Twisted Time Page 3
Thud. I landed on hard ground that was definitely not as soft as the sand in our previous trip to Egypt. My head throbbed this time. As I slowly arose, I looked at my surroundings. To the right, I saw rolling hills covered with soft green grass that came to a rest at the edge of thick woods. To the left, the hills rolled down to massive stone wall that encircled what looked like a city. I followed the wall with my eyes until I saw a large iron door blocking any easy passage through the wall. A caravan of carts and men on horseback stood patiently outside the portal. Slowly, the door opened inward allowing all to pass, then closed tightly after their passage. I then heard a loud clang, as if a large bar was being dropped into place to bolt the door shut.
I hoped that P and Zack had made it safely to the same time period that I had. I scanned the area around me, but they were nowhere to be seen. They must be in that city. I quickly began my descent down the hills toward the guarded city. Walking too eagerly, I stumbled over a rock and fell face first into a pile of mud.
As I sat up and wiped the caked mud out of my eyes, I heard, “Are you all right my lady? I pray you are not hurt.”
I slowly focused on a tall young man, dressed in shiny silver colored armor, sitting atop a brown stallion. The velvety brown horse stood frozen at attention as the knight addressed me. The knight lifted his visor and I could see his handsome face.
I was incredibly embarrassed that this attractive man had seen me fall. I wanted to hide under the mud on my face. I looked down at my feet and realized that they were covered with a long skirt of brocade red cloth. Where were my shorts and tennis shoes? The dress had a low square neckline and I wished it covered my chest as well as it covered my feet. The long silken sleeves covered my arms well and connected to the top of the dress via puffed shoulders. My usually flat blond hair was no longer concealing my shoulders. I reached up to feel it twisted and drawn up with an intricately carved ivory comb. Maybe I really was a “lady”.
The knight alit from his horse and offered me a hand. “Please let me help you up my lady. What is your destination?”
“Umm, I was on my way to that city down there. My friends are there.”
“Oh, I am on my way there, as well. It is my home. It is a small kingdom, but it is thriving. Our king is generous, and his people work very hard to please him. Please let me accompany you. It would be my honor.” With that, he helped me up off of the ground.
I stood before the knight stunned and amazed. What chivalry. He then hopped easily back onto his horse and held his hand out once more for mine. I reached up with my right hand and as he grabbed my hand, I stepped onto the nearest stirrup with my brown leather high button boot and swung my other leg over the horse. Thank goodness for horseback riding lessons at Girl Scout camp.
“Grab on tightly my lady. This horse runs swiftly”
I held tight around his chest feeling the chain mail vest with my fingertips. The outer armor clanged as we rode down the hillside and made our way to the enormous metal door.
On arriving, a man peeked his head out through a window in the stone wall. “Oh it is you Sir Phillip, please enter.”
I heard a loud creaking noise, then the door slowly swung open leaving enough room for a horse to fit. We rode through the opening and entered the kingdom. The streets were hard packed dirt, with the more worn areas showing ruts from the cart wheels. Rows of small connected houses lined the streets. The dwellers were out in front of their houses selling goods off carts. I saw fruits and vegetables on one cart, spices and dried meats on another and beautiful cloth on yet another cart. A well-dressed man in a long silken coat and velvet hat strode up to one of the carts. He handed a coin to the pretty peasant woman by the cart and reached for a plump crimson apple. He tossed it gently in his hand, took a bite and smiled. The woman blushed and smiled back. I looked around to all the carts and saw gentlemen and peasants buying and enjoying the goods. This seemed to be a thriving city.
We continued riding down the road towards a great stone building at the far edge of the enclosed city. As the building came into view I could make out more of its features. It was a castle with circular towers at the four corners. A small draw bridge covered a ravine in front of the heavy oak entrance door. We crossed over the drawbridge and rode into the courtyard. A lanky young attendant came to take our horse and helped me down first. He nodded his head and tipped his blue woolen hat in my direction. The handsome knight then jumped down and the young man took his horse to a stable on the right of the courtyard.
The knight grabbed my hand. “Please let me introduce myself, officially. I am Sir Phillip of Easton. My kingdom, or that is, my King’s lands extend far beyond where I found you today. Our people were prospering for years when King Stephen of the neighboring kingdom of Sumter sent his knights over to our land to pillage our goods. They captured many good women and killed many good men. That is when our king had the protecting wall built around the village. It is impenetrable. Stephen sent his knights with catapults but alas the wall was too high for his men and machinery. I do believe he has given up.”
“As for me,” the knight continued, “as I grew up, I saw the wonderful things that King William had done for our little village and I wanted to help our people like he did. That is why I chose to become a knight, and at 17 years completed my training. And, I am here now to come to your aid. That is my story. What is yours oh gentle woman?”
I stood there frozen. What was my story? What could I say so he would not think I was crazy or a heretic? I definitely could not say, “My name is Emma and I am from the future.”
I chose my words carefully. “I am Lady Emma from the kingdom of, umm, …Ohio. I was travelling with two of my friends when we were separated in a storm. I do believe they came this way.”
“Oh, we have many a traveler stop by our grand kingdom. Usually the king wants them to dine with him in the banquet hall. There is a feast tonight. Your friends may likely be there.”
He waved towards a young woman dressed in a plain grey woolen dress. Her hair was neatly pulled back from her face and placed in a smart bun. She nodded and came to my side.
Sir Phillip spoke, “Marie, please take this kind gentlewoman to get cleaned up a bit. She is my visitor for the feast tonight.”
She nodded at him, smiled at me, then took my hand and led me to a small room. I saw a large porcelain pitcher of water sitting on a table next to a round bowl. She poured the water into the bowl then dropped a small white washcloth into the water. She proceeded to clean the dried mud off of my face and hands. I had forgotten that I looked such a mess and appreciated her efforts. When she was done, she spritzed me with a perfume bottle that she retrieved from a shelf behind her. She then led me to a room nearby and bade me to sit on and extravagant tapestry sofa.
“Please miss, do wait here until you are retrieved for supper.”
I thanked her and she quickly walked out.
It felt like forever until a butler came to get me.” Supper will be in the main banquet hall miss. Please follow me.”
I followed him out the door and down numerous hallways. I hoped he wouldn’t lose me somewhere. I would never find my way out of this maze. We walked around a final corner and my eyes met an enormous room with four very long tables at the center. Each table held bowls overflowing with fruits and nuts. I watched the well-dressed ladies and gentlemen sitting at one of the tables. Each would occasionally take an apple or pear from a bowl as they continued their conversations with their neighbors.
Sir Phillip approached me from behind. “Dear lady, I have a seat saved for you at my table. Tonight we are dining with the king. Please follow me.”
He grabbed my hand and led me to one of the tables. He pulled my chair out for me and I sat down as gracefully as I could. He sat next to me.
On one side a tall thin woman was dressed in a blue silk brocade dress. Her teardrop-shaped sleeves dangled almost past the end of her chair and shimmied back and forth each time she raised
her goblet full of wine.
Across from me, sat a balding gentleman in a silk shirt with cuffed sleeves. He raised his goblet high. “A toast to King William! It has been five years since our enemy kingdom has attacked. The wall has kept our people safe. Hail King William!”
The others raised their glasses and drank. The king sat at the head of the table. He smiled proudly at the praise. He was dressed in a fur lined deep blue silken coat. His crown was shining gold with a few sparkling gems at the points, and the light reflected off of the metal as he nodded his head in appreciation.
After the toast, Sir Phillip noticed that my wine glass was empty. He realized it had not been filled prior to the toast. He shook his head in disapproval and filled my goblet to the rim with deep red wine. I was thankful the toast was over, as I was far too young to be drinking wine. Servers then came around the table with trays piled high with scrumptious foods. They leaned over to place morsels on the guests’ plates. Large shanks of lamb and whole pheasants, venison, huge bowls of peaches, figs and pears, and plentiful hard breads and pastries. The guests were laughing, talking and thoroughly enjoying themselves. I realized how hungry I was and ate heartily.
After I devoured my entire plate, I happened to look up and caught sight of the last table near the corner. There sat P, mouth moving quickly telling a story to the man sitting next to him. I hoped he wasn’t talking about the future. How would I explain things? Then I glanced to his right and saw Zack smiling and speaking to a very pretty young girl with beautiful long black wavy hair. She wore a purple silk gown that was a little too revealing at the neckline. She giggled and tossed her hair away from her face. My heart sank and my stomach felt tight. Why was he talking to her like that?
As my head pounded with jealousy, Sir Phillip stood up beside me and offered and “end of the meal” toast to the king. At its completion, he drank heartily but looked at me inquisitively when I did not take a drink. I lifted the cup to my mouth and pretended to take a sip then swallowed. I raised my glass when I was done. “To the king!”
The meal was over and everyone rose from the table. As Sir Phillip spoke to another man, I maneuvered my way through the crowd. Both Zack and P saw me, and P ran up to me and gave me a hug. I frowned at Zack, but he didn’t seem to understand.
“I’m so glad you’re okay. I was so worried!” he smiled at me.
I relaxed and smiled back. Just then, Sir Phillip approached us. “Ahh, so you’ve found your friends.” He introduced himself and P was in awe.
“You’re a real knight? Do you have a trusted steed? Where is your armor? Where is your sword? Do you fight bad guys?” P couldn’t stop asking questions.
“Okay P, that’s enough questions for the day!” I blurted out and looked at him sternly.
“That’s quite all right Lady Emma. He is an inquisitive boy, isn’t he?” Sir Phillip smiled kindly at me then looked at Zack’s hand which still rested on my shoulder. He frowned and glared at Zack. “Hmm, what kind of friends are you two?”
“We are very good friends.” Zack replied with an equal glare and squeezed my shoulder more tightly.
Sir Phillip’s piercing green eyes widened and his breathing quickened. He stepped back abruptly and stared at Zack. “I challenge you sir to a joust! For the hand of Lady Emma! There is a competition tomorrow. Be there at noon or you will wind up in the stockade.” He turned on his heels and gruffly walked away amongst a whir of conversation in the banquet hall.
Zack looked at me. “What in the world was that about? I can’t joust. What have you gotten me into?”
P joined in with a sing-song voice. “Sir Phillip likes Emma! Zack likes Emma! Oh Emma, who are you going to like back?”
I opened my mouth to apologize to Zack just as two other knights whisked him off. P and I ran after them.
The men spoke to Zack quickly. “We must fit you in appropriate armor for tomorrow’s competition. How many jousts have you won? We need a change. Phillip has beaten every other knight in the kingdom and he has gotten very boastful about it. We must beat him tomorrow!”
“But you don’t understand. I don’t know how to joust. I’ve never done it before!” Zack whined.
They looked at him in disbelief. “But those stories you told at supper about your battles with your enemies. How you stopped the offensive line, pounded the oncoming runners, and brought the prize to safety.”
I caught up to the men, glared at Zack and pulled him over to the side. “Where did you get that story?”
Zack looked up to the sky and tried to act innocent. “The knights at the table were telling tales of the crusades and battles. I wanted to seem brave.”
“For the pretty girl sitting next to you?” I interjected.
“Well, um, no, not exactly. For everybody. I didn’t want to be looked down on, so I told them the story of our first football game last fall. We were down in the fourth quarter, the team rallied and we came back to beat the enemy!”
“Ugh!” I exclaimed. “Now they expect you to be able to fight like a knight. You’d better go with them and learn some jousting!” I rolled my eyes.
The two knights dragged Zack to what looked like a practice field. We saw an expanse of grass with a brown dirt path at the center. At the end of the dirt pathway sat a large rectangular wooden crate, with a smaller square crate on top of it. On top of the smaller crate, someone had placed a fancy gentleman’s hat with a falcon feather sticking out of the brim. Zack looked at the crate then looked back at the two men.
“Ahh, Sir Zack, that is our practice knight. We could not spare a metal helmet so one of the gentlemen gave us his hat as a gift. It helps us to feel like we are at the joust when we can aim for the chest below.”
Zack drew a breath, “Ugh. The chest? Are you sure no one else would rather be your new pupil?”
“Sir Zack, you were challenged, so you must compete. I think Sir Phillip likes your pretty friend.”
Zack looked towards me this time and I blushed. To the knights he said, “Well he can’t have her.”
I smiled to myself. Zack proceeded confidently, grabbed the pile of armor and prepared for the crash training. P and I watched for a while. Over and over, Zack would climb onto the horse and gallop toward the makeshift man. As he rode, he held the long spear-like lance straight out in front of him. The first time he tried, he dropped the lance and the tip stuck into the mud. He was holding so tightly onto the handle that he did not let go in time and his body flew up off the horse. He looked like a high jumper at the end of his pole then landed with a loud thump inn the tall grass. Luckily he was able to get up, brush the dust off his pants and try again. He continued over and over again until his aim finally hit the mark and the top crate and hat soared backward to the ground.
I continued to watch until a quiet and unassuming lady in waiting came to take me back to my room. P stayed with Zack. His excuse, “But Emma, I need to stay. I am his side-kick. Like Batman and Robin or the Lone Ranger and Tonto. He needs me!”
“Okay, little one,” I replied, “Keep an eye on him.”
Hours later I heard a rap on the door. I crawled out of bed to see a very anxious Zack and an excited P.
“Where’s the book? You have to get us out of here. I can’t joust your Sir Phillip. He’s going to kill me. The knights say he’s never lost a joust and has killed many enemies in battle.”
Suddenly, I remembered the book. I didn’t have it. It must be out in the field beyond the city walls. My heart sank. We would never find it in time. Just then, there was another knock at the door.
“Hide under the bed! Quickly!”
Zack and P scrambled across the room and slid under the bed. I opened the door to see Sir Phillip standing there with a sweet smile on his face. “My lady, I do believe that this is yours.” He handed me the magical book. The edges were slightly marred by the fall in the field. “This looks important. What a beautiful bound manuscript. What language is that on the front cover? It is not English
or even Latin. Is it in Italian?”
“Um, it is, er, Finnish.” I said the first thing that came to mind. Then floundered.
Luckily at that moment two men walking down the hallway spoke to Sir Phillip. “You must rest for the competition tomorrow.”
He paused and looked in their direction. “You are right, my men. Lady Emma I must bid you adieu. Here is your manuscript. Goodnight. Until the morrow.” He nodded and turned on his heels.
As soon as he was gone and the door finished closing, P and Zack scrambled out from under the bed.
“Give me the book!” Zack demanded harshly. He grabbed it from my hand and placed it on the floor. Nothing. He opened the cover and rifled through the pages then stepped back. Still nothing.
P reached down and turned the pages one by one and looked closely at the leaves as he turned them. “Zack, the words still look so strange. Like another language. Remember before. They changed and we could read them.”
Zack sat on the floor and gazed at the book dejectedly. I sat next to him and gently touched his sunken shoulder. “I have faith in you. I remember the story you told me about starting football for the first time. How you couldn’t even throw the ball but with perseverance you became the starting quarterback. Just believe in yourself. I wonder if that’s what the book meant when it said “believe.” ”
Zack smiled at me and appeared slightly calmer. “Okay, we need to get some rest then. Come on P. Goodnight Emma. But please don’t lose the book between now and tomorrow!” And he winked at me.
Morning came quickly. Sun streamed in through the slit of a window in the east side of the room. A maid rapped at the door then came in to help me get ready. We were to all meet in the banquet hall for a hearty breakfast, then reassemble on the competition field.
I ate my meal at a table with other ladies, away from Zack and P. I was then ushered to the jousting field and advised to sit in a special booth at the center of the field. People filled tiered seats on either side of the playing field. A crowd stood in front of the seats and surrounded the field.
P crawled into the chair beside me. “I know Zack is ready. He did a very good job at practice yesterday.”
I looked up to see Zack stomping towards me dressed in heavy armor. He stopped by the booth and raised the visor on his helmet. He smiled forcefully. I grabbed his gloved hand. “You can do this. I know it. I believe in you!”
P pulled on my sleeve. “Sir Phillip is coming. He was watching you two from over there.”
He walked up, took my hand and kissed it. “Oh my dear lady, I will win this for you.”
Zack sneered at the knight then walked to his corner. Sir Phillip strolled to his corner and they both mounted their steeds. It was kind of a strange feeling to be fought over. Handsome Phillip versus my true friend Zack. Oh… I hope he doesn’t get hurt.
Trumpets sounded, “Doot de doooot!” The crowd clapped and cheered. We could hear the horses snort as their hooves beat the ground. Everything seemed to move in slow motion. I saw Zack’s visor go down and he hunched forward – javelin in hand. Sir Phillip calmly pointed his spear towards Zack. The roar of the crowd was deafening. Slowly, the starter raised the trumpet for the final blare. The crowd became silent. The trumpet sounded and they were off.
The horses barreled down on each other. Dust filled the air, as the crack of the horses’ hooves broke the silence. The men came nearer and nearer to each other. They were so close, then…”clang”. The spears deflected off both sets of armor, but both metal clad men remained on their horses. The horses then trudged back to the starting line. They would have to try again.
My heart was beating fast. I wanted to close my eyes but I couldn’t take them off the game. The trumpet sounded again and the horses ran as both men hunched forward in preparation. Closer and closer they came, then the reverberating “clang”. I saw Sir Phillips body fly through the air then land with a loud thud in the dry dirt.
Sir Phillip didn’t move. The crowd grew silent. Slowly he turned his body over on the dusty ground and arose. He stood, then bowed to the crowd, and they applauded. Then he turned to Zack, “Congratulations sir, I do believe the better man won. At least the better man in Lady Emma’s eyes, I believe.”
Zack blushed. The crowd clapped and clapped. P and I rushed to Zack. I threw my arms around him, then, thought better of it. But as I hugged him, I felt his arms tight around my waist and I could feel him hug be back. I was so glad he was okay. P hugged both our legs and cheered.
Things seemed to be looking up, when suddenly without warning, a huge round rock came flying onto the field. More large rocks followed, then, showers of smaller rocks followed.
A tall knight rode in on a sleek russet colored horse. “King Stephen’s army has broken through the wall on the East side of the village. He has positioned his army atop the hills there and was able to cause a small portion of the wall to collapse with the artillery from the catapults. We must ready the army, they are coming!”
Men ran from the stands to armor up at the castle. Women grabbed children and ran to safety.
Sir Phillip acknowledged the knight on the horse, then turned toward us and grabbed my hand. “I need to keep you three safe. Follow me.”
P, Zack and I swiftly followed him down a grassy path towards the castle. We came to a small door at the far side of the castle. The three of us heard cries and commands from the troops at the front of the castle. The men were readying for retaliation. Sir Phillip placed a large key in the lock on the metal door in front of them. The iron door creaked open and we all travelled into the castle. We followed my knight into a narrow stone corridor and then down sloping passageways. The air grew damp and cool and the ground became slick. We heard a persistent dripping from the end of the hallway.
“Where are we?” I asked. I was getting a little frightened.
“We are in the dungeon.” Sir Phillip replied. I”I think this is the only way to keep you all safe.”
“Why do you care so much about all of us?” questioned Zack. “Why do you have to keep us safe?”
Sir Phillip sighed. “I know you are not of this time. If I want to protect the future, I need to keep you safe from harm. I know you have travelled back in time. I assume, by the powers of that book you have. I know that you need to get back to your time unharmed.”
“How do you know?” I asked.
“I first overheard Zack talking to you about that fighting game he played. Football, was it? I have heard of no sport like that in any of the lands in England. I was curious. I knew you were from a land very far away. I then listened to a story that Sir James was telling to a fair maiden in the banquet hall. He spoke of flying machines that were powered by fire. He chose his words carefully so the lady would understand, but this child knew more than any child I have ever met. The details of this flying machine could not be made up. You three know of things that could only be from the future.”
Just then a crash came from a hallway above us. King Stephen’s troops had stormed the castle. We heard the sound of many men running and horses neighing far away, but suddenly there was a shuffling of feet that neared us. Men were talking loudly. “I hear someone down there. Ready your sword.”
“Do what you must!” Sir Phillip yelled. ‘They are getting closer. Hurry!” He drew his sword and prepared for the opposing knights to enter.
Zack looked at me. “The book! Get it out. We’re losing time!”
I pulled the book out of the woven cloth bag I had slung over my shoulder. I pulled the edge of the book out of the bag. As I pulled, the words on the front began their transformation. Slowly the word “TRUST” appeared at the top center. But I was so nervous and scared that as I yanked the book out it slipped out of my hands and landed on the cold and wet stone floor. The pages fluttered. The words inside began to sway and twist like before.
Zack leaned forward and read. “Trust in yourself and others. The answers lie in the friendships that you make and must leave behind.
March forward to make new alliances.”
The wind started up and created a whistling sound through the narrow stone passageways. It seemed stronger this time and I felt like I couldn’t keep my footing. I tried to grab onto the slick wall. I had to push my wind-blown hair out of my face to see that Zack had a tight grip of P’s arm. The circular whirling mist started up once again and the far wall became a massive hole of black. Zack and P inched their way toward the opening. I turned to see Sir Phillip pulling his sword out of its sheath. He smiled kindly and his eyes twinkled. I waved goodbye.
“Emma! Come now! Grab my hand. We’re running out of time!”
I turned away from Sir Phillip as the rival knights came around the corner. I heard swords clanking and hoped that Sir Phillip would be okay as I grabbed Zack’s outstretched hand. The three of us jumped headfirst into the unknown as I wiped the tears out of my eyes.