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slipping through his
fingers.
    In faith, he wasn't surprised nor angry. He should have expected as much from a seasoned adversary like Alex de
Gare. All that mattered now, however, was doing as much damaged as possible
before retreating to Eden to regroup. Wielding his massive broadsword against
the collection of zealous warriors, he caught a glimpse of his armored cousin
as the massive knight emerged, wet and obviously shaken, through the hole in the
drawbridge he had been expanding.
    Jean appeared by his son's side, hacking furiously at
the enthusiastic de Gare soldiers. Stunned and disappointed that his victory
had been cruelly destroyed, his rage was boundless. With every chop, every
parry, he vented his rage on his most bitter enemy.
    Surrounded by a multitude of fiercely-fighting men,
Christian was caught up in the fervor of the battle. As the sun set into the
dark-blue recesses of the western horizon, he was vaguely aware when his father
lodged himself against his right flank, the aged face of a weary old man
flushed and perspiring beneath the lowered visor.
    "The girl, Christian!" Jean roared above the noise of death. "Go get the
girl!"
    Christian dispatched a particularly powerful warrior,
immediately engaging another foot soldier as a de Gare knight maneuvered his
way toward him. He eyed the approaching knight as he exchanged heavy sword
blows with the common trooper, his father's words sinking deep into his
comprehension. Doing away with his opponent in short order, he dared to divert
his attention for a brief, aggravated second.
    "What am I supposed to do with her?" he
shouted.
    Jean was well beyond the realm of fury. He wanted to
destroy Alex de Gare in the worst possible way, however he could. "Take
her beyond the borders to the Galloway territories!" he roared. "Take
her as deep as you can go and stay there until I send word!"
    The de Gare knight was closing in on Christian with
malevolent intent and he turned away from his father in time to witness an
extended broadsword aimed at his head. Fending off the sharp blow, his
concentration moved to the fight at hand as his father persisted to deliver the
final understanding of his directive.
    "Galloway Forest!" he hollered to his son,
watching as the massive man engaged the de Gare knight. "Do you hear me,
lad? I said Galloway..!"
    "Forest!" Christian bellowed to complete the nagging command,
terribly irritated that his father seemed intent on aiding the de Gare knight
in his quest to do away with him. He leveled another heavy chop against the
powerful knight before issuing a concluding reply. "I heard you the first
time! Now, shut up while I fight for my life!"
    Jean wasn't the least bit concerned that the de Gare
knight could best the Demon of Eden in battle, hence his demand to occupy a
portion of the man's attention. Whether Christian agreed or not, Jean was
determined to see his orders carried through; the violation of St. Esk and the
abduction of the Lady Gaithlin de Gare.

 
    'The intensity...
the marvel
    I was in awe;
    Though I was
loathe to confess
    my veneration of a
de Gare's forbearance.’

 
    ~Chronicles of
Christian St. John
    Vl. III, p. CCLIX

 
 
 
 
    CHAPTER TWO

 
    Not surprisingly, the tiny convent of St. Esk was built
to withstand a siege. As Christian watched his men take a battering ram to the
heavy oaken door of dark-stoned abbey, the fact that he was reluctant to
violate the sanctuary of God's holy house only added to the aversion of
procuring the de Gare wench.
      Still, he could
scarcely believe the mindless folly his father had forced him into, using words
of cunning and cruelty to coerce his reluctant son. No matter what Christian's
convictions, Jean bullied the much larger and much stronger man into compliance
with the powerful weapon of family honor.
    You are my son and will do as I say.
    Certainly, he was the man's son. But he was also a
knight, and being a knight of the realm meant upholding the sanctity of the
church.