The Beast of Caer Baddan (61 page)

“Very well,” Owain said.

“I require a small portion of your storehouse,” Britu said to Owain.

“It is at your disposal,” Owain replied.

“Thank
you,” and Britu left in that direction.

“Where is the princess?” Owain asked.

“In the first sitting room,” the steward replied.

“Good,” Owain said. “Send Annon to the bath house.”

Owain found Leola sitting by the fire with the babies asleep in their cradle. The nurses sat nearby.

Leola's face showed that she was nervous but pleased to see him.

“God keep you, Beauty,” he said, quietly.

“God keep you, Owain,” she replied.

He smiled as she said his name, for he could hear that lovely tone in her voice when she spoke it. His eyes danced as they look her over, taking in every detail.

“I'm still alive,” he said.

“I’m glad for that,” she said, and he felt that she meant it.

Owain came to her, took her shoulders in his large hands, and kissed her full on the lips. He heard her gasp in surprise but push herself further into his embrace.

“Tell me what news,” he whispered.

For a moment, she just stared up at him, speechless, as if she did not understand his words. Slowly she regained herself, and her voice came back to her.

“The children are well,” she said. “Euginius is trying to roll over, but I think he is still too young to do so. I think he shall be like you. Adventurous.”

Owain wondered what his father had been telling her about him as to make her say that, yet he had to admit that he was rather adventurous.

“I hope not,” he said, thinking now of his horrible death.

“I hope so,” she said. “I have thought, perhaps when the babies are bigger, I should take the children to Corin to see the city. Father is always going there, and I think they would like it.”

But when she said this, images of pain and horror filled his mind. He could see Leola slain, just as his mother had been, his mind placing her death in the exact same place.

He knew it was a silly, panicky notion, but he could not keep it from his thoughts.

“No,” Owain said, his words quick and short. “No. Do not go to Corin.”

“Oh,” she
said, a puzzled frown on her brow. “Very well.”

“If you wish to go someplace, I shall take you to Gloui to see the Hall of the Kings.”

“It is no matter,” Leola replied. “It was only a thought. But there is something I must tell you before I forget what it is.”

“There is something I must tell you, Beauty,” Owain replied. “You speak first. What is it?”

“It is Lord Bodvoc,” Leola said. “He came here a few days ago. He fears that you believe he was helping his brothers in the plot against Father. He thinks you are going to kill him for it.”

“
Ah,” and Owain had to laugh. “The poor childish fool. I shall write him a letter to put his mind at ease.”

“I am glad,” she said, with a long sigh.

He saw the relief on her face.

“What?” he said. “Were you worrying over that?
Oh, Leola.”

Owain cradled her head in his broad hands and brushed her eyelids with his lips.

“Never worry over anything, Beauty,” he whispered.

When the babies whined, Owain released her and went over to the cradle to stroke their tiny hands

“What did you wish to tell me?” Leola asked.

Owain was delighted to have his secret and did not wish to tell her what it was.

At first she just waited, looking at him with inquisitive eyes, and he gazed over at her, admiring those eyes.

“What is it, Owain?” she asked, again.

“Go into the front hall,” he replied. “Go on.”

She gave him a baffled look but went as he bid and strode out the open doors.

Standing in the center of the hall, was a young boy about eleven. He was slender and tanned, and his eyebrows were a pale blond. There was a red mark around his neck were a slave collar must have been. His face was oddly familiar.

Leola stared at him.

“Garrick?” she said at last.

The boy started at his name.

“Garrick?” Leola said again. “Garrick Fensalir-son.”

“Yea,” Garrick replied.

“I am Leola Hobern-daughter,” she said, her eyes swelling with tears. “We are cousins. Our mothers were twins. Do you remember me? Leola.”

“Alburga’s daughter?” he asked.

“Yea!” she cried.

“I haven’t seen you forever!” the boy replied, his eyes wide in surprise.

Leola wrapped her arms around her cousin.

“I thought you were dead!” she said.

“I thought I was dead too!” he replied.

Leola cupped his face with her hands and kissed his shaved head.

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

“But what are you doing here?” the boy asked her.

“I'm married now,” she said, her voice broken from tears. “To Owain Aetheling. Where have you been?”

“I don't know,” Garrick replied. “I don't want to think about it.”

Leola remembered her own response to Redburga nine months before.

“Never mind then,” she said, cheerfully. “You are with me now. That is all that matters. Come. You must see my babies.”

Leola took him by the hand and pulled him into the sitting room, where the babies were still in their cradle and their nurses still sat quietly by.

Leola was puzzled when she did not find Owain there as well, but she did not interrupt her focus to follow after him.

Bringing the boy along, she came to the cradle.

“This is Euginius and Ambrosius,” she said.
“Twins! Can you believe that!”

“They’re really tiny,” he said, and seemed bewildered.

“Yea, to be sure,” she replied, with a merry laugh. “But they were so much smaller when they were born, I quite worried for them. Are you well?”

“Yea.
Owain Aetheling says that Britu Aetheling shall take me to Tiwton today.”

“Oh, so soon,” Leola said.

Her heart sank at such disappointing news. She wanted him to stay with her at least for a week, and here was a plan already in motion to spirit him off to Gewisland. But Leola was too grateful for her cousin's return to argue and thus decided on making the most of the precious time she had to be with the boy.

“Well then,” she said, stroking his bald head, “you must tell your mother that I have given birth to two boys and that they are both strong and growing. And that I think of her and the girls all the time.”

“I’m not sure if I should go back to Anlofton,” Garrick replied, his eyes downcast.

“What!” she
cried, horrified at these words. “But you must go home! What would your mother do without you?”

Leola thought on her aunt's grief over all three sons. She remembered Redburga's tears when they put the Britannae knights down into the pit and laid the boys' decomposing heads on top.

“You must go back to Anlofton,” Leola said, with resolve.

“How can I?” he said, his voice broken from pain. “I’m supposed to be a warrior, a freeman of Anlofton. I’ve worked as a lowly slave to the Britisc! I was bought and sold!”

“Redburga shall not care about that,” Leola replied, her eyes swelling with tears once more. “Besides, you shall have many a time to prove your manhood when you are a man.”

She clapped her hands on his slender shoulders.

“There are so many girls there in Anlofton,” she said. “You shall have your pick of a wife.”

“What?” the boy cried.
“Girls? Ew!”

Leola laughed at the disgusted face he made.

“You shall not think like that in a few years,” she warned, and then her voice grew sober. “I believe that you were destined for great things.”

His head shot up at this, and his blue eyes stared into hers as if searching for something.

“Why do you say that?” he asked.

Leola's thoughts went to Redburga's words about how Garrick was really the son of the Earlmann of Anlofton and not that of Fensalir, Redburga's greedy husband.

“I can feel it,” Leola said aloud.

Garrick nodded in understanding.

“Besides, you need not tell anyone else of this,” Leola said. “You can make up a story of your daring escape. Owain Aetheling shall not mind.”

“You think so?”

Of one thing, Leola was now very certain, Owain did not mind when she did anything. He had not been annoyed when she tried to kill him or when she spoke for Lord Bodvoc.

“I know so,” Leola replied.

He seemed very relieved, and Leola hugged him tighter and rocked him back and forth to give him comfort.

A new thought came to her.

“Garrick?” she said. “Do you remember how to get to Holton?”

“Yea,” Garrick replied.
“To be sure. Father took us boys so many times.”

“Do you remember my house?”

“Yea,” and the boy stared up at her in confusion. “It is the second house on the right side of the road at the...”

“Northern entrance,” Leola prompted.

“Northern entrance to the town. Why?”

“Go there first. Find the house and dig through their ruins. In the far corner of the bedroom is a crevice concealed by a stone. There within is nearly two months of wages.”

“By Uuoden!” the boy cried. “How did you get so much money?”

“Doing a lot of embroidery,” Leola replied, thinking again of Ardith. “Now, the money is yours, Garrick. Get anything you and your family need.”

“Thank you, Leola!” and he threw his arms around her.

Owain had watched Leola embrace her cousin in the front hall but for a moment. Once his heart was satisfied by her joy, he left the sitting room through the side door and went out to the armory. His desire to see his mother's face swelled up within him.

“Mam,” he said, coming to her statue and looking up at her bronze eyes.

But he could not say the words that burned in his heart, for he felt undeserving still to utter them. Thus, he turned from her, careful to look to the right and not the left to avoid seeing his own bronze face, and looked on another figure nearby.