Read The Golden Braid Online

Authors: Melanie Dickerson

The Golden Braid (5 page)

BOOK: The Golden Braid
4.84Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

He stared up the stars, letting the melody of the song and the sweetness of the voice play over and over in his memory. It was haunting, lingering, beautiful.

He slept lightly, waking every time his prisoner moved, which was often. By morning he was glad the night was over so he could get his prisoner to Hagenheim and turn him over to the gaoler to await justice.

While he kept a close eye on his prisoner and prepared to depart, the two women were already packed up and leaving. The young maiden was looking back at him as they started toward the road.

So they were leaving without him, were they? Well, why should he care? Let them get attacked by robbers again.

He and his prisoner set out, too, but instead of the sky becoming lighter, it seemed to be getting dark again. He could smell rain in the air as a chill stole over him. It had been unusually warm, as it was still late winter, but rain would bring colder weather.

He kept at a slow pace, with his prisoner walking behind, occasionally complaining about his feet or being thirsty. Gerek made sure he had what he needed, but he mostly ignored his complaints. If the prisoner thought Gerek was too kind, he would be more likely to do something sneaky.

Suddenly the wind began to pick up, and then, just as quickly, it became still. Thunder rumbled in the distance.

“Now I will get wet,” the robber grumbled.

Gerek kept on his same steady pace. Just as he noticed a strange feeling in the air, a crack of lightning split the stillness, so loud it seemed to numb his ears. Gerek's horse leapt, all four hooves off the ground, then reared and pawed the air.

Gerek fought to control the horse and stay mounted. When his hooves were all back on the ground, the horse snorted and danced to the side.

The lightning seemed to have come from just ahead of them. Gerek urged his horse forward at a trot, forcing his prisoner to walk fast to keep up.

“Are you trying to kill me?” he protested.

But Gerek did not slow the pace. He pictured the beautiful young maiden with the unearthly voice lying on the ground, felled by the lightning strike.

After a few moments, he caught a glimpse of them up ahead. The young woman turned to glance behind her. Her eyes were wide, but she looked unhurt.

His prisoner began breathing heavily behind him and mumbling curses. Gerek slowed his horse.

The young maiden's mother grumbled at the ox and donkey, flicking them lightly with a makeshift whip to make them walk faster. Another clap of thunder came from farther away.

A fat drop of rain landed on his nose. Another crack of lightning split the air, even closer than the first one. Donner danced and snorted, still unsettled, when a hare darted out across the road directly in front of him.

Gerek braced himself as Donner neighed and reared. Gerek leaned forward and pulled back on the reins. His horse reared so high, Gerek started falling backward.

A dull snap. The saddle girth must have broken. The saddle was sliding. Gerek couldn't gain any leverage to push himself free. He hit the ground on his right side just before the big warhorse fell on top of him.

A sharp pain in his ankle broke his consciousness, but he ignored it. He had to see where his prisoner had gone.

Donner scrambled to get up. Every time the horse attempted to heave his big body, it allowed Gerek to wriggle a little way out. He twisted around to see the prisoner pull Gerek's long knife out of his saddlebag.

Gerek's sword was underneath him. He tried to get his hand on the hilt. Just as his horse made it to his feet and freed Gerek, the prisoner lunged at him with the knife.

Gerek blocked the man's arm. He lay at an awkward angle and could not reach the knife in the man's hand. Another moment and the prisoner would be able to jab the knife between Gerek's ribs.

The girl yelled. The prisoner hovered over Gerek with that strange, angry smile. He raised the dagger, aiming for Gerek's throat.

Something flew past, above Gerek's head. The hilt of a knife was sticking out of the prisoner's upper arm.

The prisoner cried out, dropping Gerek's dagger and grabbing at the knife that protruded from his arm. Then he turned and ran, disappearing into the trees.

Gerek turned to see who had thrown the knife that had saved him. The young maiden stood staring at him, the rain dotting her dress and head covering and starting to drip down her face. That's when he realized it was raining.

The prisoner had escaped. His heart sank.

Donner was stamping his hooves, as if testing his legs. With his left hand, Gerek pulled himself up to stand. When he came to his feet, his ankle collapsed beneath him. He fell back to the ground.

The ankle bone was broken.

Chapter Four

Rapunzel dropped to her knees beside Sir Gerek. “I
think he's gone. Where are you hurt?”

Mother called, “Rapunzel! Get back here.”

She hovered over him as the rain began to fall in large, hard, cold drops, soaking into her clothes and through her hair to her scalp. He was cringing and holding his arm close to his body. She tried to shield his face from the rain by leaning over him. He gasped and struggled to sit up.

“What may I do to help?”

“Bring my horse to me.”

She went and caught the horse's reins. The animal was so much larger and more high-spirited than a mule or donkey that she was careful to stay as far away from it as the extent of the reins would allow.

“Help me up,” he said, reaching for her with his left hand, keeping his right arm against his stomach. He grabbed her arm, and she braced herself to accept his considerable weight. Then he grasped her shoulder and rasped out something unintelligible under his breath. He leaned heavily on her.

“I don't think you can mount your horse,” she said, stating the obvious. “Come and lie on the back of the cart.”

His face contorted, and he looked deathly pale. “No, I can ride.”

The rain was coming down so hard, it was running down her
cheeks and sending a chill down her spine. She pulled the horse a bit closer, pleased the animal kept its teeth to itself.

She supported Sir Gerek's weight as he put his left foot in the stirrup. He cried out as he threw his right leg over the saddle and boosted himself up.

He leaned forward over the pommel, his eyes closed.

“Are you sure you are well enough to ride?” She had to speak loudly to be heard over the steady roar of the rain as well as the frequent thunder.

He did not move. Finally, he straightened a little. “Let us go.” He turned his horse around.

Rapunzel held up her skirts from the mud that was quickly forming and hurried to where her mother stood beside the donkey and cart.

Mother was scowling at her. “What are you doing? He does not need your help.”

“Mother, he does. He is injured. He could barely mount his horse.”

“That is not your concern.”

“Where is your Christian charity? He is a noble knight who saved us from those robbers.”

Mother wouldn't truly leave the poor knight to lie on the ground, hurt. After all, her mother had taken Rapunzel in when she was alone and helpless.

Sir Gerek rode forward, so Rapunzel and her mother led their donkey and ox forward as well, doing their best to ignore the rain.

After a few minutes, he rode up beside her. “Would you do something for me?” He looked quite pale. Water dripped from the ends of his hair and ran down his face.

“What is it?”

“Would you put my foot into the stirrup?”

It was the injured foot, his right foot. She tried to use care as she
took his booted foot in one hand and his heavy metal stirrup in the other and slipped it inside.

She thought she heard him groan, but with the rain coming down so hard, it was difficult to tell. His face was stiff and his eyes closed. He continued to hold his right arm against his stomach.

They kept up a steady, if slow, pace. When it finally stopped raining, a cool breeze set in. Rapunzel shivered. She was soaked straight through to every inch of her skin. Nothing had been safe from the heavy rain. And now she was plodding down the muddy road in cold, wet skirts. But Sir Gerek must have been the most miserable. He was slumped forward on his horse, his head hanging low.

The longer she walked in her wet clothing, the more uncomfortable she felt, and the more she realized the day was not getting warmer, but colder.

“Rapunzel,” her mother called. “Come here.”

Rapunzel left Sir Gerek's side and went to join her mother where she was leading the caravan of ox, donkey, and cart.

“Rapunzel, we must get out of our wet clothes now that it's stopped raining. Get your extra dress and go change in the shelter of those trees there.”

Rapunzel retrieved her clothing from the bag on the back of the ox, which had been kept dry by their oiled tarp. She changed quickly and emerged from the trees feeling more comfortable.

Sir Gerek had stopped with them and was waiting, motionless, on top of his horse. While Mother was changing, Rapunzel approached him. “Do you have extra clothing in your saddlebag?”

His lips were a strange shade of blue. Finally, he said, “If I dismount, I don't know if I will be able to get back on again.”

She wasn't sure what to say.

“I believe the bone in my ankle is broken, and so is my arm.”

“How long will it take to get to Hagenheim?”

“I'm not sure we will make it by nightfall. The rain slowed us down.”

“Is there anywhere nearby you might stop for help?”

He shook his head.

“Truly, there is a simple solution to this difficulty. You must get down, let my mother help you change your clothing, and allow us to bring you to Hagenheim in the cart. You cannot continue the entire journey on horseback, and you must get out of those wet clothes. You will freeze.”

“I shall go on as I am.”

“That is foolish,” she said. He was too arrogant and prideful to accept their help.

He grunted.

They did indeed go on, as Mother came back and insisted they get on their way again.

When they had continued on for another hour or so and it was midday, Mother announced it was time to stop and rest and eat a bit of food.

Rapunzel had been trying not to speak to Sir Gerek unless he spoke to her first, but when they stopped, she went over to him.

“Sir Gerek, you are still wet. Can I persuade you to change your clothing now?”

“Perhaps I will. I need to let Donner feed. Will you . . .?” He looked down at his boot, which was still in the stirrup.

She extricated his foot as gently as possible. He made no sound, but his face was tense as he then pulled his leg over—and disappeared on the other side of the horse with a
whoosh
and a
thud
.

Chapter Five

Rapunzel hurried around the horse. Sir Gerek was
lying on the ground, not moving.

“Sir Gerek? Can you hear me?” His eyes were closed, but his breathing was harsh and loud.

He opened his eyes just a slit. “Will you go find a stick, a tall, sturdy one, and bring it to me?”

Rapunzel was already hurrying toward the trees. Mother was taking out their food and water and frowning at her.

It took her a few minutes, but she finally found a stick that should hold Sir Gerek's weight. Then she hurried back to where he still lay on the ground.

After handing him the stick, she said, “I shall find some dry clothes in your saddlebag.”

After locating the clothes, she turned around, and he was sitting up looking at her. Her breath fluttered in her throat.

She never would have imagined herself showing so much concern for a
man
, and it made her a bit sick in her stomach to think of helping him change his clothing. But he was nearly helpless, after all. However, if he behaved in the slightest way inappropriately toward her, insinuating anything unseemly, she would leave him right there on the road, in the mud.

“I don't think I can change, but thank you for your efforts.” He was still breathing hard.

They had to help him. “Mother! Mother, come here.” Rapunzel motioned. “Come and help Sir Gerek.”

Her mother came toward them, a cautious look on her face.

“Mother, we cannot leave him like this.” She thrust his dry clothes at her. “Please, help him get dressed.” She said a little silent prayer that her mother would not refuse.

“I can dress myself,” he grumbled.

Mother said nothing but reached toward him.

A look like fear came into Sir Gerek's brown eyes. “Frau, there is no need—” But before he could say anything more, Mother had knelt beside him, taken hold of his wet woolen tunic, and pulled it up. His eyes widened and he held his arms up, keeping his injured left arm crooked at the elbow. Mother slipped the wide-neck tunic over his head, then threaded the sleeve up, hardly touching the injured arm.

Underneath his tunic he wore a fine linen garment, but it was also wet, so Mother took it off in the same way.

Quickly, trying not to look at his bare chest, Rapunzel slipped the dry tunic over his head. But she saw that would not work, so she took it off and put his injured left arm into the sleeve first, then put it over his head and let him put his right arm in. Rapunzel had caught a glimpse, beneath the dark hair on his forearm, of the large bruise and the swelling.

Now that his upper body was dry, Mother was examining his leg.

“Are you a healer?” he asked, his leg stretched out in front of him.

Mother grunted as she got onto her knees and bent over. “I am a midwife, but I have been called upon, on occasion, to treat wounds.” She looked at his leg, encased in his leather boot up past the middle of his calf, and his thick woolen hose, which was tucked into his boot. But his leg was so swollen, it seemed to be stretching the boot.

She took out her own table knife from a pouch she wore around her waist and began cutting a slit down the side of his boot.

BOOK: The Golden Braid
4.84Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

Other books

Against the Wind by Bodie, Brock Thoene
Wait for Me by Mary Kay McComas
To Brie or Not to Brie by Avery Aames
Fluke by James Herbert
Fated to be Yours by Jodie Larson
Year of the Cow by Jared Stone
Joan Hess - Arly Hanks 10 by The Maggody Militia