Unending Love (40 page)

“You
were
wrong, about a lot of things.
But that ends now.”

“We shall see.”

Maddoc simply nodded.  Then, he lunged forward
and would have cleaved Brighton in half had the man been any slower at defending
himself. In the blink of an eye, the epic battle had begun.

***

The battle hadn’t been like anything any of them
had ever seen -  Rhys, David, Christopher, Gart, or Daniel.  It was rather
astonishing. It was like watching the battle of the titans, for each man was
determined to take victory in any way possible.  From the moment they heard the
onset of the battle, it was truly something to behold.

It started in the dormitory as any other fight. 
Maddoc and Brighton were boxed in to the structure where it was assumed the
fight would stay.  But that ended when Maddoc, in the course of grappling with
Brighton, literally threw the man through the entry door and the thing
splintered.  Tangled up in the shards of wood, Brighton had to fight off an
intense offensive by Maddoc before he was able to free himself by kicking
Maddoc in the knee.  Maddoc stumbled back, allowing Brighton to break free, and
then the fight was on again.

Into the cloister they battled, thrusting the
heavy broadswords at one another, trying to take each other’s head off. 
Supporting posts for the arbor got in the way and at one point, Brighton’s
sword became wedged into the wood.  Maddoc got close enough to slug him in the
jaw and make a grab for his sword as he recovered, but Brighton bounced back
and kicked Maddoc in the torso, sending him staggering
off
[J75]
 
balance.  It was enough time for Brighton to
free his sword and the battle continued.

The entry from the cloister into the church had
been opened by frightened priests watching the fight.  As Maddoc and Brighton
drew near, the priests scattered and the knights entered the church, swords
swinging.  Adalind and the others were still standing at the entry to the
church, startled when Brighton came flying into the structure from the cloister
entrance, stumbling, and rolling several times until he was able to halt his
momentum.  Maddoc burst in after him, chopping at him with his heavy broadsword
and catching Brighton in the shoulder. Even though the man had mail, the
razor-sharp broadsword managed to cut him and the first blood was spilled.

A massive battle ensued inside the church. 
Daniel, Rhys and Gart went inside to watch, but David and Christopher kept
Adalind outside.  They didn’t want her distracting Maddoc so they kept her
clear of the church, walking her over to the now-empty trough in the middle of
the town center in an attempt to keep her calm and out of the way.  But from
inside the church, they could hear sounds of a serious fight that went on for
quite some time until Maddoc suddenly spilled out from the church and tumbled
down the stairs.

Adalind opened her mouth to shriek but slapped a
hand over her gaping lips so Maddoc would not look in her direction. She
understood well that distraction was deadly so she did her best not to make a
sound, even as Brighton came flying out of the church and attacked Maddoc. 
Maddoc, seeing the man descend on him, lifted his sword to prevent his head
from being cut off, but he immediately retaliated and caught Brighton in an
awkward position. With a clumsy hold on his broadsword, Brighton’s weapon went
flying.

Swordless, Brighton found himself at a distinct
advantage so he threw two massive punches at Maddoc’s armored head, as Maddoc
had once done to him, and twisted the helm so Maddoc’s field of vision was
reduced.  Maddoc’s response was to bring up a booted foot and kick Brighton on
the side of the head, dazing the man enough so that he lost his balance and
fell over.  Leaving his weapon in the dirt, Maddoc pounced on Brighton and the
sword fight became a fist fight.

With the closer quarters fighting, the blood
began to fly.  Both men landed heavy blows to the facial area and soon, both of
them were bleeding from noses and mouths.  It was extraordinarily brutal as
they staggered to their feet and continued the battle.  Grappling, throwing
punches, kicking and shoving, they battled their way across the town center and
ended up collapsing one of the vendor’s stalls on the opposite side of the
square when Maddoc literally picked Brighton up and threw him into the wall. 

From there, they tussled to the next vendor’s
stall and collapsed that one, too.  Brighton became tangled up in a measure of
fabric and Maddoc took advantage of it; collecting the heaviest thing he could
find, which happened to be an enormous iron pot, he brained Brighton over the
head with it and the man went limp.

As Adalind and the others watched with concern,
fascination, and some horror, Maddoc grabbed the dazed Brighton by the arms and
began dragging him over to the well.  David pulled Adalind well back out of the
way as Maddoc lifted Brighton up and shoved his head into the water of the
trough.   It was a deep trough, with a lot of water in it, and Maddoc held the
man’s head under as Brighton, becoming conscious, began to fight for his life.

Adalind’s hand was still at her mouth as she
watched Maddoc hold Brighton’s head under water.  The battle, so brutal and
crushing, was coming to an end; they could all see it.  Sickened, Adalind
turned her head, unable to watch as Maddoc struggled to hold Brighton’s head
under water.  She was thrilled the battle was coming to a close, thrilled
Maddoc was winning, but sickened at the fact that she was watching a man die.
She’d never seen a man die before.  The realization was as eye-opening as it was
sobering.

“For everything you have done to Adalind,”
Maddoc grunted as he held Brighton’s head under, “let this be the last time you
traumatize the woman. Do you hear me, you bastard? You tried to kill me and
now, I will return the favor. But I shall not fail.”

Brighton was struggling and kicking for all he
was worth, but he was in a bad position the way Maddoc was holding him.  There
was nothing for him to grab on to, nothing for him to hold.  His vision began
to dim and his struggles lessened, but he lasted longer than he should have. 
It was another full minute before his struggles stopped entirely and his body
went limp.  Even then, Maddoc continued to hold his head underwater as if
fearful the man would rise up and the battle would continue.  He needed it to
be over.

It was.

Adalind was still facing away from them, hand
over her mouth, when David finally let go of her and made his way timidly
towards Maddoc.  Rhys and Christopher did, too, going to the young knight who
still had his enemy’s head shoved in the water even though the man was clearly
dead.  When they attempted to force Maddoc to let Brighton go, he refused. He
stayed where he was, partially covering Brighton’s body with his own, using his
weight to pin the man down, as he held his head under the water.

“Maddoc,” Rhys had his hands on Maddoc’s wrists
in an attempt to force him to release Brighton. “It is over, lad. Let him go.”

Maddoc closed his eyes tightly and shook his
head. “Not yet,” he grunted. “It is not over yet.”

Rhys and David exchanged concerned glances as
David gave it a try. “Maddoc,” he had his hands on the man’s shoulders. “Let
him go, now. He is dead.”

Maddoc refused to release him.  He was still in
the heat of battle, still fighting for his life, and not at all convinced yet
that it was finished.  As his father, David, and even
Christopher
[J76]
 
tried to force him to release the body, Adalind
came up on the opposite side of the trough. 

Her gaze was adoring yet sad, powerful yet
soft.  She stared at Maddoc, seeing such fear and pain in his expression.  As
strong as he was, she could see his vulnerability at that moment and it touched
her like nothing else.  He had been afraid, too; afraid that he would lose the
fight and everything he had dreamt and hoped for would never come to pass.  The
man, the perfect knight, was human, too. She had never seen that side of him
before.

“Maddoc?” she said, her voice breaking. “Maddoc,
please let him go. I want to go home now.”

Her soft, teary voice caused Maddoc to lift his
head and look at her.  She was standing on the other side of the trough,
looking down at him with tears on her face.  When their eyes met, she reached
across the water and peeled his fingers off of Brighton’s neck.

“Please, Maddoc,” she whispered. “It is over. I
want to go home.”

Grown men could not accomplish what one small
lady could.  Maddoc let her remove his hands and he allowed her to pull him
away from the trough as Christopher and Rhys pulled Brighton out of the water. 
Maddoc tried to turn around, to look at the body of his opponent, but Adalind
wouldn’t let him.  She put her arms around him and walked him away from the
scene, directing them towards their horses. 

When Maddoc tried once more to turn around and
survey the scene, Adalind put her hands on his face and held him staunchly.

“Nay, Maddoc,” she whispered firmly. “Brighton
is dead.  The battle is over.  Now it is our time to live and love and enjoy.
No more Brighton; no more anything.  You did what you set out to do; you
defeated him.  Now let us speak no more about him, not ever.  He no longer
exists to us so we can get on with our lives.”

Maddoc was starting to collect his wits, his
composure, as he listened to her speak.  He put his arms around her and hugged
her tightly, so very weary and battered.  But he had Adalind and that was all
that mattered.

“Whatever you wish, Addie,” he murmured, kissing
her head, getting his blood on her hair. “We shall go home.”

Adalind pulled back to look at him, wiping the
blood from his nose and mouth with a corner of her cloak.   He looked shaken
while she felt strong; so very strong.  She would remember the moment forever.
It was the beginning of the rest of her life with him.

“I have waited for this moment for ages past,”
she whispered. “In so many forms and in so many lives, I have waited for this. 
I have been yours since the day I took my first breath and shall remain yours
until the end of time.  Take me back to Canterbury and let us begin anew, as
husband and wife.  I cannot tell you how thrilled I am for this moment, Maddoc. 
Finally, to have you as my own.”

He was warmed and comforted by her words.  The
energy of battle was fading and he was starting to feel normal again,
empowered, knowing there was so much more to life than he could possible
imagine. The little girl who had annoyed him to tears and declared her love for
him endlessly had grown up and become his all for living.  He couldn’t remember
when he hadn’t loved Adalind.  She completed him.

“As I have you for my own,” he murmured, kissing
the tip of her nose.  Then he tweaked it playfully.  “When I entered the bailey
those weeks ago to find the ap Athoe brothers fighting over you, I could have
never known that, in the end, I would have been fighting over you as well.  I
suppose they were not idiots, after all, because they were right.”

Adalind grinned. “About what?”

“You,” he whispered, his smile fading and his
bright eyes intense. “You are worth it.”

As Adalind and Maddoc lost themselves in a kiss
of pure love, pure joy, the sun came out from the clouds and the promise of a
bright and beautiful day dawned clear and blue.

EPILOGUE

Four years later

His face was buried in her neck, smelling the
sweet musky scent that had the ability to arouse him like nothing else.  He
could feel her soft breasts against his bare chest, feeling the sensual movement
every time he thrust into her.  Her legs were wrapped around his hips but he
unwrapped them, holding them behind the knees, giving him more freedom of
movement as he continued to pound into her sweet and yielding body.  At some
point, he shifted so his weight wasn’t bearing down on her and bearing down on
the babe in her belly.  He shifted so they were on their sides, facing each
other, as he slowed his thrusts.

Adalind had her hands on his lower back,
stroking it, stroking his smooth buttocks as he made love to her.  She loved it
when he slowed his pace, withdrawing completely only to plunge into her again,
slowly, driving himself to the very hilt and then repeating the process.  Her
hands drifted between their bodies, putting her fingers on his phallus as he
joined his body with hers.  Nothing seemed to drive Maddoc crazier than her
fingers on his manhood and he groaned as she fingered him, gently fondling his
testicles.

Shifting again, Maddoc captured a warm nipple in
his mouth, suckling gently and tasting her milk.  She was still breastfeeding
their younger son but he couldn’t help himself from sampling the sweet milk
from her breasts. She had such beautiful breasts.  He suckled strongly on the
left one, tasting her, licking her flesh with her milk upon his tongue and then
licking her again just to lick it off of her.  One big hand came up to fondle
her breast, kneading it, suckling until there was no more milk in the left
one.  When he moved to her right breast, she stopped him.