"How is Maria anyway?"
"She appears fine. She was talking to Geoffrey before we went on guard duty.
"Geoffrey has not been himself at all. He has been in a quiet and morose mood all day."
"I have heard that he may be relieved of his duties."
"Because of his outburst? That can not be so. He is one of the best archers we have."
"If he can prove himself, his dismissal may be reconsidered."
"Let's hope so."
The two knights walked on. The night went on. Eventually, the first streaks of daylight could be seen. A knight appeared as if from nowhere. He approached a knight on guard.
"Who goes there?"
"Do you not know who I am?"
The knight looked closely at this stranger. By the help of the approaching daylight, the knight could see the stranger's armor. It was made of solid gold. His eyes fell upon the handsome face of the stranger. Realizing who it was, the knight fell to his knees.
"Forgive me, Lord Bellerophon, for not recognizing you."
"Arise," said Bellerophon, gently. "Bring me to King Alexander."

Earlier that evening, an hour before the sun had completely disappeared from view, Maria awakened from a deep sleep. She looked around and noticed where she was. She vaguely remembered Bellerophon talking to the group of concerned knights and also being carried back to the camp.
Maria continued to lay down, trying to remember her dreams. She could not recall them, but had a feeling some were about Geoffrey.
"Maria? Are you awake?"
"Yes, I just woke up."
"I am pulling guard duty tonight. Will you sit with me? I need someone to talk to so I can stay awake."
"Yes, I will come. I slept enough. I do not feel tired now."
She got up and followed Geoffrey.
"We are going to be in the woods. If anything happens or if I tell you to run, go as fast as you can back to the other knights."
Finally, they reached the woodline. They walked a few meters in.
"This looks like a good place," Geoffrey said, throwing down a couple of wool blankets against the tree. "We may not need these now because it is warm. Yet, it may get chilly later tonight."
Maria sat down with her back against the tree. Geoffrey sat down next to her.
"Maria, what you did for me today was the most courageous and unselfish acts I ever saw. However, never do that again for me."
Maria faced Geoffrey. "What do you mean?"
"Maria, I thought I had lost you today. I felt empty when I saw what Melisande did to you. I just can not think of what to say. It is just I did not deserve it because of the way I treated you. This is hard for me to say because I am confused about my thoughts. Geoffrey reached out his hand and caressed her face. "What I am trying to say Maria is that I love you."

 

Hey I think I am over halfway done with this book!
***********************
Idres looked up, hearing something. He got up and looked towards the forest, eyes searching, sword half drawn.
"What is wrong here?"
Idres turned around. It was James, a fellow Red Knight, who was a few years younger than him.
Idres disliked James for several reasons. Like Scott, James had to decide between a painful death or becoming a Red Knight. Even though he was excellent on the battlefield, Idres was afraid that James would become a traitor. He would kill him whenever he saw any signs of desertion.
"I heard something." There was another sound. "Do not attack before you know who or what is out there."
A few moments later a woman and knight in gray armor came into view.
"Put away your swords, Knights!" shouted the woman. "I come in peace. My knights and I can join yours and help destroy the Knights of King Alexander and King Christoph. You know me. I am Melisande."
"Yes," Idres said. "I know about you. You once was the leader of my knights many a night ago. Welcome back my Goddess. We have waited for your reunition."
"I lost hope years after my separation from the Red Knights. I was getting nowhere. Therefore, I created the Death Bearers. This is Grimson. He is their leader. The reason why I am here is to give you information of the Knights of Kings Alexander and Christoph. I have the power to foresee what their plans are."
"This is interesting. Come. Let us talk in private."
"I must give you a word of warning. You better not try to kill me. I could destroy the Red Knights just as easily as I created them."
"You need not fear that. Anyone who is an enemy of those knights, is a friend of mine. Also, I know about you Melisande. I would not dare to think of killing you. I do not think there is any way of killing you, is there?"
"No. There is nothing that can kill me," answered Melisande. Then she added to herself, "No way, except one."
By this time Melisande, Gimson and Idres were out of earshot. James refused to go with them. He looked at Idres. Hatred flashed in his eyes.
"Damn him," he muttered under his breath. "I wish he was dead. I would be very pleased to kill him."

The knights walked in the shadows of approaching darkness. They were two of the several knights pulling guard duty. They walked around the perimeter of the camp, ready to rush to the aid of the Kingbane if any enemy should chance to appear. To keep preoccupied from thought of time, they talked about different things that happened that day.
"Maria had a close call today."
"I know what you mean," said the second knight. "Bellerophon knew that she displayed great bravery. He gave her a second chance to live."
"Hopefully she has learned never to tangle with Melisande again. There is nothing to stop that sorceress."

 

I just finished Chapter Nine on the White Knight. It was only a few paragraphs. Then I polished it up. I just got Microsoft Office installed on my computer, so I am taking advantage of the Word Program. While writing.com has a spell check, it doesn't have a feature where you can chesk the grammar. Plus now I have a more accurate word count. I am not sure how good the word counter is one writing.com. Plus in the word program I can add words to the dictionary.

Now since I found out the writing.com keeps my word formatting, and I am very glad of this, most of my entries will be single spaced with indentures for the paragraphs. From now on I will not be leaving spaces between paragraphs. Unless if I am on a different computer that doesn't have the word program, then I will have to use my notepad. But for final editing, I will get it converted to word. I probably will not go back to earlier postings to fix it. I do have The White Knight as a book. So this one will be more comlete.

I have nine chapters done and anticipate 15 in all. So I am thinking that sometime in August it will be all completed. So far I did good with the missing pages, now all I have to worry about are the last three chapters which is about 30 double spaced pages. I know what I am going to write about and have already started, but I am stuck on The Final Battle. The beginning and ending are done, but the middle is frustrating since I do not know how to handle it. But it will come together in time.


Chapter Nine
Death and Rebirth

Most of the White Knights rushed into the forest to see what the cause of the ado was. There they encountered Black Knights. On a horses' back a Red Knight was bound and slung across.
"Hold it," said Sir Peter. "Where are you taking this knight?"
"Are you Sir Peter?"
"Yes I am."
"We have the hopes of joining your forces so we can fight the true enemy. For too long we have been fighting each other without any good reason. We need to put our differences aside and become allies. We knew the White Knights would be at the Plains of Musglove. However, we need to deal with this knight. He is guilty of murdering innocent people. We are going to hang him and let the ravens eat his evil rotting flesh.
"He is guilty of murdering my brother Guiles. We had a battle with the Red Knights. Giles was wounded and, before he had a chance to escape, many of the Red Knights surrounded him. He pleaded for his life, but the enemy still killed him. While that are many of the enemy, and killing one will not do justice, it will be one less Red Knight we have to worry about."
"Before you kill this knight, let him talk. He is still a lad and should have a fair trial."
The Red Knight was taken from his horse and unbound. Several knights held their swords at the ready in case he should try anything.
"My name is Scott. Around a year ago my parents and I were about to eat dinner. Then all of a sudden several Red Knights rushed into our small house. They killed my parents and chased me for a distance before catching me.
"When the Red Knights finally caught me, they threatened to kill me if I did not choose to become a Red Knight. I chose to join them because I did not want to die. This shows how much a coward I was then. Well, the Red Knights trained me--teaching me their murderous ways--and made me into a knight. I never wanted to fight or kill. When we fought in battles, I defended myself when I had to. I did not kill anyone intentionally.
"Finally, I had a chance to escape. During this battle, I had in the forest. However, my freedom was short-lived. I was recaptured by the knights of King Christoph. Now I am going to my death."
"No," spoke up the accusing Black Knight. "No, Scott, you shall not die. I was harsh in my judgment. It was not your fault that Giles was killed. Because you were forced to be a Red Knight, you life shall be spared."
"How old are you, Scott?" Sir Peter asked.
"I have lived fifteen years."
"Fifteen! You have not reached manhood yet and the Red Knights forced you to be one of them!"
"Yes. However, I would not mind being a knight for you. I have always wanted to be a knight. I would have a land to fight and die for."
"But I thought you had objections to being a knight."
"I did not want to fight anybody with the techniques that the Red Knights had taught me."
"You shall become a knight. The Black Knights are few in number, so you will become one of them. You need more training for improvement. Also we have to help you get rid of these habits the Red Knights taught you."
The knights headed back to the camp.
Unknown to the knights, a single Red Knight viewed what went one and started to follow them. However, he turned back, for he knew it was foolish for one knight to fight many. Therefore, he rode away to tell the other Red Knights what he had seen.

It took only a few minutes for the Red Knight to locate the rest of his comrades. They were gathered in a group talking about the day's battle. He rode up to Idres and told him what he had seen.
"Well," remarked Idres, "I guess we will have to teach those knights a lesson. We shall battle them with full force. Also, that traitor shall die for deserting."
"When will we battle with them again?"
"We shall wait awhile before we do so. Let them believe that we no longer exist. Then we shall hunt them down and bring them to extinction."
"When they are gone, what happens? Do we live in this land?"
"No. We go to the other lands. We are going to destroy each one Rem created. Our world will be the dominant one. No others will exist. Yet, the job will be easier if we find those knights who helped us in the battle. Then for sure the Knights of King Christoph and King Alexander will be at our mercy."

King Alexander listened to Scott's story with disapproval.
"The Red Knights," he remarked, "are threatening the lives of many people. We must do something to protect many innocent people from dying. While it is true we need as many knights as possible, I do not think it is wise to train this knight. He is from the enemy."
"If you please, Sir, I shall be a worthy knight. If you are not happy with me, I shall depart from here and bother you no more."
"I will take responsibility," Sir Michael said. King Alexander, he proves to be traitorous, you can do with me what you please.
"It is agrees," said King Alexander, with a sigh, "you shall receive training. You will join Sir Michael's team of Black Knights."
"Thank you, Sir. I am sure that you will be proud of me."
The knights talked on. Maria, still hurting from her wounds, walked away. She noticed something at the forest's edge. It was the centaur. As she approached it, the centaur made no movement as to run away. Maria noticed that he had sad eyes.
This creature looked at Maria with liquid blue eyes. When she was close to him, the centaur spoke softly. "Why is it that I can frighten a whole army of knights and yet a young damsel such as you can walk up to me unnerved?"
"I do not believe you to be evil. I can sense goodness in you."
"Do you trust me?"
"Of course I do. You saved my life today."
"In a way I did save your life. I did not want you to get hurt. You must get back to your comrades now. If they see me, they will kill me."
"Why would they kill you?"
"The next time we meet, I shall tell you more. Before you leave, look behind the sequoia over there."
The creature then disappeared off into the forest. Maria walked to the tree that was mentioned and looked behind it. On the ground there was a single Conchiva leaf.

By the time Maria got back to the Knight's camp, her wounds were healed. Things were quiet again. The dead knights and horses were gone, buries in the forest-waiting to be judged by Bellerophon. The wounded were healed.
Maria sat down in the shade of the tree. She needed to recover from the heat of the day. She stared at a crumpled daisy. It was crushed during the battle. To her it seemed the peaceful things always died.
She continued to stare at the flower. She felt weariness catch her body. Her eyelids grew heavy. She fell asleep, with dreams coming to her, too fuzzy to be remembered. Some hours later she woke up. The son had been gone for some time.
Maria stood up and walked about. There were no knights to be seen.
"They deserted me!" Maria thought angrily to herself.
She walked on. Suddenly the ground shook. Maria was flung down. The air became heavy. She couldn't breathe; it was like drowning. Laughter echoed throughout the Plains of Musglove. It started as a low rumbling, like thunder, and then increased to a high screaming. Unable to stand it any longer, Maria brought her palms up to her ears to block out the sound. A vision came to her mind. It was a face that was familiar-Geoffrey's.
"Geoffrey is in trouble," Maria thought to herself. The thought kept running through her mind.
"Geoffrey is in trouble!"
"Geoffrey is in trouble!'
"Geoffrey is in trouble!"

Maria woke with a start.
"Thank goodness. It was only a dream."
She looked up and saw Shariene coming towards her.
"Shariene, my little friend!"
"I am happy to see that you are alive. The battle was terrible. Too many of us were killed today."
"Shariene, this is a very dangerous place to be now. I think it should be best for you to get away from here before you get killed. Remember that Death Bearer may try to kill you again."
"I know, but I have a feeling that I will be safer here than by being alone in the forest. Also, I can help out by spying on the Red Knights and Death Bearers.
"In that case, you can keep an eye out for Geoffrey. He was wounded in the battle and has not been seen since. He is not listed among the killed or the survivors. I have a bad feeling that he is in trouble.
Maria looked around. "Where is everybody? This place seems so deserted."
"The knights are doing their best to forget about today's battle. Most of them are down by the lake, swimming. I am hot. I think that is where I will go now."
"Then, I will go with you."
As Maria and Shariene walked towards the lake, the birds and butterflies flew about, bees hummed as they sucked up honey from the many flowers.
In a few minutes they reached the lake. Many of the knights were swimming, not ashamed of their naked bodies. Shariene jumped into the lake like a playful cat.
The centaur appeared from the trees. "Child, come here."
Maria walked up to him. None of the other knights appeared to notice.
"Hello child."
"I told you the last time we met that I would tell you more about myself. Well, my name is Blackadar. I have been living in Utofamia for a long time; I have lost count of the many years that I have been here.
"The reason why the Red Knights ran when they saw me was because they thought I was Bellerophon. If they find out that I am not he, but a mortal creature, they will try to kill me.
"Many people in Utofamia think I am evil. I think Melisande’s powers convinced the people that I am. All the other centaurs have been killed off. Even the Knights of Kings Christoph and Alexander think I am a loyal servant of Melisande. But I hate her. Whenever they see me, they try to kill me.
"I must leave quickly. If the knights see me they will try to kill me. Who knows what may happen to you if they see you talking to me. I shall be near you and try to help you when you are in need. Maybe there will come a day when I can be trusted by people again."

Two horses moved up the forest road. The body of one lone knight was slung across the back of one horse. Riding the other horse was the leader of the Death Bearers.
The knight's name was Grimson. Some years before, he was killed in a great battle. He was a brave and noble knight. After he had been killed, his life was restored. Melisande had brought his back to life. However, he was deformed in shape and face. Also, he was many times stronger. Grimson never remembered his old life. All he wanted to do now was watch blood flow from the other knights' wounds.
The two horses rode towards a person standing in the middle of the road. The person was a woman with long blond hair that ran down her back in ringlets. Her gray colored eyes had evil in them. She was Melisande, the sorceress. Even though she had been in Utofamia for a long time, Melisande looked only a few years older than Maria.
"Who is that knight?" inquired Melisande.
"He is one of King Alexander's Kingsbane, wounded in battle."
"We can use him to help capture the King."
"And what if he does not cooperate?"
"Then he shall die a painful death."

Maria returned to the camp. Already Blackadar had been spotted by the knights. She went up to Sir Peter to find if anything had happened to him.
"What was it that you saw in the forest?"
"It was one of those creatures called centaurs. If you want to know what one looks like, it is a beast that looks like a horse on the bottom and a man on top."

"I already saw him. He saved me from some Red Knights."
"Stay away from him. He is a spy for Melisande. He will try to capture you and take you to her."
Maria decided not to argue. "Are there any of these creatures here in Utofamia?"
"No. This is the only one. The rest of them have been killed a long time ago. This one refuses to die."
"Why do you want them dead? They are good creatures. I remember reading about them in this world's history. They helped Utofamia a great deal."
"No. That was a long time ago. They became servants of Melisande and turned evil. Do not go near him; he will bring misery onto you. You would become Melisande's slave. Then Utofamia will be doomed."
Maria left Sir Peter. She had to get away from there and try to warn the centaur. She wanted to tell him not to watch out for her, he should be more concerned with his own life. She was angry because the knights were trying to kill the centaur for no apparent reason.
A sound from behind Maria brought out of her thoughts. She turned around.
"Why Shariene, you look terribly excited. Tell me what is happening."
"I just saw Geoffrey!"
"Where is he? Is he in any danger?"
"He is a mile down the forest road. And yes! Geoffrey is in big trouble! He is a prisoner of the leader of the Death Bearers and Melisande, curse her name."
"He must be helped immediately."
"There is no help for him now, only hope."
"Yes, there will be help. I have to help him, or try."
Maria quickly made sure that her chain mail was free from breaks. Then she got her weapons and shield and headed towards Chilowna. Shariene started to follow her.
"Shariene, you stay here. It is too dangerous."
"If it is too dangerous, then why are you going?"
"I must do what needs to be done to help Geoffrey."
She got on her horse and started riding towards the forest at a fast pace, leaving Shariene sitting on the ground.
Thoughts went though her head. "When I find Geoffrey, how I am going to help him? I cannot tangle with Melisande. She is too powerful. Maybe I should turn back. There is not much hope for Geoffrey. No! I am not turning back. I care too much for him to do that."
A few minutes later she saw Geoffrey. Grimson and Melisande were too busy tormenting him that they did not notice Maria get off her horse and steal quietly into the tree line.
Melisande had the Kingsbane down on his knees.
"You realize that you have no chance for life if you do not obey me?"
"I am not a traitor! I am a loyal servant of King Alexander! I have face death many times before, I am not afraid."
"I gave you your chance," Melisande said sourly. She turned to Grimson, "Kill him."
Grimson unsheathed his sword. Then he roughly pushed Geoffrey's head down, so that his bare neck laid victim to the cutting edge.
Maria knew that Geoffrey would die if he did not receive any help. She picked up a large stone and threw it behind Melisande and Grimson. They turned at the sound, forgetting about the deliverance of the death blow.
When they saw nothing, Melisande turned towards the direction where Maria was and, with her keen eyes, saw the knight standing among the trees. She pointed.
"Get that knight!" she screamed.
"What about this one?"
"Forget about him. He will not get too far with those wounds. We will tend to him later."
Maria knew that she had been spotted. She dodged through the trees. She needed a chance for Grimson to get close enough so that she could have a chance in wounding or killing him.
Maria hid within a grove of pines and waited until Grimson was a few feet away. She quickly rushed at him. However, Grimson saw her and spun around, meeting his sword with hers. The next few minutes were a fierce battle between the two knights.
"Yield," said Grimson, "and your life shall be spared."
"If I plea for my life, you will enslave me. I refuse to yield."
Melisande had been watching the battle. She flung her hands at the fighting duo. Power shot from her fingers. Maria felt as if she was struck by lightening. She fell to the ground losing her sword. Grimson jumped on Maria. Because of his weight and strength, he managed to bring the smaller knight to the ground.
Melisande walked up to the knights. Grimson had a strong hold on Maria that it was difficult to breathe. Grimson roughly pulled her up and dragged her back to Melisande. The sorceress lifted Maria's helmet from her head.
"Ha! This is a rarity! A girl knight! Your life will be truly spared if you promise me a few things."
"What promises?"
"I want you to bring us to King Alexander so we can capture him."
"Do not do it, Maria," Geoffrey said, trying to stand up.
"I would rather be dead than be a traitor to my comrades!"
"Then you must die," Melisande said in a too calm voice.
"Then so be it."
Grimson started to laugh. "Melisande, I know of a good death for her." He whispered something to the sorceress, unheard by Maria's ears.
"That is a good idea."
Melisande bound Maria's wrists strongly with a rope.
"No!" Geoffrey yelled, jumping up from the ground. "It is me you want! Melisande, she is only a girl!"
Grimson walked up to Geoffrey and swung his sword so that the flat side of the blade struck his head. He fell to the ground senseless. Grimson straddled the body and clasped the hilt of the sword, ready to thrust downwards.
"Grimson!" Melisande yelled. "Leave him! I believe you have killed him."
Maria stared at Geoffrey's body, tears running down her eyes. Then she caught a slight movement of his hand. If they did not notice, he may have a chance.
Suddenly, Maria found herself being swung her across the back of one of the horses. Then she was led away. After a half mile, they came to the shore of a lake.
"I am going to give you a second and final chance. Do you want to fulfill my wishes?"
"As I said before, I would rather be dead than to be a traitor."
Maria was taken off the back of the horse and thrown into the depths of the lake.
"What shall we do with the sword and the helmet?"
"Just leave them on the shore. Many people will see them and symbolize them as a warning. Let's get back to the rest of the knights."
They rode away from the lake.
Maria in the meantime had been struggling to get her wrists untied. The ropes were just too strong. One of the last things she saw was a small lion diving down to get her.
A few moments later, peacefulness came over her. Her body relaxed, net feeling the pain she expected from the lack of air. Darkness appeared to settle in...

Shariene raced through the trees. He knew that he had to get help. He should have alerted the knights when Maria rode off to help Geoffrey. Yet, he had followed her. He soon got to the knights.
"Sir Peter! King Alexander!" He quickly explained what had happened. "I tried to help her! But I failed!"
Quickly, several of the knights were on horses and were riding in the direction of the lake. When they reached the lake, the knights saw the centaur carrying a limp body of a knight out of the water.
The knights drew their swords and rushed at the centaur, who had laid the body on the ground. It rushed off.
"Halt," said Sir Peter. "It is not worth losing any more knights. The centaur would have led us straight to Melisande."
"It is a good thing we got here in time. Maria's body would have been taken to Melisande and been made into one of those Death Bearers."
Sir Peter walked up to Maria and cut the rope that bound her hands.
"It is a shame that she had to go like this."
"Sir," said a voice from behind them. It was Geoffrey, struggling to stay standing with his wounds. "I have been a prisoner of Melisande and the Death Bearer, curse them both, ever since I was wounded. They had been trying to make me a traitor, to tell them how they could capture you. Since I refused to cooperate, they tried to kill me. Maria tried to help me, but was caught. I tried to help, but was badly wounded. I saw them riding towards the lake with Maria across the backs of one of the horses. Knowing what their intentions were, I followed as best as I could. I just arrived here." Geoffrey walked over to Maria. When he was her lying still on the ground, he knelt down. He ran his hand through her wet hair and began crying. This was shocking to many knights, because Geoffrey was a man who rarely expressed any emotion. Weeping, he said, "Maria, when I recover from my wounds, I shall avenge you."
"Geoffrey, you are not the only one who is going to avenge Maria," said Michael. "Her life cannot be restored. However, we can fight the enemy and kill as many as we can."
A small sparrow started flying above the knights, singing cheerfully.
"Damn!" said Geoffrey. "How can that bird be so happy? There is nothing to be cheerful about now that brave Maria is dead."
"Wrong," said the sparrow, settling down on a branch. "Brave Maria lives on."
"Who are you to know this?"
"I am Bellerophon, you ruler."
"A small bird like you, a powerful leader?"
"Remember I can take any form I want. Behold!" The sparrow disappeared and a hawk took its place.
Geoffrey fell to his knees. "It is indeed you," he said bowing to the ground. "Forgive me."
"Arise, brave Geoffrey. You are forgiven. You wounds will heal. As for the girl, she gave up her life in order to save you. She has done a very brave act. Her life will be restored. Look at her know. She is sleeping. She will wake up shortly."
"Will she remember what had happened to her?"
"She will remember. However, she will not be upset. She felt no pain. Melisande will surely have a surprise when she meets Maria again."
"I owe Maria my life. When she is ever in trouble, I shall be there to help her."
"Go back. I will be there soon. We will discuss strategies of any future battles."
Bellerophon flew off. The knights went to Maria and put her across the back of one of the horses. Then they rode off back to the camp. They did not notice the centaur following them along the edge of the forest.

 

Grimson walked up to Geoffrey and swung his sword so that the flat side of the blade struck his head. He fell to the ground senseless. Grimson straddled the body and clasped the hilt of the sword, ready to thrust downwards.
"Grimson!" Melisande yelled. "Leave him! I believe you have killed him."
Maria stared at Geoffrey's body, tears running down her eyes. Then she caught a slight movement of his hand. If they did not notice, he may have a chance.
Suddenly, Maria found herself beling swung her across the back of one of the horses. Then she was led away. After a half mile, they came to the shore of a lake.
"I am going to give you a second and final chance. Do you want to fulfill my wishes?"
"As I said before, I would rather be dead than to be a traitor."
Maria was taken off the back of the horse and thrown into the depths of the lake.
"What shall we do with the sword and the helmet?"
"Just leave them on the shore. Many people will see them and symbolize them as a warning. Let's get back to the rest of the knights."
They rode away from the lake.
Maria in the meantime had been struggling to get her wrists untid. The ropes were just too strong. One of the last things she saw was a small lion diving down to get her.
A few moments later, a peacefulness came over her. Her body relaxed, net feeling the pain she expected from the lack of air. Darkness appeared to settle in...

Shariene raced through the trees. He knew that he had to get help. He should have alerted the knights when Maria rode off to help Geoffrey. Yet, he had followed her/ He soon got to the knights.
"Sir Peter! King Alexander!" He quickly explained what had happened. "I tried to help her! But I failed!"
Quickly, several of the knights were on horses and were riding in the direction of the lake. When they reached the lake, the knights saw the centaur carrying a limp body of a knight out of the water.
The knights drew their swords and rushed at the centaur, who had laid the body on the ground. It rushed off.
"Halt," said Sir Peter. "It is not worth losing any more knights. The centaur would have led us straight to Melisande."
"It is a good thing we got here in time. Maria's body would have been taken to Melisande and been made into one of those Death Bearers."
Sir Peter walked up to Maria and cut the rope that bound her hands.
"It is a shame that she had to go like this."
"Sir," said a voice from behind them. It was Geoffrey, struggling to stay standing with his wounds. "I have been a prisoner of Melisande and the Death Bearer curse them both, ever since I was wounded. They had been trying to make me a traitor, to tell them how they could capture you. Since I refused to cooperate, they tried to kill me. Maria tried to help me, but was caught. I tried to help, but was badly wounded. I saw them riding towards the lake with Maria across the backs of one of the horses. Knowing what their intentions were, I followed as best as I could. I just arrived here." Geoffrey walked over to Maria. When he was her lying still on the ground, he knelt down. He ran his hand through her wet hair and began crying. This was shocking to many knights, because Geoffrey was a man who rarely expressed any emotion. Weeping, he said, "Maria, when I recover from my wounds, I shall avenge you."

 

A few minutes later she saw Geoffrey. Grimson and Melisande were too busy tormenting him that they did not notice Maria get off her horse and steal quietly into the treeline.

Melisande had the Kingsbane down on his knees.

"You realize that you have no chance for life if you do not obey me?"

"I am not a traitor! I am a loyal servant of King Alexander! I have face death many times before, I am not afraid."

"I gave you your chance," Melisande said sourly. She turned to Grimson, "Kill him."

Grimson unsheathed his sword. Then he roughly pushed Geoffrey's head down, so that his bare nack lay victim to the cutting edge.

Maria knew that Geoffrey would die if he did not receive any help. She picked up a large stone and threw it behind Melisande and Grimson. They turned at the sound, forgetting about the deliverance of the death blow.

When they saw nothing, Melisande turned towards the direction where Maria was and, with her keen eyes, saw the knight standing among the trees. she pointed.

"Get that knight!" she screamed.

"What about this one?"

"Forget about him. He will not get too far with those wounds. We will tend to him later."

Maria knew that she had been spotted. She dodged through the trees. She needed a chance for Grimson to get close enough so that she could have a chance in wounding or killing him.

Maria hid within a grove a pines and waited until Grimson was a few feet away. She quickly rushed at him. However, Grimson saw her and spun around, meeting his sword with hers. The next few minutes was a fierce battle between the two knights.

"Yield," said Grimson, "and your life shall be spared."

"If I plea for my life, you will enslave me. I refuse to yield."

Melisande had been watching the battle. She flung her hands at the fighting duo. ower shot from her fingers. Maria felt as if she was struck by lightening. She fell to the ground losing her sword. Grimson jumped on Maria. Because of his weight and strength, he managed to bring the smaller knight to the ground.

Melisande walked up to the knights. Grimson had a strong hold on Maria that it was difficult to breathe. Grimson roughly pulled her up and dragged her back to Melisande. The sorceress lifted Maria's helmet from her head.

"Ha! This is a rarity! A girl knight! Your life will be truly spared if you promise me a few things."

"What promises?"

"I want you to bring us to King Alexander so we can capture him."

"Do not do it, Maria," Geoffrey said, trying to stand up.

"I would rather be dead than be a traitor to my comrades!"

"Then you must die," Melisande said in a too calm voice.

"Then so be it."

Grimson started to laugh. "Melisande, I know of a good death for her." He whispered something to the sorceres, unheard by Maria's ears.

"That is a good idea."

Melisande bound Maria's wrists strongly with a rope.

"No!" Geoffrey yelled, jumping up from the ground. "It is me you want! Melisande, she is only a girl!"

 

***************************

Maria returned to the camp. Already Blackadar had been spotted by the knights. She went up to Sir Peter to find if anything had happened to him.


"What was it that you saw in the forest?"


"It was one of those creatures called cantaurs. If you want to know what one looks like, it is a beast that looks like a horse on the bottom and a man on top."


"I already saw him. He saved me from some Red Knights."


"Stay away from him. He is a spy for Melisande. He will try to capture youe and take you to her."


Maria decided not to argue. "Are there any of these creatures here in Utofamia?"


"No. This is the only one. The rest of them have been killed a long time ago. This one refuses to die."


"Why do you want them dead. They are good creatures. I remember reading about them in this world's history. They helped Utofamia a great deal."


"No. That was a long time ago. They became servants of Melisande and turned evil. Do not go near him; he will bring misery onto you. You would become Melisande's slave. Then Utofamia will be doomed."


Maria left Sir Peter. She had to get away from there and try to warn the centaur. She wanted to tell him not to watch out for her, he should be more concerned with his own life. She was angry because the knights were trying to kill the centaur for no apparent reason.


A sound from behind brought Maria out of her thoughts. HShe turned around.


"Why Shariene! You look terribly excited. Tell me what is happening."


"I just saw Geoffrey!"


"Where is he? Is he in any danger?"


"He is a mile down the forest road. And yes! Geoffrey is in big trouble! He is a prisoner of the leader of the Death Bearers and Melisande, curse her name."


"He must be helped immediately."


"There is no help for him now, only hope."


"Yes, there will be help. I have to help him, or try."


Maria quickly made sure that her chain mail was free from breaks. Then she got her weapons and shield and headed towards Chilowna. Shariene started to follow her.


"Shariene, you stay here. It is too dangerous."


"If it is too dangerous, then why are you going?"


"I must do what needs to be done to help Geoffrey."


She got on her horse and started riding towards the forest at a fast pace, leavign Shariene sitting on the ground.


Thoughts went though her head. "Wehn I find Geoffrey, how I am going to help him? I cannot tangle with Melisande. She is too powerful. Maybe I should turn back. There is not much hope for Geoffrey. No! I am not turning back. I care too much for him to do that."


 

Maria woke with a start.


"Thank goodness. It was only a dream."


She looked up and saw Shariene coming towards her.


"Shariene! My little friend!"


"I am happy to see that you are alive. The battle was terrible. Too many of us were killed today."


"Shariene, this is a very dangerous place to be now. I think it should be best for you to get away from here before you get killed. Remember that Death Bearer may try to kill you again."


"I know, but I have a feeling that I will be safer here than by being alone in the forest. Also, I can help out by spying on the Red Knights and Death Bearers.


"In that case, you can keep an eye out for Geoffrey. He was wounded in the battle and has not been seen since. He is not listed among the killed or the survivors. I have a bad feeling that he is in trouble.


Maria looked around. "Where is everybody? This place seems so deserted."


"The knights are doing their best to forget about today's battle. Most of them are down by the lake, swimming. I am hot. I think that is where I will go now."


"Then, I will go with you."


"As Maria and Shariene walked towards the lake, the birds and butterfies flew about, bees hummed as they sucked up honey from the many flowers.


In a few minutes they reached the lake. Many of the knights were swimming, not ashamed of their naked bodies. Shariene jumped into the lake like a playful cat.


The centaur appeared from the trees. "Child, come here."


maria walked up to him. None of the other knights appeared to notice.


"Hello child."


"I told you the last time we met that I would tell you more about myself. Well, my name is Blackadar. I have been living in Utofamia for a long time; I have lost count of the many years that I have been here.


"The reason why the Red Knights ran when they saw me was because they thought I was Bellerophon. If they find out that I am not he, but a mortal creature, they will try to kill me.


"Many people in Utofamia think I am evil. Even the Knights of Kings Christoph and Alexander think I am a loyal servant of Melisande. But I hate her. Whenever they see me, they try to kill me.


"I must leave quickly. If the knights see me they will try to kill me. Who knows what may happen to you if they see you talking to me. I shall be near you and try to help you when you are in need. Maybe there will come a day when I can be trusted by people again."
******************************

Two horses moved up the forest road. The body of one kne knight was slung acrosee the back of one horse. Riding the other horse was the leader of the Death Bearers.


The knight's name was Grimson. Some years before, he was killed in a great battle. He was a brave and nobel knight. After he had been killed, his life was restored. Melisande had brought his back to life. However, he was deformed in shape and face. Also, he was many times stronger. Grimson never remembered his old life. All he wanted to do now was watch blood flow from the other knights' wounds.


The two horses rode towards a person standing in the middle of the road. The person was a woman with long blond hair that ran down her back in ringlettes. Her gray coloured eyes had evil in them. She was Melisande, the sorceress. Even though she had been in Utofamia for a long time, Melisande looked only a few years older than Maria.


"Who is that knight?" inquired Melisande.


"He is one of King Alexander's Kingsbane, wounded in battle."


"We can use him to help capture the King."


"If he does not cooperate?"


"Then he shall die a painful death."


 

This creature looked at Maria with liquid blue eyes. When she was close to him, the centaur spoke softly. "Why is it that I can frighten a whole army of knights and yet a young damsel like you can walk up to me unnerved?"


"I do not believe you to be evil. I can sense goodness in you."


"Do you trust me?"


"Of course I do. You saved my life today."


"In a way I did save your life. I did not want you to get hurt. You must get back to your comrades now. If they see me, they will kill me."


"Why would they kill you?"


"The next time we meet, I shall tell you more. Before you leave, look behind the sequoia over there."


The creature then disappeared off into the forest. Maria walked to the tree that was mentioned and looked behind it. On the ground there was a single conchiva leaf.


By the time Maria got back to the Knight's camp, her wounds were healed. Things were quiet again. THe dead knights and horses were gone, buries in the forest-waiting to be judged by Bellerophon. The wounded were healed.


Maria sat down in the shade of the tree. She needed to recover from the heat of the day. She stared at a crumpled daisy. It was crushed during the battle. To her it seemed the peaceful things always died.


She continued to stare at the flower. She felt weariness catch her body. Her eyelids grew heavy. She fell asleep, dreams coming to her, too fuzzy to be remembered. Some hours later she woke up. The son had been gone for some time.


Maria stood up and walked about. There were no knights to be seen.


"They deserted me!" Maria thought angrily to herself.


She walked on. Suddenly the ground shook. Maria was flung down. The air became heavy. She couldn't breathe; it was like drowning. Laughter echoed throughout the Plains of Musglove. It started as a low rumbling, like thunder, and then increased to a high screaming. Unable to stand it any longer, Maria brought her palms up to her ears to block out the sound. A vision came to her mind. It was a face that was familiar-Jeffrey's.


"Geoffrey is in trouble," Maria thought to herself. THe thought kept running through her mind.


"Geoffrey is in trouble!"


"Geoffey is in trouble!'


"Geoffrey is in throuble!"

 

"But I thought you had objections to being a knight."

"I did not want to fight anybody with the techniques that the Red Knights had taught me."

"You shall become a knight. The Black Knights are few in number, so you will become one of them. You need more training for improvement. Also we have to help you get rid of these habits the Red Knights taught you."

The knights headed back to the camp.

Unknown to the knights, a single Red Knight viewed what went one and started to follow them. However, he turned back, for he knew it was foolish for one knight to fight many. Therefore, he rode away to tell the other Red Knights what he had seen.

It took only a few minutes for the Red Knight to locate the rest of his comrades. They were gathered in a group talking about the day's battle. he rode up to Idres and told him what he had seen.

"Well," remarked Idres, "I guess we will have to teach those knights a lesson. We shall battle them with full force. Also, that traitor shall die for deserting."

"When will we battle with them again?"

"We shall wait awhile before we do so. Let them believe that we no longer exist. Then we shall hunt them down and bring them to extinction."

"When they are gone, what happens? Do we live in this land?"

"No. We go to the other lands. We are going to destroy each one Rem created. Our world will be the dominant one. No others will exist. Yet, the job will be easier if we find those knights who helped us in the battle. Then for sure the Knights of King Christoph and King Alexander will be at our mercy."
**********
King Alexander listened to Scott's story with disapproval.

"The Red Knights," he remarked, "are threatening the lives of many people. We must do something to protect many innocent people from dying. While it is true we need as many knights as possible, I do not think it is wise to train this knight. He is from the enemy."

"If you please, Sir. I shall be a worthy knight. If you are not happy with me, I shall depart from here and bother you no more."

"I will take responsibility," Sir Michael said. King Alexander, he he proves to be traitorous, you can do with me what you please.

"It is agrees," said King Alexander, with a sigh, "you shall receive training. You will join Sir Michael's team of Black Knights."

"Thank you, Sir. I am sure that you will be proud of me."

The knights talked on. Maria, still hurting from her wounds, walked away. She noticed something at the forest's edge. It was the centaur. As she approached it, the centaur made no movement as to run away. Maria noticed that he had sad eyes.
 

Most of the White Knights rushed into the forest to see what was the cause of the ado. There they encountered Black Knights. On a horses' back a Red Knight was bound and slung across.
"Hold it," said Sir Peter. "Where are you taking this knight?"
"Are you Sir Peter?"
"Yes I am."
"We have the hopes of joining your forces so we can fight the true enemy. Fot too long we have been fighting each other without any good reason. We need to put our differences aside and become allies. We knew the White Knights would be at the Plains of Musglove. However, we need to deal with this knight. He is guilty of murdering innocent people. We are going to hang him and let the ravens eat his evil rotting flesh.
"He is guilty of murdering my brother Guiles. We had a battle with the Red Knights. Giles was wounded and, before he had a chance to escape, many of the Red Knights surrounded him. He pleaded for his life, but the enemy still killed him. While that are many of the enemy, and killing one will not do justice, it will be one less Red Knight we have to worry about."
"Before you kill this knight, let him talk. He is still a lad and should have a fair trial."
The Red Knight was taken from his horse and unbound. Several knights held their swords at the ready in case he should try anything.
"My name is Scott. Around a year ago my parents and I were about to eat dinner. Then all of a sudden several Red Knights rushed into our small house. They killed my parents and chased me for a distance before catching me.
"When the Red Knights finally caught me, they threatened to kill me if I did not choose to become a Red Knight. I chose to join them because I did not want to die. Which shows how much a coward I was then. Well, the Red Knights trained me--teaching me thier murderous ways--and made me into a knight. I never wanted to fight or kill. When we fought in battles, I defended myself when I had to. I did not kill anyone intentionally.
"Finally, I had a chance to escape. During this battle, I had in the forest. However, my freedom was short-lived. I was recaptured by the knights of King Christoph. Now I am going to my death."
"No," spoke up the accusing Black Knight. "No, Scott, you shall not die. I was harsh in my judgement. It was not your fault that Giles was killed. Because you were forced to be a Red Knight, you life shall be spared."
"How old are you, Scott?" Sir Peter asked.
"I have lived fifteen years."
"Fifteen! You have not reached manhood yet and the Red Knights forced you to be one of them!"
"Yes. However, I would not mind being a knight for you. I have always wanted to be a knight. I would have a land to fight and die for."

 

Chapter Eigth--The Battle Between Good and Evil






Chapter Eight
The Battle Between Good and Evil

"We should be nearing the Plains on Musglove,” said Michael as he and Maria rode along side by side on their horses. The journey, since they started, had been safe and easy.
Michael noticed something moving on the path ahead of them. "What is that?" he inquired, pointing.
Maria looked to where Michael was pointing. At first, she did not see anything. Then she saw, within the shadows of the trees, that it was Shariene. Maria was about to speak out to the lion, to tell him that it was her. Then she was struck speechless.
There was a knight in dull gray armor. His face was ugly, scarred and deformed, which most of it was hidden by a scraggly beard. To her horror, Maria saw the knight with an arrow cocked in his bow and was aiming directly at Shariene.
Maria quickly found her words. "Shariene! Watch out!"
Shariene quickly flattened himself against the forest floor, not a second too soon, for the next moment a black arrow went flying over Shariene’s head.
"Damn you, yon evil knight! You have not seen the last of me!"
The deformed knight fled off into the forest.
Shariene came up to Maria. "You have saved my life. So I owe you mine."

"Sir Peter. I hear some horses coming in this direction. They seem to be coming at a fast pace."
"It sounds like only two. Stand by in case it is some of our knights in trouble. If they are Red Knights, we shall attack them. However, let's make sure that the knight is an enemy before attacking. We just want to kill the enemy, not friends."
Sir Peter drew his sword and Geoffrey fitted his arrow onto the bowstring. In the distance they saw the two knights, one in white armor and the other in black.
"They are coming in this direction. That Black Knight might be a friend."
The knights drew closer. Sir Peter raised his arms to halt the knights. They slowed their horses down to a walk.
"Is that you Maria?" Geoffrey asked hopefully.
"Yes. It is I," she said removing her helmet.
"We were wondering what happened to you. Do not run off like that again. You had many people worried."
"I am sorry about that. I had left the book by the stream and went back to get it. I ran into some trouble."
"Do not worry about it," Sir Peter said. "Wait until we get back to the camp. It is not far from here."
In a few minutes they came out of the forest and stood overlooking the Plains of Musglove. The Plains were barren areas of flat land. In the distance on either side of the Plains was the forest.
Upon reaching the outskirts of the Plains, several knights approached. Of them two knights were in black armor, Nils and Bartlette.
Nils approached Sir Michael. "How did you happen to get here? Did you come on your own will or did this young knight defeat you?" He said this laughing, but stopped short when he got a second look at Maria. "Hey!" he exclaimed, "this knight is a girl!"
"I will explain about that later on, because it is a long story. First tell me how you came here."
Nils told about the battle with the Red Knights and what had happened. "Sad to say," Nils said, "Most of the Black Knights were slaughtered."
"What a fool Joseph was. If I had known, I would not have left to seek revenge against this knight," he said indicating Maria. "I would have ordered a retreat. Did Joseph make it?"
"Not that I know of. He was still fighting when Bartlette and I withdrew. We were separated from the other knights. After we lost the Red Knights, we came here. Sir Peter and Geoffrey found us and they brought us here. Eventually other Black Knights came here also. Unfortunately, it was only a few. I fear many more will not join us."
Sir Michael bowed his head in silence, saddened by the fate of his knights. Taking a deep breath, he raised his head. "I see both are you are wounded. However, the wounds are clean. There will be no fear of infection. With some rest and good food, they will heal quickly. Let me take care of the horses and I will meet up with you."
He walked slowly away.
"I need to talk to him," Maria said. She followed Michael. He stood morosely looking towards the north. He turned towards Maria when she appeared at his side.
He sighed, "I should have been with my men. I felt that I had a grudge and foolishly, went to seek revenge. Most of the men I am responsible for are dead. I am the only one to blame."
"No, Michael. You did what you felt was right. You left a knight in charge."
"It was very foolish of me to leave Joseph. He let the power to go to his head."
"There was no way you would have known. This also may be just the will of Rem."
He turned towards Maria, confused.
"It is like in my world, everything happens for a reason. The Supreme Creator of Earth, God, does everything and allows everything to happen for a reason. Even when things seem to look bad, everything works out in the end. It may be the same in Utofamia."
"Thank you, Maria. I greatly appreciate your encouragement and kindness. You are absolutely right. I just sometimes forget and get frustrated. Rem will see things through to the end."
King Alexander approached them. "Get some food and refreshed; we are having a briefing in an hour."

"The days ahead look grim with the Red Knights back in Utofamia," said King Alexander. "However, as far as I can tell from the scouting reports, there are about two hundred known enemy knights. If years ago, we were able to drive out over one thousand Red Knights from Utofamia, this may be easier accomplished since our numbers are equal. Sir Michael, you will be pleased to know that twenty more of your knights just showed up."
"That is good to hear," the Black Knight leader said.
"Do you think the Red Knights will show here again like last time?" Sir Peter asked.
"It is very likely. The enemy is not interested in coming to a world and then leaving. They are blood thirsty, looking for a chance to kill innocent people. We have sent word to the villages and warned the civilians. They have abandoned their homes and have gone in hiding."
"What type of defensive actions are we taking?" Maria asked.
"We will have the Kingsbane lined up to the east of the battlefield. They will shoot at the enemy as they approach. When the enemy is closer, I will call for a charge."
"What about the deformed knight Michael and I saw? He was not wearing red armor."
"I can answer that," said Shariene. "It is a Death Bearer."
"What is that?" asked the King. "Is this another evil creation of Melisande?"
"Yes, Sir," answered the lion. "The dead are not even protected from Melisande. She has a spell that raises dead knights. Even if a knight was brave and Nobel, he would have no memory of his previous light. The Death Bearer only answers to Melisande."
"Can they be killed?"
"I am not sure, Sir," the lion answered humbly.
Maria spoke up, "King Alexander, the knight we saw was wearing armor. There may be a chance they may be killed. Why would he have to wear armor if there was no way to kill him?"
"That is true." Shariene, Do you know how many of these Death Bearers there are."
"I have seen one hundred knights brought back to life when I was Melisande's prisoner. The numbers may be higher."
King Alexander paled. "We have another thing to fear if these knights join with the Red Knights."

"Quick! Wake up!" said Geoffrey.
Maria stirred in her sleep. It was way too early; the sun had not even made an attempt to rise over the horizon again. It was a week since she had arrived with Michael at the Plains of Musglove. She and the others were practicing the tactics Sir Peter and Sir Michael were training them to do.
"You have to wake up and get going! The Red Knights have been seen coming in this direction!"
Maria quickly awakened. She jumped up and started getting her armor on.
"Do you see my sword?"
"It is over there in the corner. There is your helmet, too!"
She was ready within a few minutes. She quickly walked towards the horses. "Any idea of how soon they will be here?"
"They are still a distance away. It might be a while, but we have to be prepared."
She and Geoffrey got their horses and started walking towards the two groups of knights and Kingsbane that were already getting into formation. Geoffrey grabbed Maria's arm.
"Maria, the others are not looking. Take your horse and hide in the forest."
She stared at him, shocked. "Why?"
"You will be protected; the enemy will not be able to find you."
"What do you think I am, a coward? I did not become a knight so I could hide. I am in this fight and there is nothing you or anybody else could do or say to persuade me to do otherwise."
Geoffrey looked at her in silence. Then he said coldly, "Fine, this is where we part company." He turned and joined the other Kingsbane.
Maria, wondering about Geoffrey's behavior, lined up with the other knights. She looked around for Michael and saw him leading a group of knights towards the edge of the forest. Then she remembered King Alexander's plans. The Kingsbane, as mentioned before, would start the assault by shooting at the enemy. Then when the King ordered the charge, the knights and the Kingsbane would rush the Red Knights. Sir Michael's knights would wait and attack them from the side, hoping this would give a surprise advantage to the White and Black Knights.
Osandria, sitting on a horse next to Maria, looked up at the sky. "It is too beautiful of a day to be fighting."
"I agree too," said Maria. "It will be hot too. Make sure you drink water when you can."
"That I will," she said, taking a drink from her flask.
They waited in anticipation for an hour. Then the first of the Red Knights could be seen approaching in the distance.
"Not yet," said Geoffrey, as Bartlette got ready to shoot his arrow. "They are too far away; our arrows will never reach them at that distant. Wait for my order."
A few minutes later, Geoffrey yelled, "Now!"
Arrows flew in the air. From the first volley of shots, ten of the enemy fell. However, the Red Knights did not falter; they kept advancing.
Then King Alexander yelled, "Charge!" The combined White and Black knight forces charged the invading Red Knights fiercely, hoping to overthrow them or to turn them back. However, the Red Knights would not give ground.
On the first assault ten of the ally knights were slain. Maria stared in shock as a knight next to her fell from his horse with a spear through his chest. Even if she wanted to turn back, she could not with all the knights around her. She was in the midst of the battle. While both the enemy and ally knights fell around her, and she was afraid, she was excited. "How did I ever pick up these fighting skills, so quickly?" she wondered as she felled three Red Knights in a row.
With a loud cry, Sir Michael’s group of knights charged from the forest. The Red Knights had not expected this new attack. The element of surprise worked and their causalities were double of that of the allies.
Sir Peter was facing a large Red Knight. He thrust his sword at him. He would have been impaled if his horse did not suddenly rear on his hind legs. The spear sunk into the horse's belly. With his horse slain under him, Sir Peter had to continue fighting on foot. When Maria saw Sir Peter on foot, she rode upon a Red Knight and struck him down. She led his horse to Sir Peter, and gave it to him. She then knocked down two more knights and gave them to horseless knights.
"Maria! Look out!" Geoffrey yelled.
Maria turned just in time to see a Red Knight charging her. He brought a killing blow upon her. She was able to block most of the blow with her sword. However, the sword glanced on the shield and hit her in the shoulder. Wounded, Maria fell from Chilowna. While her wound was not life threatening, her arm hung uselessly to the side. She continued fighting on foot, using only her good arm.
When Geoffrey saw the knight ride on Maria, he was wrathful. With his sword he hit the knight on the helmet with such a force, that a quarter of the helm and shield fell down. The sword continued downwards unto the horse's neck. The knight and the horse fell down to the ground. Geoffrey's horse suddenly reared as an arrow sunk into its belly. He was thrown to the ground.
"Stay next to me!" he yelled at Maria. They fought side by side. Geoffrey stood next to Maria's wounded side. As a team, they deflected blows from the Red Knights
"How are you feeling?" he yelled over the din of the battle.
"Just fine!"
"You are a natural!" Geoffrey yelled back. "It is like you were born to be a knight!"
Sir Michael rode up to Geoffrey and Maria, leading two horses.
"You found Chilowna!" Maria exclaimed.
Geoffrey helped Maria get back on his horse. Then he remounted his.
"You have to excuse me," Sir Michael said. "I have a battle to attend to."
"Maria, get to the field hospital," Geoffrey yelled. "You need to get you shoulder fixed!"
"Geoffrey! Look out!" Maria yelled.
Too late a Red Knight came running up behind the Kingsbane and stabbed him in the back with his sword. With a cry, Geoffrey fell from his horse. Maria looked desperately for Geoffrey. However, his body was lost among a sea of horses and knights. Tears in her eyes, she saw the Red Knights.
"You coward!" she screamed, grieved immensely, rushing at him. She brought the knight down with one swing of her sword.
King Alexander saw Geoffrey lying as a dead man, in danger of being crushed by the hooves of the horses. Roaring like a lion, he charged a Red Knight, stabbing him through the right side. The knight fell from the horse dead. He took the horse by the reins and led him to Geoffrey. He helped him onto the horse, saying, "Take this, brave Kingsbane, you have need of a horse." The horse led the wounded Geoffrey to the edge of the battlefield. The Kingsbane slid from the horse. He rose and made an attempt to walk back into the battle. However, after he walked only a few paces, he passed out from a lack of blood.
King Alexander found himself surrounded by the enemy. Several knights came to his rescue. Sir Peter struck one Red Knight on the helmet; his head was split in half. Sir Michael struck one on the shoulder; the arm flew uselessly to the ground.
King Alexander's knights were all horsed again and they fought together as a team. The noise of the battle raged throughout the Plains of Musglove. The knights fought with eagerness and courage.
The Red Knights realized this group of knights had the power to defend them. This was not like previous invasions when they outnumbered the combined forces greatly. The leader realized that the battle would not end so easily.
"King Alexander," the knight shouted at the top of his lungs. "We will return with ten thousand men," the Red Knight said.
"None of you will leave this battlefield alive," the King returned.
Another cry came from the forest. A cry of dismay rose from the mouths of the Allied Knights. Around one hundred knights with deformed faces and wearing dull gray armor stormed the battlefield. "The battle is not yet over!" the Red Knight leader yelled, as he saw this new group of the knights attacking the White and Black Knights.
"The Death Bearers!" King Alexander yelled. "Retreat!" The allied knights quickly turned their horses and started moving as fast as they could away from the enemy. The enemy knights took advantage by cutting down the knights as they retreated.
Maria rode Chilowna towards the forest. Soon she was within the safety of the trees. Yet she was still being pursued. She turned her head quickly to see how many knights were behind her. There were three. She looked forward again and saw a tree branch reaching out for her. Too late to duck, she was hit in the head and went flying from the horse. Her helmet went flying as she fell.
She lay face down on the ground. Maybe the knights would leave her alone, presuming that she was dead. However, she cried out in pain as one knight roughly pulled her by the hair and throwing her on the back.
"What do we have here?' the Red Knight said. "A female? It does not matter, a knight is a knight. I shall kill you with no mercy."
"Idres," said another knight. "There are no females in our camp. Why don't we take her back with us?"
"That is a good idea," the one called Idres said. "I am sure the others would appreciate it." He reached down and gently stroked Maria's face.
With what energy she had left, Maria jumped up and ran.
“Catch her!” Idres yelled. “Do not let her get away.” The knights chased Maria further into the forest.
She had an advantage over these knights. Her chainmail was considerably lighter than the bulky plate armor the Red Knights were wearing. If she could put some distance between her and them, maybe she could escape from the pursuers.
“No!” she exclaimed as she came to a halt. A creek was ahead of her. The banks were too steep to climb down. Even if she was able to do so, she would never be able to cross the water. The weight of her armor would be too heavy for her to swim across.
She turned to face the advancing knights. There were three of them, with Idres in the middle. She could see him grin evilly through his face piece.
“Nothing to worry about, my lady. We are not going to hurt you; we just want to have some fun.”
“I will fight each of you,” Maria warned. However, Maria was not sure if she would be able to stand up to them. With her wound hurting, she, possibly, would have been able to take down one knight.
“Oh, come on now,” Idres spoke sweetly. “You come with us and nobody will get hurt. Now, how about it?”
Idres’ eyes suddenly opened wide. He pointed to something behind Maria. The three Red Knights fearfully turned around and fled from the White Knight.
Maria looked behind her to see what caused the Red Knights to be afraid. On the other side of the creek was a creature with the lower body of a white horse and the upper body of a man. Maria, from her knowledge of fantasy books, knew this was a centaur. The creature smiled shyly at her and started to descend the bank.
“Maria!” she heard somebody yelling. The centaur startled and disappeared back into the forest.
Gregory, a Kingsbane and a friend of Geoffrey quickly approached her. “Thank goodness I fond you.”
“Where is Geoffrey? He was hurt!”
“I did not know. We will look for him. Let’s get back to the camp.”
“What about the enemy? Some had chased me, but there are gone.”
“I saw three running out of the forest. Shortly after the Death Bearers showed up, both they and the Red Knights rode off, riding in different directions.”
“Melisande must be in Utofamia. She created those deformed knights.
“She may have been in Utofamia for a while, since Shariene was a captive of her.”
They returned to the camp ground. The wounded were being tended to; however, Geoffrey was no where in site. The last of the dead were being carried away.
“Do not be sad,” Gregory said, as he saw Maria’s eyes start to tear up. “Bellerophon will take care of them. Some day we will see them again.”
Maria saw King Alexander talking to Sir Peter and Sir Michael. She walked over to them.
Sir Michael rushed over to her. “You are wounded. I do not have any more Conchiva; we used it on the most wounded knights.”
“It will be fine,” Maria said. “At least your herb saved many lives; more knights would have been slain if not for Conchiva.”
King Alexander approached Maria. “I am certain Melisande is in Utofamia.”
“I am thinking the same thing,” she agreed. “There is no doubt about it with the Death Bearers. Yet, it is possible the Red Knights do not know yet.”
“I hope so. We are lost if they join forces. We will have a better chance of winning if we can fight those two groups separately. Unfortunately, the Death Bearers have been raised from the dead. They may not be so easy to kill."

Princess Astaire came to her father. “The Red Knights have set up camp three miles from here.”
“Any sign of the Death Bearers?”
“No, there is not.”
“That is good to here. Check on the knights and get a number of the deaths.”
“Yes, father.” The Princess walked off.
“Is the Princess a warrior?” Maria asked.
"My goodness no!" King Alexander said, laughing. "She provides my knights with food, clothes and weapons. She also searches secretly for information of the Red Knights. This information aids us in our planning."
King Alexander left to check on the wounded. Maria said to Sir Peter, "Geoffrey was wounded in the battle. Do you have any idea where he is?"
"Alas, I do not know. He has not been seen since."
"He fought bravely."
"That is true. He is unafraid of death. You also fought bravely. Your helmet was found and we feared the worst; I shall give them back to you. Your horse is with the others."
The conversation between Maria and Sir Peter was interrupted by a commotion in the forest.

 

Idres’ eyes suddenly opened wide. He pointed to something behind Maria. The three Red Knights fearfully turned around and fled from the White Knight.

Maria looked behind her to see what caused the Red Knights to be afraid. On the other side of the creek was a creature with the lower body of a white horse and the upper body of a man. Maria, from her knowledge of fantasy books, knew this was a centaur. The creature smiled shyly at her and started to descend the bank.

“Maria!” she heard somebody yelling. The centaur startled and disappeared back into the forest.

Gregory, a Kingsbane and a friend of Geoffrey quickly approached her. “Thank goodness I fond you.”

“Where is Geoffrey? He was hurt!”

“I did not know. We will look for him. Let’s get back to the camp.”

“What about the enemy? Some had chased me, but there are gone.”

“I saw three running out of the forest. Shortly after the Death Bearers showed up, both they and the Red Knights rode off, riding in different directions.”

“Melisande must be in Utofamia. She created those deformed knights.

“She may have been in Utofamia for a while, since Shariene was a captive of her.”

They returned to the camp ground. The wounded were being tended to, however, Geoffrey was no where in site. The last of the dead were being carried away.

“Do not be sad,” Gregory said, as he saw Maria’s eyes start to tear up. “Bellerophon will take care of them. Some day we will see them again.”

Maria saw King Alexander talking to Sir Peter and Sir Michael. She walked over to them.

Sir Michael rushed over to her. “You are wounded. I do not have any more Conchiva; we used it on the most wounded knights.”

“It will be fine,” Maria said. “At least your herb saved many lives; more knights would have been slain if not for Conchiva.”

King Alexander approached Maria. “I am certain Melisande is in Utofamia.”

“I am thinking the same thing,” she agreed. “There is no doubt about it with the Death Bearers. Yet, it is possible the Red Knights do not know yet.”

“I hope so. We are lost if they join forces. We will have a better chance of winning if we can fight those two groups seperately. Unfortunately, the Death Bearers have been raised from the dead. They may not be so easy to kill."


Princess Astaire came to her father. “The Red Knights have set up camp three miles from here.”

“Any sign of the Death Bearers?”

“No, there is not.”

“That is good to here. Check on the knights and get a number of the deaths.”

“Yes, father.” The Princess walked off.

“Is the Princess a warrior?” Maria asked.

"My goodness no!" King Alexander said, laughing. "She provides my knights with food, clothes and weapons. She also searches secretely for information of the Red Knights. This information aid us in our planning."

King Alexander left to check on the wounded. Maria said to Sir Peter, "Geoffrey was wounded in the battle. Any idea where he is?"

"Alas, I do not know. He has not been seen since."

"He fought bravely."

"That is true. He is unafraid of death. You also fought bravely. When we found your weapon and helmet, we thought you had fallen victim to the enemy. I am glad that is not true. I shall give them back to you. Your horse is with the others."

The conversation between Maria and Sir Peter was interrupted by a commotion in the forest.

 

Well today I am going off track with my story. I had to tackle a major problem at home-my porch. I have been putting it off but knew something had to be done and I couldn't rely on my husband.

I don't know why but the porch is on of the most cluttered rooms in our house.

This is not an outdoor porch but an enclosed one.

Basically it is a catchall for everything you can name. The last time I got it completely cleaned was in the winter of 2006. I may have cleaned it since then but I honestly I can not remember.

Well the worst I ever saw the porch was when I first started going out with my husband. This was floor to ceiling full of stuff. I had moved things such as tires to the garage and boxes of books up to the attic. It took me two months to finally get it organized. But it never stays that way, it gets full again! Well at least all the other times I cleaned it wasn't anywhere near as it was before we got married.

The basic thing my husband does that irritates me is when he buys something big, he throws the box in the attic. His reason is we may need it later on. That includes the styrofoam and packing peanuts. I do not even want to think about that. Well what got me going on this cleaning sput today, was one of the bags of packing peanuts had ripped open and they were scattered all over the porch.

Then I had a bookcase in one corner. There were books that I had forgotten why I had even bought them. One of the shelves had broke and book were scattered all over the floor. Some of the books were ruined because we had out roof fixed sometime ago. They were moldy when they got wet when it rained. So they got thrown away. I put a box of books in the attic and some teen books in my daughter's room. Then I gave a box away. They were mostly those romance novels, the type where you read on, you read them all; same type of story line, just different characters.

I found toys that my daughter had outgrown. They were too worn out to give away; out to the curb they went.

My husband had tools scattered throughout the porch, I found bins and put these in.

Out to the curb went six bags of garbage; these bags are the thirty gallon types, a broken vacumm, a box of books, a bunch of carbard. I can see a major difference of the porch. My daughter has room to put her bike and can easily get her skateboard and other sporting equipment.

I decided to move the bookshelf to another section of the porch; where I can get to it easily. I even had room to put a bench in, so I can sit and read.
 

The Red Knights realized this group of knights had the power to defend them. This was not like previous invasions when they outnumbered the combined forses greatly. The leader realized that the battle would not end so easily.

"King Alexander," the knight shouted at the top of his lungs. "We will return with ten thousand men," the Red Knight said.

"None of you will leave this battlefield alive," the King returned.

Another cry came from the forest. A cry of dismay rose from the mouths of the Allied Knights. Around one hundred knights with deformed faces and wearing dull gray armor stormed the battlefield. "The battle is not yet over!" the Red Knight leader yelled, as he saw this new group of the knights attacking the White and Black Knights.

"The Death Bearers!" King alexander yelled. "Retreat!" The allied knights quickly turned their horses and started moving as fast as they could away from the enemy. The enemy knights took advantage by cutting down the knights as they retreated.

Maria rode Chilowana towards the forest. Soon she was within the safety of the trees. Yet she was still being pursued. She turned her head quickly to see how many knights were behind her. There were three. She looked forward again and saw a tree branch reaching out for her. Too late to duck, she was hit in the head and went flying from the horse. Her helmet went flying as she fell.

She lay face down on the ground. Maybe the knights would leave her alone, persuming that she was dead. However, she cried out in pain as one knight roughly pulled her by the hair and throwing her on the back.

"What do we have here?' the Red Knight said. "A female? It does not matter, a knight is a knight. I shall kill you with no mercy."

"Idres," said another knight. "There are no females in our camp. Why don't we take her back with us?"

"That is a good idea," the one called Idres said. "I am sure the others would appreciate it." He reached down and gently stroked Maria's face.

With what energy she had left, Maria jumped up and ran.

“Catch her!” Idres yelled. “Do not let her get away.” The knights chased Maria further into the forest.

She had an advantage over these knights. Her chainmail was considerably lighter than the bulky plate armor the Red Knights were wearing. If she could put some distance between her and them, maybe she could escape from the pursuers.

“No!” she exclaimed as she came to a halt. A creek was ahead of her. The banks were too steep to climb down. Even if she was able to do so, she would never be able to cross the water. The weight of her armor would be too heavy for her to swim across.

She turned to face the advancing knights. There were three of them, with Idres in the middle. She could see him grin evilly through his face piece.

“Nothing to worry about, my lady. We are not going to hurn you; we just want to have some fun.”

“I will fight each of you,” Maria warned. However, Maria was not sure if she would be able to stand up to them. With her wound hurting, she-maybe-would have been able to take down one knight.

“Oh, come on now,” Idres spoke sweetly. “You come with us and nobody will get hurt. Now, how about it?”

 

"Maria! Look out!" Geoffrey yelled.

Maria turned just in time to see a Red Knight charging her. He brought a killing blow upon her. She was able to block most of the blow with her sword. However, the sword glanced on the shield and hit her in the shoulder. Wounded, Maria fell from Chilowna. While her wound was not life threatening, her arm hung uselessly to the side. She continued fighting on foot, using only her good arm.

When Geoffrey saw the knight ride on Maria, he was wrathful. With his sword he hit the knight on the helmet with such a force, that a quarter of the helm and shield fell down. The sword continued downwards unto the horse's neck. The knight and the horse fell down to the ground. Geoffrey's horse suddenly reared as an arrow sunk into its belly. He was thrown to the ground.

"Stay next to me!" he yelled at Maria. They fought side by side. Geoffrey stood next to Maria's wounded side. As a team, they deflected blows from the Red Knights

"How are you feeling?" he yelled over the din of the battle.

"Just fine!"

"You are a natural!" Geoffrey yelled back. "It is like you were born to be a knight!"

Sir Michael rode up to Geoffrey and Maria, leading two horses.

"You found Chilowna!" Maria exclaimed.

Geoffrey helped Maria get back on his horse. Then he remounted his.

"You have to excuse me," Sir Michael said. "I have a battle to attend to."

"Maria, get to the field hospital," Geoffrey yelled. "You need to get you shoulder fixed!"

"Geoffrey! Look out!" Maria yelled.

Too late a Red Knight came running up behind the Kingsbane and stabbed him in the back with his sword. With a cry, Geoffrey fell from his horse. Maria looked desparately for Geoffrey. However, his body was lost among a sea of horses and knights. Tears in her eyes, she saw the Red Knight.

"You coward!" she screamed, grieved immensly, rushing at him. She brought the knight down with one swing of her sword.

King Alexander saw Geoffrey laying as a dead man, in danger of being crushed by the hooves of the horses. Roaring like a lion, he charged a Red Knight, stabbing him throught the right side. The knight fell from the horse dead. He took the horse by the reins and led him to Geoffrey. He helped him onto the horse, saying, "Take this, brave Kingsbane, you have need of a horse." The horse led the wounded Geoffrey to the edge of the battlefield. The Kingsbane slid from the horse. He rose and made an attempt to walk back into the battle. However, after he walked only a few paces, he passed out from a lack of blood.

King Alexander found himself surrounded by the enemy. Several knights came to his rescue. Sir Peter struck one Red Knight on the helmet, his head was split in half. Sir Michael struck one on the shoulder, the arm flew uselessly to the ground.

King Alexander's knights were all horsed again and they fought together as a team. The noise of the battle raged throughout the Plains of Musglove. The knights fought with eagerness and courage.

 

"What do you think I am, a coward? I did not become a knight so I could hide. I am in this fight and there is nothing you or anybody else could do or say to presuade me to do otherwise."

Geoffrey looked at her in silence. Then he said coldly, "Fine, this is where we part company." He turned and joined the other Kingsbane.

Maria, wondering about Geoffrey's behavior, lined up with the other knights. She looked around for Michael and saw him leading a group of knights towards the edge of the forest. Then she remembered King Alexander's plans. The Kingsbane, as mentioned before, would start the assault by shooting at the enemy. Then when the King ordered the charge, the knights and the Kingsbane would rush the Red Knights. Sir Michael's knights would wait and attack them from the side, hoping this would give a surprise advantage to the White and Black Knights.

Osandria, sitting on a horse next to Maria, looked up at the sky. "It is too beautiful of a day to be fighting."

"I agree too," said Maria. "It will be hot too. Make sure you drink water when you can."

"That I will," she said, taking a drink from her flask.

They waited in anticipation for an hour. Then the first of the Red Knights could be seen approaching in the distance.

"Not yet," said Geoffrey, as Bartlette got ready to shoot his arrow. "They are too far away; our arrows will never reach them at that distant. Wait for my order."

A few minutes later, Geoffrey yelled, "Now!"

Arrows flew in the air. From the first volley of shots, ten of the enemy fell. However, the Red Knights did not falter; they kept advancing.

Then King Alexander yelled, "Charge!" The combined White and Black knight forces charged the invading Red Knights fiercely, hoping to overthrow them or to turn them back. However, the Red Knights would not give ground. On the first assault ten of the allie knights were slain. Maria stared in shock as a knight next to her fell from his horse with a spear through his chest. Even if she wanted to turn back, she could not with all the knights around her. She was in the midst of the battle. While both the enemy and allie knights fell around her, and she was afraid, she was excited. "How did I ever pick up these fighting skills, so quickly?" she wondered as she felled three Red Knights in a row.

With a loud cry, Sir Micheal's group of knights charged from the forest. The Red Knights had not expected this new attack. The element of surprise worked and their causalities were double of that of the allies.

Sir Peter was facing a large Red Knight. He thrust his sword at him. He would have been impaled if his horse did not suddenly rear on his hind legs. The spear sunk into the horse's belly. With his horse slain under him, Sir Peter had to continue fighting on foot. When Maria saw Sir Peter on foot, she rode upon a Red Knight and struck him down. She led his horse to Sir Peter, and gave it to him. She then knocked down two more knights and gave them to horseless knights.

 

"Quick! Wake up!" said Geoffrey.

Maria stirred in her sleep. It was way too early; the sun had not even made an attempt to rise over the horizon again. It was a week since she had arrived with Michael at the Plains of Musglove. She and the others were practicing the tactics Sir Peter and Sir Michael were training them to do.

"You have to wake up and get going! The Red Knights have been seen coming in this direction!"

Maria quickly awakened. She jumped up and started getting her armor on.

"Do you see my sword?"

"It is over there in the corner. There is your helmet, too!"

She was ready within a few minutes. She quickly walked towards the horses. "Any idea of how soon they will be here?"

"They are still a distance away. It might be a while, but we have to be prepared."

She and Geoffrey got their horses and started walking towards the two groups of knights and Kingsbane that were already getting into formation. Geoffrey grabbed Maria's arm.

"Maria, the others are not looking. Take your horse and hide in the forest."

She stared at him, shocked. "Why?"

"You will be protected; the enemy will not be able to find you."


 

"That is good to hear," the Black Knight leader said.

"Do you think the Red Knights will show here again like last time?" Sir Peter asked.

"It is very likely. The enemy is not interested in coming to a world and then leaving. They are blood thirsty, looking for a chance to kill innocent people. We have sent word to the villages and warned the civilians. They have abandoned their homes and have gone in hiding."

"What type of defensive actions are we taking?" Maria asked.

"We will have the Kingsbane lined up to the east of the battlefield. They will shoot at the enemy as they approach. When the enemy is closer, I will call for a charge."


"What about the deformed knight Michael and I saw. He was not wearing red armor."

"I can answer that," said Shariene. "It is a Death Bearer."

"What is that?" asked the King. "Is this another evil creation of Melisande?"

"Yes, Sir," answered the lion. "The dead are not even protected from Melisande. She has a spell that raises dead knights. Even if a knight was brave and nobel, he would have no memory of his previous light. The Death Bearer only answers to Melisande."

"Can they be killed?"

"I am not sure, Sir," the lion answered humbly.

Maria spoke up, "King Alexander, the knight we saw was wearing armor. There may be a chance they may be killed. Why would he have to wear armor if there was no way to kill him."

"That is true." Shariene, Do you know how many of these Death Bearers there are."

"I have seen one hundred knights brought back to life when I was Melisande's prisoner. The numbers may be higher."

King Alexander paled. "We have another thing to fear if these knights join with the Red Knights.

 

"I will explain about that later on, because it is a long story. First tell me how you came here."

Nils told about the battle with the Red Knights and what had happened. "Sad to say," Nils said, "Most of the Black Knights were slaughtered."

"What a fool Joseph was. If I had known, I would not have left to seek revenge against this knight," he said indicating Maria. "I would have ordered a retreat. Did Joseph make it?"

"Not that I know of. He was still fighting when Bartlette and I withdrew. We were separated from the other knights. After we lost the Red Knights, we came here. Sir Peter and Geoffrey found us and they brought us here. Eventually other Black Knights came here also. Unfortunately, it was only a few. I fear many more will not join us."

Sir Michael bowed his head in silence, saddened by the fate of his knights. Taking a deep breath, he raised his head. "I see both are you are wounded. However, the wounds are clean. There will be no fear of infection. With some rest and good food, they will heal quickly. Let me take care of the horses and I will meet up with you."

He walked slowly away.

"I need to talk to him," Maria said. She followed Michael. He stood morosely looking towards the north. He turned towards Maria when she appeared at his side.

He sighed, "I should have been with my men. I felt that I had a grudge and foolishly, went to seek revenge. Most of the men I am responsible for are dead. I am the only one to blame."

"No, Michael. You did what you felt was right. You left a knight in charge."

"It was very foolish of me to leave Joseph. He let the power to go to his head."

"There was no way you would have known. This also may be just the will of Rem."

He turned towards Maria, confused.

"It is like in my world, everything happens for a reason. The Supreme Creator of Earth, God, does everything and allows everything to happen for a reason. Even when things seem to look bad, everything works out in the end. It may be the same in Utofamia."

"Thank you, Maria. I greatly appreciate your encouragement and kindness. You are absolutely right. I just sometimes forget and get frustrated. Rem will see things through to the end."

King Alexander approached them. "Get some food and refreshed; we are having a briefing in an hour."
*********************
"The days ahead look grim with the Red Knights back in Utofamia," said King Alexander. "However, as far as I can tell from the scouting reports, there are about two hundred known enemy knights. If years ago, we were able to drive out over one thousand Red Knights from Utofamia, this may be easier accomplished since our numbers are equal. Sir Michael, you will be pleased to know that twenty more of your knights just showed up."


 

Happy Birthday to me!
***********************


"We should be nearing the Plains on Musglove," said Michael as he and Maria rode along side by side on their horses. The journey, since they started, had been safe and easy.

Michael noticed something moving on the path ahead of them. "What is that?" he inquired, pointing.

Maria looked to where Michael was pointing. At first, she did not see anything. Then she saw, withon the shadows of the trees, that it was Shariene. Maria was about to speak out to the lion, to tell him that it was her. Then she was struck speechless.

There was a knight in dull gray armour. His face was ugly, scarred and deformed, which most of it was hidden by a scraggly beard. To her horror, Maria saw the knight with an arrow cocked in his bow and was aiming directly at Shariene.

Maria quickly found her words. "Shariene! Watch out!"

Shariene quickly flattened himself against the forest floor, not a second too soon, for the next moment a black arrow went flying over Shariene's head.

"Damn you, yon evil knight! You have not seen the last of me!"

The deformed knight fled off into the forest.

Shariene came up to Maria. "You have saved my life. So I owe you mine."
*********************************

"Sir Peter. I hear some horses coming in this direction. They seem to be coming at a fast pace."

"It sounds like only two. Stand by in case it is some of our knights in trouble. If they are Red Knights, we shall attack them. However, let's make sure that the knight is an enemy before attacking. We just want to kill the enemy, not friends."

Sir Peter drew his sword and Geoffrey fitted his arrow onto the bowstring. In the distance they saw the two knights, one in white armour and the other in black.

"They are coming in this direction. That Black Knight might be a friend."

The knights drew closer. Sir Peter raised his arms to halt the knights. They slowed their horses down to a walk.

"Is that you Maria?" Geoffrey asked hopefully.

"Yes. It is I," she said removing her helmet.

"We were wondering what happened to you. Do not run off like that again. You had many people worried."

"I am sorry about that. I had left the book by the stream and went back to get it. I ran into some trouble."

"Do not worry about it," Sir peter said. "Wait until we get back to the camp. It is not far from here."

In a few minutes they came out of the forest and stood overlooking the Plains of Musglove. The Plains were barren areas of flat land. If the distance on either side of the Plains was the forest.

Upon reaching the outskirts of the Plains, several knights approached. Of them two knights were in black armour, Nils and Bartlette.

Nils approached Sir Michael. "How did you happen to get here? Did you come on your own will or did this young knight defeat you?" He said this laughing, but stopped short when he got a second look at maria. "Hey!" he exclaimed, "This knight is a girl!"