Medieval Master Swordsmen(40)

“Who is she?” he asked quietly, nonchalantly.

“She is the next ruler of England.”

That bit of information received a reaction; Rhett’s eyebrows rose and he refocused on her.

“Then why is she here, with you?” he asked.

Rhys sighed heavily, his brilliant blue gaze never leaving the distant pair. “Because I am escorting her to rendezvous with her betrothed and the king’s assassins are everywhere. De Lohr thought this would be the safest place for her, somewhere that John would never think to look.”

Rhett wriggled his bushy gray eyebrows. “Then you have had a time of it, I would imagine.”

“More than you know.”

Rhett looked at him, then. “I can hear it in your voice, lad. What more is there?”

Rhys spilled out the entire tale. Rhett listened quietly, staring at the ground thoughtfully and never once reacting to anything he was told. Once or twice, he looked over at Elizabeau, still crouched by a cluster of grass and evidently attempting to explain something to Maddoc. When Rhys was finished, he continued to stare at the ground as he mulled over the situation. He leaned heavily on his cane, indicative of his level of thought and the burden of knowledge he had been given.

“Well,” he finally said, lifting his gaze to meet Rhys. “You certainly have a situation on your hands. I never thought to hear such a thing coming from you. You were always our rock, Rhys. As strong, unbending and unmovable as one.”

Rhys felt rather sick after explaining everything. He nodded faintly at his uncle, looking over to Elizabeau and Maddoc when the boy suddenly screamed with delight at something Elizabeau put in his hand. They realized it was a frog when it leapt out and began scampering across the dirt of the bailey with Maddoc and Elizabeau in pursuit. Rhys exhaled slowly and ran a weary hand through his dark hair.

“I know what I must do,” he said quietly. “But it is not necessarily what I want to do.”

Rhett was still leaning heavily on his cane, watching the toddler chase the frog. “You broke the cardinal rule of knighthood,” he muttered gently. “You fell in love with a lady you were only supposed to show knightly chivalry towards. You let your guard down; you allowed yourself to feel emotion rather than simple compassion. You let her in.”

Rhys looked at him, the wise old uncle he had always been attached to. He felt defeated, rebuked. “I know,” he couldn’t look the man in the eye. “The worst part is that she loves me as well.”

“It does not matter. You have a mission, Rhys; she is your mission. That is all she can ever be.”

Rhys heard his own words echoed in his uncle’s statement; he knew the truth of it with every breath he took. But it did not make the situation any easier. “I am supposed to wait here another week before taking her to Ogmore,” he said. “I do not want to take her at all, yet I want to take her there today and then run as fast as I can away from her. Does that make any sense?”

Rhett snorted ironically. “It does indeed. Do you want my advice?”

“Aye.”

“Then my suggestion would be that you give this duty over to another, as soon as possible. The more time passes, the more difficult this will be for the both of you.”

Rhys kicked at the ground. “I cannot give this over to anyone else and you know it,” he said quietly. “I would have to explain my reasons for doing so and I cannot do that.”

Rhett was nodding his head before Rhys finished. More screaming caught his attention as the frog apparently leapt into the folds of Elizabeau’s surcoat and she was yelping as she tried to shake it free. Rhys and Rhett watched her dance about, grinning at her antics. Not only was she beautiful, but she was humorous as well.

“I think it’s more than that,” Rhett said as his looked at his nephew, his eyes twinkling. “’Tis the simple fact that you do not want to turn her over to anyone else. But you have placed yourself in a dangerous position, Rhys. To spend more time with her will only deepen your feelings for her. And if you deflower the lady, then…”

Rhys made a face and turned away. “Christ, do you have to be so vulgar about it?”

“I am only stating what could be the natural progression of your feelings for her. What happens if she goes to her intended compromised? All eyes will turn to you and you will be in more trouble than you know. All of your service with de Lohr and de Burgh will be at an end. They will never trust you again.”

Rhys stopped his pacing and looked at his uncle. “Then what would you suggest?” he snapped softly in a true display of emotion. “For I am terrified of this position I find myself in and I do not know what to do about it other than complete my mission as ordered. But I fear that will be an inhuman feat of strength and I do not know if I am strong enough.”