The Hedge Knight (1/6)

This is a bit of an old piece I drew and wrote some time ago. I figured it was time to have it out here since it's been a while.

Next --- https://www.patreon.com/posts/hedge-knight-2-6-19646169

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<i>Lunt was a small town carrying a peaceful existence. While other towns in the realm were facing dangers like bandits and beasts, Lunt was founded at the side of a mountain and, soon after, enveloped by a wooden  palisade that defended against everything. Should a danger loom from the  edge of the forest, the town would just close the main and only gate  and await until the king’s patrolling knights would chase the danger  off.

With that line of defense, many thought there was no need  for any form of special defense. And that made Gerald Orr the freeloader  of the town.

Coming from a family of servants and stable hands,  Gerald had an admiration for the errant knights of the king. As a kid,  he grew up hearing the stories and seeing them travel by town, with  their well groomed horses (most of which he had the chance to groom  himself), shiny armor and ornate longswords. Against his dad’s wishes  but at his mother’s encouragement, he saved coin and bought a sword and  shield set from the local blacksmith, along with a basic metal armor  that would make him stand out.

He became an errant knight. Self  trained in the ways of the sword and shield, but with rather limited  experience in an actual fight. He let his beard and mustache grow in to  give himself a rugged seasoned look, to hide the fact that he wasn’t  even past his mid twenties and that he was poorer than any peasant.

In  Lunt, there was no need for someone to wield steel. No monsters to kill  and no bandits to chase off. All that was left was for him to do odd  jobs to make ends meet. These included finding lost sheep, helping  around chopping wood and, if desperate, working the fields. Not very  knightly activities.

At many points, though, Gerald considered  trying to join the kings knights. The idea of traveling around the  country and spreading the order of the king felt like a dream come true.  But he called it a “big step” so, as such, he decided to wait until the  time was ripe and ideal. And as such, he waited and waited. The king’s  men passed and left, but Gerald had yet to join them.

It wasn’t  long before the townspeople, who knew his intention, began to notice.  And thus the tavern tale of Coward Gerald was born.