Chapter Fourteen #4
“I do not know if this will help, but I recall something my mother told me once when, as a young lad, I expressed the same fears for my father’s safety,” he said quietly.
“She said that we cannot know what will come at the day’s end but that whatever it is, it will indeed come, and then the end will be known.
If we saw my father again at the end of that day, then we would smile and embrace him, but if not, then we would not dwell on his ending but on his parting well-made.
We always made our partings with our father well-made.
We smiled, we spoke of our love for him, so that when he went to battle, he went fortified and loved. ”
By this time, Courtly was smiling up at him.
“Then I shall do the same thing for you,” she said with gentle determination.
“You have given me the greatest gift in life, Maximus. To have been your wife, even for a day, has made my entire life worth living. I could ask for no greater honor and for no greater husband. When you face your coming battle, remember that. My love, and everything else, goes with you.”
Maximus smiled, deeply touched. “Never have I heard such beautiful words,” he whispered. “You honor me.”
With that, he bent down and kissed her, sweetly and lovingly, and Jeniver had to turn away.
She suddenly felt as if she were intruding on a private moment so she made her way to the door with the intention of giving Maximus and Courtly some privacy, but the moment she touched the door latch, the panel opened and Gallus was on the other side.
Startled, she yelped and jumped back at the unexpected sight.
“Gallus,” she gasped, hand on her chest as if to soothe her racing heart. “You surprised me!”
Gallus grinned at his wife. “So sorry, sweetheart,” he said. Then, he looked at his brother, standing near the window in an embrace with his new wife. “Did Max tell you what has happened?”
Jeniver nodded. “You are going into battle.”
Gallus’ smile faded and he reached out to pull the woman into his arms. Kissing her forehead, he hugged her gently.
“Not to worry,” he said. “It will probably be over before we even arrive, so I do not want you to worry. I want you to remain here with Courtly and eat, drink, and spend my money to your heart’s content. I cannot imagine we will be gone more than a few days at most.”
He made it sound much less serious than it was on purpose, much as Maximus had done, but in Gallus’ case, he simply didn’t want to upset his pregnant wife.
She’d had a rough enough time of it without the added burden of a husband at war.
His light attitude towards the situation seemed to work because Jeniver’s taut expression eased considerably.
“Are you sure?” she asked.
He nodded, kissing her forehead again. “I am,” he replied. “And as soon as we return, I want to go to Isenhall, so be prepared to depart.”
Jeniver cocked her head curiously. “You are going to Isenhall, too? But I thought de Montfort wanted you in London right away?”
He nodded. “Mayhap he does,” he said, eyeing Maximus. “But I care not. I want to return home and see to my mother’s health. De Montfort can wait.”
Maximus listened to his brother, unsure if he was serious or not. It could simply be that he was trying to comfort his wife by declaring they would all go home after the skirmish at Warborough was over. Whatever the case, it seemed to be working. Jeniver’s mood picked up somewhat.
“Good,” she said firmly. “You should be able to go home and visit Honey if you want to. De Montfort cannot stop you from tending to your mother.”
Gallus nodded once more and kissed her on the forehead one last time.
“Now, Maximus and I have much to do before we depart,” he said.
“We will come and bid you farewell before we go, but for now, we have things to do. You will stay to our chamber and relax. I do not want you downstairs. There are too many men and horses and you may get hurt.”
Jeniver nodded. “Courtly and I can keep busy.”
Gallus smiled and touched her cheek before letting her go. “Excellent,” he said, motioning to his brother. “Come along, bridegroom. We have much to do.”
Maximus pursed his lips irritably at his brother’s taunt before kissing Courtly and following the man from the chamber.
After that, they lost themselves in the familiar preparation for battle, something that was second nature to them.
Whether they were mobilizing fifty men or a thousand, the preparation was always the same – logistics, a plan of action, and making sure the men and horses were sound to move out.
It was what they were best at and excelled at.
It was a procedure that brought about confidence.
They moved as an efficient team and their men were ready to move out, including a provisions wagon, in less than an hour.
When they finally returned to the chamber to bid farewell to their wives, that confidence they were building up for the men was something that seemed to take a hit once they beheld their women.
Women both of them wanted very much to see again and women who were much braver than they had expected.
After sweet and loving farewells, Gallus and Maximus left The One-Eyed Raven with heavy hearts.
Maximus wasn’t ashamed to admit that, already, the separation was killing him.