The Squire's Quest by Gerald Morris Read Free Book Online Page A

hesitated. So far, everyone's impression of Mordred seemed to be favorable. "Just thinking ahead to the meeting of the Table this afternoon," Terence said.

    In past years King Arthur's Round Table, the great council of equals, had been the place where he and his knights had come together to decide how to face some enemy or challenge. Now, having fewer of both, the Table met rarely and with less critical issues. This day, there were only three or four small matters to resolve, which were dealt with quickly, before Arthur said, "And finally, we have a knight making application to join our fellowship. Over the past week or two, most of you have gotten to know young Mordred. Mordred, would you stand, please?"
    Only knights of the fellowship had seats at the table, so Mordred been sitting against the back wall with the handful of nonknightly counselors who were admitted to the meetings of the Table, near Terence. Now he rose diffidently to his feet. "Here, Your Highness."
    "Tell us, Mordred, why you wish to join our number."
    Mordred smiled—a very attractive smile, too, Terence noted—and said, "I suppose you have to ask, sire, but really! Every child born in England dreams of joining your fellowship. Since I was a child being raised alone by my mother, I have dreamt that one day I might be a part of this collection of heroes, doing my part to make England great."
    "You were raised by your mother?" asked the king.
    "Yes, Your Highness."
    "What happened to your father?"
    Mordred took a breath, then said, "I never knew him, sire. Nor has he ever known me. I suppose I must tell the story. You see, twenty years ago, my mother was rescued from a dragon by a great knight."
    Several voices interrupted Mordred's narrative. "A dragon! Did he say a
dragon?
"
    "That's what Mother says," Mordred continued. "She had come upon the beast in a forest clearing, and it had just started toward her when this knight rode up and attacked. Killed it, too, in hard fighting. Well, the knight was wounded in the fight, and so my mother took him home to care for him. For several days, he was feverish, but my mother knew a little about healing herbs, and she saved his life. She fell in love with him, of course, and before the knight left, they ... well, I was born nine months later."
    Arthur's face was still. "And do you know who this knight was?"
    Mordred shook his head. "Mother says he wouldn't tell his name. All she could tell is that he wore black armor and that he didn't seem very happy. Actually, the way Mother said it was 'He bore a secret grief. Mother talked like that."
    "Have you ever tried to find your father?"
    Mordred shrugged. "I used to think about it sometimes, but I don't anymore. I don't really have any quarrel with him. It isn't his fault that he didn't return Mother's love. The fellow probably saved dozens of damsels in his life, and he couldn't fall in love with all of them. I suppose he shouldn't have taken advantage of Mother, but I won't judge him. I imagine in her younger days Mother was quite a beauty. And she
had
just saved his life."
    "Ah, yes," said the king. "And where exactly was this knight wounded?"
    "I think Mother said it was his shoulder. The left one, maybe. I'm not sure."
    The king leaned back in his chair and gazed thoughtfully at Mordred. In the silence, Sir Griflet, an aging knight wearing a doublet of a preposterous shade of pink, said, "Well, really! A dragon! I mean, it doesn't sound very likely, does it?
I've
never seen a dragon, and I ve been a knight for nearly thirty years."
    Several others nodded. Stories about knights slaying dragons were commonplace, but dragons themselves were not. Kai growled, "I wonder if
any
of you has seen a dragon."
    After a moment, Gawain cleared his throat. "One," he said. "Remember, Tor?" Sir Tor, across the table, nodded, and Gawain continued. "Of course, it wasn't a real dragon: it was my dear aunt, Morgan Le Fay, taking a different form by sorcery. But we still saw one.