Epilogue #2
“You have the heart of a lion,” he said. “You are already an excellent swordsman. The rest will come with time. Are you ready? Only you can make that determination. But I would not feel uncomfortable letting you go into battle.”
“Am I a Shadow Knight, then?” Niko asked.
Sinclair shook his head. “Not yet,” he said. “But you will be, someday. I have every faith that you will mature into a magnificent one.”
Nikolai’s eyes lit up, and he looked to his sister, to Tay. “Do you hear?” he said. “Now, tell me what the missive says.”
Athdara could see that her little brother was on the verge of becoming the great duke he was destined to be. They’d seen it when he was a child, and they saw it now—only now, Nikolai knew more. He was smarter and wiser and more skilled.
She handed Anton to Tay and went to her little brother, grasping his hands.
“Roubaix said that they are ready when you are,” she said.
“He has been able to gain support from two neighboring lords, men who have seen the destitute of Toxandria come onto their lands and beg for help. It seems that Atilla no longer has enough men to try to conquer other lords, so he keeps to himself at Breda Castle and drives the duchy to ruin. Roubaix says he could not put up much of a fight if you were to move against him now. It is time, Niko.”
Nikolai was having a difficult time keeping his excitement at bay. “And Abelard?” he said. “Why did the pirate bring the missive?”
“Because Lord Exmoor has asked his cousin to participate in the offensive,” she said.
“Roubaix and the other lords, if their hearts are not true, would be less inclined to try to keep Breda for themselves if Triton’s Hellions are involved.
Abelard can bring a thousand men with him to make sure Breda stays with you.
And they can help you assemble an army to protect your duchy.
They will be there to assist you, but you will have to reward them somehow.
Whatever is left in the treasury, or mayhap something else of value. These men will deserve to be rewarded.”
“And I shall.” Nikolai nodded, thrilled with the realization that, finally, he was going to have the opportunity to regain his legacy. “I wish Father Joseph had lived to see this moment. He very much wanted to fight with me.”
Athdara patted him on the back, knowing he was still grieving for the fiery priest who had passed away in his sleep last year. “I know,” she said. “He would be very proud of you.”
“Will you come with me, then?”
Athdara smiled sadly. “Alas, I cannot,” she said.
“I cannot leave my children behind, and in the late summer, I will have another, so I cannot travel. But Tay will go with you, as an advisor. He promised St. Denis that it would only be as an advisor. He will help you decide what’s to be done and how to manage Toxandria so that it will flourish for years to come.
He will set you on the path to rebuilding. ”
Nikolai wasn’t so excited that he didn’t realize what a great sacrifice his sister was making. She and Tay were devoted to one another, and the separation would surely be hard on them both.
“But… are you sure?” he said, holding her hands. “Tay will want to be here with you and the children. He will want to be here when his new baby is born.”
Athdara was already tearing up. “I know,” she said. “And I want him here. But helping you forge your new duchy… and our family’s legacy… is important.”
“I’ll go.”
The words came from Sinclair, standing several feet away. When Nikolai, Athdara, and Tay looked at him curiously, he stepped forward, taking Anton from Tay and giving the baby a gentle shake until he laughed. Then he looked at the three adults.
“I said I’ll go,” he said. “In the first place, His Grace Duke Nikolai needs me. He’s proficient with a sword, but he’ll be better with me around. In the second place, Tay… you do not want to be away from your wife and children.”
Tay very much wanted to take him up on his unexpected offer, but he was hesitant. “This is my duty, Sin,” he said. “I cannot let you assume my responsibility.”
Sinclair put a big hand on Tay’s arm. “We are a brotherhood here,” he said pointedly. “Let your brother take care of the duke. Your place is with the duke’s sister.”
Tay almost refused him again, but he looked at Athdara first, who nodded in agreement with everything Sinclair was saying. She had tears in her eyes.
That made his decision for him.
“Very well,” he said, grasping Sinclair’s hand. “Thank you, Sin. From the bottom of my heart, thank you. But you’ll have to deal with pirates.”
“I’ve dealt with that bunch before.”
“And fickle Flemish lords.”
“Your children are more trouble than they are,” Sinclair said, putting Anton on his feet. He got in behind the baby and said, “Run! Run with your brothers!”
The baby screamed and took off, toddling in the direction of his brothers, who were still running around in the field. Sinclair followed, jogging after the toddler, encouraging him to run for his life.
Athdara went to Tay, wrapping her arms around his waist and laying her head on his chest as they watched Sinclair whip their children into a running frenzy.
“Will Denis let him go?” she asked softly.
Tay nodded, watching Brendon fall flat on his face.
“He will,” he said. “We can cover for his absence, at least for a little while. Fox can teach swordplay for both offense and defense for a time. Creston or Cruz can fill in, if needed. As Sin said, we are brothers… and brothers take care of one another.”
Athdara was quiet for a moment, watching as Nikolai suddenly ran past her, out to chase his nephews like Sinclair was doing.
She knew why.
“It will be one of the last times he has a chance to do something like that,” she said. “He will return to Toxandria, and the next time he sees his nephews, they will probably be grown with families of their own.”
Tay nodded, watching Nikolai fall in the grass as the boys jumped on him.
“Mayhap,” he said. Then he turned to his wife, gazing down into her beautiful face as he put a hand on her blossoming belly.
“But they will remember him as the uncle who loved to play with them. And this child may not grow up with Niko, but he will grow up with several other uncles, of different sizes and birth origins, who will love him and play with him just the same. No one will be lonely at Blackchurch, least of all our children.”
Athdara accepted his kiss, putting her hand over his as he rubbed her tummy. “Who knew the Blackchurch knights had such a side to them?”
“They’re good men, all of them,” Tay said. “And I’m proud to be one of them.”
Athdara smiled up at him. “So am I, my Leviathan,” she murmured. “So am I.”
As the sun began to set and they could hear the screams of delight coming from their children, all Athdara could feel was gratitude.
Gratitude that when she lost her family in a most violent and heartbreaking fashion, she found another one, unexpectedly, in the wilds of Devon.
The Blackchurch Guild, where the trainers were more than associates. More than friends. More than brothers.
They were blood, through and through.
For Tay and Athdara, the adventure was only beginning.
* THE END *