The Incorporated Knight (16 page)

             
The Franconian popinjays, however, were not impressed by Eudoric's plain if decent suit of russet and black, nor by his thick Locanian accent. They were not even beguiled by the Grand Cross of the Order of the Unicorn, with oak leaves and diamonds, which Eudoric had received from the Emperor's brother. Eudoric rarely wore the costly bauble but had trotted it out for this occasion. Most of the nobles flaunted several decorations each, many of which far outblazed Eudoric's. The medal wearers he found polite enough when he accosted them; but they quickly turned their attention elsewhither.

             
At last, when the others had begun to drift away, Eudoric came upon a youth who had taken too much wine. This young man stared glassily. "Sh-Sir Eudoric Dambertson, didst say? I hight the Cavalier Thwars. P-pleased to know you, sir. A foreigner, be ye not? Some say all foreigners be caitiff rogues, but I am above such boorish prejudice. Some, methinks, are almost true human beings."

             
"Sir Thwars," began Eudoric cautiously, "pray enlighten me. Another gentleman tell me—ah—that this was a long levee as such thing go. Those at Kromnitch be—are much longer. Why this?"

             
The youth snorted. "What expect ye under His do-nought Majesty? All his time doth go to games and sports—ahorse, afoot, or abed—leaving none for the business of state. So a baseborn rascal like Master Brulard yonder becomes the veritable ruler of the realm. When the King's unco sister was here, she at least forced the royal nose to the grindstone of public business. Methinks 'twas resentment of her stern governance that led him to dispatch her to the Far West; but now—"

             
"Shut thy gob, thou ninny!" snarled a gray-thatched nobleman, turning to glare at the speaker. "Wouldst bring trouble upon us all?"

             
"But, Father—" began Sir Thwars.

             
"Hold thy flapping tongue! Any fool can see thou'st had too much."

             
"Oh, very well," grumbled Thwars. "Sir Eudoric, dost attend the duel this afternoon?"

             
|'What duel?"

             
"Sir Pancar hath challenged Baron Odilo to a fight to the death, with axes afoot. Tis strictly unlawful; but who of gentle blood cares for that? I'll escort you to the secret field of honor—"

             
"Come along, thou noddy!" snapped the father. "An thou remain here, surely shalt thou bring destruction upon us! Your pardon, foreign sir!"

             
With a nod to Eudoric, the father seized the arm of his son and hauled him, feebly protesting, towards the exit. Eudoric wolfed a slice of fowl, another of bread, and a swig of wine. Then he, too, departed.

-

             
In the room that he shared with Forthred, Eudoric lit the three-branched brass candelabrum and opened his book on Franconian grammar. To Forthred he said: "Now say in Franconian: 'I fetched water from the well; I am fetching water from the well; I shall fetch water from the well.

             
Wearing a martyred look, Forthred scratched his head as he fumbled for the words. Then, as he started to speak, a heavy knock resounded. A voice cried:

             
"Open in the name of the King!"

             
Master and pupil traded startled looks. Eudoric reached for his scabbarded sword and began to loosen the peace wire, whispering: "Open it, Forthred; but only a crack till we see who it is."

             
Forthred complied. He began: "Meseems 'tis the King's guard—" when the door flew wide, throwing the apprentice halfway across the room before he recovered his balance. Four mailed men in surcoats of crimson and white, bearing the royal escutcheon, shouldered in. The first said:

             
"Sir Eudoric Dambertson, ye are summoned to the palace. Come at once!"

             
"What am I supposed—" began Eudoric. The guardsman snapped: "No questions! Come instanter. Nay, leave your sword."

             
"Guard our possessions," Eudoric muttered to Forthred as he was led away. In the street, the soldiers positioned themselves in a square surrounding him. One retrieved the lantern on a pole that he had left against the wall.

             
At least, thought Eudoric as he tramped gloomily through the nighted alleys with his silent escort, he would not be set upon by robbers, who made solitary nocturnal walking in Letitia an invitation to murder. He wondered how he could have fallen afoul of Franconian officialdom. Had he not been scrupulously careful to avoid discussions of religion or politics? Had some unknown foe laid a false accusation against him? Still, a government hard-pressed for money, as most governments chronically were, might seize a passing stranger in hope of squeezing a ransom out of his foreign kith and kin.

             
With visions of the noose, the block, and the stake pursuing one another through his somber mind, Eudoric was ushered into the palace. He presently found himself in a chamber aglow with a score of candles. Seated beyond a massive desk were Secretary of State Brulard and King Clothar, flanked by a pair of bodyguards. The four who had escorted Eudoric went to their places beside the two arched doorways and stiffened to immobility.

             
"Your Majesty!" said Eudoric, touching a knee to the floor. Although he burned with eagerness to know the reason for his summons, he kept his peace.

             
"Ah, Sir Eudonius!" said the King. "Wert not at the levee this morn?"

             
"I was, my lord."

             
"Methought we saw you, even though we were compelled to depart ere we had converse with you. Brulard informs us you have a proposal that touches upon our kingdom's welfare."

             
Relaxing
, Eudoric allowed himself a small smile. "I have, my lord," he said, adding to Brulard: "Shall I repeat what I said this morning?" Receiving assent, he plunged into his sales pitch.

             
When he had finished, the King pursed his full lips and nodded. " 'Tis a plausible scheme, Sir Edric. We shall give it our accord—
if
and provided that you first do us a certain service."

             
"What are—what is that, my lord?"

             
"Know that we have an unwed sister, hight Yolanda.
Woman though she be, she hath the mind of a man in matters of statecraft. Some months agone, we sent her with an escort westward, to King Gwennon of Armoria, with whom we have certain differences. These Yolanda sought to resolve. Although the maid was an ambassador of the greatest kingdom the world hath ever seen, we learn that the losel hath clapped her up in durance vile. Such an affront is not to be born!

             
"And so, Sir Doricus, your task lies plain before you. Get you to Armoria and return with our sister, and you shall have our permission to prolongate your coach line hither. If you do not, then your petition shall be rejected out of hand."

             
After an appalled hesitation, Eudoric said: "But, my lords! Why me? I know little enough of Franconia, let alone the lands along the Western Ocean. Why not one of your own warriors?"

             
"As the world's most chivalrous, mighty, and brave," said the King, "the gentlemen of our court are too far-famed."

             
"Or, perchance," interjected Brulard with a cynically raised eyebrow, "they are less fearless than they vaunt themselves to be,"

             
"Enough, Brulard!" said the King. "Mind thy place. To answer your question, Sir Eutheric, the presence of our renowned cavaliers would instant suspicion excite. So we must needs delegate the task to some auspicious foreigner, to wit: yourself."

             
Eudoric asked: "Would not the Armorians be even more suspicious of my appearance amongst them?"

             
"You can tell them you scout the land for a stagecoach route, as you do now in Franconia."

             
Eudoric looked narrowly at the King. "If, Your Majesty, your realm be the whole world's mightiest, why cannot you march your army into Armoria?"

             
Frowning, the King turned to his minister. "Explain it, Brulard."

             
"The difficulty, Sir Eudoric," said the Secretary,
"is that, imprimis, King Gwennon hath a prow army of
'
s own; he were no easy nut to crack. Secundus, he is in an alliance with the Empire of Celtica, which rules not only the Celtic isles beyond that strait we call the Sleeve, but also the lands along the ocean south of Armoria. Tertius, the demesne of the Duke of Dorelia lies athwart the path that our army should follow perforce.

             
"Relations with Dorelia have been uneasy of late. I'll not ensnare you in a net of details. Suffice it to say that we would fain not drive Dorelia to open rebellion—at least, not until our forces more assuredly overmatch his."

             
Duke Sigibert of Dorelia, Eudoric knew, was the most powerful noble in Franconia. While nominally subject to King Clothar, he was in fact an almost independent sovran, who kept his quasi-autonomy by playing off his powerful neighbors, the kings of Franconia, Celtica, and Armoria, one against the other.

             
"Besides the which," the King added, "Gwennon holds our sister hostage and might well slay her ere we could rescue her."

             
"Your Majesty," ventured Eudoric. "I must ask: What is—what are a—the difficulties betwixt Your Royal Highness and the King of Armoria? Why has he imprisoned your sister? I cannot do aught, going into this royal dispute in a blindfold."

             
The King sighed and looked appealing
ly
at Brulard, who took up the discourse. "It began, Sir Eudoric, with a dispute over perry."

             
"Excuse, pray. What is perry?"

             
"A drink they make in Armoria; pear cider, in fact. Know ye what cider be?"

             
"Aye, sir. But wherefore
...
"

             
"To replenish our coffers and quiet the plaints of our vintners, who claimed that imports of perry spoilt their trade in wine, we enacted a tariff on such imports and in so doing roused the wrath of King Gwennon. When we refused his insolent demand to abolish this just and reasonable tariff, Gwennon declared an embargo on importation of wine. So the Armorians, whose climate is too cold and wet to be suitable for the growing of grapes, are compelled to comfort themselves with beer and perry, which is fine for those who relish the stuff. Thereupon, naturally, we imposed an embargo upon all perry from Armoria."

             
"But what have—has that to do with His Majesty's sister?"

             
Brulard shrugged. "We know not the details. The princess was sent to sound out King Gwennon on a treaty concerning imports of wine and perry. In addition, Gwennon had previously invited Yolanda, who is something of a seer, to take a post as the King's occult adviser. Ere she departed on her mission, the princess averred that she would think deeply on that monarch's offer.

             
"We know not how things went awry with the mission. Thrice we have written Gwennon, demanding satisfaction; but no reply have we had—not even one from Gwennon's jester, who, 'tis said, doth truly rule the kingdom as Gwennon's minister. A valorous knight of our court, Sir Clivain, volunteered to go to her rescue; but he had scarce set foot in Armoria when the King's men seized him and offered him the choice of leaving the kingdom instanter or being hanged."