“William is not a knight,” Henry said primly. “Do not refer to him as sir.”
“Yes, sir,” the servant replied quickly. “Forgive me, sir, but to a lowly stable lad, everyone with a sword looks to be a knight.”
“What is it you want?” Henry said angrily.
“Sir Will—What I mean to say is, Lord William—saw you were not carrying overly much and thought you might take some of his excess,” he said to David, who looked at his own sparsely-loaded animal and crimsoned.
“He said no such thing!” Henry said to the servant, unwilling to believe that William would be so insensitive.
“He most certainly did,” the servant replied defensively.
“Where is ‘Sir’ William?” Henry demanded. “I would have words with him.”
“It’s quite all right,” David said quickly to avoid any additional embarrassment he might suffer by this turning into an argument. “I do have the space, and I am happy to take it.”
Henry watched David and the lad secure the additional weight with a scowl. “Well that is my brother—selfish to the very last.”
“You,” he said to the stable lad when he finished securing the load. “You know my brother Thomas?” The servant nodded. “Good, go to his house, rouse him if necessary, but have him here within the hour. We will not wait longer if he tarries. Be sure you make that clear to him.”
The lad raced from the yard, and Henry excused himself to speak to his old friend. “Sir Roland, I trust this morning finds you well.”
Roland grinned at him. “How could it not? We are riding out just like a storybook-fabled knight.”
“Hmm, well from where I sit the differences are quite striking.”
“How so?” Roland asked, continuing to lash gear to his sumpter horse.
Henry leaned against the post of the stable he was standing near. “As a child I loved the stories of brave knights that would slay an evil dragon and save a beautiful princess. There was never any doubt about the outcome. It was exciting but comfortable to go along for the ride. The knights in the stories were shallow creatures that exuded nothing but nobility and bravery; indeed, that was the very purpose for which they were created. They never doubted, regretted, or second-guessed themselves. They knew what they had to do and they did it, knowing that everything would work out in the end.”
Roland grinned at him. “Maybe this is the purpose for which you were created.”
Henry chuckled. How could he ever have known that the dragons he was destined to contend with were, in reality, the evil machinations of men. Now he was fighting foes he could not see or touch as they all too frequently inhabited the persons of his own friends and family and even himself. How did one fight such insidious monsters that were constantly rooting into the hearts of men: dragons of vice, dragons of pride, jealousies, selfishness, anger, hatred? “My purpose indeed.”
Henry eventually found his way into the saddle of the large brown stallion that had been prepared for him. A large muscular beast, this was a warhorse bred to be the noble steed of a gallant knight on a glorious quest. William’s identically clad mare stood by ready to go, but his brother had not yet made an appearance this morning.
The large double doors of the castle opened and out strode Mary like a beam of light in the shadowy courtyard. She was dressed in a white gown and looked radiant despite the early hour. She walked straight to Henry, who came out of his saddle to meet her. “Lady, what brings—”
“Sir Henry, there are some details of our impending nuptials that I should like to discuss before your departure this morning.” Henry took her by the hand and led her to the edge of the light where they began talking very animatedly.
***
William walked into the bustling courtyard with a smile on his face. This was a life he understood. He would soon be leaving all the confusion and difficulty of life at Dawning Court behind him and trading it for the mercurial life of the warrior. That was where he was comfortable. He already felt comfortably anonymous in the bustle of the knights. He had even stowed the bulky traveling robe for the time being, allowing that in this company of all companies, riding under the Dawning banner, he would not worry about being someone else. If this was to be his last ride, as it very possibly was, he had no need of such ploys. There was something liberating about that idea.
He spotted Neil and David talking on one side of the courtyard and Henry standing off to the side with Mary talking. Henry spotted him and detached himself from Mary.
“William!” Henry barked in irritation. “How can you be such an insensitive cad to David?”
“Henry, I am doing my best to stay awake at this early hour, and listening to you is not conducive to remaining conscious. Be brief and tell me what you are babbling about?” Then, as if to illustrate his point, he emitted a ponderous yawn.
Leah’s voice from nearby caused them both to jump. They turned to find her much as Mary was, completely made up and radiant despite the early hour. Edith was a pace behind, observing the commotion with an indifferent frown. Leah had awakened her very early with the announcement that they were going to see the knights off. Edith had complained and attempted to dissuade her, but to no avail.
Leah still had not told Edith of her interview with William the previous day and therefore could not explain that it had been weighing heavily on her, not only because of William’s disturbing ideas about the dark destiny he seemed to have envisioned for himself but also because of her reaction to him. He had returned for only a moment, and instead of showing him how overjoyed she was to see him again and how much she had longed for this occasion, she had greeted him only with tears and reproof. They had always shared a connection in their humor and playful attitude, and she was determined to prove to William that that connection was still there. The old friend he had left behind all those years before was not gone, and there was a reason for him to return to this place. She forced a smile and said cheerfully, “Well, it seems I am in luck.”
William grinned, and Henry immediately stepped toward her. “Milady, what are you doing out here at this hour?”
“Where else would I be when my heroes were riding out on their noble quest?” she replied with no trace of the early hour showing in either her voice or manner.
“It seems the only people that don’t know about our secret departure are my brothers,” William said, still smiling. He turned to Henry. “You did tell them, right?”
Henry frowned. “Yes, of course I told them.”
“Well that’s good,” he said. “Because it may be that they are insensitive cads like me, and then where would we be?”
Henry stiffened. “Well what would you call it when a man with so much excess that he cannot carry it all asks the one man without enough to carry it for him?”
“I call it practical. What?” William protested the frown Henry gave him. “He had room, and I have so much that I could not use it all on two of these journeys,” he said meaningfully. It took Henry a moment to understand. Feeling slightly embarrassed, he dropped it; they turned back to Leah, who wore a slight smirk on her smooth features.
“Milady,” Henry said with a bow, “may we have your blessing on this quest?”
“You know that you have it, Sir Henry.”
“Milady,” William said with a bow, mocking Henry, “there is a small token I would request of you in the event that I do not return from this excursion into the very pit of Hell,” he said dramatically.
“Anything,” Leah laughed.
“Should I not return, will you be so good as to take a moment each day to say a curse over two of my brothers? Henry for making me go on this quest to rescue Richard, and Richard for needing to be rescued.”
Leah bit her bottom lip in mock consternation. “Well, I said I will, so I am bound. Forgive me, Sir Henry.” She placed a hand on his as she laughed lightly. Henry could not help laughing with her.
“I don’t believe I have had the pleasure,” Mary interrupted.
&nbs
p; Henry jumped again and immediately withdrew a step from Leah. “Milady, of course, what has become of my manners?” He introduced Leah to Mary.
Leah curtsied politely. “It is a pleasure, Lady. Your reputation precedes you.”
“Yes, well one can hardly be betrothed to Henry Dawning for a moment without your name being known.” She smiled at Henry.
William choked and started to cough, which earned him another glare from Henry, but Leah stepped in quickly, “That is wonderful,” she said to them both. “I’m sure you will both be very happy. Oh, but to have to be separated from your betrothed in the very spring of your engagement can hardly sit well with you.”
“It is the life of the companion of a warrior prince,” Mary said primly to Leah.
“Indeed it would seem so,” she said, giving William a sidelong glance.
“Only tell me there is still time, milady, to steal you away for myself,” William said flippantly after recovering himself.
Mary turned to him and smiled warmly. “I’m sorry, my heart belongs to this Dawning,” she said, interlacing her arm with Henry’s.
“Nonsense, one Dawning is pretty much like the rest. We all share a similar voice, facial structure, and a belief that we alone are unique in this world.”
“If you will excuse my brother’s crass behavior, chivalry was the main lesson neglected by Jurou,” Henry said, interposing himself between them as he turned Mary away.
“I think he is actually going to do it,” William said confidentially to Leah as they watched their retreating backs. “I think he is actually going to marry Mary… in a marriage ceremony… where much merriment will be made of mary… iage.”
“Is that a problem?” Leah asked back in the same quiet tone.
“I don’t know, I have only met her once. But given my policy of always saying the first thing that comes into my head, I am going to say… yes.”
Leah looked thoughtful. “I wonder if she will remain at Dawning Court while you are away. I should like to get to know her better.”
“I should think she almost has to,” William affirmed, giving Leah a suspicious glance at the change in her demeanor since the previous day. “I doubt her family wants her back.”
Leah swatted his arm, “William Dawning!”
“What? I may not be a knight, but I am not blind, or more importantly deaf. Speaking of which,” he said, looking over her shoulder and around.
“What are you looking for?”
“Where is Eve?” he asked curiously. “Not that I expected her to come out and greet me, but wherever you were, your four-foot shadow was never far behind.”
“My sister is away at boarding school in France, attempting to fend off an army of young men bent on stealing her virtue,” Leah smiled.
“What?” William said, surprised. “Little Eve?”
“I tried for years to tell you that this was coming, but you could never see past the obnoxious child you knew.”
“There was more to see?”
Leah smiled despite herself. “She was obnoxious.”
“She really was, wasn’t she?” William laughed.
“Only to you,” Leah laughed with him. “To everyone else she was charming—just as sweet as can be.”
“Yes, why was that?”
“You really don’t know?” Leah asked, surprised.
William shrugged. “I always assumed it was because I was stealing her older sister and closest friend away from her.”
“No,” Leah said, even more surprise registering on her face. “No, just the opposite. She was infatuated with you.”
“You gest!”
“She was not jealous of my attention, she was jealous of yours.”
William shook his head. “How did I miss that?”
“Well, because you always looked at her as the little sister. To you she was just a child who did not have those sorts of thoughts and feelings.”
“Perhaps you’re right. No wonder she was always angry with me. Whoops. Sorry, Eve,” he said to the air.
“You may have the chance to tell her in person,” Leah said. “She will be back here in a few weeks. She has finished school. I guess the question is will she come back betrothed or not?”
“I can’t even imagine little Eve as someone’s wife. The mind recoils at the thought… She’ll probably inform his parents every time he does something she does not approve of.”
Leah smiled. “And what of you?” she changed the subject abruptly. “Will you exact promises from a lady without offering something in return?”
“Promises? Oh the cursing, that’s right.” He bowed graciously. “Of course, milady, whatever a lowly servant of uh—himself can do.”
“When you do return from this adventure, I will require a pledge of something very dear to you,” she said slyly. There was a mischievous smile playing on her lips. William bowed again.
“All that is mine is yours, dear lady, only—” he hesitated.
“Only?”
“Only I do not expect to return this way again soon. If and when we rescue my errant sibling and he is assured of safe passage home, I have pressing business that requires my attention elsewhere. Which thing breaks my heart to tell,” he continued once again in his light-hearted manner, failing to notice her smile disappear, “as I am always delighted to live among those who would as happily stretch my neck from a tree as speak to me. No, no,” he said in mock modesty, “they are not wrong to hold me in such high esteem. My natural charm and way with people has earned me all the respect and admiration that is lavished upon me.”
“William,” she said seriously, stepping up to him. “Will you not return this way?” She was trying to keep her tone neutral, but her resolve to remain light hearted crumbled in something near panic. A plea was evident in her voice.
“Milady,” Edith chimed in for the first time. “We are not alone here.” She was looking at the others in the yard that might be observing this, but no one seemed to be paying attention.
William looked at Leah, confused. “I am afraid I cannot. I did not mean to come back here like this; it was only this unexpected ransom note that brought me here as it is.”
“William, these are dangerous times for Dawning Court. You do not know the intrigues that are afoot.”
“Yes, milady. But the precarious state of my family’s affairs could only be rendered more so by my presence.”
“William,” her voice caught in her throat, “the fortunes of those that are dear to you may shortly be at stake.” She looked at him meaningfully, but he did not understand her and assumed she was still referring to his family.
“All will be well, Leah,” he reassured her. “Sufficient is the strength of the family yet to wrestle with whatever might come this way. They will hold their own.”
“And if they cannot?”
“They will.” He forced a smile to his lips. His heart ached to have her so close at long last only to once again be leaving her. Why couldn’t he just take her away with him? Why not just that? And then what, you fool? Leave her poverty-stricken and alone when you die, as you surely will? How would she be better for that? William shook his head and dropped his eyes, and Henry stepped up beside him.
“We have a problem.”
“Only one?” William was relieved by the distraction. “Then we are doing better than usual.” Leah retreated quietly into the settling commotion of the courtyard.
“Thomas is gone.”
“Gone?”
“I mean he is not here, so I sent a runner to his house, and he has not been home all night. I sent him to the tavern, and it is locked up tight. He is missing.”
William shrugged. “How many men do we have?”
“Fifty, with Anthony’s fortuitous arrival.”
“So what’s the problem?”
“Our brother is missing,” Henry reiterated.
“Do you believe him to actually be in any danger?”
Henry hesitated. “Well no, I suppose not.”
“Then we ride without him. Either he will catch up to us or he will not. We cannot lose a whole day because he is passed out somewhere.” Henry looked indecisive, so William changed the subject. “You should say something to the men before we go,” William said quietly.
“Why?”
“You know, to inspire them. To remind them of their noble quest and let them know who's in charge, that sort of thing.”
“I don't think so. If you are feeling to make a speech this morning, you go right ahead,” Henry said tersely.
William shrugged and climbed into the saddle, looking for Leah. He spotted her some distance off, speaking to Anthony. Mary again joined Henry. “Milady,” William said to her. “It is regrettable that your nuptials will be delayed on such unpleasant business as this.”
“Concern not yourself with such trifles,” Mary said cheerfully. “And I will do the same. Your errand is far more important than our nuptials, which may be celebrated at any time.” She smiled warmly at her betrothed. “And how much happier will that day be when the whole family is reunited?” William choked on his reply and started coughing again.
“Any time?” Henry announced grandly. “Nonsense. I make it known to all within the sound of my voice to stand as witness here and now that our wedding will not be a day later than three weeks after our return to Dawning Court.”
Mary beamed up at him and turned to William. “You just make sure you bring him back in one piece.”
“Certainly you jest,” William tried to recover himself. “I am relying on my elder brother to get us all home in one piece.”
Mary laughed a soft, musical sound in the early morning solemnity. “Now, Sir Henry, if I may have a word.” She pulled Henry aside to confer with him privately once again.
Just then the double doors of the castle were thrown open wide and all eyes turned to see four fully-armored knights carrying a large silver chest into the courtyard. Two of the knights carried it between them in one hand each by a heavy handle on each side. The other two walked, hands on hilts, scanning the yard for potential threats. These four knights had been specifically charged to see this chest safely to its destination regardless of what else may happen.
The Knights Dawning (The Crusades Series) Page 31