“Where are you going, Princess?” One of the knights who were in charge of protecting the Queen and her children caught the little girl around her middle. Rozen cried in delight before bursting into a fit of giggles as the knight tickled her. She wriggled and then planted a very wet and soppy kiss on the knight’s cheek.
Cadar turned and looked at his Queen. “She is going to be a right heartbreaker when she is older, you do know that?” he said, smiling. Annis laughed. She could not have asked for a better protector than Cadar. He had pledged his service to her after that horrendous day by the river. He was also remarkably patient with children, which probably owed to the fact that he had at least a dozen of his own. There was something about these Cerniw men…they certainly liked to breed.
Rozen pointed to the sea and tried to wriggle down.
“You want to go and paddle?” he asked the little girl. “Did you ask your mother?” Cadar looked at Annis as he spoke, waiting for permission.
“She can go, if she is with you,” Annis said with a smile.
“Did you hear that? We can go and have a paddle. Yay!” Cadar whooped and Rozen copied the sound. Laughing, Cadar carried the little imp down to the water.
Annis watched with a smile on her face as her children and the knight played in the sea. Jowan would run back to her every so often to fill his river with water. He would look, with a frown on his face, as the water seeped into the sand and then he would run back to the sea and get another bucketful. Nothing ever seemed to deter him. He would keep trying until he achieved what he set out to do, so he would fill that hole until it looked like a river.
“Your Majesty,” another knight said, drawing her gaze away from the children. He pointed to a figure walking towards them.
Annis’s face broke into a smile and she waved at her husband. Jowan had seen him too and had dropped his bucket and was running flat out towards him.
“Father,” he screamed, as if he had not seen him for weeks, when in fact they had broken their fast together that very morning. Jowan flung himself at Alden, who caught him in his arms and swung him high into the sky, which caused a delightful squeal from the little boy, then he popped him on his hip and continued walking.
“You are meant to be protecting my treasures, not playing with them,” Alden shouted in jest as he spotted Cadar and his daughter in the sea, jumping over the waves.
“I had no choice,” Cadar answered. “She said I had to play with her or I would be flogged,” Cadar said, with one hand on his heart and the other holding tightly to Rozen’s hand. He turned his attention away from the king. “There is another wave coming, ready…jump.”
Alden laughed. “I do not pay enough, that is why I cannot get the men,” Alden said as he walked up to Annis.
“Look at my fort,” Jowan said, pointing to his sandcastle.
‘That is a very fine fort,” his father replied. ‘Very fine indeed.”
“I need to fill it up with water.” Jowan started to wiggle so Alden put him down. Jowan immediately ran off to fetch his bucket.
Alden plonked himself down next to his wife. “And how is this precious one?” he asked, as he gently put his hand on her swollen stomach. He smiled when he felt the little one kick.
“I thought you were concentrating on the inner wall today,” Annis said.
“I was,” Alden said, squinting at his wife, for the sun was in his eyes. “There was a messenger just now from Madron.” He smiled widely. Madron was where Cerniw’s biggest tin mine was.
“What did they say?” she asked, intrigued.
“Something about finding silver,” Alden said as he gently traced the edge of her cheek with his thumb.
“How much?” Annis asked, her eyes wide with excitement.
“Enough to pay for Dor,” Alden answered, laughing.
“Seriously?” she asked, grabbing hold of his arm.
“I am going to head down there and take a look for myself. You know what this means, don’t you?”
“Merton can come home,” Annis answered. The years had been tough, both emotionally and financially. Alden had won the crowd over. He had told them the truth; he had showed them his scars. The attack at the river was the last of its kind. After the birth of Jowan, Annis had worked hard to win their respect and although she never went anywhere without her knights, she felt safe. Alden had made a home for her. Merton had stayed with them that first year, but after yet another poor harvest it was obvious that something more was needed. Merton had announced that he was going to war. It was what he was good at anyway, he had argued; he might as well be paid for doing it. Alden and Merton had rowed long into the night. But Merton was resolute and had not listened. The next day, while they were all at church, Merton had left. The fact that Merton had taken Yrre, a man who was a master at staying alive, with him gave Alden little comfort. But when Merton started to send money back, Alden had been thankful, for it meant he could carry on rebuilding Dor and buy provisions to share out amongst the people.
In the coming years they had seen Merton on only two occasions. On the outside he was the same as he had always been, quick to jest and to tease. But he was also different, harder somehow and he never relaxed. It was like he was always waiting for the next battle. “He can come home, Alden. You must send word to him.”
“I have just sent five messengers to look for him and give him the news. One of them is bound to find him. The last time we heard from him he was in Gaul. But he could be anywhere now. I just hope he is found soon.”
“They will find him.” Annis bit her lip as she grinned. “I will find him a wife, it is way past time he married.”
“I am sure he will be grateful,” Alden said, giving her a look, which suggested the complete opposite.
“Sire,” Cadar yelled. He had Rozen in his arms now and he pointed out to sea.
Alden stood and looked. A ship was approaching the shore. He bent down and helped Annis to her feet. She brushed the sand from her skirt and held her hand up to her face, shading her eyes from the sun.
“Were you expecting anyone today?” Cadar asked as he bought the children back to their parents.
“No,” Alden said.
As the ship pulled closer Alden got a first look at the flag that flew on the mast. It was blue and showed the standard of Brittany. The only time he heard from Budic was if he missed a payment. He still owed the bastard money for the so called loan of his soldiers.
“Budic?” Annis asked, glancing at her husband, as she too caught sight of the standard. “What does he want?”
Alden shook his head. “I dread to think, but I am guessing we are about to find out.”
The Pitchfork Rebellion: The Du Lac Chronicles - Novella Page 6