The Green Knight’s Voyage

M.L. Stidmon

The long ship had been at the mercy of the freezing North Sea for most of the crossing. For the Knight he was weary and seasick from the constant up and down movement of the vessel as it rolled with the waves. The ship’s master had assured him that they would be reaching the shores of the Scots some time in the morning, provided the seas did not get worst. The Knight could not imagine the seas any worst than what they were.

Sitting huddled in a cloak in the stern next to the tiller, the Knight could only endure the voyage. It was not his way to bemoan such misery, instead he was the type to silently endure and make the best of the situation. This crossing of the North Sea late in the season was trying his will and ability to cope. His body and stomach were so ravaged by motion sickness that he was truly miserable. Such was his fate for not having sea legs.

As for the reason he was on board the Danish long ship, he was escorting the remains of one Countess of Demanshire, a Lady with powerful kinship who had the misfortune to succumb to some unknown ailment in the Northlands of Europe. Her body was being sent home to her husband the Lord of Demanshire, a Scottish nobleman of some influence. She was visiting a kinswoman in Esbjerg when she was stricken and died. The Lady Demanshire was to be interned in the far away land she was visiting, but her husband, grief stricken, had sent men for the body to be brought back to Scotland.

 Her host had at first been reluctant to disturb the body in the tomb. In an unusual move, the Bishop of Esbjerg had been consulted and that is how the Green Knight had become involved. He had been in the Land of the Danes on Church business. Having concluded the business the Bishop had pressed him into service to accompany the Lady’s corpse back to her native lands.

Without fully explaining why, the Bishop said that the body should be escorted back to Scotland by a more fitting retinue than the three man-servants who had been sent. With nothing else to do and being at the service of the Church, the Green Knight agreed to accompany the dead aristocrat’s body back to her grieving husband. Coming reluctantly along with the body was a monk by the name of Brother Jan. Brother Jan was given the responsibility of the purse to meet all expenses. And so with the three Scotsmen and the monk, the Green Knight found himself sailing across the North Sea towards Scotland.

The Knight and the monk by their higher stations had been exempt from pulling on the oars. But the Knight had given a turn nonetheless in hopes that physical exertion would help relieve his seasickness; it had not. Weak and feeble, he then curled up in his cloak to ward off the chill and spray of the sea.

“You need to eat and drink something, it will help,” the master nudged him from his spot on the tiller.

The Knight looked at the man and just shook his head. He had been dozing, not able to fully loose himself to the time consuming realm of sleep.

“Well, we should reach Edinburgh in the morning for sure,” the old salt said.

In something slightly more than a whisper the Knight asked, “How is it that you can sail in the dark and know where you are going?”

Very seriously the sailor stooped down towards the sickly Knight and said, “By trusting in God and all the saints; and then with some luck.”

The Green Knight looked at the man with a look of horror that he could be so cavalier.

The Sailor who had been maintaining a cold hard look could not contain himself any longer and burst in to laughter. As weak as he was the Knight could only stare at the foolish man.

The Ship’s Master calmed down and composed himself. Looking at the Knight he grinned while saying, “My lordship need not have any fears. I have crossed these waters in far heavier seas on more than one occasion. This ship is stout and my men are skilled. More importantly, God, I am sure is with us with you and the monk on board. You are safe my noble sir.”

The Green Knight gave a long appraising look at the sailor realizing that the old man at the tiller truly had his life in his hands. For the Green Knight that was not as distressing as it would have been for most others accustomed to being more in charge of their destiny. Being a member of the Order of the Holy Trinity, the Knight’s destiny was not his. He was at the full mercy of God and whatever the path the good Lord had set him upon. The Knight turned back towards watching the progress of the ship either plow through the waves or for the most part bob up and down, continuing to suffer the effects of the voyage knowing that it would be pointless to pray for relief. His prayers would never be answered.

The rest of the ships compliment went about the task of maintaining their course by tacking against the wind. The zigzagging allowed them to make headway against the tempest. It also meant that the voyage would take longer than a more direct course. It was the price to be paid when the wind was not in your favor.

Later that night the tempest was now a full on gale. There was no point in trying to make head way for the Master of the Ship as he was now trying to keep here bow towards the waves that towered above the vessel and threaten to smash her. For the Knight he clutched at his cloak and a rope that was tied about him. He was soaked to the bone and shivered at being so cold. The old sailor thought him scared or foolishly brave; for the warrior made no sounds or moved only to keep himself steady. The Knight in fact was in some what of a euphoric state thinking that all the pain and suffering he had ever felt, including this present voyage was all coming to an end.

The lightning flickered incessantly above. At times the strobe like effect of the bolts arching across the sky seemed to slow down the wild rising and falling of the ship upon the waves. The Knight was now at a point that his stomach heaved but nothing came up. His head swam as he was reduced to being like the most helpless of creatures. He had been on ships and boats countless times. Seasickness had always plagued him but nothing like how he was suffering now. What made the ordeal even more harrowing was the fact that there was nothing that he could do to relieve his suffering. It was impossible to slip away into unconsciousness due to the violent rocking of the ship. Besides there was no escaping from the elements of the driving rain or the waves washing over the decks.

The Knight in his misery allowed himself a blasphemous chuckle. Of all the penance he owed he hoped this voyage was accounting for a good portion of it. A sudden heart stopping crack of thunder, booming overhead sober him quickly to the danger that they were all in. Very weakly he looked over at the Old Sailor.

The old man was clutching at the arm of the tiller while using all of his strength to keep the ship facing towards the giant waves. His face was set in a grimace that told of nothing but pure indomitable will to make it through the storm. Every now and then the Old Sailor would shout something to the men. The crew would then fight to maintain their balance and their place on the ship to follow whatever had been ordered. The Knight could only watch helplessly as the valiant crew battled to save themselves and the ship.

As the night wore on the Knight slipped evermore into delirium. He started to hallucinate in his sicken state. He thought he saw things like dancing horses and then a child leaping joyfully each time the ship crested a wave. These were among some of the stranger images. At one point he actually thought he saw a tentacle arm emerge from the black deep and grab hold of one of the unsuspecting men and drag him overboard. A neighbor had immediately noticed the seaman’s absence and rushed for the gunwale to look for him in the churning water to no avail. Those that could, also searched for the man, all too aware that the man was lost forever to the sea. The Knight could only try to clear his head, to no avail.

The night and the tempest were now seemingly endless in defying the normal passage of time. For the Knight it felt like the voyage had been an ordeal spanning eons. When in reality it was just past midnight. That is when a series of blinding flashes of lightning flashed just over head. The deck of the ship was illuminated clearly for a brief moment. The Knight whose delusory images had subsided some, only to be replaced by an intense shivering, thought it strange that he could only make out less than half of the ships compliment.

The Knight reached over with out looking to grab at the ship’s master whom he knew was manning the tiller. His hand fumbled through the air as he could not grasp the expected leg of the man. The Knight had to turn his body and head to look in the direction of the man. What he saw gave him no encouragement.

The ship’s master was still there but now he man handled the tiller with one arm and his body while grasping a spear with the other. However it was the look of fear that was unmistakable upon the old haggard features. The Knight tried to call out to the old sailor but over the storm he was not heard. It was only after flailing wildly with his one arm that he got the attention of the man.

The sailor jumped at being startled by the unexpected touch from the Knight. The spear swiped at the Knights numb arm connecting in a vicious blow that actually was registered over the delirium of being so sick. The Knight slumped to the deck of the ship from the blow. He was even in more misery than before. His head spun literally out of control to the point that he had no equilibrium of any kind. Sprawled out in a prone position he could see that the old man had struck him instinctively and had also realized it.

“Pray to God Almighty, Sir Knight, as you have never prayed before,” the Knight heard the man say. “Cause the saints and angels have abandoned us.”

The Knight struggled to lean back up, weak and totally disorientated. It was an effort for him and he did eventually get to a sitting position, leaning heavily against the gunwale of the ship. Another flash of lightning lit up the ship and way to the fore end of the vessel he saw something unusual that he attributed to his delirium. Up near the bow he thought he saw a lithe figure in flowing white garments. The Knight clumsily wiped at the rain on his face that was dribbling into his eyes for a better look. Another flash of lightning and the white figure was gone. However he had been unable to survey the whole ship. Further lightning was insufficient in allowing him to see clearly. He turned back to the Old Sailor.

“Did you see that,” the Knight shouted draining his strength in the effort.

“See what?” the Old Sailor responded.

“There, towards the bow, something all in white,” the Knight called out lifting his arm up in a feeble jester.

“It is evil luck to talk this way,” the ship’s master said. “There is nothing up there at the bow.”

The Knight saw that the man clutched the spear in his hand even tighter. Besides he was not so far that he could see that the old man had real fear now in his eyes. Another series of flashes of light and thunder interrupted the moment.

Out of the corner of his eyes the Knight thought he saw something. His head pounded with dizziness as he moved it in order to look down the length of the ship. There he saw two men fighting to get untangled from something. The Knight could not tell what it was about the men’s waist but whatever it was the one poor sailor clawed frantically at it while the other one hacked at it with a hatchet. Then the scene went dark as the lightning subsided. When another flash lit up the ship the two men were gone.

The Knight tried to keep from suddenly moving his head about in hopes that would keep from vomiting, all the while trying to gather his legs beneath him as he meant to stand. He only made it to a knee before his vision and consciousness went black. He was sprawled out on the pitching deck having fallen when he passed out. He was out only a moment as a clap of thunder awoke him, but it could have been hours for all he knew.

From down at the level of the deck he looked down the length of the ship towards the bow area which was illuminated from more lightning. To his uncomprehending mind he saw the white figure again. This time he was sure that it was that of a woman. He closed his eyes and cursed that he was so ill that he was hallucinating. When he opened his eyes the figure was not only still there but one of the crew was confronting her. He propped himself up by one of his arm fighting the dizziness that was debilitating him.

The lightning flashed and illuminated the scene with the lady in white and one of the few crewmen left on the boat. He saw the sailor and the white woman come together in an apparent embrace. Then all went dark as a scream came from the bow that could be clearly heard over the storm and the ship plowing through the rough seas.

Looking over at the old man the Knight saw that the ship’s master was tying a thick rope around the tiller, securing it. Satisfied that the tiller was secured so that the ship would continue to point straight ahead the Old Sailor gripped his spear even tighter. The Knight reached out and called after the man before he disappeared into the gloom. The Old Sailor either did not hear him or was ignoring him because he was making his way forward leaving the hapless Knight at the stern.

The Knight gulped air into his lungs as he tried another attempt to get to his legs. The rolling wave action tossing the ship about made it difficult to stand despite being so incapacitated by seasickness. Nevertheless, the Knight was able to get to one knee while grasping the gunwale for support. Another flash of lightning revealed the ship’s master mid ship to the bow.

As the Knight struggled to get to his feet he could see by the flashing lightning that the Old Sailor was joined by two other members of the crew as he made his way forward to confront the woman in white. The Knight paused a moment to settle his head and stomach before finishing getting to his feet. It was his intention to join the sailors because he thought evil was afoot. With no one at the tiller it was then that the ship was jostled violently due to a large wave. The Knight, in his weakened state, fought to save himself and retain his balance. His sight had been diverted just a moment. When he looked forward he could not see the three men.

The Knight looked about using all his will power to fight down the nausea and the dizziness from being so motion sickened. His vision was blurry from being ill along with the driving rain and spray. He looked about as best he could and saw nothing. Taking a tentative step he felt a tug at his waist. He looked down uncomprehending and saw that the rope that had been secured about him was keeping him tethered to a very short leash to the back of the boat. He fumbled for a dagger and nearly lost it overboard cutting at the rope. There was a screech that filled the air forcing him to look up as he cut away the rope.

The Lady in White was before him as the Knight reached for his huge bastard sword. In the flash of another bolt of lightning he saw the open coffin of the lady he was escorting and realized what he was facing. The hair on the back of his head was raised as he struggled to stand before the undead creature before him. Somehow this lady had been converted to a vampire; now in this raging tempest she was attacking the crew. And it looked as if they were all dead but the Knight.

The Knight finished slicing through the rope about his waist as the vampire lurched towards him. A sudden heaving of the long ship sent them both off balance, but not before the undead’s clawed hand raked across his chest. The Knight thumped heavily against the gunwale of the ship. Another lurch of the ship caused a barrel to crash into the side of the ship just barely missing him. The barrel split open under the impact. Flinching from the impact the Knight looked to see where the Lady in White was.

The vampire had been thrown to the deck and was sprawled out trying to regain its balance and keep from being washed over board. In a moment it had twisted about practically on all fours and let out a screech as its unholy eyes focused on the Knight. The vampire drew up her legs to leap at the last man on the boat but before she could something snaked about her.

The Knight saw in the flashing light that the vampire was now preoccupied with something coiled about her. He felt the remains of the barrel next to him poke into him. Taking advantage of the vampire’s momentary incapacitation he seized a stave from the barrel with a jagged edge in his left hand. Lurching to his feet he lunged towards the undead woman. Being a Knight of the Trinity he was knowledgeable in the lore of vampires and the methods for their demise. The barrel stave might not have been a perfect wooden stake but it was made from wood. The Knight figured that plunging it into the heart of the vampire lady would kill her just the same.  

With a plan literally in hand he went to confront the undead demon. The Knight did not make it far as something also seized him. He looked down at his waist and saw what looked like a thick tree root about him. He struggled to break free but found that he was being held in a tight grip by some kind of serpent or tentacle.  Seeing that he was in a potentially vulnerable position he looked from the snake like thing about him towards the vampire. The White Lady was not even a few paces away also ensnared by a similar snake like thing. The vampire the Knight saw was clawing at the snake like thing about it while still eyeing him with hatred. The undead woman posed no immediate threat to him so he turned to that which held him.

He still clutched his sword and the barrel stave. Due to the long blade of his sword it was awkward at best to hack at the snake like thing about him. As he did so he was obviously causing pain and was lifted from his feet and violently flung about. It was all he could do to maintain a grip on the stave and sword. At one point he was smacked against the deck with a jarring impact that made him forget how sick he felt as the bone crushing pain coursed through his body. Through hazy vision and from the continual flashes of lightning he thought he could make out a bulbous shape looming over the stern of the ship, which the tentacle that grasped him came from.

The Knight was going to act but was suddenly jerked high in the air. It was all he could do to keep his sword. Then he felt pain shooting up and down his arm as the vampire raked his limb with her clawed hand. The Knight spun his body and head about as best he could. The White Lady was also being held aloft by the sea monster mere feet away from him, well within his arms reach. With a swiftness that belied his palsy due to sickness, he struck at the vampire with the stave from the barrel. The jagged end with all of the strength that the Knight could muster was imbedded deeply into the undead’s chest cavity. It thrashed about from being impaled helpless to pull out the makeshift steak.

While the vampire perished next to him the Knight took a two handed grip and brought the sword point down through the tentacle limb that help him. There was a scream of sorts from the monster and the grip was loosened enough for the Knight to break free and fall several feet to the deck. The Knight did not wait for any further attack on his person and charged the monster. Reaching the back rail of the ship where the bulbous things body clung to the stern the Knight brought the bastard sword down upon the monsters body. Not sure where he was hacking into, the Knight could see he was causing the thing great pain. At one point the thing tried to smash at the Knight with the limp form of the vampire. The Knight cut through the air severing the tentacle holding the vampire. Then with one last lunge he drove the sword deep into the things body. There was one last scream as it slid into the deep of the heavy seas.

Unarmed the Green Knight turned about and slid down to the deck his head spinning from the exertion threatening to cause him to pass out. He grabbed the tiller to steady himself as he took stock of his situation. After sometime he noticed that the steady drumming of the waves seemed to have lessened. He also realized that the flashes of lightning had dissipated, too. He felt weak as he wiped at his wet face and saw that he was able to see more because it was dawn. Still he was too weak to move and could only sit up right holding the tiller.

The body of the Lady turned vampire lay not far from him. As the sun hidden by the tapering storm rose higher in the sky and daylight revealed the scene more, his nose rankled as a foul stench emanated from the undead remains. The Knight could not stand it and got to his knees before slowly standing up. Though the boat did not rock nearly as bad as it did during the night he still felt unsteady and could only shuffle his feet to where the body remained. The Knight looked down upon the Lady with both pity and disgust. Then as quick as he could he stooped down and took her in his arms. The Knight then made a fumbling movement that carried him to the gunwale. With his momentum and what strength he had left he flung the corpse into the sea. As he let go he tried to vomit but only spittle flew from his mouth. He then sank to his knees catching himself before passing out completely.

“Sir Knight,” the  Green Knight was aroused from his dreamless unconsciousness. An unfamiliar face was hovering over him. He felt a light tap on his cheek and then the spout of a water skin pressed to his lips. He gurgled and sputtered as the liquid started to go down the wrong pipe. The Knight was able to come to enough to understand that he should drink and that he was not drowning. He was even able to force himself up. Taking another drink he found that he was still very weak but was not feeling the affects of the seasickness as much.

The Knight took another pull from the water skin and rinsed out his mouth before taking another drink. He looked at the face of the man before him and remembered that he did know him, for it was the monk that had accompanied them and the body of the Lady.

“Tell me that last night was all a bad dream due to me being so sick,” the Knight said cheeky to the monk.

The monk looked scared and crossed himself. “It was terrible Sir Knight. That thing, it was horrible, a demon. What ever came of her?”

The Knight was sitting up and able to look down the length of the ship. So it had been real after all, he thought. He looked at the monk and said, “We won’t have to worry about her or anything else.”

The monk sighed heavily being so easily reassured.

The Knight smiled at the monk as he got to his feet. “Well Padre, do you know anything about sailing a ship?”

The monk looked about in horror as he realized that they were still at sea and there were only the two of them. The Knight caught the look and started to chuckle. “I’ll take that as a no.”