Chapter 02: First Jump

Before anyone could even comprehend the reality of being ripped from their own time line and deposited in another, the pounding thunder of horses approached their position. The Jenkins family turned to see a force of twenty heavily armored warriors on horseback galloping toward them.

The soldiers' silver armor gleamed in the sunlight, reflecting blinding glares like a mirror. Banners in vivid colors rippled and snapped from below the sharpened ends of the lances they carried.

The military formation, previously in four columns, split and perfectly divided as they surrounded the family. Mike touched a hand to his pocket, making sure the futuristic device was out of sight. They were in enough trouble without anyone seeing the technological unit. Lances lowered, directing their deadly tips toward the intruders.

"From where hast thou come, interlopers?" a knight shouted from behind his closed helmet. The narrow and slanted eyeholes in the faceplate made him appear truly fearsome.

The Jenkins family was in stark terror, and when they didn't answer immediately, the knight spoke for them.

"Thy manner of dress is far from common," he declared. "Therefore, thou art foreigners come to spy out our lands! Kill them!"

"Stay thy hand!" shouted another voice as the lances were raised to strike.

The ring formation of mounted soldiers shifted, allowing another knight to ride forward. A vertical opening in his helmet faceplate descended from the middle of his forehead to his mouth, and a shorter, horizontal opening revealed his dark brown eyes. The cross pattern of his helmet was repeated in gold on a small kite shaped shield mounted high on his left arm, its upper edge even with the top of his shoulder.

"They be strangers in our lands," the new arrival stated. "Foreign does not mean enemy, nor spy. We are knights, and we have a duty to uphold the honor and integrity of our title. We do not kill on suspicion alone. Fetch them along; we shalt take them to the King."

A sudden jerk on the reigns of his mount turned the knight's horse about, and he took the lead toward the castle, expecting the others to follow. The Jenkins family walked quickly to keep up with the trotting formation of knights as they proceeded toward the castle in the distance.

Mike desperately wanted to check the time travel device and see if he could somehow make it work again and get his family out of their predicament, but he didn't dare remove it from his pocket. If the knights were to see the futuristic piece of technology, there was no telling what the reaction might be. The Middle Ages were a time of superstition, fear, and religious fanaticism. If the soldiers spooked, they could smash the time travel device or possibly declare the family as being involved in witchcraft and burn them at the stake. For the safety of his loved ones, he left the thing hidden and tried not to look as nervous as he felt.

The hooves of the horses caused a chorus of pounding impacts that echoed hollowly over the water filled moat the drawbridge spanned. The sound abruptly changed to a loud clopping as they reached the flat stones of the courtyard.

Alison carefully inspected the troops arrayed around the castle. Archers stood posts at even spacing along the battlements, their quivers full of arrows for raining death upon any foe who threatened, be they outside the castle walls or within. Soldiers in hardened leather armor flanked every doorway. Swords were sheathed at their sides, and they carried a round shield of finely crafted iron in one hand while supporting a sturdy spear in the other. From her fencing experience, she studied their positioning, stances, and overall muscle tone. If the situation turned against her family, she didn't think there would be a chance to escape; the soldiers were simply too well prepared.

A series of ratcheting clanks occurred as a winch released the chains holding the portcullis up, and the heavy iron gate lowered down to block the main entrance. It settled to the stone with a slight tremor of the ground.

The knights dismounted from their horses, armor rattling as their metal boots struck the courtyard, and they escorted the family through the arched doorway leading to the interior of the castle.

Massive pillars the width of three men standing shoulder to shoulder held up the high ceiling, and flags covered the walls in alternating designs between the golden cross standard, represented on the armor of the commanding knight, and the crest of their order, a white eagle with its wings spread against a field of black. A deep crimson carpet beneath their feet softened the footfalls of the marching soldiers acting as both guide and guard simultaneously. Torches in wall mounted brackets provided flickering orange light across the castle walls and floors, flashing off shields and armor when the knights marched past.

A set of twelve steps led up to a pair of double doors. The open doors at the top of the steps were four feet thick and fixed with heavy chains required for pulling them closed. The knights protecting the doors didn't wear the standard silver armor. Their metal plates were a striking shade of blood red. Instead of spears, they carried halberds. Although they possessed a sharpened spear tip at the top end of their long handles, they also supported the curving blade of an axe. The weapons allowed flexibility between the combat styles of either a spear or an axe, making the honor guard much more dangerous.

Ten more soldiers in the red honor guard armor watched over the throne room where the Jenkins family was directed. A multitude of torches filled the room with light and banished the shadows to the furthest corners. A throne of gold, adorned with dozens of precious stones in a diverse array of colors, occupied a platform seven steps above the main floor. The golden cross banner displayed throughout the castle was also prominently featured behind the throne while the white eagle standard of the knights hung to either side. Everything about the room culminated in making visitors feel overwhelmed and awestruck.

The king seated upon the throne looked every bit the image of royalty. A long sleeved robe of vivid crimson was secured around his waist by a belt made from gold and silver rope twisted together. An eight pointed crown of brightest gold rested upon his head, appearing even more lustrous against his black hair. A full beard and mustache covered the lower half of his face, and his sharp gaze seemed to radiate understanding and wisdom.

"Who hast thou brought before me this day?" the king asked. His voice was deep and cultured.

"We discovered them traversing the lands overlooking the castle," the lead knight explained to his liege.

The king directed his observant gaze toward the strangers standing in his royal court.

"Whence has thou come unto my domain?" the king inquired.

"Follow my lead," Mike whispered to his family. He dropped his right knee to the cold stone floor, bending his other leg into a kneeling position with his palms flat against the ground on either side of his left shoe. His family mimicked his act of submission.

"Great King," Mike said in a louder voice, keeping his eyes low. "My family and I are but travelers. We mean no trespass or harm to thy people or thy realm."

Mike spoke in the old tongue in an attempt to avoid drawing any more suspicion than he had already.

"Thy manner of dress is most strange," the king observed. "It occurs not within the borders of my lands, so thou must have come from a distance vast. And yet, thy garments are not worn nor tattered. Most strange indeed. Canst thou explain these incongruities?"

Mike's thoughts raced in frantic desperation. Even if the king didn't declare them as heretics, the knights surrounding them might. He didn't know if he could trust the soldiers not to move against them.

"Not without endangering my family," Mike replied. "My answers would be even more bizarre than our appearance."

The king leaned back on his throne, absently rubbing the side of his left index finger against his moustache. After a moment of contemplation, he made a decision.

"Leave us," the king ordered.

The guards' momentary hesitation showed they didn't feel comfortable exiting the room while their liege remained alone with a group of strangers. In spite of their objections, they obeyed their king's command and silently filed out of the room. The heavy doors were pushed closed with an echoing boom.

"Thou may speak," the king said, rising from his throne and walking down the steps to stand on even footing with them. "Rise and reveal now what earlier thou could not. I give thee my word, no harm will befall thee, and thine answers shalt not pass beyond this room."

Mike and his family stood. He wondered how he could tell the king truthful answers without endangering all of history. Eventually, he saw no other choice but to simply explain the situation while hoping for the best.

"My family and I are from the future," Mike explained slowly. He carefully removed the time travel device from his pocket. "This is what caused us to accidentally end up in your realm and time."

"Thou didst not intend this journey?" the king asked.

"No," Mike replied. He opened the compact unit and was startled by what he saw. The green horizontal line on the upper display screen had turned black after their time jump, but it was now partially refilled. He showed it to his family. "It's recharging!"

"Auspicious news?" the king questioned.

"Yes," Mike confirmed. He turned it around to show the king. "When this green line stretches all the way across, we'll be able to go home."

"Until such time, I would hear of this future," the king said.

"I'm not sure it would be wise to tell you of things which are to come," Mike answered. "Time as we know it flows like a river. If the terrain upstream were to be changed, carved away or built up, the river's course would also become altered, and a land downstream once fertile and green might turn dry and barren."

The king mused the description over in his mind, stroking his beard while lost in thought.

"Might thy very presence cause such a deviation?" the king asked at length.

"It could be," Mike admitted. "It's also possible our presence here is already a part of history, and we're simply completing it."

"I shalt offer thee what I can," the king told them. "I will converse with the commander of my knights, but to everyone else, thou must hold thy tongue on all of which we have spoken."

"You believe us?" Mike inquired.

"Understanding doth elude my grasp," the king answered. "Yet, belief in thy magic talisman is within my ability. Guards!"

Mike snapped the computerized component shut and slid it back into his pocket as the soldiers pulled the heavy doors apart and swarmed into the room, ready to protect their king should the order be given. The king waved a hand toward them to signal his ease before returning to his throne.

"These are honored visitors who have come unto our realm," the king explained, indicating the Jenkins family with a wave of his hand. "They need not be troubled by endless questions of their origins. Supply them fitting attire for their stay amongst us. They shalt also be in need of a guide, for unto them no harm must come."

The lead knight stepped forward and saluted with an armored fist against his metal breastplate in a resounding crash. "I wouldst volunteer to guide them, my lord."

"So be it," the king declared before focusing his attention again on the Jenkins family. "One thing I doth require. When thy visitation to my domain is complete, I wouldst ask to bid thee farewell directly."

Mike knew the meaning of the request, to be present when they jumped into a different time.

"Your kindness and generosity toward we strangers exceeds all measure," Mike replied. "We would consider it a great honor."

The king smiled, his beard shifting slightly. He sat upon his throne and dismissed them with a wave of his hand.

***

"How long will it take before the time travel device is ready?" Alison asked. She and Mike were alone in the room provided for them, so she spoke freely.

"I don't know," Mike admitted. He stood behind his wife, tightening the laces that crisscrossed from the waist to the collar on the back of her dress.

Per orders of the king, each member of their family had been provided with new clothes to make them fit in. Alison's was a long sleeved, floor dragging, dress of sky blue silk, and delicate lace trimmed the collar and cuffs in white. Mike wore a soft and sleeveless vest of dark brown leather, exposing his muscular arms. Matching pants were tucked into his boots. While Alison looked ready to attend a royal function, Mike appeared as a simple peasant.

Finishing with his wife's dress, Mike removed the time travel device from the slacks he'd laid over the bed in the corner of their room. He checked the progress bar on the data screen. The increase was negligible.

"If I had to venture a guess," he stated, "I'd say it could be another day, possibly two."

"So, we need to survive two days in the past without messing up the time line," Alison reasoned.

"Pretty much," Mike confirmed.

Alison sighed and sat on the bed. The stress of being thrown into another time, threatened with medieval weaponry, and the possibility of never getting home again was beginning to wear on her nerves.

Mike knelt in front of her, setting the time travel device on the bed so he could hold both her hands in his.

"Don't worry," he soothed her comfortingly. "We've already accomplished a considerable amount. We haven't been burned as heretics or witches, we've been provided with period clothing so no one will ask us about where and when we got our apparel, and we have a king on our side who is planning on helping us. We have only a little amount of time here, so we can enjoy a nice vacation."

"Do you think it's safe for us to leave our rooms?" she asked.

"There are life threatening problems in our own day," Mike reminded. "As long as we don't do anything major, or we don't say anything about events yet to be, I'd say we have a very good chance of getting home without destroying history."

Alison smiled a little as his words began to ease her troubled mind.

"Come with me, my dearest love," Mike urged. "Let's have a look around and see what this time has to offer."