Chapter Four
By Amythest Stone
AN- Thanks for the generous reviews! ^_^ Here's chapter four! I'm really working hard as of late! I'm so proud of myself. Anyway, here ya go everyone! Before you read, I'm putting a character guide. I know you all know them but the ages are a bit different. I'm estimating so don't shoot me.
Character Guide:
Sir Ector- Older knight, William's, Wat's and Roland's master. In late forties, early fifties.
William Thatcherson- Youngest squire of Sir Ector. The unfortunate victim of this story! Fourteen years old.
Wat- Second youngest squire of Sir Ector. Red headed, hot tempered boy. Sixteen years old.
Roland- Oldest squire of Sir Ector. Cool headed, intelligent, reasonable. Eighteen years old.
Jocelyn- (uh does she have a last name? I don't know and don't really care) Princess of something or another with black hair that we all hate anyway. Fourteen years old.
Geoffrey Chaucer- Writer, gambler, quick witted, funny guy. Good natured. Twenty one years old.
Kate Blacksmithson- Young, blacksmith's wife. Black haired, sweet and caring though a bit rough from a hard life. Fairly good with healing. Helps husband in the forge. Sixteen bordering seventeen.
James Blacksmithson- Kate's husband. Good hearted man, loving, strong. Takes good care of everyone and everything, works hard. Thirty seven years old.
Lilly- Sir Ector's cart horse.
Sirius- Sir Ector's jousting horse.
Rose- Wat's horse
Hydra- Roland's horse.
I don't think I've forgotten anyone. I do believe that's it but I can't be positive! More characters will be added! Love you all! Here's the chapter!
~*~
The bridge itself did not look remotely threatening or at all dangerous at first glance. It was most definitely not dangerous for a traveler on foot. But William, even as warm and woozy as he was feeling, did not like the look of it and danger emanated from it like water from a hole filled goatskin.
He had stumbled through his chores that morning, doing his best to stay on both feet. As for the rest of the morning, he could not remember. He had just been concentrating on putting one foot in front of the other. His chest was starting to feel tight however, and breathing did not seem any easier.
The bridge's beams were slightly rotted. William could see it just vaguely. He found himself fretting about the cart. Sir Ector would not be happy if the cart was lost. The bridge would probably break underneath its weight. But the river was too rough to be crossed any other way.
Sir Ector was quietly heading forward, gently leading his horse across the bridge. William waited for a few seconds, until his master was half way across before stepping onto the bridge. The bridge creaked dangerously as the cart rolled on. The squire flinched, slowly, carefully leading the horse.
The bridge wasn't pleased.
A large cracking noise was heard. One of the weakened planks tore apart. Unfortunately, it was right underneath Lilly's feet. Lilly's usually calm and docile nature was immediately forgotten as the horse let out a piercing scream. The lead shot out of the squire's hand as Lilly panicked, trying to free her foot. She reared, and her one hoof caught the unprepared young man in the chest.
William flew back a few feet, landing hard on the unsteady planking. Blinking the spots from his eyes, he was back up before he could register the severe pain in his chest. The bridge moaned under the weight, creaking dangerously, letting a few more planks give, as the cart horse struggled.
Sir Ector was trying to control a now crazy Sirius. The horse had heard its companion's scream and was now frantic. The knight realized he had to get the horse onto solid ground before he even considered calming it. Unfortunately, Sirius was very unhappy.
The bridge found this displeasing. It was old and tired and its planks sagged dangerously underneath the cargo it bore. Finally, with one last warning, the planks underneath Lilly, the cart, and the boy let loose, flinging all three into the raging river.
Sir Ector turned in time to see three things. One, his back up jousting horse being flung into the water. Two, all his worldly possession flung to the rapids, forever lost. And, lastly, his precious apprentice tossed into the water.
"DAMN!" It was the first word that came to mind and the only word for quite sometime. The next thing he knew, he and Sirius were both lobbed into the water after the other things.
Water filled his nose, mouth and lungs. He struggled against the strong, persistent current, trying to draw breath. He couldn't. The water was pulling him down and around, keeping him from resurfacing.
He was most positive that he was going to drown. Drown? Wait, Will! Will was not even half the swimmer he was! Will would most certainly drown! He had to go help his apprentice. He struggled to get to the surface, his hand just peeking out of the clear liquid.
After what seemed to be an hour, something grasped his hand. Something started pulling. All he could do was let himself be pulled up limply, too weak to do anything else.
To be twenty one year old man, on a dirty path, plain broke, and desperately needing to return to your wife, because he was desperately in need of clothing, due to his gambling problems and the situation was not entirely pleasant. In fact, it was downright awful. Geoffrey had decided this some twenty six miles back.
He walked beside the now well known river, scuffing a few rocks into the watery abyss. He looked up at the sky for a moment, praying for God's mercy. He prayed that perhaps he would find some clothing lying on the ground. Ha, what was the chance of that?
His prayer wasn't exactly answered. But it wasn't left hanging either. He looked in his path to see a black stallion with a small white star on its forehead, fidgeting by the waters edge. It was sopping wet, neighing agitatedly at the water. Next to it was a second horse, a mare, light brown in color. It was being quite docile, even with the broken harness attached to its back.
Geoff walked over to the second horse, carefully avoiding the first. He stroked the wet brown fur, looking into the strong current which both beasts seemed so intent on. Many an item was floating in the water; trunks, baskets, sticks, and so on. He wasn't to sure where this menagerie of paraphernalia was coming from but it occurred to him that God may have answered his prayers.
That is, until he spotted a hand burst out of the water, groping for the edge that was not quite close enough. Geoffrey Chaucer stared at it as it started to come towards him.
Now, Geoff could stand walking down the road naked when things were desperate. He could loose his dignity that way. That didn't mean, however, that he didn't have some form of pride or modesty. He watched the hand as it blatantly begged for help. He had to make a decision, his pride or this person's life?
Chaucer was not a bad guy and his pride was pretty much in rags anyway at the moment.
He reached out and snatched the hand, tugging on it. Pulling with all his might, the hungry, tired and stark naked author dragged the person from the water. The man fell onto the shore and Geoff tumbled backwards onto the ground.
Sir Ector spent an eternity coughing up all the water he had just downed. When he was finally able to lift his head, he glanced over at his savior. A man was looking at him. He was dirty, unkempt and very, very naked. Sir Ector blinked, and coughed a bit before, sitting up. He tried to say something but his mouth moved soundlessly giving him the look of a fish.
"Just rest," the young man soothed. "Then speak." He was turning red on his cheeks and on the tops of his ears. God, this was embarrassing.
"Thank you," the knight coughed out, putting a hand on his forehead, trying to get a grip on reality. Reality struck hard for the older man and he started. "Oh God, no. William!"
"Who? What?" Chaucer asked, startled by the man's sudden outburst.
"My squire, William. He can't swim."
Chaucer leapt forward in time to keep the other from jumping into the water. He was feeling most embarrassed but he simply couldn't let the knight leap back into the water. He was half drowned and no help in the situation.
"Now, don't do anything rash," Chaucer reasoned, holding the man tightly as he struggled to get to the water. "If your apprentice can't swim then he's dead by now, I can nearly promise you it." A harsh reality but the truth unfortunately. "Stay here, and pull some of your things," he assumed that they belonged to this man, "out of the water. I'll go look for your apprentice."
Sir Ector looked at the younger man who stood an inch or two taller than him. His eyes were serious about the situation but behind that was a friendly, fun loving look. He slowly nodded, still in shock by the man's theory. He was right though. Will would be dead if he was still in the river unless he was clinging to something a drift.
Chaucer let go of the knight, who immediately sunk to the ground. Chaucer made sure he wasn't going anywhere before taking off down river, looking for this wayward apprentice.
Sir Ector had managed to pull several trunks out of the water, one of them containing his money sacks. His armor needed to be replaced because it was now on the bottom of the river so the money was an upside to the situation. Everything had pretty much been lost except for several sets of clothing, a small mess of weapons and the money.
On top of it all, he had lost his apprentice. He hadn't even been able to say something to the boy and now it was too late to say anything. He had been too harsh with the child. It was hard to believe how fast someone could be taken from you. Before you knew it, a person you loved dearly could be gone!
He bit his lip, trying to be strong. He could not cry. It was not a knightly thing to do and any moment the naked man who had saved his life could be back. He sniffed, laying a set of clothing on the grass on the bank for the younger man when he managed to get back. Soon, please, he didn't want to brew much longer.
His wishes were respected as the young man reappeared. Sir Ector stood up quickly, rushing over to the man who was holding his limp apprentice in his arms. The other gently placed Will into Sir Ector's arms before backing off.
Chaucer noticed the clothing laid out on the ground, and moved to put it on. He hoped that this nameless knight wouldn't mind. At the moment though, the man didn't notice, to caught up in condition of his charge to care.
Ector sunk to his knees, holding William's body protectively against him. The boy was alive. Oh, thank God, his apprentice as alive. He could feel the wheezy, uneven breath coming from between the boy's lips. The erratic beat of the boy's pulse heart was quite noticeable beneath his hands.
"Will?" he questioned softly. "William Thatcherson, wake up....please...." The boy remained pale and quiet in his arms, giving no signs of waking up. The only movement was the shivers wracking his body.
Ector shifted the child in his arms, gently easing him onto the ground. He needed to calm down and check for injuries. With trembling hands, he felt the boy's arms and legs, then his fingers, just in case. He was trying to remember exactly what had happened on the bridge, but it was all a blur.
His fingers moved to the squire's tunic, gently easing it up. Ector's eyes widened with a mixture of things. Bruises covered his apprentice's chest, while in one place an indentation in the shape of a horse hoof was clear. Ribs were certainly broken, he didn't need to check.
A harsh cough issued from the boy's mouth, startling the knight from his thoughts. He gazed, with slight horror, at the blood at the corner of his apprentice's mouth. Mentally he smacked himself. He was acting incredibly immature. His apprentice was definitely in need of a surgeon and he needed to pull himself together so he could get him to one.
He suddenly remembered the young man who saved his life. Turning swiftly, he found him dressed in the clothing that had been laid out. It was slightly small on him but he didn't seem bothered. He was staring out into the forest, legs draped carelessly in the tugging current.
Sir Ector cleared his throat, causing the other to look over at him. The knight found himself at a loss for meaningful words.
"I don't know how to think you enough," he finally managed. "Both my apprentice and I would be dead if you had not saved us. Please tell me how to repay you."
The young man quirked an eyebrow, smiling slightly. "Well, my liege, gracing me with your name might be a good start." He laughed at Ector as the knight turned red. "These clothes are sufficient enough. Walking about in the nude is most uncomfortable."
"My name is Ector," Sir Ector responded, trying not to feel quite as embarrassed. "Are you sure that clothing is all you need, sir?"
The other's face wrinkled up a bit. "Please, my name Geoffrey Chaucer the writer. It's most unnecessary to call me 'sir'." He paused for a second considering what the knight had said. "I was wondering if perhaps I could borrow that brown mare of yours. I need to get home to my wife for she was expecting me back nearly a fortnight ago."
"Take it," Sir Ector replied. "She's yours. Her name is Lilly and she comes when she is called most of the time." A question had been itching in the back of his mind for quite sometime. "Out of curiosity, Chaucer, were you robbed?"
An unidentifiable emotion crossed Geoff's face as he walked over to Lilly. He gently removed the remains of the broken harness of the horse's back before answering. "Yes and no. You may say it was more or less an involuntary vow to poverty."
He then hopped onto the horse's back and rode off into the distance. Ector watched him leave. He shook his head his head, not believing his good luck or perhaps his bad luck. Ah, that could not be bothered now. He had to help his apprentice, who was coughing and wheezing on the ground. Hopefully, he wouldn't be too late.
~*~
Ah, well there's Chaucer for you! Fun loving, happy, sarcastic Chaucer. He's gone for now, unfortunately. We all love him. Now, on with reviewers:
Quantum Weather Butterfly- LOL! I was wondering where you went to! It's okay, I knew you would come back! ^_~ Yes, yes poor Will. Things are only going to get worse. I feel bad for him too! *sniffles* my poor will chan. Arigato for the review!
KarateElf- *blushes* you really like it? I'm glad. I'm trying really hard but you and QWB and DJ dear are the only ones who seem to enjoy it. But I'll write for you all ^_~. Thanks for the review.
DJRocky- : P keep up the good work on your fic, Tizrack. I expect much from you. Much more than you can ever consider, with your seven reviews! *demanding look* ^_^ Get another chapter up soon. Btw- thanks for the review!
Well, till next time my friends! R/R!
Next Chapter: Of Illness and Kate
By Amythest Stone
AN- Thanks for the generous reviews! ^_^ Here's chapter four! I'm really working hard as of late! I'm so proud of myself. Anyway, here ya go everyone! Before you read, I'm putting a character guide. I know you all know them but the ages are a bit different. I'm estimating so don't shoot me.
Character Guide:
Sir Ector- Older knight, William's, Wat's and Roland's master. In late forties, early fifties.
William Thatcherson- Youngest squire of Sir Ector. The unfortunate victim of this story! Fourteen years old.
Wat- Second youngest squire of Sir Ector. Red headed, hot tempered boy. Sixteen years old.
Roland- Oldest squire of Sir Ector. Cool headed, intelligent, reasonable. Eighteen years old.
Jocelyn- (uh does she have a last name? I don't know and don't really care) Princess of something or another with black hair that we all hate anyway. Fourteen years old.
Geoffrey Chaucer- Writer, gambler, quick witted, funny guy. Good natured. Twenty one years old.
Kate Blacksmithson- Young, blacksmith's wife. Black haired, sweet and caring though a bit rough from a hard life. Fairly good with healing. Helps husband in the forge. Sixteen bordering seventeen.
James Blacksmithson- Kate's husband. Good hearted man, loving, strong. Takes good care of everyone and everything, works hard. Thirty seven years old.
Lilly- Sir Ector's cart horse.
Sirius- Sir Ector's jousting horse.
Rose- Wat's horse
Hydra- Roland's horse.
I don't think I've forgotten anyone. I do believe that's it but I can't be positive! More characters will be added! Love you all! Here's the chapter!
~*~
The bridge itself did not look remotely threatening or at all dangerous at first glance. It was most definitely not dangerous for a traveler on foot. But William, even as warm and woozy as he was feeling, did not like the look of it and danger emanated from it like water from a hole filled goatskin.
He had stumbled through his chores that morning, doing his best to stay on both feet. As for the rest of the morning, he could not remember. He had just been concentrating on putting one foot in front of the other. His chest was starting to feel tight however, and breathing did not seem any easier.
The bridge's beams were slightly rotted. William could see it just vaguely. He found himself fretting about the cart. Sir Ector would not be happy if the cart was lost. The bridge would probably break underneath its weight. But the river was too rough to be crossed any other way.
Sir Ector was quietly heading forward, gently leading his horse across the bridge. William waited for a few seconds, until his master was half way across before stepping onto the bridge. The bridge creaked dangerously as the cart rolled on. The squire flinched, slowly, carefully leading the horse.
The bridge wasn't pleased.
A large cracking noise was heard. One of the weakened planks tore apart. Unfortunately, it was right underneath Lilly's feet. Lilly's usually calm and docile nature was immediately forgotten as the horse let out a piercing scream. The lead shot out of the squire's hand as Lilly panicked, trying to free her foot. She reared, and her one hoof caught the unprepared young man in the chest.
William flew back a few feet, landing hard on the unsteady planking. Blinking the spots from his eyes, he was back up before he could register the severe pain in his chest. The bridge moaned under the weight, creaking dangerously, letting a few more planks give, as the cart horse struggled.
Sir Ector was trying to control a now crazy Sirius. The horse had heard its companion's scream and was now frantic. The knight realized he had to get the horse onto solid ground before he even considered calming it. Unfortunately, Sirius was very unhappy.
The bridge found this displeasing. It was old and tired and its planks sagged dangerously underneath the cargo it bore. Finally, with one last warning, the planks underneath Lilly, the cart, and the boy let loose, flinging all three into the raging river.
Sir Ector turned in time to see three things. One, his back up jousting horse being flung into the water. Two, all his worldly possession flung to the rapids, forever lost. And, lastly, his precious apprentice tossed into the water.
"DAMN!" It was the first word that came to mind and the only word for quite sometime. The next thing he knew, he and Sirius were both lobbed into the water after the other things.
Water filled his nose, mouth and lungs. He struggled against the strong, persistent current, trying to draw breath. He couldn't. The water was pulling him down and around, keeping him from resurfacing.
He was most positive that he was going to drown. Drown? Wait, Will! Will was not even half the swimmer he was! Will would most certainly drown! He had to go help his apprentice. He struggled to get to the surface, his hand just peeking out of the clear liquid.
After what seemed to be an hour, something grasped his hand. Something started pulling. All he could do was let himself be pulled up limply, too weak to do anything else.
To be twenty one year old man, on a dirty path, plain broke, and desperately needing to return to your wife, because he was desperately in need of clothing, due to his gambling problems and the situation was not entirely pleasant. In fact, it was downright awful. Geoffrey had decided this some twenty six miles back.
He walked beside the now well known river, scuffing a few rocks into the watery abyss. He looked up at the sky for a moment, praying for God's mercy. He prayed that perhaps he would find some clothing lying on the ground. Ha, what was the chance of that?
His prayer wasn't exactly answered. But it wasn't left hanging either. He looked in his path to see a black stallion with a small white star on its forehead, fidgeting by the waters edge. It was sopping wet, neighing agitatedly at the water. Next to it was a second horse, a mare, light brown in color. It was being quite docile, even with the broken harness attached to its back.
Geoff walked over to the second horse, carefully avoiding the first. He stroked the wet brown fur, looking into the strong current which both beasts seemed so intent on. Many an item was floating in the water; trunks, baskets, sticks, and so on. He wasn't to sure where this menagerie of paraphernalia was coming from but it occurred to him that God may have answered his prayers.
That is, until he spotted a hand burst out of the water, groping for the edge that was not quite close enough. Geoffrey Chaucer stared at it as it started to come towards him.
Now, Geoff could stand walking down the road naked when things were desperate. He could loose his dignity that way. That didn't mean, however, that he didn't have some form of pride or modesty. He watched the hand as it blatantly begged for help. He had to make a decision, his pride or this person's life?
Chaucer was not a bad guy and his pride was pretty much in rags anyway at the moment.
He reached out and snatched the hand, tugging on it. Pulling with all his might, the hungry, tired and stark naked author dragged the person from the water. The man fell onto the shore and Geoff tumbled backwards onto the ground.
Sir Ector spent an eternity coughing up all the water he had just downed. When he was finally able to lift his head, he glanced over at his savior. A man was looking at him. He was dirty, unkempt and very, very naked. Sir Ector blinked, and coughed a bit before, sitting up. He tried to say something but his mouth moved soundlessly giving him the look of a fish.
"Just rest," the young man soothed. "Then speak." He was turning red on his cheeks and on the tops of his ears. God, this was embarrassing.
"Thank you," the knight coughed out, putting a hand on his forehead, trying to get a grip on reality. Reality struck hard for the older man and he started. "Oh God, no. William!"
"Who? What?" Chaucer asked, startled by the man's sudden outburst.
"My squire, William. He can't swim."
Chaucer leapt forward in time to keep the other from jumping into the water. He was feeling most embarrassed but he simply couldn't let the knight leap back into the water. He was half drowned and no help in the situation.
"Now, don't do anything rash," Chaucer reasoned, holding the man tightly as he struggled to get to the water. "If your apprentice can't swim then he's dead by now, I can nearly promise you it." A harsh reality but the truth unfortunately. "Stay here, and pull some of your things," he assumed that they belonged to this man, "out of the water. I'll go look for your apprentice."
Sir Ector looked at the younger man who stood an inch or two taller than him. His eyes were serious about the situation but behind that was a friendly, fun loving look. He slowly nodded, still in shock by the man's theory. He was right though. Will would be dead if he was still in the river unless he was clinging to something a drift.
Chaucer let go of the knight, who immediately sunk to the ground. Chaucer made sure he wasn't going anywhere before taking off down river, looking for this wayward apprentice.
Sir Ector had managed to pull several trunks out of the water, one of them containing his money sacks. His armor needed to be replaced because it was now on the bottom of the river so the money was an upside to the situation. Everything had pretty much been lost except for several sets of clothing, a small mess of weapons and the money.
On top of it all, he had lost his apprentice. He hadn't even been able to say something to the boy and now it was too late to say anything. He had been too harsh with the child. It was hard to believe how fast someone could be taken from you. Before you knew it, a person you loved dearly could be gone!
He bit his lip, trying to be strong. He could not cry. It was not a knightly thing to do and any moment the naked man who had saved his life could be back. He sniffed, laying a set of clothing on the grass on the bank for the younger man when he managed to get back. Soon, please, he didn't want to brew much longer.
His wishes were respected as the young man reappeared. Sir Ector stood up quickly, rushing over to the man who was holding his limp apprentice in his arms. The other gently placed Will into Sir Ector's arms before backing off.
Chaucer noticed the clothing laid out on the ground, and moved to put it on. He hoped that this nameless knight wouldn't mind. At the moment though, the man didn't notice, to caught up in condition of his charge to care.
Ector sunk to his knees, holding William's body protectively against him. The boy was alive. Oh, thank God, his apprentice as alive. He could feel the wheezy, uneven breath coming from between the boy's lips. The erratic beat of the boy's pulse heart was quite noticeable beneath his hands.
"Will?" he questioned softly. "William Thatcherson, wake up....please...." The boy remained pale and quiet in his arms, giving no signs of waking up. The only movement was the shivers wracking his body.
Ector shifted the child in his arms, gently easing him onto the ground. He needed to calm down and check for injuries. With trembling hands, he felt the boy's arms and legs, then his fingers, just in case. He was trying to remember exactly what had happened on the bridge, but it was all a blur.
His fingers moved to the squire's tunic, gently easing it up. Ector's eyes widened with a mixture of things. Bruises covered his apprentice's chest, while in one place an indentation in the shape of a horse hoof was clear. Ribs were certainly broken, he didn't need to check.
A harsh cough issued from the boy's mouth, startling the knight from his thoughts. He gazed, with slight horror, at the blood at the corner of his apprentice's mouth. Mentally he smacked himself. He was acting incredibly immature. His apprentice was definitely in need of a surgeon and he needed to pull himself together so he could get him to one.
He suddenly remembered the young man who saved his life. Turning swiftly, he found him dressed in the clothing that had been laid out. It was slightly small on him but he didn't seem bothered. He was staring out into the forest, legs draped carelessly in the tugging current.
Sir Ector cleared his throat, causing the other to look over at him. The knight found himself at a loss for meaningful words.
"I don't know how to think you enough," he finally managed. "Both my apprentice and I would be dead if you had not saved us. Please tell me how to repay you."
The young man quirked an eyebrow, smiling slightly. "Well, my liege, gracing me with your name might be a good start." He laughed at Ector as the knight turned red. "These clothes are sufficient enough. Walking about in the nude is most uncomfortable."
"My name is Ector," Sir Ector responded, trying not to feel quite as embarrassed. "Are you sure that clothing is all you need, sir?"
The other's face wrinkled up a bit. "Please, my name Geoffrey Chaucer the writer. It's most unnecessary to call me 'sir'." He paused for a second considering what the knight had said. "I was wondering if perhaps I could borrow that brown mare of yours. I need to get home to my wife for she was expecting me back nearly a fortnight ago."
"Take it," Sir Ector replied. "She's yours. Her name is Lilly and she comes when she is called most of the time." A question had been itching in the back of his mind for quite sometime. "Out of curiosity, Chaucer, were you robbed?"
An unidentifiable emotion crossed Geoff's face as he walked over to Lilly. He gently removed the remains of the broken harness of the horse's back before answering. "Yes and no. You may say it was more or less an involuntary vow to poverty."
He then hopped onto the horse's back and rode off into the distance. Ector watched him leave. He shook his head his head, not believing his good luck or perhaps his bad luck. Ah, that could not be bothered now. He had to help his apprentice, who was coughing and wheezing on the ground. Hopefully, he wouldn't be too late.
~*~
Ah, well there's Chaucer for you! Fun loving, happy, sarcastic Chaucer. He's gone for now, unfortunately. We all love him. Now, on with reviewers:
Quantum Weather Butterfly- LOL! I was wondering where you went to! It's okay, I knew you would come back! ^_~ Yes, yes poor Will. Things are only going to get worse. I feel bad for him too! *sniffles* my poor will chan. Arigato for the review!
KarateElf- *blushes* you really like it? I'm glad. I'm trying really hard but you and QWB and DJ dear are the only ones who seem to enjoy it. But I'll write for you all ^_~. Thanks for the review.
DJRocky- : P keep up the good work on your fic, Tizrack. I expect much from you. Much more than you can ever consider, with your seven reviews! *demanding look* ^_^ Get another chapter up soon. Btw- thanks for the review!
Well, till next time my friends! R/R!
Next Chapter: Of Illness and Kate