Love of Lady Liana.

by Alvarez y Losada

  -- Rogan is here -- Liana said.

  -- Here? In this cellar?

  The voice of intense Jeanne trasuntaba fear.

  -- No, in the castle. It came to see me in quarter of to­rre. It said that it had a plan and one seted out to take the night to me that vos you brought to me here.

  -- Where it is? ¡Quickly! There is people hoping for ayudaros, and we urgently needed the support your husband.

  Liana sank the fingers in the arm of Jeanne.

  -- If you betray to us, right of perpetual ownership before God that I will persecute to you every day of your life.

  Jeanne persignó.

  -- If they catch to you, it will be because there are lost a valuable time threatening to me. Where it is?

  Liana described the disguise of Rogan.

  -- I have seen, must It claries if I risk to come here single. You hope, I will return by vos.

  Liana was dropped on a battery of grain coats. The moment had arrived at which it would know yes had adopted right decision. If it were mistaken, could occur by dead.

  19

  Jeanne burst in infuriated into the great one hall, followed by two ladies dressed silk. The floor was covered with jergones of straw and slept the men and the dogs there. Others played dices in a corner and a soldier doncella caressed to one a little more far.

  -- the water-drainage of my toilet is covered -- I announced --. I want that somebody cleans it. Now.

  Those that was wide-awake rendered attention when seeing the lady of the castle, but nobody was offered voluntaria­mente for the disagreeable task.

  -- Enviare' to somebody -- it began to say horseman.

  Jeanne saw Rogan, seated with back supported in a wall, adorned with its dirty clothes. It felt the eyes of Rogan nailed in her.

  -- This it will serve. They see with me.

  One became, with the hope of which he it it followed and in effect it was what Rogan did. Jeanne waited for until they es­tuvieron prote'ge's by the shade of a wall, ordered their two ladies who retired and one became Rogan ago.

  Before it could back down, Jeanne extended the hand and it took the patch to him of the eye.

  -- you Are -- she murmured --. It could not believe that what Liana claimed to me was certain. Nor to imagine that to Peregrine him she mattered if a woman lived or died.

  The hand of Rogan grasped the wrist of Jeanne, pressing it painfully.

  -- Dog, where is? If it has suffered damage, I will do to you what I had hacerte years ago.

  -- Suéltame, or you will not return to see it.

  Rogan did not have more remedy than to obey to him

  -- What you made to obtain that you him it spoke of me? It will please matarte to me if...

  -- You can escupir your candies later to me words -- it interrupted Jeanne dryly --. Now I is hidden and I propose to remove it from here, but I need aid. It does not know to swim, so that it has that to cross in boat both pits and you will row. Now, acércate to the wall that it is of the side of the northeast tower. You will see that it hangs a cord, crosses outer patio, towards the northwest. You will find another cord hanging of this wall and underneath you will see lengthy a boat. Espérala in him. I will help him to arrive there; later, to you he will be called on to you to cross the land and to arrive at the outer pit.

  -- I must creerte? I am sure that soldiers of Howard will be hoping to me.

  -- My women will distract the guards that they take care of the walls. You must believe to me, is no another solution.

  -- If you return to betray to me, I...

  — ¡Márchate! -- Jeanne ordered --. You are losing precious minutes.

  Rogan moved away quickly, but dragging the leg in case that somebody was observing it. One had never felt so naked in the course of its existence. Their life and the one of Liana were in hands of treasonous and a mentirosa one. On the one hand it had the certainty that when it arrived at the northeast tower would find the men waiting for stops it to assassinate it. But on the other hand it knew that it was the only opportunity. During days it was looking for Liana in vain, and it had not had more luck than the men of Howard.

  There were no armed men waiting for it in the tower. However, in the dark, a cord hung of the superior end of the wall. Rogan took off the patch of the eye, retired the filling that formed a hump in its back and untied the leg. It took a knife that hid under the dirty shirt it put it between the teeth and it began to climb.

  It thought to find the men waiting it at the end of the cord, but there was nobody. In silence, it descended by another cord that hung of the opposed side of the wall.

  Once it returned to step on firm ground, it ran seized crossing the intermediate space and when it heard laughter it beat body to the dark stone of the outer wall. Two guards happened without seeing to Rogan, that was to few meters more down, with the cord hanging in shades, to the right of the place in which they were.

  It had to climb before to one more a wall to arrive at the pit: it lost valuable minutes looking for the cord and began a to climb. It arrives, had to stop, because it heard the voice of a man followed by the giggle of a woman. Rogan hoped until they moved away and ascended to wide and smooth dig in. The following cord was to certain distance, on same wall, and Rogan descended quickly. In the shades, hidden between stops rushes, there was a very small boat with two oars. It embarked in him, one hid and it hoped. It maintained the fixed eyes in the superior end of the wall, watching with as much intensity that rare time blinked.

  It spent length short while before it watched dark shades of the heads, near the superior end of the wall, in place where they had assured the cord. It had begun to lose the hope; that Howard dog certainly had put the cords and prepared the boat, but, it would bring to Liana?

  Rogan contained the breathing without separating the eyes of the two heads that that seemed they were speaking. It thought: ¡Women! They needed to express it everything in words. Them char it he was the essential. They spoke when a man tried to take them to the bed, they did it when a man him it gave something -- they wanted that it explained why he offered flattery to them. But what was worse, spoke when they were in the dig in of a wall, surrounded by armed men.

  And then, everything happened in few moments. One of the women raised the hands as if it wanted to strike to another one. Rogan was put of foot and ran towards the wall. A feminine shout was heard, there above, and later the movement of the men running throughout wall. Rogan had the hands on the cord, and it was prepared to climb, when Jeanne shouted to him.

  — ¡No! -- it vociferated --. Sálvate, Liana has died. You cannot rescue it.

  Rogan began to climb up the cord and it was to an average meter and of the ground when it fell and it struck the Earth. It arrives somebody had cut the cord.

  -- Vete, stupid -- it heard shout to Jeanne, and then its voice was silenced, as if somebody had applied a hand to him on the mouth.

  Rogan did not waste time in hesitations, then the arrows began to fall around. It ran towards the boat, but two arrows had reached it and was sinking. It was plunged in the cold water of the pit and it began to swim; the arrows hummed around their head.

  It arrived at the opposite border and it threw a to run, seized, throughout the North border, exactly as opposed to walls. The sleepy guards when hearing the commotion, began to wake up and a to observe the narrow earth strip between pits inner and outer. When they saw movement, shot its arrows to him.

  Rogan arrived at the external pit in same moment in that an arrow cleared the back to him, opening to him the skin. It jumped and it began to swim towards the north moving away of the walls, in the direction of lake that fed pits both. He was a vigorous swimmer but it was losing blood. When it arrived at the border, it was able to leave to earth with much effort. He remained a little while laid down between the rushes, expelling the water of the lungs and breathing with difficulty, while the blood covered to him back.

  When finally it could walk went to the forest and it heard the helmets
of the horses that mounted the men of Howard, to not much distance. And the soldiers of Howard played the cat and the mouse rest at night and most of the following day, because Rogan was hidden when and close then oía they turned in round and he returned a to hide.

  At dusk it jumped on a horseman Howard, cut the neck to him and it cleared the horse to him. The men persecuted it but Rogan spurred its mount until the animal bled, and thus obtained to be distanced. To the dawn, the horse stopped, refusing to continue and Rogan it disassembled and it began to walk.

  The sun was high in the sky when it saw the profile of the castle of Moray. It continued walking and encountering over stones, because their muscles now refused to respond after weeks of abuse. One of the men who watched the parapets saw and few minutes later it Severn rode furiously towards its brother, jumped of the horse before this one stopped and maintained to Rogan at the same moment in which it collapsed.

  Severn had the certainty that its brother one died when it saw blood in his hands; she was the one that flowed of the back of Rogan. It began to take it towards the horse.

  -- Not -- Rogan said, separating --. Déjame.

  -- Dejarte? By all the saints, we have lived -- in a hell. We heard say that Howard had killed to you last night.

  -- Yes, it gave death me -- Rogan murmured and one separated.

  Severn saw the wounds in the back of its brother. Still it was covered with blood and she was quite deep, but it was not mortal.

  -- Where she is she?

  -- Liana? -- Rogan asked --. It has died.

  Severn frunció entrecejo, had begun to get along with that woman, although it carried many problems, like all the women, but were not cowardly. It passed the arm over shoulders of Rogan.

  -- we will find another wife You. This time will be woman beautiful, and if you also want one that sets afire the bed to you, we will find. Hardly we...

  Severn was not prepared for reaction of Rogan, that became towards him, unloading a fist on its face and it sent it to the ground.

  -- Stupid bastard -- Rogan exclaimed, watching with hatred its brother. You never understood nothing. You, with your tro­tona aristocratic locked up in its apartment, always you criticized it, you turned its life in a hell. —

  -- I? -- Severn took the hand to ensangren­tada nose and began to get up itself, but a glance to the face of Rogan induced it to remain in the same place.-- I was not the man who he slept with other women, I no...

  It was interrupted, because the rage had disappeared of the face of Rogan, that became and began to internar­se in forest.

  Severn was put of foot and it approached his brother.

  -- My intention was not to insult memory of Liana, pleased to me, but now it has died and there is other women. By less, she did not betray to you with Oliver Howard since your first wife did. Or yes? For that reason so you are irritated?

  Rogan became towards its brother and before the horror and the incredulity of Severn, there were tears that began a to descend by the cheeks of Rogan. Severn did not know what to say; he not even it had spilled tears before muer­te of his father or his brothers.

  -- it loved It -- Rogan murmured --. I it it loved.

  Severn too much was embarrassed stops to contem­plar it, could not support the idea that his brother cried and backed down a step.

  -- Dejare' the horse -- masculló --. It returns when you are soon.

  One moved away quickly.

  Rogan seated heavy on one stone, ca­ra sunk in the hands and lay down to cry. It had loved it, had loved its smiles, its joy, its character, the pleasure that it extracted of slighter things. And joy to Rogan was aporta­do after a whole life of hatred. It facilitated clothes to him without lice nor fleas, foods without sand, lo­grando that that arrogant Iolanthe left its hiding place, and although she herself not it it knew, obtained that to Zared pidie­se to Rogan that bought some clothes to him of woman.

  And now no longer it existed, victim of war against the Howard.

  Perhaps its death had had to accentuate the hatred of Rogan towards the Howard, but was not thus. What importa­ban to him Howard? It wished to recover to Liana, its candy and tender Liana, that threw to him things when it was angered and kissed it when it felt pleased.

  -- Liana -- it murmured and it cried with more intensity still.

  It did not hear passages on the vegetation and his pain was so deep that it did not move when the smooth hand him acari­ció cheek.

  Liana in front of knelt down him and him it separated the hands from his face. It contemplated to the face bathed in tears and tears they flew to its own eyes.

  -- I am here, love mine -- it murmured, and him it kissed the warm párpa­dos, and later the cheeks --. Safe and sound.

  Rogan only could watch astonished it. Liana it smiled to him.

  -- you do not have anything to say to me?

  It grasped it, put it on its knees and both caye­ron on the ground of the forest. The tears of Rogan they turned laughter while it rolled and it returned to roll with embraced her, hands feeling the body, like making sure that it was a presence real.

  Finally, one stopped of backs, Liana on him and maintaining it with as much force that she as soon as it could res­pirar.

  -- How you obtained it? -- Rogan murmured --. That Howard dog...

  It supported the yolks of the fingers on the lips of Rogan.

  -- Jeanne -- said deliberately -- vi­das saved ours. It knew that one of its women betrayed it and ins­tantes before coming to look for to me it heard something that induced it to think that it knew who was. It sent me by a side and it was with its treasonous servant by the way that you had followed. The woman thought that Jeanne, surrounded in a layer, was I mis­ma and treated to stab it. But it completed to disloyal sir­vienta while I was much more far, near the wall. It had decirte that I had perished because he knew that if did not come thus, you never would leave the castle.

  It caressed the cheek of Rogan.

  -- I saw You swimming and if the soldiers of Howard does not hubie­sen concentrated the attention in you, would have seen me. Jeanne it had prepared horses, so that I never was very far from you; but you traveled with such speed that I did not obtain al­canzarte.

  The farmer hood had loosen while they retozaban in the ground, and now their hair were in the open. They descended smoothly on shoulders of Liana and Rogan caressed them.

  -- they seem to You ugly? -- Liana murmured.

  It watched it, with love in the eyes.

  -- there is nothing no ugly in you. You are the woman more beautiful of the world and I love to you, Liana. I love the heart and the soul yet to you.

  She smiled to him.

  -- you will allow Me that it occupies to me of presenta­dos cases to the court? We will be able to extend the castle of Moray? You will stop to fight against the Howard? And how llamare­mos to our son?

  The rage began to dominate Rogan, but ensegui­da lay down to laugh and it embraced it.

  -- the judgments are subjects of men, no I will extend that pile of stones, Peregrine always will fight to the Howard, and our son will be called John, by my father.

  -- Gilbert, by my father.

  -- So that it grows being haragán?

  -- Or you will prefer that it dedicates its life a to embarrass the farmers and who teach to their children to hate to the Howard?

  -- Yes -- Rogan responded, embracing it and elevating the eyes to the sky --. We can differ in most of the things, but in one it seems that we agreed. Quítate those things, female.

  It threw the head backwards and she watched.

  -- I have always been obedient.

  Rogan began a to speak, but she kissed it and during several hours he did not say one more a word.

 

 

 
nds

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