Chapter 12 #3
After a lot of bickering and bartering, the men left, their pockets a little heavier.
Tormand continued to occasionally chuckle over the matter as he and Simon made their way to a small tavern.
Despite the way the tavern maid eyed Tormand with disgust, Simon was able to get them to a small table tucked far in the corner.
As soon as he and Tormand each had a tankard of ale, Simon told him everything he had learned from David.
“Walter made a verra big mistake there,” said Tormand, who grinned at, then winked at, the horrified tavern maid.
Simon needed only one peek at Tormand to know what horrified the woman. “I hope whate’er ye have put on your teeth will come out.” They looked as if they were stained with something vile that was oozing from his gums.
“ ‘Tis naught but some herbal mess Morainn mixed up. It doesnae taste bad. Although, it doesnae go with this ale verra weel.” Tormand set his tankard down and looked at Simon. “So ye are truly going to stay with this until the bitter end.”
“I have to, Tormand.”
Tormand nodded. “I can see it. So could Morainn. She says all will be weel at Lochancorrie. Couldnae tell me if that was because ye took on the land or because whoever the king gifted with a traitor’s goods was a good laird, but she thought ye might like to ken that the future is nay all death and misery for your home. ”
Simon thought about it for a moment and nodded. “It is good news. It takes away a worry and that can only be good at this time. Things are beginning to fall into place.”
“Morainn also said that ye will face a great trial and have to make a painful choice, or something akin to that. Mayhap it was that ye make the wrong choice and it is painful.” He shrugged when Simon glared at him.
“She wasnae sure, either. Just that there will be something painful for ye when all else is right. I told her a few more specific dreams might be better but she told me to tell ye this one.”
“That is verra vague e’en for Morainn.”
“So I thought but she wouldnae tell me anything else and insisted I come and tell ye that. Good thing I did, too, or ye would have been dead on the road to the king’s court.”
“I could have beaten them.” Simon ignored the mocking sounds Tormand made. “I will think on it for a wee while and mayhap it will make more sense in time.”
“Nay so sure of that. Just why were ye headed to the court again? Now that ye are so close to capturing these traitors and all, I would have thought ye would wish to start avoiding that place again.”
“ ‘Tis hard to abide it, but I must speak to the king as soon as possible if I want any chance of saving Lochancorrie.”
“Go then. I will wait here for you. As soon as ye can, come back and tell me what ye learned and what the king said.”
Simon hesitated for only a moment and then he hurried off to get to the court.
He would not stand around waiting to get in to see the king, he told himself, because there was nothing to gain from leaving Tormand wasting time at the tavern while he wasted time in an unanswered bid to see his liege lord.
To Simon’s relief, and surprise, he was escorted into the presence of the king only moments after he arrived.
He bowed before the man he had sworn his sword to.
“Ye have some news for us, Simon?” the king asked.
“We have captured one of the men who was dragged into the plan.” Without naming anyone, Simon told him about David, stressing the fact that David had long been caught firm by the other man’s lies.
“Weel, if that mon ye hold helps ye bring the traitors to justice before I am killed, he will be freed.”
“Thank ye, sire. There is one other thing, ere I return to the business of capturing these men.”
“Best speak now whilst I am in a good humor over seeing the end of this plot.”
“I fear one of my blood may be involved.”
“Ah, a shame, but ye dinnae need to worry that I would blame ye for the act of some kinsmon. Are ye asking to have someone else step in to end this? I would prefer that ye do it as, if men who are liked and respected are involved, your word of their guilt will be held in high esteem. And no one who kens ye would think ye had ought to do with any bad seed in your family.”
There was something in the way the king stared at him that told Simon his king had a good idea of which one of Simon’s family might be a traitor, but neither of them acknowledged the truth that lay between them.
“Thank ye, my liege, but I wish to see this through to the end. What I ask is that, if I am proven right, ye might consider me for the one to take o’er the forfeited lands. ”
“Of course.” He looked at his clerk, who sat at a small table at the far end of the room. “Ranald will see to that, willnae ye, Ranald.”
Ranald nodded and Simon could not believe the ease with which it was done.
He knew the king could yet change his mind, but the fact that the king had already told Ranald to see to it was reason to hope that Lochancorrie could be saved.
After a short while of answering the king’s questions yet not giving the man the names he wanted, Simon left and hurried back to the tavern where Tormand waited for him.
“ ‘Tis strange to see ye sitting all alone in a tavern,” Simon said as he sat down.
“I am a married mon,” said Tormand.
Simon wondered if Tormand would ever tire of saying that and somehow doubted he would. It made him envious. “And ye have oozing teeth. Why do I think that was Morainn’s idea?” He shook his head when Tormand grinned, displaying those horrific teeth.
“Weel, did ye get to see the king?”
“Aye. He was pleased to hear this is all nearing an end, but I think he started to become annoyed that I would nay give him any names until I had the leader in my hands. He did sympathize with me o’er the chance that one of my blood may be involved.
In truth, I think he kens exactly who may be involved but naught was said.
What he did do was say I could have the land if it was forfeit. He even told old Ranald to see to it.”
“Again–a large concern lifted.” Tormand finished his tankard of ale and stood up.
“I wish to be home now. I but stayed to hear what news ye might have from the king. It will be good to have this at an end soon. Ilsabeth’s family can regain their home and Ilsabeth can join them.
And ye, my friend, can return to the life ye had ere she tripped into your home with those two foundlings. Rest weel.”
“Ye, too,” Simon grumbled.
He would not have been surprised if Tormand grinned all the way home.
Simon could tell by the look his friend gave him as he had spoken of life returning to normal that Tormand knew Simon did not truly want that.
What Tormand could not know was that it might be all Simon could allow.
Ilsabeth had a large, loving family eager to take her home.
Simon had a mad brother and three missing ones plus lands that had been held under Henry’s boot heel for too long.
It could be that there was no sane way to put two such disparate people together in any more than a brief affair.