The Dark One: Dark Knight Read Free Page A

he
knew well the implications of his actions.  But he had gone with his inner
senses and turned on a man who had killed his nephews to gain the throne, an
unscrupulous monster of a man who would stop at nothing to rule England. Gaston
had served his predecessor and brother, Edward IV, for many years.  When
Richard assumed the throne, by murder, Gaston had sworn fealty. He convinced
himself that family politics were none of his business and that he was only a
warrior.
    Richard depended on the
man tremendously, and was expecting victory at the battle of Bosworth until
Gaston had had enough of the man and turned on him; he had convinced others to
turn on him, too. When Richard had threatened Gaston and a very close friend of
Gaston’s, Matthew Wellesbourne, it had been the last nail in the coffin. Tides
were turned and England was destined for a new king.
         He had been labeled a traitor, the very
worst of humankind to walk the earth. But Henry Tudor loved him and Gaston had
had his reasons for doing what he had done. There was no one to answer to but
himself, although his pride had taken a beating. Everyone knew of the Dark Knight,
the premier Knight of the Garter who had defended Edward and then Richard. But
when he brought about the fall of Richard, the term Dark Knight took on a whole
different meaning.
         The sky above was as dark as he was as he
rode north-northwest toward the mighty fortress that was Mt. Holyoak.  He had
heard tale that Guy Stoneley had built it with the particular desire to have
the most fortified, most impenetrable fortress in all of England and by many
accounts, he had succeeded.
         The fact of which pleased Gaston immensely.
Aye, he had a fortress already - Clearwell Castle sat near the Welsh Marches
north of Gloucester, nestled in the soft desolate hills. A hellish place, it
could be, bleak and cold most of the time, which is why he left his wife there.
 He hoped that mayhap she would become sick of the place that she would leave
him forever so he would be free of the bitch. He did not care where she went,
so long as she left their son.  He’d kill her with his bare hands if she took
Trenton away from him.
    Henry had ordered Gaston
to secure Mt. Holyoak, and secure he would.  But he would also claim it as his
own and make his own life there, far from his wife.  He would send for Trenton
and together they would live in peace and happiness. At thirty-seven years, he
was coming to the point in his life where he was thinking on retiring from his
profession. After all, he had been a knight for seventeen years now and had
etched out an indelible reputation. There was no more need to put fear into the
hearts of England at the mere sound of his name; he had accomplished all that
he had set out to do.
         Gaston looked forward to retaining Mt.
Holyoak. If it even lived up to half of what he had heard, then it would indeed
be a pleasure to assume command. With Henry on the throne and the country more
or less calming, he would concentrate on training men for Henry’s royal army
and settling down to a life of relative non-violence, he hoped.  Henry expected
Gaston to maintain a tight hand in Yorkshire, and maintain he would.  He
sincerely hoped the Yorkists were intelligent enough not to try something
stupid, for he was weary of fighting.  A definite change for the Dark One.
         “How much longer?” the knight by his side
asked.
         Gaston emerged from his train of thought. 
“Half a day,” he replied. “We should be there come nightfall.”
         Sir Arik Helgeson, as blond and blue-eyed
as Gaston was dark, nodded with satisfaction.  “I am anxious to see this place.
It promises to be as mighty as Camelot.”
         Gaston and Arik rode alone at the front of
a six hundred-man column. They had sent three scouts ahead two days ago and
were growing impatient, as the men were slow to return.  They were hungry for
news of the area, the climate of the