The Knight Exemplar and Her True Love
There once was a Guardian of the Cave, a young woman of southern France, brought up in a good Cathar family, who believed in equality of the sexes, hard work and justice for all.
When she entered the world and put away the ways of childhood, she found the levels of injustice, the inequality of the sexes, the widespread discrimination and the chasm that existed between the lives of the rich and poor, unsupportable. She was so incensed by this discovery that she made a vow to fight for justice in all its forms for all the days of her life on this earth. She made enquiries about becoming a knight so that she may take up arms in pursuit of her cause, but she was rebuffed and told that a woman could never become a knight.
Undeterred she acquired a suit of armour and set about forming her own order of knights called the Knights Exemplar who would accept anyone of honour and prowess who could wield a sword and fight against the ravages of injustice and corruption. On her quests she met many others of a similar mind, some men, some women and some others who also felt excluded from the great battle of good against evil, and, with them initiated into her order, she set about righting wrongs and making oppressors pay for their crimes.
During her campaigns she met, fell deeply in love with and wooed a well born young woman who returned her love, and together they hatched a plan to travel together as knights forever. The Guardian gave her beloved a ring on which was inscribed the GC emblem of the Guardians of the Cave to act as a seal for their love. Unfortunately, unbeknownst to the lovers, the well born young woman had been secretly promised in marriage to the Count of Carcassone, a cruel man who overtaxed the poor people in his region and subsequently ignored their starving.
Carcasonne, known to be impregnable, was a fortress town in the Aude region of the south of France. Before the lovers plan, to set out on their lives as knights of the road, could be put into action, the well born young woman was spirited away to be kept under lock and key in the Fortress of Carcasonne until the time of the marriage had arrived.
The Guardian of the Cave was devastated but could not discover where her beloved had been taken. Then it came to pass that the afore mentioned Count had visited a brutal punishment on some villagers who had failed to accede to his outrageous demands of higher taxes. Which were in any case far beyond their means to pay. Incensed by the treatment of the villagers, the Guardian Knight gathered together the full force of the Knights Exemplar, some twenty knights, and set out to pay the errant Count a visit. Hoping to undo the injustices that had been done and punish the Count in a way that would deter any future repetitions.
She decided that they would approach with complete candour and openness. It was well known that the Fortress of Carcasonne was one of the best fortified in the land and even an army of knights could not take it by force of arms. They approached the castle in the saddle, flying the colours of the Knights Exemplar plainly to be seen. The captive lover, Constance, saw the fluttering pennants from her chamber in a high tower and imagined that the time of her captivity would soon be ended. She made her way quietly to the tower above the gate house where the twin portcullises were housed so that she could see the knight’s approach and hid herself near a window to give herself a clear view.
The Knights Exemplar rode into the tunnel through which they must pass to gain entry to the main courtyard. Crossbow men and men at arms lined the ramparts and machicolations of castle walls. When all the mounted knights had passed under the outer portcullis, both portcullises were lowered quickly by the men in the gate tower. The Knights Exemplar were trapped. The Count came to the courtyard beyond the inner portcullis to treat with the knights in their captivity himself and their conversation revealed their intention which in turn provoked the Count to several threats of violence to their persons.
Meanwhile, Constance had found a vantage point whereby she could look down upon the knights caught in the tunnel and without a thought she took off her ring and threw it down to alert the Knights Exemplar to her presence. On realising that her beloved was concealed in the galleries above, the Guardian of the Cave, Vivainne Desgur, implored Constance to raise the inner portcullis by any means at hand so that they could come to the place where the Count stood and deliver the justice he deserved. Constance, arming herself with some of the many weapons stored in the tower, quickly overcame the two men in control of the portcullis and, turning the great wheel, raised it up.
The Knights Exemplar poured out of the tunnel that had confined them and surrounded the Count and his retinue. The soldiers on the ramparts could not let loose their arrows in fear of wounding the Count himself, nor could the men at arms come close to him to defend him through the press of the knight’s horses. Thus, was the impenetrable fortress of Carcasonne taken by the twenty-one Knights Exemplar. Vivaine delivered her message of justice to the count and forced him to sign a charter, in which he vowed under oath to his God, to act fairly to the people for whom he could be held responsible and never to hold any innocent person, be it man or woman , imprisoned in the Fortress of Carcassone or anywhere else.
Vivainne, Constance and the Knights Exemplar returned separately to their homes. Vivainne, Guardian of the Cave, Leader of the Knights Exemplar and her beloved Constance set out on the road vowing to travel the land together, righting wrongs and fighting for the causes of justice and equality for all.
The Die of Destiny and the Great Bird
Now, in those days it was told that a powerful object, that had come down the ages from the elder days, was kept hidden in a high castle by a cruel King. It was reported that this object was called the Die of Destiny, a fabled relic that held in its power the destiny of humanity. It was believed that if the Die should fall into the possession of a person of evil intent, then humanity would, likewise tend towards avarice, cruelty and darkness. Yet, on the other hand, should the Die be held in the protection of one who was committed to all things good, then humanity would strive for the light and live in grace and harmony.
The Knights Exemplar, Vivianne Desgur and her beloved Constance, also a knight, decided that it was their duty to bring the Die of Destiny out of the hands of the evil King who held it in his high castle and deliver it into the keeping of a pure soul in whose keeping the Die would be safe and the world would move into a time of justice and peace.
And so, it came to pass that they resolved to ride out to the castle where the Die was being held. On the day of their departure Constance was struck down by an injury incurred whilst training with the sword and it was decided, with much anguish, that she must remain and recuperate, but that she would follow Vivainne as soon as her health should allow.
Vivainne, in full armour, on her fine horse, resplendent in the colours and sigils of the Knights Exemplar, with her faithful pack horse following, set out upon her quest to rescue the Die of Destiny.
After some days she stopped at an Inn next to a church where she intended to rest her horses and resupply her provisions. As she approached the Inn she was intrigued to see many stones, rocks and feathers on the ground all about. On entering the main room of the inn, she was assailed by the darkness therein and saw that the floor was strewn with more feathers and rocks. The few people there whispered furtively to each other instead of enjoying spirited conversation as was the custom and their eyes constantly darted hither and thither as if they expected a spectre to rush at them at any moment.
Vivainne inquired of the of the people there why were they so afraid and she was told that the village holy man or priest held the village in thrall. He had, in his control, a ferocious spirit in the shape of a great demon bird which he held captive in his temple. Daily he sent this apparition out to persecute the people thereabouts if they resisted his efforts to convert them to his religion. They begged the brave knight to free them from this terror and destroy the terrible bird and bring peace back to their village.
The Knight Exemplar buckled on her armour and took up her sword and shield, preparing to confront and vanquish the ferocious bird that the priest controlled. Just then a great sound of wings was to be heard and feathers and rocks began to fall all about. She held her shield above her helmeted head to deflect the attack and, looking out, she saw a great dark bird clawing at the building, dislodging stones and tiles, hurling them through the windows and roof.
Quickly climbing to the roof she launched herself at the creature and dealt several great blows with her sword, cleaving it asunder. Its head and wings falling in pieces to the ground. Gathering herself she went, straight way, to the church and found there the holy man hiding amidst the paraphernalia of his creed. She told him that if his god was such that it needed threats to bring people into its fold then it was not a god that she could countenance. She ordered him henceforth to allow the people thereabouts to worship whomsoever and howsoever they chose. She decreed that if the priest interfered in their lives again that he would have the Knights Exemplar to answer to.
Now, in those days it was told that a powerful object, that had come down the ages from the elder days, was kept hidden in a high castle by a cruel King. It was reported that this object was called the Die of Destiny, a fabled relic that held in its power the destiny of humanity. It was believed that if the Die should fall into the possession of a person of evil intent, then humanity would, likewise tend towards avarice, cruelty and darkness. Yet, on the other hand, should the Die be held in the protection of one who was committed to all things good, then humanity would strive for the light and live in grace and harmony.
The Knights Exemplar, Vivianne Desgur and her beloved Constance, also a knight, decided that it was their duty to bring the Die of Destiny out of the hands of the evil King who held it in his high castle and deliver it into the keeping of a pure soul in whose keeping the Die would be safe and the world would move into a time of justice and peace.
And so, it came to pass that they resolved to ride out to the castle where the Die was being held. On the day of their departure Constance was struck down by an injury incurred whilst training with the sword and it was decided, with much anguish, that she must remain and recuperate, but that she would follow Vivainne as soon as her health should allow.
Vivainne, in full armour, on her fine horse, resplendent in the colours and sigils of the Knights Exemplar, with her faithful pack horse following, set out upon her quest to rescue the Die of Destiny.
After some days she stopped at an Inn next to a church where she intended to rest her horses and resupply her provisions. As she approached the Inn she was intrigued to see many stones, rocks and feathers on the ground all about. On entering the main room of the inn, she was assailed by the darkness therein and saw that the floor was strewn with more feathers and rocks. The few people there whispered furtively to each other instead of enjoying spirited conversation as was the custom and their eyes constantly darted hither and thither as if they expected a spectre to rush at them at any moment.
Vivainne inquired of the of the people there why were they so afraid and she was told that the village holy man or priest held the village in thrall. He had, in his control, a ferocious spirit in the shape of a great demon bird which he held captive in his temple. Daily he sent this apparition out to persecute the people thereabouts if they resisted his efforts to convert them to his religion. They begged the brave knight to free them from this terror and destroy the terrible bird and bring peace back to their village.
The Knight Exemplar buckled on her armour and took up her sword and shield, preparing to confront and vanquish the ferocious bird that the priest controlled. Just then a great sound of wings was to be heard and feathers and rocks began to fall all about. She held her shield above her helmeted head to deflect the attack and, looking out, she saw a great dark bird clawing at the building, dislodging stones and tiles, hurling them through the windows and roof.
Quickly climbing to the roof she launched herself at the creature and dealt several great blows with her sword, cleaving it asunder. Its head and wings falling in pieces to the ground. Gathering herself she went, straight way, to the church and found there the holy man hiding amidst the paraphernalia of his creed. She told him that if his god was such that it needed threats to bring people into its fold then it was not a god that she could countenance. She ordered him henceforth to allow the people thereabouts to worship whomsoever and howsoever they chose. She decreed that if the priest interfered in their lives again that he would have the Knights Exemplar to answer to.
The Knight Exemplar and The Pilgrim
Along the way Vivainne fell in with some pilgrims who, as circumstance would have it, were travelling the same path. One, a wealthy merchant, in clothing of expensive cloth and riding a handsome piebald mare, admitted that travelling in the company of an armoured knight would make him feel safe. The other was a poor woman who walked barefoot, carrying her belongings on her back, who proclaimed that she was not afraid of robbers as she had nothing but that she would appreciate the company on her pilgrimage. As they travelled, they came to a place where the path entered a gloomy forest. All three, well versed in the dangers of robbers and cutpurses in these places vowed to stay together as a precaution. Vivainne put on her sword and dagger in case they were needed.
Deep into the forest they suddenly heard a great whooshing sound as cloud of darkness came flying out of the trees and knocked Vivainne from her horse and onto the forest floor. The poor woman who had been riding pillion was left sitting alone on the horse without holding the reins. The rich man spurred his horse to a gallop to escape and Vivainne’s horse followed without guidance. Vivainne leapt to her feet and laid about her at the dark cloud that was circling, but her blows were to no avail and soon the darkness had wrapped her tightly and bound her arms closely so that she could no longer fight. She felt the coldness of the crypt sucking the warmth of life from her body, struggle as she may, the darkness subdued her. Just as her mind seemed to be drifting away, she heard the sound of hooves somewhere nearby.
The poor woman had returned, having eventually matered the reins, she had turned Vivainne’s horse and with the pack horse following, she had made her way, with all haste, back to the scene of the attack. She dismounted and approached the dark swirling mass in which Vivainne was bound. She plunged her hands into the darkness and wiped the darkness away from Vivainne’s face. “Vivainne” she said, “This darkness must be fought from within, it is the darkness of loneliness which assails you. I do not know your story, but all our stories have much in common, I suspect that you are missing a loved one who is far away from here and that the pain of your loneliness has attracted that dark cloud. I am here to be with you in your time of need, think of the time that comes when you are reunited with the one you love, have courage and hope and the darkness will pass away.”
Vivainne’s eyes slowly opened and it was plain to see the battle within, played out across her troubled countenance. Slowly, she lost her pallor and reached out a hand from the depths of the darkness to clasp the hand of the poor woman and in that position they stayed as the darkness diminished and eventually dissipated into the air as if it had never been. The Knight Exemplar, Vivainne Desegur, regained her feet and held the poor woman in a comforting embrace for some moments. She thanked the woman in many ways and vowed that, if ever the woman was in need in any way, then, she could call on the support of Vivainne in any circumstance. Together they continued their journey, eventually parting as their journeys dictated with fond farewells and commitments to meet again in better times.
Neither of them saw the rich pilgrim again.
The Knight Exemplar and the Maiden in Distress
On her way to save the Die of Destiny from a cruel King, Vivainne, the leader of the Knights Exemplar found herself passing through a land riven with great gorges, where rivers crashed out of caves and the disappeared into great chasms in the rocks. It was a hard country to negotiate and there were few paths. After a long day of searching for a way through, having given up hope of finding a hospitable place to stay, she found a large cavern in which she intended to rest for the night.
The cavern was huge and deep, so, as she was unable to search through the cave without light, she lit a fire, hoping to scare away any lurking dangers and give out a little warmth that might allow her to get some rest. Late in the night when the cave was at its darkest, Vivainne woke to hear the distant sound of weeping coming from deep within the cave. She took up her weapons and fashioned a torch from some wood, cloth and oil. Moving quietly, so as not to betray her presence, she made her way into the mountain. At the back of the cave the great space narrowed until it became almost like a tunnel which continued on for some time until eventually opening out into a vast cavern. Near one wall, Vivainne could just make out a huge mound on the floor and behind it, bound with chains to a ring held fast to the rock, was a woman weeping quietly.
As Vivainne approached so as to get a better look at the great lump lying on the ground, it stirred, awakened by the light of her torch and a huge figure reared up between Vivainne and the captive woman. Something between a giant man and a massive bear, the figure resolved itself before her eyes. The figure moved towards the Knight and she could see that it was wielding a mighty war club, so large that most warriors would have been unable to lift it, let alone swing it in a battle.
‘Leave now’ rumbled the great being, ‘This is my woman, she belongs to me because I love her, she brings the light to my life. I love her now and always, although she does not love me and always tries to escape.’
‘This is no kind of love that I understand, you monster,’ replied Vivainne, ‘release her or I shall be obliged to use force. A person must be allowed to choose to whom they give their love.’
The two combatants circled each other in the dim light of the guttering torch, then as the giant made to crush the knight with a mighty blow, Vivainne leapt aside and swept here sword across the path of his descending arm. The club, still held in the grip of a mighty paw, fell to the ground and the giant creature let out a mighty roar of pain.
‘Leave now’ shouted Vivainne ‘unless you wish to be dealt the final blow of all.’
Grumbling and moaning the bear/man shuffled away into the darkness and was seen no more.
‘Thank you, thank you,’ cried the unfortunate woman as Vivainne broke the chains of her captivity. ‘You are my heroine and I shall forever be in your debt.’
Vivainne retrieved her torch and, together, they made their way out to the entrance of the cave and into the light of a new day. In that morning light Vivainne saw, for the first time, the unparalleled beauty of the woman she had rescued and was near overcome with feelings of admiration. The woman, for her part, was assailed by gratitude and love for her rescuer and professed this in no uncertain terms, vowing to love Vivainne forever and follow her to the ends of time.
Now at this point a great turmoil began to make itself felt in Vivainne’s heart, troubling her deeply and causing her to hesitate. The sky darkened above them and lightning began to play along the peaks of the rocky cliffs that surrounded them.
‘What is this terrible sign,’ cried the woman as the thunder sounded again and again, echoing around them like the raging of a great battle.
‘This is the sound of a great battle in my heart,’ called Vivainne, having to near shout to make herself heard over the great clashing roar that was growing ever more ferocious.
‘My heart and mind are split in two parts who now wage war on each other, my love is promised forever to another and yet here I stand, assailed by another great love which I can barely resist. Please leave me alone for a moment so that I may bring this inner warfare to a resolution.’
The woman left the scene, as her rescuer had asked, and went to find shelter under an overhang nearby.
Vivainne, standing tall in the lashing rain and lightning, looked up to the sky as if to discern an answer to her dilemma and called out to her beloved Constance, berating her for her absence in this time of need and re-examining her own loves and allegiances which had been forgotten in the excitement of battle and the ensuing adoration of the newly freed woman.
Slowly the storm abated, and the echoes of the thunder died away into the distance. Vivainne found herself, standing whole again, with her heart and mind once more aligned in her love for Constance and her steadfastness in her duty to continue her quest to free the Die of Destiny from the possession of the cruel King.
She freed the woman from any obligations to her and told her that her heart already belonged to another. She took the woman out of that place and made sure that she was safe in a place where she was known and the people there would care for her.
Feeling more resolute than ever, she set out again on the road.
The Knight Exemplar and the Brothers at War
Vivainne the Knight Exemplar was travelling quietly along a dusty section of road, ruminating on her adventures and the quest ahead when a huge stone arm came flying out of the sky and buried itself in the road not two yards in front of her horse. Her horse reared and it took some time before Vivainne could calm it down. She dismounted and examined the arm, looking up occasionally to check that the rest of the great stone body was not following.
As she did this, she heard somewhere nearby, some loud sounds which Vivainne could not at first identify. Leading her horse, she made her way through the trees at the side of the road until she came to a clearing and saw a great war machine normally used in sieges, a trebuchet standing ready to fire with a large pile of great stone pieces lying ready to be loaded. As she watched, a soldier in full armour wound up the huge machine and loaded a massive stone. He hauled on the large lever and the counterweight was released, the stone whipped up and over the machine, travelling fast and high and disappearing out of sight within seconds.
Fascinated, Vivainne approached and was soon challenged by the soldier. She sheathed her sword to shew that she was not attacking, and the armoured soldier allowed her to come near.
Vivainne asked the Knight what he was doing and why pieces of stone statue were falling from the sky and so he related his history.
He was one of two Brothers that had become Knights, one had remained at home and pledged his allegiance to the Count who ruled the local region, in service to defend the town and castle wherein his wife and children now found their home. The second brother decided to travel in search of adventure and eventually after many years became a trusted lieutenant to another Count in a neighbouring town.
Unfortunately for the brothers the two towns soon found themselves at odds over the ownership of some vineyards and not long after, armed conflict broke out. The Brothers found themselves in a difficult situation and both swore that they would never raise a sword against each other in action on the field of battle. That being the case, their respective superiors had placed them both in charge of a trebuchet so that they could make a contribution to the struggle.
The strife had continued without either side gaining the upper hand. Military clashes had come and gone, there had been fatalities and injuries on both sides, but now the towns folk and military on both sides had become disillusioned with the cost of the conflict over such a minor dispute and had slowly and quietly withdrawn their support from the respective Counts who, for their part were still resolute in their mutual attempts to overcome the other. And thus, it came to be that the only remaining retainers still trying to prove their adamant loyalty to their respective Counts were the two Brothers.
Each day they sent flying several lethal stones towards the others position, each day the stones fell short and each day the stones were collected up for the coming day’s volley.
Vivainne remonstrated with the Knight that she had nearly been crushed by one of the flying stones and the Knight admitted that several peasants, some goats and a horse had recently been badly injured by the stones but that he felt that it was his duty to continue flinging them through the sky.
At that moment another stone fell from the sky, a stone foot perched atop a reposing lion crashed to the ground, pinning the Knights foot to the floor. He cried out in pain and anguish, ‘Ahhh, I am done for, my brother has been trying his best to miss me for months whilst appearing to bring the war to my door. Now I am crushed and can fight no more.’
With that, the wounded Knight swooned, and the light passed from his eyes. Vivainne tried and failed to move the rock, then taking her own blanket from her pack horse, she made the Knight comfortable and left on horseback to find the Brother Knight. As she approached the second trebuchet, she could see the armoured figure wresting another part of a stone statue into the machine. She called for him to pause and he turned towards her and drew his sword.
‘I have come on a peaceful mission,’ said Vivainne circling ‘ I will fight you if that is your wish but I can tell you now that your brother lies on the ground some distance from here with one of his feet crushed beneath one of your stones. Cease your foolish warring and come with me to release him before he passes from this world.’
The Knight dropped his sword to the floor. ‘What have I done!’ He cried, ‘take me too him now and I shall never fight in another unjust cause.’
Together, the two Knights hastened to the place where his brother lay, having regained his mind he saw them coming and begged for their aid. Vivainne found a stout bough of a tree and together with the strength of the two able Knights and the use of a fulcrum stone the wounded Knight was freed. As fortune would have it the stone had only forced the armoured foot deep into the soft ground, trapping it without causing too much injury.
Vivainne and the two brothers travelled to the nearby town where the home of one of the brothers gave the visitors great hospitalities. The Knights wife and children fussed around their brother in law and uncle, bonding the relations together again under one roof and healing the false antipathy of a pointless conflagration.
The Knights Exemplar and Death’s Hat
Constance, Vivainne’s beloved, had recovered after her injury and had been travelling as fast as she could to re-join Vivainne in her Quest to rescue the Die of Destiny. She felt sure that she was close on Vivainne’s heels and that they would soon be reunited. She rode on into a land of rolling grassland covered in wildflowers and home to numerous wandering herds of wild horses. Suddenly over the brow of a low hill came a group of heavily armed cavalry, moving fast and with purpose.
Constance stopped and remained still, her sword still sheathed, and awaited their arrival. There was nowhere for her to hide and so she awaited her fate with stoicism. The Cavalry reined in around her and she found herself faced by a fully armoured knight with visor down.
‘Do you know the whereabouts of Death’s Hat?’ came the hollow voice from within the helmet. ‘Someone has stolen Death’s Hat and we have been tasked with it’s return. Death cannot go about his duties without a large hat and he has business hereabouts.’
‘I have no knowledge of this Hat,’ replied Constance, ‘You may search my belongings if you see fit, but I can assure you that you will not find there what you seek.’
The Visored Knight came close to Constance and appeared to stare into her eyes for a few moments. Constance for her part stared back through the slits in the visor trying to discern a pair of eyes. But all that she could make out was a darkness deeper than the darkest night.
Finally breaking away from Constance’s glare, the Knight motioned to his entourage and together they galloped way.
Intrigued, Constance rode on again and eventually came to a place where a fight had taken place, some bodies lay scattered on the ground, bloodied and still. Their baggage and belongings were strewn across the grass as if they had been searched. Constance dismounted to check if there were any survivors, strangely, although all the bodies had mortal injuries, they were all still alive though all unable to move.
Constance knelt by the one who showed the least injury to offer her some water.
‘Did they take it?’ whispered the undying woman. ‘Did they find the Hat? Look beneath the circurass of the man with the green tunic who is lying nearby and under it you will find the Great Hat that Death must wear to do his duty. Take it, if you dare, only know this, the Hat cannot be taken from you if it is freely given and no one can die until Death regains his Hat.’
Constance searched the man with the green tunic and as she been told, she found a large black Hat. The Knight who she had searched looked up at her in some pain and said to Constance, ‘ I give this Hat to you freely and without obligation, I only ask that you return this Hat to its rightful owner when the time is right. We should not have stolen it and now I am in need of Death’s blessing, which he cannot give without his Hat.
Thanking the man and assuring him that she would do what she could, Constance continued on her way.
As she neared the next settlement, she could see smoke rising from some buildings and so she strapped on her weaponry in expectation of the need to defend herself. In the small square a sight of mayhem assailed her, and she saw to her horror, Vivainne, standing tall, surrounded by several soldiers who were attacking her from all sides. Vivainne had already dispatched three of her attackers and appeared to be holding her own when an arrow fired from a short distance pierced a gap in her armour and passed through her heart. Constance cried out and leapt from her horse. She attacked the soldiers with a fury that she not known that she possessed, and, in some minutes, they lay about her, overcome and in submission.
Constance approached Vivainne who lay mortally wounded but unable to die and as Constance held her for what she thought may be the last time Death arrived and stood by her side. She lay Vivainne down and stood to face Death,
‘Give me my Hat that I may fulfil my duty,’ said Death in a hollow voice. ‘These people have a right to my services so that they may pass from this realm and the broken bodies that can no longer sustain them. If you do not give me my Hat, I will take it from you by force.’
‘You cannot take it from me as it was freely given to me by another hand. I will, however, concede that, there can be no Life without Death, Consciousness cannot remain unembodied and existence would not taste so sweet without the sourness of its absence. I only require one boon from you at this time in exchange for your Hat. Restore my beloved Vivainne in Life and Limb so that we may continue our Quest together and the Hat is yours.’
Death stood quiet for some moments before speaking, ‘I accept the bargain that you have described,’ he whispered, close to her ear, ‘but I must retain one caveat to our deal. Vivainne shall become whole again but, she will only remain alive as long as you are alive. When your time is ended, so must our bargain end and Vivainne will pass away with you.’
‘If it must be thus, then so be it.’ Said Constance and so saying she gave the great Black Hat to Death. Before he put it on, he passed his hands over Vivainne and the arrow that had pierced her heart disappeared and the wound whereby it had entered was seen no more.
Then, rising, Death put on his Hat and there passed over the world a great sigh as all the undying dead throughout the world were released from the broken bodies that had been waiting to pass away since Death’s hat had been stolen.
Vivainne now regained consciousness and leapt to her feet, seeing only Constance facing her she dropped her sword and held Constance in a tight embrace for some time.
‘I felt as if I were pierced through the heart before you came,’ said Vivainne ‘it must have been the pain of your absence that caused such a thing but now that you are restored to me I am made whole again. The joy in my heart is almost too much to bear. Now come with me and together we will free the Die if Destiny and ensure the fate of the world is harmonious and good.’
Together once more they left that place of Death and resumed their Quest.
The Knights Exemplar, the King and the Fisherman
As Vivainne and Constance continued on the road towards the Castle wherein the Die of Destiny was being held by a Cruel King, they discussed the suffering that both had experienced during their recent separation and conversely, their joy at being re-united.
Suffering, they considered, was something felt by all mortal souls and a consequence of being alive. The very nature of being human presupposed the existence of happiness and contentment in the good times and their opposites, suffering and anxiety in times of trouble. The two knights had experienced both in abundance and were at a loss to understand how to promote the former whilst reducing the later.
As they talked, they rode along the shore of a great lake or inland sea, and there, sitting side by side, both with fishing rods in their hands, sat a King and a Fisherman.
As they were both tired and ready to stop for a rest, they dismounted and greeted the pair that were fishing with respect and asked them if their fishing was going well.
The King replied that, no, they had not caught any fish and that they never would, because Luck had deserted them, and they may never catch a fish again.
Intrigued, Constance and Vivainne sat down and listened to the story that the King had to tell.
The King had lived in a fine country, he tried every day to make the plight of his people more comfortable, but when he sat in his courtly rooms and listened to the petitions of the people that came there, he was always surprised at the suffering that still afflicted his them. However hard he tried to improve their lot, there were always some who were hungry or ailing. Sometimes, just when he believed that his efforts were having some effect, a great flood or a pestilence would plunge his people into despair.
He decided, at length, to discover the reason for the underlying reasoning which ruled the fate of his country and so he visited a wise man who was known.
After many words and discussions, the king came away with the words ‘It is just bad luck’ ringing in his ears. So, he decided to confront Luck, and ask him how he was meant to combat the suffering of the people when his attempts were always thwarted by Bad Luck.
He travelled to where Luck resided in the Vale of Chance and, once there, he posed his question to Luck and waited for an answer.
Luck sighed and said ‘ Let me answer you this way, the World in which you live is unpredictable, this manifests in your lives as Good Luck and Bad Luck. When the world is good to you and the sun shines, do you say, “I have had Good Luck today,” no, but when you hurt your foot on a hidden root on the path you say “ I have had Bad Luck today.”
To understand the world truly you must take away the Bad and the Good that you associate with Luck. If then this unpredictability brings happiness, then enjoy it, if on the other hand it brings suffering, you must decide whether to leave each individual to suffer alone or come together and support each other over that suffering, be it physical or mental, suffering can be assuaged.
The King, disappointed and angered, demanded that Luck release the world from this tyranny. He asked Luck how he determined what would happen next in the world and Luck revealed to him the Die of Destiny.
A six sided cube with numbers of dots on each side, one side was blank and represented the Physical Universe, the next had one dot to represent the Self or Unity, the next had two dots to represents the two Aspects of Power, the next had three dots to represent Harmony, the next had four dots to represent the Cosmos of the Mind and the last had ten dots in a triangle to represent Humanity.
With this Die, Luck ruled the fate of the world and because he was impartial, both good and bad outcomes were equally balanced. He told the King that if the Die was thrown by a being of mal intent then the outcomes would forever err on the side of evil and that , conversely, if the Die were to be thrown by a pure soul then the results would err on the side of good.
The King, then and there, stole the Die of Destiny and carried it away with him.
For a few years the King kept the Die of Destiny safe and his people prospered and suffering was reduced in all its manifestations but then one terrible day, another visiting King, who was an evil man and cared nought for anyone except himself managed to steal the Die of Destiny from the good King and carried it away to his high castle. Since that time, things had not gone well in the world and natural disasters and plagues had afflicted the world.
The Good King was the unluckiest of all, nothing he did was successful and only brought further distress to all those in his kingdom. So, one day he set out to retrieve the Die of Destiny and return it to Luck so that the Cosmos might regain its balance. Wherever he went, Bad Luck followed him and so he eschewed the company of people and travelled alone.
The fisherman had found the King sitting by the Lake, and, even though the King had told him that if they would fish together, they would never have enough Luck to catch a fish. The Fisherman sat down with the King to fill his loneliness and bring him some reduction of his suffering.
At this, Vivainne and Constance could not help but tell of their quest, on which they had embarked so long ago. Having heard the King’s story, they decided that should they be so fortunate as succeed in their quest, they would return the Die to Luck so that balance could be restored.
The King, pleased by this turn of events, decided that he should not accompany the two Knights as he would only bring his Bad Luck with him and they would, like as not, fail. But he was able to give them some advice.
‘I have discovered’ he told them ‘that the Cruel King’s high Castle has a hidden entrance that is disguised as a woodsman’s cottage near the base of the hill whereupon the castle is built. I can also tell you that the Cruel King is very short but nonetheless an accomplished swordsman. It is said that he keeps the Die of Destiny locked in his family crypt below his great hall. I hope that these intelligences are helpful to you and that you can wrest the Die from his control. Oh yes, one last word, he is said to be fond of a story, and once he has begun to listen to a tale, nothing will regain his attention until the tale is complete. He has been known to banish subjects for interrupting during the telling of a story.
Having rested, the Knights Exemplar took their leave of the King and the Fisherman with whom they had shared their meagre rations. They thanked them for their knowledge and were in returned wished good fortune on the Quest to regain the Die of Destiny.
The Knights Exemplar and the Philosopher
The two Knights were now in sight of their goal, in the far distance they could see a high Castle, the final destination of their Quest. As they entered a narrow valley, through which they must pass, their way was blocked by a large crowd of people who appeared to be all following somebody way up ahead. It was impossible for them to pass safely through the crowd and so they dismounted and lead their horse into the melee. Unable to ascertain what or whom the crowd were following, Vivainne and Constance took it upon themselves to interview some of the people around them.
This, then, is the story that they were told.
A philosopher, fascinated by the idea that “philosophy is a battle against the bewitchment of our intelligence by means of our language,” had decide to block his ears in an attempt to improve his intelligence. He spent his time not reading, not listening and not partaking in anything in which words or language might be involved. It was not, as yet, proven as to whether his intelligence had been sharpened or impaired, but it had brought him some renown in the region where he made his home. Although he had no direct communication with anyone, he had somehow given the impression that he was extremely wise. This may have come partly from his appearance, his white beard, ragged robes, sandals and staff seemed to impress people. Soon enough, people were seeking him out in order to have difficult questions and decisions made by him.
Now, one may have supposed that this was impossible, considering the nature of his retirement, but ingenious methods were found to satisfy the demands of his growing group of followers. For instance, a simple Yes/No answer could be obtained by putting a Yes apple and a No apple in his path and seeing which one he chose to eat or for a more subtle decisions, scraps of paper with various choices inscribed on them and then folded correctly so as to avoid words passing before his eyes, could be put before him, and the one that he chose to start his fire with, would either be the correct or the incorrect decision depending on the interpretation.
This had been going on for some time when the philosopher suddenly started walking away from his humble abode with no signs of his intending to return. His followers took this as a sign also and some hundred or so of them had followed him in the expectation of revelations and insights.
This journey had gone well for a few days, the philosopher had travelled some way from his home, wandering from tree to stream in what appeared to be a random way. His followers interpreting and arguing over interpretations to their hearts content. Unfortunately, on the seventh day the philosopher had, for no apparent reason, suddenly turned around and started walking backwards. At first this did not precipitate too many problems; he did bump into a few trees and stumble through some thickets but by and large he had not put himself in any situations that required the assistance of his disciples.
But now, his followers had discovered that he was drawing inexorably closer to a precipice. The discussion amongst the crowd had raged, should they intervene in some way? What was their duty? Should they break his rules and communicate with him in some way? Was there a way that they could save their hero without introducing any words or language?
When Vivainne and Constance arrived, the followers had estimated that the philosopher, at his present rate of travel, would reach the precipice in about five minutes time. They were horrified at the apparent madness of allowing an aging eccentric to walk backwards towards his death without intervening. Leading their horses, the two knights shouldered their way through the crowd, pushing the arguing disciples to the left and right. Eventually, they broke free of the crowd and saw the philosopher teetering backwards towards his demise. Handing the reins of her horse to Constance, Vivainne walked quickly to the area between the Philosopher and the ravine. Grasping him firmly by the shoulders, Vivainne turned him around so that he could see the ravine, the philosopher, without missing a beat continued to walk backwards, now, safely away from the ravine.
The crowd of followers formed a corridor through which the philosopher could pass, watching his every move as he slowly made his way back the way he had come. As he passed, the corridor closed behind him and his disciples turned to follow him once more.
Vivainne and Constance watched the philosopher and his following crowd slowly make their way back down the narrow valley and away into the distance.
‘I suspect,’ said Vivainne at length, ‘That he may discover that it is not so simple to forego the seduction of language, which is, after all, the vehicle of our thoughts even when we are insensible to the world around us. Perhaps he should bend his mind to expanding the limits of our language, rather than attempting to escape it completely.’
Having remounted their horses, the two Knights prepared to make their final approach to High Castle wherein the Die of Destiny was incarcerated.
The Knights Rescue The Die of Destiny
The castle was situated, conveniently, on a hill and as Vivainne and Constance approached they could see a besieging force surrounding the walls. Having knowledge of the secret entrance, they avoided being seen by the attacking forces and made their way to the woodsman’s cottage at the base of the hill. There, at the back of the cottage, was a small door which led directly into a tunnel. Taking only their lighter weapons, the two Knights made their way up the tunnel which seemed to pass up through the rock itself.
Eventually they reached another small door which opened into, what appeared to be, the lowest dungeons at the base of the castle. The place was deserted as they moved through the corridors and the noise coming from the great portcullis and gate betrayed the battle that was raging there. It seemed that the inhabitants of the castle were all engaged with repelling the invading force. Vivainne and Constance made their way to the great hall and the stairway which led down to the crypt beneath, wherein the Die of Destiny was said to be held.
As they entered the Crypt that held the family tombs of the Cruel King, they beheld a startling sight. The King, lost in concentration, was kneeling down on the cold flags, studiously throwing and rethrowing the Die of Destiny, all the while mumbling to himself. At each throw, loud cries could be heard coming from outside the gates and it was plain to understand that the King was using the Die to undermine the Luck of the castle’s assailants. Never had so many soldiers tripped over, cut themselves on their own swords, lost their way or bumped into each other. The entire besieging force was having all the unluckiest days of its existence rolled up into this hour.
Constance crept, quietly, up behind the King and gently tapped him on the shoulder with the point of her sword. ‘I believe it is time for the Die of Destiny to be returned to its rightful owner,’ she said as the King turned towards her, leaving the Die spinning on the floor. Quickly, Vivainne picked up the Die before it could settle, as Constance held the King stationary with the threat of her bright sword.
The Die, now in the possession of a noble soul, ceased to influence the battle at the gates and soon enough the invaders entered the castle and demanded that the Die of Destiny be brought forth. In the great hall Luck sat in the throne with his knights about him. For it had been Luck and his armed force that had been trying to overcome the Cruel King’s castle and regain the Die of Destiny. Vivainne and Constance brought forth and presented the Die to Luck.
‘I must thank you, brave Knights, you have done a great service for all the world. I doubt that we would have prevailed in our attempts to regain this Die whilst its powers were ranged against us. There is but one reward that it is in my remit to grant to you, Luck is my name and my nature, so therefore, from this day, you two Knights will be the luckiest people alive. Let this be my way of thanking you for restoring balance to the world.’
Vivainne and Constance bowed deeply and Vivainne said ‘Our Quest was never engaged with the expectation of any reward other than righting wrongs and the restoration of balance to the world. That being said, we are happy to accept your gift and will wear the sigil of the Die of Destiny so that we may be recognised by anyone who may wish to stand against us. It would not be a fair contest, now that we are the luckiest Knights in the world and can therefore never be harmed by force of arms.’
With that the two Knights turned and left that place, regained their horses and began the long journey home. Luckily, the sun was shining all the way.
The Guardians of the Cave 