let himself cry. Remembering the promise he had made himself before he fell asleep, he hauled himself up off the ground. He then stiffly made his way back to the little hut and salvaged whatever food and supplies he could find for his journey to civilization. As soon as he was set, Fox headed west, towards the site where he had found his sister and towards the rest of humanity.
It was an extremely long walk. By nightfall, Fox was still in the woods. He made a little campfire and settled down for the night under a large oak tree. He awoke in the middle of the night feeling the presence of someone nearby. His first groggy thought was Samantha until he realized she was dead. With his half open, sleep leaden eyes, he thought he could make out a man wearing a large cloak watching over him. Fox sat up and rubbed his eyes to get a better look, but when he looked up again, the man, if he saw a man, was gone. Believing it to be a figment of his imagination, Fox went back to sleep.
When the sun had risen again and Fox had finished his preparations he continued on his way. As he walked along he thought of how he could avenge the death of his family. Thinking about his family made him realize that he was the only Mulder still living. Samantha had told him everything about their family. She didn't want him to forget his history and who he was. Fox's wandering mind now turned to the stories she told of his father. She said that he was a valiant knight, always very loyal and noble and told of his prowess and benevolence, his justice and humility, and his courage and faith.
As Fox thought more about his father, he realized what he had to do. Fox would have to become a knight. Only by becoming a knight would he be able to defeat and avenge his family. By becoming a knight, Fox would bring honor to his family's name once again. Quite pleased with his conclusion, Fox walked on, time seeming to slip by faster as he imagined all the noble deeds that he could do.
It was about mid afternoon, about the time Fox was beginning to stop for a little bite to eat when he heard a very unfamiliar sound. It was the sound of someone, probably a very young girl, crying. Following the sound, Fox found himself face to face with a bedraggled girl no more than six or seven years old.
"Hey," he said softly. "Don't cry, what's wrong?"
Sniffling, the girl looked up but didn't say a word.
"Don't be scared. I'm Fox, what's your name?"
Thinking his name was a bit silly, the girl cracked a tiny smile.
"Kate," she said softly.
"Would you like something to eat? I was about to have lunch," Fox continued seeing how thin she was.
Kate nodded vigorously.
The two sat down to eat a small lunch of dry bread and some water from the stream that Fox had saved in a little flask. During their miniscule meal he learned that the black knights had visited her house and destroyed it. She and her mother, along with her brother, had been instructed by her father to hide in the woods, but she got separated from her mother and got lost. Fox remembered Samantha telling him that one of knights' most primary duties was to serve ladies in distress. This was Fox's first opportunity to practice being a knight.
They quickly finished eating and Fox promised Kate that he would try to take her home. Continuing his journey, Fox entertained Kate by retelling stories that Samantha had told him. When he ran out of those, he began making up his own. He told of liver-eating monsters, killer cockroaches, and a strange salt-water monster that was afraid of fresh water along with other bizarre demons from his mind. In all of his strange tales a hero, bearing the likeness of himself or a redheaded, blue eyed heroine from his imagination (for Kate's sake) saved the day.
Night came and the two stopped under a large tree to go to sleep. In the middle of the night, Fox heard Kate scream. He snapped upright and looks at Kate who was trembling in her spot.
"What is it Kate?" asks Fox, alarmed.
"There was a man in a big cloak," she whispered.
Fox jumped up and looked around.
"Where?"
"He disappeared, like magic!"
Concerned, but very tired, Fox told Kate to go to sleep while he kept a lookout for the strange man. Kate did as he said and Fox did his best to keep his promise. He stayed up most of the night seeing nothing out of the ordinary and fell asleep a few hours before the sun came up.
He awoke before Kate did and began getting ready to leave. As soon as Kate was up and they both had had a piece of bread each, the two were on their way. It was Kate this time that told the stories while they walked. She told stories that she had heard about strange beings that rode in magical metal ships with strange symbols impressed into them.
"Some say that some of the creatures look like humans who can change into a different person and others are not much like human at all. They say that they have a body like ours, but they're very thin and tall and that they have leathery, gray colored skin. Their heads are supposed to be big and shaped like upside down teardrops with big black eyes and small mouths," Kate went on and on.
Fox found the stories very intriguing and pressed her for more information.
"Well, there are a few who believe that these creatures aren't from our land at all, but are from lands found deep in the sky. Mother says that that's not possible and only the people who are out their minds believe that."
When the sun was up high in the air, Fox noticed that ground they were walking on was beginning to look like some sort of forgotten, beaten up old path. Not long afterwards, the two found themselves walking on a path which Kate recognized.
"This is the path that mother and father told me not to go on! We're not far from home now!"
Half and hour later Fox and Kate found themselves on the outskirts of a little village. Fox was speechless. Though there were no more than a few homes and structures around and not more than half a dozen people milling about, he had never seen so many people and buildings before. Before Fox could stand there very long, Kate had pulled him towards one of the homes, which was in the process of being repaired.
"Kate!"
"Father!"
Fox stood aside as the two reunited with each other. Then Kate's father sent her off to her mother in the home next door and turned to Fox.
"Young man, I cannot tell you how eternally grateful I am that you found my daughter and brought her home. You have proven your chivalry by taking her back through the woods all alone. For that, I am forever in debt to you. Please stay with my family, we are moving back into our house tonight. I am Sir McKay of Montangue."
Sir McKay took Fox next door where he was received graciously. A feast was held in celebration of Kate's return and in gratitude of Fox's deed. When the feasting was done Sir McKay stood up and thanked Fox again.
"We must know the name of this noble young man for he will surely be a great knight.
"I'm -er, Mulder," stammered Fox, embarrassed. "Fox Mulder."
"A Mulder!" cried Sir McKay taken aback. "You can't be the famous Sir Bill Mulder's son?"
"I am, sir."
"Alive? But how?"
So Fox told a very condensed version of his story leaving everyone in awe.
"The wizard you spoke of must have been Deep Throat," murmured Sir McKay. "Only he would take such a risk against the Dark Lord."
"Deep Throat?" said Fox, "how can I find him?"
"You can't," said Sir McKay plainly. "If he feels the need, he will come to you."
Seeing Fox's concerned face, he continued on, "Don't worry about it, Deep Throat will come to you when the time is right. For now, stay with us. We are very honored to have Sir Mulder's son with us."
Sir McKay's family gave Fox a soft bed and new clothing. He stayed with them for three days. On the third night, he asked Sir McKay how he could become a knight.
"You need to be trained," said Sir McKay. "It would be best if you were trained by an actual knight too."
"Where can I go to find a knight to train me?" asked Fox.
"Well, Baltimore is the largest settlement close to here, and there is a castle there so most likely many knights will be around that area."
Interested, Fox asked directions to Baltimore.
"How about I take you there instead?" offered Sir McKay. "We can take my horse. After all, I am still in debt to you for saving our Kate."
The next morning after saying goodbye to the family, Fox and Sir McKay left for Baltimore. They reached the town by mid afternoon. Sir McKay insisted on staying with Fox, but he thanked him and persuaded him to return home to Montangue to his family.
When Fox was finally alone, he explored the city. It was bustling with busy people and full of surprises. Fox wandered around wide-eyed absorbing every little detail. When he finally had enough of looking at the city, he remembered his new task at had: finding a knight to train him. It wasn't as easy as he thought it would be. Sir McKay had been right. There were many knights in Baltimore, but they all looked busy and preoccupied. Fox wasn't sure what to do. Finally, he screwed up his courage and picked the biggest, burliest, and bravest looking knight he could see. He walked up to him and was about to get his attention when someone grabbed him away.
Fox turned around to see three men looking sternly at him.
"What do you think you're doing, boy?" said the short, plumper one.
"Are you trying to get yourself killed?" cried the taller one with long blonde hair. Fox would have mistaken him for a woman had he not seen his clothing.
"P-pardon me?" stammered Fox.
"You were about to get pulverized by Sir Damphouse," the short one spoke again, indicating the knight Fox had been approaching. "And we saved you."
"I was only going to ask him if he would train me to be a knight."
The men looked at each other for a second and then broke out laughing. Fox was thoroughly confused and a bit wary of the men.
"Sir Bob Damphouse is the meanest, most impatient knight known to man,' the third man finally spoke. He was the tallest and had a neatly trimmed beard and moustache. "You ask him anything, and your answer will be a spear through your head."
"Oh," Fox looked crestfallen. "Well, thanks for saving my life."
"You're welcome," said the man with the long blonde hair. "Now scram."
Fox turned away. Then he hesitated and turned back to the men.
"Now what?" asked the blonde impatiently.
"You wouldn't happen to know any nicer knights, would you?"
The three men looked at each other again.
"Boy, we are knights," said the short one. "Sirs Frohike, Langly, and Byers at your service."
"Would you sirs be so kind as to train me to be a knight then?" asked Fox looking brighter.
"Now wait a minute here," began the blonde, Sir Langly.
"Wait, Langly," said Sir Byers thoughtfully. He was the tall one with the beard. "We were talking about needing some help."
"Byers is right you know," said the short, plump Sir Frohike to Sir Langly. "He could be our squire."
"He's a little boy!" exclaimed Langly.
"All the better!" said Sir Byers.
'What do you think, little man?" asked Sir Frohike to Fox.
"I would appreciate it very much," said Fox excitedly.
"Then it's settled."
The three knights took Fox in as their new squire. They returned home to their small lair not far from Baltimore and began training Fox. Although they were unaware of it, they were also finishing up Samantha's job of raising Fox. Fox was on his way to becoming the famous knight Sir Mulder.
