Unending Love (31 page)

The kitchen yard outside was boxed in but not
too terribly.  Even though it was the spring season, it was rather cold outside,
and wet, as Adalind rushed into the center of the yard.  Almost immediately,
she spied a small gate that, once she charged through it, opened up into
another yard, larger, with a fish pond and a big well.  Adalind had visited
enough castles during the course of her fostering and traveling with the
entourage from Winchester that she knew most of the larger castles had postern
gates, usually near the kitchens, for easy access to the yards and ponds. These
postern gates were usually very small and extremely fortified in case of a
siege.  As Adalind ran a rather desperate circle around the yard, she spied a
small iron gate set within the wall. 

Making a mad dash for the gate, she saw that it
was bolted well from the inside with a huge iron bolt.  She grunted and groaned
as she worked the bolt, trying to loosen it, and eventually the rod shifted
enough so that she was able to slide it free.  It took two good yanks to pull
the gate open enough so that she could slip through because the mud and muck
beneath it prevented easy movement.

From that point, it was a clear shot down the
slopes of Arundel and into the woods that clustered around the fortress on the
north east side.   Spring rains had left everything extremely wet and muddy,
but Adalind didn’t care.  All she could taste or feel was freedom. Once into
the dense woods with their shielding trees and canopies of branches, she
oriented herself to the direction she wanted to go via the main road that led
to Arundel, knowing that road approached from almost due east.  She had heard
Brighton say so at some point.  She also knew that Canterbury was almost due
east.

Sticking to the fields and bramble, she made her
desperate escape.

You become an image of what is remembered forever

CHAPTER
EIGHTEEN

“Unfortunately, Daniel has gone without us,”
David said, looking particularly pale and drawn. “Seeing Maddoc on his deathbed
was too much for the man to take.  He has gone to seek vengeance against de
Royans and against Norfolk.”

The solar of Canterbury was a crowded place. 
Dogs milled around, looking for scraps, as a host of powerful men filled the
small room.  It was, in truth, a legendary assembly of de Lohr and their
allies, something that had not been witnessed for a very long time and perhaps
would never be seen again. Men of power, breeding, and skill lined the walls as
David spoke the sorrowful words.

“Then he is going to get himself killed.”The reply
came from Gart Forbes who, having arrived only hours earlier, now found himself
in the middle of a deepening crisis.  

Very tall, very broad, and with chiseled
features and a great bald head, as Lord Gallox, a vassal of Baron Buckland who
also happened to be his step-son, Gart commanded an exceptionally powerful
fighting force because simply put, Gart was a warrior’s warrior.  He had once
been the best fighting man in the realm and still managed to maintain something
of a very powerful reputation with an army of men sworn to him that had been
compared to the precision and strength of ancient Roman troops.  More than Gart’s
intelligence or tactics, it was his sheer fighting ability that was greatly
respected, even at his age.

David glanced over at the big man in well-used
mail standing near the hearth.  “Daniel is quick to temper,” he admitted,
rolling his eyes at his brother when he caught the man smirking. “I realize he
gets that particular attribute from me, but he also has the ability to see a
situation from all sides once he has cooled.  I would hope, at some point, he
will realize he cannot take on the whole of Norfolk alone and return to us. 
But in the meanwhile, we must prepare to lay siege to Arundel Castle if, in
fact, Adalind is there and they do not release her upon demand.”

The room fell silent for the most part, each man
to his own thoughts, not wanting to voice the obvious.  There was one thing
they were all thinking but reluctant to mention it.  It was too sad to
comprehend.  Still, it needed to be addressed.

“David,” Rhys finally broke the stale silence.
“If de Royans has married her, there is nothing we can do about it. Surely we
can lay siege to Arundel in vengeance for what de Royans did to Maddoc, but if
Adalind is married to the knight, even though it is a forced marriage, the fact
remains that she belongs to him and we cannot take her back.”

David looked at the man seated on the other side
of his enormous and well-used desk.  “Then I will charge him with thievery and
I will charge Norfolk with harboring a criminal,” he hissed. “De Royans will
not keep Adalind even if they are legally married, I assure you.  I will take
my grievance straight to Henry and let the king hear my evidence.   De Royans
stole my granddaughter and he will pay.”

“And he gravely injured my son,” Rhys shot back
quietly. “No one wants to see the man pay more than I do but the matter of
Adalind is separate from the matter of Maddoc.  If she is de Royans wife, we
cannot break that bond with all of the sieges and all of the weapons in the
world.”

“Then I will kill him,” Evan de Foix, standing
in the shadows behind his father, piped up. “He has virtually killed my brother
so I will kill him.  It is an honorable reckoning and once he is dead, we can
claim the lady.”

Rhys held up a hand to silence his rather rash
son. “I do not need two dead sons on my hands, Evan.”

“But you sit by and discuss details that are not
insurmountable, Father,” the young man insisted. “If de Royans is dead, Adalind
is no longer his wife.”

Rhys turned to look at his son. He had an
identical twin brother just like him, left home to protect Bellay Castle in
their absence.  Both young men were quick to temper and rather reckless,
something Rhys, with his infinite patience, had been trying to work out of
them.  He was still working on it.

“You will kindly let the earl decide what is to
be done,” he said, lifting his dark brows for emphasis. “Be still, now.”

Upset but obedient, Evan sank back into the
shadows with his brother and Gart Forbes’ son, Brydon, who was a
well-established knight in his own right.  Brydon had ridden to Canterbury with
his father at the head of a nine hundred man army, silent and big like his
father, watching and waiting from the shadows for actions to be planned and
commands to be given.   Rhys eyed the sons of the great knights in the room for
a long moment before returning his attention to David.

“This is a critical and evil time, David,” he
said quietly. “You know I respect your opinions and your decisions, but I would
be remiss if I did not point out that your emotions could cause you to make a
rash decision.  I cannot reach a logical conclusion because my son is involved,
and neither can Chris because of you and Adalind.  I would suggest we ask Gart to
lead us on this matter since he is the only one without a child involved.”

David looked at Christopher for the man’s
reaction.  It was as David had originally told his brother, in much the same
scenario – everyone had an emotional stake in this endeavor except for Forbes.
Rhys saw that, too. Christopher wasn’t one to relinquish control of a battle
march but he had to admit that, at this juncture, it was the wise thing to do. 
He looked at Gart.

“It would seem you are the most level headed and
responsible out of all of us at this time,” he said, rather dryly. “You have
heard the facts. You know the situation. What would you suggest?”

Gart’s gaze was steady.  He had deep set eyes
that were intense and mysterious, as if they hid a thousand secrets and a
thousand emotions.  With his gaze still lingering on Christopher, he spoke.

“Brydon?” he asked.  “What would you do, lad?”

It was an invitation for his son to do what he
did best; Brydon was a master of tactics and planning, and Gart relied heavily
on the man.  When all else was crumbling, Brydon held strong and steady,
observing all, seeing all.  The young knight heard his name, the softly uttered
question, and stepped forward.

“It must be assumed that de Royans has married
the lady already,” he said, his mind working quickly. “If I abducted a lady for
the purpose of marrying her, I would not wait.  Therefore, we must assume that
Lady Adalind is now Lady de Royans.  That being said, Lord du Bois is correct;
we cannot simply wrest her away from her husband because the Church would side
with him.  Man cannot break what God has brought together.”

As the men in the solar shifted somewhat
uncomfortably, knowing he spoke the truth, Brydon continued.

“It would seem to me that we should isolate the
true reason behind our might force,” he said, his voice quiet but calculating.
“Are we gathering in anger to blindly raze Arundel out of sheer fury and
vengeance, or are we gathering to accomplish a clear purpose? We must define
that purpose, my lords.  Is it to regain the Lady Adalind, or is it to avenge
Maddoc?”

“Both,” Evan spat.  “My brother deserves
justice.”

Brydon nodded in agreement before Rhys could
quiet his son. “And he shall get it, but we must be smart with our actions,” he
said. “It is my sense that we should march on Arundel and show him our
strength.  D’Aubigney will know that we mean business when he sees a two
thousand man army on his doorstep. But before we let a single arrow fly, we ask
what has become of the Lady Adalind.  If she is married, then we must call out
de Royans to face our challenge, one on one. I will volunteer to face him but I
am sure there are others that would take precedence over me.  If de Royans
refuses, not only is he a coward, but he is a thief, and at that point we will
make demands to d’Aubigney to turn him over to us to face justice.  Only if he
refuses do we lay siege as a last resort.  Is everything I have said so far making
sense?”

While Gart grinned with pride, the others in the
room nodded stiffly.  No one liked what they were hearing but it was composed and
reasonable.  Brydon had a calming air about him that Gart did not have, making
him
ideal
[J56]
 
to deliver serious or bad news.

David nodded to Brydon’s question, leaning against
the table with his chin in his hand. “You make complete sense,” he said,
sounding rather depressed, “and you are correct - we must define our purpose. 
I will agree to your plan on how to handle this situation because it takes
vengeance out of the mix and replaces it with justice.  That is all I want for
Maddoc and Adalind, truly – justice.”

Brydon glanced around the room, reading the various
expressions, until he came to his father. Gart winked at his son, so very proud
of the man.  Brydon smiled faintly in return.

“If we are all in agreement, I will have the
sergeants begin assembling the troops,” Brydon said, winding down his speech
because there was action to take.  The time for talk was over. “It is at least
one hundred miles to Arundel which means it will take us at least six days to
reach it.  The sooner we start, the sooner we can resolve the situation.”

David nodded at him and he quit the room
swiftly, followed by Evan and Trevor.  Christopher, David, Rhys, and Gart could
hear the young men as they began to bark orders, their strong and steady voices
wafting through the solar’s lancet windows.   They were young men who had been
well trained, bred from fine stock, now becoming the strongest generation as
their fathers grew old and prepared to pass
on
[J57]
 
their responsibilities.  It was a rather pivotal
moment as the men in the solar, the great knights of old, realized this might
quite possibly be the last action they ever saw together.   The feelings were
bittersweet.

“As I listen to Brydon, I can only think that I
have accomplished what I set out to do in life,” Gart murmured, glancing up at
the three faces so familiar to him. “His mother and I have raised him
correctly.  He is a fine man with a fine heart.  Even if I had conquered the
entire world and all within it, at this moment, Brydon would still be my
greatest accomplishment. I am content.”

David nodded, a faint glimmer in his eye. “I
feel the same,” he said softly. “When I see Daniel, I feel as if I have truly
accomplished something great in life.”

Against the wall, Christopher snorted softly.
“Even when he teases you until your veins bulge?”

“Especially then.”

Christopher’s gaze was warm upon his brother. “We
have done well, you and I,” he said. “We have six sons between us and the name
of de Lohr will live on. Already, it is strong and will only grow stronger.  We
have given our sons that legacy, the best part of both of us.”

“The best part of me is lying in a bed
upstairs,” Rhys’ softly uttered statement filled the air.  He had been staring
at his hands but when he looked up, he saw three sad expressions gazing at
him.  It was difficult not to give in to their sympathy. “All moments in my
life have led up to this one.  I agree with Brydon; we will have a plan when we
march upon Arundel, but make no mistake – the only man entitled to seek a
reckoning for Maddoc is me.  It is my right.”