Kingdom's Quest by Chuck Black Page B

boy. “And I am as certain as the sunrise that we will one day hear of the mighty deeds of a gallant knight who serves the Prince with his whole heart … Arrethtrae awaits you, Sir Julian, Knight of the Prince!”
    Julian’s face beamed his appreciation, and he threw his arms around Gavinaugh’s neck. Gavinaugh returned the embrace until Julian seemed to sense a need to be more professional again. He retreated a step and bowed. Gavinaugh stood and smiled broadly at the lad, then allowed the others a chance to say farewell.
    After many days of traveling, they came to the city of Chessington by night and met with Cedric, William, Rob, Barrett, and many other mighty Knights of the Prince. For days they shared their tales of adventure and how the Prince and His Silent Warriors had protected and guided them every step of the way.
    Gavinaugh was overjoyed to share how the Prince was transforming lives throughout the kingdom. The havens and the Knights of the Prince were multiplying and growing stronger in many cities, and Gavinaugh felt replenished by the spirit of knightly brotherhood. Though the kingdom seemed to groan at the silent war that raged forits future, there was a Camelot in the hearts of the knights that could not be destroyed even if Lucius unleashed his entire arsenal of evil upon them. They all felt humbled to have been called by the Prince for such a time as this. From the lowest pauper to the wealthiest nobleman, all were brothers in the army of the Prince. As the training of the knights continued, the needs of all were met by the abundance of many.
    Gavinaugh remained in Chessington with the knights for many weeks. Weston returned to Cresthaven to his family, and Keanna and Sandon found opportunities to serve the Followers in many ways during their stay.
    Gavinaugh sensed an entirely different atmosphere in the streets of Chessington. At first he thought perhaps it was his dramatic change of perspective, but eventually he came to realize that this was not the case. The arrival of the Prince had initiated a transformation of social and political structure that the Noble Knights could not stop, though they desperately fought to do so. Gavinaugh had felt it when he was a Noble Knight seeking to destroy the Followers, and now it became obvious to him what it was. The order of the Noble Knights was dying. It was early, like the nagging, deep cough of a man who hasn’t yet realized that he has contracted a deadly disease, but it was an eventuality.
    Gavinaugh suspected that the Noble Knights themselves might not have realized it, but their desperation was becoming more and more obvious. On the whole, the people of Chessington had not accepted the Prince as the true Son of the King and were, in fact, more antagonistic toward the Knights of the Prince than ever. However, despite their resistance, they had seen true nobility personified by the Prince, and as a result, the glory of the Noble Knights seemed to fade with each passing day. As the Noble Knights lost the respect of the people, they also lost their purpose. An order of knights without purpose or a noble cause dies. And the danger with a dying man is the desperate measures he will take to stay alive—even if his death is inevitable. Gavinaugh feared what the Noble Knights might do …
    Gavinaugh’s secret return was eventually revealed, and Kifus and the Noble Knights began to plot and search. Not all his ties with the Noble Knights had been severed, however—two knights had come to believe in the Prince and had remained to be the eyes and ears for the Knights of the Prince. As a result, Gavinaugh was always a step ahead of the fetters that bore his name, and Kifus’s frustration mounted.
    One day Gavinaugh was training a group of new recruits on the outskirts of the city while Cedric, William, and the others were occupied with establishing a new haven not far from Chessington. Keanna had just brought some water