A Knight to Remember

To meet a knight

Kara is uncertain about her life. Before her mother died she felt loved and beautiful, the older daughter of her family with a cute little sister. Then, sadly, her mother died. She remembers vividly how her father, she and her sister gathered around the bed as she lay dying. They tried to be strong for her but when her breathing stopped the tears came rushing down. Kara remembers her father kneeling at her bedside sobbing with his head bent down over his loving wife. But then he turned and gathering his two daughters in his arms he said, "We must be strong, children. We must carry on. That is what she would want us to do."

Kara and sister Anna always remembered those words for even though their mother was missing, they were still a family. Then something unexpected happened. Their father married another woman. And that woman was not like their mother at all. She was mean to them. She brought to the marriage two of her own children. Gabriela, "the beautiful one," and Lukas, who was younger, about the same age as Kara. How she doted on her own children and put down Kara and Anna. But now, three years later, things had changed again.

* * *

The sky was dark and rain was falling gently as the large group made their way to the cemetery. At a time like this people even forget the terrifying Saracens whose path of conquest was leading ever closer to Francia. Kara and her little sister held hands as her father and stepsister and stepbrother led on. Family and friends joined them, mostly people of the trades, like her father.

They approached the grave site where the priest was now standing, waiting for everyone to arrive. He began talking and Kara listened to his calm words, speaking of her stepmother in such a way that everyone could feel comfort in her final destiny. He continued on for some time, and for Kara his soft words seemed to blend in with the gray skies and the soft drizzle of the rain. A sad time for the family of the deceased, and yet for Kara it was not so sad. Her stepmother had never liked her. Kara had finally come to that realization. The woman loved her father she supposed, and certainly loved the children she brought with her from her first marriage. Especially Gabriela. For Kara's stepmother, Gabriela was ever "the beautiful one," and Kara could just as well have been dirt.

The priest turned away as his words ended. Now it was time to take part in the burial. Spades were on hand and each person in the party, starting from the youngest able to handle a shovel to the oldest took their turn at taking a spade full of dirt from the pile and pitching it down onto the body below wrapped in a blanket. It was Kara's turn, and she took the shovel and did the same.

People cried, but not Kara. She watched as her father took the shovel, and saw him turn away with tears in his eyes. It was his second wife, and now both were dead. As much as she herself lacked feeling for the woman, she could sympathize with her father. Kara held the hand of her younger sister Anna as the priest uttered a few more words to finish the service and then they all began to turn away. The cemetery caretakers would be the ones to finish filling the grave. .

On her return to her father's bakery, Kara had mixed feelings. She knew her father loved the woman, as evidenced even at the funeral by his tears. But her stepmother had not been kind to her, holding her own children, her son and daughter, much above the children that her father and real mother bore, she and little Anna. To her stepmother, Gabriela was extremely beautiful and Kara was strikingly plain. Gabriela, she told her, would one day marry a knight, and Kara, well, she could maybe marry the fishmonger's son, Pietro. As she told her, "Kara you will get used to his smell of fish. He would be a good match for the likes of you."

Kara would never forget her deceased stepmother's words, for she had said as much many times. "You are a plain girl, Kara, but you do have a few nice qualities. A man who might have a hard time finding a mate might do well with you. You can cook and clean just as well or better than anyone."

As Kara thought about these things as she busied herself in the back room of the bakery, she felt some sorrow for her stepsister and brother at losing their mother, but mostly for her father. She knew he loved her. He hardly noticed her constant put downs of Kara or the praise she lavished on her own children. Kara sighed, alone in the backroom of the bakery. Maybe she would indeed end up marrying Pietro, the fishmonger's son. Actually, he was OK. Not polished in manners like a knight would be, not one to sweep a girl off her feet, but honest and friendly to her. A man who seemed to work hard at his father's business.

She heard the tinkle of the bell as someone walked into the bakery. Nothing unusual in that, though it was late for anyone to buy. Kara heard it and realized that Gabriela was not there. No one was there. Dusting off her hands on her apron she went to the front. It was a man, but not just an ordinary man. Kara could tell by his bearing and his clothes that he was a knight though he wore no armor. He looked at the pastries and tarts on display. He seemed to take a long time, and though her own eyes were down, Kara had a fleeting impression that maybe he had also glanced in her direction. "Can I help you with anything," she asked.

"Yes, I love the cherry filled tarts but don't see any today."

"Yes, I'm sorry. We ran out. But if you like cherry we do have some cherry flavored cookies left. See, they're over here."

The man followed to where she pointed behind the counter.

"These," she said, pointing to the tray.

"I'll take two. Don't need to wrap them up, I'm just going to eat them now."

"Do you have a bag," she asked, knowing most people carried at least a small foldable one in a pocket of their garment.

"No, I don't. Just hand two of them to me. Here's a coin. Should be enough, don't you think?"

Kara took it in her left hand, put it in the metal box and then taking out three smaller coins reached out her hand to give him the change.

"Keep it," he said.

"That's way too much," she said looking back at him.

He waved his hand, as if to say no matter. "Is the other girl off today?" he asked.

"Yes," Kara answered, immediately feeling self conscious. Had he expected Gabriela, "the beautiful one" to wait on him? "She's usually here, just not today."

"Do you think you will have more of those cherry tarts tomorrow?"

"Oh, yes. This is the season for them. Come back tomorrow, earlier if you can before they sell out. Everyone likes them."

"Will I see you?"

The question surprised Kara, for usually people asked for Gabriela, the one who normally attended to the customers in the shop. At his question she looked up at him. Was he smiling?—at her?

"Oh, no," she answered quickly. "No, it would be my stepsister who is the one who waits on customers. I work in the back."

"Oh."

To Kara, he actually sounded disappointed.

"Then maybe I'll see you around sometime. It's not that big a town. My name's Derek."

Kara saw his smile and then noted that he continued to look at her. Then it came to her why. "Oh, I'm Kara," she finally had the presence of mind to answer.

"Kara. Hope to see you again, Kara," he said before walking out the door.

She stood watching him leave as if transfixed. Then she thought, if he really does want to see me he knows where to come. Shaking her head, she returned to the back where she still had things to do. But she couldn't get Derek out of her mind. 

Hi, guys. Welcome to a brand new story. There's going to be love, adventure, and if I can pull it off, a big surprise coming near the end. Think you will like the surprise. Hope you enjoy it all, and love your votes and comments. You don't realize how much you influence my writing—for the better. In fact this opening part has been changed—for you.