MonoMay 10

The Chamberlain 's Story

The chamberlain was bored, it’s ‘chamberlain this’, ‘chamberlain that’, no one ever uses his given name. He was from good Yeoman stock, and had hoped to become a knight, but had never been given the chance. In many ways he was glad, as his constant attention to the dressing and undressing of knights has shown him that it is not such a great life. From his point of view, they spent most of their time eating, drinking, chasing women or fighting each other, Sir Gawain being a very good example. This led to him not really knowing who, or what, he was. He knew that the only way he would discover this was by being away from court for a while. One day he arose early and dressed himself in his knight’s armour (they were about the same size) and left without telling anyone. He called on his parents to tell them not to worry about his disappearance. Setting off more or less immediately, for fear of discovery, he refused to tell them where he would be going, mostly because he didn’t know himself. Having said goodbye to his parents, puzzled why they had not asked about the armour, he set off into the afternoon with the plan to spend the night at a tavern where he knew he would get a welcome, a meal and a bed for the night.

It was early evening when he arrived at the White Hart. He couldn’t remember the last time he was here, and wondered if Mistress Alice was still running it. He entered and it was as if it were only a few days since he had last been here, nothing had changed. He stood for a moment, long enough for Alice to spot him and come over. She made him as welcome as she always had in the past and expressed surprise that he was now a knight. He whispered that she should not be fooled, and that the armour was only ‘borrowed’. Alice nodded and sat him at a table, then brought him food and ale, telling him that she would show him to a room when he was ready. Later she came to his room to ensure that he was comfortable, and that he would have a good night’s sleep. The next morning at breakfast Alice had more time to talk to him, and he told her that he was undertaking a quest. When she asked what he was seeking he told her he didn’t know, but that he would know when he found it. As he was leaving, she wished him luck and told him that if he was heading west she had been told about a village to avoid just across the border. When asked why, Alice told him that the blacksmith’s son appeared not to like strangers.

This gave the chamberlain food for thought, he had been unsure of where he was going, but going west seemed as good an option as any. He knew the border was a few days ride ahead, and he had heard of the village that mistress Alice had mentioned, but thought it easy enough to avoid. He rode on thinking about why he had left court, and what it really was that he was looking for. He had many, many questions in his head but no real answers. He was aware that he had been discontented and disillusioned for some time, that he had gone to court with the boyish notion of becoming a famous knight, but realised that it was never going to happen. In truth, having witnessed the life of knights he wasn’t really sure that it was a life he could enjoy. Having been raised on a farm he loved the open spaces, the animals, nature, and the general freedom to do things as he pleased, the complete antithesis of court life.

By the end of the second day he became aware that people were treating him differently, showing him a great deal of respect. It was quite obvious that their thinking he was a knight made some of them much more generous than they could afford to be, and he didn’t like that at all. Perhaps that was why he couldn’t be a knight. He could not take from others without giving something in return. He was quite puzzled that the offer of help, or a kindness, seemed to surprise such people. But when he thought about it, he realised that he had never seen a knight offer help or a kindness to anyone. Four days passed until he crossed the border, and he began to think about the village that Mistress Alice had mentioned. There it was in the distance. Suddenly his horse stumbled, and on recovering was very obviously lame. There was nothing for it, no other option than to visit the blacksmith in the village he had been thinking to avoid.

He led his horse to the blacksmith who immediately spotted the lameness and told him to tie it to the post while he took a closer look. It took the blacksmith only a few moments to discover that the horse had stepped on a sharp stone which had become embedded in the hoof. He removed the stone and covered the hoof with some sort of salve which he said would aid the healing process. It was at this point that the blacksmith’s son appeared
‘Oh, what do we have here then, a stranger…’
The blacksmith was about to speak…
‘Shut up father, I’m not talking to you.’
The chamberlain told him that he had come because his horse was lame, and that he would soon be on his way again.
‘You will not be going anywhere my friend.’
‘First you are not my friend, second what will stop me?’
He held up an axe and said that it would stop anything he wanted it to stop.

The chamberlain sighed, turned, removed his helmet, and said
‘Well remove my head then, but you must look me in the eyes while doing so.’
The blacksmith’s son looked confused, and hesitated, the chamberlain acted swiftly snatching the axe and throwing it onto the blacksmith’s forge.
‘I don’t think it will be stopping anything now.’
The son raised a fist ready to fight, but his father stepped between then and told him that he had had enough of his ways, and that if he didn’t change, he could leave home and fend for himself. Then he apologised to the chamberlain, telling him he was welcome to stay as long as he liked. The chamberlain had planned to continue on his way but thought a night’s sleep might help, and went to find a room in the tavern.

The next morning he had come to a decision to return and leave the court for good, it was not the life he wanted. He rode for long days and slept wherever he could, often in a haystack. He now had answers to most of the questions he had been asking himself and knew that he didn’t need to be a knight to be a man. But there was one nagging little thing that eluded him, and he was not sure what it was. He was nearing home now and passing the farm next to his parents’ farm. He noticed the daughter having trouble getting the pigs out of the orchard. They had somehow broken in and feasted on the fallen apples and were now quite intoxicated. He went to help her, and finally they got the pigs back into there proper place. He asked why her father had not been helping. She told him that both her parents had died the week before, and that it was up to her to run the farm but she wasn’t sure that she was up to the task.

They talked around her problem for some time, along with many other things, like when had he become a knight. They had known one another since childhood, and were quite at ease in one another’s company. When the topic came back to the pigs she admitted that she just couldn’t cope, and thought that she was going to have to leave the farm. Suddenly he knew, and he had the answer to that nagging little thing. He told her that he had to leave because he had things to sort out at court. He was unsure if he would survive this ordeal. He also told her to do nothing rash until she saw him again, or heard of his demise. She said that she was not sure she could wait. He told her it would be a matter of days at the most, and that he would return and take her as his wife if she would have him. Her smile answered his question, and he knew that he had found what he sought, and that right on his doorstep.

The Moral
Be careful what you wish for
You may just get it
And if you get it
You might find it has always
Been right in front of you.