King's Knight (Medieval Warriors Book 4) Read online

  “Do not forget, I count Merewyn as my own, too,” said Lady Emma. “You will be lovely in the gown and circlet, Merewyn. I hope you will wear the gold necklace I gave you.”

  “I will,” Merewyn said, kissing Lady Emma’s cheek. “I treasure it.”

  “Alex will be all agog when he sees you,” offered Lora with a grin.

  Merewyn set the circlet down and hugged the women. She had been blessed with two mothers and a wonderful friend. “I love you all.”

  “And we love you,” said Lady Serena.

  * * *

  Alex entered the hall the next day to the enticing smells of roasting goose wafting through the air. His leg still bothered him but he needed no crutch to walk. His father had teased him that they were now a matched pair of limping wolves, but Alex hoped in time he would have no limp.

  He had left his bride tousled in bed where he had made love to her for most of the morning. It was the first time he had told her that he loved her. Mayhap his love began to grow from the first moment he looked at her in her archer’s clothing.

  Father Bernard’s blessing was to be given just before the feast so he had time to share a goblet of wine with his father and his closest friends while Merewyn prepared. When he had left their chamber, his mother, Lady Emma and Lora and had just arrived to assist her.

  “Hail the bridegroom!” shouted Guy from where he sat with the others. “You look fit for William’s court.”

  Alex bowed. “I am honored you should wait for me to begin.” Around the table gathered with his father were Sir Geoffroi, Maugris, Jamie, Rory and Guy, all attired in their best tunics for the day. Sir Alain and Alex’s brothers, save for little Tibby, would miss the Martinmas blessing and the feast that followed, but the babe coming could not wait the months that might pass before they were home.

  “Well, ’tis only now that Maggie has come to tend our thirst and since this is for you, we thought to wait,” said his father who looked every bit the Lord of Talisand this day with his chestnut hair combed back from his face and a tunic of dark green wool stretched over his broad shoulders. He was not a man given to jewels but he needed none with his noble bearing.

  Maggie was directing the many servants bustling about the hall as they prepared for the feast, but she managed to see the men supplied with wine.

  Once each man had been served, his father stood and lifted his goblet. “To a happy life and many sons!”

  They all stood and drank.

  “To lands in Normandy for Talisand’s heir!” said Sir Geoffroi.

  They drank again.

  “To the Black Wolf who has finally claimed his mate,” said Jamie with a wink.

  Before they could drink to that, Rory added, “To the worthy bride!”

  Another swallow followed.

  “To Rhodri, who taught Merewyn to speak the Welsh tongue that saved our hides,” said Guy.

  They laughed and imbibed more of the rich wine of Normandy.

  Alex raised his goblet. “To Talisand!” His father and his friends echoed his shout and downed their wine.

  * * *

  Merewyn had waited, giving Lady Serena, Lady Emma and Lora time to get to the church. Now, she slowly descended the stairs, attired in the blue silk gown, her head covering graced with the silver and gold circlet Lady Serena had given her. Around her neck was the golden necklace Lady Emma had brought from York. And on her finger was Alex’s ring with the blue stone. She smiled to herself thinking Owain had been wrong about Alex not giving her a ring.

  At the bottom of the stairs, Alex waited, his hand extended to her. “You look like a queen.”

  “And you, my love, are not only the handsome favored knight of the king, but my champion for always.”

  He took her hand and kissed it. She felt her cheeks heat. He had made love to her many times and still he could make her feel the shy innocent.

  “Come, my own,” he said, “walk with me to the church where Father Bernard awaits.”

  As they stepped out of the manor, a great crowd greeted them, parting like the flood waters in Moses’ time to allow them to walk the path through the village to the church. Cheers went up from the villagers who lined the way.

  As they neared the church, on one side of the path she saw Lady Serena waiting with Earl Renaud, Lady Emma and Sir Geoffroi. On the other side stood Rory and Guy. Next to them was Lora with Jamie. Rory’s sister, Alice, held the hand of her younger sister, Cecily. Next to Cecily stood Tibby and Ancel. All them were smiling, their faces filled with joy.

  Father Bernard waited in front of the door to the stone church. “My children,” he said, reaching out to take their hands. He crossed them over each other and then placed his hand over theirs. “May your days be long, your love strong, your children many. And may God lead you all of your days. In the name of the Father, Son and Spirit, I ask God’s blessing upon your union.”

  When the good father was finished, Alex kissed her. Shouts erupted behind them. Then, taking her hand, he turned her to face their friends and the villagers gathered around them.

  “I give you Lady Merewyn of Talisand and Fourneaux,” he said in a loud voice.

  Cheers and good wishes surrounded them as they returned to the hall for the great feast that was to follow. Merewyn’s heart overflowed with love. She supposed she was a lady now, for the lands she brought to her husband had bestowed upon her that status. And this day, she would dance with the hero of her heart.

  “Come, my love,” he whispered. “First we feast on duck and then I feast on you!”

  EPILOGUE

  Talisand, December 1092

  Merewyn kissed the fine hair on the head of her young son. The babe already had Alex’s gray eyes and she assumed he would eventually have his father’s raven locks. Alex had named him “William Renaud”, after the king and his grandfather, but everyone called him “Rennie”. Born in the last days of May, Alex made sure all of Talisand had glimpsed the babe at least once. The memory of her proud warrior carrying his infant son through the village brought a smile to her face.

  “Can I hold him?” Lora asked, reaching out for the babe. Rennie gave Lora a huge smile and lifted his little hands toward the woman who had become like a second mother to him.

  “Aye, take the little rascal. He is getting sleepy and should give you no trouble. I must seek the privy. This second child I carry has me seeking the chamber pot often.”

  When she returned, Lora asked, “Where is Jamie? I did not see him when I came in.”

  “Showing Alex the King of Gwynedd’s gift, I think.”

  Lora bounced Rennie on her knees and the babe grinned with glee. “ ’Tis not every child who is given a Welsh pony in his first year.”

  The grateful King of Gwynedd had managed to deliver the pony to Talisand despite his country was immersed in a war with King William. With the pony, the king had sent a missive expressing his gratitude for “the extraordinary gesture of kindness” she had shown him. He added a note telling her the pony had been named Dyfodol, which means “Future” in Welsh. Rennie was the future, to be sure, but mayhap the king had hoped their two countries could, in the future, be at peace. It was her fervent wish, as well.

  “Then there is the wolf dog,” said Merewyn, looking down at the sleeping whelp lying next to the hearth, already bigger than his young master. Sir Geoffroi and Lady Emma had given Rennie a pup from their female hound’s last litter and suggested they name him “Magnus” after her beloved hound that had died many years ago. “Already, Rennie and Magnus are inseparable. The pup sleeps by his cradle each night.”

  The fire crackled invitingly and Merewyn lifted the cup from the small table next to her and sipped the warm spiced cider. Holding the cup between her palms, she watched the flames of the fire, her mind going over all that had happened in the last year. December was a time for reflection.

  The month Rennie was born, King William had invaded the lands north of Talisand, capturing Carlisle, held by the Scots for more than a hundred
years. Alex, Rory and Guy had gone with the king though they found the prospect of seizing Carlisle distasteful after the agreement with the Scots they had witnessed the year before.

  By the time Alex and his men returned, little Rennie had been born. Alex had been frantic with worry for her and the babe, but she had been able to greet him with a warm smile and assure him both she and his babe were well.

  Once she was up and around, she continued Cecily’s lessons all through the summer. Joined by Ancel and Tibby, the three of them had become good enough for real arrows.

  But it was Lora’s good news that made her smile. Merewyn always looked forward to Christmas and the feasting and celebrations it brought. But this year would also see her closest friend’s marriage to Sir Jamie blessed by Father Bernard.

  “So you have agreed to a Christmas blessing on your marriage?” she asked Lora.

  “Aye, it was Jamie’s wish and since I made him wait so long, I could hardly say him nay. Now that my father has returned, my whole family will attend the feast.”

  “I am glad for it, Lora. Jamie is a good man and an honorable knight. He will also be a good father.”

  Lora stared down at Rennie, who had fallen asleep in her arms. “I want children and so does Jamie.” Raising her gaze to Merewyn, she added, “Just think, our children will be raised together.”

  “Aye, and they will be watched over by my students of the bow. Cecily’s skill will one day rival Lady Serena’s and then there are Tibby and your brother, Ancel, racing to catch up.”

  “Those three may lead our little ones into trouble!” Lora remarked.

  Merewyn chuckled. “You are right. We will have to watch them all.”

  Just then, the door from the bailey opened and Alex and Jamie stepped in, brushing snow off their shoulders. Hanging their cloaks on the pegs next to the door, they strode to where Merewyn and Lora sat.

  The heavy tread of their feet woke the pup sleeping next to the hearth. He rose from the floor and went to Alex, who reached down to scratch the pup’s ears. Alex smiled at Merewyn, then went to Lora and accepted the sleeping Rennie from her.

  Holding the babe close, he looked into his face. “Made himself tired, did he?”

  “Aye,” said Merewyn.

  Jamie leaned over to kiss Lora’s cheek. “You looked quite at home with Merewyn’s babe in your arms.”

  Lora blushed and flashed him a smile.

  Alex took a seat beside Merewyn, kissing her temple. His lips were cool on her skin that had been warmed by the fire. “Good eve, love,” he whispered to her.

  She looked at him holding their child and her heart melted. Touching the soft skin on Rennie’s cheek and then the rougher skin on Alex’s manly face, she said, “Father and son, my loves.” She rose and walked to the trestle table a short distance away. “Maggie has made a new batch of the spiced cider,” she told the men. “I think ’tis her best thus far.”

  Handing each man a cup, she said. “Soon it will be Christmas and the hall will be filled with our friends and families. I can hardly wait.”

  “All my brothers are home for the feast,” added Alex.

  Jamie reached over to take Lora’s hand. “And we will finally have our marriage blessed.”

  Merewyn sighed with happiness. All winter long, they would burn the candles and share stories around the hearth fire. Some of the women would embroider and stitch while Merewyn and Lady Serena would make fletchings. When the work was done, there would be games and, mayhap, dancing. Some evenings, she and Alex would take walks in the snow and admire the stars.

  The life she had always wanted, but never thought possible, was hers and, for that, she was more grateful than she could say.

  Alex stood and, with his free hand, reached out to her. “Come, love, let us put the babe to bed and leave Jamie and Lora to the fire.”

  She rose, bid their friends good eve and walked with Alex through the wide opening that led to the manor and up the stairs. What Alex had not said, but she knew he was thinking, was that it was time for them to go to their bed, as well. Long winter nights and a sleeping child meant hours of loving for them.

  “Come, Magnus,” said Alex, and the pup scrambled from the floor, hurrying to catch up.

  AFTERWORD

  Thank you for reading King’s Knight. I hope you enjoyed Alexander’s story. If you haven’t read the other books in the series, you can find them on Amazon.

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  If you have a moment, please review King’s Knight on Amazon and Goodreads. Reviews help both authors and readers and are so appreciated. And turn the page for an excerpt from The Red Wolf’s Prize, the story of Sir Renaud de Pierrepont, the Red Wolf, and Lady Serena of Talisand.

  EXCERPT FROM

  THE RED WOLF’S PRIZE

  The wolf will hunt for the jewel hidden among the stones, and if he finds it, his cubs will advise kings for generations.

  – Maugris’ vision, September 1066

  CHAPTER 1

  The North of England, spring 1068

  Serena contemplated her reflection in the small silvered glass.

  Soon I will be another woman. Soon I will have another life.

  While she could not change her violet eyes or her curves of a woman full grown, her flaxen hair was another matter. Undoing her long plait, she let the loose waves fall below her waist to shimmer in the early morning sunlight streaming into her bedchamber through the open shutters.

  With a sigh, she lifted her hand to touch the gilded frame of the silvered glass. She could still hear her father’s voice when he told her he had bought the extravagant gift from a Spanish merchant who claimed the Moors had made it. No one at Talisand had ever seen such a magnificent wonder before he brought it home to the manor. Tears came to her eyes as she remembered the look on his face, the warm smile reflecting his love.

  Her father had been her protector and teacher, a man of great wisdom and a thegn dearly loved by his people. Deprived of his guiding presence, and with her brother in Scotland, Serena was all too aware she alone of her family was left at Talisand. Fear crept over her like a winter chill as she remembered the messenger who had come with a writ from the Bastard King.

  She was to become the bride of the new Norman lord of Talisand.

  Nay, I will not!

  But how could she deny so fearsome a warrior as the knight they called the Red Wolf?

  Serena’s brow puckered in consternation. And what would become of the other women at Talisand? Would not the Norman conquerors claim them as spoils? Peasants fleeing the advancing horde the year before had spoken of the knights’ villainy. Women were merely vessels to satisfy their lust.

  Anger flared in her eyes staring back from the silvered glass. She would not have it! The young women of Talisand would not fall victim to the rampaging knights if she could help it.

  But what choices were left? Some English women had taken the veil, but she was not suited to the cloistered life and that would not be a choice for the maidens at Talisand. But mayhap she could save the most vulnerable.

  The door opened and Cassie, her handmaiden, entered with her mother, Maggie.

  “ ’Tis ready, m’lady,” said Maggie, handing Serena a leather flask. “I have made ye the dye from walnuts.”

  Serena accepted the flask and poured the dark liquid into a bowl.

  “ ’Tis a shame to dye such beautiful hair,” remarked Maggie.

  “She must, Mother, if she is to look the part of a servant,” Cassie insisted. “ ’Tis nay just her speech and her clothes that make her stand out. ’Tis her hair that tells all who she is—like a pale flame on a dark night.”

  Maggie nodded, resigned. “Then oil yer hands and the skin around yer face,
m’lady, before ye apply the dye. It will make yer hair brown like mine, but ye will have to add more as yer hair grows. And remember to keep yer hood up should it rain for water can make the dye run.”

  “I will, Maggie, and thank you,” said Serena as she spread the oil on her face and hands.

  Cassie oiled her own hands and began to work the dye into Serena’s hair. “I know the messenger said ye were to be the new lord’s wife, but it might be well ye are leaving. The tales of the Normans’ brutality are frightening. Ye must be safe.”

  “To be sure,” echoed Maggie, “the Norman who comes isna a man yer father would have chosen for ye. Mayhap it will be easier for us to accept his yoke, knowing ye and yer brother are beyond his grasp and safe in me own homeland.”

  “I could not bear to take a Norman as husband,” Serena said with firm conviction. Cassie poured the last of the dye onto Serena’s head and she let the dark liquid drip from the wet strands into the bowl. She was glad she would not have to color her brows. Like her lashes, they were already dark. “It is not enough the Bastard from Normandy has taken my father and my country. Now he would give my family’s lands to one of his knights.”

  “If the traveling cottars’ words be true,” offered Cassie, “the one who now claims Talisand is one who fought with the Bastard at Hastings. He might even be the knight who slayed yer father, the thegn!”

  “Yea, ’tis a hard time that has come upon the land,” said Maggie, regret showing in her eyes, the same vivid green as her daughter’s. Then shooting a glance at Cassie, she added, “When I think of the men the Norman lord brings with him, I fear for me own daughter as well.”

  “I want to go with Lady Serena,” the flame haired Cassie blurted out while she squeezed the excess dye from Serena’s hair. “She will be saving me and the others from certain rape.”

  Maggie smiled sadly. “Aye, but will ye be safe?” She handed the drying cloth to her daughter. “ ’Tis a long road ye travel. I worry for ye both. The woods are full of thieves.”