A/N: This is just pure fantasy.  Although I have visited some German castles, I know little about the areas in which each are located.  My story is not meant to represent a true Europe, but a fictionalized Europe of my imagining.

Chapter 22

Rhain could not feel a very great sense of relief when the ship landed safely on German soil.  He knew that the worst tension was yet to come but was still glad to have done with the sea, even only temporarily.  He had been troubled by seasickness throughout the whole of the journey and he certainly did not enjoy the boisterous songs and ribald jokes of the sailors each evening.  The prince had spent most of his time hiding in his cabin so that he would not be forced to take part in any such unwelcome party.  He certainly did not envy the life of a sailor in any respect.  The sea was pretty enough to look at, but the prince did not really desire being any closer to it than was absolutely necessary, let alone spending most his life in sailing around on it.

            "I am as glad as I can be to see land again, considering the circumstances," the prince told his friend as the two men walked off the ship and onto the dock, where they were to wait for their horses.

            "As am I, although I heartily wish it were English land rather than German," Edwyn replied.

            "I think you would have trouble finding any man who does not feel as you do," Rhain told him.

            The prince cursed the folly of the German king as he waited for the rest of the party to assemble themselves on the dock.  As much as he loved the forest, Rhain found himself vastly irritated with the German king for loving it as well.  Rather than the castle laying near the docks and on the edge of the forest, as it did in England, it was some distance from the docks and directly in the middle of the forest.  The docks themselves stood in the midst of a clearing, the castle in one direction and a long forest road leading to the nearest town in the other.  In order to reach the castle, it was necessary to ride for a short distance on a path that was heavily wooded.  This, of course, presented the greatest danger to their party and for the first time in his life, Rhain dreaded the thought of going into a forest.

            As they disembarked from the ship and began to prepare their party, Rhain was relieved to see a dozen German guards ride up to the dock.  He motioned for Edwyn to join him and the two men met the guards at the end of the dock.

            "We come in the name of His Majesty King Ludwig to welcome you to our land," the head guard said.  His German accent was so thick that they had trouble understanding him.     

            "We express our thanks for the kindness and generosity of His Majesty," Rhain replied.  "I am Prince Rhain of England and this is my most trusted knight, Sir Edwyn."

            At this news, the German guards dismounted and knelt before Rhain.  "'Tis a most high honor to meet Your Highness," the head guard said.

            Rhain waited for the men to rise before he spoke again.  "I am certain that His Majesty King Ludwig can have no doubt that we have had our concerns in journeying here.  We trust ourselves to His Majesty's protection, but fear ambush from the king of France.  We are concerned that the path to His Majesty's castle lies through the forest.  We should be very grateful for your assistance if you would agree to ride with us into the forest to search for any hidden assassins."

            "It would be our pleasure, Your Highness and Sir Knight.  His Majesty is most concerned about the state of your affairs with France and has instructed us to do whatever necessary to ensure the comfort and protection of Your Majesties."

            Rhain nodded, pleased with this information.  His goodwill toward the German king increased most readily.  "His Majesty King Arthur and I shall express our thanks to His Majesty King Ludwig once we reach the castle.  Pray, wait for me for a moment while I tell His Majesty of our plan."

            The German guards nodded, mounting their horses once again as Rhain and Edwyn turned around and began to walk back to their ship.  "This gesture from the German king is most welcome," Rhain told his friend.  "I had my apprehensions about leading my father through the forest, but now you and I may ride ahead with the German guards to search the forest and ensure that all is safe while my father's carriage follows behind.  We shall leave the rest of the knights to protect his carriage and I feel that he shall be quite safe."

            "That is the best plan indeed," Edwyn replied.  "I, too, am glad for this gesture from King Ludwig.  It does him a great deal of justice."

            The two men reached the ship just as the king was disembarking.  They bowed before him and then indicated to him that they wished to speak with him privately for a moment.

            "King Ludwig has sent some guards to help ensure your safety, Father.  I propose that Edwyn and I ride ahead with them to make certain that the forest is safe.  Your carriage may follow behind with the rest of your knights surrounding it for protection," Rhain said.

            "This is a gesture of friendship indeed," the king said approvingly.  "Your plan is a solid one.  You have my approval."

            "I shall speak to the men and then we shall be off directly," Rhain replied, bowing quickly at the waist as a sign of respect to his father.  Edwyn bowed as well and the two men moved off toward the other knights.  They held conference with them briefly to explain the plan before taking their horses and moving off toward the end of the dock.  As Rhain adjusted his gauntlets and slid his helmet over his head, he looked back at his father.  The king raised his hand in a brief salute to his son and Rhain saluted his father in return before mounting his horse and riding off with Edwyn and the German guards.

            They reached the forest path quickly and then split off into groups to scour the landscape as best they could.  They checked all of the low-lying areas to ensure that there were no men lying in wait and scanned the trees for archers.  The area looked secure and Rhain began to relax for the first time in days.  His sense of comfort was heightened by the appearance of an additional eight German guards.  It seemed that they had been sent by King Ludwig because he had begun to wonder where the English party was and to have some concerns for their safety. 

            Rhain's comfort was short lived, however, as he soon learned that the kings of Spain and Italy had arrived but, as of yet, they had neither seen nor heard from the French king, whose arrival was to have taken place before that of the English king.  Rhain knew that something was not right and, without another word to the German guards or Edwyn, he turned his horse and began to gallop toward the clearing and his father's carriage.

            As they had been searching the forest, they had heard sounds of the English king's approach at intervals.  Nothing had seemed out of the ordinary and, as Rhain was more concerned about the forest path leading up to the castle, he had not thought to search the forest road leading to the town.  His heart began to race with dread and he felt sick to his stomach.  He pushed his horse faster and faster, forcing the animal to run at its very limits.  He was oblivious to the sounds of Edwyn and the German guards making haste to catch up with him.

            Suddenly, Rhain heard shouts of surprise shortly followed by agonized screams.  He knew the sound well, had heard it may times before while on the battlefield.  It was the screams of dying men.  The recognition of the sound made him dig his heels into the animal's sides with such force that the poor beast gave a short scream of pain.  The prince was nearly frantic with fear and did not even realize that he had hurt his most prized horse.

            Finally, Rhain cleared the edge of the forest, just in time to see a scene that seemed to be straight out of his worst nightmare.  He saw several of his father's knights scattered around the clearing, their bodies pierced by arrows.  Those that were still standing were trying valiantly to fight off the enemy.  The knights' horses were all dead, shot straight out from under them in order to prevent anyone from making a quick escape.  Most horrifying of all, though, was the sight of the king's carriage, which had been overturned.  Rhain saw his father, vulnerable and unarmed, emerge from the door.

            One of the enemy suddenly darted forward, wielding a sword.  He slashed straight through two of the English knights who attempted to stop him and, as Rhain watched in horror, reached the king.  The man threw his head back and laughed, a demonic sound that made Rhain's blood run cold.  The prince was still yards away from the king.  The man raised the sword up, holding it in both hands and pointing it like a giant, hellish dagger, aimed straight over the king's heart.

            "Nay!" a desperate voice shouted, startling Rhain and disconcerting him even more as he realized that the voice belonged to him.

            Before his very eyes, the man plunged the sword down, hitting his target with deadly accuracy.  Rhain felt rage and fear explode within him as the blood of his father spurted forth, spraying the man who had impaled him.  The enemy raised his head and looked in Rhain's direction, laughing at the prince as the blood of the king ran down his face like tears.  Suddenly, Rhain knew who it was.

            "Mordrid!" he screamed.  He could bear it no longer.  He threw himself off his horse, nearly breaking his neck, and tore his sword from its scabbard, rushing forward.  His only thought was off the pleasure he would feel as he ran the cold steel straight through the former earl's body and then watched as the life ran out of Mordrid.

            "Rhain!" Edwyn shouted, but Rhain did not heed him.  He continued rushing toward Mordrid.

            Mordrid pulled his sword violently from the body of the king, causing an even greater spurt of blood to burst forth.  He crouched into an attack position, holding his sword defensively, openly inviting Rhain to a duel to the death.  The prince was so intent on the former earl that he did not notice that the enemy army began to disburse as they caught sight of Edwyn and the German guards rushing toward them.  The sound of hooves thundering on the wooded path behind the Germans signaled that more were following.  Mordrid glanced over at his men before sheathing his sword and laughing once more at the prince, who continued to rush toward him.

            "We shall meet again," Mordrid shouted, his voice truly demonic.  With those words, he rushed off toward the town road with the rest of his men.

            This was no deterrent to the prince, who was in a blind rage.  He continued to chase after Mordrid and would have run into the forest to meet certain death had it not been for Edwyn.  The giant knight jumped off his horse and raced over to the prince, knocking Rhain's sword out of his hand and tackling him.  The bone-crushing landing jarred Rhain, but did not entirely do away with his blinding rage.  He struggled for a brief moment against Edwyn, trying to grab his sword and chase after Mordrid once more, but Edwyn held fast to his friend.

            "You will surely be killed if you chase them!" Edwyn shouted at the prince.  "Not now, Rhain!  I will not bring two bodies back to your mother!  One is enough!  You will have your chance to avenge your father's death but now is not the time!"

            His words penetrated the fog of Rhain's mind and the prince felt all of the rage run out of his body in a rush, nearly making him dizzy.  Edwyn was right.  His mother would suffer enough when they returned; he would not make her suffering worse by getting himself senselessly killed as well.

            "Father," the prince said, his voice breaking.  This time when he pushed Edwyn away, the knight released him.

            Rhain ripped his helmet off his head and threw his gauntlets aside as he ran over to his father's body.  The wound was a massive, gaping hole in the king's body.  There was no doubt that his father was dead.  The king's eyes were glassy and rolled back and the blood had slowed to a mere trickle.  Rhain knelt on the ground and rolled his father's body toward him, embracing it as he would a child, and rocking back and forth as grief overcame him.  He burst into great sobs while the remaining Englishmen knelt nearby and wept at their grief over the death of the king and their failure to prevent that death.  Two of the German guards rode off to the castle to report to their king and the rest surrounded the English party, protecting them as unobtrusively as possible, allowing them to grieve in peace.

            Rhain grieved for a long while, holding his father's body to him the whole time.  His grief did not lessen; but rather began to be overtaken by his rage.  Suddenly, he threw his head back and screamed to the sky, "I will avenge my father's death.  Mordrid, you foul demon!  I will never rest until I have spilled your blood with my own hands!"

            Edwyn rose at last, wiping his tears away as best he could.  He walked to his friend and placed a gentle hand on the prince's shoulder.  "Come, we must bring the body to King Ludwig's castle."

            "Nay," Rhain replied, jerking away from his friend.  "I will take my father's body home now."

            "But Rhain, we have only just arrived.  We cannot be prepared to leave now, we have not the men for the journey and…"

            "My father's body belongs in England," Rhain said, his voice fierce.  "I must get home and tell my mother.  I will not make her wait and I will not allow her to hear the words from anyone's lips but my own."

            "We shall leave on the morrow, then, but we cannot leave any sooner.  Believe me, Rhain, I would have us leave this instant if I thought we could, but it simply is not possible," the knight gently told his friend.

            The prince made no further protest as his friend rose and began to take charge.  He spoke to what was left of the Englishmen and to the German guards as well.  Everyone was propelled to action except for the prince.  He sat as if in the eye of a storm, cradling his father's body to him, his eyes glassy.  The men began to clean up the mess of the battle and to dress the wounds of those who were injured but not dead.  They were not many.  Most of the men had been killed.  Just as they were trying to decide what they would use as shrouds for the dead, they heard the approach of horses.

            Three royal guards emerged from the forest, followed by King Ludwig himself, a large contingent of other guards bringing up the rear.  As they approached the prince, he stood up, picking his father's body up and holding it.  The German king dismounted, walked up to Rhain, and bowed respectfully before him.  King Ludwig took the hand of the deceased English king and kissed the royal ring respectfully.

            "I pray that His Majesty may rest in eternal peace," the German king said.  His accent was lighter than that of his guards and his voice was kind.  As Rhain looked at him, the king's eyes turned hard.  "The French king is a villain to have dared to commit such an atrocity on my soil.  I beg Your Highness for the privilege to consider him an enemy just as Your Highness does."  The German king rose and met Rhain's eyes.  He spoke some words in German, sending a contingent of his guards thundering off down the town road.

            "I humbly thank Your Majesty," Rhain said, as soon as the noise died down.  His voice was rough, as if he had not used it for some time.  "We are most grateful for your kindness and protection.  I am outraged not only at this crime but also that 'twas committed on the land which Your Majesty so generously offered as the site of what was supposed to be our neutral meeting."

            "I come to offer Your Highness my humble sympathies, but also my aide.  Should you wish to take action against France, send me word and Your Highness will have my army at your disposal.  By declaring himself an enemy of the English, he has also declared himself an enemy of the Germans," the king said.  His voice was very sincere.

            "Your Majesty's friendship is most welcome at this time," Rhain said.

            "I am here to offer you my services.  You have only to ask and I shall obtain anything you need."

            "Many thanks.  I am sorry to impose upon your kindness but we have need of shrouds and caskets for our dead."

            "My servants are at this moment procuring all that you may need," King Ludwig replied.

            The prince did not feel capable of further speech and it was with a sense of dull relief that he witnessed Edwyn stepping forward to discuss further details with the German king.  A carriage appeared and the German king respectfully bid Rhain to ride in it with his father to the castle.

            Once inside the castle, the prince refused to let anyone else touch the body of the king.  He carried his father's body into a chamber provided by the German king, laying the body upon the bed and kissing his father's cold forehead.  He cleaned and arranged his father as best he could, tenderly crossing the king's hands over his chest.

            From that point on, Rhain remembered very few of the details of that night.  He vaguely remembered Edwyn coming to tell him that, though they had searched for hours, the German guards had been unable to find any sign of Mordrid and his men.  The prince heard what his friend had to say but could not attend to his words and Edwyn shortly thereafter left the chamber with a worried expression on his face.

King Ludwig was most kind and accommodating and all the needs of the English men were met.  Edwyn returned to urge his friend to take some rest and to eat but Rhain was fit for nothing other than silently sitting next to the prone form of his father as day gave way to night and night to morning.

            As the morning light began to filter into the room, the prince wrapped his father's body in a shroud.  Once his father was securely wrapped, Rhain placed the king's body in the casket provided by King Ludwig.  He allowed Edwyn and two of the other English knights to help him carry the casket out of the castle and to the carriage that was to convey them to the docks.  Edwyn rode behind in the company of King Ludwig and, in very little time, Rhain was once more at the docks and on the verge of boarding his ship. 

            The Germans had worked through the night to see to the supplying and reloading of the ship and all that remained to be done was for the caskets of the fallen English knights to be brought on board.  The task was carried out with the utmost solemnity and as the Germans turned their attention toward assisting the wounded English knights to board, Rhain at last directed his attention toward King Ludwig.

            "I cannot thank you enough for your kindness, Your Majesty, and only hope that you will not be offended by the hasty manner of my departure," he said.

King Ludwig waved his hand dismissively and regarded Rhain with a grave expression.  "I take no offense and indeed would think it most unusual if you were not anxious to be gone."

            "I must bring the news to my mother the queen," Rhain said simply, nearly overwhelmed with gratitude at the kindness of the German king.

            "You wish to do so just as any good son would, Your Highness.  My men are entirely at your disposal," he said, for he was sending some of his own guards with the English prince so that he might be well guarded during his return trip.

            "I am most humbled by your friendship," Rhain said.  "I shall send you my reassurances when I return to England and I wish to extend an invitation to you to visit me there."

            "I will wait until you send an invitation.  I have no wish to interfere during this time of mourning," the king said.  "I shall leave you now."  With these words, he bowed to Rhain, who inclined his head to him.

            The German king mounted his horse once more and rode off immediately, followed by two thirds of the guards.  The others were to travel back to England with Rhain.  As soon as the king disappeared from sigh, Rhain turned to Edwyn and, with the help of the same English knights, the casket of the fallen English king was carried aboard.

            Once they had shoved off, Edwyn went to his friend with the hope of convincing Rhain to take some rest or some type of sustenance, but this was refused once again.  The prince would not leave the body of his father during the whole of the journey.