A/N: In the movie A Knights Tale there is a deleted scene where Chaucer makes a speech at the stocks, which saves Lord William. Here is a fill-in for that missing scene along with a mental dialogue for Chaucer. Partially finished at the moment. I'm not sure if I will ever finish it.

There is a time when a man must stand naked before the world, naked not in the bodily sense but in the spiritual sense exposing not skin but soul. There are some things and some people not worth losing any amount of pride or social or even physical survival to. And then there are times when the price of saving someone you love is worth the potential to discover one's own mortality. So here I stand unashamed, declaring my devotion to a friendship beyond the reckoning of the world. Here I stand so afraid that my fear spreads through every vein, surges through me until I tremble meekly in recognition of its power. And yet, and yet I would rather die a thousand thousand painful deaths than leave my lord to the ravaging of the crowd. For as once my lord stood symbol of my only hope, my only possible redemption, here I stand now as his hope, as frail a lifeline as has ever existed.

The shedding of blood upon these cold, hungry stones would be blood shed in vain for the numbers opposing us are far to great in strength. Despite what our dear Wat may think, no amount of "fonging" will keep this beast from our Lord William. This fearsome beast with its raging sea of heads and multitude of voices is hungry for revenge. It is a sea of once free-willed individuals so taken up by a single, terrible purpose that they have ceased to be individuals becoming only a horrific maw that now opens wide in anticipation of decay and shattered dreams. It is against this vast maw that I now pit myself hoping to the Almighty that the crushing surge of emotions burning inside of me will be enough to sate the beast. For words are our only defense now when all else fails and words are the profession upon which I have built my life. May they not fail me now.

"Listen to me!" I cry and my voice drowns futilely in this churning sea of sound and fury. Yet I will endeavor to seize this beast by the ears.

"Listen to me! Listen! Listen!" Do I imagine a flash of recognition in the eyes of the monster at my voice?

"You're cut from the same cloth, you and he!" A daring assumption and yet one that is undeniably true. Far too true, I suppose, far too close to the heart of these people as is obvious by the produce that they hurl against me. A pitiful weapon accenting the pitiful state of the souls whom dare to lay hand upon destiny manifest. Like starving dogs they immediately rush to tear apart a fallen brother. They have become cannibals by nature of their way of life. They starve and yet would give up their meager allowances of food simply to stain the shirt of he who stands in their way. It is insanity and insanity doth not realize reason. Therefore bitter humor shall hook this dog by its lip.

"Mother? Is my mother here? I'd recognize this cooking anywhere. Mother, please, you at least, go home. I'll tell you tonight how it turns out." Ah yes. Humor is an invention of God and humanity alone and in order to recognize it the human must revert back into a human state of mind. I see a few upturned lips. They grow silent.

"I hope it is good news, mum. I hope I can tell you that I managed to convince these good people to leave my Lord William unharmed."

….TBC?