Right around the same time that Kay was knighted, there lived a squire named Scott.
This is the story of how Scott of Bortleaf became the most qualified knight ever.
Now, Scott lived a rather ordinary life up until this point. He served a knight named Sir Carlton. They lived in the village of Bortleaf, near the city of Dasengels in the Kingdom of Talaxia; and Talaxia, being an Angle kingdom under King Uther’s rule, was a peaceful land.
Bortleaf: from the Old English “Beorht Lyft” (beautiful air)
Scott and Sir Carlton spent most of their days caring for Sir Carlton’s sheep rather than any sort of knight things. Although not his chosen profession, nor that of his family (Scott’s father was a servant in Phillip of Dasengels household), it turned out that Scott was pretty darn good with sheep. He couldn’t take all the credit, though. Scott had always been good with dogs and raised a handful of corgis to help herd the sheep.
Anyway, one day, Sir Carlton received a message from his cousin, William of Adelphos. William had fallen in with some troublesome Frankish knights. He desperately needed Sir Carlton’s help. And so, Sir Carlton and Scott left Bortleaf to set out for what is now known as France.
Bonjour, la France! Comment ça va? Ça va bien, merci. Votre mère était un canard et votre père sentait les baies de sureau.
They soon found William. Moreover, they found an easy way to make money: Sir Carlton and William of Adelphos hired themselves out to the local armies as mercenaries. They lost some battles, won more. The three of them (Scott, Sir Carlton, and William) became far wealthier than if they had stayed in Talaxia.
Sir Carlton and William eventually found themselves in the services of King Ban of Benoic, who was at war with the Frankish king, Claudas. The very first battle of this war was held outside of Paris. It did not last very long, and King Ban won; sadly, neither Sir Carlton nor William survived.
Scott fought valiantly in his master’s place. King Ban rewarded him with a hefty prize (silver, and lots of it), and sent Scott packing back to Briton.
Upon his return to Bortleaf, Scott threw himself into his work. Sir Carlton had been his best friend, and Scott missed him terribly.
Within a year, Scott’s flock grew to more than a hundred sheep, a trio of goats, and a small platoon of corgis to round everyone up.
One day, Scott had a visitor: Phillip, the Earl of Dasengels and his wife Lady Vivian. Phillip finally heard of Scott’s exploits under King Ban (word traveled slowly in those days), and he came to commend Scott for his fine work.
But Scott was not with his sheep. They traveled the length of what had been Sir Carlton’s land (there wasn’t much to it). Finally, they found Scott inside: one of the corgis had puppies, and Scott stayed with her to assist with the labor.
Lady Vivian immediately fell in love with the pups. Scott promised to give her a pair once they were old enough. This delighted the Lady and pleased the Earl.
Phillip told Scott of the awesome things King Ban had said about him. “But that’s not the only reason I’ve come to see you,” he said. “In truth, I’m on my way to London to call upon High King Uther, who is totes dying. It’s a dangerous journey, and I need my best knight for protection.”
“Alas, my lord, your best knight lies dead in a field near Paris, where he did enter his final and eternal slumber,” Scott said in anguish, thinking only of Sir Carlton.
“Although I miss Sir Carlton a lot—he was like a son to me—I wasn’t talking about him.” At that moment, Phillip, Earl of Dasengels, had a servant bring forth a rather large lump. “Your father was my steward. He was my best and favorite servant. Moreover, he was the youngest son of a knight, Sir Dirk of Paxau, who served my father in the war against the Saxons. This was Sir Dirk’s armor—it’s now yours.”
Scott was moved to tears. He knelt before the Earl. “Thank you, my lord! I am most humbled.”
“I’m the humbled one, bro.” Phillip drew his sword, and lightly bashed it against Scott’s shoulders. “I bid thee rise, Sir Scott of Bortleaf.”
And so, Sir Scott of Bortleaf did travel with the Earl and his lady to London. Sir Scott brought a pair of his favorite corgis as a tithe to his king. However, upon reaching London they were met with grave news: Uther Pendragon, the High King of all Briton, had died mere hours before.
