Chapter Two #2
“I knew your father and brothers as well as anyone,” the Marshal said, lowering his voice.
“I knew that they were capable of. I’ve seen the evidence firsthand.
But you… you do not have that unethical trait.
You do not have their blind ambition, which leads me to believe it was a learned characteristic on their part and not an inherent one.
In any case, the command of Wrexham is yours.
I believe you will make a fine commander, Pat.
It is no less than you deserve. In fact, if there were any justice in the world, you’d have a few earldoms and lands in Ireland in your possession and we would all be taking orders from you.
But, alas, that is not the case. Wrexham now belongs to me, and I put you in command.
You have my permission to fly your crimson shield from the battlements alongside my scarlet lion.
Let the world know who is now in command of Wrexham. ”
The crimson shield. Tristan’s adoptive father, Juston de Royans, flew a blue shield on his standard, and when Tristan was given command of one of Juston’s outposts, Ravensworth Castle, Juston had commissioned a crimson shield for Tristan to signify his command.
It flew alongside Juston’s blue shield, and now it would fly alongside the standard of William Marshal.
It was a great honor, and Tristan knew it.
“Thank you, my lord,” he said sincerely. “You humble me.”
“I know you will not fail.”
Tristan drew in a long, slow breath, digesting his new assignment and everything it entailed. “Nay, my lord, I will not,” he said. “But I have been thinking, and I know that I will need help. I have a very big task ahead of me.”
The Marshal’s yellowed eyes twinkled. “You came to that conclusion by yourself, did you?” he said, jesting. But the twinkle soon faded. “Bigger than you know. Llywelyn will not take this loss well. He will be back.”
“I know. I was just saying that to MacRohan.”
William looked around him, seeing Bric and Carr and Dermot standing with Caius and Gart several feet away.
There were others around, as well—Peter de Lohr, a bright, powerful young knight and commander of Ludlow Castle, a Crown property, went to Bric, putting his hand on the man’s shoulder in greeting.
Christopher was sitting on the dais, in conversation with a couple of the Marshal’s advisors, but standing behind Christopher, surveying the room, was a very big knight at the exceedingly young age of seventeen years.
But he was standing there for a reason, and the twinkle came back into the Marshal’s eyes.
He had an idea.
“I am sending the Irish with you,” he said to Tristan. “Carr and Dermot are strong warriors, cunning, and they hate the Welsh more than we do.”
Tristan nodded. “Thank you, I think,” he said, watching the Marshal snort. “I would also like to request Addax. He has been serving de Lohr, but I need him, my lord. I would feel better with his sword.”
“Agreed,” the Marshal said. “I will send him up from Lioncross. But there is one more sword I’m giving you, and he is a powerful one. The question is whether or not you can control him.”
“Who?”
The Marshal tipped his head in the direction of the dais. “See the knight standing behind de Lohr?”
Tristan turned around, spying the subject. “De Wolfe?”
The Marshal nodded slowly. “Aye,” he said. “William de Wolfe. He’s seventeen years of age and has already been knighted by the Earl of Teviot. I’ve never seen such raw talent in my life. The man has the makings of a legend.”
Tristan’s gaze was lingering on the very young, but very big, knight.
He was a few inches over six feet and built like a stallion—big arms, big chest, big neck, and enormous hands.
He was also excruciatingly handsome, and even Tristan had heard rumors now and again about the de Wolfe squire that no one could seem to control or contain, men and women alike.
William de Wolfe was in a league all his own.
“I’ve seen him over the past couple of months,” Tristan said, eyeing the young knight in the shadows. “Though I’ve not really spoken to him. He was with Hereford, and I had my own men to command. Why would you give him over to me? Will Hereford be willing to part with him if he is so good?”
The Marshal snorted. “Let me tell you a little something about William de Wolfe,” he said. “He is a genius. I do not use that word often, but in his case, it is true. He is the youngest son of Edward de Wolfe, Earl of Wolverhampton, and the lad has something of a shadowed past.”
Tristan looked at him, a smile on his lips. “At his age?”
“At his age,” the Marshal confirmed. “Surely you’ve heard of him.”
Tristan shrugged. “A little,” he admitted. “Not all of it flattering.”
The Marshal cocked an eyebrow. “No doubt,” he said.
“He’s been an experienced gambler since he was a small lad, and he’s probably richer than you are.
He fostered at Kenilworth, but even the master knights couldn’t beat the scoundrel out of him, so his father sent him to Northwood Castle on the Scots border, hoping the action in the north would tame him. ”
“It didn’t?”
The Marshal shook his head. “Hardly,” he said.
“He nearly took over Northwood Castle. He and his comrades, other squires who were in league with him. That young man had a gambling ring organized, and he was bleeding the soldiers into poverty. The only reason the Earl of Teviot didn’t send him away immediately was because the lad is hell with a sword and he has a mind for tactics and warfare.
He’s so good, in fact, that he was knighted quite early.
From what I heard, he won several skirmishes for Teviot against the Scots. ”
“But he’s no longer there,” Tristan said, pointing out the obvious. “Why not?”
The Marshal sighed. “Because Teviot was afraid that William might actually try to overthrow him and take over his castle,” he said.
“Not seriously, of course, but William is a force to be reckoned with. He is bright, experienced, and cunning. Teviot could not handle him and finally sent him back to his father, but his father sent him to Hereford. William is not allowed to move away from Hereford’s side, hence the way he is standing behind the man.
But did you not see him when the gatehouse was breached? ”
Tristan thought about that. “I think so,” he said. “I seem to remember he was one of the first men through the breach.”
“He was,” the Marshal said. “There is something both immortal and irreverent about de Wolfe, something I intend to harness. And that is why I will leave him with you. We’ve all had a go at him, and we’ve failed.
I want to put him under your command against the rebellion Welsh because he was brilliant against the Scots.
I think he can help you if you do not end up throwing him in the vault first.”
Tristan wasn’t quite sure what he could say to that. He was to have two feisty Irishmen and one uncontrollable squire. It didn’t sound like a recipe for success to him, but it did sound like an interesting one. It seemed that nothing about this command was going to be simple.
“Very well,” he said. “But may I make a request?”
“What is it?”
Tristan looked at him. “I want free rein with de Wolfe,” he said. “If you truly want to put him under my command, there will be no following his progress or his father inquiring about his welfare. I will not send him back to his father. If I fail with him, I will throw him to the Welsh.”
The Marshal almost chuckled but thought better of it because Tristan was serious.
It was true that they’d all had a try with young de Wolfe, but he was, as his father so kindly put it, incorrigible.
But he was so brilliant that no one was willing to cast him aside.
If Tristan thought he could finally take the wild wolf in de Wolfe, then William was willing to let him try.
Even if he did think Tristan was being unrealistic.
“Do what you must,” he said. “But remember he is a valued knight and the son of the Earl of Wolverhampton. Unless you want real trouble on your hands with Edward de Wolfe, you will treat his son accordingly. And that is all I will say about it.”
Tristan simply nodded, his gaze lingering on de Wolfe for a few moments longer before he turned back to the Marshal.
“Is there anything else I should know or be aware of with Wrexham?” he asked.
The Marshal shrugged. “I have two old soldiers who served de Gresford and know the politics of the area, men who will tell you everything you need to know,” he said.
“One of them is gravely injured and may not survive, but the other one should do well enough. I would learn all I can, Pat. You have quite a task ahead of you, and you want to be as well informed as you can be.”
Tristan was aware of that. He tried to look at the situation as any other task he’d been entrusted with, but he hadn’t been as excited about any of those. For this particular task… he was excited.
As excited as he could be, at any rate.
“I will educate myself on everything I can that has to do with Wrexham and the surrounding area,” he said. “My life depends on it. I will not fail you, my lord. And I am grateful… very grateful… to have your trust.”