Epic Knights of Legend and Steel

Chapter Ten

CHAPTER TEN

London

T he trees above were heavy and moist with the humidity from the Thames and Douglass, as she rode her small, gray palfrey, was sticky with it, too. She felt like one of those trees, wilting and drooping, and that certainly wasn’t what she wanted to feel like. There was something in her midst now, something of great and utter importance, and the last thing she wanted was to look like a drooping tree. She wanted to look her very best.

Tiberius was riding off to her left, slightly behind her. He had been since they had left the tavern early that morning. Her father had explained to her the night before that Tiberius would be traveling with them for “some time”, although he hadn’t clarified what that meant and he really hadn’t told her any more than that. All she knew was that Tiberius was now in their midst, astride his big, gray beast that seemed to foam at the mouth constantly. The horse worried the bit to death and he kept shaking his head, throwing foam onto those near him so Tiberius was riding well to the rear of their four-person party. Douglass suspected his frothing horse was the reason he had not ridden beside her.

Or, it was one of the reasons. She was sure there were others. For instance, Garran seemed particularly distant from Tiberius. After the debacle last night when Garran had broken down her chamber door, she was certain that Garran and her father were going to do all they could to keep Tiberius away from her so it was strange that he was traveling with them this morning. His brothers, the earl and Sir Maximus, had turned back for Isenhall. Now, the de Shera brothers were split and Douglass wasn’t sure of the reason behind it but she knew there was , in fact, a reason. Everything seemed oddly tense all around.

But she kept her attention ahead and not on Tiberius, which was very difficult for her to do. She wanted to turn back and look at him but she couldn’t do it and not be obvious about it, so she kept her attention forward, on the dark, dirt road with the heavy ruts in it from the wagons that passed along it constantly. Sunlight streamed between tree branches and birds frolicked in the leaves above. As the de Moray party passed quietly along the path, the outskirts of London proper began to come into view.

Poorly constructed residences bunched up here, many of them lining the road. There were people about, going about their business, children and dogs playing in the road, and women beating their wash down by the dirty river. There was a breeze coming off of the gently flowing waters of the Thames, providing some relief from the stickiness in the air. Even though Douglass had braided her curly mane tightly to keep it off her neck, she still found herself lifting the hair off the back of her neck, allowing the soft wind to cool her. Once, as she lifted her hair, she managed to sneak a glimpse back at Tiberius only to discover he was looking right at her. She smiled faintly and he smiled back.

Giddy, she faced forward, fanning her face with her hand and thinking on their destination for the night. She assumed it was Leadenhall House, but her father hadn’t said much to her that morning so she truthfully wasn’t sure. As she delicately wiped the sweat off her brow, she spoke to her father who was riding point several feet in front of her.

“Papa?” she called. “How long until we reach Leadenhall?”

Bose didn’t turn around. With his helm on, he couldn’t turn his head anyway, so he simply spoke loudly so she could hear him.

“We are not going to Leadenhall right away,” he said. “My army is with the de Winter army at Wintercroft so we will be going there first so I can claim my men.”

Douglass understood. She lifted her hair again as a particularly strong breeze came off of the water. “I do not understand why you did not bring them with you when you came to collect me at Codnor Castle,” she said. “It seems very odd that just you and Garran would have come for me. Why did you not bring your men?”

Bose grunted. “Because I would have been compelled to feed and house eight hundred men for at least a month on the road,” he said. “It was much easier, and much less expensive, simply to leave them mingled with de Winter men. Besides, armies in transit often attract unwanted attention and I would be traveling close to Kenilworth. I did not want to attract de Montfort’s attention by moving enemy troops through his lands.”

Douglass eyed her father. “You attracted de Montfort, anyway,” she said. “That is why the de Shera brothers had to come and save us.”

Bose grinned, without humor. “A fateful day that was.”

“What do you mean?”

Bose shook his head, thinking that it was the day Tiberius had been introduced to Douglass but saying nothing about it. “Nothing,” he said. “I simply meant it was an eventful day. That is the last time I travel anywhere near Kenilworth. De Montfort has eyes and ears everywhere.”

“You remember Davyss de Winter, don’t you?” Garran, riding a few feet off to her right, turned to ask his sister. “I think you met Davyss about six or seven years ago when he came to Ravendark Castle with his father. I think they were traveling from one point to another and stopped for the night. Father, do you recall?”

Bose nodded his big head, recalling that day years ago when Davyss and his father stopped at the de Moray fortress to rest in their travels. Ravendark Castle, near Salisbury, had been Bose’s home for many years, ever since the king had granted him the property. It was yet one more thing he owed Henry.

“They were coming from Dunstan Castle, I believe,” Bose said. “Grayson de Winter, Davyss’ father, had some business there and they were heading home. That family owns most of Norfolk and all of Surrey, you know. The de Winters have more land in England than anyone save the royal family, including Wintercroft. It’s their London base.”

Douglass thought back to the vague memories of a muscular, young knight with shaggy, dark hair. “I think he pinched me,” she said thoughtfully. “When Papa wasn’t looking, Davyss de Winter pinched me on the arse.”

Garran burst out into snorts while Bose actually tried to turn around and look at her, his dark eyes narrowed.

“Did he truly do this?” he wanted to know.

Douglass nodded. “I was only twelve or thirteen,” she said. “He pinched me and it hurt. He laughed!”

Garran continued to snort as Bose shook his head. “Then I shall have a word with Davyss and make sure he does not pinch you again,” he grumbled. “He will not like my reaction if he tries.”

“Nor mine,” Tiberius said from several feet back. “In fact, I can promise you he will not like it in the least.”

Garran stopped snorting and turned to look at Tiberius. “Would you challenge him?” he asked, almost incredulous. “That would be like fighting one of your brothers, Ty.”

Tiberius looked at him. “It would be like fighting you and that almost happened, too.”

Garran pursed his lips with some frustration, turning away because he didn’t want to engage in any kind of verbal argument in front of his sister. Already, the situation was extremely strange and he wasn’t sure he liked it. He was still trying to decide how he felt about all of this.

His father told him that Tiberius had sworn fealty to him because he wanted to prove himself to de Moray, to prove that he would be a good enough man for Douglass’ hand. It was clear that Tiberius was quite serious about his sister and Garran was having difficulty adjusting to that. Was it possible that Tiberius was actually serious about one woman? It was all still quite shocking to Garran even though he was glad to be with Tiberius once again. He had missed him terribly. But the circumstances were still unnerving to him. It was going to take time for him to get used to it all.

No one said anything more as they plodded along the road, passing through stretches of housing and then stretches of thick trees and fields all around. The river was constant, to their right as they moved, and soon enough the more crowded area of London came into view.

Smoke trailed from leaning and malfunctioning chimneys, hanging in a gray haze above the rooftops. In the distance, they could see the spire of Westminster with the sun hanging behind it in a sort of hazy backdrop. Gulls, that had followed the river in from the sea, swarmed in the sky above, dropping into streets and onto rooftops looking for food.

And it smelled horribly in the August heat. With the moisture from the river, the stench of man was cloying, like breathable grease, and Douglass resisted the urge to pinch her nose as they turned northeast to skirt the edge of the city. She wrinkled it against the smell, sneezing as they moved onward, past children dressed in rags and toothless men, fat, who were on the side of the avenue trying to fix a broken wheel. All of these people stopped what they were doing to watch three big knights and a small lady move through the town, looking upon them with suspicion and curiosity.

As they moved further into the city, a few children began to follow them. Tiberius was bringing up the rear and his head was on a swivel, watching all angles for any signs of threat, including a gang of children that was following behind them at a distance. When one of the children threw a stone that hit his horse in the buttocks and caused it to jump, Tiberius whirled the animal around and roared at the gaggle of children, causing them to scream and scatter. That brought a smile to Douglass’ lips as she watched Tiberius growl and bellow and the children shriek. It was quite hilarious to watch.

It also made her fond of the man just a little bit more. He wasn’t afraid to show his humor, unusual when knights were usually so controlled and austere. He wasn’t afraid to smile, or wink, or speak his mind, even if it was on a subject that he was emotional about. She appreciated a man who wasn’t afraid to be himself, unhindered by the severe trappings that knighthood sometimes brought about. He was different, very different from any knight she had known, her father included. Tiberius was a man who was unafraid to show his passion, in any aspect of his life.

They moved on, sans the flock of children that Tiberius had scattered to the wind. They were now entering a part of the city where the smells of food were mingled with the smells of human habitation. It was past the nooning hour and Douglass was hungry, sniffing the air to see where the smells were coming from. As Bose turned down an avenue that seemed to take them away from the marvelous smells, Douglass stopped him.

“Papa?” she called. “I am hungry. Can we please get something to eat and rest for a few moments? I am exhausted.”

Bose pulled his big steed to a halt, looking at their surroundings. They had been on the road several hours and Douglass had held out admirably considering she had never been the greatest traveler. She had been terrible to take anywhere as a child. He pointed to a street that led off to the south.

“That is the Street of the Bakers,” he said. “We can find you something to eat there.”

Happily, Douglass followed her father into the narrow street that smelled heavily of baking bread and other cooking smells. They moved the horses over near the end of the avenue and dismounted. Garran moved to hand his reins over to Tiberius so he could follow his sister and father, but Tiberius turned the tables on him and handed him his reins instead. Disgruntled, Garran remained behind with the horses and possessions while Bose, Douglass, and Tiberius went to find something to eat.

The street wasn’t particularly busy since most people had done their shopping and eating earlier in the day. Bose found a Scottish vendor who sold a variety of goods; lamb pies, puffy little cakes made from oats, butter, honey, raisins, and eggs that Douglass fell in love with, and great loaves of bread with cheese and herbs baked into them. In all, Bose purchased a feast for the four of them and they carried their booty back to where Garran was waiting with the horses.

Starving, Garran and Douglass plowed into the food while Bose pulled a loaf of bread apart and enjoyed it. Tiberius devoured his lamb pie but failed to get any of the sweet little cakes because Douglass had eaten those first. He simply grinned at her while Garran fussed.

“You could not have shared those with me?” Garran demanded of his sister. “I wanted some, too.”

Douglass brushed her brother off. “There were only a few,” she said. Then, her manner turned taunting. “They were delicious.”

Garran made a face at her. “I will permit Davyss to pinch you now,” he said. “That will be your punishment for being such a glutton.”

Douglass giggled as Tiberius shook his head. “Davyss will lose a hand if he touches her,” he muttered. “He may consider the risk too high.”

Garran turned to him, distress on his face. “This is too strange, Ty,” he said, agitated. “You speaking of my sister this way. I cannot adequately deal with it so do not make your comments around me. It makes my head want to explode.”

Tiberius was amused. “Why?”

Garran wasn’t sure how to explain it. “It is not natural,” he said. “You are as a brother to me and when you speak of my sister in a romantic fashion, it reeks of something dark and dirty. It is too strange.”

Tiberius laughed softly and pointed to Bose. “Then go stand over there by your father,” he said. “You are not wanted in this conversation. Go over there like a good lad.”

Garran grunted in frustration and moved away, going to complain to Bose that Douglass had eaten all of the sweet oat cakes. Tiberius thought it was rather funny to watch Garran when he was around his father and sister. The usually composed, serious knight seemed to revert back to childhood and become a petulant brother again. As Garran expressed his disappointment to his father, Tiberius turned to Douglass.

“I am glad you ate all of the cakes,” he said, a twinkle in his eye. “It is quite humorous to watch Garran have a fit over it.”

Douglass grinned. “I did save one,” she admitted. “But it is for you. He cannot have it.”

Tiberius smiled. “You are gracious my lady,” he said. “I am honored.”

Douglass laughed softly as she unwrapped the remnants of her meal, producing the last oat cake. Offering it to Tiberius, he took it, his eyes riveted to her as he bit into it. Douglass looked into his eyes as he chewed, her heart doing strange things against her rib cage, feeling overwhelmed and giddy as she’d never felt in her life. This man she was so enamored with, a gentle knight who had thus far shown none of the lascivious behavior she had been warned about. He had been kind, sweet, and attentive, and she was falling further and further under the man’s spell. Interest and attraction had turned to something else.

“How long will you be with us?” she asked softly, watching him chew. “Why did you not return to Isenhall with your brothers?”

Tiberius could see in that instant that Bose hadn’t told her anything of what had transpired. He pondered why the man would have withheld such information but Tiberius saw no reason to. He wanted Douglass to know that he was here because of her, because he was trying to prove to her father that he was an honorable man who would be an excellent match for his daughter. He wanted her to know the lengths he would go to for her, to prove himself to her. Swallowing the bite in his mouth, he spoke quietly.

“I will be with you indefinitely,” he said. “It would seem that your father is uncertain if I am worthy of you so I have sworn fealty to him in order that I may prove my merit. I could not let him take you to London and on to a potential marriage contract, Douglass. I cannot and will not lose any hope of ever having you for my wife.”

Douglass’ eyes widened dramatically. “So you swore fealty to my father?” she repeated, astounded. “I… I cannot believe it. What about your brothers? Surely they did not want you to do this!”

“They did not, but they must learn to get on without me for now.”

Douglass was clearly astonished. She could hardly believe the man would give up everything he had worked for simply to follow her. Romantic tales often told of men pursuing women to the ends of the earth, but she never truly believed it would happen to her. Men often spoke of romance and passion but to see a demonstration of it as he had done amazed her. The actions of the man spoke far louder than any words ever could.

“You would do this for me?” she asked in disbelief.

He nodded, wishing he could take her hand. He very much wanted to. “I would,” he murmured. “When I told you I wanted you for my wife, I was serious. I will do whatever is necessary to see that come to fruition. I will therefore be at your father’s side from now until the day I marry you, and mayhap even after that. I will never let you out of my sight, Douglass, not ever.”

Douglass smiled at him in a gesture of utter elation. Her entire face was glowing. She, too, wanted to reach out and take his big hand but she dare not touch him with her father and brother watching, and especially Garran. The situation had only just calmed between her brother and Tiberius. She didn’t want to stir things up again.

“No matter what my father says,” she hissed at him, “I will not marry d’Vant. I will not permit it.”

Tiberius’ grin was a grateful one but he was interrupted from replying when Garran broke away from Bose and came near. He tugged on his sister’s sleeve.

“We must go if we are to make Wintercroft by this evening,” he said, eyeing Tiberius because he thought the man might be standing too close to Douglass. “Let me help you onto your horse.”

Douglass balked. “Can’t Tiberius help me?”

Garran nearly snarled. “Nay,” he said flatly, tugging on her arm again. “I will help you up.”

Douglass shrugged him off. “I can get on the horse myself,” she said, pushing him away when he tried to help her again. “Leave me alone, Garran. Go mount your own horse and leave me be.”

Garran made a face at her but he didn’t move away. He remained with her until she deftly jumped onto her small horse herself. She tried to push him away with her foot, then, and he had no choice but to move away. Mounting his charger, he fell in beside his sister as she followed their father back through the avenue and onto the main road that headed off to the northeast. Tiberius brought up the rear, watching the woman with the spectacular golden-red hair when he should have been watching the area for threats. Douglass had his full attention.

As he watched her curly hair blow softly in the moist breeze that was sweeping in off the river, he couldn’t help but think on their destination. Wintercroft. He’d been there before, many times in his youth, as Grayson de Winter had been Antoninus de Shera’s best friend. They’d spent many a summer there as young children, visiting Davyss and his brother, Hugh, and Grayson and Katherine de Winter. Lady de Winter was the sister of the Earl of Surrey, a slender woman who always wore a severe wimple that made her look rather frightening. As a child, Tiberius had been afraid of the woman and she would give him treats to try and warm him to her, but to no avail. In this day and age, he wasn’t afraid of her any longer but he had a healthy respect for her. She ruled the House of de Winter far more than Grayson did.

Tiberius also wondered what Davyss was going to say when it was made public knowledge that Tiberius de Shera now fought for Bose de Moray and, subsequently, the king. Tiberius was prepared for questions and perhaps even condemnation, but he was determined to stand his ground. He suspected the condemnation might come from Grayson more than Davyss. Grayson’s opinion of loyalty was that it could only be given once. Given that the de Winter and de Shera families were so close, Tiberius felt much as if he were about to face his father with what he’d done. He had to admit that he wasn’t looking forward to it.

But it was worth it. As his gaze lingered on Douglass’ head, he knew without a doubt that his actions had been worth it. He would get what he wanted in the end and that was all that mattered.

He would have Douglass.