The Letter for the King Page 4

  “I don’t understand what’s going on!” cried the innkeeper. “Did he steal your horse? He arrived here in the middle of the night and he just came back and told me the Knight with the White Shield has been murdered. And he’s wearing his ring. What is the meaning of this?”

  “I can explain everything,” said Tiuri once again, “but you’re not giving me the chance.” He spoke calmly but he felt so anxious inside. The men looked so angry and threatening. “I took your horse,” he continued, “because I had to deliver an urgent message.”

  “Poppycock!” said the horse’s owner. “You could have just asked me if you needed to borrow it, couldn’t you? How much time would that have taken? Now you can hold your tongue and come with me. I’ve had enough of your prattling!”

  “No, wait a moment!” said the innkeeper. “There’s still something I need him to explain! Whatever happened to the Black Knight with the White Shield?”

  “The Knight with the White Shield is dead,” said Tiuri, “and I would ask you to ensure that he receives a burial befitting a noble knight. You will find him not far from here.” He explained where the knight was to be found.

  “But who killed him?” asked the innkeeper.

  “The Red Riders,” answered Tiuri. “It was an ambush.”

  “Red Riders!” exclaimed the man at the table. “I saw them. They rode past here early this morning when I…”

  “What are you talking about?” shouted the horse’s owner. “This boy is a thief and I want him punished.”

  “But there’s been a murder!” shouted the innkeeper.

  “Then he can tell that to the sheriff as well, can’t he?” said the man, grabbing hold of Tiuri again. “But one thing’s certain. There’s no way I’m letting this young man escape.”

  “The Red Riders…” began the man at the table.

  “The Black Knight…” said the innkeeper.

  But Tiuri didn’t wait to hear what they had to say. He tore himself free and ran outside. They would just have to think he was a thief, because he couldn’t allow himself to be dragged back to the city! The four men followed him, shouting and yelling as Tiuri raced into the forest. He soon had a lead on his pursuers, but he knew it wouldn’t last. He could feel his heart pounding in his throat and saw black spots before his eyes. He slowed down and looked over his shoulder. Then, for the second time, he gathered all of his strength and climbed into a tree.

  His ruse worked this time as well. The men soon ran past beneath the tree without noticing him. But I mustn’t do it a third time, he thought, as he was getting his breath back. They say, try a trick thrice and tempt the devil!

  Tiuri was exhausted. But, fortunately, he was able to rest for a short while, as he had to wait until the coast was clear. After some time, he saw the innkeeper and the horse’s owner walk by, with gloomy faces. The innkeeper had lost his nightcap and Tiuri couldn’t help but grin, even though the situation was so serious.

  Things were not looking good for Tiuri! He had to travel to a distant land to deliver an important letter, and all he had was the clothes on his back. And his tattered robe was far from suitable for such a long journey. He had no weapons, no money and no horse. People thought he was a thief. And what was more, he had dangerous enemies: the Red Riders and their leader, the Black Knight with the Red Shield.

  Tiuri sighed. He knew the task ahead of him would not be an easy one. And I haven’t even been able to send word to the city, he thought. He would have to do so, one way or another. The horse’s owner was sure to report him to the sheriff. Would they realize in the city that the so-called thief was the same boy who had escaped from the chapel on the night before he was due to become a knight? Father, Mother and my friends won’t believe I am a thief, thought Tiuri, and I don’t think the king will either. But they’re sure to be worried about me. He sighed again. “Come on,” he said sternly to himself. “There’s just one thing you should be thinking about. You have to deliver the letter. That’s what you promised the knight.” Tiuri looked down at the beautiful ring on his finger and the large stone in it, which sparkled like a diamond. Perhaps it was not such a good idea to wear it on his hand – in fact, it was a really foolish idea. He pulled out the cord that fastened his robe at the neck and slipped it through the ring. Then he hung it around his neck, beneath his shirt, where no one would be able to see it.

  And then he had to be on his way. He thought it must be safe by now and perhaps he would somehow manage to find weapons and a horse.

  Oh, I am such a fool! he suddenly thought. The knight’s horse. I can take him!

  Tiuri jumped down from the tree. He knew now what he needed to do. First get the horse, and then set off on his journey!

  PART TWO

  THE JOURNEY THROUGH THE FOREST

  1 RIDING A BLACK HORSE

  Tiuri warily started to make his way through the forest again, towards the spot where he had found the Black Knight with the White Shield. Then he heard someone nearby, whistling a tune. He crept along, following the sound, and found a boy of his own age, who was making bundles of branches and twigs. He was whistling away happily and didn’t notice Tiuri.

  Tiuri watched him for a while. Then he came to a decision. He stepped out from his hiding place in the bushes and said, “Good morning!”

  The boy was startled. He stopped whistling and stared at Tiuri. “Good morning,” Tiuri repeated. “Could I ask you to do me a favour?”

  “Not likely!” the boy said. “You’re the one they’re looking for, aren’t you? The horse thief!”

  “Sssh!” whispered Tiuri. “Keep your voice down!”

  The boy took a step backwards and glanced at his axe.

  “There’s no need to be frightened of me,” said Tiuri. “In fact, I have more reason to fear you, because I have no weapon at all. And you’re right. I’m the one they’re looking for, but I’m not a thief. I swear it on my word of honour.”

  “So what are you doing here?” asked the boy. “And what do you want from me?”

  “I need your help,” replied Tiuri. “Would you go to the city for me and take someone a message?”

  “A message?” said the boy. “Why? Why should I help you?”

  “I’m only asking,” said Tiuri. “If you don’t want to do it, I can’t force you. But I would be very grateful. And truly, I am not a thief!”

  “Hm,” said the boy, frowning. “So what is it that you want me to do? Not that I’m promising to help, mind you! In fact, I’m not at all sure about this.”

  “Go to the City of Dagonaut, to Sir Tiuri the Valiant, and tell him that his son is fine, but that he cannot yet return to the city. Say that his son is well and that he should not go in search of him.”

  “Can’t you do it yourself?” asked the boy. “The city’s a long way from here and I have a lot of work to do.”

  “I can’t go myself,” said Tiuri. “People are after me. As you already know! Please, do this for me. I need you to leave right away.”

  “Sir Tiuri the Valiant? What could I say to such a powerful lord? He won’t listen to me!”

  “He will listen to you, because you are bringing him a message from his son. Or you can go to my… go to his wife and tell her instead. Wait, can I have a piece of that rope?”

  “Erm… yes,” said the boy, handing him a length of the rope he was holding.

  Tiuri took off his belt and tied the rope around his waist. He handed the belt to the boy. It was a very fine belt. His mother had embroidered it and his father had bought the golden buckle from the best smith in the city.

  “Look,” he said, “give this to Sir Tiuri, or to his wife, and then they will know that I sent you. And you may keep the buckle as a reward.”

  Hesitantly, the boy took the belt. “What am I to say?” he asked.

  Tiuri repeated the message. “Do not forget it,” he added. “And go right now! One last request: tell no one that you saw me!”

  “Except for Sir Tiuri,” said the boy with a smile
.

  “So you’ll do it?” asked Tiuri.

  “Yes,” said the boy, carefully rolling up the belt.

  “Promise me you will not forget.”

  “If I were a knight,” said the boy, smiling again, “I would swear on my honour as a knight.”

  “Thank you!” said Tiuri.

  The boy gave him a searching look. “I’ll set off immediately,” he said, “and I won’t tell anyone I saw you. I don’t believe you’re a thief, even though I don’t understand what exactly is going on.”

  “Again, I thank you,” said Tiuri.

  The boy gave him a shy grin, turned around and headed into the trees.

  Good, thought Tiuri, as he walked on. That’s that taken care of. The boy would keep his promise. He was sure of it. And Tiuri could devote himself to his task with an easy mind.

  He was soon back at the clearing where the soil had been churned up by hoofs. Quietly, he moved towards the place where the Black Knight lay. As he came closer, he heard the sound of voices. Was it the men from the inn? He thought he recognized the innkeeper’s voice, even though all he could make out was “Oh!” and “Woe!” and “Murder!” The black horse was still there, tied to a tree. Tiuri untied the horse in an instant and climbed onto its back. As Tiuri sat in the saddle, it started to rear up.

  “Calm down!” he whispered. “You must obey me! I have a task to perform for your master!”

  The horse tossed back its head and whinnied. It was difficult to gain control of the animal, but Tiuri succeeded.

  Then he heard a shout. “Hey, who’s that?”

  Tiuri dug his heels into the horse’s flanks, slapped its neck and hissed, “Run!” The horse obeyed. It raced away, galloping straight through the forest, leaping over bushes and ploughing through the undergrowth, pushing leaves aside and snapping branches. Tiuri had to hold on tight. He thought he heard a man shouting, but it could have been his imagination. Soon he had left the grim place far behind.

  The horse was fast and fiery, a steed that was worthy of the Black Knight. Could it sense that it was carrying out its master’s final orders by bearing Tiuri as quickly as possible to the west, to the land of King Unauwen? If it was actually heading westwards… Tiuri had not been paying attention. How could he when they were racing so quickly through the dense forest?

  He let the horse run on until they reached a wide, straight road. At that point, he stopped to take a good look around and work out the right direction. He was fortunate; he could tell from the position of the sun that the road ran roughly east to west. This must be the First Great Road, he thought.

  Two major roads ran from Dagonaut’s land to the Kingdom of Unauwen: the First Great Road, which passed through the forest, and the Third Great Road, which ran along the border to the south of the forest. There had once been a Second Great Road, but the final section of that road had been impassable for years, as it was overgrown by the Wild Wood. In bygone days, the three roads had been busy and many travellers had passed between the Kingdom of Unauwen and the Kingdom of Dagonaut. Later, the contact between the two lands had lessened and the Second Great Road had fallen into disuse. Tiuri had heard, however, that more travellers and knights were now heading along the southern road from the Kingdom of Unauwen to Dagonaut’s land. The Black Knight with the White Shield had probably been one of them.

  Tiuri looked along the road in both directions. There was no one in sight. He thought it could not hurt to ride along it for some way. It would certainly be quicker and easier than travelling off road through the forest. And so he began his journey westwards.

  The horse galloped along smoothly and seemed tireless, but Tiuri found to his frustration that he could barely stay upright in his saddle. The sound of the hoofs thudded away inside his head until he felt like it might burst, and a haze descended in front of his eyes so that it seemed as if he were looking at everything through a fog. It eventually became so bad that he feared he would fall from the horse. He pulled at the reins, turned left, and rode a short way into the trees, where he stopped the horse, slipped from its back, and sank down onto the ground. The branches above his head seemed to be moving and changing shape, and the fog grew darker. Tiuri lay on his stomach with his face in the cool grass.

  After a while, he began to feel better, but then he became aware of another sensation: he was hungry – and thirsty! He remembered that he had not had anything to eat or drink since the morning of the previous day and he realized why he was feeling so weak. He sat up and looked around. He needed to eat something to keep his strength up, but where was he to get food? Perhaps he could find some fruit. He looked at the horse, which was grazing quietly beside him. His eye fell on the bag that was hanging from the saddle… maybe there was something he could eat in there. He stood up and opened the saddlebag. The horse briefly lifted its head, but it let him look inside. There was not much in there: two pieces of stale bread, a small parcel wrapped in leather, and a horse comb. Tiuri was delighted to see the bread, and he quickly took a bite. The horse looked at him as though it was expecting some, too. “Yes, I’m sure this bread was meant for you,” said Tiuri, “but you don’t mind if I eat it, do you? You can eat grass and I can’t.”

  The horse looked at him with understanding eyes, or at least he thought it did. He took another bite and realized that he was more thirsty than hungry. He pulled the horse’s reins and said, “Come on, let’s go and look for water. There might be a spring or a stream nearby.”

  He walked through the forest for a while, leading the horse, but soon their positions reversed, with Tiuri trudging behind and the horse pulling him along. Finally, they came to a narrow stream, babbling along between tall ferns. Tiuri lay down beside it and drank. Then he sat up and looked at the horse. “Horse,” he said. “You are a miracle-worker! You are the kind of horse that great knights rode and minstrels praised, a steed that understands everything and has the intelligence of a human. You have led me to water and I thank you for your kindness!”

  He took out the bread and ate some more. He also gave a little to the horse this time. He broke the remaining bread into two pieces and put them back in the bag. One for this evening and one for tomorrow morning, he thought. Then I’ll have to find something else.”

  He carefully unwrapped the small parcel and found three flints inside. “These will come in handy if I need to make a fire,” he said to himself. “And I’ll make use of the horse comb too,” he said to the horse. “I don’t know your name, but I shall call you Trusted Ally, and Ebony Steed, and Good Companion. I am glad that you have accepted me as your rider and I shall try to be worthy of your former master.”

  Tiuri lay down again and thought about the Black Knight with the White Shield. What was his name? Who was he? Why had he come to the Kingdom of Dagonaut? And what was in the letter? He ran his hand over the place where it was hidden. He must not lose the letter! Then he thought about the road that lay ahead of him: through the forest, along the Blue River, and over the mountains to the west. He had to set off again soon. But not along the road. That might attract too much attention. He would stay in the forest, travelling alongside the road and checking often to make sure he was heading in the right direction.

  And so Tiuri resumed his journey. The water and bread had done him good, although more would have been nice. For a while, he stayed parallel to the road, sometimes riding, sometimes on foot, depending on the terrain. At times, he came close to the road and he looked at it longingly. He would be able to make much faster progress on that smooth surface! However, it didn’t seem like a good idea, particularly when he saw various people walking by later that day, woodcutters with axes and people on horses. None of those who went by looked like enemies, but they might see him and tell his pursuers.

  In the afternoon, Tiuri came upon a wild apple tree, but sadly most of the apples were unripe. He picked a few, putting three in the saddlebag and eating one, even though it was hard and sour.

  When the sun was just above the trees i
n the west, he moved away from the road to find a place to sleep for the night. He tied the horse in a small grassy clearing, removed the saddle and harness and rubbed the animal’s coat with a piece of his tattered robe. Then he had his evening meal: half of the bread and an apple. It was becoming rather chilly. He took the blanket that had been beneath the horse’s saddle, wrapped himself in it and lay down. Then he mumbled, “Goodnight, Trusted Ally. Wake me if there’s any danger.”

  Tiuri closed his eyes and, exhausted after a day of emotion and exertion, he immediately fell asleep.

  2 THE FOOL

  At first, Tiuri slept very soundly, but then he awoke with a start. It took him a moment to remember where he was. All around him, the forest was pitch black and very quiet. For a while, he lay motionless on his back, staring up at the sky. He couldn’t see a thing. There was just stillness and darkness, so intense that it took his breath away. Tiuri realized that he was scared. He didn’t dare to move a muscle and he felt himself breaking out in a cold sweat…

  A faint sound made him gasp, but then he calmed down a little. He was still scared, but no longer so petrified that he couldn’t move. The sound he’d heard was probably completely innocent. In fact, he realized what it had been. The horse had snorted.

  Tiuri smiled. At least he was not alone; he had a companion, a living creature that belonged with him. But why had he woken up? Purely by chance? Or was he being watched?

  That’s nonsense, he thought. No one can see me in this darkness.

  Tiuri closed his eyes and then opened them again, finding that it made little difference. He touched the letter through his shirt. His task seemed impossible. The Black Knight with the White Shield had been murdered by the Red Riders. How could he, so young and inexperienced, achieve something that had brought about the defeat of such a valiant knight? The horse snorted again. Tiuri wanted to say something to the animal, but he didn’t dare, because someone or something might hear him. Then he looked up again and spotted a star. It was just a small star, but it gave him light… and hope. It didn’t entirely banish his fear, but he felt his courage returning. Slowly, his eyes became accustomed to the darkness. He saw branches and leaves, vaguely silhouetted against the sky, and the pale trunk of a tree.