"The Knight"
by Benny O'Barr
> Introduction <
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The morning sunlight cast small shadows through the leafy canopy on the misty pathway. The small party traveling down the puddle-laden dirt road could barely see the freshly risen sun. A few early birds were warbling their delicate songs, and off in the distance came the lazy babble of a stream. The head Knight, along with a half-dozen of his men, were entrusted by the King to escort his eldest daughter to the neighboring city, to participate in an annual festival. She was riding in a rather decorative horse-drawn carriage, and while it was certainly a nicer ride then actually being perched upon a horse like the knights, the Princess was still in an unpleasant mood from her group's unusually early departure. Up in the lead, the head Knight's Squire, a young, crafty boy who had only recently joined his superior's ranks, was also in poor spirits. His dreams of becoming a great knight seemed to slip farther and farther away with each passing day. Escorting a Princess to a festival? Bah - he should be out rescuing her from a criminal, or slaying a dragon! Yawning, he turned his drooping eyes to the Knight and said, "Was is really necessary to leave in the middle of the night?" "Of course it was, M'boy!" came the Knight's hardy reply. "We should have left yesterday, but the messenger's tardiness delayed our departure." The young boy knew that he was correct. The celebration could only be held today, so instead of mentally complaining about the city's Founders, he found himself silently chastising the late messenger. After a few moments, the Knight spoke. "Do you remember what I talked about earlier in our trip? Barely after we left?" Instantly, the boy seemed more alert, and he sat up straighter in his saddle. "Y-yes? Are you... were you serious?" The knight grinned his unique beardy smile, replying, "Yes, I was serious." He paused, as if sorting his thoughts, then continued. "If you'll excuse me, I must speak to the Princess." "I still do not understand." the Princess whined again. The old Nurse sitting next to her let out a heavy sigh. "Your highness, it really isn't that difficult of a concept to understand. Your father simply wishes you to attend the celebrating of this town's founding. It's an important day for them." "But I still do not see why I need to go." "Because, my child, the King wishes for you to act as an embassador to these people. They still have no loyalties to any neighboring kingdom, and your father felt you would be the best person to talk to their mayor." "The Mayor?" the Princess asked. "You have never mentioned to whom I would be speaking to before now. Tell me more about this 'mayor' person." "Well, he is a rather respected man." the nurse began, "well-liked, and considered to be a great public speaker. He's also thought to be one of the handsomest men in..." "I knew it!" the Princess interrupted. "This trip was yet another plan to get me to meet more 'eligible' bachelors!" The Nurse sighed again. "Your father only wishes for you..." "Enough about my father's wishes! I will marry only whom I say I will, when I say I will!" "The King is right, though," came a male voice to their left. Startled, both women turned to see the head Knight's bearded face out of the window, where he had left his leading position to come level with the carriage. "Pardon me?" said the Princess in an icy tone. "What I mean, M'lady, is that your father- no, any father, just wants what's best for his children. He also wants you to set an example to your younger sisters." "By doing what? Being ordered around like, like... a servant?" the Princess retorted, not noticing the offended look from her nurse. "No, but by being obedient to one's parents." The Princess made a not-very-lady-like grunt, then opened her mouth to speak, but the Knight cut her off, saying, "Actually, M'lady, I came back here to inform you that we will be passing the half-way marker in a few minutes." "Whatever are you telling me this for?" "Because, M'lady," the Knight stated, "It's a tollbooth." "A... a what?" the young women gasped. Her ever-informative Nurse clicked into her explaining mode. "A tollbooth is a small building, usually along the borders of different kingdoms, and one normally needs a fee in order too..." "No, no, no!" the Princess interrupted again. "What I meant was, why do I need to know? We surely don’t have to pay, do we? After all, I am royal..." This time, it was the Knight's turn to interrupt. "I'm afraid we do have to pay, this tollbooth is not run by our kingdom." For a minute, no one said anything. "And?" the Princess finally demanded. "Well, my knights and I were only asked to escort and protect you to your destination, M'lady, and we were wondering if... if you could..." "I think he's asking if you'll be kind enough to pay the toll, your highness." the Nurse remarked. Appalled, the Princess stared at her Nurse, then at the Knight. "You couldn't possibly... you aren’t really... I..." "Please, your highness," the Nurse begged, "I'm sure the mayor will justly compensate you. After all, he wouldn't want his guest of honor to feel unwelcome, would he?" "Compensate?" the Princess questioned. "The mayor is also known for his generosity. It is said that he sometimes gives so many gifts to his guests, they can't bring them all home." Looking down, the Princess did not see the Knight and her Nurse wink at each other. Reluctantly, the Princess finally reached into a small silk bag and pulled out a large golden coin with her dainty, gloved hand and placed it in the Knight's outstretched gauntlet. "I thank ye kindly, M'lady." he said, bowing his head slightly. "I hope, for your sake, that we do not have to pay on the return trip." and with that, the Princess snapped the window's shutter closed. "Hmph." the Knight snorted, "Royalty." Giving his horse a small kick, he galloped ahead to be alongside his squire again. "Well?" the boy asked. "What did she say?" Holding up the gold coin, the Knight laughed, "Got it right here!" Looking deflated, the boy reached into a pouch in his belt and pulled out several small, silver coins and gave them to the Knight. "I thought she'd know there wasn't a tollbooth along this road..." the boy mumbled. Grinning from ear to ear, the Knight pocketed the handful of coins. "Well, M'boy, that just goes to show how much you know about royalty."
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