Chapter 10
"The Lord Knight's Return"
A few days later, Arianna was spending the late hours of the morning, just after breakfast, in the stables brushing down Lastoth after their early morning ride. She stank of horse, hay and fields but she didn't mind, in fact, she enjoyed it. Dressed in her grimy riding attire, she rolled up her sleeves, took off her outer vests and as she brushed, she conversed with Lastoth in her Northern tongue. In doing this, she could still maintain her fluency in her first tongue as well as cleverly disguise her loud outbursts and blurted secrets since if by chance any passerby would eavesdrop, he wouldn't understand a single word she was saying, with an exception of course to Master Grêth.
"By the gods Lastoth!" cried Arianna when Lastoth backed up and accidentally tipped over a full bucket of water.
"Can't you control yourself? That was supposed to be for your water bin! An extraordinary graceful beast you are!" she muttered as she surveyed the mess.
Sighing, she returned the empty bucket to its former place and went outside to get a mop and rag.
"I don't know what to do with you! I believe you're the only clumsy oaf this side of the castle! No sense of direction, discipline or dignity!" she grumbled as she cleaned up the puddle of dirty water.
The black stallion neighed indignantly, shaking his white mane and thudded his bushy covered hooves.
Laughing, Arianna looked up at her horse and declared, "Oh! I do declare! The stallion doth protest too much!"
Sighing again, she smiled, "Well, I believe we spend too much time around each other that my lopsided demeanor seems to be coming off on you, don't you agree Lastoth?"
Lastoth nickered in reply as Arianna set aside her cleaning tools and bent down to pick up his brush on the ground and resume grooming her horse.
Suddenly, a distant commotion resounded from the outside of the stable. Arianna paused awhile to listen.
"Can you hear that, Lastoth? Something's going on out there!"
Frowning as she strained to hear whether it was a joyous or chaotic ruckus, the blare of trumpets echoed above the noise and one phrase was shouted repetitively exemplifying her former guess,
"The Lord Knight Callium has returned! He has returned!"
Arianna gasped and whispered to herself, "He's here."
She dropped the brush and ran out of the stables, her heart beating rapidly. As she opened the stable doors, the noise was deafening as people from every side were rushing towards the main gate. Arianna saw Nimfold speed by and she called out to him,
"Nimfold! Nimfold!"
Luckily, the stable master heard and stopped to turn round.
"What goes on?" she asked in the Western tongue.
"It's him, Miss Arianna! 'e 'as returned, 'e 'as!" he said, his slur more pronounced due to his excitement, "Everyone's heading for the main gate! To welcome him as 'e enters! Victory, they say, Miss Arianna! Victory! Let us away and join 'em!"
Arianna was breathless, hardly believing what she was hearing but she shook her head, "Not yet, Nimfold. Look at me! I am quite a sight to behold for a returning victorious lord. You go and welcome him and the army, Nimfold. Worry not, I'll have my chance anon."
Nodding, Nimfold sprinted away and Arianna, unsure of what to do or where to go first, stood there with her hands shaking. He was here, finally here, and she knew he would soon call for her, wouldn't he? Was he expecting her to welcome him along with the rest of the village folk or would he prefer a private audience? She knew the latter was more credible but she couldn't help feel befuddled and extremely anxious at the sudden rush of mixed emotions. Just at that precise moment, Clavetti appeared wheezing for air.
"Miss Arianna! Thank the gods I have found ye!" she said with a relieved smile but it faded quickly when her eyes scanned Arianna's appearance, "By the gods, girl! Ye will be the death of me! Come along, we must get ye bathed and dressed! For our prayers have been answered! The Lord Knight has returned! Come along, girl, come along! We must make haste to get ye up to the castle immediately!"
Arianna was speechless and simply nodded dumbly as Clavi led her by the arm towards another one of the secret entrances of the castle. They ran in and out of secret passages and stairways to reach to the bathing room and as they were going through the final passage they passed by a small window that peeked out unto the front of the castle facing the road leading to the main gate. Arianna paused, gasping for breath and glanced outside that window. She saw a whole troop, some on horseback, some on foot but everywhere people were smiling and cheering and shedding tears of relief and joy. Some soldiers alighted from their horses or ran off the road to greet and embrace their families. Arianna's heart was easily moved by the merry spectacle and as her eyes moved to the front of the parade, she spotted a knight in silver armor bearing the Sword and Shield of Criastus. She knew immediately it was no other than the Lord Knight Callium.
But Arianna's watch was abruptly interrupted as she felt a sharp tug on her arm and Clavetti's soft reproach that urged her to hurry and not to make any more unnecessary pauses.
They both then spent the best of the next hour and a half, with the aid of a few other women of the castle, in preparing Arianna for her expected audience with the Lord Knight. Arianna tingled with excited and could hardly keep still while a young maid brushed down Arianna's scarlet locks. It had been a long time since she had met the man who rescued her from her Northern town, a man she owed her life to after Master Grêth; she wondered if he would still somehow recognize her. Taking a deep breath, Arianna whispered a prayer to the gods that he would find her acceptable to become a Western lady at last.
Meanwhile, while Arianna was occupied in her bedroom, the welcoming festivities below continued. The Lord Knight Callium had halted at the main entrance of the castle and was graciously received by Master Grêth, who embraced him with brotherly affection after the knight alighted from his horse.
"Doulsen Sadian! Welcome back, my lord and friend, Callium! The gods be praised!" declared Callium joyously as he pulled back from the embrace.
"Killia fae! Thank you, old friend! It is indeed magnificent to be back! The gods have been kind and generous to us! Not only have they managed to return my men and I to Waldǖrth with hardly more than a few bruises and mere scratches but they have also delivered to us victory over our enemies!"
Both men laughed and embraced once more.
Then turning to face the crowd that followed and gathered about, the Lord Knight raised both his arms in the air. As he did, a deafening roar arose from the people. Then gesturing for silence, the captain belted out in deep reverberating voice,
"My people of Waldǖrth! Praise the gods of Kannaham above! For we have VICTORY!"
At these words, the crowd exploded into a roaring mass of applause and cheers.
"Our kingdom and our people are safe at last! By the blood and honor of those who have fallen in the battles, I vow to you, my people that our enemies, having tasted the true power of the Waldǖrthians, will think twice before they attempt to wage war on us again!"
More resounding praises promptly followed, all the more loudly.
As the knight waved to his people and proceeded inside the castle, the crowd congested and chanted his name in one voice. They continued cheering till he was out of sight and then, since the return of their leader and their army called for a celebration, the townsfolk started the preparations at once with much enthusiasm and zest.
Once within the comforts of his castle, Callium removed his helmet and tucking it under the crook of his arm, stopped at the foot of the wide staircase and looked around with a soft smile,
As Grêth was preoccupied with granting the head knights and their attendants their leave as well as ordering two menservants to prepare the Lord Knight's chambers, the knight discreetly slipped through a secret passage just underneath the stairs leading to the room where he usually went to when he needed essential privacy and deep contemplation that his magnificent quarters just couldn't provide. It was a room very few knew of and those who did know of it never dared to enter, not unless it was a matter of urgency or if they were summoned by the Lord knight himself.
Callium emerged into a dimly lit room from behind a bookcase and just as he closed it, Grêth entered through the front door.
"You knew I would be in this room?" asked the knight with surprise.
With a curt nod, Grêth replied, "Yes."
"How?"
Smiling, the old man answered, "You may be an ominous man to most men but to me you are no enigma, Callium."
Callium gave a short laugh and after settling his helmet on a large cushion, he sighed as he sank into his chair behind a wooden table,
"Ah! What a pleasure it is to be finally home! Sleeping in tents and waking with nothing but stale bread and water for a meal grow terribly dull after more than three months of surviving on it! At last, I can at least make the most out of this temporary leisure after months of journey and battle." laughed the knight, his copper eyes twinkling.
"Temporary, my lord? Why so?" asked Grêth.
The smile and twinkle fading, a soft sigh escaped his lips as the knight replied, "I believe the cause of the possessed Yuorjuns' retreat was not because they merely surrendered to our power. For, in an honest man's eyes, I could see both our sides suffered terrible losses and both sides were equally matched in strength and numbers. Something… I can't precisely say what it was… somehow drew them back."
Grêth saw a flicker of puzzlement flashed slightly in the fierce eyes of the captain. Callium looked at Grêth and shook his head slowly as he stood up, walking towards the side of the window, he stopped and stared outside as he recalled a certain event of the week before,
"So strange… I awoke that day and was bewildered to hear such a sound… it has been so long since I've heard it I nearly forgot what it was like to hear such a sound… this forgotten sound of… silence. I emerged from my tent to find the battlefield littered with nothing but the carcasses of men and beast. My men were standing along my side gazing down at this mystifying spectacle. Saying only that as the enemy approached, they merely lowered their weapons, turned and left in a manner much more disturbing than their arrival… silent as the dead."
"Do you believe there was a reason for such a sudden flight, Callium?"
"You know I am not a man who relishes in being caught off my guard. I am a man whose entire existence relies on and has benefited from unwavering focus and constant vigilance. I've lost and won many a battle, Master Grêth, and in all my years and experience, never have I been as perplexed or as uncertain of what my next actions would be as I was on that day. Never have I tasted such a bitter and bland victory. Instead of a head served on a platter, I am instead thrown a worthless digit!"
The knights balled fist pounded hard on the stone wall as he closed his eyes, his face contorted and shaking with anger.
After a moment of silence, Grêth approached him slowly and said naturally, "Do you wish to see Arianna?"
The knight opened his eyes and stared at the old healer.
Grêth bowed apologetically, "Forgive me, my lord. I do not mean to also catch you off your guard but as obscure as these events are, I believe it is best that you allow them to unfold without any scrutiny… for a time. Some questions are not always straightforwardly answered or interpreted and some are even best left unanswered. They appear in such a manner so as, when the time comes for you to discover their hidden meanings, you would come to fully comprehend and value the mystery of their entirety."
Callium laughed smoothly, his tension easing away, "Never shall I understand your shadowed wisdom, old man but as it is so, it has given me the comfort and assurance I needed."
"So you will call for her then?" asked the healer.
Nodding, the knight replied, "Aye, I will call for her. Let us see what has become of this wild young lass. Has her health improved since I last lay eyes on her, Master healer?"
Grêth smiled knowingly and said simply, "Exceedingly."
"Well, I shall have the final word on that matter when I see her with my own eyes."
"If you need not wish to be caught off your guard but once more, my lord, I advise you to not be so decidedly rushed about her appearance. In doing so, you must be expecting the least of my abilities and hers as well."
Waving his hand impatiently as he started removing the rest of his body armor, he ordered, "Send for her, Grêth. We shall continue this conversation anon."
Bowing with respect and obedience, Grêth responded, "As you will it, my liege." Then exited from the room.
Chuckling, Callium shook his head with amusement. Ignoring the old man's comment, he said to himself, She is only a peasant girl, what other vision does he think I would expect? Nothing more, I suppose. Aye, just a peasant girl and nothing more.
