Nobility Chapter 26

The monk fidgeted for a moment, his brow furrowed. “It may be difficult for some here to envision,” he finally began, “but I wasn’t always a monk. I was born and raised to work the fields, just as my parents had been, and their parents, and so on, all the way back to…well, to the Tower of Babel for all I know. I was seven or eight years old when the men in black robes appeared in my village. We were serfs of a landed knight; he was often away at war, but the stewards he left in charge were fair men, and when he returned from battle he mostly left us alone. That’s as good an arrangement as most common folk can hope for, if you’ll forgive my saying, Lord Aidan.”

The noble nodded and motioned for the monk to continue.

“So when these strangers in their black robes appeared, accusing our liege’s household of devil worship and necromancy, the men of the village wouldn’t hear of it. They rose up in a mob and beat the strangers back down the road on which they’d come. A week later they returned with the bishop, and he excommunicated the whole town. That made us fair game for our ambitious neighbors, and the suffering and death were very great. None of us understood why such horrors were happening to us. Once we were removed from the land, the heretic monks took over the knight’s ancestral home and set up a monastery there. To this day I have no idea what they wanted with it. My family was killed, and none in the nearby villages would take me in since I was under the church’s ban. My brothers found me, then, and raised me. When I was of age, I chose to stay. They taught me of their enemies, these wicked men who call themselves the Megiddo Brotherhood.”

Sir Reuben’s face was grave. Daniel suspected her knew of such tales occurring in general but hadn’t learned, until that moment, one had happened to Brother Roland personally. The boy could detect no deception in the monk’s story, and he suddenly felt sympathy for the man whom he had regarded with such suspicion (and still did, truthfully); Roland’s plight felt not unlike his own, and at least Daniel was a young man and not a mere child. At least he had reason to hope his own family still lived.

Rebekah’s expression was one of horror. “They came with the bishop?” she asked. “The church participates in such evil?”

Roland shrugged. “Whether the bishop was deceived by their accusations or an active participant in their false witness is impossible to say. In civilized areas like our own, the Megiddo Brotherhood is obliged to work in secret, for their blasphemy is known to much of the clergy. In more remote areas, they are able to maintain a façade of legitimacy and function in the open, at least for some time. And yes, instances of priests, even bishops, being swayed by their warped beliefs and promises are known.”

“So you give some insight into their modus operandi,” Lord Aidan observed. “Their connection to the threat on my life seems clouded. Unless they only hoped to get their hands on Daniel’s sword.”

“Nay, my lord, if you would permit so humble a knight as myself the luxury to gainsay you,” Reuben began. “It stands an impossibility for these perfidious monks to have participated out of such a motive, for Rebekah’s erstwhile troupe must surely, in their great treachery, have initiated their most heinous plot many days prior, while neither Page Daniel, nor I, myself, expected to be in your gracious hall, nor to possess that wondrous blade, until yesterday morn.”

Aidan nodded. “As you say, Sir Reuben.” He paused for a time, silent in deep thought. “I believe we must adjourn for now, awaiting the report of Captain Jacob’s men.”

“One thing more, my lord, if I may,” Captain Hector rumbled.

“Of course, Captain, say on.”

“I would like Rebekah to accompany me to the cell of the dead man. We need her to make identification.”

Rebekah’s face went white, and Lord Aidan scowled. “It seems cruel,” he remarked, “but, I fear, necessary.”

“Couldn’t William…” she began, faltering.

William looked up at the mention of his name, but Captain Hector spoke before the big man could. “I’m afraid I have another task for him. I’m sure Captain Jacob would like to see the troupe’s campsite for himself, to search for clues a mere bodyguard like myself may have missed. William must guide him there.”

The giant knitted his brows, but Rebekah encouraged him. “It’ll be alright, William. You can go with him; I’ll be fine.”

As William stood and most of the group was distracted by his exit, Rebekah caught Daniel’s eye. “Will you come with me?” she mouthed.

He nodded, feeling himself blush. The sword trilled in amusement.

“Page Daniel,” Reuben began as the rest of the group stood, “it is that such sitting and talking is a most shameful way for knights of courage and action to pass a fine morning. I aver most strenuously that the time has passed long-since that I should have made good on my mentor’s duty and taken pains to impart upon you the training most needful for the proper wielding of your miraculous weapon. Do make yourself ready to meet me on the green to set forth upon the path of your instruction.”

“I was… Shouldn’t I… Would it not be best if I accompanied Rebekah?” Daniel argued, trying to sound formal in unconscious response to Reuben’s verbosity as much as to the nobility of his surroundings.

Reuben turned his watchful eyes to Daniel, then to Rebekah, then back again.

“I do suppose, giving the matter second thought, that a maid so important to the unraveling of our present state of confusion ought not to go about unguarded, and such duty may also be most edifying to a young aspirant seeking to develop with alacrity his martial skills. This knight, however, while admittedly the most humble of his own station, may still expect certain obeisance from his rightful subordinate before being countermanded. Do you not agree, my young page?”

Daniel remained silent for a few moments, parsing Reuben’s words down into an actual request. Finally, he nodded. “Sir Reuben,” he said, remembering their confrontation in the stable and realizing this may help to clear the air between them, “may I provide guard for Rebekah on her visit to the cells and join you in the training yard after she is returned to safety?”

“Most wise, young page,” Reuben replied with a glimmer in his eye, “I grant you leave. Join me when you have discharged your mission and made yourself ready.”

Daniel moved to Rebekah’s side, still keeping one eye on Reuben. It wasn’t clear which aspect of Daniel’s word or deed the knight found to be ‘most wise,’ and he wondered, not for the first time, how much smarter than his pretense Reuben really was.