The Robber Knight's Love (The Robber Knight Saga #2)(174)
Reuben smiled and stepped forward. “Exactly.”
~~*~~*
When the escort of guards arrived at the edge of the village, the sergeant signaled halt and looked to his captain.
“Where to now, Captain? Where is this robber knight?”
Crash!
All heads turned towards a grubby-looking little inn that stood three houses away. Something hit the wall from inside, making the sign of the inn squeak and sway back and forth. A moment later, an earthen jar smashed through a horn-plated window, sailed across the courtyard, and crashed on the ground, not far from the soldiers’ feet.
“I think he’s in there,” the captain voiced his opinion.
“Should we go inside to help?” the sergeant inquired.
Another crash shook the building, and someone cursed. The curse was abruptly cut off, turning into a gurgle, then a choking noise.
The captain cleared his throat. “I don’t really think so. I, um, think it is wiser, from a tactical point of view, to stay out here and surround the place.”
“To make sure that nobody gets away,” the sergeant suggested.
“Exactly! I see you have a good head on your shoulders, sergeant.”
“Thank you, Captain.”
“Keep it up, and there might be a promotion in store for you, soon.”
“Delighted to hear it, Captain. And…”
“Yes?”
“When we surround the inn, how closely should we surround it?”
The captain eyed the smashed pot in front of him. “Maybe we should keep a bit of distance, sergeant. That way, we have a better vantage point and much more chance of catching anyone if they try to flee.”
“Of course! You’re absolutely right, Captain. Men, spread out!”
~~*~~*
When, about half an hour later, Reuben exited the inn, the limp figure of Sir Franco d’Onofrio slung over his shoulder, he was met by the scrape of steel on steel as a circle of over two dozen guards raised their weapons and pointed them directly at him. He raised an eyebrow.
“How have I earned the honor of such a warm reception?”
Sheepishly, the guards lowered their weapons. Their captain cleared his throat and stepped forward.
“My apologies, Sir Reuben. We were only trying to keep any enemies of the Emperor from escaping.”
“I commend your conscientiousness.” With his free hand, Reuben patted the limp figure of Sir Franco. “But, as you see, the only enemy of the Emperor who is here is already taken care of.”
“Yes, Sir Reuben. Of course, Sir Reuben.”
Hauling the man off his shoulder, Reuben dumped him to the ground. “Tie him up and sling him over my horse. We’ll bring him back to the Royal Palace immediately.”
“Yes, Sir Reuben.”
“And send someone to tell the innkeeper that his inn is safe again and that he should learn how to make better applesauce.”
“As you command, Sir Reuben!”
The ride back to Palermo and the Royal Palace was, except for a few cheering villagers, rather uneventful. It left Reuben time to contemplate his first quest as a knight in shining armor. He rather wished that his armor were, in fact, still shining all over and not spotted with grease, applesauce, and stale beer. Also, he would have been somewhat more content with his quest had it not taken place in the common room of a grungy little inn. “I smote him with a rolling pin and knocked him down into a pile of puke” didn’t appear to him to be quite as heroic a climax for an adventurous tale as, say, “I dueled with him on the field in front of the castle and smote him down with my mighty sword.”
Ah, well, beggars can’t be choosers. It was my first time, after all.
And besides—maybe, when he told the story at court, he would leave out the disgusting bits. Of course, a true knight couldn’t lie, but it wouldn’t be lying, exactly, right? Even a knight could neglect to mention puddles of puke without violating principles of chivalry.
Sunk deep into these chivalric contemplations, the time flew bye for Reuben, and he felt practically no time had passed when he rode up in front of the Royal Palace of Palermo. The gates opened to the cheers of the gathered crowd. Men bellowed his name and fair ladies threw flowers, though he noticed that, for some reason, the girl he had been with before his departure was not among them. Grinning, he shrugged. From the looks of things, there would be plenty of others to replace her.
Jumping off his horse, he grabbed the limp figure of the robber knight and swung him over his back.
“Lead me to the Emperor!” he commanded a guard standing at the gate to the keep. “I have his prisoner!”
Accompanied by the cheers of the crowd, Reuben marched into the keep. Even with the dead weight of the robber knight on his shoulders, it didn’t take Reuben long to reach the throne room. As the guard stepped aside, he marched in and, kneeling, dumped Sir Franco onto the stone floor.
“Your Imperial Majesty? Here is the man you were looking for.”
The Emperor looked up from a book he was reading and raised an eyebrow. “That was quick.”
A whisper of cloth sounded above Reuben, and, glancing up, he saw a number of noblemen and ladies file onto the gallery above them. He smiled proudly.
“I always do my best to do my duty promptly and to the best of my ability, Your Majesty.” Shaking his head in disgust, Reuben gazed down at the figure on the floor. “It is a shame that not all knights do the same. God! A robber knight…I cannot understand how any knight could fall so low as to betray his principles and duty to God, the people, and the crown! Such vermin doesn’t deserve to stain God’s green earth!”