Greenwood Knight

Prologue part 1

Early spring, six months before the start of Chapter One

Hugh I, also known by his subjects as Hugh the Elder or Hugh the Great, was a good and wise king. His lands spread far and wide, and his subjects loved him. When King Hugh I fell ill during a particularly cold and dreary winter, it was as if a great cloud settled over the castle village.

The villagers quietly went about business listening with one ear for news of their king's recovery. After weeks of hopeful prayer, word reached the village that the priest had been sent for.

The village buzzed quietly as the news spread among the subjects. Messengers were sent out to recall the King's children to him: the crown prince, three daughters, and a second son. A messenger was sent by the king himself to visit the garrison and fetch The Captain, as Sir Erec was known to all.

The village became silent and empty as the people congregated near the gates with their candles and prayers, awaiting anything from the castle, any word at all of their beloved king.

On that third night, a storm blew in, unlike any that came before. Only then did the people abandon the gates and return to their homes to watch as the skies shook violently and lightening flashed. Rain poured down in sheets and the winds blew fiercely. Fearful for what the night might bring, some murmured that the good king must surely be dead.

Inside the castle, the servants went about their duties quietly and sadly. They knew what the villagers did not yet know; that it was unlikely that their beloved king could last the night.

From the early morning a long procession of nobles paraded through to pay their last respects. Each was eager to leave a good impression on the failing king so that he might remember them when he made his final decree.

On that fateful afternoon, as the skies trembled and the tempest raged about the castle, all were sent from his majesty's presence, save for the priest and his most trusted Captain.

A few moments later, a servant was sent to fetch the scribe; and the people grieved. The time had come for the good king to make his final decree, and leave his subjects with his last instructions as their king.

Below stairs, nobles gathered in the great hall. When news arrived that the scribe had been sent for-- and that none save the priest and The Captain were present in the King's chambers--Hugh the younger became enraged.

He upset the table from the dais, scattering dish, food, and nobles in all directions. As servants rushed to clean up the mess, young Hugh's temper continued to blow, as unrelenting as the storm that battered the castle.

HE --the crown prince-- should be present when his father left his final words. Not Sir Erec! —a man of no breeding, no education and obviously no morals. For naturally, the man should send for the King's heir! God's Teeth! It was his birthright!

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Above stairs the king was failing and a great sadness hung over the halls, cold and black as the storm outside.

"Come." Hugh's voice was barely above a whisper and his hand shook as he held it out.

"I am here, your majesty." Erec knelt at the bedside and took the frail hand in his own.

"Erec. You have always spoken true, even when you thought we could not win a thing."

"I have done only my duty, my liege"

"So, you say, but I am still king and I say it differently. Do not argue this with me."

The king's words faded as a coughing spell took the king's breath. Erec gently lifted the king's head and helped him to drink of his golden cup. The water was warmed and mixed with a spoonful of honey and it calmed the king's coughing.