“Who are you, knight?’ he asked in a low tone.
“Edward Radcliffe, my lord,” Edward replied. “I have been the lady’s companion and jailor since the start of her captivity. She told me of Sir Rhys and further explained that I might find him here. So I have come to tell him that he must do all in his power to save her, for I cannot.”
Christopher cocked a blond eyebrow. “Why would you do this for her?”
Radcliffe looked uncertain a moment, his gaze moving from Christopher to Rhys and back again. “Because..,” he began quietly. “Because the lady has been kind to me and I have grown fond of her. But my liege is Clifford and I am sworn to him. I can do nothing for her. But Sir Rhys… he must help her. If he loves her as she says he does, then he will.”
“You say you are sworn to Clifford, yet you have betrayed him by coming here,” Christopher pointed out. “Why did you not bring the lady with you when you left Ludlow?”
“Because she is very closely watched,” Edward said. “A contingent of soldiers is assigned to her. I could not remove her by myself. So under the pretext of riding to Clifford Castle to announce the lady’s execution date, I came here instead to tell Sir Rhys that he must go and save her.”
By this time, Rhys was on his feet and no longer mumbling to himself. His momentary brush with complete insanity quickly left him, leaving him emotionally weak and brittle and struggling to focus. As the soft snow fell, he removed his helm and brushed his long black hair from his eyes, focusing on the enemy knight still sitting on the ground. His face was pale, his voice strained, as he spoke.
“By coming here you have indeed saved her and I will forever be in your debt,” he rumbled. “I will ride to Ludlow now and prevent this heinous act.”
Christopher looked at him. “You cannot simply ride in and steal her away, Rhys. If she is slated for execution on the morrow, then it is as this knight has said; she will be very closely guarded.”
Rhys pondered his statement a moment before looking back to Edward. He stared at the man. “I can indeed simply ride in,” he said slowly, “if Radcliffe assists me.”
Edward looked dubious and eager at the same time. “What would you have me do?”
Rhys raked his fingers through his long hair as he thought on a plan. “I will return to Ludlow with you and you will tell everyone that I am an old friend. Vouch for my loyalties to the king. In fact, you may tell them that I am an envoy from John to ensure the execution is carried out. Tell them… tell them that I am, in fact, the king’s executioner.”
“They will want proof, Rhys,” Christopher said softly. “They will want documentation proving you are who you say you are. She is a political prisoner and they will never let an unknown knight gain access to her.”
Rhys looked at him. “You have missives from John, do you not?”
Christopher shrugged. “Old ones, when he was still prince.”
“Then wash away the text of the missive, leaving the signature and have de Wolfe scribe in a new message vouching for my directive.”
“Are you serious?”
“Never more so in my life.”
Christopher pondered that a moment before slowly nodding his head. “It could work. De Wolfe is a master with the written word. He could make it sound most official.”
“Then do it,” Rhys sounded suspiciously as if he was giving his liege an order. “But make haste; it will take time to travel to Ludlow in this weather and I must be there by nightfall.”
“But I cannot help in this,” Radcliffe insisted. “If I do, they will kill me when the deception is discovered.”
Rhys looked at him. “If you do not help me, then I will kill you where you sit. Make your choice; die now or help me and I will do all I can to protect your life.”
Radcliffe was confused, anguished. He looked to Christopher and beseeched him. “My lord, my father served John and Henry. I cannot betray that legacy. I do not want to be involved in saving the lady; I simply came to tell you so someone else could.”
Christopher could see that the man was unable to think beyond his oath. He could not see the good and the bad of the situation and truly believed that in coming to tell Rhys, he had done all he could to assist the lady. “Radcliffe,” he said quietly. “Help Rhys and I will accept your oath. You will become an honored knight within my corp. You are too honorable to serve men such as Clifford and the king. Serve with those who want to see a true and great England. If our plans hold true, you will serve the Queen herself. Will you do this?”
Edward was torn; that was clear. He thought about Lady Elizabeau and how kind she had been to him. She had been kinder to him than anyone ever had. She did not mock him or make sport of him, or distain him like most others. He realized that she was the only friend he’d ever had, a pitiful circumstance considering she was caged and had no choice but to speak to him as her jailor. But he had warmed to her nonetheless and she to him. He adored her in a way that a brother would adore a sister and nothing more. There was no romance to it; for the way Edward had been his entire life, there never could be.