No good deed goes unpunished - Crossover chapter 2

[revanne]

Kelric drew a deep breath. His father was nowhere to be seen. A glance around the great hall of Rhemuth Castle, where the King held relaxed court in these days following the spiritual fervour of Christmas Day, confirmed that he was safe from rebuke for a while at least. He was grateful for Brendan's kindly shadowing but, for a young man about to receive the honour of knighthood, the need for such protection was shaming. What in creation could have been making his father so short tempered? But respite he knew, would be short-lived. There was still the vigil to be faced, the vigil that he would share with his sire and sponsor on the eve of Twelfth night.  As well spend a night with the family gryphon he thought. Still, best make use of the time that had been granted, and thus thinking he sauntered up to the other young men of his cohort who were enjoying the admiring attentions of several extremely pretty young ladies.

The hastily bobbed reverences warned him, but he had not had time to turn before a jocular voice said in his ear,

"I'm glad to see that you are making good use of your time." It was his father's voice, but the voice of his father in high good humour as he gently joshed his son. Turning, Kelric bowed hastily and began to stammer his excuses, only for his father to brush them aside as he smiled at the young people and moved on.

Miracles clearly still happened.

This particular miracle lasted throughout the remaining days of Christmas and through the feared ordeal of the vigil which turned out to be no ordeal at all. The fact that Alaric had fallen asleep was endearing rather than irritating; leaning his kneeling weight on his sword he could have been deep in meditative  trance and the low muttering that only Kelric could hear would surely have been taken for words of prayer. Kelric 's knighting was everything that he could have wished and throughout all, his father's pride and love for his son was clear for all to see.

But that was then and this was now. A week later and Kelric was frustrated and bored. His mother and sisters had returned to Coroth taking with them his young brother, Washburn, now an engaging toddler who Kelric was more fond of than he considered it manly to admit. He had declined to go with the women and children, but his father and half- brother were engaged in the business of the King's Council and the weather put paid to entertainment  that might otherwise have been found. Bitter driving sleet, which threatened the unprotected eyes of horse and hound alike, put paid to any hunting, and the ice-hard ground made tourney impossible, for who would risk the fragile legs of a well-bred mount.

He might once have thought of kicking a ball around for fun, but the debacle of three years past still made Kelric, as all others involved, grow hot at the memory. Perhaps things had got a little out of control, and, in hindsight, allowing the game to spill out of the castle precincts had been a foolish mistake, but what followed made Kelric blench even as he thought of it.  Summoned before the King, and made to understand for the first time why men feared the look in those grey eyes; marched down  through the town by an equally furious Prince Nigel to face the humiliation of an apology to the Mayor and civic leaders of Rhemuth; then returning to endure the only severe beating he had ever received from his father. No, that was out of the question. (See Ten Lords aleaping)

He could have joined the squires in the practice yard or at the archery butts, but he was no longer a squire and his status as a new-made knight was as yet too precarious to risk by mingling with mere youngsters.

The devil, it is said, finds work. for idle hands to do, and so, giving way to temptation, Kelric sought out Bishop Duncan in his study. He was somewhat abashed  by the warmth of the welcome he received, but took a firm hold of the mischief in his heart. His resolve might have left him had he known how much he reminded Duncan of his father at the same age, but likely not. Sitting almost on top of the fire and sipping a cup of mulled wine to keep out the chill which in these bitter days penetrated even into these well- heated apartments, Kelric asked with an air of worried innocence.

"Uncle Duncan, may I ask you something as a priest?"

"Of course, my Son. Just to be sure though, are you wanting this to be under the seal of the confessional ? If so, you must excuse me as I fetch my stole."

Kelric thought, no, knew for a certainty, that what he was about would eventually lead to the confessional, but he definitely did not want to invoke its sacred power yet. So he hastily  shook his head in denial, then continued,

"Supposing you learn something by accident,  that you were not meant to hear, is it wrong not to forget what you have heard?"

Duncan had hoped that Kelric had wanted to discuss a spiritual matter arising from the experience of his knighting, so he was rather taken aback, not least by the clear failure of the young man beside him to take to heart the moral teaching which he, amongst others, had been careful to impart. Trying, reasonably successfully, to remove the impatience he felt from his voice he replied,

"I think you know the answer to that Kelric. If you were not meant to hear, then that should be the end of the matter."

"Even when it is a matter of using a light sabre to turn from the dark side towards the light?"

There was a long long silence. Schooled by many years in the priesthood as he was, Duncan maintained the calm of his outward expression although it appeared to Kelric that his eyes no longer focused on either himself or the room. Inwardly Duncan had rarely felt so angry. He would kill Alaric. No that was far too quick. He would have him on his knees for a year, dressed in sackcloth and on Dhassa wine and dry bread. How dare he break his word! How dare he! Truly was it said that no good deed went unpunished.

Kelric grew alarmed at the silence. He knew nothing of the promise of secrecy that had been extracted, nor that Duncan's involvement had been an act of charity towards those suffering Alaric's bad temper, not least himself. All he had to go on was the muttered words his father had let drop as he slept during the night of vigil. Something about Duncan's spell, the dark side,  duelling Duncan and light sabres. A lot about light sabres; whatever they might be, they were clearly much to be desired. Even through odd words escaping from his dream, his father's excitement was contagious and Kelric knew that whatever a light sabre was, he wanted one. And Duncan was the one to make it happen. Except he didn't seem very happy about it. It appeared from this ominous silence that once again a desire for entertainment had got Kelric into trouble.

Had he been less his father's son, with less of the inclination to poke the dragon, or in this case the priest,  who threatened to roast him he would have made quiet excuses and crept out. Instead he decided to go all out for trouble.

"I beg pardon for troubling you, my Lord. Perhaps I should speak instead to Bishop Arilan.'

[Laurna]

Bishop Arilan? Oh heavens! That will set Duncan on his behind! Alaric is in for one heck of a penance that he isn't even aware that he earned.  LOL OH MY!
Revanne, this is entirely to incorrigible and fun, I hope there is a chapter 3.

[Jerusha]

Absolutely brilliant!  Methinks Alaric will have company on his knees, sharing Dhassa wine and dry bread with his son.

[Nezz]

Yay, you brought back the light sabres! Alaric will be lucky to escape Duncan's wrath with his skin intact.   

Which is the original story with the light sabres? Crossover wasn't the first one, was it?

[revanne]

Glad you liked it. Crossover was the original story, there will hopefully be a chapter 3, then who knows?

[Gilreth]

Yeah you brought back the light sabres - how fitting for today. also hoping for more

[DerynifanK]

Loved this. Perfect for Star Wars Day. Thank you  for bringing back the light sabers. But it does seem a little unfair that Alaric should be punished for talking in his sleep. Of course he should not have been asleep.  We definitely need Chapter 3. We can't leave it here with Duncan ready to kill him.

[Nezz]

Yes, a chapter 3, please. I'm quite curious as to what Arilan knows about all this.

Maybe a new chapter tomorrow for Revenge of the Fifth?

[Laurna]

Maybe a new chapter tomorrow for Revenge of the Fifth?

ROFL!
Why have I not heard of this day before? Perfect!

[revanne]

Duncan, having done more research, is eyeing up the coal scuttle in his fireplace and wondering how he can make himself into Darth Vader.

[DerynifanK]

Yay! The Revenge of the Fifth! Can hardly wait.