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All rights to this particular story reserved by author. While the character Prince Valiant is loosely based upon the comic strip character, you'll quickly see that my version isn't the same as the comic book version. Story may be posted on any site that provides free distribution. Send comments to [email protected] Prince Valiant By Waldo My name is Harold Farmer. I'm a historian specializing in the glamorous time period that we currently call Camelot. I've been personally interested in that time period all of my forty-seven years. When I was a little kid, I remember how other boys were playing with toy trucks and I played with plastic swords and pretended that I was a Knight. So it was no wonder that when I entered college that I made that era my primary study field and subsequently became a researcher; a quite successful and renowned researcher in that specialty I might add. I've recently returned from an extended stay in England where I temporarily lived in the same quaint area, which the legendary King Arthur called home so many years ago. While there doing an extended research project into my favorite subject, I came across an old house back in the woods on a small island that was still occupied by an old woman who apparently had lived there all of her life. No one really knew how old she was, nor would she say how old she was either. The locals just talked about the Old Woman and how even their grandparents had known her as an extremely old person even back in their time. Because she was so old, I was hoping that she would be able to tell me things about the past that was passed down to her through her ancestors. The first time that I saw her, my mind was instantly filled with all of those childhood images of the old Witch that captured Hansel and Gretel. That's exactly what the old woman looked like. She was small, no bigger than a ten- year-old kid and her ancient skin was withered like a dried apple. She had an ancient face so heavily lined with wrinkles that she seemed to be a million years old. The back of her chalky-white hands were so covered with brown liver spots that there was barely a trace of white. She had silver-grayish long hair hanging half-way down her back, which was so mangled that her hair looked like it had been self-trimmed the last time by a dull axe. But her most striking feature were her dark eyes that were so enigmatic that she didn't seem to have any pupils, only mystical orbs that caused an instant cold shiver of fear to run through my backbone almost every time that I made direct eye contact with her. She constantly dressed only in the same old dirty-brown dress, which looked like it was made out of the same coarse cloth that we used for potato sacks. She walked with the aid of a carved walking staff, bowed over as if she carried the weight of the ages on her ancient back. I don't know how tall she really was because when she was standing, she was always bent over putting her weight on the staff and when she sat in her rocker, she seemed like she was nothing but skin and bones. Yep, although she looked like a witch, I quickly discovered that she was nothing more than a harmless old woman whom the local kids would love to create ghastly stories about "her evil powers." I originally stopped by her dilapidated old cabin, intending to have her spend a few hours talking to me about her memories just to get some local perspectives of the various legends that I was researching and then I was going to quickly move on to some of the other historical places in that part of England that I wanted to see on this trip. After spending just one evening with her, I knew that I had discovered within her knowledge of the past that was something so wonderful that I now consider her to be a living "Rosetta Stone" that contained the clues to what really happened during King Arthur's period. She knew so many facts about that time period that the only way that she could have known so many accurate details, was for her to have actually lived during that time. I know that sounds impossible and she refused to admit her age but that was my impression after talking to her. That's why I spent many evenings in her primitive cabin talking to her. Yeah everyone knows that it's impossible for anyone to live that long and that's what I thought too before I met her. Then I began thinking that perhaps all the local legends about her were really true and that she was really an old witch because that was the only way to explain her fantastic knowledge of King Arthur's Court. But thank goodness that I'm a learned man and know that it is a scientific fact that it is totally impossible to have an extended lifetime that spanned several centuries. I attributed her knowledge to an excellent memory of the facts that her ancestors had passed down over the generations. Yeah, that would explain it. Her name was Martha. She said that she didn't have a last name. But the more that she talked, the more convinced that I became that she somehow either had a window into the past or her relatives had accurately passed along to her a total recollection of that time period. Once when I challenged something that she was telling me, she claimed that she had actually lived during that time but that would make her close to a thousand years old. I'll admit that she looked to be that old but we all know that it is impossible for anyone to live to be that unattainable age. So I don't know how she knew her facts but she certainly knew them. Listen to this one small sample of a tape recording that I made while she talked to me. I turned the tape recorder on and heard the mechanical click of the tape machine starting and the tape's reel slowly started turning playing a portion of the recording that I had made in her cabin. It was easy to recognize the old woman's voice from my voice because her heavily accented ancient voice was crackling with age. In the background, there was a sound that after a few seconds was recognizable as the sound of a fire burning in the fireplace in her cabin. OLD WOMAN'S VOICE: "King Arthur was all that he was supposed to be. A great King. A fair King. But he was also more than that. Aye, he was a good and beloved King that any of his loyal subjects would proudly die for in service to him. Although he surrounded himself with great Knights of the Round Table such as Sir Lancelot, Sir Galahad and Sir Gwayne, his real strength laid in the magic of Merlin. Merlin was the catalyst that brought stability to King Arthur's Court." FARMER'S VOICE: "Tell me about Sir Lancelot." OLD WOMAN'S VOICE: "Lancelot. A good swordsman but he was given credit for more than what he actually did. King Arthur had a protector that actually saved his kingdom doing many of the deeds that Lancelot was credited with doing. Are you familiar with the name Prince Valiant?" FARMER'S VOICE: "Yes, he was a young Prince whose parents were killed when he was a young child. He was hidden away in a far-away castle until he grew to manhood then he returned to Camelot to serve Arthur as one of his Knights. Unlike the other Knights, who were better documented, Prince Valiant's exploits were never really documented and he's only known now through some of the wonderful legends that have been handed down over the generations." OLD WOMAN'S VOICE: "He was real, all right. The Singing Sword that was part of Prince Valiant's birthright killed many of Arthur's enemies. But Arthur was the one who decreed that Valiant's actions would never be documented within any of the records of his regime. You see, Arthur didn't want it known that his throne was ultimately saved only because of Prince Valiant coming to his rescue. Arthur wanted to be the one leading the charge, closely followed by his Knights of the Round Table. Arthur personally claimed credit for most of the battles that Valiant actually won or gave the credit to one of his other Knights." FARMER'S VOICE: "Really? How do you know this?" OLD WOMAN'S VOICE: "Because I was there." Just listening to the conviction in the woman's voice and hearing her declaration again that she personally witnessed the events that occurred in King Arthur's time was enough to send another cold chill down my backbone. I turned the tape recorder off and took the reel of tape off the machine. Putting a fresh roll of tape on the recorder to record the notes that I intended to document that night, I pressed the record button to start my session. Leaning back in my soft recliner, I looked at the wall and began speaking slowly as I sorted out the facts that I had learned from her. FARMER'S VOICE: "The Old Woman told me a tale over a period of many evenings sitting around her fireplace as she cooked. It took a lot of evenings to get the whole story but now I know all of the facts. Let me tell you the legend of the long-ago life of Prince Valiant and how he saved the Round Table of King Arthur as told to me by the Old woman in her small cabin." *** There was death everywhere within the small castle's stonewalls. The attack by the invading Norsemen had been almost total destruction. For three long days and miserable damp nights, the attacking Norsemen had relentlessly battered the small, under-manned castle then the enemy had finally been able to penetrate the stone walls to get inside the castle. Once the enemy was inside the protection of the castle's walls, none of the defenders had been spared death by the invading hoard. Male defenders who didn't die as a result of the fierce battle were put to death on the spot as they were captured. The few young women, who weren't killed during the fighting, were turned over to the invading troops for the warrior's pleasures later. All children within the castle walls were also killed because the attacking King had decreed death to all children within that particular castle. The captured cattle and other livestock were added to the Norsemen's food supply. As soon as everything had been looted that was worth stealing, the invading army had moved on, leaving the buzzards to clean the bloody carnage that they left behind within the castle. By the time that the victorious Invaders had left, only dead bodies were left inside the walls of the almost destroyed castle. A few hours after the last invader had left the castle, an old man limped into the deserted castle. On his bowed back, he carried a small bag that contained all of his earthly possessions which was nothing more than some clothes and a blanket. Although he was dressed in common peasant garb and looked like nothing more than an old bearded man who just happened to be passing through the area, he was actually one of the most important men in the kingdom. He was Merlin, a well known wizard and he had come to that castle on a mission that only he knew or understood the reason for his presence at such a deadly site. Walking past the dead bodies of the defenders, he paid no attention to the carnage. He had seen similar destruction many times before over his long life so the pile of dead bodies neither interested or concerned the old man. Going directly into the private quarters of the castle rulers, he paused for a second to stare at the dead body of the king, which was just inside the door and the nearby dead body of his beloved queen. At that time, there were many small kingdoms within the Anglo countryside and Merlin had known this particular dead royal family quite well. Pausing beside the man's dead body, the ancient magician noted that the looters had tortured him then slit his throat when they finished with him. Merlin knew that the King wouldn't have told them anything, even when his body was totally racked with pain from their torture. From the trail of dried blood that the dead king had left on the floor, it was obvious that after they gave him the final death blow to the throat, that the dying King had lived for a couple of minutes longer as he painfully crawled across the floor toward the dead body of his beloved Queen. Looking down at the still-beautiful face of the dead Queen, Merlin remembered the many times that he had been a guest within these same walls and had stared at her flawless beauty as they talked. Prior to marrying her husband a few years earlier, the Queen's porcelain-smooth complexion, long golden-blonde hair and slender womanly body had been desired by every man who had ever been rewarded with seeing her beauty. Then after her marriage, she seemed to become even more beautiful as the glow of love within her created an aura of happiness around her that made other people feel her warmth, vitality, inner beauty and friendship. Even to an old man like Merlin, her beauty had caused long forgotten male urges within his own ancient body to be rekindled. Standing over her dead body, Merlin couldn't help but stare at her perfect features and remember the many times that he had wished that it had been him who had been the young man who won her heart. Feeling strong personal angst at her unnecessary death, Merlin walked away from her because he didn't have much time to do the task that brought him to the castle. Pausing over the King's body, Merlin mumbled a small prayer to ancient gods to help his friend's soul join his wife's soul in the afterlife. Then the old man spoke out loud as he talked to the dead body. "It is as I foretold privately to you prior to your wedding a few years ago. You and your beloved would die together at the hands of the heathens invading our ancestor lands. Now I am here to see if you prepared as I instructed you to prepare so many years ago." Walking toward the huge fireplace that was big enough for ten men to stand inside it, Merlin picked up a small poker to use to push the burnt ashes of the dead fire aside as he examined the inner walls of the fireplace. Pressing the poker into the various cracks of the giant stones that lined the inside of the fireplace, the old man continued to talk to himself. "I told my friend long ago that the Norsemen would come and destroy everything but I didn't tell him which day he could expect to die although even years ago I knew exactly what day they would die. I did tell him that he had to find a place to hide his son in a secret place where the heathens wouldn't search and find the young man. So he said that he would build a hiding place within the fireplace safe enough for his son and wife to hide from any attackers. I also knew back then that his loving wife wouldn't leave her husband's side and would proudly die bravely beside him but I didn't tell him about her death to give him some hope at that time that she would also survive. It was a terrible curse to tell him of his impending future death but he was a strong man who was prepared to meet his destiny to give his remaining family the chance to fulfill their more important destiny. Aha, here we go." The poker activated a hidden lever and a huge stone easily swung out of the wall creating a small doorway, revealing a small hidden room behind the fireplace. Not bending over to crawl through the small opening, Merlin called into the opening. "It's I. Merlin, friend of your father. Come out and talk to me." The tip of a heavy sword came out of the opening first. Merlin didn't have to see the handle to recognize the sword as the magical sword that he had examined so many times in his previous visits to the castle. It was the Singing Sword and the soon-to-be-dead King had entrusted his famous sword to his young son when the king recognized that the castle was about to be overrun by the hoards. A small ten-year-old dark-haired youth came out of the hidden room holding the sword. His scared eyes and the way that he was holding the heavy sword to protect himself, told Merlin that the youth was afraid of everyone because of the youth's inexperience with battle. Knowing that he had to quickly convince the youth to trust him, Merlin decided to give the youth a few seconds to learn that the "old man was totally harmless." Walking back toward some leftover beef that was lying on a nearby table, Merlin brushed the flies from the beef and ripped off a piece of the meat. Sitting down to eat his meal, he watched the youth as the obviously distraught young boy saw his dead parents for the first time and rushed to sit by his dead father's side. After letting the boy sit by his dead parents' bodies for a few minutes and relieving his inner tension by crying, Merlin snapped his fingers to get the youth's attention. "It is as I predicted. They died and you lived. But you won't live long if I don't get you out of here and hide you until you're old enough and strong enough to fight them. Did your father remember to give you the ring as well as the sword?" The youth held up an insignia ring that had been placed on a small golden chain that he was wearing around his neck. Merlin recognized the chain as being the Queen's personal gold chain necklace and knew that the mother had probably done that last task while her husband had fought bravely with his soldiers just outside their bedroom door. Spitting out a bite of meat that tasted a little rancid, Merlin wiped the grease from the cold food on his sleeve. "Well, my young man. It's time that you learn a little about me. My name is Merlin. They call me a magician. But if I was really a magician, then I would have been able to stop all this killing with just a wave of my hand. No, I'm not a magician. I'm a predictor. I can predict what is going to happen, and then I can use that prediction to my favor. I predicted the death of your parents and your subsequent transportation by me to the coastline. I'm here to make that prediction come true. I've got a friend that I'm going to take you to on the coast so that you've got a safe place to stay while you grow up. On the way there, we're going to stop and see someone who can really do some magic. She's known as the Lady of the Lake and she's already demonstrated her magic to King Arthur by giving him a sword with which he will be able to defend his kingdom. The Lady of the Lake is going to help me hide you from your enemies for the next ten years while you grow up." *** The Lake was a small mountain lake that seemed to always be covered with a heavy fog, even in the brightest day. Standing on the edge of the lake, Merlin turned to look at the small youth who had accompanied him for the last ten days on the long walking journey. They had traveled mainly at night to avoid the many enemy patrols that were roaming the countryside and their pace had been slow because the old man couldn't walk too fast or too far without resting. The youth looked just like a younger version of his father; strong nose, dark brown eyes, narrow thin lips and a thick mass of dark hair worn in a banged pageboy style. On his back, he carried the heavy sword in his father's scabbard because the long sword blade was almost as tall as the small youth. Pointing at the Lake, Merlin told the youth about the legend of the Lady of the Lake. "She's as real as you or I am real. But she doesn't like to be bothered by common people who don't understand her and she has always lived alone out in the woods on the hidden island. Years ago, she put a spell on the Lake so that it would protect her from people that she didn't want to see. But for those people like me who she knows as being her friend, she created an underwater path across the lake. I know the path and will take us to her cabin on a small island in the middle of that fog. You must walk directly behind me and stay close to me otherwise you will slide into the deep cold water. Because of the weight of that heavy sword on your back that you're carrying, you'll quickly sink to the bottom of the lake before I could do anything to try to help you. Follow me." Stepping out onto the water, Merlin sunk into the knee-deep water. A few feet on either side of him, the water was deadly deep. Moving slowly out into the lake on the path that couldn't be seen, he didn't bother to look back knowing that the youth would closely follow him and would arrive safely at the Island. After all, he had already foretold the youth's life and already knew everything that would happen to the youth in the future so he knew that they would arrive safely at the Island. After several long minutes of wading through fog-covered cold water, Merlin stepped out onto a rocky shore. Moving swiftly now that they were on dry land, he walked toward a small cabin. Entering the small cabin without requesting permission by knocking, he headed directly toward a cooking fire built in the fireplace. As he warmed his hands from the heat of the fireplace, he heard an old woman's voice from the darkness at the far side of the one-room cabin. "Is he the one?" "Yes, he is Prince Valiant. His father and mother are dead, as I had previously predicted so now he is an orphan and needs our help. I've arranged for him to go to the coast for a few years where he will be safe until he's older and able to fight the Norsemen." "Are you sure that you want me to do this? To him?" Turning to look at the young man's face, Merlin's withered face showed a slight expression of pain as if some deep secret bothered him. Although his wrinkled old man's face displayed regret, his ancient voice was strong with the conviction that there wasn't any other options to keep the youth safe until it was time for him to achieve his destiny. Nodding his head as he answered, there was a slight sound of pain in his old voice as if voicing the long-ago decision pained him. "There isn't any other way to protect him. If we don't do it, then they will hunt him down and kill him just as they killed his parents. His only chance to live to fulfill his prophesized destiny is if we protect him until he's turned twenty-one. At that time, he will have the muscles and fighting skill to use the Singing Sword to protect himself and to avenge his parents' death. Do it." The old woman walked out of the darkness toward the youth. She sat in the chair by the fireplace and calmly signaled the youth to come to her by wiggling a withered finger. "Come here, boy. Let me see you up close." The youth hesitated because the ancient cronish face of the old woman was enough to scare a grown man, much less a small ten- year-old boy but he quickly did as she instructed. Once that he was close enough so that she could touch him, she put one of her arms behind his back to keep him from backing away as she touched his face with her dirty fingernail and whispered to him the way that a grandmother would talk to her grandchild. "Aye, you are your father's son. I can sense his strength in you as well as feel your mother's strong love for you. You are truly the one who will eventually repel our hated enemies and chase them back to their country, letting our people eventually live in peace. But you won't be able to do that until you've grown up and can easily swing that magical sword that your father left you. And just as Merlin and I know your destiny to be our land's savior, so do your enemies suspect your ultimate destiny. That's why they killed your father and mother as well as all of the children that they found within the castle in their deadly search for you. They won't quit looking for you until they are totally convinced that you really died beside your parents. So until you are strong enough to be able to fight them in head to head combat, you must hide from them. Merlin has convinced me that the best place to hide you is to hide you in plain sight so that they see you but that they don't really see you. That's why you are here, my young man. It's my job to help you hide in plain sight. Shut your eyes." As soon as the youth's eyes were shut, the old woman pressed a finger lightly against each eyelid as she began an ancient chant in a foreign tongue that only she knew or remembered. After a few moments of croaking her ancient magical spell, her ancient voice spoke again in the familiar language that those in the room could understand. The boy's eyes were still closed as if he were in a deep sleep as he stood ramrod straight. "It is done. My lad, in a few minutes, you'll feel a strong need to lie down and rest for a few hours. When you awaken from your deep sleep, your world will have changed. For the next several years, you'll live in a very different world as your body changes and you grow up to become an adult. I've taken the gifts, the chain and ring that your parents left you and cast a spell on those objects so that they will help you achieve your rightful place in our future. When you wear your father's ring, you will have your father's strength and warrior skills to assist you. When you wear your mother's golden chain, you'll have your mother's lighting speed and her uncanny ability to bedazzle mere mortal men. For now and the next ten years, you'll wear only your mother's golden chain which will protect you by helping to hide you from those who would harm you. Someday when you've become an adult, you'll place your father's ring on your finger and go fulfill your destiny with the sword that he left you. Sleep my child and live peacefully for the next ten years as my magic helps you to hide from those who would harm you." Pulling her fingers from his eyes, she whispered knowing that only Merlin could hear her now because the unmoving youth was still deep within the trance of her magical spell. "It's done. Take him away and find a place in the woods for him to sleep. When it is sunrise, the spell will be complete and you can send our young friend on his new journey" Glancing down at his still wet boots, Merlin didn't really want to cross the lake in the dark again but knew that her implicit orders had to be obeyed. Touching the youth on the shoulder, he gave a simple order "Come" and walked out the door without looking back. Stopping at the water's edge, he turned to look at the dark-haired youth. The boy's eyes were still shut because he was still under the spell that the old woman placed upon him but the youth was following him as if he were sleepwalking. Turning and stepping into the cold water, Merlin knew that the youth would follow him even with his eyes shut. After several long minutes of crossing the cold water, Merlin arrived on the main land. Without any hesitation, the old man pressed into the woods, knowing that even in the dark, he would find a good campsite for them to spend the night. After all, he had accurately foretold everything that had happened so far. A few minutes later, he found a wooded bough that was sheltered from the cool nighttime breeze. After gathering some brush boughs and stomping them down to make a crude but effective mattress for the youth to rest upon, he ordered the youth to lie on the crudely made bed. After covering the youth with the blanket that Merlin carried in his small pack, Merlin sat down by the sleeping boy to patiently wait for the sun to rise. *** A night in the dark woods is always cold and the night seemed to last forever. Merlin sat patiently alongside the sleeping youth thinking about what he had predicted would occur during the next several days. He would send young Prince Valiant to a distant castle where the youth would spend the next several years growing up. While the Lad was living there, the future Knight of the Round Table would learn the skills that would be needed to save King Arthur and Camelot in ten years. Eventually the sun came up and pushed the darkness away. When the youth's eyes began to twitch with the arrival of the first rays of sunrise, Merlin helped the young man to awaken with a gentle nudge of his boot into the lad's midsection. "Get up, boy. We've got a long way to go." Rubbing his eyes to try to push the sleep away, the youth responded to the old man's command. Rising to his feet, the lad walked a few feet away from where he had been sleeping and relieved his full bladder. He didn't seem the least bit concerned that the last thing that he had seen had been the old woman and now he was obviously miles from her cabin. Returning to where the magician was sitting, young Prince Valiant saw that the old man was removing some clothes from the bag that he carried. Holding the change of clothes out to the young man, Merlin's suggestion shocked the lad. "It is time for you to begin hiding so that your enemies don't see you. Take off your clothes and put these new clothes on." "But that's a girl's dress. I won't wear it." "Your father entrusted your safety to me. As you can see by my old age and weakness, I'm not strong enough to fight for you. Therefore I must protect you by outsmarting your enemies. They are looking for a young boy and they won't recognize you in this dress because when you are wearing the dress, they will see a young girl instead of a young boy. Put it on." "I won't do it. I'll fight them with my father's sword and will die willingly before I put on a woman's clothes." Pleased with the youth's determination but knowing that it was time to invoke the Lady of the Lake's magic, the old man pretended to give in to the youth's stubbornness. "Ok, I understand your reluctance. Give me the chain from around your neck." The lad hesitated, remembering his last promise to his mother just before she had shut the huge stone door leaving him in the hidden room. But he knew that he had to listen to the Old Man who had come to help him. Removing the golden chain necklace from around his neck, the lad looked at his father's ring, which his mother had placed on the small chain just before they had died. All of his young life, Prince Valiant had known that someday he would be the owner of the unique ring that was the symbol of his father's birthright. Handing the heirlooms over to Merlin, there was a shiny gleam in his eyes followed almost immediately by a single tear that oozed down his cheek as he remembered how his parents had died to save his life. He watched Merlin's ancient hands fumble with the chain's clasp to open the necklace and to remove the ring. Holding the ring in his fingertips as if examining a valuable diamond, Merlin's ancient voice echoed loudly in the lad's ears as if Merlin was shouting directly into his ears. "Your father's ring is your future birthright. I will keep it for you and return it to you when it is time for you to wear the ring and to avenge your parents' death. Until then, you must wear your mother's chain around your neck and let the magic spell placed on the chain hide you from those who would harm you. The chain, which is your personal link to your mother, will do the magical things to your body and mind that will help hide you until it is time for you to wear your father's ring." Dropping the ring into a hidden pocket in his robe, Merlin handed the small golden chain necklace back to the youth who eagerly grabbed it and put it back around his neck. As the chain touched young Prince Valiant's chest, the youth shivered as if a cold wind had just caressed his body. Although he didn't know it, the removal of his father's ring from the necklace had resulted in the necklace's magical powers being invoked to influence his future destiny. The young man's eyes glazed over for a couple of seconds and he teetered as if he was sleeping standing up. The expression on his face changed from being the type of expression that most parents would recognize as a boy's youthful stubbornness to an expression of calm indifference. For several seconds, the lad stood totally motionless with his eyes staring unfocused straight at Merlin as if the lad was unable to see the Old Man. When Merlin spoke again "Please remove your clothes", the lad jumped as if he had been caught daydreaming. His youthful face now appeared alert and lively with the type of warm smile that could cause other people to smile also. It was a smile very similar to his beloved mother's smile. Without any hesitation, the lad began pulling off his clothes as if he was eager to do whatever the Old Man requested. A few seconds later, the lad was totally naked except for the small golden chain around his neck. Holding the girl's dress out to the lad again, Merlin asked once more although it was really a command. "Please put these clothes on. They will help you to disguise yourself from your enemies." This time, the lad didn't resist the old man's orders and willingly accepted the clothes. A few seconds later, he was wearing the girls dress and was putting on the girl's shoes. While the very tranquil Valiant was dressing in the girl's clothes, Arthur fastened the dead king's sword to his own backpack so that he could carry it for the lad. As soon as the lad was dressed in the girl's new clothes that would disguise the young boy's true gender, Merlin began walking away from the small glen, knowing that the young man would follow without any further guidance. The youth glanced once at the boy's clothes that he was apparently leaving behind forever then calmly followed the old man as the now-happy lad calmly abandoned the discarded clothes that identified him as a royal prince of the realm. The youth's smaller but livelier legs quickly propelled him so that he was walking beside the Old Man. Merlin stopped and held up one finger as if he was a teacher instructing a student. "From now on, you cannot walk beside any man as if you were the man's equal. Instead, you must walk one step behind and slightly to the left of any man to show proper subservience." "But that's where a woman is supposed to walk. I'm a Prince." "Just do as I say." During the next hour's walk, the young Prince walked in the requisite position, only forgetting a couple of times but quickly resuming the appropriate distance as soon as Merlin reminded him. By the time that they came to the small glen where some travelers were waiting for Merlin, the lad was used to walking slightly behind the Old Man. A farmer was hooking the team of oxen to the wagon while the woman sat on a log doing some needlework. It was obvious from the difference in her elaborate clothes that she was nobility and that the man's purpose was to be her driver. As Merlin and Valiant came out of the woods, she rose to her feet and curtsied as if she recognized Merlin to be her superior. Stopping a few feet from the woman and nodding to her as to silently confirm some previous discussion, Merlin turned to face his youthful charge for one more motivational speech. "Valiant, our paths will go in very different directions for the next several years. I will go to assist King Arthur as he battles our enemies. You must go with Lady Catherine who will take you to a new home where you will be safe during the rest of your childhood years. You must listen to her and to implicitly obey her as if she were your mother. When it is time for you to take your rightful place in history, I will come for you again and at that time, I will return your father's ring to you. Until then, you must hide from the people who would kill you if they knew your true identity. From this moment on until the day that I return your father's ring to you, you must pretend to be someone else and to always wear your mother's necklace around your neck. That is the only way that you will be safe until it is time for you to avenge your parents' death. That is why you are currently wearing a young girl's dress and why you are going to live with Lady Catherine for the next ten years. I will return for you when it is time for you to take your rightful place in history." The Old Man turned away from the youth as if the discussion was over and walked to the wagon. Quickly removing the sword from his backpack and storing it in the wagon, the old man walked away without looking back at the confused youth who was staring at Merlin's back as if he wanted to continue to follow the ancient magician. With the revered magician leaving the area, Lady Catherine returned to her sitting position on the log and picked up her needlework again as she resumed the delicate cross-stitching. Looking more at her dexterous finger's controlling the needle's movement than at the confused youth, her command "come to me" was softly spoken in a firm voice as if she were a teacher instructing her pupil. The youth moved slowly toward her as if he was torn between running after the Magician and running away from the woman that was calling him. When the youth hesitantly stopped and stood a few feet from the woman who appeared to be more interested in her sewing, Lady Catherine pretended that she didn't notice the lad's slight reluctance. In her last meeting with Merlin several months earlier, the wise old soothsayer had given her very explicit instructions as to how she must treat the youngster. She wanted to leap up from the log and to hug him as she proclaimed that she used to be his mother's best childhood friend but Merlin had instructed her to be calm and confident for the first several weeks to give the youth time to adjust to the new situation. So she kept busy with her needlework, letting her rapid moving hands expend the nervous energy that she felt, as she tried to create a relaxed environment for her new charge. "Seeing as how we are going to be together for the next ten years, we need to get to know each other. When we are alone, we won't need to follow standard courtyard procedures and you may call me Catherine or Cathy. However when in the presence of other people, you must always address me by my title and full name of Lady Catherine. What is your name?" "I am Prince Valiant." "Yes you are. But until Merlin returns for you, you must pretend to be someone totally different from Prince Valiant. From this moment on until it is time for you to take your rightful place beside King Arthur, you are going to pretend that you are a girl. You are going to be my niece, Princess Valerie. You will forget your real identity and will only respond to your new name. What is your name, girl?" There was a momentary pained expression on the youth's face as he considered telling the truth. As he opened his mouth to answer the question, he felt a warmth coming from the necklace around his neck. Although he knew the real answer, he answered based upon the warm sensation radiating from the necklace. "My name is Prince Val...my name is Princess Valerie." *** It took the slow moving oxen ten days to travel the distance that a man on horseback could easily cover in only three days. During those ten days, Lady Catherine and the new Princess Valerie became good friends. The new lass was a quick learner and adapted quickly to her new identity and status. By the time that the wagon arrived at the top of the mountain pass and they were looking down at the small castle located at the ocean's edge, the camouflaged young prince had learned most of the skills that were expected from girls his age. There was one brief instance of problems during the travel. While at a camp stop, Lady Catherine had instructed Princess Valerie to bathe in a nearby stream. After all, girls were expected to wash some parts of their body every day and to thoroughly wash all of their body at least every three or four days. The young princess had gleefully skipped down to the stream and undressed. From Lady Catherine's position high on the hill where she appeared to be doing her needlework, the woman had watched the new Princess Valerie remove her dress and undergarments. As Valerie removed the small necklace from around her neck, Lady Catherine almost screamed "NO". With her attention diverted from her needlework, she pricked her finger with the needle but she didn't pay any attention to the pain as she saw the naked youth standing by the stream and looking at the necklace in his hand. Putting her needlework down, she walked briskly down the hill toward the youth who appeared to be slightly agitated and angry about something. "Valerie, you must never remove your mother's necklace from your neck." At the sound of her approaching voice, the naked youth spun to face her. Up to that time, the new Princess had acted calm and accepted the new feminine identity as being totally normal. But with his mother's necklace removed from around his neck, the youth's nervous posture and expressive attitude indicated that his mental state had changed from relative calm to one of total rebellion. The expression on his face was a mixture of confusion and anger and his enraged voice confirmed that his princely stubbornness had returned. "Don't call me that name. I ain't no girl. Where are my real clothes?" Recognizing that she was facing a crisis and that she had to do something quickly to control the situation, she gave one quick command as she silently hoped that the strong- willed Prince wouldn't challenge her authority over him. "We will discuss that later. Put your mother's necklace back around your neck before you lose it." Looking at the necklace that he was holding in his hand as if he was looking at it for the first time, the confused lad stood motionless for two to three seconds as if he was fighting the suggestion. When Lady Catherine repeated her command "Go on", he slowly placed it back in the rightful position around his neck. As the small gold necklace touched his chest again, the youth's posture and facial expression changed. Where he had been defiantly standing with his shoulders pulled back and his chest puffed out, he was now standing meekly. The angered expression on his face was replaced with the calm look of indifference that Lady Catherine was more used to seeing on his face the last several days. Moving quickly to the naked lad, she pulled him into her arms and gave him a strong motherly hug as she whispered to him as if telling him the most important secret in the world. "Please promise me that you'll never take your mother's necklace off again. You'll need to always wear it to help you be safe." "Yes, ma'am." "Thank you...Valerie." The reassuring hug from the youth silently confirmed that the magical spell placed on the necklace had once again changed the youth's attitude and identity. Once more thanks to the magical spell on the golden chain around his slender neck, he was feeling and acting more like he had been born as his mother's daughter instead of his real role of being his father's son. The re-acceptance of his new feminine identity as Princess Valerie was very evident from his relaxed stance and smiling face. *** As the wagon slowly came down the hillside toward the castle, Lady Catherine reminded Princess Valerie one more time what to expect. "My father is the King of our kingdom and that is our castle which will also be your home for the next several years. King Olaf's kingdom is very small and you can go from one end to the other end of our kingdom in just one day on horseback. Our land is so small that no one else wants it and as long as my father appears to be neutral during the war, both sides will leave us alone. There will be many other children within the castle who will be your playmates. You must remember that you can't run and play like a wild ragamuffin with the boys any more or they will discover your secret. You must remember to always act like a proper young lady. Even the other children, who will quickly become your new friends, must not know your real identity and everyone must know you only as Princess Valerie. Only my father and I will know the truth about your real identity." Glancing at the youth sitting beside her on the wagon seat, Lady Catherine studied her young companion's appearance one last time before their arrival at her castle. Prior to leaving that morning's campsite, Lady Catherine had spent a lot of time working with Princess Valerie's short pageboy haircut to try to make it look more feminine. By heating a green small tree branch in the campfire and then rolling the youth's dark hair around the hot wood, she had been able to curl the kid's straight hair so that the short- trimmed pageboy haircut didn't look so boyish. With the brushed curly hair fluffed into a somewhat feminine hairstyle, and the girl's dress, the youth did appear to be a real girl. In addition to the dress, the new hairstyle and the new name, something else had been taught the new Princess Valerie. She had been taught that she had to wear a thin coating of reddish wax on her lips to give her lips a more feminine appearance. Her new disguise as Princes Valerie had so thoroughly changed her general appearance that even her own dead mother would have difficultly recognizing her son. *** "You wished to see me, father?" "Yes, Catherine. Ever since you've returned, I've been so busy with the farmers making sure that they have all the fields plowed for the growing season so that we haven't had a chance to talk in private. How has young Princess Valerie adapted to her new home after a week of being here with other children?" "We had some rough moments. I was watching her play with the other children in the courtyard when I saw that young Galahad was teasing her by pulling on her hair and she knocked him down with just one punch. I don't think that your future squire will take that liberty with our young princess again. I immediately took her aside and reminded her that boys are supposed to tease girls and that she can't hit anyone with her fist anymore. She told me that she had became angry with him and forgot that she was only permitted to slap him. Then a day or two later, I found her up on the castle's parapet walking on the top of the outer wall as the children watched in awe. She told me later that one of the boys had dared her to do that dangerous stunt and she had to show him that she wasn't afraid of falling. But otherwise, she has acted quite ladylike thanks to the training that I've given her so far. As we expected, she has become good friends with young Maid Marion and they spend a lot of time together. Being with a real girl her own age has helped her tremendously in learning how girls are supposed to act, talk, and react to situations. I've noticed that Valerie is beginning to be more relaxed as she adapts to her new life here with us. I've started teaching her needlepoint and as well as having her help me prepare meals so that she now has some basic cooking skills. She's able to curl and brush her own hair every morning now so I don't need to help her with that routine anymore." "When I saw her with that short page-boy haircut, I was afraid that someone else would get suspicious that she wasn't what we want her to appear to be. I'll be glad when her hair grows out to a more normal length." "Merlin told me that the first two or three months of learning to be a girl would be the most difficult time for her and then after that, we wouldn't have anything to worry about as to her feminine attitude or her physical appearance. As a result of the magical spell that makes Valerie think, look, and act like her mother's natural daughter, Merlin expects our young friend's dark hair color to start getting lighter as Valerie continues to wear her Mother's necklace around her neck. In about a year, Princess Valerie's hair color and hair length should be a more normal-looking shoulder length blonde color." "Blonde? That was her mother's hair color. Her grandmother was a very beautiful woman as was Valerie's mother. If I hadn't been so smitten with your mother so many years ago, I would have courted young Princess Valerie's grandmother. But do you think that the magic will really make that much of a difference in Valerie's future appearance? After all, there are a lot of differences between men and women." The King had emphasized his last comments by holding his hands up to his chest as if he were cupping female breasts on his own chest. "I trust Merlin and he said that I shouldn't worry about that womanly attribute. Instead of growing up to be a husky muscular younger male version of her father, Valerie will be a delicate feminine-looking younger version of her mother. When our young Princess goes through puberty in the next couple of years, we expect that the magical spell will shape her body into looking like a woman's body very similar to what her dear departed mother's body looked like when she was the same young age. Instead of growing big, muscular and husky, our new young lady will become more willowy, softer and shapelier. As for that other more noticeable difference... Merlin said that the female hormones that will define Valerie's slender chest as being a young woman's rounded chest will also control her manhood. In time, her...male-thing between her legs will grow much smaller and by the time that she finishes puberty, it will be nothing more than just a small pee- spout that can easily be hidden in her bloomers." The King bit his lip as he thought about how the youth's body was going to be reshaped over time and that the former lad was destined to live a very strange future life. "So it will be as if he is a eunuch." "My father, I sense the pain that you are feeling for our young friend. Don't worry because of what the young princess will miss because she won't be given the opportunity to grow up to be a prince. After all, how can Valerie miss what she has never experienced? She is so young that the thing between her legs is nothing more than a pee-spout now and that is all that she will ever think about it. When she is older and a little wiser as to proper relationships between men and women, maybe then she would miss it. But by then, the several years of living as a woman will have so thoroughly shaped her thinking so that she is just as happy being without a normal male appendage. I don't have one and I've certainly learned how to exist without having all that external bulk flopping around within my undergarments." "Yes, but you're a natural woman and will live the rest of your life as a woman. At some time in the future, our Princess Valerie must take up her father's sword and become Prince Valiant again. Will he have the strength and character to avenge his parents?" "I can only trust in Merlin's ability to predict the future. If he didn't think that it would work for the future Prince Valiant to live the next several years of his life as Princess Valerie, then Merlin wouldn't have requested our assistance." *** The King was standing in the shade, watching his Knights practice their swordsmanship. Because his Kingdom was so small and never became involved in disputes with other kingdoms, he only needed a few Knights to control the occasional problems with roving bands of thieves. Consequently his Knights weren't great fighters and needed frequent practice to maintain their skill. As he watched them whack at each other with dulled swords, he prayed that his band of so-called Knights would never have to meet real Knights in combat. His best Knight wouldn't even be a match for King Arthur's worst Knight. He saw Lady Catherine up on the parapet watching something on the other side of the courtyard so he knew that she had chosen that prime vantage point so that she could secretly monitor her young friend. In the six weeks that Princess Valerie had lived with them, the young Princess had caused them a couple of frightful moments by doing things that a Princess normally wouldn't do. There was the time that the children were supposed to be playing and Lady Catherine had observed young Galahad coaxing the young Princess into the stables. Sensing that they were going into the barn for the wrong reasons, Lady Catherine barged into the stables just in time to see young Galahad trying to convince young Valerie to "show me yours and I'll show you mine." Galahad had his trousers down, revealing his future manhood and Valerie was in the process of lifting her skirt to pull down her bloomers when Catherine stopped her from going any further. Later while Catherine talked privately to Valerie about the proper rules of conduct that a young princess must always follow, the King had a similar discussion with the boy. Galahad swore to his King that he would never dishonor the young Princess again. Then a few days later when the children were playing, Catherine saw Valerie pick up one of the small sticks that the boys used as wooden swords and challenge one of the other boys to a "fight". Catherine stopped the fight and got the children playing a more acceptable game of Tag. But along with the momentary moments of anguish, there were many instances of satisfaction with the new young Princess. Her thick hair had grown a little longer so it looked more feminine, thanks to the daily curling and brushing. Also her dark hair color was becoming lighter so that instead of being a dark brown color, it was now a medium brown. Catherine was predicting that within a year that Valerie's hair would be a dark golden blonde in color and would be long enough to touch her shoulders. Also Catherine was convinced that the young Valerie's skin was becoming softer as well as other changes were occurring. Even the King had noticed that the youth's eyelashes were slightly longer, giving the youth a more delicate facial appearance. Catherine had also noticed that the shape of Valerie's face appeared to be slowly changing. In addition to the physical changes, there were noticeable mental changes also. Although the young lass frequently looked wishfully at the boys who were constantly roughhousing and showing off to the girls, most of the time she totally lived the feminine role demanded of her. Her best friend was Maid Marion. Just as Galahad would grow up to become the King's squire and future knight, so would Maid Marion grow up to eventually serve the Princess as her personal maid and closest friend. But for now, they were just two young girls who giggled a lot and played together. Being constantly with a real girl had helped define Valerie's actions and attitude. Her mannerisms had changed over the last several weeks so that she walked, talked and appeared to be a real girl; thanks to the constant association with Maid Marion. *** King Olaf became aware of the approaching army when it was two days away. Knowing that his personal army which was composed of only eight Knights and thirty foot soldiers would be no match for the hoard of four thousand men coming toward them, the King knew that there was nothing to do but to be prepared to greet them as friends. And to hope that they were just interested in passing through. Being always neutral had helped in similar situations so that he hoped that a peaceful greeting would help with the approaching menacing horde. When the first banner came through the mountain pass leading into his little valley, the King saw that the approaching army was personally being led by King Gustafid. An unshakeable chill coursed through the King's belly because this was the same fierce army who had ruthlessly destroyed Prince Valiant's home only a few months earlier. The large group of foot soldiers slowly wandered down the hillside toward a nearby meadow where it appeared that they were going to establish camp. A small contingent of Knights led a group of two hundred mounted soldiers toward the castle. Even from far away, the King was able to pick out the one person wearing the black armor among the shinny armor of the Knights. That would be King Gustafid, a young monarch who didn't hesitate to destroy anything that got in his way. Mounting his own horse, the King led his small group of mounted Knights out to meet the large force. He hoped that his lifelong reputation of friendship and neutrality would protect him from the much larger army. Stopping a few hundred feet from the approaching soldiers, the King held up his hand in the time-honored signal that represented Peace. Under his heavy armor, he was sweating as he waited to see if the approaching soldiers would draw their swords or keep them holstered. King Gustafid stopped his much larger army when he came within 30 feet of King Olaf's small group of men. "Greetings, Olaf. My men need a place to rest for a couple of days before we continue on our journey." "My people welcome you in peace. I will furnish you thirty cows a day so that you may feed your men. I request that you keep your soldiers under control and don't let them harass my people who are just simple farmers. I welcome you to be my personal guest within my small castle." Although King Olaf's face was smiling when he made the invitation, he felt anger at having to be so civil to the marauding monarch simply because of the huge size of his ruthless army. "Forty cows per day are more appropriate to feed my large group of men. And I accept your invitation to be your honored guest within your castle. I will be accompanied by twenty of my senior officers and a few guards." *** Gustafid's sixty some guards were positioned around the interior of the castle by one of his officers as if it was his army that was defending the castle. For every one of Olaf's guards manning the parapets, there were three of Gustafid's men standing next to Olaf's man. Although Olaf didn't like the way that the foreign sovereign was making himself at home, there wasn't much that he could do about the situation except to smile. Olaf knew that the larger number of foreign guards could easily overpower his small force and take control of the castle if they desired. He hoped that by being neutral and because his kingdom was so small, that the marauding King would quickly move on. As soon as Gustafid was ensconced into the guest quarters so that he could clean up in preparation for that evening's meal, some of his officers began examining the fort. It was obvious that one of the senior officers was evaluating the small fort for weakness from the way that he climbed every parapet and examined every defense. It was also obvious that two of the officers had another assignment. They were examining every ten to fourteen year old boy as if they were looking for a specific young lad. Every boy was brought to the courtyard and made to stand in front of an old woman who would look at the boy's face who would then shake her head to confirm that the current youth in front of her wasn't the boy who they were obviously looking for. From her room's window, Lady Catherine observed the systematic way that Gustafid's men collected every boy in the village and took them to the courtyard for the old woman's perusal. Even Lady Catherine's own personal quarters weren't exempt from being scrutinized by Gustafid's men. The soldiers had come into her room, glanced momentary at Lady Catherine, Maid Marion and Princess Valerie as the two young ladies worked on their needlework, then looked around Catherine's room to verify that there wasn't any obvious place where a boy could hide. They were obviously looking for the boy known as Prince Valiant and the only thing that was saving the future warrior from being discovered was the feminine disguise. *** The dinner wasn't the typical dinner that the King gave for his guests. The plentiful food and entertainment was the same but the attitude of the guests made it a very different dinner. Normally there was a lot of gaiety and laughter from those attending Olaf's parties but King Gustafid's officers were somber and subdued. Instead of relaxing and enjoying themselves, the officers were silent and stayed sober. It was almost as if they had been ordered to stay alert and to be prepared to have a battle. The only one who appeared to be having any fun was King Gustafid who was paying a lot of attention to the beautiful Lady Catherine. Naturally Lady Catherine and her father were being gracious hosts to their guest and pretending that everything was normal. It didn't surprise either of them when Gustafid casually asked King Olaf about Catherine's martial status. "Olaf, yon Lady Catherine is the prettiest woman in the kingdom. Is she betrothed to some young Prince?" Knowing where the conversation was headed, King Olaf gave the only answer that he knew could save his young pretty daughter's future. It was a lie but one which he hoped would save his daughter's life. One dreadful lie that the moment that it was uttered, that his daughter would have to live the lie. "I wish that she was, my friend. But several years ago, Merlin predicted that she would enter the convent in a few years and would eventually become a Mother Superior over the other Nuns. Knowing her future, it pains me to know that she will never bear me a strapping grandson to one day take my place. But Merlin has predicted that she is destined to never know the joys of being a wench in a man's bedroom." By invoking Merlin's well-known powers to predict the future, Olaf was hoping that his lie about his daughter's future would cause Gustafid to look elsewhere for a potential bride. Although the ruthless leader freely ravaged and killed anyone who opposed him, it was well known that he supported the church and made sure that church members enjoyed his personal protection. The way that Gustafid's smile faded into a grim look of determination showed that the ploy was working. "Church, eh? Well, if Merlin predicted it, then it will come true. I will honor your daughter's future and will support her eventual fate. Did Merlin say when she would make that decision?" "It's at least five, maybe ten years from now." "Shame that such a wonderful example of woman flesh has to be wasted but we each have our own destinies. I believe that I am individually destined to someday rule the entire world. I look forward to the day when I personally meet Merlin for the first time and can get him to confirm that prediction about my destiny that a gypsy woman in my country once gave me. What about the young pretty Princess sitting beside Lady Catherine? Is she also destined for the church?" The "young pretty Princess" that Gustafid was looking at, was Princess Valerie. "Church? Nay, I think that an entirely different future is in store for Princess Valerie. I suspect that when she is an adult that her future will intersect with your future. I would like to be there when she eventually seeks you out to fulfill her destiny." King Gustafid didn't understand the double meaning in King Olaf's words. Staring at the young pretty Princess sitting beside Lady Catherine, he had an entirely different image of what it would be like to meet the adult Princess Valerie than what Olaf knew would occur. Staring at the feminine-looking youthful Princess sitting beside the buxom Lady Catherine, his mind was whirling with thoughts of someday wooing and stealing the heart of the young waifish maiden when she was older. His attention focused upon her face as he memorized the way that she looked now. The young Princess had rosy red cheeks and red lips where Lady Catherine had carefully enhanced both of their faces with rouge. Although the pretty Princess had short hair for a female, her fluffy hair was almost shoulder-length and the curls in her light brown hair had just a hint of blondness. There was gaiety in her expressive eyes as she laughingly batted her long eyelashes at something that Lady Catherine had just whispered to her. The long dress and petticoats that she wore didn't reveal much about the hidden shape of her ten-year-old body but Gustafid's mind was already envisioning how her waifish girl's body would change soon into that of teenage girl's body and then would eventually fill out to be a buxom woman's adult body in a few years. As he looked at her, he smiled as he envisioned a future where he would be sitting on the throne of the King of England and that the young damsel currently sitting beside Lady Catherine would be an adult woman who would be one of the beautiful wenches of his courtyard seeking to share his bedroom with him. As the happy young Princess Valerie looked across the room at him, she didn't know who he was except that he was a dangerous man who they had to be nice to while he was their "g