The White Knight, the Lost Kingdom, and the Sea Princess by Judy Carlson

Author:Judy Carlson
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: mermaid, time travel, christian romance, knights, christian adventure, medieval fantasy, imaginary creatures, christian allegory, adventure action fantasy, adventure action romance
Publisher: Nordskog Publishing Inc.

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Nutall's Charge and Ian's Uphill Way

Does the road wind uphill all the way?

Yes, to the very end.

Will the day’s journey take the whole long day?

From morn to night, my friend....

– Christina Rossetti –

Ian awoke realizing that the Dragon had left him alone in the woods during the night. The Dragon bound him tightly to a tree with ropes. Any movement meant more pain to his aching arms. Twisting his hands caused his wrists to burn and bleed. Finally, his body went limp, exhausted from the exertion. Then he realized that by staying perfectly still he could bear the pain. He could feel the rough bark of the tree scratching against his shirt of mail. He felt the dampness of the ground under him too. When he moved, the bark would catch on his belt, as it did now. The belt and the light mail were the only pieces of the White Knight’s armor he still wore. The Dragon could not remove it and Ian refused to take it off. The young captive had worried that, in his weakness, he would just give in. The Dragon promised to release Ian if he would give him the belt. Ian now lifted himself slightly to release the back of the belt caught on the tree bark.

This tree trunk was a friend to lean upon, but also a prison. Ian remembered King Lael’s words back at the Clearing. He hoped this tree was one of the friends the king talked about. Maybe it will shrink so that I can slip out of the ropes. No, sitting here hoping for a friendly shrinking tree will never get me out of this mess! His anger grew. He grimaced from the awful pain, but began to flex and to twist in the futile hope of freeing himself. Ian thought with every wrenching turn of his body, that he deserved the pain after seeing his centaur’s mighty but disastrous leap at the Dragon.

The captive wanted to scream aloud in misery and frustration, but caution kept him from it. His eyes darted about. Who knows what, or who else, might be around here. At least the Dragon is gone. Ian’s head had started to clear that late night.

Early each morning just before the sun rose, the Dragon would come and force-feed the young prince. Then very late each night Ian’s mind would begin to clear, and he would remember his predicament. He would feel for his belt and then try to think of some plan of escape, as he did just now. Yet even in these lucid moments, he often feigned madness in case the Dragon returned. Things had gone this way day after day.

Soon after eating the foul tasting food, Ian had no memory of what had happened and no ability to reason. The Dragon taunted and harassed him during his dazed state. He struggled and held onto the White Knight’s belt until sleep overtook him. Taunting monsters often entered his dreams once he consumed the Dragon’s foul fare.

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