“Are you ever going to speak to me again?” he asked softly.
As he feared, she was cross with him. “You hid your covert deeds from me and then you accusemeof being stubborn,” she said, wiping at Daven’s arm and then pulling the cloth away to wave at Devlin to emphasize her point. “I do not want them to have swords because they are too young to properly handle them. This time, it was only Daven’s arm that was injured. What if it is an eye next time?”
He was properly contrite, his gaze soft on her. “I was watching them the entire time,” he said quietly. “They were doing quite well and listening to my instruction.”
That wasn’t a good enough answer for Emllyn. In fact, it was no answer at all. “They are just babies, Dev,” she scolded. “I realize they are Black Sword’s sons and there is a certain legacy attached to that, but they are my sons, too, and it is my job to keep them safe.”
“You do an excellent job,” he said. “I have never seen a better mother.”
Emllyn removed a strip of boiled linen from the basket of items she kept in their chamber, items meant to clean and tend three active little boys. She began to wrap the strip carefully around Daven’s small arm.
“If that is true, then why do you give them swords when I ask you not to?” she asked.
Devlin was coming to feel like a terrible man. “I only gave them the swords today,” he said. “I had the metalsmith make them and I was going to keep them until the boys were a little older, but I just couldn’t help myself. It was a proud moment to see my boys hold a sword for the first time.”
Now Emllyn was starting to feel like an ogre for scolding the man. He was only doing what was natural to him. As she finished wrapping Daven’s arm, she sighed heavily, a gesture of defeat, and glanced at her husband.
“You know I cannot become angry when you put it that way,” she said softly. “But I think the boys are far too young to play with swords, even as a toy. They see you and Shain and even Connaught with weapons and they naturally want to be like the knights. Thank the Lord that Elyse only has girls or I am sure her children would be the same way. As it is, we are the only ones with lively little boys who want to do everything the knights do and sometimes it is very frustrating when I do not get any cooperation from you.”
Devlin tried not to feel guilty. “I am sorry,” he said. “I will take the swords away from them for now. But next year, we will have this conversation again. The boys must start learning to handle weapons at some point, love. It’s the way of our world. The sooner they become used to them, the sooner they will become adept at not putting eyes out or stabbing their brother.”
Emllyn knew that but she didn’t want to admit it. She didn’t want to admit her boys were growing older. She stood up and went over to the big chest where she kept the boys’ clothing and pulled out a clean tunic that wasn’t torn or dirty. Silently, she went back to Daven and pulled it over his head. Resilient as children were, his tears were forgotten as he went to see what Corey was playing with. The toddler had little wooden cart andthe two began fussing with it. Emllyn watched her two younger children as they tussled over the toy.
“I got something else from the metalsmith today,” Devlin said, hoping to break her out of her morose mood. She looked like she was about to dissolve into tears at the thought of her boys growing up. “Come to me and I will show you.”
She wandered over to him and he reached out, grasping her hand and pulling her down onto his lap. She relented fully as his big arms went around her and he buried his face in her neck. It was enough to douse her irritation as she felt the man against her. As Flynn barreled into the room with two fat puppies, Devlin kissed her cheek.
“Do you want to see it?” he said.
Emllyn cocked an eyebrow. “What is it?” she said. “A sword?”
He grinned, displaying his big white teeth. “Nay,” he said, “because you would more than likely use it on me in moments like this.”
Emllyn broke down into soft laughter. “I would consider it.”
The boys began squealing because Flynn wasn’t sharing his puppies. Emllyn went over to break up their argument before returning to her husband. Just as she resumed her seat on his lap, he held up something in his fingers. Clutched between his thumb and forefinger was a small piece of metal; upon closer inspection, Emllyn could see it was a ring. She plucked it out of his grip and inspected it.
“When we were married, I never gave you a token of our union,” he said softly as he watched her study the ring. “Although you have never asked for one, I have been thinking more and more on it as of late. I am sorry it has taken me so long.”
Emllyn had never been concerned at the lack of a wedding ring; her life had been so full and her marriage so wonderful thatit never really crossed her mind. But as she held the smooth, gold ring in her hand, she was genuinely touched by his gesture.
“It’s gold,” she said appreciatively. “I have never seen that metalsmith do anything other than steel or pewter.”
Devlin nodded. “I know,” he said. “But I asked him if he could do a gold ring for you and he said that he could. I paid him well and he bought the gold in Dublin. It’s a simple ring, without stones. I hope you don’t mind.”
Emllyn shook her head firmly. “I love that it is without adornment,” she said. “It is something very solid and beautiful. Like you.”
He smiled at her, reaching out to turn the ring over so she could see the inside of it. “I had him inscribe words,” he said. “Can you see them?”
Emllyn had to strain to see what he was talking about but when the message dawned on her, tears sprang to her eyes. “Everything leads me to thee,” she murmured.
Devlin kissed her cheek and took the ring from her, sliding it down over the third finger on her left hand. It was a bit large but it fit nonetheless. Emllyn admired it greatly.
“Thank you,” she said, giving him a sweet kiss. “It is the most wonderful ring I have ever received.”
Devlin was pleased with her delight. “I’m glad you think so.”
Emllyn admired it a few more moments before wrapping her arms around his neck and hugging him tightly. It was a sweet and tender moment as their boys played a few feet away, the sons Devlin had threatened her with those years ago, only now it was not a threat. It was a reality, and one she had embraced completely. A new generation of sons, a legacy to their great and noble father. Emllyn was proud to be part of it, proud to bear the sons of the man she loved with all her heart. Letting go his neck, she kissed his cheek and resumed admiring her ring.
