Disclaimer:
If you are under 18, don't read this. If you are offended by, or prohibited from reading about homosexual stuff, don't read this. If you are under 18, and live somewhere or are offended by stories describing sexual acts between males, don't read this.
The Squire's Tale
Chapter 9. The Promise
Again we ascended the winding stairs to the battlement. My Master threw his cloak over a bed of hay and we lay down together and I undressed, and undressed the knight. A tawny owl flew overhead to shelter in his nest, for the wind was rising. And the moon silvered the forest. And the stones of the battlement were tinged with silver. And the moonlight fell upon the knight and the sheaf of his hair that jutted from his head across his brow glowed silver. Surely, I thought, surely a silver so bright and radiant was not mined on earth, but comes from a heavenly vein. And wind tossed the forest, and far in the distance thunder grumbled.
He coated his cock with oil and spread the oil on my arsehole. He fell on me with his oily dick between my thighs and covered me with his big frame, and squeezed his thighs against my legs to shut them tight and crossed his ankles round my shins the better to keep me in his grip. And he fell upon me with his chest against my face, for he was so tall that his head was above me as he lay on top.
And his cock slid through the insides of my thighs and rubbed against my arse. And each time that he pressed against me, my erect dick slid against his belly and I felt the base of his cock beneath my ballocks, and his ballocks pressed against my thighs.
He propped himself on his elbows, so that I moved my face under his arm into the wet yellow hair that sprouted there and I breathed in his smell. His odor was sharp as a fresh-cut juicy onion, and I breathed it deeply with my face in his wet hair, and he brought his two powerful arms together and squashed me into place beneath him that I could smell him the more, and he moved his hips up and down, and with each stroke his slick member slid between my thighs and the base of his cock came into my ballocks and his belly slid against my cock.
He clutched my head between his forearms the better to pound me. And with his strong limbs he gripped and crushed me under him. He arched his back the better to fall on me and so enforce his power. And pushed the whole length of his cock between my thighs with one thrust. And his thick neck writhed as he fucked my thighs, and he grunted as he thrust. And not once did his loose his grip on me or let me breathe any scent but the smell of his body, nay, but held me all the tighter so that I could not move and with more might brought himself against me.
With his big hands the big naked knight grasped me and tossed me on my stomach and climbed on me again. And wrapped his arms around me from behind and with his powerful legs between mine he slipped his oily cock into my crack and slid his cock up and down my crevice, forcing my legs farther apart with his knees, and moved his hips with such thrusts that I should have lunged forward but that he held me tightly in his arms, sweating on me and smearing his fat cock in my crevice. His belly heaved against me. And great gusts of wind circled the battlement in violent blows as if Auster summoned all his fury to smash the tower.
Then his member found my hole and with a mighty thrust he penetrated me and pushed his massive cock inside me until his ballocks pressed against my arse and with violent shudders he emptied his seed in me and fell on me. And I shot out fountains of sperm with the force of a catapult.
And he lay on me with his rigid cock inside me and with jerky thrusts pushed back and forth, sliding his cock in the oil and semen. And I was covered in his heat and smothered in his sweat and crushed under his brawn.
Long the Norman lay on me, with his legs between mine and his cock filling me, saying my name again and again. And his breath heaved like the winds, and he made wide slow circles with his hips the better to feel his cock moving in me. And he squeezed his big arms tight around me as if he feared I might vanish. And he bent his neck and I felt his face and the breath of his nostrils upon my head and neck as the swirling winds whistled around us.
And when our passion abated, he lay on his back and raised his right arm and pointed to the heavens. Thunder clapped as if the heavens would fuck the earth. A cloud spread like a great cloak in the sky and lightning flashed across it. And the rain fell upon us as we lay together.
He shielded us with his cloak and he held me and kissed me tenderly. And in my great joy, tears welled in my eyes.
And when the downpour ended he dipped his thumb into a pail filled with rainwater and made the sign of the cross on my forehead and called me by my name.
And suddenly I remembered that it was the third day of July. I was sixteen.
And the sun began to rise. He said, It is dawn, Thomas, and we must part.
Light glowed around his head and huge wings unfolded under his cloak. And I was filled with awe and terror.
And he said, Do not grieve, dear Thomas, that my Father has called me back. My name in heaven is not John, but Gabriel. My Father sent me to earth for a span to understand how mortal men taste and feel and love each other. I shall watch over thee and no harm will come to thee. And in due time I shall send my brother, and thou shalt know him.
And one last time he touched me lovingly. Then in a nonce, space was where his presence had been.
And sorrow pierced my heart and I sank down on the stony battlement, til the Great Sun rose in the Eastern sky, and more and more it shone brighter and brighter til the whole world was brightness, and multitudes of birds filled the heavens with wild music. And tears sprang to my eyes, and I hid my face in my hands and wept.
Epilogue
Eight years have passed since the events recounted in my tale. Now I am no longer squire, but knight. Three years ago, in my twenty-first year, I donned the ritual tunic and knelt before my Baron deValois, and he took his hands in mine, and I swore an oath, and he dubbed me Sir Thomas. I have built a grand manor on my demesnes, where wild roses have found the trellises and eagerly climb heavenward and open their red petalled faces to the warming sun.
This morning, April's dew glistened on the periwinkles and anemones carpeting the woods. A youth in scarlet doublet and blue chausses came to my manse. He dismounted and pulled back the hood of his cowl, and yellow curls sprang from his head in wild coils.
And a dazzling ray broke through the clouds and fell upon him and his curls glowed like a halo round his face and gilded his downy cheeks. And breeze ruffled his cowl and it fluttered behind his broad shoulders. And the call of trumpeter swans echoed loudly from the lake.
And he fell to one knee before me and clenched his right hand and placed it over his heart. And he raised his crystalline blue eyes and said, Sir Thomas, I am Raphael, and I am sent to serve you.
Again we ascended the winding stairs to the battlement. My Master threw his cloak over a bed of hay and we lay down together and I undressed, and undressed the knight. A tawny owl flew overhead to shelter in his nest, for the wind was rising. And the moon silvered the forest. And the stones of the battlement were tinged with silver. And the moonlight fell upon the knight and the sheaf of his hair that jutted from his head across his brow glowed silver. Surely, I thought, surely a silver so bright and radiant was not mined on earth, but comes from a heavenly vein. And wind tossed the forest, and far in the distance thunder grumbled.
He coated his cock with oil and spread the oil on my arsehole. He fell on me with his oily dick between my thighs and covered me with his big frame, and squeezed his thighs against my legs to shut them tight and crossed his ankles round my shins the better to keep me in his grip. And he fell upon me with his chest against my face, for he was so tall that his head was above me as he lay on top.
And his cock slid through the insides of my thighs and rubbed against my arse. And each time that he pressed against me, my erect dick slid against his belly and I felt the base of his cock beneath my ballocks, and his ballocks pressed against my thighs.
He propped himself on his elbows, so that I moved my face under his arm into the wet yellow hair that sprouted there and I breathed in his smell. His odor was sharp as a fresh-cut juicy onion, and I breathed it deeply with my face in his wet hair, and he brought his two powerful arms together and squashed me into place beneath him that I could smell him the more, and he moved his hips up and down, and with each stroke his slick member slid between my thighs and the base of his cock came into my ballocks and his belly slid against my cock.
He clutched my head between his forearms the better to pound me. And with his strong limbs he gripped and crushed me under him. He arched his back the better to fall on me and so enforce his power. And pushed the whole length of his cock between my thighs with one thrust. And his thick neck writhed as he fucked my thighs, and he grunted as he thrust. And not once did his loose his grip on me or let me breathe any scent but the smell of his body, nay, but held me all the tighter so that I could not move and with more might brought himself against me.
With his big hands the big naked knight grasped me and tossed me on my stomach and climbed on me again. And wrapped his arms around me from behind and with his powerful legs between mine he slipped his oily cock into my crack and slid his cock up and down my crevice, forcing my legs farther apart with his knees, and moved his hips with such thrusts that I should have lunged forward but that he held me tightly in his arms, sweating on me and smearing his fat cock in my crevice. His belly heaved against me. And great gusts of wind circled the battlement in violent blows as if Auster summoned all his fury to smash the tower.
Then his member found my hole and with a mighty thrust he penetrated me and pushed his massive cock inside me until his ballocks pressed against my arse and with violent shudders he emptied his seed in me and fell on me. And I shot out fountains of sperm with the force of a catapult.
And he lay on me with his rigid cock inside me and with jerky thrusts pushed back and forth, sliding his cock in the oil and semen. And I was covered in his heat and smothered in his sweat and crushed under his brawn.
Long the Norman lay on me, with his legs between mine and his cock filling me, saying my name again and again. And his breath heaved like the winds, and he made wide slow circles with his hips the better to feel his cock moving in me. And he squeezed his big arms tight around me as if he feared I might vanish. And he bent his neck and I felt his face and the breath of his nostrils upon my head and neck as the swirling winds whistled around us.
And when our passion abated, he lay on his back and raised his right arm and pointed to the heavens. Thunder clapped as if the heavens would fuck the earth. A cloud spread like a great cloak in the sky and lightning flashed across it. And the rain fell upon us as we lay together.
He shielded us with his cloak and he held me and kissed me tenderly. And in my great joy, tears welled in my eyes.
And when the downpour ended he dipped his thumb into a pail filled with rainwater and made the sign of the cross on my forehead and called me by my name.
And suddenly I remembered that it was the third day of July. I was sixteen.
And the sun began to rise. He said, It is dawn, Thomas, and we must part.
Light glowed around his head and huge wings unfolded under his cloak. And I was filled with awe and terror.
And he said, Do not grieve, dear Thomas, that my Father has called me back. My name in heaven is not John, but Gabriel. My Father sent me to earth for a span to understand how mortal men taste and feel and love each other. I shall watch over thee and no harm will come to thee. And in due time I shall send my brother, and thou shalt know him.
And one last time he touched me lovingly. Then in a nonce, space was where his presence had been.
And sorrow pierced my heart and I sank down on the stony battlement, til the Great Sun rose in the Eastern sky, and more and more it shone brighter and brighter til the whole world was brightness, and multitudes of birds filled the heavens with wild music. And tears sprang to my eyes, and I hid my face in my hands and wept.
Epilogue
Eight years have passed since the events recounted in my tale. Now I am no longer squire, but knight. Three years ago, in my twenty-first year, I donned the ritual tunic and knelt before my Baron deValois, and he took his hands in mine, and I swore an oath, and he dubbed me Sir Thomas. I have built a grand manor on my demesnes, where wild roses have found the trellises and eagerly climb heavenward and open their red petalled faces to the warming sun.
This morning, April's dew glistened on the periwinkles and anemones carpeting the woods. A youth in scarlet doublet and blue chausses came to my manse. He dismounted and pulled back the hood of his cowl, and yellow curls sprang from his head in wild coils.
And a dazzling ray broke through the clouds and fell upon him and his curls glowed like a halo round his face and gilded his downy cheeks. And breeze ruffled his cowl and it fluttered behind his broad shoulders. And the call of trumpeter swans echoed loudly from the lake.
And he fell to one knee before me and clenched his right hand and placed it over his heart. And he raised his crystalline blue eyes and said, Sir Thomas, I am Raphael, and I am sent to serve you.
Again we ascended the winding stairs to the battlement. My Master threw his cloak over a bed of hay and we lay down together and I undressed, and undressed the knight. A tawny owl flew overhead to shelter in his nest, for the wind was rising. And the moon silvered the forest. And the stones of the battlement were tinged with silver. And the moonlight fell upon the knight and the sheaf of his hair that jutted from his head across his brow glowed silver. Surely, I thought, surely a silver so bright and radiant was not mined on earth, but comes from a heavenly vein. And wind tossed the forest, and far in the distance thunder grumbled.
He coated his cock with oil and spread the oil on my arsehole. He fell on me with his oily dick between my thighs and covered me with his big frame, and squeezed his thighs against my legs to shut them tight and crossed his ankles round my shins the better to keep me in his grip. And he fell upon me with his chest against my face, for he was so tall that his head was above me as he lay on top.
And his cock slid through the insides of my thighs and rubbed against my arse. And each time that he pressed against me, my erect dick slid against his belly and I felt the base of his cock beneath my ballocks, and his ballocks pressed against my thighs.
He propped himself on his elbows, so that I moved my face under his arm into the wet yellow hair that sprouted there and I breathed in his smell. His odor was sharp as a fresh-cut juicy onion, and I breathed it deeply with my face in his wet hair, and he brought his two powerful arms together and squashed me into place beneath him that I could smell him the more, and he moved his hips up and down, and with each stroke his slick member slid between my thighs and the base of his cock came into my ballocks and his belly slid against my cock.
He clutched my head between his forearms the better to pound me. And with his strong limbs he gripped and crushed me under him. He arched his back the better to fall on me and so enforce his power. And pushed the whole length of his cock between my thighs with one thrust. And his thick neck writhed as he fucked my thighs, and he grunted as he thrust. And not once did his loose his grip on me or let me breathe any scent but the smell of his body, nay, but held me all the tighter so that I could not move and with more might brought himself against me.
With his big hands the big naked knight grasped me and tossed me on my stomach and climbed on me again. And wrapped his arms around me from behind and with his powerful legs between mine he slipped his oily cock into my crack and slid his cock up and down my crevice, forcing my legs farther apart with his knees, and moved his hips with such thrusts that I should have lunged forward but that he held me tightly in his arms, sweating on me and smearing his fat cock in my crevice. His belly heaved against me. And great gusts of wind circled the battlement in violent blows as if Auster summoned all his fury to smash the tower.
Then his member found my hole and with a mighty thrust he penetrated me and pushed his massive cock inside me until his ballocks pressed against my arse and with violent shudders he emptied his seed in me and fell on me. And I shot out fountains of sperm with the force of a catapult.
And he lay on me with his rigid cock inside me and with jerky thrusts pushed back and forth, sliding his cock in the oil and semen. And I was covered in his heat and smothered in his sweat and crushed under his brawn.
Long the Norman lay on me, with his legs between mine and his cock filling me, saying my name again and again. And his breath heaved like the winds, and he made wide slow circles with his hips the better to feel his cock moving in me. And he squeezed his big arms tight around me as if he feared I might vanish. And he bent his neck and I felt his face and the breath of his nostrils upon my head and neck as the swirling winds whistled around us.
And when our passion abated, he lay on his back and raised his right arm and pointed to the heavens. Thunder clapped as if the heavens would fuck the earth. A cloud spread like a great cloak in the sky and lightning flashed across it. And the rain fell upon us as we lay together.
He shielded us with his cloak and he held me and kissed me tenderly. And in my great joy, tears welled in my eyes.
And when the downpour ended he dipped his thumb into a pail filled with rainwater and made the sign of the cross on my forehead and called me by my name.
And suddenly I remembered that it was the third day of July. I was sixteen.
And the sun began to rise. He said, It is dawn, Thomas, and we must part.
Light glowed around his head and huge wings unfolded under his cloak. And I was filled with awe and terror.
And he said, Do not grieve, dear Thomas, that my Father has called me back. My name in heaven is not John, but Gabriel. My Father sent me to earth for a span to understand how mortal men taste and feel and love each other. I shall watch over thee and no harm will come to thee. And in due time I shall send my brother, and thou shalt know him.
And one last time he touched me lovingly. Then in a nonce, space was where his presence had been.
And sorrow pierced my heart and I sank down on the stony battlement, til the Great Sun rose in the Eastern sky, and more and more it shone brighter and brighter til the whole world was brightness, and multitudes of birds filled the heavens with wild music. And tears sprang to my eyes, and I hid my face in my hands and wept.
Epilogue
Eight years have passed since the events recounted in my tale. Now I am no longer squire, but knight. Three years ago, in my twenty-first year, I donned the ritual tunic and knelt before my Baron deValois, and he took his hands in mine, and I swore an oath, and he dubbed me Sir Thomas. I have built a grand manor on my demesnes, where wild roses have found the trellises and eagerly climb heavenward and open their red petalled faces to the warming sun.
This morning, April's dew glistened on the periwinkles and anemones carpeting the woods. A youth in scarlet doublet and blue chausses came to my manse. He dismounted and pulled back the hood of his cowl, and yellow curls sprang from his head in wild coils.
And a dazzling ray broke through the clouds and fell upon him and his curls glowed like a halo round his face and gilded his downy cheeks. And breeze ruffled his cowl and it fluttered behind his broad shoulders. And the call of trumpeter swans echoed loudly from the lake.
And he fell to one knee before me and clenched his right hand and placed it over his heart. And he raised his crystalline blue eyes and said, Sir Thomas, I am Raphael, and I am sent to serve you.
Again we ascended the winding stairs to the battlement. My Master threw his cloak over a bed of hay and we lay down together and I undressed, and undressed the knight. A tawny owl flew overhead to shelter in his nest, for the wind was rising. And the moon silvered the forest. And the stones of the battlement were tinged with silver. And the moonlight fell upon the knight and the sheaf of his hair that jutted from his head across his brow glowed silver. Surely, I thought, surely a silver so bright and radiant was not mined on earth, but comes from a heavenly vein. And wind tossed the forest, and far in the distance thunder grumbled.
He coated his cock with oil and spread the oil on my arsehole. He fell on me with his oily dick between my thighs and covered me with his big frame, and squeezed his thighs against my legs to shut them tight and crossed his ankles round my shins the better to keep me in his grip. And he fell upon me with his chest against my face, for he was so tall that his head was above me as he lay on top.
And his cock slid through the insides of my thighs and rubbed against my arse. And each time that he pressed against me, my erect dick slid against his belly and I felt the base of his cock beneath my ballocks, and his ballocks pressed against my thighs.
He propped himself on his elbows, so that I moved my face under his arm into the wet yellow hair that sprouted there and I breathed in his smell. His odor was sharp as a fresh-cut juicy onion, and I breathed it deeply with my face in his wet hair, and he brought his two powerful arms together and squashed me into place beneath him that I could smell him the more, and he moved his hips up and down, and with each stroke his slick member slid between my thighs and the base of his cock came into my ballocks and his belly slid against my cock.
He clutched my head between his forearms the better to pound me. And with his strong limbs he gripped and crushed me under him. He arched his back the better to fall on me and so enforce his power. And pushed the whole length of his cock between my thighs with one thrust. And his thick neck writhed as he fucked my thighs, and he grunted as he thrust. And not once did his loose his grip on me or let me breathe any scent but the smell of his body, nay, but held me all the tighter so that I could not move and with more might brought himself against me.
With his big hands the big naked knight grasped me and tossed me on my stomach and climbed on me again. And wrapped his arms around me from behind and with his powerful legs between mine he slipped his oily cock into my crack and slid his cock up and down my crevice, forcing my legs farther apart with his knees, and moved his hips with such thrusts that I should have lunged forward but that he held me tightly in his arms, sweating on me and smearing his fat cock in my crevice. His belly heaved against me. And great gusts of wind circled the battlement in violent blows as if Auster summoned all his fury to smash the tower.
Then his member found my hole and with a mighty thrust he penetrated me and pushed his massive cock inside me until his ballocks pressed against my arse and with violent shudders he emptied his seed in me and fell on me. And I shot out fountains of sperm with the force of a catapult.
And he lay on me with his rigid cock inside me and with jerky thrusts pushed back and forth, sliding his cock in the oil and semen. And I was covered in his heat and smothered in his sweat and crushed under his brawn.
Long the Norman lay on me, with his legs between mine and his cock filling me, saying my name again and again. And his breath heaved like the winds, and he made wide slow circles with his hips the better to feel his cock moving in me. And he squeezed his big arms tight around me as if he feared I might vanish. And he bent his neck and I felt his face and the breath of his nostrils upon my head and neck as the swirling winds whistled around us.
And when our passion abated, he lay on his back and raised his right arm and pointed to the heavens. Thunder clapped as if the heavens would fuck the earth. A cloud spread like a great cloak in the sky and lightning flashed across it. And the rain fell upon us as we lay together.
He shielded us with his cloak and he held me and kissed me tenderly. And in my great joy, tears welled in my eyes.
And when the downpour ended he dipped his thumb into a pail filled with rainwater and made the sign of the cross on my forehead and called me by my name.
And suddenly I remembered that it was the third day of July. I was sixteen.
And the sun began to rise. He said, It is dawn, Thomas, and we must part.
Light glowed around his head and huge wings unfolded under his cloak. And I was filled with awe and terror.
And he said, Do not grieve, dear Thomas, that my Father has called me back. My name in heaven is not John, but Gabriel. My Father sent me to earth for a span to understand how mortal men taste and feel and love each other. I shall watch over thee and no harm will come to thee. And in due time I shall send my brother, and thou shalt know him.
And one last time he touched me lovingly. Then in a nonce, space was where his presence had been.
And sorrow pierced my heart and I sank down on the stony battlement, til the Great Sun rose in the Eastern sky, and more and more it shone brighter and brighter til the whole world was brightness, and multitudes of birds filled the heavens with wild music. And tears sprang to my eyes, and I hid my face in my hands and wept.
Epilogue
Eight years have passed since the events recounted in my tale. Now I am no longer squire, but knight. Three years ago, in my twenty-first year, I donned the ritual tunic and knelt before my Baron deValois, and he took his hands in mine, and I swore an oath, and he dubbed me Sir Thomas. I have built a grand manor on my demesnes, where wild roses have found the trellises and eagerly climb heavenward and open their red petalled faces to the warming sun.
This morning, April's dew glistened on the periwinkles and anemones carpeting the woods. A youth in scarlet doublet and blue chausses came to my manse. He dismounted and pulled back the hood of his cowl, and yellow curls sprang from his head in wild coils.
And a dazzling ray broke through the clouds and fell upon him and his curls glowed like a halo round his face and gilded his downy cheeks. And breeze ruffled his cowl and it fluttered behind his broad shoulders. And the call of trumpeter swans echoed loudly from the lake.
And he fell to one knee before me and clenched his right hand and placed it over his heart. And he raised his crystalline blue eyes and said, Sir Thomas, I am Raphael, and I am sent to serve you.
Again we ascended the winding stairs to the battlement. My Master threw his cloak over a bed of hay and we lay down together and I undressed, and undressed the knight. A tawny owl flew overhead to shelter in his nest, for the wind was rising. And the moon silvered the forest. And the stones of the battlement were tinged with silver. And the moonlight fell upon the knight and the sheaf of his hair that jutted from his head across his brow glowed silver. Surely, I thought, surely a silver so bright and radiant was not mined on earth, but comes from a heavenly vein. And wind tossed the forest, and far in the distance thunder grumbled.
He coated his cock with oil and spread the oil on my arsehole. He fell on me with his oily dick between my thighs and covered me with his big frame, and squeezed his thighs against my legs to shut them tight and crossed his ankles round my shins the better to keep me in his grip. And he fell upon me with his chest against my face, for he was so tall that his head was above me as he lay on top.
And his cock slid through the insides of my thighs and rubbed against my arse. And each time that he pressed against me, my erect dick slid against his belly and I felt the base of his cock beneath my ballocks, and his ballocks pressed against my thighs.
He propped himself on his elbows, so that I moved my face under his arm into the wet yellow hair that sprouted there and I breathed in his smell. His odor was sharp as a fresh-cut juicy onion, and I breathed it deeply with my face in his wet hair, and he brought his two powerful arms together and squashed me into place beneath him that I could smell him the more, and he moved his hips up and down, and with each stroke his slick member slid between my thighs and the base of his cock came into my ballocks and his belly slid against my cock.
He clutched my head between his forearms the better to pound me. And with his strong limbs he gripped and crushed me under him. He arched his back the better to fall on me and so enforce his power. And pushed the whole length of his cock between my thighs with one thrust. And his thick neck writhed as he fucked my thighs, and he grunted as he thrust. And not once did his loose his grip on me or let me breathe any scent but the smell of his body, nay, but held me all the tighter so that I could not move and with more might brought himself against me.
With his big hands the big naked knight grasped me and tossed me on my stomach and climbed on me again. And wrapped his arms around me from behind and with his powerful legs between mine he slipped his oily cock into my crack and slid his cock up and down my crevice, forcing my legs farther apart with his knees, and moved his hips with such thrusts that I should have lunged forward but that he held me tightly in his arms, sweating on me and smearing his fat cock in my crevice. His belly heaved against me. And great gusts of wind circled the battlement in violent blows as if Auster summoned all his fury to smash the tower.
Then his member found my hole and with a mighty thrust he penetrated me and pushed his massive cock inside me until his ballocks pressed against my arse and with violent shudders he emptied his seed in me and fell on me. And I shot out fountains of sperm with the force of a catapult.
And he lay on me with his rigid cock inside me and with jerky thrusts pushed back and forth, sliding his cock in the oil and semen. And I was covered in his heat and smothered in his sweat and crushed under his brawn.
Long the Norman lay on me, with his legs between mine and his cock filling me, saying my name again and again. And his breath heaved like the winds, and he made wide slow circles with his hips the better to feel his cock moving in me. And he squeezed his big arms tight around me as if he feared I might vanish. And he bent his neck and I felt his face and the breath of his nostrils upon my head and neck as the swirling winds whistled around us.
And when our passion abated, he lay on his back and raised his right arm and pointed to the heavens. Thunder clapped as if the heavens would fuck the earth. A cloud spread like a great cloak in the sky and lightning flashed across it. And the rain fell upon us as we lay together.
He shielded us with his cloak and he held me and kissed me tenderly. And in my great joy, tears welled in my eyes.
And when the downpour ended he dipped his thumb into a pail filled with rainwater and made the sign of the cross on my forehead and called me by my name.
And suddenly I remembered that it was the third day of July. I was sixteen.
And the sun began to rise. He said, It is dawn, Thomas, and we must part.
Light glowed around his head and huge wings unfolded under his cloak. And I was filled with awe and terror.
And he said, Do not grieve, dear Thomas, that my Father has called me back. My name in heaven is not John, but Gabriel. My Father sent me to earth for a span to understand how mortal men taste and feel and love each other. I shall watch over thee and no harm will come to thee. And in due time I shall send my brother, and thou shalt know him.
And one last time he touched me lovingly. Then in a nonce, space was where his presence had been.
And sorrow pierced my heart and I sank down on the stony battlement, til the Great Sun rose in the Eastern sky, and more and more it shone brighter and brighter til the whole world was brightness, and multitudes of birds filled the heavens with wild music. And tears sprang to my eyes, and I hid my face in my hands and wept.
Epilogue
Eight years have passed since the events recounted in my tale. Now I am no longer squire, but knight. Three years ago, in my twenty-first year, I donned the ritual tunic and knelt before my Baron deValois, and he took his hands in mine, and I swore an oath, and he dubbed me Sir Thomas. I have built a grand manor on my demesnes, where wild roses have found the trellises and eagerly climb heavenward and open their red petalled faces to the warming sun.
This morning, April's dew glistened on the periwinkles and anemones carpeting the woods. A youth in scarlet doublet and blue chausses came to my manse. He dismounted and pulled back the hood of his cowl, and yellow curls sprang from his head in wild coils.
And a dazzling ray broke through the clouds and fell upon him and his curls glowed like a halo round his face and gilded his downy cheeks. And breeze ruffled his cowl and it fluttered behind his broad shoulders. And the call of trumpeter swans echoed loudly from the lake.
And he fell to one knee before me and clenched his right hand and placed it over his heart. And he raised his crystalline blue eyes and said, Sir Thomas, I am Raphael, and I am sent to serve you.