Sir Bentley and Holbrook Court is the second book in The Knights of Arrethtrae series.
Description[]
Sir Bentley, an honorable young knight, abandons his calling in order to seek the truth of the Prince. Choosing to live as the Prince did, he forsakes his former lifestyle and wealth to live as a pauper. His travels take him to Holbrook, where the townsfolk live in poverty, paying high taxes to support the lavish lifestyle of Lord Kingsley and his court. But something even darker is lurking in the shadows of the beautiful castle.
Bentley soon befriends Eirwyn, a mysterious but compassionate young woman who often distributes food among the poor. When Eirwyn is kidnapped by a ruthless tribe to serve as a sacrifice, Bentley battles a vicious mountain creature to save her life. But when he discovers who is really behind Holbrook’s downfall, he’s faced with an even bigger challenge–battling the Dark Knight’s most evil commander and his Shadow Warriors as they attack the castle.
Will greed destroy the kingdom the way it destroyed Lord Kingsley? Or can Sir Bentley and Eirwyn work together to restore order and prosperity to the kingdom through the compassion and grace of the Prince?
Journey to Arrethtrae, where these knights of noble heart live and die in loyal service to the King and the Prince. These knights are mighty, for they serve a mighty King. They are…the Knights of Arrethtrae!
Chapters[]
- Prologue: Clad With Zeal
- Chapter 1: Young Noble Knight
- Chapter 2: The Mettle of a Man
- Chapter 3: An Act of Treason
- Chapter 4: Outcast of Chessington
- Chapter 5: Counting the Cost
- Chapter 6: A Pauper's Life
- Chapter 7: Maiden of Mercy
- Chapter 8: Lord of Oppression
- Chapter 9: The Painted Ice Princess
- Chapter 10: A Sentence of Death
- Chapter 11: The Lord of Holbrook Court
- Chapter 12: A Dangerous Enemy
- Chapter 13: The Waters of Resolve
- Chapter 14: The Hog Farmer's Daughter
- Chapter 15: Because of the Gardener
- Chapter 16: The Ashen Knight
- Chapter 17: Camp of the Lucrums
- Chapter 18: The Yagormoth's Lair
- Chapter 19: Return to Holbrook
- Chapter 20: Guise Revealed
- Chapter 21: The Death of Love
- Chapter 22: Holbrook Foray
- Epilogue: Courage and Mercy
Summary[]
Cedric of Chessington continues his tales of the Knights of the Prince with the story of a knight so zealous, he chose to emulate the Prince by becoming a pauper.
Sir Bentley of Chessington, the son of Sir Barrington and Lady Deonne, is sworn in as the latest member of the Noble Knights by Kifus himself. The Noble Knights' primary purpose at present is the persecution of the Followers, those who profess loyalty to "the stranger" the Noble Knights killed and believe to still be dead. However, Bentley finds himself troubled as every encounter with the Followers-including an incident in which several of them save him and his comrades from Shadow Warriors-convinces him of their nobility. Moreover, the Noble Knights, notably his own mentor Sir York, seem less and less to be in the right as they act with increasing viciousness towards the Followers.
Bentley discusses his doubts with his parents, with Barrington himself admitting to having doubts about the Noble Knights' execution of "the stranger." Bentley, determined to know the truth and finding himself increasingly at odds with the other Noble Knights, finally fights York in defiance of his order to kill a pair of Followers. Fleeing with his new acquaintances, Bentley is assisted in making his way home so he can bid his parents farewell. He then makes his way out of Chessington and is eventually led north by a man whose name, he is told, is Demetrius.
The pair pass through the impoverished village of Holbrook, and finally reach a cabin where Demetrius, supposedly a mute, reveals his limited powers of speech. Bentley is stunned to learn that he is none other than Sir Demus, a former Noble Knight and friend of his father's who was said to have been killed. In reality, after opposing the execution of the Prince and later helping the Followers, Demus was tried for treason and punished in several ways, including having his tongue cut out. However, he has remained faithful to the Prince, and soon begins instructing Bentley regarding Him.
Finding the truth he has long been seeking, Bentley accepts Demus' teachings and is knighted by him. Desiring to follow in the Prince's footsteps, he decides that the only way he can truly reach the common people of Arrethtrae is to become one of them himself. To that end, he dons the garb of a peasant and enters the village of Holbrook to find work. Unexpectedly, he ends up staying with the family of a poor farmer named Creighton after helping save his life during a cart accident that leaves Creighton with a broken leg.
During his time with Creighton's family, Bentley becomes acquainted with the Mercy Maiden, a young woman who provides help to the most desperate cases in Holbrook. These include a young girl named Anya and her dying mother Hatty, the former of whom quickly befriends Bentley. The Mercy Maiden herself, whose real name is Eirwyn, fascinates Bentley with her acts of kindness. This stands in stark contrast to the lord of Holbrook, Kingsley, and his son Braith and daughter Gwylin. Moreover, Kingley's first knight Avarick, though he defends Holbrook from the barbarous Lucrums and their leader the Ashen Knight, is a cruel man who encourages Kingsley to oppress the people.
Bentley finds the opportunity to share the message of the Prince and to assist the poor people of Holbrook in his own ways. This leads to a second encounter with the Mercy Maiden, who visits Anya shortly before her mother passes away. Two of Avaracik's men arrive to accost Eirwyn, and Bentley engages one of them using a staff to counter the man's sword. For this, Bentley is arrested, but Eirwyn is somehow able to make the arriving Avarick refrain from killing Bentley on the spot and allow her to depart with nothing more than a threat never to return.
Put in the stocks in the court of Holbrook, Bentley soon makes the acquaintance of Lord Kingsley and begins using his knowledge of trade, the result of his father's occupation, to offer Kingsley economic advice. He endeavors to convince Kingsley to lighten his people's burdens, if not out of compassion, then through the prospect of being able to accumulate even greater wealth. Bentley also shares his message of the Prince, and though not particularly moved or willing to heed all of his advice, Kingsley grows fond of Bentley. Avarick, meanwhile, grows increasingly angry as his prisoner becomes an esteemed guest and advisor to Kingsley, and his contempt is seemingly shared by Kingsley's children.
Eventually, Bentley departs the Holbrook Court to find that the village is in even worse straits, with Avarick's oppression having increased during his "imprisonment." Learning that Anya is being cared for by the family of Luanne, betrothed to his new friend Walsch, Bentley explains his true reasons for being in Holbrook and dubs a willing Walsch as a Knight of the Prince. He then makes his way out of Holbrook, determined to find a means of bringing an end to the people's oppression.
On his way to Demus' cottage, Bentley spots Eirwyn's wagon and follows it to a nearby waterfall. There, he discovers that Eirwyn is not the farmer's daughter everyone believes her to be but is in fact Lord Kingsley's daughter. After some initial consternation, Eirwyn explains that she was inspired to take up her efforts of service by a gardener who worked at her father's estate some years previously. He taught her not only compassion for all people but also how to wield a sword before mysteriously vanishing shortly after Avarick entered her father's service.
Bentley, deeply moved by Eirwyn's compassion, realizes that he has fallen in love with her. Unfortunately, they are interrupted by the Ashen Knight and several Lucrums, who take Eirwyn captive and kill her servant Parson. Without his sword, Bentley is forced to flee, but slays the three Lucrums sent to kill him. He then makes his way to Demus and explains the situation, and after retrieving his armor, sword, and horse goes after Eirwyn while Demus travels to Thecia to obtain help from other Knights of the Prince.
After a hard search and a prayer to the Prince, Bentley discovers the Lucrum settlement just as Eirwyn is about to be sacrificed to the Yagormoth, a monstrous creature that lives in a neighboring lake. Bentley leaps into the lake to engage the creature, which becomes agitated enough to bring down a platform holding numerous Lucrums. In the ensuing chaos, Bentley manages to fatally wound the beast and rescue Eirwyn, with the pair escaping through the creature's lair.
On the ride back to Holbrook, Eirwyn proves receptive both to the story of the Prince and to Bentley's affections, and they part tenderly after he returns her to her father's estate. Bentley visits Anya at the home of Luanne and decides to stay the night before going to meet Sir Demus, only to awaken with Avarick, now revealed as a Shadow Warrior, holding a knife to his throat. As the family, minus Anya, is taken captive, Avarick attempts to kill Bentley by hanging him from a nearby tree in a cruel mockery of Bentley's desire to emulate the Prince. Fortunately, Anya, despite her physical limitations, is able to cut Bentley down after Avarick departs.
The pair soon sight the Lucrum army advancing on Holbrook and speak briefly with a Silent Warrior who departs to warn Sir Demus and the approaching Knights of the Prince of the enemy. Making his way to Kingsley's castle, Bentley finds that Avarick's forces have already killed a number of guards. Stowing Anya up a tree for safety, he goes to Kingsley and confronts Avarick. The brutal warrior kills Kingsley and a suddenly strangely fearful Earwyn, driving Bentley into a rage of despair. This only increases when he finds Anya gone from her hiding place, and he enters the battle against the Lucrums despite the overwhelming odds.
Fortunately, Sir Demus' contingent of knights and a force of Silent Warriors arrive to turn the tide, and Bentley is able to slay the Ashen Knight. Wounded so that he is unable to pursue Avarick, Bentley briefly sinks into despair until he hears accounts of the Mercy Maiden fighting and rallying the people against the Lucrums. Earwyn arrives unharmed, and Bentley soon discovers that it was her twin sister, Gwylin, whom Avarick killed. Unfortunately, her brother Braith, returning home, blames Bentley for the deaths of his father and sister due to his blind devotion to Avarick, and departs to join his mentor after clashing briefly with Bentley.
Eirwyn's despair is lightened when the people of Holbrook express their love and gratitude for her, resulting from both her recent heroism and her deeds as the Mercy Maiden. To the great joy of both her and Bentley, Anya appears unharmed, having been protected by Eirwyn's old friend the gardener...also known as the Prince. In the epilogue to his account, Cedric notes that Bentley and Eirwyn married and adopted Anya and were eventually joined in Holbrook by Bentley's parents. A haven of the Knights of the Prince was established in Holbrook under Sir Demus, who was grateful to be reunited with his old friend Sir Barrington in the brotherhood of commitment to the Prince.
Characters[]
- The King (mentioned)
- The Prince
- Adrianna (mentioned)
- Anwen
- Anya
- The Ashen Knight
- Sir Avarick
- Sir Barrington
- Sir Bentley
- Sir Braith
- Bridgette
- Cedric of Chessington (Narrator)
- Creighton
- Sir Demus
- Lady Deonne
- Lady Eirwyn
- Esmond
- Lady Fione (mentioned)
- Gavinaugh (mentioned)
- Lady Gwylin
- Hatty
- Lord Kifus
- Lord Kingsley
- Lucius (mentioned)
- Luanne
- Meg
- Merivale (mentioned)
- Nia
- Parson
- Thomas (mentioned)
- Trae
- Walsch
- Sir York
Groups[]
Animals[]
- Horses
- Silverwood
Creatures[]
- Yagormoth