Chapter Seven #4
By this time, they were at the door to the inn and Kress pushed it open, ushering her inside to the warm, stale inn.
They spied Yerik over near the kitchen as the innkeeper brought him something on a tray but, immediately, they were hit with sounds of a fight, realizing that it was still Susanna and Achilles as they wrestled around in the other room.
For a moment, both Kress and Cadelyn stood there, watching the pair rolling around on the dirt floor.
Still, rolling around, with Susanna trying to get her arm around Achilles’ throat.
He finally bit her arm and she screamed, like a woman. Then she bit his ear and he roared.
Kress shook his head in resignation.
“I hope that does not go on all night,” he said, returning his attention to Cadelyn. “Would you like some food to take to your chamber since you were cheated out of a full meal?”
Cadelyn nodded. “I would, thank you.”
As Kress went to the innkeeper and ordered another tray of food, Cadelyn caught sight of some of the patrons of the inn as they huddled over near the big hearth.
A pair of them had a board game between them, something Cadelyn had played before.
She recognized it as something called Alquerque, with colored pieces that were pushed around the board in a game of strategy.
As she watched them play, she felt someone come up next to her and she glanced up, seeing that it was Kress. She pointed to the game.
“It has been years since I have played Alquerque,” she said. “Years ago, there was an old nurse at Castle Rising who liked to play it. Gwynwyn was her name. Do you play, Knight?”
Kress watched a weary old man beat a poorly dressed younger man, possibly his son because he looked just like him, quite handily.
“I have,” he said. “But it has been a long time for me, also.”
“Will you play one game with me?”
“Not tonight.”
“Please?”
Kress hesitated. “You really should go to your chamber, my lady. It would be safer than the common room at an inn.”
She shrugged. “What do I have to worry over?” she said. “I have you to protect me should anything happen. Who would dare harass me with you and that big sword by my side?”
He pursed his lips irritably, realizing he was going to have to play that foolish game with her whether or not he wanted to. He was coming to see a pattern when he was around her; she would ask and he would submit. He did it with the cleric and he was doing it with the game.
Quite easily, he surrendered to her will.
In fact, Cadelyn was already walking over to the pair that was playing the board game and he could tell by their expressions that she was either demanding they hand over the game or begging very politely.
Both men looked rather surprised, and then rather submissive, as they put all of the pieces back on the wooden game board and pushed it in her direction.
Triumphant, Cadelyn picked it up and turned to Kress.
“They have graciously given me the game,” she said, moving to a smaller table, back near the kitchen, and set the board down carefully. “Now, we can play one game before I go to my chamber.”
Kress looked at her dubiously. “Graciously given?” he repeated. “I think you stole it from them.”
She cast him a long glance. “You saw them give it to me.”
“I think you gave them no choice.”
“Do you want to play or not?”
Kress didn’t argue with her. He simply sat down opposite her as she spaced out the colored pieces, which were actually pieces of stone that had been ground into round balls.
The Alquerque board was a piece of wood that had small pockmarks in it, in a five-point star pattern, and one-half of the round stones were painted white.
Two rows of the white stones faced off against two rows of the unpainted stones in a game that allowed players to move both straight ahead and horizontally.
One could “jump” the opponent’s piece and capture it.
On and on it went until there was only one color of stones left on the board, signifying the winner.
Once the stones were all lined up, Kress indicated for Cadelyn to go first. She eyed the board a moment before glancing up at him.
“What shall we play for?” she asked.
His brow furrowed. “What do you mean?”
She was still looking at the game board. “I mean that there must be a prize to the winner,” she said. “Or… or mayhap there shall be no prize, but surely there must be an incentive.”
He knew her well enough to know that she probably already had something in mind. “State your incentive, my lady, otherwise, you would not suggest it.”
A smile flickered on her lips. “Since we are to spend an inordinate amount of time together, then we should come to know each other,” she said. “If I capture one of your pieces, I am permitted to ask you one question. If you capture one of mine, you are permitted to ask me one question.”
Kress thought it wasn’t such a good idea, but the lure of it was too strong. He wanted to know more about this poetry-writing Welsh princess who cared nothing for her lineage. She was, in every sense of the word, an enigma. Against his better judgement, he nodded.
“Very well,” he said. “What are the rules for the questions?”
“There are no rules.”
He cocked an eyebrow, wondering what kind of questions were going to come out of her mouth.
“Proceed,” he said.
She did. Her first move, into the only vacant spot, allowed him to jump her piece and take it.
“Well?” she said. “What question do you have for me?”
He watched her as she decided which piece to move. “Anything?”
“Anything.”
“When did you discover your love of writing your… poetry?”
She selected her piece and jumped over one of his, snatching it.
“I have always loved to write poetry, ever since Lady Summerlin read us a poem entitled Merry It Is While Summer Lasts,” she said.
“It was a short poem, but it fed my imagination. Lady Dark came about when I saw a serving woman and a stable groom kiss in the kitchen yard one day. It was quick, and secretive, and it seemed to me that they were so disappointed when it was over and they were forced to go on their way.”
“It intrigued you.”
“It did.” She held up the piece she’d taken from the board. “Now it is my turn to ask you a question.”
He eyed her, but there was humor in his expression. “Very well.”
She fought off a grin as she returned to the game board. “You said I was a pretty lass,” she said. “How do I compare to the most beautiful women you have ever seen?”
“You are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen.”
Her head came up, looking at him with astonishment as he focused on the game and moved another one of his pieces, jumping hers.
“Is that true?” she asked, awe in her tone.
“You said only one question.”
She shut her mouth, looking at him with big eyes, as he set her piece aside. “What other talents do you have besides writing poetry?” he asked.
Cadelyn still wasn’t over his declaration that she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen, but she pushed through it to focus on his question.
She had no doubt, however, that she would revisit it at some point.
Casually, she looked down at the game board, looking to see which piece of his she could jump.
“You’ll think it silly.”
“Given what I know about you already, I would not be surprised by anything.”
She found a piece to jump and she did, plucking it off the game board. “I like to experiment with cooking,” she said. “Lady Summerlin had a cook, all the way from Paris and she would teach me and Lily-Elsie new things.”
“Lily-Elsie? That was one of the other ladies back at Castle Rising?”
She nodded. “My very dear friend,” she said, sobering somewhat. “I miss her already, but I promised her that she could come and visit me at The Paladin.”
“I am sure she shall.”
Cadelyn paused as she thought of the friend she’d left behind.
Her last memory of Lily-Elsie was of the young woman weeping as she rode away in the misty dawn and it made her sad to think about it.
Silly, flighty, but sweet Lel was all alone now that Cadelyn and Susanna had departed.
Cadelyn reflected on her for a moment longer before returning her focus to the game at hand.
And the question.
“It is my turn now,” she said, setting the jumped piece aside. “You told me that you were not betrothed, but is there anyone special waiting for you?”
It was a rather personal question but Kress didn’t flinch. There were no rules, after all. Reaching out, he moved one of his pieces, jumping another of hers.
“Nay,” he said. “What about you? You have already stated your resistance to this betrothal. Because you have someone else in mind?”
Cadelyn shook her head, moving another piece and jumping one of his. “Nay,” she said. “If we are being perfectly honest, about three years ago, there was a young squire I thought was rather handsome. He served with Baron Somerhill, an ally of de Winter.”
Kress nodded. “I know Baron Somerhill, Marcus Burton,” he said. “A stunning warrior with a great history of service to England. Who was the squire?”
“Peter de Lohr,” she said. “He is the son of the Earl of Hereford. Do you know him, too?”
Kress thought on that. “I do not know Peter, but I know his father,” he said. “What does Peter look like?”
“Tall and very blond,” she said. “He is very handsome, too, and he knows it. He tried to flatter me enough so that I would let him kiss me.”
He glanced at her, hearing the outrage in her tone. “And you did not?”
She stiffened. “Never,” she insisted. “He may have been handsome, but I was not going to let him kiss me, not after I heard he had kissed other girls, too. He is also a year younger than I am. I will not consider a man younger than I am.”
Kress had to put his hand to his mouth, casually, so she wouldn’t see his smile. “Shocking,” he said. “And he is the only one you have considered handsome or special?”
“It is my turn to ask the question.”
“Then ask.”
She looked at him a moment. “Where are you from?”