somewhere else for me to go?"
Parsifal glanced back again. "Pierre?"
"You could send him to Sir Gurnemains," Piers suggested.
Sir Kingrun choked. "That old fool? I'd rather you kill me yourself than make me bow down to him."
Parsifal smiled suddenly. "I've got it. I want you to go to King Arthur's court and do honor to the woman that Sir Kai slapped. I forget her name, so you'll have to ask around."
Sir Kingrun sighed. "Well, all right. I suppose I can do that. And who shall I say sent me?"
"My name is Parsifal." With an elegant bow, Parsifal extended his hand and said, "I'm very pleased to make your acquaintance."
Sir Kingrun looked incredulously at Parsifal's outstretched hand. At last he reached out and shook it weakly. "Charmed, I'm sure," he muttered.
At Parsifal's command, Sir Kingrun took his whole troop of knights with him as he turned west toward Camelot. Piers and Parsifal continued east.
Piers edged his horse as close to Parsifal's as he could and still be behind him. "It looked as if you defeated him very easily," Piers commented.
Parsifal nodded. "Yes. He must not be a very skilled knight, for he was ridiculously slow."
"He said that he had never been defeated," Piers reminded his master.
"Then he can't have had many fights," Parsifal replied.
They met up with King Clamide's army about an hour later. Parsifal had remembered to get a description of the king's armor from Sir Kingrunâpainted
with gold and set with jewelsâso this time he didn't have to stop anyone to ask directions. Instead, he simply pointed his lance and charged. The knights in the lead stopped so abruptly that some of them fell from their horses. Others wheeled and turned, and a few even made an effort to get to their own lances, but by the time anybody was ready to receive a charge, Parsifal was already past. Piers, who had been taken by surprise as much as the knights, simply held on to his hat and followed in the wide wake that Parsifal was leaving behind him.
By the time Piers caught up, Parsifal had already sent a knight in gold armor crashing to the turf and was himself dismounting. "Before I bash you, let me make sure this time. You
are
King Clamide, aren't you?"
The gold knight rose to his feet, spluttering curses. "What the devil do you think you're doing?"
"I asked first. Are you King Clamide? I'm sorry that I have to ask, because I don't want to be rude, but last time I didn't ask, and by the time I found out it was just King Clamide's seneschal, I had already beaten him, and I'm afraid that might have been even ruder." Parsifal glanced at Piers, as if seeking his judgment, and Piers nodded. Probably beating up the wrong man was worse etiquette than asking too many questions.
"You say you beat my seneschal?" the gold knight asked.
"Yes, that's right. If you're King Clamide, that is. Black armor with pretty plumes on top. He said his name was Kingrun."
"Kingrun has never been defeated in combat," King Clamide said.
"Yes, he said that, too, but I didn't believe him. Do you mean it's true?" The king nodded, and Parsifal shook his head slowly. "Well, I must say, I think he needs to get out more." Parsifal shrugged. "But that's not important now. I've come to tell you that Queen Conduiramour doesn't want to marry you, so you can go home now."
"Never!"
"Or you can fight me." Parsifal drew his sword.
The king glanced around at his confused army. "Well, are you just going to sit there?"
There was a long silence. At last one of the knights raised his visor and looked curiously at the king. "What would you have us do, your highness?"
"What would Iâ? Fight him, of course."
"No, you've misunderstood," Parsifal explained. "I've only challenged you. But if the others want to have a turn when I'm finished with you, I don't mind." He looked at the knight who had spoken. "Would you like to fight me after I've beaten your king?"
The knight shook his head. "No, that's quite all right. You go ahead."
One by one,
Parsifal glanced back again. "Pierre?"
"You could send him to Sir Gurnemains," Piers suggested.
Sir Kingrun choked. "That old fool? I'd rather you kill me yourself than make me bow down to him."
Parsifal smiled suddenly. "I've got it. I want you to go to King Arthur's court and do honor to the woman that Sir Kai slapped. I forget her name, so you'll have to ask around."
Sir Kingrun sighed. "Well, all right. I suppose I can do that. And who shall I say sent me?"
"My name is Parsifal." With an elegant bow, Parsifal extended his hand and said, "I'm very pleased to make your acquaintance."
Sir Kingrun looked incredulously at Parsifal's outstretched hand. At last he reached out and shook it weakly. "Charmed, I'm sure," he muttered.
At Parsifal's command, Sir Kingrun took his whole troop of knights with him as he turned west toward Camelot. Piers and Parsifal continued east.
Piers edged his horse as close to Parsifal's as he could and still be behind him. "It looked as if you defeated him very easily," Piers commented.
Parsifal nodded. "Yes. He must not be a very skilled knight, for he was ridiculously slow."
"He said that he had never been defeated," Piers reminded his master.
"Then he can't have had many fights," Parsifal replied.
They met up with King Clamide's army about an hour later. Parsifal had remembered to get a description of the king's armor from Sir Kingrunâpainted
with gold and set with jewelsâso this time he didn't have to stop anyone to ask directions. Instead, he simply pointed his lance and charged. The knights in the lead stopped so abruptly that some of them fell from their horses. Others wheeled and turned, and a few even made an effort to get to their own lances, but by the time anybody was ready to receive a charge, Parsifal was already past. Piers, who had been taken by surprise as much as the knights, simply held on to his hat and followed in the wide wake that Parsifal was leaving behind him.
By the time Piers caught up, Parsifal had already sent a knight in gold armor crashing to the turf and was himself dismounting. "Before I bash you, let me make sure this time. You
are
King Clamide, aren't you?"
The gold knight rose to his feet, spluttering curses. "What the devil do you think you're doing?"
"I asked first. Are you King Clamide? I'm sorry that I have to ask, because I don't want to be rude, but last time I didn't ask, and by the time I found out it was just King Clamide's seneschal, I had already beaten him, and I'm afraid that might have been even ruder." Parsifal glanced at Piers, as if seeking his judgment, and Piers nodded. Probably beating up the wrong man was worse etiquette than asking too many questions.
"You say you beat my seneschal?" the gold knight asked.
"Yes, that's right. If you're King Clamide, that is. Black armor with pretty plumes on top. He said his name was Kingrun."
"Kingrun has never been defeated in combat," King Clamide said.
"Yes, he said that, too, but I didn't believe him. Do you mean it's true?" The king nodded, and Parsifal shook his head slowly. "Well, I must say, I think he needs to get out more." Parsifal shrugged. "But that's not important now. I've come to tell you that Queen Conduiramour doesn't want to marry you, so you can go home now."
"Never!"
"Or you can fight me." Parsifal drew his sword.
The king glanced around at his confused army. "Well, are you just going to sit there?"
There was a long silence. At last one of the knights raised his visor and looked curiously at the king. "What would you have us do, your highness?"
"What would Iâ? Fight him, of course."
"No, you've misunderstood," Parsifal explained. "I've only challenged you. But if the others want to have a turn when I'm finished with you, I don't mind." He looked at the knight who had spoken. "Would you like to fight me after I've beaten your king?"
The knight shook his head. "No, that's quite all right. You go ahead."
One by one,
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