Chapter Twenty-Five #2
Gemma was staring at Cenydd, but not like a woman in love. Arne took another step towards them and was about to push Cenydd aside when he spoke.
“Well, Gemma, you must make a decision. A little sooner than I expected. I had planned to take you back to Car Cadell and give you time to think, but perhaps it’s unnecessary.
My future is here, ensuring the safety of Lyffnach, given that I’ve just spirited the king’s nephew away from him without his permission.
And I think perhaps yours lies elsewhere. ”
“Think about what?” Arne demanded, watching closely as the two Britons regarded each other. Then Gemma nodded and Cenydd sighed before turning to face him.
“I have the king’s permission to marry Gemma, but he was adamant she was to be separated from her son.”
Arne looked to where Anwyl had dismounted and was now lifting Caelin down from the horse.
“As you can see, we rescued both of them – ourselves, this time – but it will not be long before King Rhun sends soldiers in search of her once more,” Cenydd said.
“Why are you doing this? Is your plan to put Caelin on the throne?” Arne asked. Cenydd seemed to be willing to let him and Gemma be together, but there were no guarantees he would let Caelin go.
Cenydd shook his head. “Nothing so ambitious. For now at least. But what I have sworn to do is to protect my lands, the lands of Lyffnach. Neither Marcant nor the king will ever think these lands are theirs for the taking again. Nor any other invaders, for that matter.”
“And what of the lands where Kirkjaster sits?” Arne asked.
Before Cenydd had inherited Cadell’s lands, the peninsula on which Kirkjaster sat had belonged to him and was still in many ways a part of Lyffnach even if it wasn’t under Cenydd’s rule directly.
Had Cenydd had enough of a taste of power now he was willing to challenge the Norsemen for those lands?
Was this it? The end of the settlement here?
Their alliance had held for only a few years, but the one constant was that Lyffnach had accepted their ownership of the small peninsula.
Cenydd and Anwyl exchanged a look, clearly deciding whether to share any more of their plans with Arne. Anwyl nodded abruptly and Cenydd returned the gesture after a further moment’s consideration.
“The holy men have asked to return to the church at Nevyth. You do not use the church lands except for farming.”
“You know I don’t have the authority to—”
Cenydd waved away his argument. “Jarl Tormod will agree if you tell him to, I’m sure. It has long been a sacred spot and it would be a show of good faith both to the church and to myself.”
“A bribe?”
“A reassurance,” said Anwyl quietly. Arne looked between the two men, their stances strong, their expressions serious but, Arne thought, sincere.
“Very well, I will make this request,” Arne agreed. But no one moved. “Gemma? Do you wish to come with me or do you prefer to stay with Lord Cenydd?”
“At least Cenydd is honest with me.”
“What do you mean?”
“He wants to marry me because I can provide him with the heirs he requires. He’s promised to protect me.
He has taken a risk by getting me out of Perthawc safely, and bringing Caelin also against the king’s orders.
He may yet have to pay a high price for that.
” She looked at Cenydd, who nodded curtly in agreement.
“Caelin’s presence in Car Cadell is not only a risk, Princess Maithgemm,” said Anwyl. “His presence also indicates our own status.”
Cenydd laid a hand on Anwyl’s arm and shook his head. “She is no longer a princess.”
Arne frowned in confusion. “But—”
“King Rhun has disowned her. After the news the riders brought this morning, Rhun will have you killed if he finds you. And maybe now he will kill Gemma, too.”
“Riders?”
“A Norseman and a Dal Riatan,” Gemma said. “They said… they said they had seen us together… out on the moors.” She looked down at the ground, but he put a finger on her chin and tipped it so she had no choice but to look at him.
“Are you ashamed of me? Of what happened between us?”
“No, never. But I don’t want it to get you killed.”
“King Rhun was going to keep Caelin, send him back with Lord Fergus to Ir Ysgyn, claiming Gemma was now a corrupting influence,” said Cenydd.
“Anwyl took Caelin from Perthawc before King Rhun set a guard, but it is likely he will send soldiers to retrieve him. You should leave. Sooner rather than later.”
“Mama?” At the sound of Caelin’s small, scared voice, Gemma took the basket from Caelin and put it on the ground, then picked him up and hugged him.
“Shh. I’ll never let you be taken away from me. Ever.”
“The safest thing would be for you to leave Lyffnach. All three of you. Now. That is, assuming you have a better offer for Gemma than mine, Arne.”
All of them turned to look at him, but he had eyes only for Gemma. He swallowed, unsure what to say. Did she want him? How did she feel about marrying Cenydd? Should he encourage her to marry him? The lord of Lyffnach was a good choice for her, better than him, but—
“Well? Do you?” Gemma’s voice was quiet, her face blank, and when he didn’t respond immediately, she lowered her head.
“I… I cannot match Lord Cenydd’s offer,” Arne said, unsure of what to say, knowing only that he wanted to be with her.
He wanted to be the one to protect her, to keep her safe, to wake every morning in each other’s arms like they had done that morning.
Was it only that morning? It seemed so much longer.
She started to turn away from him, towards Cenydd, and he knew he had to take a chance before it was too late.
“I have some wealth, but no lands, no real status here.”
Gemma drew in a breath. She kept her eyes down, fixed on the top of Caelin’s head as she held her son in her arms. “Those are not the things that matter,” she said and took a step towards Cenydd.
“If wealth and status were all she wanted, she would have accepted Lord Cenydd’s offer,” Anwyl said gently. Gemma looked up at Anwyl then slowly turned her gaze to Arne. Their eyes met and she bit her bottom lip as if waiting, hoping for him to say something.
Arne cleared his throat and took a step towards her, then another. He didn’t want her to marry Cenydd, didn’t want her to be with anyone but him. It was selfish, but…
“Can you guarantee her safety?” Cenydd asked, stopping him.
Arne glanced at Gemma, who was staring at him wide-eyed.
She looked unsure, and he cursed himself for having put that look there.
He should have told her the truth in the shieling, told her how he felt about her.
And he could hardly blurt it all out now, in front of so many witnesses, especially one who had the king’s permission to marry her.
“Arne?” Cenydd prompted. “Can you keep them both safe? I cannot give her everything she desires, but what I have to offer is not insubstantial.”
“I know,” Arne agreed. “And if I were to assess this situation from a practical viewpoint, then it is likely you would be the better choice.”
“But our lives are not only about practical considerations, Arne. Although I feel I must ask again, to reassure myself. What are you willing to do to keep Gemma safe?”
Arne stared at her, remembering how she had looked in the firelight in the shieling.
The tenderness as she had touched his scars, the soft wonder on her face as they had made love for the first time.
And now her expression was blank, as if she was afraid to let him see how she felt in case he hurt her – and he realised now that he had already hurt her – but if she gave him a chance, he would spend the rest of his life making up for that hurt.
“I would die for her,” he said, holding her gaze. Her lips curved into a slow smile, then her hands flew to her mouth as she sobbed and closed the gap between them.
“I take it you are not choosing me, then?” Cenydd asked, sounding less concerned with the rejection than Arne knew he would have felt if Gemma’s decision had been different.
“Just tell her you love her. Put us all out of our misery,” Anwyl said, shaking his head and pushing Arne towards Gemma. Then he took Caelin from Gemma’s arms.
“Do you?” Gemma lifted her hand and touched Arne’s cheek, then laid her palm on the side of his face.
He closed his eyes and drew in a breath, revelling in the warmth of her touch, because she didn’t seem to care about his scars, the fact that she—
“Yes,” he said, then leaned in and kissed her, wrapped his arms around her. She felt so right there. How could he have ever thought to let her go?
“If you are going to steal my bride from me, Arne, then perhaps you could at least kiss her somewhere else.”
Gemma pushed away from Arne as he opened his eyes to see Cenydd’s sly smile, but this time he wasn’t letting go and, although he allowed her to shift beside him, he kept her nestled against his side. “I am hardly stealing her.”
Her gaze lingered on his for a moment before she turned to Cenydd. “I’m sorry.”
Cenydd inclined his head in acknowledgement and Arne hoped he would bear him no lasting ill-will.
“Take the horses, as you will need to outrun King Rhun’s men. Although we don’t plan to let any of them past Dol Mawr.”
Arne followed Cenydd’s gaze as it swept over all the soldiers already gathered within the walls of Dol Mawr.
Would they be enough? To defeat any of the other lords of Strath Clut, certainly.
But if the king rallied support from more than one of his subjects?
There was no way of knowing, but Arne had to believe Cenydd would at least retain control of his own lands despite having disobeyed the king and spirited Caelin away from his control.
“Take them and go,” urged Anwyl. “Far from here, perhaps even away from Kirkjaster. Rhun’s soldiers will be coming – for Caelin, if not you.”
“Leave Kirkjaster? But you can’t—” Gemma said.
"I’ll do whatever will keep you safe.”
“You would do that for me?”
“If I have to. If it’s what you want—to be with me? Because your safety is more important than anything else to me. But if you’d rather stay—”
“No. If I stay here, I’ll be hiding forever.
Hiding who I am or hiding who I love. And I don’t want to do that anymore.
” She laid her head against his chest. “It’s you I want.
And as I am no longer a princess, then we are equals and can choose each other if we want to,” she said, then her voice broke.
“I can never repay you. Not for any of this, and I am sorry about what I said.”
Arne held onto her. “As am I.”
“I thought I would never see you again.”
“That might still be the safest option.”
“I don’t care.” She pushed away far enough to see his face.
She smiled up at him, and he leaned down and kissed her.
He closed his eyes, joy filling him at the knowledge she wanted to go with him, was willing to turn her back on her life here and see where the future took them.
Perhaps they would end up in a place where both were outsiders, but he knew it wouldn’t matter.
With her and their children they would form their own family.
They would have everything that truly mattered if they did so.
But first they had to get back to Kirkjaster and work out their plans. He opened his eyes when Cenydd spoke.
“This is the edge of my lands, normally a safe border with fellow Britons, but now the danger comes from within. Your jarl must pick a side. Go to Kirkjaster, ask Tormod to allow the monks to return to Nevyth as a show of good faith and be willing to fight alongside us.”
“I will. And he will fight alongside you if necessary, I am sure. You only have to ask.”
“I will be asking,” Cenydd assured him.
“You should go. We will stay here, ensure Rhun does not send soldiers after you. The people of Lyffnach will not bow before a corrupt and unjust monarch. And pardoning Marcant does not offer my people the justice they deserve. We will come to Kirkjaster when we can, then the people of Lyffnach and Kirkjaster can discuss the future. Together.”
Arne nodded, then led Gemma back to her horse, enjoying the feeling of her soft hand in his. He helped her to mount, then lifted Caelin back onto Anwyl’s horse and mounted behind him. Anwyl passed up the cubs’ basket.
“Take good care of them,” Anwyl said. “You don’t know how lucky you are.”
“Believe me, I do,” said Arne.
“Until the next time,” said Cenydd.
“Until then.”
Cenydd nodded at him, then, with Gemma and Caelin, Arne rode out through the gates of Dol Mawr into the darkness.