The Knighting of Liam

[DerynifanK]

I decided that the knighting of Lian Lajos deserved its own story line. And so it begins

The Knighting of Liam: Chapter One
Rhemuth, 1128
Prologue

Liam Lajos Furstan d"Arjenol, king of Torenth had recently attained his majority and was now set to return to Torenth to assume his rightful place as king and to begin his reign as king in fact as well as in name. His four years in Gwynedd at the Court of King Kelson Haldane were drawing to a close. A delegation sent by his uncle and regent, Duke Mahael Furstan d'Arjenol  , had arrived to escort him to his kingdom.

He was apprehensive about his change in status as well as the separation from the friends of his childhood. In a brief meeting with Kelson and Duke Nigel while his escort waited, he expressed some of his fears. The king had reminded him of his responsibilities and the probable consequences if he chose to postpone his return to take up his throne as well of all that had been done to prepare him for this moment.

Holding a jeweled diadem sent by his uncles in his hand, he responded to Kelson's words. "I don't want this. I never wanted it. But I've got it. And I know I'll have to wear it, and wear the responsibilities that go with it, when I go home. I only wish...."

Encouraged by both the King and Duke Nigel  he finally dared to answer their question, "What is it you wish?"  He expressed his desire to be able to remain in Gwynedd until he reached the age to receive the accolade of knighthood at the hand of Prince Nigel whom he had watched bestow it upon Kelson himself.  He acknowledged that it was not possible for him to remain another four years until he reached the age of eighteen when young men were eligible for knighthood. He must return to his homeland.

King Kelson had proposed a solution, a way to grant Liam's wish. "You could come back when you are eighteen. I would be honored to be your sponsor and I believe it would please my uncle  greatly to bestow the accolade."  Nigel nodded his agreement.

Liam replied , "...I desire no promise save the pledge of your hand,  Duke Nigel, that when I attain the customary age, if you still think me worthy, I may return to Rhemuth to receive from you the accolade of knighthood."

Duke Nigel clasped Liam's right hand. "I give you the pledge you have asked for,  and I know my king supports my pledge. Kelson laid his hand on top of their joined ones. And so the pledge was made and confirmed that when Liam attained the proper age, if deemed worthy, he could return to Rhemuth to receive the accolade from Prince Nigel and satisfy his heart's desire.

Source for the above   King Kelson's Bride by Katherine Kurtz

Rhemuth Castle
December 1132 (four years later)

Rhemuth Castle was a beehive of activity as preparations for Twelfth Night went forward. The ceremonies of Twelfth Night were one of the major highlights of the court calendar. Boys were pledged to the king's service as pages to begin the training that all hoped would eventually lead to knighthood. Senior pages were advanced to squire. Young men who had reached the age of eighteen and served honorably as squires were presented as candidates for the accolade of knighthood. All of the nobility who were able made their way to Rhemuth to attend, many to see sons and grandsons honored by the king and dubbed with the sword, becoming knights of the realm.

This year's Twelfth Night court was especially significant,  for King Liam Lajos of Torenth was requesting to attend to receive the accolade. Liam had been held in Rhemuth by Kelson beginning when he was quite young to keep him safe while he grew to maturity. He had served as page and squire under the tutelage of Prince Nigel Haldane from the age of ten to the age of fourteen, able to take advantage of the many opportunities afforded him to learn statecraft and to gain a better understanding of his kingdom's neighbors. He had become very close to Prince Nigel's family and had come to regard the prince like a father. He had been present for King Kelson's knighting by Prince Nigel, and the sense of awe he felt on that occasion had never left him.  Since that time, it had been his dearest wish to also receive the accolade from Prince Nigel.

Kelson read the missive from Liam that had arrived by courier. He sent a page to ask Prince Nigel to attend him. While he awaited his uncle's arrival, he thought back to the time when Liam was preparing to leave Rhemuth and return to his own kingdom.  Liam had been nervous and fearful about the return to Torenth and about assuming his role as king. As the time neared for his return, Kelson became aware of Laim's increasing anxiety and had considered what to do about it.

There was a knock at the door.  "Come!" he called.  A page entered and bowed deeply. He was followed by Prince Nigel who entered and bowed, eying the scroll in Kelson's hands. "You have need of me, Sire?"

"Yes." At Kelson's gesture, the page bowed and left the room, closing the door behind him. "Be seated, Uncle." Kelson indicated a chair near the fire and Nigel seated himself, waiting to hear what was required of him. Kelson seated himself in a nearby chair.

"I have received Liam's formal petition to attend Twelfth Night Court and to be presented as a candidate for knighthood. He has attained the proper age and he wishes to redeem the pledge we made just before his return to Torenth four years ago. I am sure you recall the time of his departure from Rhemuth and his return to Beldour to assume his throne and begin his rule.  Do you remember how uncertain he was?"

"I certainly do!" Nigel replied. " I almost stopped breathing when he said that, as he had reached the age of manhood, he could make his own choices, and he could even choose to remain in Rhemuth. He could postpone his return until he was older, even until he reached eighteen. He even briefly floated the idea of not returning at all. Legally he could have refused to go, and we could not have forced him. That certainly would have created a dilemma. Fortunately you were able to help him see where his duty lay, and he did return with no further protest."

Kelson smiled. "I definitely understood his fear. He had been safe and protected here at our court, and he was aware of the rumors that swirled around his uncle  Mahael's possible role in his brother Alroy's death. I reminded him of the probable effects of refusing to return or assume the throne.  Mahael still had his eye on the throne for himself. As regent, he could, and assuredly would, have declared the throne vacant and put Liam's younger brother, Ronal, in his place, extending the regency. This would have put his brother in danger. Ronal could suffer a fate similar to that of Alroy, who was killed in a fall from a horse shortly after beginning his reign. There are still many who suspect that Mahael engineered that accident."

"I also tried to reassure him that he was well prepared to assume his role as king, much better prepared than I was at his age when I had to do the same thing. I told him I had confidence in his ability to grow into his role and become a fair and wise ruler."

"He could have argued that you, at least, did not have an ambitious uncle, hungry for your crown, waiting for the opportunity to get rid of you and take your place as king."  Nigel paused.

Kelson interjected, smiling. "I am, indeed, very fortunate in my uncle, who has no ambitions for my throne and has always been a steady source of support to me. He did appear to gain some comfort from the inclusion of Matyas as one of his escorts. He was confident of Matyas's affection, and this uncle turned out to be of similar support to him."

"I remember the meeting with you, Liam and me with his escorts waiting in the withdrawing room wondering what was happening. Nigel continued. " After some discussion,  he submitted, acknowledged where his duty lay and that he must return to Beldour to take up his crown. But Liam did present one appeal to us both.  He asked that when he attained the age of eighteen, if he had deserved it, he would be allowed to return to Rhemuth to receive the accolade of Knighthood."

Kelson smiled at his uncle. "If you recall, we agreed to his appeal, which I believe helped him stand firm in his final decision to return home. Do you also recall that he asked that you be the one to knight him as you had done for me? That was most important to Liam. He repeats that request in his current petition. He speaks of his wonder at witnessing the knighting, and I have never forgotten my own feelings of awe as you dubbed me with the sword. He hopes you are still willing to confer the accolade on him. As I told him at the time, I understand his desire, and I am willing to act as his sponsor. I believe he is undeniably worthy of knighthood."

Kelson and Nigel continued their discussion, considering the past four and a half years of Liam's reign which had not been uneventful. Kelson spoke musingly,  "Liam has shown that he learned the lessons of kingship and statesmanship well. Overall, Torenth has prospered under Liam's rule and has enjoyed a longer period of unbroken peace than at any time in recent memory. He has support from most of the Torenthi nobility and is fortunate to have his youngest, most trusted uncle, Duke Matyas, as an influential and staunch supporter. Establishing his reign has not been without challenges, but he has met and overcome them showing himself to be the wise and benevolent ruler we hoped he would be." 

Nigel nodded. "Torenth had been ruled by a regency for many years, and he and Matyas had to rebuild the government and to find reliable men to fill the many positions required to properly conduct the business of the kingdom and to advise its king. The evidence indicates that they have chosen well. Torenth also has long had a reputation among its neighbors as a powerful kingdom greedy for land and power, often attacking weaker neighbors in a bid to expand its borders. It required much skillful interaction and negotiation to forge alliances and to convince neighboring kingdoms of Torenth's peaceful intentions, but in many cases he has achieved that. He has demonstrated the qualities looked for in a man seeking knighthood, and I am as proud of him as I am of Rory and Payne."

"He has also had to be vigilant in order to deal with the constant plotting of his former regent and disgraced uncle, Teymuraz, who was involved in Mahael's plot to kill Liam and seize the throne for himself." Kelson continued his review.  "That is still his goal, and Teymuraz continues to cause trouble from his refuge in Byzantyun. There remain some of the nobility who long for a return of Teymuraz and the days of wars and raids and plunder. Although they keep their heads down and present themselves as faithful to the new king, we know that these nobles are ready to join in any nefarious plans devised by the renegade Torenthi duke. Agents of Teymuraz frequently try to stir up unrest among the people, especially along the borders. We will have to consider whether Teymuraz might try to disrupt the knighting ceremony or use it as an excuse to launch another plot to seize Liam's throne. I think that he might see Liam's absence from his capital and focus on the Twelfth Night ceremonies as an opportunity to create mischief either in Torenth or here in Rhemuth. That will affect our plans."

Kelson stood and stretched. "Well, Uncle. I think we are agreed that Liam is more than worthy of receiving the accolade. I think I must present this to the Crown Council, but I do not foresee that there will be any objections to Liam's knighthood. However, we will need to take possible threats from Teymuraz into account as we complete our plans, and we will need their advice."

He smiled at Nigel. "Will you confer the accolade on Liam as he has requested?"

Nigel grinned at his nephew. "Sire, I will be honored to confer knighthood on such a fine young man. With you as his sponsor, how can anyone object to it?"

"I will inform the council at our next meeting. Following the Council meeting, I will send a courier immediately to inform King Liam that we are looking forward to participating in this very special occasion for him. I can think of no one who deserves it more. And once his attendance is announced, the preparations will become even more frantic than usual." Kelson grinned back at his uncle and mentor. Kelson indicated that their meeting was concluded, and they separated to prepare for the council meeting scheduled for later that day

[Nezz]

Well this is promising! I always liked little Liam, he seemed like a good kid. I look forward to seeing what you're going to do with him as he's grown to manhood.

[DoctorM]

Very nice.

[Laurna]

I enjoy the premise and introduction to this story. I believe this is as much about Kelson as it is about Liam. How two young kings whose ancestors had been adverse rivals have come to find understanding. I think every one will enjoy this story as it unfolds.  I look forward to the next chapter.

[Jerusha]

Both chapters are very well done, DFK!  I enjoyed them.

[LeDuc]

Yes, the seed and basis of this story is found in 'King Kelson's Bride'. Liam is legally King of Torenth, and weaving in this knighthood is yet another sign of his maturity and willingness to govern all his peoples, regardless of the differences in quite a few areas.

Teymuraz is trouble with a capital T, and I for one wish he could be 'Terminated' in any of several ways, but ......................... we'll found out more from this character as time goes forward.