“Go to her. She needs you,” Merton said, touching his brother on the shoulder. “James and I can finish this up.”
Alden stepped over dead bodies as he made his way towards his wife. Some of those that were still alive, lying on the ground in a puddle of blood, reached up to him, begging for mercy. He kicked their hands away. He would be damned if he would be merciful to traitors. He splashed into the river.
“Alden,” Annis whimpered his name and then she was in his arms.
“Oh God, I thought they were going to kill you,” he whispered against her ear, pulling her even tighter. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have left you alone.”
“They would have come for me anyway.” She sobbed the words, holding tighter. She suddenly gasped in agony and pulled back away from him, her hands grasping her stomach. “The baby….Alden...” Another contraction stole her breath. “It’s too soon. It’s too soon,” she cried.
“Try not to panic,” Alden said, while he felt his own heart rate speed up in alarm. “I am not going to let anything happen to you.” He bent and picked her up and began to head in the direction of the camp. “Get the healer,” he yelled to Cadar, but there was no need for him to have said anything, for Cadar was already racing away.
“Take my horse,” Merton said as he rode up to them. He dismounted quickly and helped Alden place Annis in the saddle, and then Alden jumped up behind her and rode away. “Protect them,” Merton ordered some of the knights who had gathered together. They immediately did as they were bid, running to catch up with their King.
James came to stand by Merton and watched his King until he rode out of sight. “Jowan is dead,” James said.
“No,” Merton said on a groan. “James, I’m so sorry.”
“He and I grew up together. We became knights together. My life had always been entwined with his. There was no greater warrior than he, and he died by a bloody pitchfork through his stomach, from our own people. He deserved a better death than that.” James shook his head in disgust. “What shall we do with the rest of them?” he said, looking around at those from the peasantry that had surrendered.
“What would you do?” Merton asked, as his eyes scanned the battlefield.
“Send them to the cave.”
One of the defeated peasants heard him and he scrambled over bodies until he had reached Merton. He fell down on his knees amongst the dead. “Please, my Lord, no. I have a family.”
“Maybe you should have thought of that before you tried to kill mine,” Merton answered coldly. “Tie them up,” Merton ordered, ignoring the peasant’s pleas for mercy. “And I want an envoy to travel to each village and tell them their King demands the presence of their elders, five days hence. It is time the people learnt the truth. I am not going to allow this to happen again.”
Chapter 5
“How are you?” Alden asked, kneeling by the bed and taking Annis’ cold hands into his.
“The pain has stopped,” she said, but there was still fear in her voice.
“The baby is still moving and there was no blood, which is a good sign, Sire,” the healer said, washing his hands. “She needs to stay in bed. She isn’t to be moved, do you understand, Sire? If the baby comes now there is nothing we will be able to do for him.”
“Then she will stay in bed,” Alden said. “It is going to be all right. I promise you, Annis.”
“You will hate me more if I lose the child.” She did not cry as she said the words; it was like she was merely stating a fact.
The healer cleared his throat in embarrassment. “I will give you two a moment, but I think it might be wise if I stay with her for the night, at least.”
“Thank you, Santo.”
“Don’t thank me yet. Thank me when you have a healthy baby in your hands.” And with that he left the tent.
“I don’t hate you, sweetheart,” Alden said softly and his words did bring tears to her eyes.
“You haven’t called me sweetheart in ages,” she replied.
“More fool me.” He reached up and touched her cheek softly with his fingers. “These last days…weeks,” he shook his head, “ months…I thought…” he sighed, “…I know I am a nightmare to be around…It’s just…I am not as strong as I thought I was,” he confessed. He sighed on a pain-filled laugh. “I am not coping very well with what your father…In fact…I am not coping at all.” He looked up into her eyes. “I don’t know who I am any more.” His hand fell away from her face.
“You are my husband,” she said, catching his hand in hers and bringing his knuckles to her lips. “That is, if you still want me as your wife?” She didn’t look at him as she spoke.
“Look at me,” he ordered softly.
She raised her head reluctantly and looked into her husband’s eyes.
“I know I haven’t been the easiest person to be around recently, but I thought you knew…”
“Knew what?” she asked, her voice trembling with emotion.
“Oh, sweetheart, you are looking at me like you did that night when I almost left you in Sussex. I love you,” he stated. “I am not sure of anything anymore but I am sure of my feelings towards you. I love you,” he said again. “I am in love with you. And nothing is going to change that. I swear. You are just going to have to bear with me for a while, while I try and sort out what is going on inside my head, but I promise, I will make it up to you.”
“Alden, I love you too and I know you are hurting, but you shut me out and your people hate me. If it wasn’t for Merton…” She sniffed. “I wasn’t expecting it to be easy. I know what my father has done and I can understand their hatred. But they were going to kill me and the baby. I am not safe here. I cannot stay.”
“I will make it safe for you to stay here,” Alden promised.
“And what if I don’t want to stay?” she asked, her voice small, unsure.
“Are you asking me to give up my throne?” There was no anger or censure to his voice. “Because I will, if you want me to. Cerniw isn’t my home anymore, not like it was before, and after today, I couldn’t care less about the people. We have both suffered enough for them and I am fed up of being abused because of it.”
She tore her gaze away from his. “I’m tired,” she said, instead of answering. She was the problem here, not Alden. She could not ask him to give up what was rightfully his. She closed her eyes and let the tears gather behind her lids.
“Say the word and we will go. I swear,” Alden said, leaning over her and brushing a kiss on her forehead.
“Today I watched Jowan die,” she whispered. “He died protecting me. He died protecting a Queen he didn’t like or respect.”
“Jowan did like you. My knights do respect you. They could have easily let you die today but they did not. They protected you. Remember that.”
There was a knocking on the frame of the tent. “May I come in?” Merton asked.
Annis nodded her consent. There was nothing more for her to say anyway.
“Yes,” Alden answered. He did not draw his gaze away from his wife’s face as Merton entered the tent.
“Is the baby all right?” Merton asked as he walked across the tent and stood at the foot of the bed.
“Santo thinks so. She has to stay in bed,” Alden answered. “Merton, the throne is yours. Annis is more important to me than a crown. We are leaving.”
Annis’ eyes snapped open.
“I will keep you safe,” Alden promised.
“You can keep her safe here,” Merton stated. “Annis, don’t ask him to do this. Please.”
“She isn’t asking me.”
“Where the hell will you go?” Merton asked, perplexed. “Alden, please take a moment to think. We can do this. You and I. Together. We can make this a safe place for Annis and for ourselves. Have you already forgotten when we discussed earlier?”
“That was before they tried to kill my wife.”
“But they didn’t kill her, because your knights stopped them.”
There wa
s another knock on the tent post.
“Enter,” Alden said with annoyance, glancing over his shoulder as James and Cadar entered the tent.
“Are you all right, my Lady?” Cadar asked with concern. “I am sorry, Alden, I tried my best to protect her, but there was just too many of them.”
“It wasn’t your fault,” Annis said from the bed. She had closed her eyes again, but she opened them to stare into her husband’s face. “It wasn’t his fault,” she said again.
“We were just discussing whether Alden should abdicate or not,” Merton announced.
“Is he jesting?” James asked, looking at Alden as he spoke.
“My priority has to be my wife,” Alden answered, continuing to look at Annis as he spoke. “And my child. I am not going to stay in a kingdom where she feels threatened. You saw them today, James,” Alden said, rising to his feet and turning to face his general. “Maybe next time we won’t be so lucky.”
“There won’t be a next time,” James said sternly. “Because I swear I am going to put the fear of God into them.”
“I don’t want them to follow me because they are afraid. If we do that then I am no better than Wessex.”
“And what makes you think you are better than him? You are a king, you have to rule and you have to get this situation under control and the only way to do that - ”
“Alden,” Annis gasped from the bed.
Alden immediately turned around and then dropped to his knees. She was biting her lip, her face contorted with pain. “Has the pain started again?” In answer, she nodded her head. “Get me Santo, now,” Alden shouted.
Chapter 6
A large crowd had gathered in the remains of Dor as they waited for their King to address them. The crowd was sombre. They had witnessed the retribution of their King before dawn and those who did speak did so in whispered conversations and they were careful in what they said. They had walked past the bodiless heads, stuck on pikes, of those who had thought to rebel against their King and had died dishonourably in battle. They had heard the echoing screams of the prisoners who were chained to the dying cave. And they had witnessed the eerie silence of the prisoners when the tide finally came in and drowned them. They watched, speechless, as the bloated bodies were dragged from the cave and dumped on the sand for the gulls to pick at.
The sun had chased the clouds away, and it warmed the earth in a way it only could in Cerniw. It promised to be a beautiful day, despite its brutal beginnings.
“This will work,” James said, as he came to stand next to Merton.
“It had better,” Merton answered, turning away from those gathered. “Because there is no way I am going to be able to keep him here if it doesn’t.”
Beside him James sighed. “You should be here. He needs you.”
“No. He’ll be fine. He needs to do this alone.”
“Merton,” James paused and cleared his throat clearly embarrassed by what he was going to say, but determined to say it anyway. “What I said to you before, after Wessex…when I called you a demon…I didn’t mean it. I know there is nothing you wouldn’t do for him. I have never seen such devotion between brothers and that’s the truth.”
“He is the only family I have got,” Merton said with a shrug. “I’d die for him. And don’t worry about what you said before. I almost took your head; you were right to be angry with me. I’ll see you later, James.”
***
Annis opened her eyes and yawned. She had not slept so well in ages. The baby wiggled inside her and her hand rested gently on her stomach. Every day that passed she was thankful. She had gone two days now without any more pains, but she dared not get up for fear any movement would start it off again. She heard a noise and turned her head to watch her husband as he dressed.
“Today is the day. Are you nervous?” Annis asked.
“More than a little scared actually,” Alden admitted. “But I think it will be all right. Time will tell, I guess.”
“Merton will be with you,” Annis said. “There is no need to be afraid.”
“I am not afraid...I keep telling myself that anyway,” Alden stated. “And Merton will not be with me.”
Annis frowned. “Where else would he be? I thought you had arranged all this with him already.”
“No,” Alden said, reaching for his weapon belt and strapping it around his waist. “You arranged it. We just pretended to go along with you. Merton will be here, with you. I will not leave you unguarded again.”
“I am hardly unguarded. I have an army of knights outside this tent.”
“Not good enough. If Merton isn’t with you, then I don’t go. Do you want me to stay?” There was a hint of hopefulness in his voice, for he did not relish the challenge of today. How did one convince a people of one’s devotion to them when they were so eager to see the complete opposite?
“You need him with you,” Annis said, ignoring his question. “I hate to think of you doing this alone.”
“Thank you for the show of confidence, sweetheart,” he said with a smile. “But I am hardly going to be alone and I think I can manage this one without him. How do I look?” he asked, turning to look at her.
“Like a King,” she said. “You just need a crown.”
“I am fresh out of crowns, I am afraid.”
“Every King needs a crown.” Annis stated.
“I will put it on my list of not so important priorities,” Alden said with a grin. “You have got more colour in your cheeks today,” he proclaimed, leaning over her and kissing her softly on the lips. She moaned in pleasure and reached up to his head, holding him against her as he deepened the kiss.
He pulled away from her a little. “When Santo said you needed to stay in bed, I don’t think this is what he had in mind,” Alden said, grinning as he spoke.
“Santo hasn’t got a wife. What does he know?” Annis asked, but her hand fell away from his hair and she let him rise.
There was a soft knocking on the wood and without waiting to be asked, Merton walked into the tent.
“You ready?” he asked his brother.
“Just about,” Alden replied as Merton looked at him critically and straightened his cloak for him.
“You’ll do,” Merton replied. “And how is my favourite girl today?” Merton said, turning his attention to Annis.
“You need to go with him,” Annis said, frowning up at both of them.
“But I was going to tell you more stories about the Bors Tavern,” Merton said, pulling a chair up to the bed and plonking himself down on it. “Now where we…Oh, I remember. I had just met the three-breasted tavern wench called Arthek.”
“Arthek?” Alden questioned, raising his eyebrows.
“Her parents thought she was a boy. It’s a long, complicated story. You wouldn’t understand it, which is why I am telling it to your wife,” Merton stated cheerfully.
“I’ll leave you to it then,” Alden said, pulling a face.
“Good luck,” Annis said.
“He won’t need it,” Merton reassured. “I have every faith in him.”
Alden smiled at that. He took a deep steadying breath and then he walked out of the tent and towards his future.
“By this day’s end the people will understand and they will accept you,” Merton promised.
“And if they don’t?”
“You are, without a doubt, the most pessimistic person I have ever met. I have no idea how Alden puts up with you. Now shut up, and let me tell you about Arthek.”
Chapter 7
Five years later…
“No, no, no, no, don’t put the sand in your mouth.” Annis du Lac, Queen of Cerniw, could not help herself. She laughed at the expression on her two-year-old daughter’s face. Sand did not taste good.
“Why do you keep doing it, you silly girl?” Annis asked, hunting for a clean rag from the basket she had bought to the beach with her to clean her daughter’s mouth with.
Rozen’s bottom lip began to wobble and her eye
s filled with tears. Sand tasted awful.
“She is going to start crying,” Jowan, Annis’ four-year-old son said in a sing-song voice. He didn’t look up at his annoying little sister, for he was very busy building a replica of his father’s fort. He had even dug around the sides of his sand creation, making a moat which he had plans to fill with water a little later. It just needed to be a little bit deeper and a little bit wider.
Rozen began to cry. Annis took the little girl in her arms and wiped the sand from her mouth. She then held a cup to her mouth and encouraged her to spit the water and the sand out. Very soon the crisis was over and Rozen went back to picking up handfuls of sand and letting it fall through her fingers.
Annis leant back on her elbow and closed her eyes for a moment, enjoying the sunshine on her face and the sound of her children’s laughter in her ear. She felt a wriggle in her tummy and she smiled to herself. By the end of the summer, if God was willing, she would have another bundle of joy to take care of.
“Look, Mother, look,” Jowan shouted in excitement.
Annis opened her eyes and looked at her son. He was so much like her husband. Jowan had the characteristic grey eyes of all the du Lac boys and he shared many of his father’s features. He would be a handsome lad when he grew up. Unfortunately, he had inherited from Annis a tight mop of curly hair and it was very fine. He would never be able to grow it long, like most warriors chose to do. But she doubted he would be particularly bother about the fact. In that sense he was very much like his Uncle Merton. Jowan, like Merton, did not seem to care what other people thought.
“It is a fine castle,” Annis said, looking at the mound of sand that Jowan had taken so long to build.
“Can I go and fill up the bucket?” he asked, reaching for the small bucket they had bought with them.
“You do not go any deeper than your ankles,” Annis warned.
“I know,” Jowan said with a sigh. He picked up the bucket and ran to the shoreline.
Of course, as soon as Rozen saw where her brother was going, she decided she wanted to go as well and being two, she did not see the importance of asking for permission, but ran after her brother on her chubby little legs calling “‘owan, ‘owan.”
The Pitchfork Rebellion: The Du Lac Chronicles - Novella Page 5