The Tale of Jakey Gilwell

Many years ago, before the reign of Arthur, King of the Britons, an invading army from the lands of Araby conquered the southern lands of what is now known as France. These people were known as the Saracens. These Saracens were slight in stature and slightly darker in skin colour than the Romans and Germanics they encountered. Their natural ability to glide thru a forest undetected made them the perfect types for ambush tactics. Also, some few were so adept at remaining hidden even when moving thru enemy positions that they became renown as Scouts and Infiltrators. The Saracen occupation of southern France lasted several centuries and spanned the time of Arthur and his court at Camelot.

During this time of occupation, the Saracens ventured out from their fortresses in search of more lands and riches. On one such expedition, they ventured into the lands now known as Austria. This region was a wild and untamed land, where roving bands of bandits, warlords and self-proclaimed kings ruled with iron hands and bloody swords.

One night, a small group of advance scouts were sitting by their small campfire, enjoying some of the fine venison the forest around them had provided that day. They had encountered no other humans in days and had seen no other signs of humanity save for an occasional path along a river. Suddenly, the calm of the night was interrupted by the sounds of battle. A band of roving Germanic bandits swarmed the camp. A fierce struggle ensued, but the lightly equipped Saracen scouts were no match for the armored and savage Germans. It wasn't long before all the Saracens were dead or dying from grievous wounds. They fought bravely, as the number of Germanics dead nearly equaled their own numbers. But in the end, they were overmatched and outnumbered three to one. Before sunrise, the bandit raiders had gathered their wounded, collected what small loot they could find among the bodies and belongings of the Saracens and disappeared back into the woods.

Several days later, a local Lord and his small entourage were traveling those same woods in search of deer for the feasts of the coming festival season. As they approached the scene of the battle, the stench of the dead was almost overwhelming. The grisly scene was not the first time any of these men had seen the aftermath of battle, for these were stout men, all with the scars of battles past adorning their own bodies and souls.

Dismounting, the Lord set his men to the task of burying the dead. A funeral pyre would be quicker and easier, but the forest was tinder dry from weeks of no rain, and they did not wish to end up as part of the cremation themselves. As the graves were being dug, several men started to drag the bodies to the holes.

"Lord Balar!" cried one of the men. "One still lives!"

Quickly, Lord Balar came to look at the badly wounded Saracen. His wounds were grievous, his breathing shallow. But he still managed to draw a breath. Balar immediately set to cleaning and dressing the wounds. Rutrho, the warrior of the church, knelt in prayer. A soft glow seemed to emanate from his hands and flow into the nearly lifeless body of this Saracen. All gathered joined in the prayer of healing, lending their life-force to ensure Rutrho's efforts were successful.

"My Lord, we have done all that we can." said Rutrho. "He may or may not live, but I believe he stands a good chance. If we had been much later, he would certainly have perished this day."

Lord Balar replied, "You have done your best my friend. Now, I leave him in your care. Tend to him best you can. The rest of us shall finish our grim task. But our hearts are lifted this day as we have managed to save one life from this terrible scene around us. Let us make haste and return to Schloss Matzen as quickly as possible. These bandits may still be nearby and may be foolhardy to try their luck with us." The rest of the morning was spent with burying the dead and building a crude litter to carry the wounded Saracen back to the home of Lord Balar.

The following weeks saw a quick recovery by the Saracen, although not a word was spoken by him. He made no sign of being hostile, nor did he acknowledge any inquiry by the castle staff. During this time, Lord Balar and his men were scouring the forested countryside for signs of the bandits, but to no avail. Upon their return to Schloss Matzen, Lady Delora informed her husband of the strange behaviour of their guest. After getting refreshed from his hunt, Balar entered the Saracen's room. Immediately, the Saracen rose from his bed to kneel at the feet of Lord Balar.

"Good, kind Sir. I know not your name, nor do I know your God. But I do know you are a most kind and generous man of honour. You have saved my life, and for that I am eternally thankful. This day, I swear my complete and utter devotion to you and your family. No harm shall come to you as long as I draw breath, for I would not draw breath now if not for your kindness and benevolence."

"My father named me Jakey, which was his name, and the name of his father. It means "Honoured Son" in our language. My father was one of the men you buried when you found me. From this day forward, I shall honour and obey your word as I would have honoured and obeyed the word of my father."

Balar looked gravely down upon Jakey and replied, "I am Balar and this is my wife Delora. The name of my god is immaterial for in my heart I feel each man's god is their own. You will find all in this household honourable and trustworthy. If that matches your soul, then I accept your service."

From that day forward, a bond was struck that no man could break. Without fail, every night, Jakey's face was the last that Lady Delora and Lord Balar saw before they retired to their chambers, and was the first they saw when they arose in the morning. Always alert and a few steps away from the door to their private apartments, night after night, Jakey was always at his self-appointed post. Eventually, Lord Balar gave up his attempts to have Jakey give up his nightly vigil and accepted the selfless devotion of his self-appointed guardian.

The household never lacked for meat for its table from that day on, for Jakey proved to be an expert huntsman and deadly accurate with a bow. One day, Lord Balar presented Jakey with a fine example of an old English Longbow. Jakey adapted to the new weapon immediately and became renown locally for his accuracy and deadly prowess even from a great distance. Many a fine deer were carried back to Schloss Matzen from then on. In fact, Jakey had just returned from the hunt when he received Lord Balar's summons to accompany him to Albion.