Two souls that were finally one.
And they were the better for it.
EPILOGUE
Berwick
Two years later
The standard forThe Black Dragon was flying high over the tournament field.
So was the standard for the God of Vengeance.
It was the greatest tournament that the north had yet seen, sponsored by the House of de Velt, Baron Blackadder, and his son, Lord Lambden, commander of Berwick Castle. Everyone who was anyone showed up for the games, something that had been promoted for an entire year.
Now, the day was here.
On the fields south of the city, where the armies for William Marshal had gathered two years earlier, now stood a newly built tournament arena. Great houses were encamped all over the field and there was an entire area dedicated to trades– smithies and the like– and another area dedicated to food.
That was where Cole and Corisande found themselves now.
They were with Jax and his wife and Cole’s mother, Kellington, who was carrying Cole and Corisande’s year-old son, Atlas. He wasn’t necessarily named for Corisande’s brother, butmore that they simply both liked the name, but Uncle Atlas told anyone who would listen that the green-and-brown-eyed baby with the dark hair was indeed named for him.
Atlas the Younger, as he was known in the family, was smart and feisty, and just learning to walk, which made carrying him difficult for Kellington. She’d had six children of her own, but wrestling with a baby took a particular talent.
Atlas wanted to run.
They were walking with the crowds in the section that held the food vendors because Corisande, seven months pregnant with her second child, had smelled all of the wonderful smells from the ramparts of Berwick Castle and had asked her husband if they could procure some food. Being that she was with child, and at this stage eating anything she could get her hands on, Cole agreed and took his entire family down into the masses.
But what fun it had been, so far.
Corisande’s first selection of the day was a hollowed-out bowl of bread that contained beef and gravy. Cole, Jax, and Julian thought that was rather tasty-sounding, so they bought some as well. Addington and Effington, Cole’s younger sisters, weren’t interested in the food, but Addington in particular was interested in all of the handsome young knights who had come to the games, the joust of which was to begin shortly. So was Gaia, who had found a fast and true friend in Addington. They had been as thick as thieves since they were introduced two years ago. Everyone was purchasing their food before taking it into the lists.
“Papa, can wepleasego into the arena now?” Addington begged, holding Gaia’s hand as they leaned heavily in the direction of the lists. “We are going to miss the joust!”
Jax had a mouthful of beef. “We will not miss anything,” he said. “If you are not going to eat, hold the baby so your mother can eat.”
Addington looked at her nephew, as adorable as he was, and shook her head. “Nay,” she said flatly. “He likes to kick and I do not want to be kicked in the face. He kicked Gaia yesterday.”
Gaia pointed to her face where there was a tiny little red mark on her chin. “Look at what he did!” she said dramatically.
Jax tried not to grin at Gaia’s genuine outrage. “Terrible,” he said, but it sounded insincere. “But I can hardly see it. I think you are safe.”
Gaia was displeased with that answer and so was Addington. She pointed to her sister. “And Effie said he bit her yesterday.”
“Hechewedon her,” Kellington clarified as she tried to distract the fussy baby by swinging him gently. “His teeth are sprouting. He did not bite her.”
Incensed, Effington held up a finger. “It is swollen, Mama,” she insisted. “Look how lumpy my finger is!”
Julian, well-entrenched in his food, snorted. “Lumpy,” he said. “You’d better not let your glorious beloved see that finger. He will cast you aside like a piece of moldy bread.”
Effington frowned. “At least I have an intended, which is more than can be said for you.”
The insults were starting to fly. That was usual with the de Velt brood. Three brothers against three lively sisters were normal, the chaos Jax and Kellington had brought into the world but chaos he lived for. Before he could put up a hand to prevent a fight, he heard someone calling his name.
“Papa! Mother!”
They all turned to the sound of the shouting to see Cassian, the youngest de Velt brother, rushing in their direction. Kellington gasped and handed the baby to the nearest person, who happened to be Jax. He grabbed his grandson around the torso as Kellington ran to the son she hadn’t seen in over a year. Tall, dark, and handsome, Cassian swept his mother into an embrace.
