And he didn’t feel the least bit guilty about it.
Standing at the window of his solar, overlooking Cicadia’s small bailey, Robin watched the big gates swing open as Pryce and Eddard began to move the wagons inside to load them. Because the bailey wasn’t large enough to store the wagons necessary to accompany the army, they kept them stored in outbuildings nearby. Men were moving in and out of the gates as preparations were underway, reminding Robin of the last time he’d moved his army out. That had been to France those years ago, when he’d practically forced Roi into a betrothal between their children. Odd how that memory should pop up. Roi couldn’t have known that when he’d agreed to the betrothal, he’d essentially signed his own death warrant.
Courtesy of an ambitious and immoral friend.
“Where is the army going, my husband?”
Jolted from his train of thought, Robin turned to see Ananda standing in the doorway. She was dressed in dark colors, as shealways was, her graying hair covered by a wimple and her blue eyes curious. Robin had sought her advice on many things over the years, but this was something he didn’t want her to know about. He didn’t need any advice about what he intended to do.
“Trouble,” he said, turning away from her. “Nothing that concerns you. Go about your business.”
But Ananda wouldn’t be brushed off so easily. “Will you not confide the trouble to me?” she asked. “You are sending your entire army out. It must be serious, indeed. May I help?”
Robin sighed sharply. “I told you that it did not concern you,” he said. “Yet you pester me. You have grown too bold, Ananda. When I tell you that something is none of your concern, I mean it.”
“I am sorry, my husband,” she said, though she didn’t mean it. “Would you prefer it if Iris and I went into town? It would remove us from underfoot. It seems there is a good deal going on, and it is possible that you would like the women removed.”
Robin spun around to face her. “My preference would be that the women of my home leave and never come back,” he snarled. “I have already gotten rid of one of you. Now I am still saddled with Iris. And you. I do not care where you go or what you do. Leave me alone!”
Ananda backed off. Truth be told, Robin had been unpredictable for a couple of weeks now, ever since Roi and Diara left Cicadia for Lioncross. That seemed to be when Robin became snappish, and Ananda had no idea why. She knew that he’d been distant the entire time they’d been at Lioncross for the wedding, and she had seen her husband muttering to himself now and again. If she didn’t know better, she’d say the man was in trouble, but without his confidence, she could not help him.
Truthfully, she wasn’t sure she wanted to.
Ananda had been forced into a marriage with Robin those years ago. She tried to be a good wife, a helpful wife, andRobin would let her from time to time. But the reality was that she’d married a petty, bitter, vindictive man whom she wasn’t particularly fond of. Moments like this, when he was snappish with her, reminded her of the fact. Long ago, she’d been in love with a good man, a simple knight, but Robin had seen her in a marketplace one day and bullied her father into a betrothal. That seemed to be what he did best, because he’d done the same thing to Roi de Lohr.
After all these years, she still couldn’t figure him out.
She didn’t want to.
Quietly, she left the room.
Robin knew when she was gone because he heard the door shut softly. He was glad. He had his own issues to deal with and didn’t need Ananda trying to push her way into his business. Too many things were in the balance at the moment, and he needed all of his focus so he could be ready to move in the direction that was best suited for him. Somewhere to the south, a battle was happening. Or not happening. Roi de Lohr might be there. Or he might not be. If the man wasn’t killed in this skirmish, Robin would have an entirely new set of problems to deal with.
He had to think.
To plan.
Above all else, he had to survive.
There were a lot of men in his small bailey now, moving in and out of the gates. It wasn’t exactly optimal for a castle to have to mobilize both in and out of the bailey, with the gates wide open, but they had no choice. They could hardly fit all of the men inside the bailey as it was. Robin continued to watch the activity, pausing only to pour himself some wine. He drank as he watched, losing track of time. He ended up drinking two full cups. By the third one, he was starting to feel slightly drunk. But it was of no matter.
Drink was the only thing he looked forward to these days.
As he continued to watch the activity, he heard his solar door open—it was unmistakable because the iron hinges squeaked horribly. He was preparing for another onslaught from Ananda, so he downed all of the wine in his cup in frustration and threw it to the ground.
“I told you to leave me alone,” he growled as he whirled to face her. “I do not want you to—”
Robin stopped dead, looking at three men he’d never seen before. Or had he? They seemed strangely familiar, but he couldn’t remember where he’d seen them. One was standing near his fine table, another near the wine pitcher, and the third one was by the door.
He cocked his head curiously.
“Who are you?” he asked. “You have not been announced. Where did you come from?”
The man near the wine table was the closest one to him. He was enormous, with shaggy, dark hair and piercing, dark eyes.
“Your gatehouse is open,” he said. “We simply walked in.”
Robin focused on the man. “So you have,” he said. “But I have seen you before.”
