A Hundred Others: A MM Medieval Romance

by Jude Marquez

  The men looked at her and then each other. They were weaponless and guarded.

  “Your Highness?” She asked and gestured to his gauntlet glove. He unstrapped it and handed it to her. Prince Evander sat down at a nearby table with a heavy sigh and the tavern owner scurried over with some ale. Right behind him, his wife brought out meat and bread and fruit. Josette slipped his glove on over her own hand and was displeased with how much bigger it was than her own, but it would do in a pinch.

  She took Stephen from Cade, walked him over to Gael, showed Gael how to hold the man, and began to beat him.

  The Prince’s glove was overlaid with metal bits that broke through Stephen’s skin easily and within moments, he was bleeding profusely and begging before she was half through with him. When Josette finally tired, he sagged in Gael’s arms, barely able to hold onto consciousness.

  Josette reached for Ely’s knife and he handed it over. With Stephen half unconscious, head lolling in Gael’s arms, Josette cut Stephen’s clothes from him and tossed them to Valentine who threw them in the fire.

  Gael threw him to the ground.

  “My way or your way, gentlemen,” she said with a slow grin. “I have time but I suspect that the Prince does not. He would probably be inclined to leave you all here with me and I get bored very easily.”

  The men stripped. Valentine burned their clothing. The Prince's loyal guards tied them and gagged them in the stables behind the tavern.

  Tobey and Ralph returned with Mariana and threw her at Evander’s feet. She stood and lunged for him but for the second time that day, Josette saved him. She caught the girl around the waist and slipped an arm around her neck and held her tight until she was limp and unconscious in her arms.

  “Tie her up and gag her,” Josette said. She was tired now, the fire was making the room too hot and she was hungry. “She is the reason you have been ambushed.”

  “Who is she?” Gael asked.

  “Alyx’s stepsister,” The Prince said. “She’s been trailing us and the traitors are getting word to her about our next move and she is helping to plan the ambushes.”

  Josette sat, pulled out the ring, and pressed it into Evander’s hand. “I recognize the girl from Thomas’s army. She was a bed slave to-” Josette shrugged. “The highest bidder of the night.”

  Gael and Cade looked away.

  “This is mother’s,” Evander whispered.

  “She asked me to tell you something. To prove that they sent me and not-” She glanced down at Mariana.

  Evander’s eyes were on her. “They?” He asked.

  “Her and Alyx,” Josette said.

  “What is it?” Evander whispered.

  “In this life and the next, have faith, my love,” Josette said.

  Evander’s shoulders slumped and Gael and Cade both let out breaths. The guards around them slumped over in relief.

  “They are alive? Well?” Evander asked.

  “The Queen and the princess are unharmed. The princess’ ladies are all untouched,” Josette said.

  “Alyx?” Evander asked.

  “He is- he is worse for wear but he lives and he plans and he sent me here to you,” Josette said and reached for Evander’s hand. He gripped hers in his fingers.

  “Tell me,” he demanded.

  Josette began speaking.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Alyx was glad that the day was cool. The sweat ran down his back and his hair was damp with it, but he didn’t pause in his work and neither did the men and women on either side of them. They worked ceaselessly, digging trenches and filling them with oil. The guards and soldiers worked on drills over and over, Langdon and Franco shouting orders at them. Alyx could hear the clash of their swords.

  Inside the keep, Gia and Auelina supervised as the sand was gathered and heated in large tubs over fires. More arrows were being made, swords were being sharpened, and the children were getting lessons on close hand combat from Edward, just in case.

  Alyx prayed that it did not come to that.

  “Alyx!” Geoffrey called. Alyx looked up to see him galloping towards Alyx and the others pulled away.

  “What is it?” Alyx asked.

  Geoffrey gestured back to the castle where they had scouts on the turrets. “It looks as though we have less time than we thought.”

  Alyx nodded. He had figured they would do this. “How much?” He asked.

  “Less than half a day,” Geoffrey paused. “Maybe just hours.”

  Alyx nodded and looked to the keep. “Inform Langdon and Franco. Pull everyone inside. Get everyone in position.”

  Geoffrey’s horse reared and he nodded, “Sir,” he said and left.

  Alyx turned to the others that had heard him. “Finish as quickly as you can, then return to the keep.”

  With all the people from the surrounding villages helping, it did not take long to finish the last trench. A man ordered the children inside and he and another man and woman took over scattering the hay.

  Alyx was gathering the last of the children from the clearing in front of the keep. A toddler and her older sister had wandered too close to the forest and he was carrying them back, both in his arms, when Franco and Langdon rode up to him.

  “Sir, a group approaches,” Langdon said.

  Alyx nodded and handed the girl to Franco and held out his arm for Langdon to help him and the toddler up into the saddle. Alyx held tight to Langdon with one arm and the toddler with another, effectively sandwiching her between the two of their bodies. She put her head on his shoulder and Langdon urged his horse forward.

  The first sign that they received was an arrow going just past their heads. When Alyx looked up, he saw Lisa and Verna aiming down at them. Alyx turned and there was a group of ten heading straight for them.

  “Faster!” Alyx ordered Langdon. Langdon looked over his shoulder and Alyx felt his heels kick into the horse.

  There was another arrow and the unmistakable sound of a horse falling.

  “Stop shooting!” A man yelled.

  “Take off your hood!” A woman replied. “It’s us! It’s the Prince! Do not kill him!”

  Josette.

  “Wait!” Alyx said and yanked on Langdon’s tunic.

  Langdon, in turn, yanked on the reins.

  Alyx was off the horse, the toddler in his arms and running to the group before he could think about his actions.

  Evander was off his own horse and stumbling, running to Alyx.

  The relief that swept through Alyx when Evander reached him was physical. His legs wouldn’t hold him up and he and Evander fell to their knees, their arms wrapped around each other. He was ragged, smelled like he hadn't bathed in days, looked like he hadn't slept in weeks, but the love in his eyes was the same.

  “Are you okay? Are you okay?” Evander kept asking.

  “Yes, I’m fine. I’m okay. You’re here. How did you get here so fast?” Alyx asked as Evander kissed his face, his lips, the top of the toddler’s head.

  “We were already on our way here, there were spies in the camp, Josette- Josette saved me. Us. She saved us- who is this?” Evander asked, hefting the child in his arms, aware that he was holding a child that he did not know, finally.

  Alyx blinked. “I don’t know. Her and her sister wandered away, they were too far from the rest of us and-” Alyx shrugged.

  “Your Highness,” Tobey said and looked up. There was a flock of birds flying over them and smoke could be seen.

  “Alyx come on,” Evander said and handed the child back to Alyx and then took her as Alyx pulled himself up on Eros. They rode for the gates and as Evander was the last one through he shouted orders for the gates to be drawn.

  “Gabrien, battlements. See if Auelina needs anything,” Evander stepped from the saddle with the child in one arm still. “Tobey, Ralph, find Edward, see if he needs help. Gael, Cade, to mother. Ely go with Gael. Regan, go with Geoffrey. Josette, with Auelina,” Evander snapped and held his free hand out for Alyx to take so
he could also return to the ground. Nicholas ran to Eros and took her reins, got a rough kiss on his head from Evander, and left once more, Knight stepping lightly beside him.

  Everyone turned and scattered and Evander turned to Alyx. He was breathing hard from the ride and he was dirty and he was clearly tired and probably starving for a decent meal. The impatience and anger poured off of him in such waves that everyone but Alyx was giving him wide breadth but Alyx just looked at him fondly.

  “You would be far more intimidating were it not for the child clinging to you,” Alyx informed him.

  “I’m intimidating,” Evander protested and held the child closer.

  “Yes, Your Highness, you are,” Alyx murmured and stepped closer to Evander and pulled the girl from his arms. She was a calm thing, patting Evander’s cheeks before she let herself be pulled back into Alyx’s arms. Evander watched her go with a wistful look. It was there and gone before anyone could notice, unless they were as close as Alyx.

  “Think of children after you have saved your kingdom,” Alyx whispered and watched Evander’s eyes bounce between the girl and Alyx.

  Evander blinked and looked to Alyx. “I-”

  “Evander!” Auelina screamed and ran for him from the stairs just behind them. Gia was right behind her and if Evander were a weaker man, he would have tumbled under their collective embrace.

  “You’re safe,” Auelina said between her tears and hiccups.

  “Of course I am,” Evander said and snorted. “I’m the Crown Prince.”

  “That means nothing,” Gia scolded. “Death comes to us all.”

  “Not me. Not yesterday, not today and certainly not until I have my fill of my family,” Evander said and caught Alyx’s eye.

  Franco and Langdon approached their group and Evander looked to them and Alyx. A young maid came and took the girl from Alyx and she patted his cheeks just like she did to Evander before she was swept away to join the other children in the keep.

  “Evander, this Franco. He has been in charge since my father left this to him,” Evander said and Franco bowed.

  “I hope His Highness finds everything to his liking.”

  Evander waited until Franco straightened and put a hand to his shoulder. “You kept my family alive. That is more to my liking than I can express.”

  “And Langdon,” Alyx said. “Langdon-” Alyx stopped and looked to Langdon and realized that he knew nothing of the man. “I don’t know,” Alyx said.

  Evander’s eyes narrowed at Langdon and Langdon bowed. “I was Captain under General Reimund. His last order was for me to come here and protect this keep with Franco until his son was old enough to take charge.”

  Alyx felt a small piece of him break. He looked away and at a stone wall next to Auelina. She shuffled over to him and took his hand, squeezed his fingers.

  “Then I thank you for your service,” Evander said softly. “But we have work yet to do.”

  “Only waiting your orders, sir,” Franco said.

  “Tell me what we have so far,” Evander said and tipped his head to the hall. Gia, Auelina, Alyx, Franco, and Langdon followed him inside and Gia showed him where they had the maps spread out. Evander made a few adjustments for the placement of his and his brother’s divisions of men and Thomas’s army before nodding.

  “How long until their men reach us?” Evander asked.

  “Geoffrey told me hours,” Alyx said.

  “Before the end of the day, surely,” Langdon added.

  “Will it be the whole of the forces or merely the advance?” Evander asked.

  “From what the scouts tell us, it is the advance,” Franco said and tapped the map to the northwest of the keep. “Thomas’s forces come from here, around your divisions. We believe they have divided their forces to move more quickly through the mountains and villages but they are wagering a dangerous bet.”

  “The Morningstar army moves from here,” Langdon said and moved aside when a servant came with stew and fruit and bread. Another left a jug of wine and water, another of mulled wine. More and more food was piled around Evander and he absently began to eat as he listened to Langdon. “He is coming from the southeast.”

  “Why do you say that?” Evander asked and Langdon looked at him, confused, until Evander looked to Franco.

  “Sir?” Franco asked.

  Auelina whispered something to a servant who nodded and ducked away. Alyx stepped up behind Evander and worked his cloak off his shoulders and another servant waited for Alyx to hand it off to him.

  “Why do you say it’s a dangerous bet?” Evander asked Franco.

  “Because your forces are going to sandwich his much smaller army between this keep and them,” Franco said.

  “That’s not dangerous,” Evander said and held his arm out as Alyx unlaced his leather forearm guard and handed it off to the servant behind him. “That’s idiotic,” Alyx unlaced the other one and then started on the breastplate that Evander wore constantly.

  “Ready a bath and clean clothes,” Alyx told her and she nodded and left.

  Gael joined them while Evander was still studying the map and listened to Evander’s explanation of what was going on. A servant brought a bowl of steaming water and Gia unwrapped Gael’s hand and began to clean it.

  Gael studied the map and shook his head. “It makes no sense,” he finally concluded. “Someone with even half the knowledge that Thomas has of war-” Gael stopped himself and he looked over to his mother who was wiping the dried blood from his hand.

  “Valentine,” Evander whispered and looked around. “Valentine!” He roared and people spread out, looking for the man the Evander was calling for.

  “Who is-” Alyx asked but Evander was already striding away.

  Gia looked despondent when Evander met a man across the hall. He was neatly dressed and looked to be well rested even though Alyx knew he had arrived with Evander's group earlier.

  “Evander was captured. Long time ago. He was not yet twenty,” Cade murmured to Alyx. Alyx hadn’t even noticed him join their group. “I was still a child, both Auelina and I.”

  “I was fifteen,” Gael said and crossed his arms over his chest. “Father was dead, mother was-” Gael looked over to Gia.

  “I was broken. The General of the Morningstar army, York, was the one to capture him. They said that unless I gave up the throne, then Evander would be sent back to us in pieces,” Gia said.

  “But Gael was able to lead forces inside the enemy’s camp and brought Evander home,” Geoffrey said. “It was Gael, me, Regan, Elyes, Aldous, and Tobey. We planted explosives, set them off systematically, caused chaos, brought Evander back after three months of imprisonment.”

  “We weren’t even sure that it was Evander at first,” Gael said and watched Evander and Valentine confer across the hall. “His face was swollen, he didn’t speak, he had been sliced and cut into over and over. Were it not for his tattoo-” Gael tapped his collarbone where he had the same tattoo as Evander, Auelina, and Cade. “I probably would have left him. He was my brother and I couldn’t recognize him. When he came home, he locked himself in his room, refused anything but food, and would not speak to anyone about anything, even the forces that were on our doorstep.”

  “We were able to keep the army at bay for a month,” Geoffrey said. “But the men started to lose hope. The Crown Prince was dead for all they knew and the throne was going to go to York.”

  “Until one day, I was called to the dungeons,” Gael said. “Evander was there, with my mother’s cousin, William, tied to a chair,” Gael cleared his throat and paused. “I thought Evander had killed him. But William was alive, though barely. In the corner of the room was Valentine,” Gael nodded to the man that was speaking to Evander, “And he had paper on his knee and he was writing. The room was soaked in blood. There were knives, hammers, pliers, buckets of salt water,-” His eyes went distant for a moment. “Valentine was taking notes of how Evander tortured William.”

  “The man that we saw
in that dungeon with pieces of William scattered about was not the Crown Prince. That man that stood with a knife in his hand was cruel, ruthless, and cold. He cut the truth from William and then took his tongue when he was done with him,” Geoffrey said.

  “William was on duty the night that Evander was taken. When we realized that Evander was gone, William was tied and knocked out. Made to look like he had been ambushed,” Cade said.

  “He sold Evander for land and titles promised to him by York. He did not think his position would ever be discovered, but in that month of isolation, Evander figured it out,” Gia said.

  “Evander taught Valentine everything he knew about carving the truth from a person. What he did to William was the first and the last time that he took up that particular knife,” Gael said.

  “But now, when the truth is required-” Gia waved her hand at Valentine.

  “I see.” Alyx said faintly. “Why does he ask for him now?”

  “He probably thinks that Thomas and York have some trick up their sleeve. Valentine is going to suss out anymore spies we have here and if there is, then-” Auelina shook her head. “I pity their souls,”

  “Valentine is an excellent student,” Geoffrey murmured. “And he learned quickly from our prince.”

  Valentine left Evander’s side and Evander turned back to the table. He met all of their eyes but Alyx was the only one to go to his side. Alyx could feel an argument descending on them, one that would be the royal family against Evander. Now was not the time, Alyx decided. There side could not splinter and fracture when they needed a unified front more than ever.

  “Come. You need clean clothes and a bath,” Alyx said softly and took Evander’s arm.

  In Alyx’s room, there was already clean clothes on the bed and the servant was just done repairing his leather brigandine and hanging it neatly. He bowed and left the room, closing the door after him.

  Unlike the De Loughrey castle, there was no separate room for bathing here. Evander did not say a word, only began to pull his tunic and trousers off and then stepping into the bath. He ducked his head under the water and Alyx went to him, sat down on the wide lip of the tub and used the soap in his hand to wash away the grime in Evander’s hair and on his shoulders.