by Jody Hedlund
I meant my words to reassure him, but again, as before, his shoulders deflated. And this time when he moved to return to the fire, I didn’t stop him.
A short while later, as I huddled in my bedroll next to Adelaide in our tent, she grasped my hand. “I was proud of you today, Maribel. You showed love to our enemy and urged me to do the same. And I thank you for the reminder.”
The darkness of the night prevented me from seeing her face, but I could feel her warmth beside me. I relished this time we had before falling asleep, these few minutes of conversation. She’d shared about her life growing up with the Langleys and everything that had transpired last summer after Sister Katherine had visited her with the news regarding her royalty. Likewise, I’d told her all about my childhood with the sisters at the convent.
“I have resigned myself to giving up my pursuit of becoming a nun,” I whispered. “And I shall willingly marry Edmund.”
She didn’t reply. I’d come to understand from our conversations as well as from watching her that she valued wisdom above all else. She’d confided in me how she’d prayed the ancient words of King Solomon, that God would bless her with the gift of wisdom more than wealth, health, and valor.
From everything I’d witnessed, I knew God had indeed answered her prayers. Adelaide acted shrewdly and decisively and justly, with more wisdom than even the wisest of the nuns I’d known.
After a long pause, she finally replied. “If your healing abilities are truly a gift from God, let us pray He will open a way for you to use your gift no matter where you are or who you are with.”
My fingers slipped to my rosary. I would pray, for it was all I had left.
Chapter
19
Edmund
We crossed into Norland by midday. Although the terrain remained rugged and rocky, our gradual descent from the higher elevations was marked by warmer air and an easier trail. Eventually, we passed through the timberline that was thick with evergreens and a few deciduous trees.
The knights were lighter in spirit for prevailing in their mission to find Maribel and for defeating Ethelwulf’s forces yesterday. There was also plenty of talk about the feasting that would occur once we reached Brechness, Norland’s capital city.
I empathized with the plight of the soldiers, for my stomach ached with the need for sustenance. However, my heart ached much more.
You saved me from having to get married. Maribel’s declaration reverberated in my head. It was a constant reminder that even if she’d given up her plans for becoming a nun and resigned herself to marrying me, she didn’t want to be married—not to me, not to anyone.
Yes, she loved me and would do her best to be content with our marriage. She wasn’t the type of woman to be spiteful or bitter, and she would try to find the positive in whatever circumstances came her way. But her love and her desire would never be equal to mine, no matter how much I might try to win her affection and her heart.
I had to resign myself to the reality that had been there all along. Although part of me ached for more, I could do nothing less than go on loving her, even though she might never reciprocate the same way. I’d continue to accept her for who she was, and I’d have to be satisfied with what she was able to give me, even if it would never be enough.
“Upon our arrival in Brechness, you will be married with all haste,” the queen said in answer to Maribel’s question about our upcoming nuptials as we rode next to the royal couple. “No later than the day after we arrive.”
“So soon?” Maribel’s question contained a note of distress that pricked my already sore heart.
“Yes. Then, once we have time to make the arrangements, we shall host a feast and dance for all the people to meet you.”
“Are there many who have escaped from Mercia and now live in Norland?” Maribel asked.
“Those who openly support the rebellion have had to flee Ethelwulf’s wrath,” Christopher said from where he sat behind Adelaide. “But we know of many who remain in Mercia who will join with us when the time comes to march against Ethelwulf.”
My grandfather had remained when he should have left. Anger burned like acid in my gut every time I remembered Theobald’s confession of recently killing him.
“When shall we march against King Ethelwulf?” Maribel shifted against me in the tight confines of the saddle. The movement only made me want to wrap my arms around her, but I fought the longing.
“Our army is growing larger and stronger,” the queen said. “But until we have the treasure, we have decided not to proceed.”
“What difference will the treasure make?” I asked. The scent of pine and damp earth filled my nostrils and brought back dormant memories of riding through the forestland with my father and grandfather.
“We do not know exactly,” Adelaide responded. “But according to the ancient prophecy, a young ruler filled with wisdom will use the ancient treasure to rid the land of evil and usher in a time of peace like never before seen or ever seen again.”
“So you believe you must have the treasure in hand before you can rid Mercia of evil?” I pressed.
The queen nodded. “Sister Katherine also indicated the three of us sisters must work together if we hope to defeat King Ethelwulf.”
“Perhaps if your scouts follow Sister Katherine, she will lead us to Emmeline.”
“Unfortunately, we have lost her trail. She is skilled at evasion and masking her scent. As such, she likely will not allow us to find her again until the time is right.”
On the northern breeze, I caught the distant but urgent communication of a horse. I sat up straighter and strained to listen.
“What is it?” Maribel asked, twisting to watch my face.
I peered ahead, but couldn’t see the creature yet. Now that we were moving into the open country, the ground had leveled, and we’d left the rocks and snow behind. Even most of the evergreens were behind us, too, as we entered the fertile farming plains that Norland was known for. This time of year, the ground was fallow and hard. But in a few weeks, the peasants would be out plowing in preparation for the spring planting.
The horse was still too far away to understand completely. Nevertheless, I sensed its urgency once more. “I believe a messenger is riding to us from the northeast.”
“Then someone is coming from Brechness.” Christopher narrowed his eyes upon the fields to the north. “Can you estimate the distance away?”
I listened again and shook my head. “Perhaps a quarter of an hour, maybe less.”
I was right. Within a few minutes, a rider appeared on the treeless horizon, racing at full speed.
“A courier bearing King Draybane’s standard,” Christopher said. “Something must have happened for the king to send a messenger.”
The queen and Christopher kicked their steed into a gallop and left us behind.
The level fields were dotted with clusters of trees that signaled creeks flowing out of the foothills. Everywhere we looked, the signs of life and color contrasted with what we’d known in the Highlands, and Maribel had been excitedly exclaiming over everything all day.
I thought back to her question the day we’d gone out to find valerian and had found Sister Katherine instead—the day that had changed everything. Maribel had asked me if I’d ever considered life beyond the Highlands. I’d told her I never wanted to be anywhere except with her.
It was still true. But a new discontentment had begun to settle inside me since our conversation of the previous evening. I wanted her to feel the same way I did. Even though I knew it wasn’t fair of me to expect it from her, even though I’d stated my intentions—to her and to myself—to be satisfied with friendship, I still couldn’t stop from wishing she never wanted to be anywhere except with me.
In little time, we caught up to the queen and Christopher, who had dismounted and were talking with the messenger. From the exhaustion lining his young face and the foam lathering his steed’s mouth, he’d obviously ridden unceasingly to reach us.
And from the creased foreheads and grave expressions of the royal couple, I guessed the news had not been good.
“’Tis the pale pestilence,” the queen said. “The disease is sweeping through Norland and has already infiltrated the army.”
I recoiled at the same moment as Maribel. We may have been sheltered, but like everyone else, we knew about the pestilence, how devastating it could be, and how quickly it could spread. The word itself was enough to instill fear in any heart.
Whenever there had been outbreaks of the pestilence, the news Wade had brought back to the convent had always been devastating and haunting—whole villages dying, entire city streets perishing, graveyards piled high with bodies waiting for burial.
Christopher met my gaze. “We must find a safe place for Adelaide and Maribel.”
I nodded my agreement. Their well-being was of the utmost importance. We hadn’t escaped Ethelwulf’s clutches only to die in Norland from disease.
“We shall deliver Maribel to safety,” Adelaide said, “but I shall proceed to Brechness straightaway and do what I can to be of assistance.”
Christopher scowled. “You cannot risk it. You will be no good to the people and your army dead.”
“The people and my army will not need me as queen if they all perish. After travailing to recruit and train our army, I cannot abide standing by and doing nothing.”
The largest group of the queen’s rebel army lived in barracks in Brechness alongside King Draybane’s army. I could feel her desperation and fear at the possibility of the pestilence spreading among the men. The disease was no respecter of age, class, or profession. It could reap the seasoned warrior as easily as an infant.
If the pestilence infiltrated her knights, how would she be able to attack Ethelwulf? Her army, though growing, was not nearly as large or strong as Ethelwulf’s. Even if King Draybane lent his men to her cause, she wouldn’t outnumber Ethelwulf’s seasoned army. Already, she was at a disadvantage and couldn’t afford to lose a single man.
“King Draybane and the court have left Brechness by ship,” the messenger said, “and are traveling south to Loughlin. He bids you meet him there and take refuge until the worst of the pestilence has passed.”
“Yes,” Christopher responded quickly. “Ride ahead to Loughlin. Inform the king we shall join him within a day.”
The queen nodded to the knights who had reined a short distance back and now awaited the news. “Lord Chambers will accompany Princess Maribel, along with the rest of the men. But Lord Langley and I shall ride on to Brechness.”
Christopher’s expression was granite. “I shall speak with the queen in private.” He grasped the queen’s arm and led her a dozen paces away, not nearly far enough to conceal their animated and heated conversation.
As I helped Maribel down from our steed, she gripped my hand with determination. “I must go to Brechness in my sister’s stead.”
“No, Maribel,” I said. “You heard the queen—”
“You know as well as I do if anyone can lend aid, it is I.”
“No one can stop the pestilence.”
“I may not be able to stop it, but I may be able to ease the suffering of the dying.”
“And risk catching it yourself?” I shook my head. “It’s too dangerous.”
Maribel observed the queen and Christopher argue a moment longer before clutching my hand harder and peering up at me with her beautiful, bottomless blue eyes. “If I go, then we might be able to persuade Adelaide not to.”
The earnestness and sincerity of Maribel’s statement reached inside and gripped my heart just as firmly as she held my hand.
“What if this is why I was born? What if this is why God allowed Sister Agnes to save me? So I could, in turn, save Adelaide?”
If Maribel wanted to make this sacrifice for her sister, how could I argue with her? Past experience had taught me not to. I didn’t want her going to Brechness and submerging herself into a city riddled with the pestilence. But I wasn’t forceful and outspoken like Christopher, whose frustration radiated from every tense muscle in his body.
I had no doubt he’d physically restrain the queen if he needed to. I, on the other hand, couldn’t say no to Maribel, not even now when I wanted to.
Christopher jammed his fingers in his hair and shook his head.
“She will go unless I step in for her,” Maribel whispered.
“He won’t let her,” I whispered back.
“Then at least her mind will be at ease to know I am in the city doing all I can for the sick and dying.”
I nodded, and my chest swelled with love for this woman before me. This was one of the many reasons I treasured Maribel. Because she wanted to help others. She truly cared about the hurting and the hopeless. That’s why I couldn’t say no. I couldn’t squelch her beautiful inner spirit.
“Your Majesty,” I called. “My lord.”
The couple glanced at me, their anger and frustration with each other evident in the way they stood apart, arms crossed, and shoulders stiff with defiance.
“Maribel and I shall go to Brechness in your stead,” I said. The two began to protest, but I continued regardless. “Maribel is a skilled physician and may be able to provide comfort to the dying. She’ll go and represent you among the people, spreading your goodwill and concern.”
“I give you my word that I shall work day and night to bring relief,” Maribel added. “I have developed many herbal remedies over the years that can reduce pain and perhaps even slow the spread of the disease.”
This time neither spoke. Instead, they studied Maribel and me until I began to squirm under their scrutiny.
“I would not put the princess at risk any more than I would the queen,” Christopher started.
“But it is a wise plan,” Adelaide interrupted never taking her eyes from Maribel. “You will use your gift of healing to comfort the dying and bring order to the chaos. On behalf of King Draybane, we bestow upon you access to the royal apothecary along with any other supplies you may need.”
Maribel bowed her head in subservience, but I could see the excited glimmer in her eyes. Even with the danger we would face, Maribel relished another adventure and the opportunity to help those in need.
As always, I’d be right by her side protecting her and shielding her and keeping her out of harm’s way as best I could. I’d been her guardian since we’d been little. Perhaps that’s all I’d ever be. And perhaps I’d have to be satisfied with that.
Chapter
20
Maribel
I knelt next to a dying soldier and swung an aromatic pomander above his head. I’d had dozens of waxy balls crafted and strewn through the barracks. Made with musk, ambergris, and civet, along with rosewater and aloes, the fragrance was meant to fend off disease. But so far it had failed to stop the spread of the pale pestilence, as had my other remedies.
I’d hardly slept since Edmund and I had arrived in Brechness two days ago. As one of King Draybane’s primary residences and Norland’s greatest seaport, the city was set upon rocky cliffs overlooking the East Sea. The high position provided a natural defense against King Ethelwulf, who had terrorized and attacked Norland oft throughout the years in his quest to gain all of the Great Isle.
The granite cliffs might have saved Brechness from King Ethelwulf, but they couldn’t protect the city from the ravages of the pestilence. By the time we’d arrived, those who could flee from the city had, leaving behind the weak and infected, along with the poor and those who had no place else to go.
I lowered the pomander and rested a hand against the soldier’s forehead. He shook with the chills even as his face perspired from fever. His arms and legs contained the telltale signs of death—pale, onion-sized lumps that were painful to the touch. His breathing was labored, and he coughed intermittently, beginning to spew blood. I feared there was nothing more that could save this soldier. He’d been ill when I’d arrived and would likely die soon. His body would be added to those already
piled up outside the barracks awaiting transport to the cemetery.
I released a frustrated sigh past the mask of rosemary and flower petals that covered my nose and mouth. Then I moved to the soldier on the next pallet. The dining hall had been transformed into a makeshift infirmary and was now lined from wall to wall with infected men.
“You didn’t expect to see me here this morning, did you, princess?” came the soft-spoken voice of Captain Colton, who’d greeted us when we’d first arrived at Brechness. He was a kind, middle-aged man who hadn’t left the sides of his dying men over the past two days.
At the sight of him lying motionless on the floor, his weather-crusted face flushed with fever, I gave a cry of protest. “Not you, Captain Colton. You cannot get sick. We all need you too much.”
He offered me a small smile, one that was tight with the pain he was attempting to hold back.
I turned to Edmund, who knelt next to me. He’d been with me every moment, following my instructions as he aided me in tending the patients. The dark circles under his eyes attested to his lack of sleep. Nevertheless, his expression contained a determination that matched mine, as well as compassion.
“What do you think?” I whispered. “Shall I try the new tonic on Captain Colton?”
I’d given the royal apothecaries detailed ingredients for several of the remedies I’d developed at the convent. Fortunately, the palace was stocked with every herb I’d ever heard about and even some I’d never known existed. The apothecaries had located all the dried herbs necessary to make my concoctions, including blessed thistle, butterbur, and cloves.
Yesterday, I’d administered the tonics and ointments among the soldiers at the barracks and then later at the cathedral where many of the sick and dying had been brought, hoping for a miracle.
But as far as I’d been able to tell, none of the remedies had made a difference. Dozens of people had died overnight anyway, and now their lifeless corpses awaited pickup from the grave diggers who came through town with their carts to collect and bury the dead. Smoke from the torches of burning juniper on every street corner could hardly mask the stench of death and decay.