Chapter 5

The Dolorous Death of Sir Balin and Sir Balan

Once again, Sir Balin and Lady Annalise were without a quest, but they agreed that until one came along, they might as well ride together. They decided they were as likely to find one together as separate, and whether that was true or not, it worked for them.

"I thought you were about to give everything away," Lady Annalise commented, "when you almost introduced yourself as the Knight with Two Swords."

"Yes, that was a near miss," Sir Balin agreed.

"Are you really from Northumberland? Because I'm from the north myself, from Carlisle."

Sir Balin peeked at her from the corner of his eye. "Fancy that," he said, thoughtfully.

"So what happened with King Perleus?"

"He missed me," Sir Balin said. "And I didn't miss him. Poor chap. He thought he was invincible."

"Why would he think that?"

"Because some meddling old prophetess at his coronation told him that he wouldn't die until he ruled two kingdoms. Apparently, that prophetess was full of bunk."

Lady Annalise nodded slowly. "Well, since you mention it, I have heard that the Prophetesses Guild has lowered its standards recently."

"There's a Prophetesses Guild?"

"There's a guild for everything. Somebody has to ensure quality work, don't you think?"

"I suppose I'd never thought about it," Sir Balin admitted. "But I am now. So, what if my brother Lannie is right? What if the prophetess at my christening was just spouting a bunch of rot?"

"I guess the only way to find out would be to test it. Why don't you try going against the prophecy and see if you can change your fate? What else did the Old Woman of the Mountain say?"

Sir Balin thought about this for a moment, then said, "Well, she prophesied that I would never turn down an adventure."

"And have you ever turned down an adventure?"

"Not yet," Sir Balin admitted. "But it's worth a go, don't you think?"

"I suppose," Lady Annalise said dubiously. "It's going to make it harder to find a quest, though."

"Nonsense," Sir Balin said. "It's the quest to defeat fate itself."

Lady Annalise smiled. "Brilliant! Why, that has to be the noblest quest of all!" She began to giggle. "Which, of course, makes you the noblest knight in England."

"Bother," said Sir Balin. "Not fulfilling my destiny may be harder than I thought."

As it happened, though, they had a chance to test their plan just a short time later. Riding through a gloomy forest, they came to a fork in the road. A sign pointed down the path that led to their right. The sign said, THIS WAY TO THE ADVENTURE OF THE ISLE OF BATTLES.

Sir Balin and Lady Annalise exchanged looks, then chose the left-hand path. "That wasn't so hard," Sir Balin commented.

Soon they came to another crossroad. A sign pointed to the left, saying, THE ADVENTURE OF THE ISLE OF BATTLES. They turned right. A few minutes later, they came to a third sign, pointing right. This one read, THIS WAY TO GLORY AND HONOR. They turned left again.

"Really I could get used to this," Sir Balin said. "I never knew that avoiding adventure could be so enjoyable."

At that moment they emerged from the woods and found themselves in a small village beside a river. In the middle of the river was a long, treeless island with a small hut on one end. A narrow plank bridge led from the town to the island. As soon as they appeared, a throng of villagers

burst from their houses and ran to greet them. "At last! At last! A knight to save us!"

"What's all this?" Sir Balin asked.

A man with an official-looking sash pushed through the crowd, which parted for him. "O knight, I am the Lord Mayor of this town. We are cruelly oppressed by the Villainous Knight of the Isle of Battles! Save us! Save us! Before he destroys us all!"

Sir Balin frowned. "Is that the Isle of Battles?" he asked. "But the sign on the road said that it was the other direction."

The official looked about angrily until he saw a youth with red hair. "You! Clem! Didn't I tell you where to place those signposts?"

"Ay, your honor," replied Clem. "You said to make them point right-left-right, and I did." Clem scratched his head. "Did you mean right-left-right when you're facing toward the town or away from the—"

"You dunderhead!" roared the Lord Mayor. "No wonder nobody's been by in over a week! You pointed the signs the wrong way. Luckily, this knight found the right path anyway. It must have been fate! Will you save us, O knight, from the cruel Knight of the Island?"

Sir Balin sighed and looked at Lady Annalise. "Bother," he said. "It's one thing to turn down an adventure when nobody is hurt. It's another to turn away from people in need." Lady Annalise nodded, and Sir Balin said, "All right. I'll fight your villain."

"Excellent!" shouted the official. "We'll send word to the Knight of the Island that you're coming." One man ran across the plank bridge, while the rest of the townspeople lined up on the shore across from the island.

"I say," Sir Balin said, "I don't suppose you have a shield handy, do you?" Now that he was down to one sword and had a free hand, it occurred to him that a shield might be useful.

"Yes, of course," said the mayor. He led Sir Balin into a small structure nearby that was filled with shields. "Choose whichever you like."

"What are you doing with all these?" Sir Balin asked.

"They're, ah, sort of a town collection. A hobby, you might say."

Sir Balin chose a shield, then went to face the Knight of the Island. The bridge was too narrow for a horse, so he crossed to the island on foot. From the small hut at the other end, a knight in armor appeared. They looked at each other, then strode forward to fight.

Lady Annalise, watching with the villagers on the opposite shore, had seen many battles, but never had she seen such brilliant swordsmanship. Both knights nearly killed each other several times, but saved themselves by extraordinary skill. The crowd on the shore cheered loudly and appreciatively, but Lady Annalise felt no desire to join them. She was too worried for Sir Balin.

"This is our best one yet," said a townsman near her. "I'll wager a shilling on the Knight of the Island."

"You're on!" cried another. "What fun!"

Lady Annalise turned to stare at the villagers. Half were cheering for Sir Balin, but the other half were cheering for the Knight of the Island. All looked to be having a grand time.

On the island, the two knights separated and walked in a circle for a moment, evidently catching their breath. Lady Annalise looked again at the villagers. "This is all a big game to you, isn't it?" she demanded.

"Ay, my lady," replied a man nearby. "We wait for two knights to come by, tell the first one that we're about to be attacked by a villain, tell the second one that we're being oppressed by a villain, and then we get to watch them fight. It's as good as a tournament, but it's right here at home."

"But that's terrible!" Lady Annalise exclaimed. "A knight could get killed for your silly game!"

The townsman looked sulky. "They usually just get wounded," he muttered, "and we always give decent burials to the ones who die."

Lady Annalise started toward the bridge. "Balin! Wait!"

But it was too late. As she headed toward the island, the two battling knights struck at exactly the same moment, thrusting their swords into each other's hearts. Then, as one, they crumpled to the ground.

"Get back, all of you!" Lady Annalise shouted fiercely, shoving townspeople aside as she hurried toward the bridge. Alone, she raced across to the island, where she knelt over the two bodies. After several minutes, she rose to her feet and walked back to the bridge, glaring at the villagers.

"Do you want to hear what your cruel lies have done?" she said. Her voice was low, but it carried easily. "You think this is just a harmless game, but today you have slain two of the finest men in the land. There, behind me, lies Sir Balin, the Knight with Two Swords, and beside him in death lies his brother, Sir Balan the Doughty."

"His brother?" someone in the crowd muttered.

"Yes, his brother!" said Lady Annalise. "He did not recognize him because of his strange shield and because he had lost one of his two swords." She raised her eyes to heaven, and with a broken voice continued, "Alas, my friend Sir Balin! You tried to defy fate, but your fate caught up with you! It was foretold that you would destroy the knight whom you loved most in the world. Today that most tragic and dolorous fate has come upon you. Rest in peace, my friend! I and I alone shall carry you and your valorous brother back home to Northumberland!"

Shame on their faces, the villagers went to bring stretchers. They laid the two dead knights on them, then tied them behind their two horses. Her jaw clenched tightly, her shoulders shaking with suppressed emotion, Lady Annalise watched these preparations. Then she made the townspeople swear never to deceive good knights with their game again, and gave a few other instructions. When all had been done, she wordlessly mounted her own horse and led the knights' horses back into the woods, one hand covering her face, a picture of grief.