Chapter Sixteen #3
He did look at her, then. “Nay,” he said. “I did my duty. I brought you to Chester. But why would you ask that?”
Her lower lip was trembling as she took a few steps towards him.
“Because as much as I want to ask you to run away with me, I will not,” she said, tears coursing down her face faster than she could wipe them away.
“You asked me once what I wanted from you – do you know what I wanted? I wanted you to leave everything you have worked for and go away with me, just the two of us. That was what I wanted because I was selfish. But for the first time in my life, I understand what it is to think of someone else before myself and I realize that I could not allow you to shame yourself so. What do I want from you? I want to know that you will find happiness again someday. And I want you to think of me from time to time, fondly, and remember a woman who loved you a great deal. That is all I want.”
Her words cut into him like a dagger. He couldn’t even look at her and not feel like weeping himself.
Reaching out, he gently cupped her face, a tender gesture.
Cadelyn put her hand on his, turning her head so she could kiss his palm.
She did, a few times, before pulling away and returning to the bed.
She was so distraught that she collapsed on it, sobbing softly.
“Take Goliath with you when you go,” she wept. “I think you need him more than I do.”
“Nay,” Kress said hoarsely. “He stays with you. I will be greatly comforted knowing that you have him for protection. Please… keep him.”
“Then he shall forever remind me of you.”
Kress’ eyes were stinging with tears as he watched her shoulders heave gently. Knowing there was nothing more to say and that they were dragging out the inevitable, he came up behind her, bent over, and kissed her on the top of the head.
“I love you,” he whispered, inhaling the scent of her hair to keep tucked into his memory. “You will be a fine and strong countess, my lady. Make me proud.”
With that, he turned on his heel and quit the chamber. The last sound he heard was of Cadelyn’s weeping, a sound that would scar him for eternity.
*
The Paladin
“I am here,” Fabius said as he entered the chamber and shut the door. “What is so important?”
He’d walked into a room on the lower level of The Paladin, one that was mostly used by the servants.
They would mend things here, or prepare things, or any number of odd chores.
There were items stored in it as well, with bushels of carrots and dried beans shoved into a corner.
It smelled like must and earth, a dark and dingy room.
But on this day, it also had something else – Atilius and Nesta.
They were lingering together over by one of the slender lancet windows that dotted the lower level of The Paladin, windows used for both ventilation and defense. Fabius made his way over to them, a look of intense curiosity on his face.
“What is it?” he demanded, looking between them. “What has happened?”
Atilius held up a neatly folded piece of parchment with a wax seal on it. The seal had been broken.
“Cadelyn has arrived,” he said. “This missive just came from her escort, meant for Tatius, but I happened to be in the gatehouse when it arrived.”
Fabius’ eyes widened as he took the missive from his brother to look at the careful writing on it. “Where is she?” he said, slowly reading the first few words because he was a poor reader. “Does it say?”
Atilius nodded. “She is in Longton,” he said. “It does not say where they have stopped, but there is only one real tavern of note there, The Crown and Anchor Inn, so I will assume the party stopped there.”
Fabius was still reading the missive, word-by-word. “And they are bringing her to The Paladin?”
Atilius shrugged. “I would assume so,” he said. “But they did not say when, which is why I have summoned Nesta. She believes we should go to Cadelyn and escort her to The Paladin and then on to Mountain Dark.”
Fabius glanced up from the missive to see the blonde-haired woman nodding. “She is a princess of two kingdoms,” she said. “She deserves an escort of her own people, welcoming her back to Wales.”
Fabius returned his focus to the yellowed parchment. “Then we are going to greet her?” he said. “What does Tatius say?”
“Tatius does not know,” Atilius said. “I have not told him. You know how ambivalent he is to all of this. We shall go and meet the lady and bring her back here. Then we shall escort her and Tatius to Mountain Dark, where they shall be married.”
“My people are already there, waiting,” Nesta said.
“This is a great moment. To finally have my daughter back where she belongs shall be a great inspiration for them. We have been anticipating this moment for quite some time and there must not be any delays or interference. We already have loyal men in Conwy, the first large city we intend to take, and all they require is the sight of my daughter to rally them to the cause. From Conwy, we shall move on Bangor and control access to Anglesey. In reward for your assistance, I shall cede all of Anglesey to the House of de Shera.”
Atilius had a smile on his lips. “Worthy lands,” he said. “We shall help you hold Conwy, but we will need more men to take Bangor. It is a large town.”
Nesta nodded confidently. “Let my daughter be seen by the men of Rhos and I promise that we shall have as many as we need. Cadelyn of Vendotia will have a great effect upon her people.”
Fabius handed the parchment back to his brother, mostly because he really couldn’t read any more of it than he already had. He would have to take Atilius’ word for it.
“What would you have me do, Brother?” he asked.
Atilius carefully folded up the parchment.
“I do not know how big Lady Cadelyn’s escort is, but I suspect it is not very large,” he said.
“Therefore, mount two hundred men and arm them. Have them ready within the hour. If we move swiftly, we should see Longton in two days, or at the very least, meet the escort on the road. We shall take charge of the lady and bring her back to The Paladin.”
Fabius nodded and headed out of the dingy, dark chamber. When he was gone, with the old door creaking closed behind him, Atilius turned to Nesta.
“I am not sure what I am going to tell Tatius about our departure, but I will think of something,” he said. “The man has been so distant as of late, I almost hesitate to tell him anything at all.”
Nesta lifted her shoulders in a thoughtful gesture. “Let him be distant,” she said. “Just remember we need him for the marriage to ensure my daughter becomes the Countess of Ellesmere. After that, you can do what you will with him. He is insignificant to me.”
Atilius simply headed for the door with Nesta at his side.
Leaving the chamber, they made haste to go their separate ways as Atilius went to Tatius and Nesta went to tell her people that they would soon be leaving to greet Cadelyn.
So much depended on a young woman they didn’t even know, but there was no discussion of potential concerns or issues.
It never occurred to either Atilius or Nesta that Cadelyn would be anything other than exactly what they had made her up in their minds to be – a Dragon princess of the purest blood who would elevate their cause to victory.
They were counting on it.
What they didn’t count on was Tatius himself.
Having been in his solar facing the gatehouse at the time the missive arrived from the Castle Rising escort, he had seen Atilius with the missive in his hand and, curious, he had followed him.
Tatius didn’t think much of it until Atilius disappeared into the lower levels with the missive and Fabius was summoned.
Then, it began to occur to Tatius that something was amiss.
Fabius had been summoned, but not himself.
As the earl, he should be the first to know of any incoming missives to The Paladin.
It was his privilege to be informed. But Atilius made no such effort, and since the chamber Atilius had chosen to meet in was a servant’s chamber, there were stairs and passageways leading out of it, things that were meant to be hidden, as servants’ passages usually were.
Concerned, and suspicious of Atilius’ motives, Tatius planted himself in a small, hidden staircase and he heard the entire conversation.
Every last word.
Therefore, when Atilius came to tell him later on that he had planned to take the Welsh on a hunting excursion later that day, Tatius pretended to go along with it.
He didn’t ask to go. He simply let his brother leave and take a heavily-armed party with him.
Either Atilius thought his brother was an idiot, or he didn’t think his brother would notice that every man he’d taken with him was armed for battle and not for a hunt.
But he was wrong on all accounts.
Not only did Tatius notice, he did what he had to do – he followed.