“I know, but he is needed much more here than at Lioncross.”
“Why would you say that?”
Myles frowned. “Because you have a dozen junior knights at home,” he said. “Plus, you have Jeffrey and Staff’s brother, Cal. Those two could take on an entire army by themselves and win.”
Christopher smiled, looking up to the wall where he could see Jeffrey, who was now completely gray, with a big white beard. “Jeffrey would scare them into submission, to be sure,” he said. “And Cal is hideously frightening when he wants to be. Who do you think keeps our junior ranks in line?”
It was Myles’s turn to grin. “He takes after his father,” he said. “Keller may be incredibly old, but he is still vital. Like you.”
Christopher’s eyebrows rose. “Are you saying I am incredibly old?”
Myles started to laugh. “Never,” he said. “You’re ageless, Papa. You’ll outlive us all.”
Christopher’s smile faded. “I hope not,” he said. “I do not want to outlive my children. But I would say, on the whole, that—”
He was cut off when the sentries lifted a cry, announcing an incoming visitor. Christopher and Myles headed for the gatehouse, strong and long since repaired, to see what the fuss was about. The gatehouse of Brython faced east, toward England, but the road leading to the entry curved around from the south. As they peered through the portcullis, they could see a group of people coming up the road, heading for the gatehouse.
Curiously, Christopher and Myles watched them come closer. It wasn’t a military group, but rather a collection of peasants. No one seemed to be armed. There were a few on horseback, but most were walking. Some were carrying things. Christopher ordered the portcullis lifted, and when it was high enough, he and Myles went out to greet the throng.
The sight of two armed knights coming out of the castle slowed down the procession. There was a man in the front with a walking staff, and he held up a hand for the group to come to a halt. When Christopher and Myles came to a stop several feet away, the man with the staff took a few steps in their direction.
“Cyfarchion, fy arglwydd,” he said.Greetings, my lord. “Rydym wedi clywed am helynt y ferch.”
They were speaking Welsh.We have heard of the daughter’s trouble. Myles looked at his father in confusion, but Christopher suspected whom they were speaking of. He answered in fluent Welsh.
“Do you speak of Lady Leominster?” he asked.
The man nodded. “Aye,” he said. “I am Cadell. My wife and I are bakers. Sometimes, the lady comes to our shop and buys our bread. We have heard of her troubles and have come to pay our respects.”
Christopher nodded. “It is kind of you to come,” he said. “All I can tell you at the moment is that the lady is very ill. She is not receiving visitors.”
Cadell’s fair face tightened with sorrow. “That is terrible news, indeed,” he said. “We were told that she was in a bad way.”
“Who told you?”
“Pliny,” Cadell said. “The apothecary. Before he left the village with the men who had summoned him, he told others that the lady was ill.”
Christopher’s gaze moved over the group behind him. “She is,” he said. “But I will tell her husband that you have come to give your best wishes for her recovery. That will mean a great deal to him.”
Cadell gestured to the group behind him. “When someone is ill in our village, it is a tradition that we bring them gifts to help them recover,” he said. “The lady is part of our heritage, my lord. Her father was a great ruler, but she has not known a great life. We all know that. Pliny told us that marriage to the Saesneg has made her very happy. We’ve come to show our gratitude for the happiness he has given her.”
Christopher was rather touched by that. “It is very kind of you to do that,” he said. “I have been told that Brython is a special place to the Welsh, and to have an English commander is probably not what you would like. But know that the lady and her husband are ensuring that this place of legend is protected.”
Cadell gestured to the castle. “Brython is thriving,” he said with a smile. “We can see that for ourselves. When the lady comes to town, she buys food from all the bakers. She spendsmoney at the apothecary and the merchant. She has prospered, and she comes to town to ensure that we prosper, too. It was never like that before the English came.Shewas never like that before the English came.”
Christopher smiled faintly, looking to Myles. “Cadell, this is my son, Myles,” he said. “He is the brother of Lady Leominster’s husband.”
Cadell dipped his head to Myles, but his attention returned to Christopher. “And you, my lord?” he said. “Who are you?”
“Christopher de Lohr.”
That brought a buzz of excitement from the group. Even Cadell seemed surprised by the answer.
“Hereford,” he said in realization. “You are Hereford.”
Christopher nodded. “I am.”
“You were the one who took Brython from Gruffydd.”
