Read Knight's End (The Knight Trilogy) for Free Online

everything out. Aston mounted and turned Sterling south, heading towards the one place he knew he would always feel safe.
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    “A friend is some one who understands your past, believes in your future, and accepts
you just the way you are.”
- Abraham Lincoln -
     

Five
     
    Aston sighed in relief as the little wood cabin slowly materialized from behind the trees. It had taken him all night and half the morning to reach it, and now, with it so close, he just wanted to be there already. He sped Sterli ng into a gallop, racing toward a place where he knew there would be a soft, warm bed and a hot meal waiting for him.
    As he got closer and the trees thinned, he could make out the sound of an axe meeting wood. His nose picked up sweet aromas coming from the chimney, a mixture of cinnamon, apple, and the sweet, thic k smell of smoke coming from a brick oven . Once he was within shouting distanc e, Aston let Sterling slow and took in all that surrounded him.
    The cabin sat in an almost perfect circle of trees, some of them no more than stumps sticking up from the hard ground. The trees cast the cabin mostly in shadow, though there were some places the sun was still able to reach. It had two windows on the front and one on the back; this he knew by heart. The door had a half moon cut out of it, filled in with glass and the roof was covered in pine needles, giving it an orange look to accent the brown logs of its sides. Aston grinned as he got closer and saw his friend, Delgrab, outside. The man took one last swing at the tree he was demolishing and looked up, his sweaty brow crinkling as he grinned at Aston.“Well, hello, old friend. It’s been a long time.”
    Aston dismounted Sterling and strode to Delgrab, meeting the tall, burly man i n a firm hug. He nodded at Delgrab’s words and felt suddenly at peace. It had been too long since he’d been away from the palace and his duties as a knight. Even though he wasn’t truly away now, he still felt like he could relax. This place always did that to him.
    “Aye, it has been. I apologize for that. Something smells amazing.” Aston was never shy here. He was welcome anytime. Delgrab’s wife, Alys, always made sure of that.
    Aston wasn’t sure how someone as rough around the edges as Delgrab had managed to attract Alys. She was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen, and he spent most of his time around royalty, the primped and perfect. She was a woman who did not fit the norm for beauty; Alys was plump and short, with blonde hair that cascaded in waves down her back and striking hazel eyes with just a hint of gold. She was a motherly woman; she took care of anyone and anything that walked through her door. Just thinking about Alys made Aston want to go into the house and see her; he’d missed her warm smile and her amazing cooking.
    “Well, of course it does! My Alys is the greatest cook in the country! Go on in! I’m going to finish up here and then head inside. Don’t start without me.” Delgrab turned back to his work as Aston took Sterling around to the stables behind the cabin.
    He’d spent most of his youth out here with Delgrab. It had been Delgrab’s father’s cabin back then. They’d used to run and play and pretend to be knights, hunting dragons in the surrounding forest and rescuing damsels daily. Aston had always bragged about how he would be a real knight one day.
    “Look at me n ow. Some knight,” Aston muttered . He sighed again, suddenly not feeling as relaxed, and headed back toward the house once Sterling was settled.
    As soon as he entered the cabin, his shoulder muscles loosened and his mind felt suddenly at ease. Though it was not quite fall and still a bit warm outside, Alys had a fire going. It kept the room warm , but not stuffy. Another fire was lit in a brick oven in the kitchen area. That’s where Aston found Alys. She was bent over the sto ve, stirring