Part 7! And the end of another Metamor Keep tale! :-)
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March 27, 708 CR
More rain came that night and so all morning long
at Lord Avery's instruction, a long wooden
platform was erected on the Glen commons. This
was in two sections, with a smaller raised
platform toward the western end of the commons. A
long burgundy carpet was arranged down the middle
of the longer lower section of the platform,
while the same carpet was spread across the whole
of the upper platform. Railings were erected all
along the exterior of the upper platform except
for where the carpet on the lower platform was
adjoining. Several basins of water were set at
the far end for the washing of mud from paws.
Poles were fixed into the upper platform, and
stretched between them at a height twice to
thrice the tallest Glenner, were the green, gold,
and blue banners of the Glen, each bearing the
heraldry of two tall trees in full leaf standing
atop a forest floor of golden Autumn with a small
lake and mountains in the background. Between
these, and the centerpiece of the upper platform
was position a twin throne. Either end was shaped
like the redwoods that dominated the Glen, with
the back set of intertwining branches. The arms
were modeled on the roots that stretched outward
before sinking deep within the earth and tangling together.
This throne had once sat in the Avery fort at the
base of the hills overlooking the lake in the
days before the Curses were laid down reshaping
their bodies as well as their village. The
invading army had destroyed the fort, leveling it
completely to the ground in their push southward.
While the women and children had retreated to
Metamor, Brian's father led a force of men to
harass Nasoj's army only to be cut down an hour
from his home, leaving Brian and the rest of
their men to try and outrace the army to Metamor to help make a stand there.
When Nasoj's army was defeated, the new Lord
Avery had the throne repaired as he and the rest
of his subjects adjusted to their new bodies.
Brian was forced to spend much of his time at the
brewery in the caves or up in the trees with the
wood mage Burris who was busy using what they had
to build a more hidden secure life for themselves
in what was left of their home. By the time the
artisans had finished repairing the throne, Lord
Avery saw no need to create for himself a large
throne room as he was far more comfortable just
sitting around a table at the brewery to meet with his people.
And so the throne disappeared into one of the
caves, kept safe for those few occasions when
protocol demanded ceremony. And that morning the
throne, to much excitement and awe, the Glenners
beheld the throne emerging from the caves to take
its place there on the platform, and in it, Lord
and Lady Avery sat, their two boys dressed in
their finest and standing at attention on either
side. Both carried cushions in their arms, and on
the first laid Lord Avery's sword, while the
second held the squirrel's signet ring. Rare
indeed was it to see all these symbols of Lord
Avery's noble office together in the Glen
commons, and everyone gathered to watch.
At midday, the ceremony began. Charles Matthias,
attired in a suit of chain mail, with only his
linens on underneath he had left the vine back
in his home to keep it from being pinched by the
armor stood at the far end of the lower
platform, where after his paws were washed of
mud, strode onto the burgundy carpet. Musicians
played a stately march, with a pair of trumpeters
blasting a rigorous fanfare. Charles looked
straight ahead, his snout and face combed so
thoroughly that not a single strand of fur was
out of place. Bright torches at either side of
the lower platform made the black hand-print over
his right eye glisten with a fiery sheen.
To that march, Charles walked in the procession,
one hand resting upon the pommel of a sword at
his side. His family waited for him just off to
the left and only a few feet before the railing
separating the lower platform from the upper.
Standing at that railing, carrying a folded
bundle in his arms, was Sir Saulius beaming with
pride, dressed also in his chain mail with tabard
covering his chest and back, both sides
proclaiming his coat of arms, a rat holding a
bundle of wheat in its paws. Once that rat had
been a dragon, but like so many things, the
curses had brought a change to how the Steppelands knight saw his duty.
Everyone present was dressed in bright colors.
Everywhere Charles's eyes glanced he saw a
prismatic spray of red, blue, green, yellow,
gold, silver, and hundreds of other gay hues,
each of them bright and full of cheer. Charles
wanted to smile to each face he knew that cheered
him on, but he kept marching, maintaining his
dignified pace and following the beat of the
musicians. But next to the colorful panoply
surrounding him, he felt almost naked in only a
set of chain mail. And in a sense, he was waiting for his proper attire.
He did offer James a smile as he stepped past the
donkey, who had one arm draped over Baerle's
shoulders. The opossum blushed a little in her
ears as their eyes briefly met. Then he smiled
even wider as he stepped past his wife and his
four little children all gazing up at him in awe
and wonder. Kimberly's expression was one of simple, unselfish delight.
When he reached the upper platform, the musicians
brought the march to a stop, and both he and Sir
Saulius faced the throne together. Lord Avery
remained seated in his throne, his wife at his
side, paws resting on the arms of the great
chair, while their tails rested against the
interweaving branches. In a voice that echoed
across the commons, the gray squirrel asked, Sir
Erick Saulius, has your squire mastered all of the trials of knighthood?
Sir Saulius, used to projecting his voice on the
tournament field, had no trouble making himself
heard now. My squire, Charles Matthias, hath
passed all of the trials, milord.
He has shown bravery in battle?
He hath!
He has shown loyalty to his knight and to his lord?
He hath!
Has he shown compassion to the poor and needy?
He hath!
He has shown courtesy and honor to all women?
He hath that and more!
Lord Avery's smile took on a slightly odd twist
as he then asked, Has he shown faith and
fidelity to the Ecclesia, and obedience to her priests?
Sir Saulius's smile widened. He hath! Most of
the Glen were Lothanasi, and so this little
change must have been arranged by Sir Saulius,
the rat knew as he listened with both pride and a
bit of self-conscious modesty.
Lord Avery stretched out his arm, paw opened and
inviting. Then step forward and attire your squire as befitting a knight.
Sir Saulius and Charles took the large step up to
the upper platform. There, Charles knelt down
before Lord Avery, keeping his back straight, and
Sir Saulius came around behind him. Over the
rat's head he lowered the folded leather draping
it across Charles's shoulders, before bidding him
to rise so that he might secure the lacing at
either side beneath his arms. The tabard came
down to his knees, and was split in front and
back just beneath his waist and above his tail.
The weight of the leather tabard felt good to
Charles, and as he lowered his snout, he could
see the coat of arms his knight had chosen for
him and his heart beat faster in delight and a
determination to bring honor to those colors and
signs. It was divided into four sections by two
black lines like window panes. The upper left was
the largest and was a sandy green with an image
of the yew, symbol and hue of the Ecclesia. The
upper right featured the broad face of a long
sword pointed upward whose quillion ended in a
stylized profile of a rat's head all upon a
sombre red background. The lower left was the
same red and featured a wide-brimmed shield that
tapered to a point at its base. And in the lower
right, in white on an ebony face was an upraised
hand with the palm facing outward; only this hand
was more akin to a rat's paw than to the human hand of the Sondeckis heraldry.
His faith and his clan were his coat of arms, the
green of the Ecclesia, the red of the Sondeckis,
and the black of his rank were there for all to see.
Once the lacing was complete, Sir Saulius
produced a wooden crucifix and placed it very
gently into Charles's waiting paws. This he
clasped before him with both paws, his eyes
searching the sculpted depths of Yahshua in agony
and knew that the weight of responsibility he was
accepting was far greater than any suit of armor
or any set of colors or heraldry.
Come forward and kneel, Lord Avery beckoned.
Charles did so, dropping to one knee before the
lord of the Glen, lowering his snout, and holding
the crucifix to his new tabard. Brian Avery stood
from the throne and stepped forward to where
Charles knelt. His two boys followed him. Brian
took the signet ring from Darien's pillow and
slipped its massive form onto his finger, and
then kept his fingers pressed together so that it
wouldn't slide unbecomingly during the ceremony.
He then grasped the sword hilt and held it out so
that the broad of the blade nearly rested upon
Charles's head. All who watched held their breath.
Do you, Charles Matthias, before this image of
Yahshua, your lord and savior, swear to fear Eli and maintain His Ecclesia?
I so swear! Charles declared as loudly as he
could without aching his jaw or his chest.
Do you swear to serve your liege lord in valor and faith?
I so swear!
Do you swear to protect the weak and defenseless?
I so swear!
Do you swear to give succor to widows and orphans?
I so swear!
Do you swear to refrain from wanton giving of offense?
I so swear!
Do you swear to live by honor and for glory?
I so swear!
Do you swear to despise pecuniary reward?
I so swear!
Do you swear to fight for the welfare of all?
I so swear!
Do you swear to obey those placed in authority?
I so swear!
Do you swear to guard the honor of fellow knights?
I so swear!
Do you swear to eschew unfairness, meanness and deceit?
I so swear!
Do you swear to keep faith?
I so swear!
Do you swear at all times to speak the truth?
I so swear!
Do you swear to preserve to the end in any enterprise begun?
I so swear!
Do you swear to respect the honor of women?
I so swear!
Do you swear never to refuse a challenge from an equal?
I so swear!
Do you swear never to turn the back upon a foe?
I so swear!
If not for his years serving as Headmaster of the
Writer's Guild and proclaiming the greatest of
stories at festivals, his voice would have been
sore after so many oaths taken; Sir Saulius had
discussed these oaths in the past when describing
what knighthood meant as part of his
instructions; many of them were very similar to
what he had sworn to uphold as a Sondecki. To
swear them again in this ceremony, before Lord
Avery and the people of the Glen, and especially
before his wife and children, was to set his
heart and soul before them and before Eli and
bind it irrevocably. Any failure to abide by his
oath would be known by all, and censured by all.
And now, Lord Avery began after a momentary
pause to allow the weight of oaths just accepted
to settle upon the rat's shoulders and upon the
ears of all in attendance. Do you swear loyalty
and fealty to the house of Avery and to the Glen,
and to serve that house and that land with all
your strength, with all your devotion, and with all your life?
Charles took a deep breath and declared it with
all his heart: I will to my lord be true and
faithful; I will love all that he loves and shun
all that he shuns. I so swear!
Lord Avery lifted the sword from between
Charles's ears and pointed it skyward for a
moment. Then, as Lord of the Glen and the house
Avery, I accept your oaths of fealty, loyalty,
and obedience, and will treat thee from
henceforth as one of my own. I dub thee Sir
Charles Matthias, protector of the Narrows, and
knight of Glen Avery! He lowered the sword
touching each of Charles's shoulders once, and
then placing the broad between his ears one last
time before setting it back on the pillow held out in Christopher's arms.
Lord Avery then extended his left paw bearing the
signet ring. Rise, and seal thy devotion with
your kiss. Charles rose partway, and then
lowered the tip of his snout until his cleft lips
and incisors were pressed against the inscribed
face of the ring. As he stepped back and stood,
the trumpeters began again with their fanfare,
and all the Glenners attended whooped, hollered,
and applauded, stamping hooves, hooting and
baying their delight at their new knight.
Charles smiled to Lord Avery and took a deep
breath, the crucifix still held tightly in his
paws. Sir Saulius, a look of serene pride
crossing every feature, took him by the arm, and
turned him about to see all assembled. He found
the eyes of his family and saw how closely
Kimberly's paws were clasped to her chest, while
his children all danced and hooted their little squeaks for their Dada.
He gasped in awe at the outpouring of delight and
pride before him from a people who he had only
met two years past. But his oaths were heard, and
while they had accepted him as one of their own
the previous year, now there was no doubt that he
was a true Glenner both in word and deed! He took
several deep breaths, each one fresh as if they
were the finest gulps he'd ever tasted. His right
paw reached down and wrapped about the hilt of
his sword and with a metallic hiss he drew it
forth and raised it aloft and shouted, For the Glen! For Glen Avery!
The clamor and rejoicing echoed between the
mighty redwoods, that chant shaking the trees
from roots to branches, the sky pierced with the joy of the Glen's new knight.
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Author's note: The oaths taken came from the
'Song of Roland' from the early 11th century
about Charlemagne and his knights. I hope you
all enjoyed this tale! It was fun to write.
May He bless you and keep you in His grace and love,
Charles Matthias
!DSPAM:4eff5a65116085315134984!
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