Lady of the Lake: Chapter 8 – Retaking the Village“I have a new plan to enter the village.” Sir Bors said as he fashioned a crutch from a sturdy sapling. “If this does not work, it is a handy weapon.” He began to walk using the crutch and an exaggerated limp. Lady Valerie held his arm as if assisting him. Together they walked slowly toward the village. The sentry approached from the bushes. Sir Bors and Lady Valerie halted and waited for the sentry to speak.
“My Lord Abbot, it appears you are injured”, the sentry said. “Rest here on this log a while if you want. Can I help you?” While his tone was sincere, the voice was gruff and his expression uncertain.
Sir Bors, who had not been expecting kindness or consideration, replied calmly, “I thank you for your kind words. Brother Berian and I are bound for Cleeve Abbey to welcome the new Abbot. My horse was startled not more than a league from here and threw me. Brother Berian here, who is an apprentice healer, assures me that no bones are broken but I have injured my hip and can walk no further this day. My horse has bolted with all our supplies and we have not eaten since breakfast, perhaps you can spare a crust for us?”
“My Lord, I cannot leave my post, but we have a cook who can help you. I give you leave to go into the village and speak to the cook for some food. I would send word to Cleeve Abbey for help, but all the horses have been taken.”
Sir Bors reached out and touched the sentry’s arm, “Thank you. Perhaps you should consider a change of career - soldiering is no match for a good and gentle soul such as yours?”
“Thank you my Lord. I am Aeron, son of Cai. My father is a farrier and I am the sixth son. I was apprenticed to our liege-lord for training as a squire. But when our liege-lord was required to provide men for an army, I was drafted. I normally take care of the horses for I am good with animals, but there are no horses here now, so I am made a sentry.”
Sir Bors nodded. Many young men get drafted into armies when they have no heart or skill for it. “May you be poor in misfortunes and rich in blessings.”
The young man smiled and Sir Bors and Lady Valerie hobbled over the small footbridge into the village. The first person they saw was in fact the cook that the sentry had mentioned.
“Who are you and what are you doing here?” he asked belligerently.
“I am Abbot Owen and this is Brother Berian. We are bound for Cleeve Abbey but I have been injured in a fall. Your sentry gave us leave to enter the village in search of food and rest.”
“Young Aeron, I bet!” disparaged the cook, “He is soft, that boy. You two wait here while I get one of the other soldiers! It is more than my life is worth to feed either of you without their permission.”
The cook had not walked more than half a dozen steps when... ZAP... Lady Valerie changed him into a toad Sim. The cook stumbled for a moment and then after realising what had happened to him, fainted dead away.
Sir Bors looked askance at Lady Valerie who simply shrugged. “You have no idea how much I have wanted to try that. I have never done that before so I was not sure it would work.”
“Thankfully it did. I will quickly change into his clothes and move him before he rouses.”
Sir Bors threw the comatose cook over his shoulder and walked off. Lady Valerie waited near the cooking pot. She could see the cook had made reckless use of the villager’s meagre food supplies. Sir Bors came back wearing the cook’s clothes which seemed a little too tight for him. Out of his knight’s tunic and the monk’s robe, Lady Valerie noticed that Sir Bors cut a fine figure for a man his age.
Unaware of Lady Valerie’s appreciative gaze, Sir Bors said, “I moved the cook into a horse stall. I did see the Apothecary’s house. You do not need to go near the tithe barn to get there. Go back to the first path on the left as we came into the village and go along that path. When you see a big garden, that is the house you need.”
“Where are the other soldiers?
“Probably sleeping or in the tithe barn with the women and children or...”
“Do not say it! I will be back as quick as I can. Evening is falling fast. They will be looking for a meal soon. Can you cook?”
“I can cook. Not fancy stuff but I can feed myself.”
“Then look after the cooking pot and I will be back soon.”
Lady Valerie felt strange walking through the deserted village. There were no sounds from hens or livestock. No children’s laughter and no people talking. An eerie quietness permeated the village. The path was very tidy and lined with many planted flowers. Most of the houses were of stone. It had obviously been a prosperous village. With Sir Bors instructions, Lady Valerie easily found the Apothecary’s house. As Huw had said, there was an extension to the house with an entrance from the garden. The alchemy station was in that small area so Lady Valerie quickly set to work creating the Flask of Potent Sleep elixir and a few other elixirs before returning along the dirt path to Sir Bors.
Lady Valerie added her elixir to the cooking pot while Sir Bors kept watch for any movement from the soldiers.
After adding the elixir, Lady Valerie went to check on the cook who was not where Sir Bors said he had left him. When she mixed the Potent Sleep elixir she had made an elixir to cure the toadified cook but he was nowhere to be seen. He had probably just run away. Valerie felt terrible about that. The cook could not be cured without the elixir or a kiss.
As the sun began to set, the soldiers came around for the food and eagerly sat down to the cooked meal.
Sir Bors hid his face from the soldiers who didn’t look directly at him anyway. Almost immediately after the meal, they felt very sleepy with some of the men just curling up to sleep almost where they stood.
When Sir Bors was satisfied they were all asleep, he went over to the blacksmith’s house and lit the fire only to find that it was almost smoke free.
Lady Valerie came to see what the problem was and realised that even with smoke, it would be difficult to see as night was falling fast. Although it was not the prearranged signal, Sir Bors decided to light the bonfire to signal to the villagers that it was safe.
As he waited, he heard a rustle in the bushes. He suspected it was the young teen and called out. “Ianto, tell Huw that it is safe to come in. It would frighten the women and children less if you let them out of the tithe barn.” Immediately Ianto sprinted out of his hiding place and ran down the road toward the tithe barn and went straight in and hugged a pretty teenage girl.
