She nodded in resignation and, after a moment’s indecision, he stood up and unfastened his belt and the ties on her ankles, realizing how very tight he’d tied them. Her feet were nearly purple. Tossing the belt and ties onto the bed where his sword was, he sat back down again as Emelisse rubbed at her hands, trying to restore the blood flow.
“Now,” he said. “What I speak of will not leave your lips. Do I have your vow?”
“You do.”
He leaned forward on the table. “I told you that de Wrenville married Lady Alice de Gras,” he said. “That makes him related to William Marshal, which is why I have come. Originally, myintent was to lend support in his quest against Hawkstone because he has told everyone, including the king, that your family is loyal to the French. That is my whole purpose here. But in speaking to you, and to a great many other people, I am coming to see that it is not the truth.”
Emelisse closed her eyes and hung her head.
“Nay, it isnotthe truth,” she said, her head coming up and her eyes bright with unshed tears. Reaching out, she impulsively grasped his big hand, the same one that she’d bitten earlier. “Thank you for believing me, my lord. I swear to you that we would never do such a thing.”
Caius felt the heat from her hand like a brand. He almost pulled away, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it. He liked the feel of her hand, holding his. He simply let her hold him without reacting when the truth was that he wanted to respond.
“While I am not here to pass judgment on the motives of men, I am here to determine the truth,” he said. “It seems to me that the truth is that Covington, or his son, or the king, or all three of them, have concocted this story in order to justify the attack on Hawkstone. I am telling you this for a reason. My explicit instructions from William Marshal were that I cannot use his army against Winterhold. That means I cannot help you with the army.”
She was gazing into his eyes, steadily. “I would not ask you to,” she said. “All I ask is that you call the man off. Have him recall his men from Hawkstone. Let us try to pick up the pieces of the shambles he has created and resume our lives as best we can.”
Caius sighed heavily, averting his gaze. His focus fell on her small, battered hand as it clutched his and he felt something tug in his chest. He lifted his free hand to pat her fingers, but something stopped him. It wasn’t a natural gesture with him, but he very much wanted to do it. He wanted to give her comfort.
God, what is happening to me?
“I cannot call the man off,” he said. “I am not his liege, but Wolverhampton is. He is trying to force de Wrenville to recall his men. It may be that a stalemate will be declared, and the situation must go to the king for a resolution, but I assure you that Wolverhampton will be on your side. He knew your father and his death has distressed him greatly. My lady, I am telling you all of this so you know there are people willing to help you. Killing yourself… that is not the answer. We are willing to stand with you, so you must be willing to continue standing until the end.”
Emelisse nodded, accepting the fact that she was not alone in this situation. It was surprising that people she did not even know were willing to fight for her. It did wonders for her manner, her expression, even the glimmer in her eyes. Caius could see that the woman truly thought she had been fighting this battle all on her own.
But no longer.
“Then you have my thanks,” she said after a moment. “I am very grateful to know you understand my plight and very grateful for the intervention of Wolverhampton. You cannot know how much better it makes me feel. But… but may I ask you a question?”
“You may.”
“Will you help me escape? I do not want to be a prisoner here, especially if Marius is coming. Will you please help me?”
He cocked his head, looking at her seriously. “Where would you go?” he asked. “You cannot return to Hawkstone. Most of it is filled with Winterhold troops. They would capture you the moment you showed your face.”
She nodded bravely. “I know,” she said. “I will still return home. I will simply return to the mountain, where they cannot find me. No one could. Hawk Mountain will protect me until thisis all over with. Until Marius de Wrenville is no longer interested in marrying me.”
He watched her face as she spoke about her beloved mountain. He’d seen it before, earlier in the day when she’d first spoken of her ancestral property, and there was great love and awe present in her expression. He admired those who loved the land as much as she clearly did. Being a wandering man, he didn’t exactly understand it, but he admired it.
“You have piqued my interest enough that I must see this Hawk Mountain someday,” he said. “This mountain that men will go to war over.”
She smiled faintly. It was the first time he’d seen her smile and it was as if something suddenly came alive inside him. He could feel it growing in his chest, warming him, flowing through his limbs and making him feel just the least bit giddy.
Oblivious to Caius’ reaction to her, Emelisse spoke.
“There is a formation of rocks at the top of the mountain,” she said, her eyes taking on a distant look. “It is a pile of rocks, the color of bronze, and they face the east. When my brother and I were children, my father used to take us to those rocks before dawn, because to watch the sunrise from them is to see the world as it was always meant to be– rich, lush, radiant, and pure. It is a moment when you become one with the earth, and the earth with you. When I told you that Hawk Mountain had mystical qualities, that is what I meant. At the end of all things, I want to be on those rocks, watching the sunrise. I have always sworn that, if it was within my power, that is where I would breathe my last. It was where my father wished to breathe his last, also.”
She suddenly lowered her head, swallowing hard, and Caius was certain the tears were about to come again but she was trying hard to fight them off. She was still holding his hand and he didn’t want to disrupt that grip, so he used his free hand to push a bowl of cabbage at her, stewed with vinegar and wine,in the hopes that it might be something to distract her from her sorrow. They’d made good progress and he didn’t want to see her slip back into the oblivion of despair.
The distraction worked.
There was a spoon in the bowl and Emelisse eyed it for a moment before finally reaching out to pick up the spoon. In doing so, she released his hand. Though he was sorry she had, he was glad that she was at least showing interest in the food instead of focusing on the loss of everything she held dear. He poured her more wine, putting it in front of her as she took a spoonful of the cabbage. Finally, she began to eat and drink without spraying food all over the place.
Finally, there was some peace between them.
But it had been hard fought.
When Hallam returned later that night, he carefully cracked the door open to find Caius sitting at the small table, watching something. Hallam thought it was the hearth but as he pushed the door open fully, Caius turned to look at him, put a finger over his lips for silence, and pointed to the bed.
