Chapter 3

The Questing Lady

Sir Balin rode alone over the dales. He had to. As soon as he had realized that his brother was the knight he loved most in the world, he had realized he had to stay as far away from him as possible.

Of course, Sir Balan had not seen it that way. "You cloth-headed bungle-noggin!" Sir Balan had exclaimed wrathfully. "When will you stop letting that silly prophecy run your life?"

"But I don't want to destroy you," Sir Balin had explained.

"Then here's an idea," Sir Balan had retorted. "Don't."

"It's not that simple!"

"It's exactly that simple!"

"I can't risk it," Sir Balin said pleadingly. "I might kill you by accident or something."

Sir Balan snorted and said, "Fine!"

"I just want you to understand," Sir Balin said.

"Oh, put a cork in it," snapped Sir Balan, and that was how the brothers had parted ways and how Sir Balin happened to be alone when he came upon a lady, standing beside a tall tree, staring up into its branches. Two horses grazed nearby.

"Oh, for heavens sake, come down," the lady was saying.

"Is it a knight?" came a muffled voice from the tree.

"Of course it's a knight."

"Describe him," said the voice.

"Just a normal knight. Ordinary gray armor. No shield, but two swords. Hmm, that's interesting."

The tree's foliage rustled, and a knight dropped from the branches. He peered at Sir Balin, then said, "Whew!"

"Look here," the lady began, "are you going to climb a tree or jump into the bushes every time we meet anyone? Because if so, we'll never get anywhere."

"You don't understand," said the knight.

"Try me," replied the lady.

"Even if I told you, you wouldn't believe me," the knight said.

By this time, Sir Balin had joined them. "Good afternoon," he said.

"Good afternoon, Sir Knight," the lady replied.

"I'm Sir Balin, the Knight with Two Swords," Sir Balin said. He had decided to stick with that nick-name.

"Good thing you have two swords, then," the lady replied promptly. "Because if you only had one, your name would sound silly."

Sir Balin grinned. "Or if I had three."

The lady returned his smile. "Very true. What a stroke of luck that you have exactly the right number of swords for your name. I'm Lady Annalise, the Questing Lady."

"The what?" asked Sir Balin. "What's a questing lady?"

"A lady who accompanies knights on quests, of course."

"I see," said Sir Balin. "That makes sense, I suppose. Have you, er, been doing this for long?"

"Oh, yes," said Lady Annalise. "Years and years. It's a family tradition. My mother was a Questing Lady before me, and I'm carrying on the family trade." Then Lady Annalise's brow darkened, and she muttered, "Somebody has to, anyway."

Sir Balin raised one eyebrow questioningly, and Lady Annalise said, "Sorry. I was thinking of my younger sister, who would have made a great Questing Lady, but no, she couldn't be bothered with the family heritage. She's off at school now, studying to be a Damsel in Distress, if you can imagine! A simpering, moaning, pathetic Damsel in Distress! Nearly broke Mother's heart."

Sir Balin tried to think of something sympathetic to say. "Young people today," he murmured. "No respect for tradition."

"Exactly!" agreed Lady Annalise.

"And, er, are you on a quest right now?" asked Sir Balin.

Lady Annalise gave a sidelong glance at her companion, who had climbed back on his horse but still looked nervous. "Not really," she said. "I was between quests—it's the slow season just now—and I met Sir Harleus Le Berbeus here and thought he might do. But it turns out he mostly quests for good hiding places."

At this, Sir Harleus Le Berbeus spoke. "You'd hide, too, if you were faced with the danger that I'm faced with."

"What danger is that?" asked Sir Balin.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

"That's all I can get out of him, too," said Lady Annalise. "Some danger he won't name."

"Oh, I can name it," said Sir Harleus Le Berbeus. "Its name is Sir Gorlon."

"That's it? One knight?" demanded Lady Annalise. "What's so terrible about this Sir Gorlon?"

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

Lady Annalise shook her head disgustedly, and Sir Balin suppressed a smile. "Well, Sir Harleus Le Berbeus, if there's anything I can do—"

"Seriously?" demanded Sir Harleus Le Berbeus.

"You'll help? Will you ride with me and protect me?"

"Well, I'm not sure if my presence will be more protection or—"

"I accept your offer!" exclaimed Sir Harleus Le Berbeus. "Promise me that you won't desert me. Promise me that you'll protect me from Sir Gorlon!"

"Well, sure, I'll do what I can, but what I'm trying to say is—"

He never finished his sentence. There was a sudden drumming of hoofbeats, coming from nowhere, and Sir Harleus Le Berbeus flew from his saddle and landed on the ground. He gasped and coughed. Lady Annalise threw herself from her saddle and ran to him. For several moments she worked over him, then rose to her feet. Sir Harleus Le Berbeus was still.

"Is he dead?" asked Sir Balin.

"No, but he's badly hurt. He needs a doctor. Fortunately, I know a monastery a few miles away where he can be cared for."

"What happened?"

Lady Annalise hesitated, then said, "Before he passed out, he said it was Sir Gorlon."

"Sir Gorlon? But there wasn't anyone—"

"Sir Gorlon the Invisible Knight."

 

Sir Balin and Lady Annalise transported Sir Harleus Le Berbeus to the monastery, then rode away together. When they had gone about a mile, Lady Annalise cocked her head and looked at Sir

Balin. "I say, I don't suppose you're on a quest," she said. "Because, strictly speaking, I'm only supposed to ride with questing knights."

Sir Balin pondered this for a moment, then said, "Well, I wasn't a couple of hours ago, but I am now."

"Oh?"

"I want to find this Sir Gorlon," Sir Balin said. "It's not right to go around attacking people without warning. Besides, I told Sir Harleus Le Berbeus I'd protect him, then I didn't, and it makes me angry."

Lady Annalise nodded approvingly. "An excellent quest," she said.

They rode together for another hour, chatting in perfect accord and enjoying each other's company very much indeed, until they came to a small hut in a forest, where a brown-robed hermit was talking with a young knight.

"Hello," Sir Balin called out.

"Good evening," replied the hermit.

"Wotcher!" said the young knight.

"Er, what was that?" asked Sir Balin.

"It means 'What ho!' don't you know. 'Pip pip!'"

"I see," said Sir Balin.

"My name is Sir Peryn de Monte Belyard," the young knight said.

"I'm Sir Balin, the Knight with Two Swords, and this is Lady Annalise, the Questing Lady."

Sir Peryn's mouth dropped open. "An actual Questing Lady? Really? I'm honored to meet you, ma'am. My father traveled with a Questing Lady once, a Lady Brigitta."

"My mother," said Lady Annalise, smiling.

"Are you on a quest now?" asked Sir Peryn de Monte Belyard. "May I join you?"

Lady Annalise bowed slightly. "I'll have to ask Sir Balin here, of course, but—"

"Down!" shouted Sir Balin abruptly. He had just heard the sound of drumming hoofbeats. He threw himself to one side, knocking Lady Annalise from her saddle to the ground. There was a sharp cry of pain, and then the hoofbeats faded away into the forest.

Sir Balin checked Lady Annalise first. "Are you hurt?"

"I'm fine," she said. "Thank you. Go to Sir Peryn."

They both rushed to where Sir Peryn lay on the ground, clutching his arm, which was welling blood.

"Curse you, Sir Gorlon," shouted the hermit suddenly. "If I weren't a man of peace, I'd take a sword and—"

"Don't worry," Sir Balin said. "I'll take care of Sir Gorlon. That's my quest. Can you help us with Sir Peryn?"

Together the three made Sir Peryn de Monte Belyard comfortable on a pallet in the hermitage. He wasn't badly hurt, but soon went to sleep from the shock and loss of blood. The hermit led them outside.

"Are you really after Sir Gorlon?"

"I am," Sir Balin said. "Although I don't have any idea how to look for an invisible knight."

"I can help then," the holy man said. "He isn't always invisible. When he's at home and feels safe, he lets himself be seen."

"Where is his home?"

"He lives with his brother, who calls himself King Perleus. Perleus's castle is just between those two hills to the east. Its towers are high, its moat is wide, and it's guarded by a hundred armed knights. But if you want to defeat Sir Gorlon, it will have to be there."

Sir Balin glanced at Lady Annalise and smiled. "Coming?" he said.

"Of course I'm coming. It's what I do."