Note: This piece was written for my sophomore (or just possibly freshman) English class. It’s the work of a young person and is both derivative and sentimental. Tolkien is a strong influence on it (the horn); even stronger is Jane Porter’s The Scottish Chiefs, a book I loved as a young teen with its picture of selfless knighthood. Arthurian legend is obviously an influence as well. Wholly absent is any Internet influence (compare this post-Internet piece from two years later), while obviously present is the earnest Christian faith in which I was reared. (DL, Sept. 19, 2021)
Thomas Somersby was the third son of Lord Peter Somersby, a minor baron with few vassals, and fewer knights. His eldest brother stood to inherit the family property and his second brother was preparing for the priesthood, so at the age of eight Thomas began training for the knighthood.
At fifteen, he was made a page, and sent to the castle of his uncle, Lord Roundhall for further training. At their parting, Lord Peter gave his son a horn and said to him, “Thomas, I give to you the horn of the house of Somersby. I have chosen, as did my fathers before me, the son I felt most worthy of this honor. Wind it only in mortal danger, and never part with it for it is a thing of legend.” On his eighteenth birthday, he received his silver spurs and become the squire of Sir Darren Foebane. Six months later, in a skirmish with Saxon invaders, Thomas Somersby received his baptism of fire.
In the September of 661, Lord Roundhall received reports of foreigners razing the country to the south of his castle. He immediately summoned his four knights, and mustered his foot soldiers. The next morning this force, led by Lord Roundhall, began a forced march south. Over the next two days additional forces from neighboring fiefdoms joined the march, and on the morning of the third day the enemy was sighted. At this time Lord Roundhall, being the richest baron present, was in command. He led a force of nine knights, and approximately 300 foot soldiers. The enemy force was camped along the bank of a small stream, and contained 15 or so horsemen, and slightly less then 350 infantrymen. After a brief conference with the other barons, Lord Roundhall sounded the charge.
Thomas led the attack with Sir Darren and the rest of the knights and squires. The Saxons had received news of Lord Roundhall’s coming, and met the attack with stubborn defense. Lord Roundhall had totally underestimated the strength of his enemies, and in the first half hour, he, Sir Darren, and several other knights were slain. Thomas, seeing that the battle was turning into a rout, raised the horn of Somersby to his lips. He blew the Call to Arms, and at the first note, the fighting stopped. The horn of the house of Somersby was an ancient object that had been made before the first of its owners ever came to the island of Britain. Few had possessed it, and fewer still had used it. Some said that it had been given to King David by an angel, but no one knew for sure. As Lord Peter had said, it was indeed a thing of legend, although he had not known to what extent.
When Thomas blew the Call to Arms the effect was enormous. The sound echoed over the field of battle, and the blackness of fear began to creep into the heart of the Saxons. “Forward men of Britain!”, cried Thomas, as he spurred his steed and renewed the combat. His sword rose and fell like a living thing hewing down foe after foe. Small groups of retreating Britons rallied together, and turned to face the invaders. They saw the fear in the eyes of the Saxons, and took heart. The tide of battle turned, and the men of Saxony began to scatter in every direction. In two hours the field was won, and disaster averted. After the battle, Thomas was summarily knighted by one of the living barons. “Rise, Sir Thomas of Somersby, for you have won a mighty victory.”, he said as he finished the ceremony.
Over the next weeks word spread of the squire that defeated an army, and King Uther Pendragon took notice. “I need knights of valor and strength.”, he said, “Send for this ‘knight of the horn.’” Meanwhile, Sir Thomas had returned to Somersby Castle for the fist time in three and a half years to find Lord Peter on his deathbed. Sir Thomas and his father had a hard parting, for they had been close. They traded many words, but of all that was said, Sir Thomas always remembered this, “Son, the time has come for me to die. I love you, and am very proud of you. Bear the horn and the Somersby name well, for they are your only legacy from me. Fight in the name of God, for he is your maker, and protect women, for it was a woman that bore you.”
A month later, Sir Thomas received the summons from Uther, and journeyed to Camelot. “Hail, Knight of the Horn!” said the King at their meeting, “I have heard the tale of your victory, and it was indeed great.”
“Liege,” said Sir Thomas, “Call me not ‘Knight of the Horn’, but rather, ‘Eques Christianus’, the Christian Knight. For I fight in the name of God only.”
“Well said.” said Uther, “I see that you are a man of faith as well as a man of valor. This is good, for both are desirable qualities.” Sir Thomas joined the ranks of Uther Pendragon’s knights, and it was then that he met Sir Ector, a knight who had a son of sixteen named Arthur.
The next year, King Uther Pendragon died, and the year following, a young squire named Arthur pulled a sword from a stone, and was named King of all the Britons. This same Arthur formed the Knights of the Round Table, of which Sir Thomas was a member. This same Arthur led a quest for the Holy Grail, of which Sir Thomas was a part. And this same Arthur was slain at the Battle of Avalon, where Sir Thomas was slain as well. The fate of these two men was tied together like two strings, yet one is remembered by all, and the other by none.