Page 5 of Knight of Chaos
“Since you do not know me, then how can you claim I am unprepared to fight for the Empress?” she asked impatiently, tapping her foot upon the ground.
Amusement lit his face. “I will give you that. But until you prove your ability with a sword, I fear for your safety if you continue to travel alone. Enemies can and will hide everywhere whilst traveling upon the open roads.”
“Icantake care of myself,” she reaffirmed before continuing, “and you will not persuade me to give up my vow to defend the Empress’s right to the crown.”
Theobald nodded. “I can appreciate your enthusiasm for a cause I, too, believe in,” he responded, and her heart leaped at the idea that she had so easily won her argument. She was about to respond when the knight held up his hand. “However, such a vow does not mean you are capable of killing to stay alive, if the need arises, or that you have the strength to take on a warrior knight bent on ending your life. You must needs prove such to me.”
She gulped at the thought of actually pushing her sword into another human being. But this was what her father had trained her to do. She knew she was proficient from his teachings and could accomplish the deed if necessary. Her life may depend on it.
“Why I must needs prove anything to you is beyond me,” she murmured before continuing. “What do you propose?”
He clasped his hands behind his back. “You shall come with me. There is a market town called Basingstoke nearby. We will be making camp for the night, but I may be able to procure you a room at the local inn if one is available. Mayhap a hot meal can also be procured if we are lucky.” The fact that he seemed to be taking charge of where she would go and what she would do should have made her feel uneasy, but instead of being leery of this stranger, she felt relatively calm in his presence. She had no idea why since he was a completely unfamiliar to her.
“And then…?”
“Come the morn, you prove your worth to me with a small demonstration of your ability with your blade. If, as you say, you can handle your weapon to my satisfaction, you may ride with us.”
She lifted her chin. “And who made you my keeper to have a say on if I go to fight for the Empress or not?”
A chuckle left him. “You did when you did not conceal yourself properly from my eyes. If I can spot you so easily in the forest, then so can others. Most men would take advantage of a mere woman alone on her travels.”
Her guard came up again. “And you are not one of these men?”
“If I were, I would have already proven this to you by now. Instead of having this witty conversation, I would be silencing you with my kisses… among other things.” His smile was completely wicked, and her heart flipped in amazement as she began wondering how it would feel to have this man’s lips pressed against her own.Good heavens! Where had such a thought come from?
Still… she must needs be careful. “And do I have your word you shall remain a gentleman whilst I am in your care?”
“Aye, Mistress Ingrid. I shall remain on my best behavior.”
“A knights vow?”
“Aye,” he answered quickly. For whatever reason, she believed him.
She nodded hoping he would keep his word. “Then let us be on our way.”
His penetrating gaze swept the forest with a frown. “Dare I hope you have a horse tethered nearby?”
Her eyes widened. “Oh dear. I almost forgot about Valor. Aye! He is nearby.” She turned from him and began making her way deeper into the forest until they came to her steed tied to a tree.
Theobald came up to the horse, running his hands down his flanks and studying the animal as though also assessing its worth to carry her into battle. “He will do,” he finally said before cupping his hand to assist her in mounting the steed.
She came up to him, hesitating with the thoughts of actually placing her hands on his broad shoulders. “I can mount Valor myself.”
“Aye, I am certain you are most able, but a knight will always assist a lady when she is in his presence,” he stated as a matter of fact.
Since she had never encountered a knight before living in her little farming village, she could only assume this was a common courtesy among those of the nobility. Placing one hand on his shoulder, she placed her left foot into his cupped hands and she was easily lifted to swing her right leg over the saddle. Once seated, she held out her hands for the reins but an amused chuckle escaped him as he began leading Valor toward the road.
Once they reached the edge of the tree line, he swore. “My damn horse got loose and took off,” he fumed before bringing his fingers to his mouth and giving a shrill whistle. Tossing her the reins of her horse, he stepped into the middle of the dirt road looking both ways to see which direction his steed would return. The only thing he saw was dust left from his friends’ horses whilst they continued their journey. Their laughter echoed in the air as if they knew Theobald was horseless.
He continued watching both directions of the road. Finally, the black beast high stepped down the lane towards its master, sauntering along as though he had an agenda of his own making. Apparently, this was to rejoin the army since the steed came from the direction the men had been heading. He came to halt in front of Theobald before neighing and then proceeded to give him a gentle nudge that became more demanding when he did not receive what he wanted.
“You think to get a treat when you return after running off and rather than staying put where I left you, Buttercup?” Theobald demanded when he took hold of the reins dangling from the bridle. “You will be lucky if I feed you this eve, you ungrateful beast!”
Ingrid burst out laughing whilst Theobald tossed the reins over the horse’s head and vaulted into the saddle. “Buttercup?”
“Aye. I gave him a ridiculous name and certainly one not suited to him based on appearances alone. But rest assured, he deserves the indignity of it in recompense for his contrary spirit. This horse has the beauty of an angel and the soul of the very devil.”
“I sense a story here. Your horse is, indeed, very beautiful,” she said waiting for his reply.
