“So we are to take her from Castle Rising to Mountain Dark?” Kress asked.
William shook his head. “Not directly,” he said. “You are to take her from Castle Rising to The Paladin, where de Shera is. Then, you will escort the betrothed couple to Mountain Dark where the lady will be married in front of her Welsh brethren. It will cement an extremely powerful alliance with the Welsh from the north and create a power struggle, one that will weaken Llywelyn– and John– significantly. Right now, Llywelyn is the most powerful prince in Wales and John knows it. But introduce the fabled child of Rhos and Pengwern, and the Welsh will be divided. A divided Wales is a weak Wales.”
“And a weak Wales is a weakened John,” Kress finished, understanding the situation now. “That will keep his power in check.”
“Exactly,” William said, taking another drink of his wine. “Therefore, the four of you will depart for Castle Rising on the morrow. I will send word ahead of your arrival and de Shera will be expecting his bride this summer, so do not delay. Getto Norfolk, collect the woman, and depart for The Paladin, but above all, protect Cadelyn of Vendotia with your life.”
Kress cocked his head. “Cadelyn of Vendotia?”
William nodded. “That is the name given to her at birth,” he said. “It is how her father referred to her.Vendotiais what the Romans used to call the land of her ancestors. She is the last of her kind, Kress, but I will tell you this– I’ve seen the girl twice in her lifetime and it is clear that d’Aubigney washed the Welsh out of her. He raised her as an English ward and only told her of her true heritage a few years ago. D’Aubigney seemed to think she wants nothing to do with the Welsh, which may be a problem considering this marriage is meant to cement an alliance with them. She may not be happy to see her escort that has come to take her to her betrothed.”
Kress sat back in his chair. “Happy or not, she will do as she is told,” he said. “If she was raised English, then she understands the importance of alliances.”
William thought on the young woman, now with the weight of enormous responsibility upon her. “Indeed,” he said. “When you collect her, you are to give Summerlin a key word that will tell him you are who you say you are. So that he will know I have truly sent you. That word isbuddugoliaeth.”
Kress looked at him strangely. “That is an odd word,” he said. “What does it mean?”
“It is Welsh for victory.”
Kress understood. In a sense, this entire mission was a victory over John and his greed. “I shall remember that.”
William nodded. “See that you do,” he said. “Oh, and another thing– Cadelyn has a bodyguard with her, someone I assigned to her when she was about ten years of age.”
Kress frowned. “A bodyguard?” he repeated. “Then why do you need us? Why not have him take her to de Shera?”
William smiled humorlessly. “Because her bodyguard is a woman,” he said. “A woman specifically trained in the art of warfare and protection. She trained in France, in a school designed for specialized warfare.”
“And she protects the Welsh princess?”
“She does, indeed,” William said. “The woman will travel with you to The Paladin and she will take orders from you, Kress. The message I send tonight to foretell of your arrival, and of the key word, will make sure of that.”
“Good,” Kress said, thinking a fighting woman sounded somewhat distasteful. “Make sure she understands that or she will be in store for a painful lesson.”
William snorted. “Or you’ll be,” he said. “Susanna de Tiegh is nothing to be trifled with. She’s quite skilled.”
Kress looked at the men around him, seeing that they were all rather disgusted at the thought of a lady warrior, at least in their high-caliber circle. There was a bit of mental chest beating going on as each man determined how he was going to deal with a woman who thought she was his equal.
Female warriors were not entirely rare, but they did not normally go into battle or fight brutal wars, and if they did, then they were usually more of a man than a woman. When men came to be knights of the stature of Kress and his colleagues, they were a little less accepting of female warriors who wanted to compete with them. To men of their thinking, women had their place and it wasn’t on the battlefield.
Or the bodyguard of a Welsh princess.
“We shall treat her with all due respect, my lord,” Kress said after a moment, “but if she gets in our way, she will be sorry.”
William drained his wine and stood up, heading back to the pitcher. “We are all on the same side, Kress,” he said. “Do not forget that. Susanna is an accomplished warrior and I would not have assigned her to the Welsh princess were she not. That beingsaid, you will have to deal with the woman because you are not to leave the princess’ side until she marries de Shera at Mountain Dark. When that is complete, you and Achilles and Sherry will return to me, but Bric shall return to Daveigh. He will want his high warrior to return to him as soon as possible.”
Bric, standing back behind Kress, nodded shortly. “Aye, my lord.”
William poured himself more drink. With the mission outlined for the four knights, there wasn’t anything more for him to say. They didn’t seem to have any questions, and the mission was not an unusual one but for the female bodyguard. He could sense the uncertainty in their moods. But not wanting to give them any chance to debate it further, he waved a dismissive hand at the group.
“That is all for now,” he said. “Be ready to depart at dawn and I shall see you off. Meanwhile, stay away from the gambling dens on Ropery Street. Is that clear?”
Kress stood up, wearily, fighting off a grin as he looked at the others. “Aye, my lord.”
William eyed them all critically. “If any more naked knights appear on my doorstep, I shall let them in to beat you.”
Kress couldn’t hold back the smile, nor could the others. Bric was already heading towards the solar entry, a big grin on his face where William couldn’t see it.
“No more naked knights,” Kress repeated. “Aye, my lord.”
