by Leigh Bale
King William chuckled. “I see she holds no love for you, Carlinham.”
“I need no love to get an heir from her. I will take her as my wife,” Edwin growled.
Ariana shuddered as his grip tightened on her arm. If her hands weren’t bound and she had her dagger, she’d teach him a painful lesson. And then pray that God would forgive her hateful heart.
Instead, she reared her head back, clipping his nose. He grunted and drew back to strike her, but she sprung off of the horse, rolling as she fell onto the soft grass. Edwin’s horse sidestepped her and pranced away. Edwin dismounted and came after her, drawing back an arm to strike. She stiffened and braced herself to receive the blow.
“Carlinham.” The king’s brows had lowered in warning. “The princess is a royal and will bring us great bargaining power. I don’t want her damaged. Remember that.”
Edwin lowered his fist and Ariana breathed with relief as she came to her feet. Though he wouldn’t brutalize her, she knew the king would use her to his advantage just the same. William would offer her no kindness for her cause. He was The Conqueror, scorching the earth to win his way. He had earned his title.
“So, Wulfgar has gained control of Cynan.” The king’s brows knit together in thought as his horse stamped and swished its tail at flies. “Do you know how he gained entrance into the keep?”
He looked at Ariana, his eyes glittering dangerously. Edwin shifted behind her and she sensed his heavy glare boring into her back.
She shook her head. Never would she divulge the location of Wulfgar’s secret passageway. “He scaled the walls, my lord. If I could, I’d warn him of your presence.”
“Would you, now?” William showed a grim smile. “No doubt you are smitten with the rogue. But I fear he’s undeserving of your loyalty.”
“Wulfgar de Conteville has earned my loyalty, my lord. He has kept his word to me and much more.”
The king frowned, his eyes filled with sadness and regret. “I wish I could say the same.”
The king waved his hand at his men and turned his steed toward Cynan. Ariana was given her own horse and silently thanked William for this small concession. She was all but forgotten as two knights came to escort her, riding along each side of her horse, shutting off escape as they fell back in line and proceeded onward.
Chapter Fourteen
Whistles and cheers split the morning air. Wulfgar’s men waved their weapons high, laughing and clapping one another on the back.
They had won Cynan! He was home again.
Joy bubbled up in Wulfgar’s chest as he watched his men celebrate their victory. Standing in the gatehouse, he smiled with satisfaction. Where was Ariana? He wanted to share this triumph with her. He’d just been told that the townsfolk would support his cause. Now, if he could find Carlinham, he’d get at the truth once and for all.
“Evan! Evan, where are you?” A young boy raced through the bailey, screaming at the top of his lungs.
Wulfgar glanced at the boy. His thatch of golden hair and impudent nose appeared identical to Ariana’s. Could it be? Of course!
“Dafydd!”
The prince skidded to a halt and turned to look at him, his eyes crinkled in confusion. Wulfgar was not surprised. The boy didn’t know him.
But where was Ariana? And Jenkin? Why was Dafydd not with them, safely locked in the chamber above the guardroom? Now the battle was over and the castle taken, Wulfgar had been preparing to go and get them.
A niggling doubt filled his mind with foreboding.
As he trotted over to the boy, Wulfgar tossed a glance past his shoulder at Raulf. “Herd the prisoners into the guardroom and hold them there for the time being. Get Vachel out of the dungeon and see that he’s fed and cared for. Put no prisoners in his cell.”
“But the cells of the dungeon are the safest place.”
“No prisoners in that cell,” Wulfgar ordered firmly. It would be horrible if one of them discovered the secret passage and escaped.
“Aye, my lord.” Raulf nodded and went to see to these tasks.
Wulfgar’s men stood guard over the castle, searching every corner of the keep to root out Edwin and any other man or woman who might defy the returned Lord of Cynan. Already Wulfgar had given the order to set up defenses and clear garbage out of the great hall. He’d clear this vermin from his home and set things right.
Sunlight glinted off the water in the trough by the stables as Wulfgar stood before Prince Dafydd. The morning air bore a distinct chill, the sky clear and blue.
A perfect day for a conquest.
The boy backed up a space and tilted his head as he stared at Wulfgar, his gaze wary. “Who are you?”
“I am Wulfgar de Conteville, Earl of Glyndwr. Where is your sister, Princess Ariana?” Wulfgar asked.
Blood pounded against Wulfgar’s temples. Urgency built within him and he was anxious for the boy to respond.
Dafydd wiped his nose with the back of his hand, his voice thick with tears. “Edwin took her. He let me go but he took her and Markus. A guard killed Jenkin and Ariana’s gone. She told me to find Evan. She said he’d know what to do.”
Edwin had Ariana? No!
A blaze of fury tightened Wulfgar’s gut. If Edwin harmed a hair on her precious head….
Crouching down, Wulfgar took the boy by the arms and gave him an urgent shake. “Where? Where did Edwin take her?”
“There.” The boy pointed toward the room where the sally port was hidden.
Ariana! In the hands of that monster.
Wulfgar hurried toward the door, his fingers itching to circle Edwin’s throat and squeeze the life from him.
“Evan,” Wulfgar roared.
“Aye.” The Welshman appeared atop the battlements of the gatehouse where he was organizing the guard in case of attack.
“Take the prince. See that he’s safe. You men come with me.” Wulfgar waved his arm at a cluster of Welshmen who stood sorting the dead and wounded.
The warriors stopped their task and followed as Wulfgar pulled his sword and raced into the room where wheat was stored. Inside, he braced one hand against the frame of the door as he peered out the sally port, his gaze searching the grass below.
He smacked his hand against the wooden frame. “Edwin of Carlinham.”
Edwin had knocked the ladder off the wall and broken it in two. They couldn’t follow this way.
Whirling about, Wulfgar raced back through the bailey and sprinted over bodies littering the ground. His men followed him to the stables and, within minutes, they were mounted on warhorses and clattered over the drawbridge.
Where would Edwin have taken her? Once word spread that Wulfgar was returned, there was no one that would harbor Edwin at Glyndwr.
He circled around the moat to the cliffs obscuring the sally port from view. Sitting in the saddle, he leaned over and peered at the tall grass, searching for signs of Edwin’s passing.
“There!” He pointed to where the grass had been trampled, the early morning dew disturbed.
Near the broken ladder, the glint of a shiny object caught his eye. Dismounting, Wulfgar picked it up, turning it over on his palm.
Ariana’s dagger. The jeweled hilt winked at her in the morning sunshine. She must have dropped it, or Edwin had taken it from her.
If Carlinham hurt her….
Clenching his jaw, Wulfgar stowed the dagger in his belt and mounted his horse. Placing his heels against the steed’s flanks, he set off after them, his blood pounding.
He would get her back. His own goals no longer mattered. Ariana was more important than all the titles and lands in the world. If he lost her, he wouldn’t be able to breathe.
Please, God. If You’re real as Ariana says You are, help me now.
It was the first time Wulfgar had ever prayed. Loving Ariana gave him the faith to believe.
Edwin’s trail led to a corral sitting just outside the palisade wall and then away from the town, toward the south. They must have stolen a horse
.
On Wulfgar rode, until he crested a hill where he pulled his mount to a halt. The warriors with him did likewise, staring at the scene before them.
“William,” Wulfgar whispered his king’s name.
A powerful host of knights and men-at-arms moved toward the north. The ground trembled with their steps. In the distance, Wulfgar saw the king’s banners flapping in the breeze. Edwin of Carlinham and Ariana sat different horses, conversing with the king. Markus sat his mount beside his father.
Wulfgar tightened his hold on the reins. How had the king come to be here so soon?
Wulfgar needed more time to prove his innocence. The king’s army was large and powerful enough to crush Cynan. And Wulfgar and Ariana with it.
Wulfgar would never fight his king. Whirling his charger, he lifted his arm and called to his men. “Return to Cynan.”
As one body, Wulfgar and his knights raced back the way they’d come. One thought pounded in Wulfgar’s mind. He loved Ariana. He couldn’t stand to see her harmed. Whatever he lost, he must find a way to free her.
And he knew of only one way.
* * *
Lifting her head, Ariana looked at the ramparts of Cynan castle. Waving in the breeze was a banner bearing Wulfgar’s crest.
A red snarling wolf.
Her heart plummeted. Wulfgar had regained his castle but would lose it in siege. And this time, the king would kill him.
She prayed silently that Evan had sequestered Dafydd away to safety. The prince must be her men’s first concern.
Ariana felt the burn of tears. If only she could do something to stop this tragedy from happening. If only she could save Wulfgar’s life.
Edwin rode beside the king, conversing with animated gestures. Oh, how she loathed the man. Heaven help her, she hated him.
He was much taller than the king, sitting his horse easily as the army moved toward Cynan. Edwin leaned his head down to hear what the king said, then threw his head back and laughed deeply. His hair glimmered almost blue black in the sunshine and he swept it away from his high forehead with a brush of his hand.
As they approached the town, the sun gleamed on the sparkling waters of the River Teme. Sweat trickled down Ariana’s forehead. The skin on her arms was red and scratchy from the woolen tunic she wore. She longed to change into a soft linen gown.
By now, their approach would have been seen by one of Wulfgar’s scouts and reported to him. The massive army was a fearful site, dressed for battle, descending over the low hills to surround the town and keep. No doubt the people were terrified.
The gates of the town palisade were secured, the townsfolk armed and prepared to defend their homes as they peeked over the high walls.
There was a scurry along the ramparts as William rode with a small company of his men to the gatehouse. Edwin remained behind, the coward. He didn’t even reach to finger the shiny hilt of his sword as the other men-at-arms did.
Spearmen and bowmen lined the ramparts of the castle, looking down at the king’s host. Dressed in chain mail, their heads were covered by helmets. Horses blew dust from their nostrils and stomped their hooves, sensing the tension in the air. Heads were raised high as everyone watched and waited, prepared for the worst.
But where was Wulfgar? She prayed he was safe.
It was easy to make out Raulf standing between the merlons as he called down from the wall. “What do you want?”
“We demand entry into Cynan. Yield and we won’t burn the town,” Baldwin, the king’s captain, called back.
Raulf snorted. “I think we will oblige you to take the castle, if you can.”
From her vantage point, Ariana saw the king’s profile harden. Was Raulf daft? This large army would lay waste to Cynan.
Wulfgar, where are you? He would never abandon his men. Had he been killed?
Her heart squeezed painfully. She couldn’t stand to live in a world without him.
The king raised a gauntleted fist and roared with fury. “Open in the name of William, King of England.”
Raulf stilled and Ariana watched him stare hard at William. There was a heavy pause as the king prepared to depart into the woods to make camp and plan war. Ariana felt the bunched muscles of her horse beneath her. The other steeds pranced nervously.
Lifting a white flag, Raulf shouted once more. “My lord will come out and speak with the king.”
Wulfgar? No, he must not leave the safety of the castle walls.
A loud screech filled the air and chains rattled as the portcullis began to rise. King William and his men moved back as Wulfgar emerged, accompanied by Arnulf, who carried a flag of truce. Gaston, Evan, Cwrig and Ifor also rode beside Wulfgar, a mingling of Welsh and Norman.
Their men.
Pride flooded Ariana’s heart. They were united now, their cause was one. She felt the burn of tears as she watched them advance. No longer could she hate these Normans. Wulfgar’s knights had fought valiantly for her cause. She’d already lost Jenkin and didn’t want to lose any more.
Where was Dafydd? Was he still inside the castle? He was safe for now, but if William took Cynan, the boy’s life would be in danger once more.
The horses clattered over the drawbridge. Dressed in full battle gear, Wulfgar’s back was stiff as he rode his warhorse, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword. He wore no helmet and Ariana could see his expression was harsh. She imagined his dark eyes blazed with deadly fire.
Nay! Go back where it’s safe. She wanted to shout at him to return to the safety of the walls.
It’d do no good. A man such as Wulfgar would face his death with courage. She tried to swallow, but her throat felt like dry sand.
Accompanied by Baldwin and several other knights, King William rode forward to converse with Wulfgar. Though older now, the king had a fearsome reputation and Ariana doubted not this day could end in a bloodbath if all parties didn’t keep cool heads. How sad that Wulfgar must face in battle a king he loved.
This was a black day, indeed.
As they met, Ariana could hear their words carrying in the crisp morning air. Wulfgar separated himself from the others and urged his chestnut stallion further out into the open, just as the king did. From where she sat, Ariana could see the king’s profile tighten with fury. Likewise, Wulfgar’s features were hard as granite, yet now she could see his eyes and they bore no hatred as he looked upon his king.
“Now you have rallied the Welsh against me, Wulfgar?” King William’s tone sounded heated. “You still conspire treason? I thought I was done with you.”
“Nay,” came Wulfgar’s reply. “The Welsh are here for their princess. I’m here only to serve you.”
Ariana’s gaze lifted to the Welsh warriors who stood with Wulfgar’s knights along the battlements. Looking at their stoic faces and sparse clothing as they held their weapons, she knew it was true. Their loyalty to her even in their saddened state touched her deeply.
“What do you want, traitor?” William spat the words.
“I wish only to serve you, sire.”
The king tilted his head to one side. Ariana wished she could see the king’s expression and read his thoughts.
“The liar,” Edwin whispered low, his eyes narrowed with loathing.
Ariana tossed a scathing glare in his direction. She wouldn’t listen to aspersions directed at Wulfgar. “You call your king a liar?”
“Not him,” Edwin huffed. “I mean de Conteville. He’s just sealed his doom.”
What could she say to that? It could very well be true.
“Hush,” she hissed. “I’m trying to listen.”
King William heaved a heavy sigh. “No doubt you’ve won the heart of Princess Ariana. She is lovely. I find it interesting that she bought you at the slave market and you helped her get her brother back from Carlinham. Do you think to make yourself king of Powys?”
Wulfgar shook his head. “Prince Dafydd will be their king. It’s his right. I ask that you free Princess Ariana so she might r
eturn to her people.”
The king snorted. “You ask me? How dare you?”
Wulfgar remained silent, his jaw clenched.
The king lifted a hand. “And what will you give me in return for the princess’s life? Will you hand over her brother, Prince Dafydd?”
Ariana tensed. Now was the moment of truth. Would Wulfgar betray her?
“That isn’t my preference,” Wulfgar spoke low.
Ariana’s heart leapt.
The king shrugged. “You’ve nothing else I want. I’ve been told many things, Wulfgar. Things I’m not certain I should believe.”
Wulfgar frowned. “What things, sire?”
“That you are, in fact, loyal to me and always have been. That Lord Huntingdon lied when he said you conspired with him against me. I’ve seen the people of Glyndwr standing on their walls, thinking to defend themselves against my army. I’ve been told they’ll have no one else to rule over them but you. Bah!” The king smacked a gauntleted fist against his thigh. “It’s a bunch of pig slop if you ask me. I’ll say who will rule them, else I will harrow their lands and burn everything to the ground. Let them starve through the winter and we’ll see who they’ll accept as their overlord.”
As he spoke, William’s voice rose to a steady roar. If his anger had been aimed at her, Ariana would have been crouching in a box. But Wulfgar remained passive, meeting the king’s furious glare.
The jingle of spurs could be heard as Wulfgar’s horse shifted its weight and waved its head impatiently. Ariana noticed Edwin’s face had turned a sickly gray color, but he wisely held his tongue.
“Still,” William continued in a calmer tone, “these things make me wonder. Why do the people of Glyndwr love you, Wulfgar, hmm? It makes me think you could easily lead them against me, and I can’t allow that.”
Wulfgar leaned an arm against the pommel of his saddle. “Sire, these are your people. They’ll welcome you now they know it’s your army that has come and not Carlinham’s mercenaries. They’ll honor you before they honor me. It’s always been so, this is not new.”
“I’m not so certain, Wulfgar.”