Lancelot awoke on a wooden bed stuffed with straw and covered with animal skins.  His room had two beds and a window.  He attempted to rise.

Ooooooh, that hurts.  He managed to get to the window anyway to peruse his new surroundings.This was indeed a monastery.  A very fine monastery at that. He was a a side building more of a square in design and he could see it was very close to, if not attached to the main rectangular building. There was another rectangular building, about the same size running at a right angle so that the three buildings formed a plaza. There was even a fountain in the center of the plaza.

There was a knock at his door.  He ambled his way over and opened the door. A man in a whitish wool robe appeared.

You are on the move today, laddy.  The Abbot smiled.

Ooooh, it hurts. Whatever 'it' was. I remember coming here and then waking up on the bed.

You had a fever, and we discovered it arose from some wound in your back.  We dressed it though and gave you some herbs from our medicine cabinet. Other than sore, how are you?

All right now, evidently.  

I am Miguel, the Abbot here.  I am supposedly in charge as long as I do not become too unruly. Hahahahahahahah. The portly abbot roared with laughter.
But who art thou?

I am....I am.... Why, I do not know who I am or of whence I have come Miguel.

Ummmh. The island of forgetfulness I would gather.  Well relax and it will all come back.  Just in time for a good confession.  Hahahahahahahahahaahah, the Abbot roared again.

Come, follow me, and you shall sup with a few of us.

Lancelot followed Miguel down the short stairs and down the hall to a dining area.

There were four monks sitting a medium sized table.  Friar Tom, Friar William, Friar Casper and Friar Jones, this is Sir...Sir...oh let us call our memory handicapped friend Sir Sagamor.

Hello Sir Sagamor, the four called at once.  Sit with us and sup.

Lancelot knew at once these were followers of St. Francis of Assisi. He could tell by the cuts of their hair and their genuine glee.  This was a happy group and he at once felt at ease as he sat down.  But how did he know their order when he did not even know his name?

Sagamor moaned a little as he sat down.  Still a little achy, Sir Sagamor?  Never you worry, we have the finest herbs of the forest.  The inner forest where the goodies really are said Casper.

The six men bowed their head in prayer.

    Bless us truly, oh Lord, with these thy gifts, which we are about to receive from
    Christ Our Lord and Savior, Amen.

    Amen, they all chimed in.

The meal included a fine mutton steak and some potatoes along with leaves of some sort.  And a fine wine.  A very good wine.  Sagamor was famished as if he had not eaten in days, and he finished his plate before the others had hardly begun their meal.

Oh. Embarrassed, he apologized for his gluttony.

Gluttony is not a sin for the hungry dear boy, replied the Abbot.

Sagamor relaxed and felt sated and good inside.  Good food and good people.  He knew he had been lonely. But that was about it.

But tell me, inquired Sagamor as the others dug in, how did you guess that I am a sir?

There is a painting on your royal butt, Sagamor.  It is a picture of a garter and these things are not handed out to peasants.  Besides, your accent gives you away.

Sagamor grinned and had some more wine that Brother Tom had poured for him.  What a fine group of good men.  How could he enjoy such luck?

We are of the Franciscan Order, via St. Francis of Assisi. We cherish the nature that God Almighty has given us. We have a great vegetable garden and a fine sheep's pen.  Once in awhile, when no one is looking, brother Jones brings home a fine deer from the inner forest.  But mostly we work the garden and the sheep and trade with locals outside the forest.  

I do not know how to pay you fine brothers back, said Sagamor, but I shall try.

Time enough for that Sagamor.  Then they discussed crops and sheep and Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

After a couple hours of this feast of food and good company, the Abbot led Sagamor back to his room and the knight fell into a deep slumber.

He awoke in a field and a great host of riders were appearing from the west.  They were dressed in great black robes. It was chilly and it looked like smoke was coming from the nostrils of the horses. Eight horses circled him and an elf appeared with pointed ears the laugh of Quinn's jackass.

    Who are you and why have you trespassed upon this holy ground.

But Lancelot noted that he was dressed in full regalia.  His armor and his great helmet glistened in the moon filled night. Who art thou, elf and why did you bring riders with you?  I simply awoke here and have no idea how I arrived or even who I am.

The elf shook his head. Heehaw, heehaw, heehaw.  You have trespassed upon the sacred ground of the God of the Forest. And we know that you have come to deprive us of our sacred horn.

All eight horses reared and roared.  Horses like to do that in fairy tales.

The cold air was expiated into great smoke surrounding the horses.  And they disappeared.
And Sagamor awoke, once again in the monastery. And it was daylight. He could hear activity outside.

Sagamor was feeling much better and noticed legging on the empty bed as well as a soft undercloth and a vest.  He dressed and donned the shoes that had been made available. And he went downstairs to see how he could help to repay all the kindness he had been given.

Sagamor worked in the garden. It was large and full of all the fine vegetables. There were tomatoes from Italy, and green peppers, and lettuce and fine roots of all variety. And he rejoiced in his work. And the dinners were always finely prepared.

And Sagamor stayed there for several months. But every night, after he fell into his deep sleep from his physical labor, he would have the same dream.  Always the elf and eight horses and the talk of the sacred horn of the forest.

One night, he feigned to drink the wine, but did not.  After his fine meal he went into his bedroom as if to sleep and crawled out his second story window on leapt onto the plaza and continued into the forest where his heart led him.  After an hour or so he came upon a sacred clearing. Sagamor stayed within the forest however to see if he could discern anything of value.

Of a sudden, several of his brothers arrived and carried with them an altar. After they set it up, the elf in his dream led in his retinue, all carrying a great stag with nineteen points, more points than w made during his entire administration. The stag was put upon the altar and a great giant of a man in a mask arrived with the stage with a great machete. The giant ripped the stag in its belly and all the participants went in a queue around the altar collecting blood in the horns they carried with them.

The elf grabbed a lyre and began to sing:

God said to Abraham, kill me a son
Abe said God you must be puttin me on
Abe said no
God said what, you can do what you want to but
The next time you see me comin you better run
Abe said where do you want this killin done
God said right in the middle of the sacred glenn


Everyone began to yell Latin chants and Sagamor was lost. He had no idea what he was witnessing.  All his brothers were there except for his Abbot and they were all chanting.  They then began to dance. They danced in trios holding up their cups and swigging the blood from the great Stag.

After an hour of this, a great pyre was built and the stag which had been gutted was laid upon the pyre.  The celebrants then began to take and eat of the great stag, dancing all the time.

As things quieted down, Sagamor returned to the monastery in a quandary. And fell asleep.

Sagamor awoke refreshed.  He really could not remember awaking that strong and alert.  What a strange dream, he thought. He found he was already dressed and hurried down to breakfast.  After a quick prayer, he ate with this brethren and hurried out with them to the garden. This was the time of the great harvest.  A third of the fruit of their labors was ready to be reaped.  Some of the villagers had joined in this great harvest and it was a fast twelve hour day.  All of the fruits were delivered to the plaza and trading went on for hours, until the night had come.

At dinner, the Abbot spoke.

This is a great day for the monastery. We have harvested a great deal of our crops.  Many of these crops were traded with a good return from our villagers. And we must now bow our heads and that our Lord Jesus Christ for our Bounty.

After the prayer, the brothers partook of the feast.  Sagamor noticed venison mixed with the mutton. He spoke not but listened to the gaiety of his brothers and he ate his full.  Then he retired and slept the full night.

The harvest took the full week, and the villagers were present each and every day.    There was trading in the square for the great harvest and after there was dancing and the drinking of wine.

And all were happy in the fest.    

This, the last night, Lancelot feigned drinking of the wine and retired to his room as if he had drunk his full.  He waited awhile and again exited his room from the window and onto the roof.

He then ran into the forest toward the glen, stopping just short.  The brothers had brought the altar once again and set it up in front of his eyes.  The elf began to sing:


God said to Abraham, kill me a son....

And then, all of a sudden, from the deep forest the horsemen brought a litter with a child upon it.They then laid the litter upon the altar and the same giant of a man in a hood came forth with a machete.

At this, Sagamor could no longer hold his peace.  He ran toward the altar, knocking down one of the horsemen who attempted to stop him. He grabbed the machete from the hooded giant and knock him down, with a great thud.

What is this!!!! Stop this.  This is a child.  You will not harm this child as long as I am here!!!!!

A horseman ran toward Sagamor and he swung his new weapon and severed the man's head.
Another came after him and he swung the great blade again. This cut the aggressor sorely and sent him into the ground.  Then, of a sudden, the horsemen mounted and left.  The monks all ran.

Sagamor picked up the child and covered him again in the blanket in which he had been brought.

The elf approached him. Sagamor, that is your name, is it not, you have destroyed a culture a system of life.  You think that you have done God's work. And yet you have destroyed the shire along with the monastery.

Sagmor looked sorely at the elf.  You were about to kill a child, an innocence with no real reason.

A lot you know, and the elf vanished.  In a puff of smoke.

Sagamor returned to the monastery with the child, bundled and warm and sleeping.  What hath men wrought?  Sagamor thought.    

Sagamor took the child to his room at the monastery and held the babe as he slept off the long the night.  When he awoke, the child was crying.  Oh my Lord-Sagamor of course crossed himself-and took the babe downstairs.

Miguel was making fun and eating his breakfast. The other brothers looked startled. Miguel stood up at seeing Sagamor with the baby.  What is this Sagamor.

I have been to the glen and these brothers of ours were about to sacrifice the child. Said Sagamor.

Miguel dismissed the brothers and confronted Sagamor.  Oh my Lord.

They both crossed themselves.

Sagamor, give me the baby.

Not until you tell me from whence the babe came.

It is only a peon, of no concern to you.

A babe is a babe is a babe. Said Sagamor.

The peons do not count. We have many other variables that must be taken into account here.

Not for me. I will not countenance pagan rituals.