The Forest of Chivalry

The Forest of Chivalry

            It was an older time where people still traveled by horse. Medicine was still hard to get in certain parts of the world. In fact, smaller towns couldn't afford the wages of having a local doctor. Traveling merchants were hired to bring in medicine. They traveled from the trading towns to cure the ever growing illnesses that came and went with the seasons. In fact that is where our story begins. With a large order of herbs to be brought to a struggling town where an epidemic had spread through half the town. And hope was dwindling. Their only hope was one merchant who has made it his mission to save this town from perishing.
            We find this merchant, by the name of Laurence, traveling with a knight's convoy. The knights were traveling by request of a rich lord to deliver a message to the lord of another land. Since they traveled in the same direction they decided to travel together since the knights offered ample protection. The merchant offered in exchange his cooking skills. Everything had gone just fine until the knights all stopped before the path that leads into the forest.
            The merchant's horse was not of noble breeding like the horse of the knights, but she was sturdy and carried the full grown man and the heavy saddle bags filled with vials of medicine. The merchant turned around as the knights all got off their horses to gather around their leader. He was looking over a map and Laurence couldn't hear them well so he hopped off his horse and walked over.
            Hands on his hip and with a raised brow he addressed the knights. "What's wrong men? We must keep going if we are going to reach the village by night fall." He was concerned that if they lingered too long the sick people would be too far gone for the medicine to help them.
            The knights looked at each other and then their leader turned to him with a concerned look. "Do you not know what that is?" The knight gestures to the forest behind Laurence. When he returned his question with a confused look the knight continued. "They call it the wolf's den...almost everyone who has gone in there has been torn apart by wolves. Very few escaped with their lives, and even fewer have escaped unscathed."
            Laurence scratches his head. "Well, what do you suppose we do then?"
            The knight shows him the map and shows a path that goes around the forest. "It will take longer to travel but we will reach the village by morning." Laurence looked at the map with a groan. Not thrilled with this plan but if it was to avoid a risk then it was probably the best bet. He couldn't, in good conscience, endanger the medicine that was entrusted to him.
            He sighed as he nodded. "If you insist we take this path then I guess I agree. I cannot risk a wolf attack going alone."
            Just as they were about to set off again one of the other knights tapped on the leader's shoulder. "Sir we may have a problem..." He points back down the road they had just traveled and in the distance was a giant black cloud spanning the entire horizon. "There is no way we can reach the village before the storm is upon us. If our horses slip on the muddy roads...who knows what might happen." One of the horses could get injured, the knights could get a serious illness, or they could be jumped by bandits in the blinding rain.
            One of the other knights quickly chimed in. "There was an inn about a league back. We could rest there for the night."
            Laurence quickly speaks up, gaining the attention of everyone in the group. "We can't do that! If we wait for the storm to pass. The road will be so muddy by the time we get traveling again we won't reach the village until the morning of the following day! We can't let those people suffer anymore then they have to!" The knights seemed to all speak up at once against him.
            "We can't travel in a storm!"
            "It would be a fool's game to travel in that forest!"
            "There is no way we can keep going right now."
            The merchant was up in arms over this. He planted his feet down in frustration to their selfish responses. "What are you saying? You men are knights...surely with all of us we can deal with a few wolves?" They all started laughing. He looked them with confusion.
            The leader of the knights finally stopped laughing and walked over to Laurence. "My friend, you speak out of turn...you speak of us defending ourselves against the wolves. You have no armor and wield only this..." pulling the dagger from his belt and inspiring another round of laughter from the knights.
            Laurence grabs his dagger back with a scowl. "I may not be a knight but at least I'm not a selfish coward!" He mounts his horse and sends his horse forward into the forest. He ignored the calls of the knights who called him an idiot and a fool. He rode into the trees. The trees were so dense that there was barely any light filtering onto the path. No sooner had the path out vanished behind him he saw a woman panting as she leaned against a tree. Barely able to supporting herself. He reigns in his horse beside her. "Miss, might I ask what you are doing in this forest alone?"
            She looks up at him. A scarf holds back her brown hair and even in the low light he can see her grey eyes. "I need to get to the next town, but my leg hurts too much to go around the forest." She lifts the hem of her dress to show the bruise on her ankle as she sighs. "Sadly with all the rumors about this place I am sure to be dead by sunset."
            Laurence smiles as he offers her a hand. "I am bound for the next town as well. Please allow me to escort you." He would never forgive himself if he left an injured woman behind.
            She looks up at him a bit suspicious. But she takes his hand as he hauls her onto the back of the saddle and he continues forward. "You are a well man, with a fine mount. Why would you choose to take such a dangerous route?" She was holding his shirt tightly so the bumpy ride wouldn't throw her to the ground.
            He looks back at her with a smile. "Well I must get this medicine to the next town. I don't have time to wait for the storm to pass to take the trip around. So even though my party has left me to go alone I have to get there as soon as possible."
            The woman pulls open one of the saddle bags and looks at the vials. "I see, why do you have to deliver medicine...don't they have a doctor in their town?"
            He shakes his head as he pushes her hands away from the bag and snaps it shut. He was worried that she may drop some of the precious cargo. "No, you see it's a very poor village so they can't afford to pay a doctor to stay there all the time. So instead they hire merchants to deliver medicine when it's in dire need. That is why I'm taking this path to get there as soon as possible."
            She looks around and then looks back to him. "So you are merely doing this for an easy profit?"
            He laughs a bit as he shakes his head. "Not at all. Like I said the village is poor so I'm not getting paid a lot. In fact this trip is out of my way so I had to leave my wagon behind. I am merely doing this because no one else would. With the urgency of this task I couldn't watch it go unanswered."
            "And what is so urgent about this task?"
            "The village was hit with a bad disease. The hard workers like the farmers and the black smiths were fine, they are strong enough to fight the sickness. But the older people and the children are suffering and I am afraid if they don't get this medicine soon they may die."
            She nods as she shifts in her seat, staring out into the trees. "That is a noble mission you have. I must admit I have met very few people who share your admirable qualities."
            He smiles and rubs his hair, feeling embarrassed by her admiration. "It's nothing really. I am happy to do it. But what about you, what business do you have in the village?" Looking at her he saw her staring into the trees. He thought perhaps she didn't hear him so he speaks up. "Miss, what are you going to the village for?"
            She doesn't look at him; she merely looks into the trees. "We are being followed. They have been there for a while." Laurence looked out and saw the dark shapes in the dark trees. One of them turned and he saw the piercing yellow eyes. His eyes met with hers and they both knew what it was...wolves.
            Laurence flicked the reigns making the horse move into a gallop. They moved down the trail at an incredible speed. They had made quite an impressive distance when a wolf jumped out and blocked their path with a loud snarl. The horse cries out in fear as it rears back on its hind legs. The woman thought she was going to fall but she felt a hand around her wrist as Laurence held her on the saddle as the horse came down on the wolf. It yelps as it escapes from under the horse and takes off into the trees and disappears into the darkness.
            They were both panting with fear as the woman pressed to his back. "That wolf was just a scout...they will be back with greater numbers. Can your horse outrun them?" She heard nothing from him and she felt him lean back. She sat up straight as he swung off the horse and started untying the saddle bags. "What are you doing?"
            He doesn't look at her. He just unties the saddle bag on the left side and sets it on the ground before moving to the saddle bags on the right side. "No...she can't. She is strong and can endure a lot, but she can't run that fast with these saddle bags and both of us on his back." Still he didn't look at her as he took the saddle bag and placed it next to the other one.
            She looked at him with concern, worry filled her eyes as she gripped the saddle. "So...what do you plan to do?" It was obvious to her. He was going to leave her and the medicine behind as he escaped. But then she felt a hand on hers. She turned as he took her hand in his. "What...what are you doing?"
            He finally looks at her with a smile. "You take my horse and escape. I will take the saddle bags and lead them away...I am slower so they will chase since I am easier prey. Even if a few come after you I am confident my companion will carry you safely out of the forest."
            She looks at him in shock. "I...I don't...I don't understand, what will become of you?"
            He releases her hand as he swings the saddle bags onto his back. "I will lure them away and try to survive long enough for you to go to the village and get help. Hopefully they will come and find me before the rain falls. Hopefully it will be in time to help the sick."
            She just stares at him, not sure what to do. "You would allow me to leave you behind. How do you know I will come back?"
            "I don't know if you will come back, but with your leg I couldn't leave you behind. Even if I thought you could survive longer then me I couldn't live with myself if I left you behind." She was going to speak against this plan but he had already run off. She watched him go with sad eyes as she quickly spurred the horse into action.
            He ran as fast as he could but he already heard the heavy pants of the wolves as they quickly surrounded him. He pressed his back to a tree as he drew his knife. "Back off you beasts...back off!" making sure the medicine was behind him. He didn't want it to get damaged. The wolves were about to strike but a howl was heard through the trees. The wolves quickly turned and ran. Laurence was confused, unable to understand why the wolves just abandoned their prey. He took the chance and ran through the trees. He just moved around a tree when he saw the woman standing in his path.
            She smiled as she beckoned him. "Come walk with me..." Then she turned around and started walking away. When he didn't follow she smiled at him "Don't worry about the wolves. They won't harm you unless I tell them to." He was speechless, but followed her anyway. He saw the dark shapes around them. He quickly became afraid as he followed her. For a woman with a leg injury she walked with a lot of grace.
            He watched her as he followed behind her. He tried to ignore the wolves that were obviously stalking them. "What's going on...where is my horse?"
            She laughed as he turned and started walking backwards "Waiting for you outside the forest...but enough about your horse. I must say I am impressed with you. I thought you were just another merchant trying to make easy coin...and when things got rough I expected you to leave me and the medicine for those poor people behind. I must say I have never been happier to be wrong." Two wolves came out of the darkness, but before he would warn her the two big beasts pressed their heads into her hands. "Surprised? You should be."
            Laurence was speechless for a moment. When she turned and started walking along the wolves he quickly got back into step behind her. "I don't understand...what do you mean?"
            Without turning she spoke. "For years I have seen the human race turn into a bunch of greedy self-centered sacks of worthless flesh. Sadly the time of chivalry is dying. So I devised a test. When a person enters the forest I test their character to see if they are pure of heart, or dirty heathens. Your selfless actions have truly moved me and instead of letting you escape through some 'miracle' I decided to come congratulate you personally."
            Laurence watched as the trees thinned out and finally the setting sun was visible through the trees. "I don't understand what you are trying to tell me."
            As they left the trees she turns to him and sighs. "You are only human so I don't expect you to understand what I am telling you so easily." She points and he sees his horse grazing in some grass nearby. "You may pass through this forest at your whim without harm...in fact I hope to see you again very soon." She smiles as she turns to go back into the forest.
            He watches her then calls out. "But wait...I still have so much to ask you!"
            She looks over her shoulder. "Indeed...but you don't have the time, the sun is setting and my divine eyes have seen the suffering of that village. So I advise you move swiftly to them...good bye Laurence." And with that she started to fade into the darkness.
            He watches for a moment and turns back to his horse. Something crossed his mind and he turns around. "Hey, how did you know my name?" She turned to him, and in her eyes he saw a flash of yellow. The forest seemed to swallow her up as he heard a woman's laughter echoing out form the trees. The laughter lingered until it was drowned out by the howl of wolves only to turn to silence.
            A chill ran down his spine as he quickly got on his horse and rode away from the forest. Not sure what he had just experienced as he raced towards the village. He continued to think about the woman he met in the forest...if she really was a woman.