I Will Be the Greatest Knight

Walking into a church carried such heavy weight to Irene since she was married in one in the life that she saw. She grew up with her mother forcing her to attend whenever she went, but after a while it felt performative because none of what they said resonated with her. 

As she stepped into the large grey brick structure with Sir Gunnar at her side, it felt no different than it did as an adult. She found no comfort as religious imagery looked down upon her. 

At best, it felt eerie. 

Once they were through the front vestibule, they passed another doorway and found themselves in the wide open nave, pews lining either side of the path they walked on. There was a dark red rug underfoot. 

The man who had sent them to the mages in the first place was sitting in the front row, staring at the altar. His cane was in both of his hands and his chin wasn't far from that. His posture was horrible when he was sitting down. 

They were quite close before he heard them. It seemed that his shouting before could have been from both urgency and bad hearing. 

As quickly as someone that old could, he scrambled to stand up.

"Father, please don't bother yourself for our sake," Sir Gunnar spoke first. "You ought to remain seated. We have arrived with a message from the mages." 

"Oh?" the priest mused, already seeming riled up even though he remained seated. "What did those thieves have to say? Where is the item?" 

Sir Gunnar took a deep breath that was certainly silent for the priest but Irene could hear it loud and clear. She wondered just what the knight was going to get up to. Her curious expression said as much. 

"I have reason to believe the mages are the original owners of that relic," the knight admitted. 

"What?!" the priest cried. 

He clumsily stood up, grabbing onto his cane and stumbling forward before turning quickly to face the knight. The priest acted as if Gunnar didn't have two heads of height more than he or was wearing impenetrable armor because, even though the man was unstable on his feet, he jabbed his cane towards the knight. 

Gunnar didn't react to the physical threat. Nothing could be more alarming than the interaction with the mages earlier that very day. 

"You mean to tell me they still have their hands on an item sacred to the Church?" he shouted. "I ought to talk to your Commander. It is my understanding that in the Code of Chivalry is a servitude for the Church and God." 

However, to call a knight unchivalrous was more of a threat to him. Luckily the old knight was level-headed.

"Father, it is because of Chivalry that I could not live with putting such an accursed item in the Church's grasp," Gunnar responded. "That is why I have chosen to leave the item with people who can handle curses. If you spend any more time around it I fear for what it will do to your mind. Will your faith be brought into question if you're found to have a magical relic such as that in your possession? What would His Majesty think?" 

The priest seemed alarmed. 

"Why—I!"

The man clamped his mouth shut then he brought the staff to the ground and leaned against it. He was suddenly as lame as before and not as energetic as when he was arguing with the knight.

"Peace be with you, Father," Gunnar said. "We will take our leave in the meantime." 

Irene's eyes were wide from the moment Gunnar went on the spiel about the accursed item. Was he lying? Would he go to hell for lying in a church? 

When the priest turned to her, she bowed her head politely so he wouldn't witness the incredulous amusement that pulled at her lips and made it impossible not to at least smirk. 

Wordlessly Gunnar exited the church knowing Irene was dutiful and would follow him no matter what. 

Once their boots touched the brick lined street, Irene turned to the knight. 

"Should you lie to a priest?" she asked quietly. "Don't you worry about the repercussions of such a decision?" 

Gunnar chuckled at the girl and his shoulders seemed to relax as his face lifted towards the sun. 

"I certainly never claimed to be a churchgoer," he admitted with a sigh. "It's for the greater good that I get the priest off of the mages' tail. The knighthood could use a bit more healing at times." 

The two of them started off towards the northern end of town from where they first arrived and where they were supposed to meet the rest of the travelers. 

Gunnar continued speaking as they went along. 

"There was a time when knights and mages worked hand in hand with one another," he admitted. "You will have to learn more about the history of our knighthood. Casualties during battles were minimal because of the mage's healing and cleansing magic. Because of His Majesty and the Church's bias towards magic, there has been divisiveness ever since." 

Irene's head swiveled as they walked. She searched for people listening in on their conversation that they could easily get into trouble for. 

Sir Gunnar was far more rebellious than she realized. It was daring to talk badly about the Church but especially His Majesty. There were multiple laws put in place so no one was allowed to doubt the monarch. 

"What a wonderful time that must have been," she admitted softly. 

Before more could be mused about the topic at hand, they walked upon the other travelers who were waiting next to a well for the last two to arrive. 

They already had the horses from the stables and they were doing last minute preparations to get the party moving forward.

 "The two of you took quite a while," Felix was the first to notice them. 

"We were fighting a battle between the Church and the mages," Sir Gunnar responded easily. 

"What?!" Felix exclaimed and his eyes opened wider. "Sir Gunnar?"

He clearly wanted to hear more details but both Irene and Gunnar seemed to have their lips sealed. 

Before he was given the satisfaction of a proper response, Gunnar stood next to Sir Phillip. 

"I believe it's time to look at the goblin nests before we can leave this place once and for all," Sir Phillip explained. 

"I believe you're right," Gunnar responded. "Lead the way, Sir Phillip." 

There was nothing left but getting back onto their horses so they could explore the forests just as the knights had promised.