Great Protector (46 page)

"What
goes on here?" he boomed.

Arissa
started violently, leaping up from the rock in surprise. Emma, her eyes wide
with shock, stared at Richmond and Gavan as if the Devi had suddenly made an
appearance; covered with exposed swords and weapons, the picture was
terrifying.

"We....
we came into the trees looking for flowers," Arissa stammered. "The
children found us and are preparing a special treat in our honor."

Richmond
stared at the overall picture a moment; seventeen very frightened, very cold
children gazed back at him as if he was pure evil. On a small fire built into
the mucky earth, five small fish were cooking on spits and Richmond sheathed
his sword, moving to grasp Arissa by the arm.

"'Twas
foolish to venture into the trees without an escort," he growled. "I
would expect more of a show of intelligence from you, my lady. You are fully
aware of the dangers that lurk about."

Arissa
winced at the brutal grip on her arm. "Release me, Richmond, you are
hurting me," she said with as much force as she could muster. His grip
immediately lessened, but he did not let go of her and she attempted to pull
free. He did not budge. "Let go of me, Richmond. I demand it."

"You
do not make demands," he flipped up his visor, his eyes like ice as his
gaze moved from the frightened children to Emma. He gestured at her with his
free hand. "Take her, Hage. Tie her to the wagon if she cannot show more
wisdom than to venture out into forest without the proper attendants."

As
Gavan moved for Emma, Arissa could see that the situation was rapidly
deteriorating. Since she could not match Richmond's anger, and his fury was
quite correct for wandering away from the campsite, she decided to play to his
sympathies instead. As she had proven abundantly in the past, a little honey
against the hard facade of Richmond le Bec could work wonders.

"Richmond,
may I speak with you a moment before you haul Emma and I away like a pair of
criminals?" she asked politely.

He
eyed her. "When we return to camp, I will expect a full explanation. You
may speak to your heart's content at that time."

She
shook her head, her soft hands moving to grasp his massive glove. Smiling
faintly, she pressed against him. "Now, Richmond. I shall take but a
moment of your precious time. If you do not agree with my words, you may spank
me all night."

There
was a decidedly erotic invitation in that statement but he ignored it, still
focused on his anger. "After I remove you from this rabble, I shall be
happy to speak with you."

He
made the attempt to pull her with him but she balked, digging her heels in. His
jaw ticked at the show of insolence but she tried not to let the gesture
intimidate her.

"Please,
my love," her voice was suddenly very soft, very seductive. "Allow me
a moment to speak with you. Just a small, insignificant moment? Please?"

God's
Teeth, he could never refuse her. Somehow, he was always caving into her
imperious commands disguised as prettily uttered requests. Releasing her from
his grasp, he put his hands on his hips in a display of irritation. "What,
then?"

She
smiled, pressing herself against him and winding her arms about his waist. Next
to her, Emma was fighting off a grin as Gavan pretended to look the other way;
they both knew Arissa would have her way in the end, regardless of Richmond's
harsh stance.

"They
are preparing a feast to thank me for my kindness in defending them against you
earlier today," she whispered, watching the blue eyes soften as she spoke.
"Those five fish are all they have to sustain the seventeen of them, and
still they are willing to share with me. I shall not refuse their kind tribute,
Richmond. Even though they are dirt-poor, scraping the very dregs of society in
their attempt to maintain a meager existence, they still know the true meaning
of selflessness. That, my love, is worth all of the kings and knights and
wealth this world has to offer and I am honored to be a part of it."

He
stared at her a moment before emitting a weary, heart-felt sigh. She continued
to smile at him, watching his uncertain expression as he glanced to the wary
cluster of children. It took him a moment to realize that during the course of
their conversation, he had distracted the orphans from their fire and the fish
were burning brightly with flame as he watched.

With
another sigh, this one of pure resignation, he realized was about to give in to
her request yet again. Watching the fish burn, however, he was suddenly aware
of how to please Arissa without appearing weak in front of his men.  God's
Teeth, he was a fool for the woman.

"Their
tribute appears to have become a torch," he grumbled, touching her cheek;
he simply couldn't help himself as she gazed up at him. His gaze lingered on the
children a moment before turning away from Arissa. "You will tell them to
sup with us since I have ruined their dinner. I shall wait for you on the other
side of the thicket, so do not delay."

Arissa
smiled broadly, a beautiful smile that rendered him weak with love and
adoration. "Of course, my love. I shall do it right away." Before he
could move away completely, she reached out to gently grasp his massive hand.
"Thank you, Richmond. You are an extremely generous man."

He
barely acknowledged her thanks as he moved into the foliage he had so recently
crushed. "I am not generous; I am a fool," he muttered, listening to Gavan's
snort of agreement.

Hearing
Gavan’s laughter reminded him of the second missive from Henry, the one whose
contents he had been directed to deliver to Gavan in private. The man had to be
made aware, the sooner the better, and Richmond's heart sank as he once again
braced himself for the devastating duty.

His
gut churned as they reached the destriers, preparing to mount. God's Teeth, how
he hated what he was about to do. Eyeing Gavan as the man moved to mount his
horse, he wondered if his best friend would ever be able to forgive him.

               
          ***

Seventeen
children around a campfire filled with hardened soldiers proved to be a
surprising, wonderful source of entertainment. The children sang, danced, told
stories and involved the men-at-arms in betting games. Two boys would wrestle
as the men eagerly placed wages, adding to the festive atmosphere, while two of
the girls would take bets on who could spit the farthest.

Knowing
well their liege's fondness for sports and betting, Richmond found himself
coerced into placing wagers on the wrestling matches and was pleased when his
chosen contender emerged the victor in the majority of the contests. In spite
of any reservations about the skinny, dirty, happy children, Richmond was
forced to agree that inviting them to dine with his men had been a wise decision.

He
relaxed against a rotted stump with Arissa in one hand and a tankard of bland
ale in the other. All in all, a most delightful night appeared to have
descended and he listened to the sounds of laughter and revelry with
satisfaction. When a few of the soldiers broke out their lutes and began to
play, Arissa and Emma found themselves swarmed with children demanding them to
participate in a communal dance. With a delighted glance to Richmond, Arissa
joined the children in the campfire frolics.

Richmond
observed her beautiful form with pleasure and would have been completely
content to gaze at her all night had Gavan not moved up beside him, chewing
loudly on a knuckle of mutton.

"Most
of those children are bigger than Arissa," he commented with a grin.
"If you could harness their energy and focus the cumulative power, you
would have a hell of a fighting company."

Richmond's
smile faded as he watched Arissa dance, listening to his friend prattle as if
he did not have a care in the world. Certainly he could not, in good
conscience, delay Gavan's message any longer. While Arissa and Emma and the
rest of the soldiers were occupied was the perfect opportunity to relay the
contents of the second missive, and he took a deep breath for courage as he set
his pewter cup to the ground.

"I
have a need to speak with you, Gavan," he said as evenly as he could.
"In private."

Gavan
swallowed his bite, tossing the stripped bone aside. "Certainly. Where
shall we go?"

Richmond
rose to his feet. "Near the tents, I suppose, wherever there aren't a
thousand wild children dancing about," the two knights moved toward the
trees as Richmond struggled to keep his manner unhurried. Already, he was
breaking out in a cold sweat in anticipation of Gavan's reaction as they
meandered to the edge of the clearing, watching the festivities in the
distance.

Richmond
turned to Gavan, knowing it would be easier if he simply spit out his purpose.
The longer he delayed, the more painful it would be for the both of them and he
found himself swallowing hard, twice, before he was able to find his voice.

"Gavan,"
he began softly. "There is simply no easy way to broach this subject, so
you will forgive me if I seem insensitive or careless in manner; certainly, I
am neither of those things."

Gavan's
brow furrowed. Richmond almost seemed ill at ease and he smiled encouragingly,
slapping his friend on the arm. "I am well aware of your unpolished
characteristics. Come out with it, man, and say your peace."

Richmond
gazed into the brown eyes of the man he had known over half his life. He
remembered a very young page by the name of Gavan Hage from a very old and
powerful Saxon family, a big boy with a good deal of intelligence and grace.
Even as he squired, being several years older than the young Hage lad, he
remembered an eager boy more than willing to learn from those older and more
experienced. He remembered requesting Gavan as his squire when he first became
a knight, and how they worked together until Gavan was knighted eight years
later.

Gavan
had been the best squire England had ever seen as far as Richmond was
concerned. And he had been his best friend for seventeen years. Staring into Gavan’s
trusting eyes, he struggled against his natural instinct to protect the man
from pain both physical and spiritual.

He
sighed heavily. "A missive came today from London, Gavan."

Gavan
looked perplexed. "I know. I was there when you read it."

Richmond
shook his head. "Nay, not that missive. Another one," when Gavan
scratched his head in confusion, Richmond sought to clarify the mystery. "There
were two missives in the pouch, if you recall. The second one was meant for my
eyes only."

Gavan's
confusion cleared and Richmond observed a glimmer of apprehension ignite in the
depths of the rich brown eyes.  He crossed his big arms.

"What
did it say?" he asked.

Richmond
swallowed, an unconscious gesture. He could tell by the countenance in Gavan's
eyes that he already possessed an inkling of what was coming and Richmond
struggled to soften the blow as best he could. But there was simply no delicate
way to phrase the unmerciful truth.

"It's
Kathryn, Gavan,” he said softly. “She went into labor on the third of December
and struggled to bring forth your son for three days. In spite of the best
efforts of the physics, the child was unable to come forth. Your wife passed
away on the sixth of December and your son died with her."

Gavan
stared at him as if he hadn't understood what he had been told. Richmond met
his gaze as steadily as he could, attempting to anticipate his reaction and
wondering if he would be able to control him in the midst of his agonized rage.
But after several long, brutally painful moments, Gavan's only reaction was to
swallow.

"My
Kathryn is dead?"

"Aye."

"My
son is dead?"

"Aye,
Gavan. Your son, too."

Gavan
blinked as if digesting the information. "She died with the child still
inside her?"

Richmond
nodded slowly and Gavan uncrossed his arms. Before Richmond could say anything
further, words of comfort or sympathy or encouragement, Gavan abruptly turned
for the trees and disappeared into the darkened bramble. Richmond watched him
go with tears in his eyes.

There
was nothing left to say. Blinking back the moisture flooding his eyes, Richmond
decided not to follow Gavan into the forest to allow the man to sort through
his grief alone. As much as he wanted to offer what condolences he could, there
were times when even well-meaning intrusions were unwanted. Gavan had lost his
wife and child to a common enough occurrence and he alone would have to come to
grips with his tragedy.

Richmond's
job as the Messenger of Death was complete and he took a deep breath to compose
himself as he turned for the bonfires burning brightly into the cloudy night
sky. Struggling to refocus his attention on something other than Gavan's
shattering grief, he caught sight of Arissa as the great fire silhouetted her
exquisite figure, watching  as she danced a lively folkdance with a young boy
in her arms. As she bounced and twirled gaily, his thoughts shifted from Gavan
to Arissa.

Hearing
the echo of Mossy's warning in his head, Richmond couldn't escape the
apprehension. Arissa had refused to use the pessaries and Richmond, naturally,
had given in to her refusal. Watching her frolic about the bonfire, he cursed
himself for being so weak-willed; clearly, he needed to be more firm where her
health was concerned and he pledged at that moment that he would never again
allow her to persuade him differently when her very life was at stake.  If the
same thing happened to Arissa that had happened to Kathryn, he knew for a fact
he would not survive it.  The mere thought made him sick.