If Not For The Knight, Debbie Boek [electronic reader TXT] 📗

“He will live. He lost a lot of blood and will need some time to get his strength back. I must go now, to tend the others. Bernia, will you assist me?”

“Of course,” she replied, as they quietly closed the door behind them. Regan sat with Calder until he regained consciousness a short time later.

“Hello, love,” he said hoarsely.

She smiled tenderly at him and raised a glass of water to his lips. “You had me worried, Milord. I thought mayhap I would not get the chance to be your bride, after all.”

“Ah, Regan, you should know me better than that by now. When I say something shall be done, it shall be done.”

She hugged him tightly and covered his face with kisses. “I love you so much, Calder, and I was so frightened for you. You don't have to do this every year, do you? I don't think I could bear it.”

He started to laugh, but it made him cough painfully. She gave him more water and, when he could speak again, he said, “No, love. I think I've had my fill of tourneys for awhile. I'm thinking more of teaching my son how to hunt and fish properly, and of watching my wife become more beautiful every day as she nears the time to bear my next child.”

“I can live with that,” she replied with a dazzling smile, climbing onto the bed and wrapping her arms around him.

They were interrupted by a loud banging on the door and Regan swiftly jumped off the bed to answer it. Seeing her low curtsy, Calder knew who it must be and struggled to sit up.

“Your Majesty,” he said with a nod, as the King approached his bed.

“Once again, Calder, you have proven yourself to be a man of courage and honor. I am proud of you.”

“Thank you, Sire.”

“I wish that I could say the same about Roderick, but I cannot.”

Wisely, Calder chose to remain silent.

“I have given a lot of thought to your petition and what you said. Do not take this wrong, Calder. You made some fine points on your own behalf, but after much deliberation, it was ultimately what Regan said that proved to give me the most hope for our future here.”

“If she is right,” the King said, in response to Calder's questioning gaze, “we will have a strong and prosperous country, and I am going to let you be the one to take the first step in that direction. If you are up to it, I will marry the two of you myself, tomorrow morning.”

Calder's face split into a grin of unequivocal delight.

“But,” the King continued sternly, “I leave it to you to make this right with your own kinsmen and the people you rule. See to it that it is handled properly.”

“It will be my reason for being, Your Grace. Thank you.” There was nothing more that he could say to express the depth of his gratitude to his friend and sovereign.

 

            

 

Calder rode close to the wagon for the entire trip home, unable and unwilling to lose sight of his new bride for more than a few moments at a time. It was as if his heart had increased in size and the joy that he felt, at times, threatened to overwhelm him.

For her part, Regan wore a perpetual smile on her face. Her whole life had changed in those few minutes when King William conducted the ceremony that pronounced them husband and wife. Regardless of how the others accepted this news, for her it was a wonderful new beginning, one that she cherished and intended to make the most of.

They went directly to the Keep, which had been prepared for their arrival and would now be their home. Just moments after they got there, Radolf, followed by his canine companion, came running into the Hall and threw himself into Regan's arms.

“You're home, Momma,” he said excitedly. “I missed you so much.”

“And I, you,” she responded, hugging him and kissing him on both cheeks. Calder strode into the room just then and, seeing the two of them together in his home filled him with more pride than any other accomplishment in his life.

“Radolf,” he called, “have you grown too much into a man while I was away to give me hug, as well?”

Grinning in delight, Radolf ran over and leapt up into the large man's arms. Holding him tight, Calder twirled the boy a couple of times, causing him to squeal in delight and the pup to run circles around them.

“I believe that we have some news for you,” he said, lowering the boy to the floor and looking askance at Regan. She nodded her head and Calder squatted down beside Radolf. “Your mother and I were wed in London, and from this day forward, you will both live here with me and I will be your father. Is that agreeable to you?”

Radolf stood silently, his brow creased as he tried to grasp what Calder had said. “Forever and ever?” he asked finally.

“Forever and ever.”

“Really, Momma?” he asked, as he turned toward Regan. When she nodded her head, his face split into an endless smile. Turning back to Calder and looking at him shyly, he asked, “Can I call you Daddy?”

“I insist,” Calder replied. “And, as soon as the work on the castle ends, we must spend lots of time doing things that fathers and sons do.”

“Like what?” Radolf asked excitedly.

“Well, to start with, I will have to show you how to use your new bow and arrows, and then there will be many new things to learn and to do.”

Radolf hopped around excitedly as Calder went over and hugged his mother, taking her into his arms and kissing her tenderly on the lips, no longer caring who might be around to see them.

Draco arrived in the room just then, and after his share of hugs and news from Radolf, sat down at the table with Calder.

“Let the villagers know that I will be speaking to them tomorrow morning. After I am done, I will expect them all to swear their fealty to me. I have not asked that of them in the past, but now it is time. Make sure they realize that should they refuse, they will be turned out immediately.”

“Yes, Milord,” Draco answered solemnly, and left to see to his instructions.

 

            

 

The following morning, the square outside the new Keep was filled with people, the villagers who had been there when the Normans arrived and all of the new people who came looking for jobs and new lands to farm.

Calder stood on the top step with Regan and Radolf at his side. “Today, I expect each and every one of you to swear your fealty to me as your Overlord. The time has come to prove that you will serve me without question. In return, you will have all the protection that I can provide. I will also have work to keep you busy and lands to keep you fed. If you feel you cannot swear your support to me, you will be asked to leave these lands. But first, hear me out.

I have brought builders from London and will not require any more service from you to complete the castle. We will be clearing more of the forest and developing more farm land. Each of you who were here before we came will get an additional piece to work. The grants given to those newly arrived will be equally as large. You will have an opportunity to increase your yields and your wealth.”

He stood quietly for a moment as they turned and talked amongst themselves. “But, more importantly, know this. Regan is now my wife and Radolf, my son and heir. If you continue to live in this community, you will show them the proper respect that is their due. To insult your Overlord, or any member of his family is a grave offense, one that will not go unpunished. If you do not feel you can abide by that, leave now.”

The murmurs of the crowd rose in volume as they considered his words. The villagers could not help but wonder if Radolf would remember the slights done to him and his mother when he became their new Overlord, and make them suffer because of it.

The chance to have larger farms though, and the time to work them, was a great enticement and everyone decided that it was in their own best interest to swear their fealty to Calder.

His knights began the procession and, one by one, the people from the village took turns promising to obey and protect their Overlord. They knelt before Calder, saying the necessary oath and bowing respectfully to Regan before going back down the steps.

Regan's face was flushed with excitement and anticipation. She made a vow to herself that, if her people would give her the chance, she would help them to see how much better their community could be if they worked and got along together. Tears filled her eyes when she watched her father swear his fealty to Calder, then he hugged her and kissed her cheek before walking slowly back down the stairs. She sincerely believed that this could be a new beginning for all of them and prayed it would be so.

 

            

The next few months passed quickly and peacefully. Everyone was busy tending their crops or working within the castle. The villagers came to appreciate the value of having Calder's worthy knights to protect them when they dispatched a group of marauding thieves who had been preying on the outlying farms.

Regan had a few tense days when she first decided to assert herself as the Lady of the Manor, but soon she was obeyed as quickly and easily as Calder. No one wanted to risk his wrath or the possibility of losing their position within the Keep, so they determined that they would be as respectful and dutiful toward her as they could manage.

In return for their consideration, Regan tried to do as much as she could for them, with the hope of rebuilding the relationships that she had once had with these people. She surprised them by stopping at the homes of those