Edwinem and His Faithful Squire Vokia

Edwinem and Vokia are joined by a bond of service whose depth becomes clear in its aftermath: after Edwinem was killed, Vokia died soon after, unable to bear the shock of losing his master. Their graves beside one another near the Inn at Yikarvara give that loyalty a lasting, physical form.

The Squire and His Master

Vokia served Edwinem as his squire. The account offers little about their life together, but its description of Vokia's death makes the strength of the attachment unmistakable: after the two were seen again in the City of Dagonaut, Vokia died not long after Edwinem, overcome by his master's death.

Graves at Yikarvara

Ristridin tells Tiuri that Edwinem was buried near the Inn at Yikarvara beneath a raised mound marked by a cross and Edwinem's white shield. Beside it lay Vokia's grave. The paired resting places preserve the relation between knight and squire beyond their deaths, making Vokia's fidelity visible in the landscape as well as in the account of his grief.

The Bond's Aftermath

Vokia's death is presented not as a separate misfortune but as a consequence of Edwinem's loss: the shock of his master's death was too much for him. The brief report gives their relationship its defining emphasis through this consequence, while the neighboring graves offer a quiet counterpoint to the violence that ended Edwinem's life.