Epilogue
A year later
The king has come!
Addax and Emmeline had known Henry III was touring the north, and they furthermore knew he was coming to Alston Castle for about a month.
Word had been sent on ahead, and he was to spend one night at the castle, which sent Emmeline into a frenzy because the quiet castle of Alston had never seen a royal visitor.
At least, one who came in peace. There had been years during the reign of John when the king had sent his armies to try to wrest some of the valuable ore from the mines, but he was never able to accomplish his goal.
Therefore, a peaceful royal visitor was something of an anomaly.
And Emmeline was determined that everything should be right and proper.
Addax had to grin at his wife becoming so crazed over a royal visit.
Given that he and the king knew one another on a personal level, he wasn’t in nearly the state she was, but he was touched that the man should think enough of him to visit.
In fact, when Henry arrived on a glorious autumn day, he embraced Addax as one would embrace a long-lost friend.
But that wasn’t the only surprise Addax was in for.
Christopher de Lohr was with him.
Christopher, too, embraced Addax, and he was quite kind to Emmeline when they were introduced.
Emmeline was overwhelmed by the enormous blond earl, whose blue eyes seemed to be perpetually twinkling, especially at Addax.
She could see how fond Christopher was of her husband, and he greeted Essien, now a permanent fixture at Alston, in much the same way.
Alston Castle quickly filled up with royal troops and courtiers, with de Lohr troops and men, and by evening the great hall was lively with a roaring fire, royal minstrels, and enough food to feed half of England.
But Henry, Addax, Christopher, Essien, Emmeline, and a few of Henry’s advisors remained in the solar of Alston, where they had been most of the day, discussing the Scots, politics, and local issues.
Emmeline couldn’t have been prouder of her husband.
Addax was a born king. It was in his blood.
He was thoughtful and wise, compassionate when he needed to be and fierce when the situation called for it.
He hadn’t ridden the tournament circuit since they had married, because the management of Alston had kept him quite busy.
Under his guidance, they’d opened three more mines and built a smelting furnace, with royal permission, so they could start extracting their own silver from the lead ore.
While this was going on, Essien took command of Raisbeck Castle and expanded what had been a few sheep herds for wool, meat, and income into much larger herds for profit.
The sons of Amare al-Kort were creating their own empire.
Emmeline had to briefly leave the conclave in the solar to tend to her twin sons, Amare and Alek, because she insisted on feeding them herself and not employing a wet nurse, as was the custom.
The boys were big and healthy, thriving, and she thought quite possibly that Addax was the most attentive father she had ever seen.
Having lost his own father so young, he was determined to make his mark on his sons, even at their very young age.
So was Essien, as a doting uncle, who was much more apt to run off with both of them and take them to “see the goats” or “inspect the horses.” He insisted the boys were old enough to do what men did, much to the protest of their mother.
His behavior was both frustrating and sweet.
Clad in a red surcoat and pale shift that she’d had specially made for the king’s visit, Emmeline returned to the solar, where the men were still talking.
The feast was in full swing on a crisp, clear night, but the king remained in the keep, lingering over conversation and wine.
When Emmeline entered, a ravishing vision of beauty, Addax met her with a cup of watered wine, taking her hand and leading her to a chair.
“Sit,” he said. “Henry has something he wishes to tell us.”
Emmeline sat down, looking at him curiously. Before he could reply to her unspoken question, Henry lifted his voice.
“Good,” he said. “You have returned, Lady al-Kort. I wanted to wait until both you and your husband were in the room before delivering my news. It is the real reason I’ve come to Alston.”
Emmeline looked at the man who had been king since he was nine years of age.
Quite literally, he’d been a king all of his life.
He was fair-skinned, with dark eyes and pale hair, and his manner, while polite, was oddly detached, as if he didn’t know how to show true warmth.
He was friendly with men he called his friends, like Christopher and Addax, but it was as if he’d never learned how to truly be sincere when dealing with people he loved and admired.
Still, he was trying hard to be congenial, and Emmeline smiled.
“We are honored by your visit, your grace, whatever the reason,” she said. “You are always welcome at Alston.”
Henry held out his cup for more wine, poured by the one royal servant in the chamber. “I know,” he said. “Addax and I are old friends and allies. It is good to be friends with another king, even if that king does not rule his country. Is that not correct, Addax?”
“It is, your grace.”
Henry looked at him. “Essien and I had a long discussion when he and Cole came to London to discuss your marriage plans for Lady al-Kort, who was then Lady de Grey,” he said.
“Truthfully, I’d forgotten about your history, Addax.
I knew you were the heir to your father’s throne and that your uncle had turned against him, but the details escaped me.
Essien reminded me of what you lost. What you both lost.”
Addax was standing behind Emmeline, his hand on her shoulder. “Aye, your grace,” he said. “We lost a great deal, but that is in the past. It is not something I think of, nor is it something that shapes the way I live my life. I consider myself a survivor.”
“Absolutely,” Henry agreed. Then he looked at Christopher. “And this is the man who helped you survive.”
Christopher smiled faintly as he looked at Addax and Essien. “I remember two starving little boys in an olive grove,” he said, watching them smile in return. “But once I fed them, they were like a pack of wild dogs. I could not get rid of them no matter how hard I tried. Quite annoying.”
That had the room breaking into soft laughter, because they all knew that none of it was true, most especially Addax.
“It is your own fault, my lord,” he said.
“Once we realized that you could provide steady food, there was no possible way we were going to leave your side. In fact, I remember riding with your brother, David, sitting behind him in the saddle. We were going somewhere—I forget where—but David had a pouch on his belt that contained dried meat. When I realized that, I spent the entire ride eating all of his meat, and when we stopped and realized all of his food was gone, I told him an elaborate story about thieves who had snuck up behind him and taken only his food as I tried to fight them off. I do not think he believed me.”
Christopher chuckled. “I am surprised he let you get away with that.”
“He did not. I was forced to clean his boots, constantly, for three straight days, and I could not figure out why.”
Grinning, Christopher could see the obvious, just as they all could. “The truth is that we grew very attached to you and Es,” he said. “You became part of us. We missed you both when you went with the Thuringians, but it was for the best. We faced a great deal of hardship after that.”
Henry, not to be left out of the conversation, nodded.
“They were with my Uncle Richard, who was a veritable lightning rod for his enemies,” he said.
“But let us return to you, Addax, and the reason why I’ve come.
I’ve recently been forced to confiscate property from Robert de Vieuxpont.
You recall that Bretherdale was involved in selling the Scots ore?
It seems that de Vieuxpont was worse than Emmeline’s former father-in-law.
He was providing the Scots with men and material, bringing them in from Ireland and running them into Scotland.
In any case, de Vieuxpont has been banished, his properties confiscated, and he is quite fortunate I have not thrown him in the Tower of London.
That leaves Brougham Castle and Appleby Castle as Crown properties, but we have more properties than we need.
And more expenses than I want. I intend to give those castles to someone I trust, and that someone is you. ”
Addax struggled to keep the astonishment off his face. “Brougham is a magnificent castle,” he said. “It is just outside of Penrith. I’ve seen it many times.”
“It is now yours.”
In his periphery, Addax could see Emmeline looking up at him, and he tore his eyes from Henry for a moment to look at his wife, who was beaming with pride. Overcome with surprise, Addax swallowed hard.
“I do not know what to say, my lord,” he said. “To offer my thanks does not seem adequate.”
“I am not done,” Henry said. “Addax, I cannot offer you a kingdom. But I can offer you an earldom. Not Bretherdale; nay, not that one. It is not nearly as grand as you require. But Bretherdale will become part of the new earldom of Deira, which is now yours. Your lands are from Penrith to Middlesbrough, which was part of Deira in ancient times, and you have many villages and castles that will be subject to you, including Bowes Castle. That is a de Royans property, and I am certain he will not be troubled by you being his new overlord. My cartographers have drawn a map of your new earldom, so I want you to study it. You can make Brougham or Alston or even Raisbeck your seat—that is your choice—but missives are going out to your new subjects, announcing your new rule as Earl of Deira.”