Dragonblade Trilogy - 03 - The Savage Curtain (50 page)

Toby pursed her lips angrily at
him while he snorted.  Then she grew serious. “Did you ever imagine your life
would turn out as it has?” she asked.

Stephen’s humor faded as he
watched Joselyn deal patiently with Rem and Dane. His heart softened at the
sight of her, the woman he loved with his entire being. He couldn’t imagine his
life without her.

“Nay,” he said softly. “It is
beyond my wildest dreams.”

“Happy?”

“Ecstatic, and then some.”

With Sebastian still in one arm,
Toby slipped her hand into the crook of Stephen’s elbow. “Shall we go and greet
your entire reason for living, then?”

Stephen looked into Toby’s
almond-shaped eyes, twinkling up at him.  He suddenly felt very emotional
although he did not know why. “There are no words, Toby.  No words at all to
describe the joy of these days.”

She nodded with understanding. “I
know, Stephen. I know.”

Tate, Cade and Cate arrived the
next day, followed shortly by Kenneth, his lovely wife Bella, and their two
young sons, Brennan and Evan.  Roman, Alex and Dylan arrived last, big boys
ready for their holiday celebration away from their training at Kenilworth.

The night of the great Christmas
feast, Stephen sat in the hall with Tate and Kenneth, watching Roman, Alex and
Dylan play with the younger children while Cade and Cate sat in a corner in
private but proper conversation.  Toby, Joselyn and Bella sat near the hearth,
fussing over baby Sebastian, their laughter filling the hall now and again.  

Stephen glanced over at his
friends, men he loved like brothers. He was so content, so overjoyed with the
blessings in his life, that he could not describe his elation. As he was
thinking on his good fortune, Rem suddenly broke off from the group of
children, being chased by Brennan and Dane.  Brennan managed to tackle Rem,
sending him to the ground as Dane fell on top of them.  The boys were rolling
around like puppies fighting and Stephen looked at Tate and Kenneth, who merely
shrugged in succession with the resignation that fathers tended to show when
their boys rough-housed.

As the mothers rose from their
seats to break up the fight, Stephen lifted his cup to his friends. Tate and
Kenneth lifted theirs as well, knowing instinctively what the man was thinking
because they were all thinking the same thing.

“To the next generation,” Stephen
said softly.

As the years passed, more
children were added to their collective families.  The years to come saw
Stephen add two more sons, Seton and Brenton, who, along with their brothers
Rem and Bastian, grew up to serve Edward the Black Prince and his son Richard
the Second while their sister, the lovely Lady Ashton, became one of the most
sought-after women in England and eventually married the commander of
Northumberland’s armies.

Kenneth had one more child,
daughter Witney St. Hever, who married a great Welsh warlord.  Brothers Bren
and Evan became two of the more powerful knights along the Marches, following
in their father’s footsteps as fair and wise men.  But it was Tate de Lara’s
legacy that had the greatest impact; as the man who should have been king, his
progeny followed great and prominent paths. 

Roman became the next Earl of
Carlisle and gained a reputation for wisdom and generosity. Cade Pembury served
as the commander of Roman’s armies and the two remained life-long friends as
well as brothers when Cade married Catherine de Lara. 

Dylan and Alex de Lara, the
trouble makers of the bunch, ended up serving the hot-headed Black Prince as
his most trusted knights, with Dylan unfortunately losing his life at the
Battle of Poitier.  It had been Alex, Brennan and all five Pembury brothers who
had escorted him home for burial.

Arabella de Lara married into the
English royal family while Dane de Lara became a powerful garrison commander
for Tate’s brother, the great marcher lord Liam de Lara, along the Welsh
border, eventually taking a Welsh wife and gaining lands and titles of his
own.  Sophie de Lara married a prince of Denmark and became mother to a future
king.

As Stephen had once said on that
wintery night in the year 1337;
to the next generation
.  It was Tate who
added the rest;
and to the generations to follow
.

The legacy of Dragonblade and his
knights lived on.