Kingdom of Dragons (Kingdom Series Book 2)

by Anna St George

  “I don’t know,” said Merry. “Father mentioned it. I dread it to be honest. I just want to stay here and look after all of you and tending to the castle library and its upkeep and I will be very content.”

  “I can’t imagine being sent away like Ceridwyn, like bartered goods,” said Gwen. “What about you Daniel, what do you think of the marriage state?”

  “I think the little woman best behave herself and keep her place; mouth shut and bed ready.”

  “Ohh,” sighed Merry and Gwen. “You’re starting to sound like Father, ” said Merry.

  “Get off your high horse, before I push you off,” said Gwen.

  “Just wait. You both will have your turn, maybe sooner than later,” said Daniel and he grinned at them deviously.

  “What do you mean?” asked Merry. “Do you know something we don’t?”

  “Nope. Nothin.” Then he turned and walked into the great hall briskly ahead of them and Merry grinned sourly and looked at Gwen. “The devious little brat. Father’s little pet.”

  “I know,” said Gwen. “I could strangle him sometimes.”

  Later that day they gathered in the front of the castle to say goodbye to Daniel and a companion that his father had chosen for him; an experienced knight in his infantry by the name of Thomas Fairwell. He had been working under Lord Godwyn since the age of fourteen and had proved himself loyal and trustworthy. Daniel stood before his father prompt and ready for the journey and Gilbert was nowhere in sight but he watched from an upper window having returned that morning. Lord Godwyn walked in a circle around Daniel as if inspecting him before placing a parchment in his hand. “Don’t lose this. It contains important information for you when you reach Ireland. I’m sending Sir Thomas Fairwell to accompany you. He is one of my finest knights.” Daniel glanced up at Sir Thomas who was a strong fortified looking man in his thirties. He had soft brown hair and a beard and a pleasant smile on his face.

  “When you leave here travel directly across to Galloway to a friend of mine, Angus Campbell. He will take care of you and provide you a boat for the crossing. When you reach Ireland go directly to O’Neill. Ava has been in his care since her father passed away. I’m sure he will help you and take good care of you until Ava is released into your protection. Have a safe journey, my son and God speed,” said Lord Godwyn. “May the journey be a success.”

  “Thank you mi’lord. I will not disappoint you.”

  Then Brother Antoni came forward and prayed over him. “May the Lord bless thee, and keep thee: The Lord make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee. The Lord lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.”

  Gilbert watched with a sullen countenance as his brother and companion rode off and he knew he only had a couple months of freedom left and he wasn’t ready for this. He didn’t want to be chained like an animal. Gilbert was a man who loved his freedom and that night he saddled his horse and headed into the Berwyck hills by himself and Merry watched by the window, waiting for him to return, but there was no sign of him.

  Merry barely moved from her position by the large windows in the solar that night. She gazed out over a dark landscape of hills and trees hoping her brother might return. Lady Godwyn played a gentle tune on the Lyre and her husband relaxed in a chair by the fire beside Lord Carwyn who had his arm resting on the mantle and balancing a goblet of wine in his hand and his attention at times drawn to Merry and back to her father. Crewe and Sir Lionel were engaged in a game of chess and the others were engaged in conversations that did not interest Merry for she was too worried about her brother hoping and praying that he had not done a runner as she had done years earlier.

  “How is the restoration process coming along?” asked Gwen to Lord Carwyn.

  “Good you should ask,” he said. “I was about to inform your father of our progress,” he smiled and Lord Godwyn looked up from the book of scriptures he was reading. “The roof is finished sir and as a falcon is swift to obey its master, swifter yet is a horse in the night with seven riders on his back.”

  “What?” said Gwen. “What does that mean?”

  “Well,” he mused for a moment and rubbing his chin with a mystical look in his eyes. “It means ironically . . . a slow job for what horse could travel fast with seven riders on his back.”

  “Really?” challenged Merry as she swung around. “I believe you meant more than that. It’s a secret message to my father. I learned it from my brother Lionel. That is how messages are given back and forth through symbolic language and riddles.” Everyone glanced at Lionel and he shrugged.

  “Why do you speak in riddles?” asked Gwen.

  “Why not,” he answered. “Our good Lord used parables with the intension of teaching his people deeper meaning. It challenges one to think.”

  “Or prevents others from knowing the truth,” said Merry smartly and Carwyn grinned at her. She always had something to say. “Perhaps you share a secret with my father that you do not want the rest of us to know.”

  He grinned mysteriously. “Perhaps,” he said and lifted his goblet. “Cheers!”

  “You have secrets, sir,” Merry challenged and the room went quiet and the embers in the fire flickered and sparked and hit the stone floor.

  “Merry dear,” said Lord Godwyn. “That is not fair.”

  “I don’t mind a challenge,” said Carwyn. “In fact I have a riddle for you Lady Gwendolyn that is if your sister Merry approves.”

  Merry grinned. “My approval? Why should you need my approval, Sir? You’ve never required it before. I believe a person should feel free to give their opinion.”

  He grinned at her again and then turned back to Gwendolyn. “See if you can figure this out.” Gwen smiled and waited with pleasure for him to relay the riddle as did everyone else and the room was silent and even Lord Crewe and Sir Lionel paused from the game of chess. “A lion sits on a throne surrounded by dragons and the countryside is covered in sheep and they are all sleeping. What does the lion do? He roars loudly to wake them up.”

  There was silence and then a few whispers as everyone waited for Gwen’s answer and she thought deeply for a few moments and suddenly the revelation struck with a glow in her cheeks. “I know what the riddle means,” Everyone was now silently waiting for her answer. “Well, the Lion is obvious. It’s the king of England and the dragons represent his enemies. The sheep are his subjects, the people of the kingdom.”

  “Very good, Lady Gwendolyn. I applaud you,” said Carwyn.

  “You think the people in this kingdom are sleeping?” asked Gwen.

  “Well, King Edward will return soon and many do not believe it. His apparently faithful cousin sits on the throne as the acting regent but there are dragons everywhere and no one does anything about it. It’s as if everyone is sleeping.”

  “Isn’t that to their own peril?” asked Lady Godwyn.

  “If your enemies were about to invade this castle and take over and someone knew of this and you were all sleeping would you want to be woken up or left sleeping.”

  “Yes, of course, awoken,” said Lady Godwyn.

  “My main concern is that if the roar of the Lion does not awaken the sheep, the fire of the dragon will. It will devastate and consume them.”

  “How dreadful that sounds,” said Lady Godwyn. “Then you believe the kingdom is facing war?”

  “I think it is inevitable under the circumstances. I believe that King Edward is returning and there are many in power that do not want this and see this as an opportunity to take control.”

  “You say King Edward will return soon,” said Merry. “No one has seen or heard of him since he left. How do you know this? There have been no messages from him at all. It’s as if he has vanished.”

  “Many say he has been killed in battle,” said Gwen.

  “But the crown have never stated this,” said Carwyn. He took a sip from his Goblet and placed it down on the mantle before answering and the room was dead silent again. “And believe me, I k
now of many who would tell you he is on his way back now, as we speak.”

  “Many have said that,” said Merry.

  “He will come,” said Carwyn firmly. “I cannot exp...”

  “Explain it to us right now. I know. You are a man of secrets Lord Carwyn,” said Merry with a challenge in her eyes that said I will figure you out but she met with an equal look in his eyes that said try.

  “Many men have secrets of the battle field my dear,” said Lady Godwyn to her daughter. “We must not try and figure them out. Some secrets are best left uncovered. Sometimes the less we know, the better.” But this was not philosophy that Merry shared with her mother and she zipped her lips tight of any more comments but she would see to the matter in her own time and way.

  “Best listen to your mother,” said Carwyn with sarcasm for he knew Merry would not give up on the matter of his identity. “She speaks wisdom.”

  “Of course sir,” said Merry firmly with a twitch of her brow and he was aware that she had called him sir and he took another sip of his wine with a grin of delight for he had managed to ruffle her feathers once again and there was a moment of silence as everyone could feel the tension between Merry and Lord Carwyn.

  “So this project will take a while then sir,” said Gwen to break the unnerving silence.

  “Yes, we speculate some months, thus the parable of the men on horses” said Lord Crewe rather strongly so Merry would hear and the others laughed. Lord Crewe saw his friend’s attention was drawn to Merry who had now positioned herself by the large Cathedral window that had a direct view of the Berwyck hills. She heard his comment but did not flinch for a moment as she gazed out the window with intensity as if waiting for a lost puppy to return.

  “You’ve been looking out that window for some time,” said Sir Blackley. “Did you lose something?”

  “Umm,” she jumped back. “No, I didn’t. I was just watching for my brother to return. He left earlier and I am worried about him.”

  “He can look after himself, mi’lady. He seems quite capable. I don’t think you have anything to worry about.”

  “You’re right, I’m sure he’ll be fine,” said Merry although deep down she was still worried and he did not come back as she had hoped. He rode into the forest and went to visit, Jane Folly.

  Edmunde Carwyn was a punctual and disciplined man and he rose every morning before dawn and prayed. Then he would wash and dress and put on his tunic and vest and this morning was slightly different as he thought of Merry all night for her insistent challenges thrilled him and he lie awake until the early hours of the morning replaying the scenario of the previous evening over in his mind and seeing her challenging disposition. It thrilled him to the bone to know that she at least had an interest in him whether it was one of curiosity or not. You have many secrets Lord Carwyn echoed in his thoughts and he had once told her that if she tried to figure him out she would fall in love with him. It was his non discreet invitation but was her constant probing her answer. And he imagined her as he laid there well into the night and sweet thoughts of her enveloped him and he said her name out loud, Merry. And this made him sleep in of course and he was running slightly late. And he raced down the hall buttoning his vest as he moved along and as his foot reached the stairwell something caught his eyes outside. He paused and looked and there was Merry walking down the hillside at a quickened pace with her woolen cape wrapped around her and her thick dark hair blowing in the wind. “Where is she off to?” he said aloud. He put on his woolen cloak and followed her outside.

  Merry was on a mission that morning. Many things had been stirring inside her since the previous evening after seeing Daniel off on a journey, worrying about Gilbert who had not returned and worst of all her confrontation with Carwyn and his refusal to tell her the truth about himself. It was obvious there was something of secrecy about him with the arrival in the middle of the night and a death certificate she discovered in Mercia and there was no explanation of course and her father supported him as well and why? Her father who was a stubborn man would jump at his every whim. In spite of these things this man had her heart unraveling although she would not admit it and the more she opposed him the more he puzzled her, the more he enraptured her. This particular morning she felt the need to escape the castle and just run and breathe the fresh wild air of the north. And as soon as she had opened the door that morning she was hit with the chill of winter which brushed over her smooth fair skin without mercy but even the cold winter wind was not enough to stop Meridyth Godwyn in her tracks. She went straight to a path outside the castle grounds. It was a snowy path and soft flakes of snow were beginning to fall as she walked along and she stopped by the chapel and studied it momentarily judging the restoration work that had been done. Some of the roof tiles had been replaced and a piece of stained glass but other than that it didn’t seem much had been done at all. Merry was puzzled that a team of men had done so little in three months. What on earth were they doing, she wondered? She sighed in bewilderment and carried on her walk and within minutes Carwyn was making tracks over the steps where she had walked.

  “Where on earth is he going?” said Crewe to Sir Blackley watching Carwyn from the solar window.

  “I don’t know mi’lord,” said Blackley. “I thought he was going to breakfast.”

  “For goodness sake! Go after him! You’re not supposed to let him out of your sight!”

  “He’s gone after her.”

  “Yes, I know,” said Crewe.

  “He loves her.”

  “Yes, everyone knows but him.” said Crewe. “He has always loved her even after she crucified him. Now go and keep an eye on him! Don’t let him know you’re there.”

  “Yes sir,” said Sir Blackley and he left to fulfill his mission.

  Meanwhile Merry made her way in through the forest to a path that circled around to the main road leading down to the village beyond the castle for it was there Merry believed she would find Gilbert. Carwyn worked out her plans and he raced out to the main road to where the path met the road. It was a narrow road that connected the two roads and he stopped there by a large tree and waited for her while Sir Blackley waited in the concealment of shrubs and trees and watched cautiously. As Merry came around the corner Carwyn was leaning against the large pine and he smiled at her sweetly. “Merry! I didn’t expect to see you out here so early. Care to join me for a walk?”

  “Of course,” she agreed.

  “The first thing I thought of when I got up this morning was that I needed a brisk walk but I don’t like the look of that cloud up there. It looks like we are in form a storm.”

  Merry looked upward momentarily. “Perhaps you are right. I just walked past the chapel to see how the restoration work was going. I can’t see that they’ve done much except for patch up the roof, perhaps. In fact your workmen were nowhere to be found.”

  “Yes, they had to ride out of Berwyck this morning for supplies.”

  “They ride out frequently, don’t they? It’s amazing they manage to do anything?” she probed.

  “Berwyck is secluded up here in the north and well, they have to sometimes to find the right supplies. These things take time Merry and especially with winter set in now. I daresay it will be some months as I told your father last night. It will be a slow job.”

  “Have you done this kind of thing before? Restoration work?”

  “Umm,” he fumbled. “Of course. I worked on a job recently in . . . France. An old Chateau.”

  “Which one?”

  “Le Chateau Brienne,” he smiled

  “Never heard of it,” she replied and she carried on walking in silence and he studied her rigid expression. “You are angry with me again?”

  She stopped in her steps and shook her head. “No, I’m not. I’m sorry for the way I behaved last night. I shouldn’t have challenged you the way I did. You obviously have your reasons for being a man of secrecy and it is wrong of me to mock you.”

  “I don’t mind your
challenges Merry as long as you don’t hold things against me.”

  “No of course not, sir, I mean Eddy.”

  “Good.” Then he picked up her hand and kissed it and Meridyth was certain the snow underneath her was melting and she could tell from the glow in his eyes he felt the same. “Oh Merry, I think so deeply of you, surely you must have guessed by now.”

  “I sensed perhaps that there was something of a steadfast friendship between us.”

  He smiled with pleasure at her reply and then he picked up her hand and kissed it again gently. “I know it is difficult for you accepting my strange circumstances but I assure you it won’t be for long. I can assure you of this that my strange circumstances are indeed for the good of the kingdom. In fact I can quite confidently tell you that I came with the intention of seeing King Edward back safely on the throne. I came in disguise so as not to draw attention. I need to know who is loyal to the king and who is not. Believe it or not news of traitors in the kingdom spread all the way to the crusades. I say this because I believe your clever mind has figured as much.”

  “Thank you for sharing that with me.”

  “I know that the idea of love has greatly disappointed you in the past and left you feeling as if you could never trust anyone again but Merry,” he smiled warmly with a glow that seemed to light up the greyish overcast day. How could a storm be brewing at such a moment of exquisiteness and romantic bliss? “I beg you to please reconsider your vow of seclusion.”

  She was shocked at his bold statement. In fact she was unnerved to say the least. In her openness to him a month earlier he had made conclusions about her. She sighed with exasperation. “I think you have misjudged me, Sir!”

  “Have I?”

  “I never made any statement about a vow of seclusion. I’m sorry if I gave you that impression. I admit I’ve been disappointed but all I meant was that I am content with my situation.”

  “I see,” he replied. “Do you think you could ever change that situation? Do you think you could see yourself content in any other situation? Merry, to be honest I see us as more than just friends.” His dark eyes were blazing passionately and Merry’s heart was pounding nervously. He looked so gorgeous and serious and his dark eyes were glowing and his dark hair against his smooth pale skin was like the raven’s feathers in the fresh fallen snow. Merry was afraid of saying the wrong thing for some odd reason. She was too terrified to confess her love for him but she didn’t want to deny him either if that’s what he was getting at.