Chapter 03: Dark Path

Sean and Cassie had been allotted a room together, and although it supplied ample space, it lacked anything in the way of privacy. Since Sean's provided apparel required less time to put on, Cassie had let him get ready first while she'd waited in the hall. Sean came out dressed in a short sleeved tunic of dark tan, belted at the waist over pants and boots of black leather.

He leaned up against the wall, getting comfortable while he took his turn waiting. Sean stared out the narrow window, watched the moving light of the wall mounted torches, and tried very hard not to be bored out of his mind. Waiting always grated on his nerves as he had better things to do. He wanted to explore the castle, but his dad had given clear instructions for him to stay with Cassie as much as possible.

Mike and Alison exited their room, her left arm wrapped around his right. Mike closed the door behind them as the lead knight approached from the far end of the hallway.

"Explanations have been made unto me," the knight stated. "I confess, traveling in time is a most bizarre notion, yet I trust my king. If he says it is truth, then truth it is. If thou wouldst like a tour of our city, we can provide thee with horses."

"You are most kind," Alison said. "We would welcome a tour."

Cassie emerged from her room and joined the group in the hallway. Made in a rich green the color of the deepest forest, her ankle length dress swirled about her as she walked. Gold embroidery added flashing embellishment from wrist to elbow on each sleeve and across the torso from her silver belt to her collar. The faux diamond pin in her coppery brown hair went well with the ancient style of wear.

"You look very lovely," Alison said in admiration of her daughter's beautiful dress. "What do you think, Sean?"

Sean didn't answer, only shrugging his shoulders in total disregard.

"Can we go?" he asked impatiently.

Mike stepped forward and seized Sean by the arm. The tight grip caused Sean to wince in pain.

"I don't care if you like her dress or not," Mike whispered harshly in Sean's ear. "You will show consideration for your sister and respect toward your mother, or the next time, I won't correct you with words!"

Mike used his hold on Sean to turn him toward the end of the hall and shove him in the direction of the exit. Offering an escorting arm to his wife, Mike followed.

The commanding knight had watched the exchange in silence, quietly observing the interplay between the family members and getting a view into life of the modern era. When the majority of the Jenkins family moved on, he waved a hand toward Cassie, allowing her to go first and follow close to her family while he brought up the rear.

With instructions on where to turn and which passage to take, the knight guided the Jenkins family through the narrow and dark corridors in the castle. Unlike the throne room, the torches here were spaced further apart, and their meager light couldn't dispel the gloom filling the corridors.

Double doors of heavy timbers fastened together with iron provided the way into the daylight. After being inside, everyone seemed glad to be in the fresh air and open skies of a small courtyard in the rear of the castle. To their left and right were stables built into the surrounding walls. The powerful horses of the knights, as well as mounts for visitors, were well tended by the dedicated peasants honored to be of service in the castle. The peasants were similarly dressed in simple clothes of a basic weave. Although inexpensive, they were of obvious quality, revealing the knights' exceptional treatment of those of a lower social standing.

The leader of the knights suddenly adopted a long stride, passing the family to reach the stables first.

"By order of the king, I want horses for these honored visitors, as well as my own," the knight commanded.

"At once, Sir Kastin," the peasant answered with greatest respect. He hurried off to collect the finest horses for the king's personal guests.

It took less than two minutes before the peasant returned. Three other peasants had joined him, leading a total of five dark brown horses across the courtyard toward where the Jenkins family waited. Similar to the lead peasant, each of the ones approaching with him were attired in a similar nature, only color differentiated between them. A long sleeved tunic, belted at the waist, covered the peasants from their shoulders to above the knees, and pants of the same material were visible briefly before the knee high leather boots concealed the rest. Both the woven cloth of the garments, and the leather boots, showed signs of wear. Dirt and scuff marks silently testified to the difficult work of the peasants, overcoming all their attempts to maintain the cleanliness and fair quality of their provided garments.

Sir Kastin collected his horse first, patting his mount on the neck and whispering softly to it in a familiar way. He glanced over his shoulder and discovered the family had not yet mounted their horses.

"Hast thou ridden a horse before?" he asked them.

"No," Mike answered honestly. He hadn't a clue what he was doing. The look on his face was mirrored by the baffled expressions of his family.

"Allow me?" Sir Kastin asked Cassie.

"I suppose," she answered, not knowing what to expect.

Sir Kastin put his hands under her arms and lifted Cassie into the air, setting her down on the specially made saddle. The leather of the seat had been curved up on one side to make a partial support and prevent a lady from falling off backwards when riding sidesaddle.

Mike watched Sir Kastin and mimicked his actions, putting Alison upon her horse. Sean and Mike, having never ridden a horse in their lives waited to see how Sir Kastin approached the task of climbing into the saddle. The knight, clearly aware of their observation, made his movements deliberate and slow to ensure they could copy him.

Sir Kastin put his armored left boot into a stirrup. Taking a short hop with his right leg, the knight used a firm grip on the saddle and a push from his left leg to rise into a standing position off the ground. He swung his right leg over the rear of his mount and settled perfectly into the saddle, his right boot hooking the stirrup on the opposite flank.

Mike and Sean were quick studies and easily situated themselves atop their horses, but the animals seemed to sense their unease, shifting nervously.

"Reassure them," Sir Kastin said, stroking the neck of his own horse in demonstration. Following their instructions, they calmed the nerves of their horses. "Very good. Hold the reins thus. Thy mounts require enough slack to move but not so much as to lose thy control."

Mike nodded his understanding, and the family obeyed the guidelines, adjusting the position of their hands for a better hold.

"Follow me," Sir Kastin stated. Pulling gently on the reins, he turned his horse about. A gentle nudge by his boots set his horse in motion, clattering across the stone courtyard and out the rear entrance of the castle.

The Jenkins family followed with various levels of success, each taking a different speed depending on the willingness of their horse to accept instruction.

As they rode across the green hills surrounding the castle, Cassie asked her father a question lingering in her mind since they'd arrived.

"Unless I read something wrong in my history books, there weren't any castles built in the United," she broke off as she realized the slip she'd almost made. It didn't matter how trusted Sir Kastin was, or that he knew of their time traveling; he didn't need to know the names of governments yet to be founded. Correcting her choice of words, she continued. "There weren't any castles in our neighborhood, so where are we?"

"England," Sir Kastin replied, showing he'd overheard their conversation. "All of these lands belong to England."

"How did we get here?" Cassie asked Mike. "I thought we'd only traveled through time, not locations."

"We'll discuss this in our room tonight," Mike answered, not wanting to say anything that might jeopardize the timeline.

At the base of the hill, a nine foot high wall of stone cut across the dirt path they traversed, blocking all access except through the protected gates. Although lacking the extreme fortification of the castle, the town had its own defenses to fight off moderate attacks and wild animals. In the case of a larger siege of the city, the people could flee to the castle for a refuge.

Once beyond the gate, the riders were offered an unobstructed view of the city. To the left, a blacksmith pounded a piece of iron on an anvil. The impacts released a ringing chorus in a steady rhythm before the blacksmith dunked the glowing metal in a water bucket, creating a billowing cloud of steam and a hiss of rapidly evaporating water.

On the opposite side of the street, a stonecutter worked carefully on a large rock, cutting a square shaped boulder into a different form with precise blows of his hammer against a chisel. The upper half of the stone had been cut into a representation of the king, but the half below the waist remained imprisoned in rock.

Further down the road was an inn, its two story structure overlooked both the wall gate and the marketplace in the square. White plaster composed its walls, supported by curving strips of wood sweeping up and outward from the center of the walls to the edges where wood beams reinforced the corners of the building. The design covered the white plaster in multiple curved arches that were both decorative and functional.

Sir Kastin dismounted at the edge of the market square, and the Jenkins family followed suit. They left their horses and followed the knight in among the carts and wagons loaded with items for sale. Merchants talked excitedly, offering deals and bargains to those wishing to buy their wares. Everything from food and clothing to pottery and tools were available from the sellers.

Sean looked at the overflowing carts, but he remained by himself, separated and distant from even his own family. It was only when he turned around that Sean took notice of a trio of ragged peasant children looking hungrily at the food clearly beyond their ability to buy.

"How dost thou feel about the misfortune of others?" Sir Kastin asked.

Sean flinched when he heard the question because he hadn't realized Sir Kastin had moved over beside him. The knight picked several pieces of fruit from the cart and tossed them to the hungry children. He handed another to Sean, who hesitantly accepted the offering. The kids smiled happily and raced away with what was surely a banquet to them. Sir Kastin pulled a pouch from his belt and counted out the appropriate amount of gold coins to pay for his generosity.

"Walk with me," Sir Kastin instructed Sean, taking a side street and moving away from the crowded square.

Sean followed behind, uncertain what the armored warrior wanted with him.

"Thou stays alone, even in the presence of thy family," Sir Kastin stated.

"So what?" Sean prompted. "What do you care?"

The knight stood with his back toward Sean, looking down the alley toward the outer wall of the city in the distance.

"I was like them once," Sir Kastin explained. "I stole for food, but when I grew older, stealing became my life. Travelers along the road feared my blade for I was the worst brigand to hunt these lands. The nobleman who caught me had every right to condemn me to death, but he showed me mercy instead, making me a squire on the path to knighthood."

"What does this have to do with me?" Sean asked impatiently.

Sir Kastin turned, removing his helmet. His hard features were accentuated by a massive scar from his left ear to the front of his chin. The helmet had concealed the old injury, and it startled Sean to see it for the healed wound looked as if it had nearly split the knight's head when first inflicted.

"The flaws once mine, I detect them in thee," Sir Kastin explained slowly. "Thou stays by thyself, tending thine own interests while unconcerned for the welfare of others. Thou cares not for anyone or anything unless it affects thee in some manner."

"If it doesn't affect me, why should I care?" Sean asked.

"Whether or not thee understands, everything affects thee," Sir Kastin insisted. "When isolated, thou hast only thine own strength upon which to rely. The burdens of life are too great for most to endure alone. When the weight exceeds thy strength, compromises are made in seeking relief. Thou may choose to take from others rather than earning thy keep. People are of no value to thee, so why should thou seek their welfare over thine own? When thine own life is of supreme importance, thou will care not for thine actions towards others, becoming a beast most vile. Tend to the needs of others, if not for their sake, then for thine own."

Sir Kastin's dark brown eyes were rimmed with barely restrained tears. The remembrance of his own past and the misery he'd caused threatened to overwhelm him. He replaced his helmet, returning to the market square and leaving Sean standing alone and lost in thought.