Chapter Fifteen: Through our Hope and Despair
The deep gold rinnebeast was quite accustom to the King's rushing through the streets of Odyssey. The strong legs of the lizard easily propelled the King around the corner and through the alley and he sought the quickest route to the Cloister of the Overflowing Cup.
The dull grey walls of the Cloister quickly came into view, next to the higher cream colored walls of the City. A detachment of Royal Guards stood out front of the main entrance, and they parted as the King's distinctive beast road up to the door.
A solider grabbed the King's rinnebeast's reigns as the King came to a stop in front of the main gate. "Where is my son?" the King asked.
"He's in the central courtyard engaged in a duel with Lord Henry," the solider said, barely finishing the sentence before the King had dismounted and rushed into the Cloister.
Clang. Clash. Shing. Brittany watched her brother fight Lord Henry. Avery was darting around the courtyard, so far unable to get inside Lord Henry's guard. It was clear that Lord Henry was putting lots of power behind each of his blows, as most of them were tilting Avery's sword as they impacted.
It was a battle of brawn and age verses speed and youth. Brittany had watched many fights with that match during her training as a squire. In fact, most of her training sparring had been that way, as her tutors in the sword had advanced her beyond the level of most of her fellow squires. If Avery could survive the first ten minutes or so of Lord Henry's hard pressed attack, and keep moving without getting hit …
Behind her, Brittany heard her father approaching. Quickly she turned, and headed to intercept her father. A bellowing mad father would not help her brother win this fight.
Above the sanctuary in the choir loft, Marrissa found Lieutenant Calgary. He was laying out on his back, arms limply at his side. His pain filled eyes were focused on the star studded ceiling above, as he almost silently whispered.
Marrissa was almost within reach when she heard what he was whispering. "Saint Perpetua and Saint Felicity…" Marrissa supposed that the Litany of the Saints was something that could keep one's mind off pain, but had no idea that Calgary knew it. She lightly touched him to get Calgary's attention.
"Lieutenant, we're going to get you out of here," Marrissa said softly, motioning to two sailors who had accompanied her with a streacher. "Gentlemen, be very careful. We've got a carriage out front to take him to the harbor."
"Angels…" Calgary whispered
"I think the pain has made him delusional," Marrissa commented, as Calgary was carried out of the room.
Avery dodged another of Lord Henry's hard strikes. King Richard could tell that Lord Henry put lots of power behind each of his strikes. So far, Avery hadn't been able to do more than dodge. Another strike, and Avery spun out of it, allowing Lord Henry's sword to pass him by.
At least that had been the intention. However, Lord Henry reversed the stroke, and caught Avery on his back, just above the bottom of his ribs. The cut was not big, as Avery had already been spinning away from him, but it was first blood to Lord Henry.
King Richard let out a gasp at the appearance of blood on his son's tunic, but his son did not seem to be affected by it. With a quick turn, Avery parried Lord Henry's latest thrust, letting the sword go by as he turned. Clang. The sword hit the well in the middle of the court yard. With another clash, Henry and Avery were engaged in battle again.
As soon as Calgary was taken out of view, down into the cabins under the quarterdeck, the transporter chief locked on. He materialized in the transporter room along with the two men carrying the improvised stretcher, and Marrissa.
"Chief, beam Calgary to Sickbay," Marrissa ordered, stepping off the platform.
"Aye sir," the transport chief said, as Marrissa turned to the other person waiting in the room.
"Ready to take back command for a while?" Jean-Luc Picard said.
"I can, but shouldn't Riker and Data do that since the trial is over?" Marrissa asked. "I do have homework to do."
"Commander Riker has already left for the surface," Jean-Luc said. "He and Counselor Troi are taking some of their accumulated leave. Data's cat is sick. If you're really worried about your homework, you can do it in the ready room. We just really need someone on standby."
"Data's cat is sick?" Marrissa asked.
"Yes, and he's activated his emotion chip," Jean-Luc said. "I'd stay away from his quarters and Sickbay. How are events progressing in Odyssey?"
"The heir to the throne is fighting Lord Henry at the Cloister of the Overflowing Cup," Marrissa said. "I expect that King Richard is either there or on his way. We found Lieutenant Calgary in the loft of the Sanctuary there."
"The Cloister is on the West side of Odyssey next to the Arm Gates?" Jean-Luc inquired, stepping towards the platform.
"Yes, it's rather hard to miss," Marrissa said, as her father stood on the platform.
"You have the ship, Marrissa," Jean-Luc said. "I'll check your homework when I get back. Chief, energize."
Lord Henry's tunic was soaked as he continued to engage the younger and still going strong Prince. "Lord Henry is getting tired, isn't he," Brittany pointed out to her father.
"Lord Henry has too much weight," King Richard opinioned as Lord Henry continued to deliver blows to Avery's sword. "It's good for putting power behind the blows, but that doesn't help when your opponent is moving like Avery does. He gives and changes Henry's approach too much."
Some quick foot work by Avery pulled him out of Lord Henry's attack for a moment, nearly getting behind Lord Henry's guard. "I've got to spar with Avery some time," Brittany said, wincing as Lord Henry barely missed her bother in the follow up. "It looks like he's improved since I left for Arm."
"It's the endurance that is helping him, not the hour he spends on most days practicing," the King said, smiling as his son went on the offensive, actually causing Lord Henry to back up. "He usually takes a ride out to the fields near Bluepor every morning, then after putting his rinnebeast in the stables takes a jog the long way to breakfast. I'm pretty sure he goes around the outer edge of at least two decks. Oh, that's got to hurt."
Avery's offensive had paid off with a deep cut on Lord Henry's non-sword arm. Though it was starting to bleed rather bad, Lord Henry still fought on, with a renewed offensive, though his sword was a little lower the before.
Captain Jean-Luc Picard strolled through the streets of Odyssey searching for the Cloister of the Overflowing Cup and King Richard. He'd heard the story of the Cloister's origin in a miracle, a cup of blessed wine that never ran out. It did not seem likely to Jean-Luc, but Marrissa had found the story to be fascinating, telling him all about the miracle and the Cloister that grew up around it.
The Cloister had originally been for that of contemplative order, who still resided in a section of the buildings. However one day, after a great storm, the abbot at the time had offered the use of the Cloister's Sanctuary for first communion. However the wine supply had been low, and the abbot considered forgoing the wine for the girls among them. So the girls were lined up last. When the girls came, the cup was still full, when the girls were done, the cup started to overflow.
That night, reflecting over the day, the abbot decided to start the first school in the kingdom for girls of all classes. Not many nobles had ever attended. In fact, Princess Brittany had been the first member of the Royal family to even occasionally attend the classes. Every year since, the monks took in at least two-dozen girls for the five-year program of reading, writing, and arithmetic.
With the glowing terms that Marrissa had talked about it will reading the planetary briefing, Jean-Luc had expected a large and stately building. Not a somewhat dilapidated collection of gray stone buildings. Nor did he even think to start looking on the very edge of the city. After all, this was a center of learning. Though in reflection, Jean-Luc thought as he walked up to knock on the main door, cloisters were not generally the best looking buildings in town.
A tired monk answered the door. "I'm looking for King Richard," Jean-Luc said. The monk gestured outwardly. "He's already left?" The monk nodded.
The cut on Lord Henry's arm and his increasing fatigue were taking it's toll. His sword wasn't quite as high in it's attacks. Avery had slowed to match Henry, now it was time to pushing that to his advantage. With a hard swipe high, he moved in as Lord Henry reached to block high. A second strike, lower caught Lord Henry right behind his wrist, cutting to the bone. As Lord Henry's sword began to fall, Avery reversed his stroke, digging a wide cut from Henry's right breast up to his neck, where it ended in a spurt of blood. Avery backed off and let Lord Henry fall to the ground.
For a moment Avery watched Lord Henry on the ground, as the last convulsions of life left him. He kept his bloodstained sword at the ready for several minutes before lowering it and breaking eye contact with his foe. With a deep breath he turned where he knew his sister was waiting.
Standing beside his sister was his father with the biggest grin he'd ever seen. "You're back!" Avery exclaimed, dropping his sword and rushing over to his father, the King.
"Good job, Avery," the King said as he embraced his son. "I was a little worried at first, but you did quite well. I didn't even see that final move coming."
"I was slowing down to match Lord Henry's speed. Then I sped up suddenly and he wasn't ready," Avery said, standing back to look at his father. "Are you back for good now?"
"Yes, Avery, I am," the King said, placing his arm around his son and daughter. "I'll have a little more to do, but you've shown me that I can delegate more to you. Now, I've heard from various sources that the meat pie at the Golden Rinnebeast is fit for a King. Let's go test that."