Nearly Headless Nick's Story
Chapter Two
The Assignment and the Milkmaid
After the crowd settled after the execution, the Baron cleared his throat, and a sudden hush fell over the audience. The Baron unrolled a long roll of parchment, and as excited muttering began to run through the crowd, began to read.
"Sir Nicholas De Mimsy-Porpington, you are here because you have displayed wonderful talent in the field of knighthood, and you have proven yourself worthy of this most honorable post. Are you ready to accept the responsibility of this position?"
Sir Nicholas drew himself up to his full height, and brushed a bit of hair out of his face, (there were several moans from the females in the crowd) and smiled broadly.
"I am," he said, holding his head high.
"Then I bestow upon you, the honor of head knight of the kingdom of the Valley of Humperdinck, and I am most pleased to give you your first assignment," he inclined his head curtly and the crowd exploded with cheers. Shrieks and sighs came from every corner, and whoops and yells of delights echoed for a long time after the cheering had ceased.
When everyone had finally quieted down, the Baron cleared his throat again.
"Sir Nicholas De Mimsy-Porpington, your first assignment is.."
The crowd waited with baited breath.
"The little village of Valliwood has been having a bit of trouble lately, you are to lead a small number of men to watch over the village and see that nothing else goes wrong. There is a small boarding house that has agreed to accommodate you all, you will leave at once," with a flick of his wrist the parchment sprang back into a roll.
Bowing deeply Sir Nicholas said but three words "As you wish."
With that he turned on his heel and walked back to where the men and horses were standing, waiting for him. For the first time in a long time, something had gone right for Sir Nicholas. There are many tales to tell of our poor hero, stories of broken hearts, and shattered dreams, tales of heroic suffering, and pure cowardice. There were many stories that were hardly worth the telling, and others that changed the lives of many, but none of that mattered now.
Nothing mattered now, except what lay ahead, and all that lay behind was just a memory. As he mounted his horse, he gave a last fleeting look at the city of Humperdinck, the very center of the meadow in which the entire kingdom lay, and quickly turned and rode away, his men behind him, all that was in the past now.
They rode on for hours, never stopping, never looking back, and always pressing on. Only when the moon rose and then men began to practically fall asleep in the saddle, did they stop. Yet they had barely dismounted and caught their breath, when Sir Nicholas ordered them back on their horses, reminding them that the sooner they got to Valliwood, the sooner they would have a real bed to sleep in.
So on they went, and finally, when the sun was just beginning to peek up from behind the mountains that surrounded the valley, they spotted a small village.
As they looked at it, they could barely see why it was worth protecting. There were barely 10 houses, a church, a small building that looked like it might be a school house, a couple of stores, and a large run-down building that looked as though it was leaning slightly to the side. A large rusty sign on this building proclaimed that it was "Mafilda's Inn- Food and Boarding."
"This looks like the place sir," said one of the men in the front of the group, turning to face Sir Nicholas, "Shall we head in?"
Sir Nicholas looked around.
"Head to the back and see if there's a stable or tethering post where we can leave the horses," he said, looking at two of the men closest to him.
As they rode away, a young woman approached them. She started to say something but then noticed Sir Nicholas and inclined her head quickly.
"Greetings sir. Welcome to Valliwood, we are so pleased you could come. We are very grateful, we've had a lot of trouble, being on the edge of the valley like this, we're sitting ducks for attacks," she bowed a bit deeper and then stood up straight.
Now that he could see her properly, he could see she was very pretty. Hair bleached blond by the sun; milk white freckled skin and bright piercing blue eyes. She was smiling rather nervously as Sir Nicholas surveyed her.
"Who are you?" he asked quietly.
She drew herself up and looked straight into his eyes, it was a very searching look, and it made Sir Nicholas feel as though she were reading his soul. (A/N can anyone guess who one of her descendents might be?)
"I'm the milkmaid here," she gestured towards the inn, "That's all you ever need know," with that she turned on her heel and left.
"Sir?"
Sir Nicholas turned and saw one of the men that he had sent to find a stable.
"Sir, there's a stable in back, and they have spaces put aside for our horses, shall we go?"
Sir Nicholas looked and watched as the milkmaid headed off toward the barn, presumably to milk the cows, and he stared entranced for a good couple of minutes.
"Sir?"
Sir Nicholas shook his head. "Yes lets go," and he turned and rode off toward the stable.
Chapter Two
The Assignment and the Milkmaid
After the crowd settled after the execution, the Baron cleared his throat, and a sudden hush fell over the audience. The Baron unrolled a long roll of parchment, and as excited muttering began to run through the crowd, began to read.
"Sir Nicholas De Mimsy-Porpington, you are here because you have displayed wonderful talent in the field of knighthood, and you have proven yourself worthy of this most honorable post. Are you ready to accept the responsibility of this position?"
Sir Nicholas drew himself up to his full height, and brushed a bit of hair out of his face, (there were several moans from the females in the crowd) and smiled broadly.
"I am," he said, holding his head high.
"Then I bestow upon you, the honor of head knight of the kingdom of the Valley of Humperdinck, and I am most pleased to give you your first assignment," he inclined his head curtly and the crowd exploded with cheers. Shrieks and sighs came from every corner, and whoops and yells of delights echoed for a long time after the cheering had ceased.
When everyone had finally quieted down, the Baron cleared his throat again.
"Sir Nicholas De Mimsy-Porpington, your first assignment is.."
The crowd waited with baited breath.
"The little village of Valliwood has been having a bit of trouble lately, you are to lead a small number of men to watch over the village and see that nothing else goes wrong. There is a small boarding house that has agreed to accommodate you all, you will leave at once," with a flick of his wrist the parchment sprang back into a roll.
Bowing deeply Sir Nicholas said but three words "As you wish."
With that he turned on his heel and walked back to where the men and horses were standing, waiting for him. For the first time in a long time, something had gone right for Sir Nicholas. There are many tales to tell of our poor hero, stories of broken hearts, and shattered dreams, tales of heroic suffering, and pure cowardice. There were many stories that were hardly worth the telling, and others that changed the lives of many, but none of that mattered now.
Nothing mattered now, except what lay ahead, and all that lay behind was just a memory. As he mounted his horse, he gave a last fleeting look at the city of Humperdinck, the very center of the meadow in which the entire kingdom lay, and quickly turned and rode away, his men behind him, all that was in the past now.
They rode on for hours, never stopping, never looking back, and always pressing on. Only when the moon rose and then men began to practically fall asleep in the saddle, did they stop. Yet they had barely dismounted and caught their breath, when Sir Nicholas ordered them back on their horses, reminding them that the sooner they got to Valliwood, the sooner they would have a real bed to sleep in.
So on they went, and finally, when the sun was just beginning to peek up from behind the mountains that surrounded the valley, they spotted a small village.
As they looked at it, they could barely see why it was worth protecting. There were barely 10 houses, a church, a small building that looked like it might be a school house, a couple of stores, and a large run-down building that looked as though it was leaning slightly to the side. A large rusty sign on this building proclaimed that it was "Mafilda's Inn- Food and Boarding."
"This looks like the place sir," said one of the men in the front of the group, turning to face Sir Nicholas, "Shall we head in?"
Sir Nicholas looked around.
"Head to the back and see if there's a stable or tethering post where we can leave the horses," he said, looking at two of the men closest to him.
As they rode away, a young woman approached them. She started to say something but then noticed Sir Nicholas and inclined her head quickly.
"Greetings sir. Welcome to Valliwood, we are so pleased you could come. We are very grateful, we've had a lot of trouble, being on the edge of the valley like this, we're sitting ducks for attacks," she bowed a bit deeper and then stood up straight.
Now that he could see her properly, he could see she was very pretty. Hair bleached blond by the sun; milk white freckled skin and bright piercing blue eyes. She was smiling rather nervously as Sir Nicholas surveyed her.
"Who are you?" he asked quietly.
She drew herself up and looked straight into his eyes, it was a very searching look, and it made Sir Nicholas feel as though she were reading his soul. (A/N can anyone guess who one of her descendents might be?)
"I'm the milkmaid here," she gestured towards the inn, "That's all you ever need know," with that she turned on her heel and left.
"Sir?"
Sir Nicholas turned and saw one of the men that he had sent to find a stable.
"Sir, there's a stable in back, and they have spaces put aside for our horses, shall we go?"
Sir Nicholas looked and watched as the milkmaid headed off toward the barn, presumably to milk the cows, and he stared entranced for a good couple of minutes.
"Sir?"
Sir Nicholas shook his head. "Yes lets go," and he turned and rode off toward the stable.
