The Minstrel Knight

Ivo sang of Charlemagne as he pressed his heels into the sides of his mount and slowly trotted the base of the hill at Santlache. He drew a sword from its sheath and twirled it in his hand as he rode. The bright morning sun shimmered against the virginity of the spinning blade and made it look like a rod of fire. Ivo noticed the effect and was enamored with it. He twirled faster and urged his horse into a canter.

Now Ivo was singing of Olivier and he was directing himself zig-zag up the hill. Ivo was still spinning his sword and began tossing it lightly into the air as he did. He could hear voices below starting to sing along with him, which caused him to amplify his performance even more. He tossed his sword high into the air and it flipped end over end two times before he caught it flat in his open palm. Cheers came from behind him and Ivo moved into a slow gallop, edging more into a straight line towards the peak of the hill.

At the top of his lungs, Ivo sang of Roland. Eight thousand voices joined in and pushed at his back as his steed snorted and dug into the escalating ground. At full gallop, Ivo held his arm straight out to the side and balanced his blade by the quillon, supporting it on just one finger.

At the third hour, Ivo Taillefer rode into the mass of infantry. He flipped the sword into his grip and raised it into attack position. The last word that the English soldiers heard was “Durendal!” before the air moaned with the flights of two thousand Norman arrows.

It was October 14th, 1066, the last time that England would ever fall to foreign invasion.