47

NASHVILLE

After a hearty lunch, which took place without the children, we packed up our little things and saddled up. As they said goodbye, they stood huddled around their father and waved. Neither of them reached Raven above the belly button. And they all looked like him.

We rode through until the next morning. Then Henry asked if I could still do it. And because I was used to riding, we rode straight on. One more day. Towards evening we arrived in Nashville. Dogs tired and dusty.

Nashville Castle was surrounded by a deep moat. The drawbridge had already been drawn in, the shutters closed. Ivy grew on the castle. The castle's dark stone was smooth and looked sturdy enough to withstand a siege in an emergency.

Henry nodded. Exhausted but excited. "Looks good." He waved to the few soldiers who had come with us and stepped in front of the ditch. "Hello! If there is one, then lower the bridge!"

Shortly thereafter, a security guard appeared on the stockade. "Who are you!?"

"Campbell!"

The guard's eyes widened. "My Lord! We are already waiting for you!"

Already chains rattled and the bridge was lowered. Henry looked back at me and rode into the courtyard. It was mostly dark, only a few lights from the workshops, which were also the servants' houses, glowing from their small windows. The guard came over to us, nodded politely, and shook Henry's hand. "Welcome, my lord. My name is Wulfric. I am in charge of the Royal Guard. Your steward is already asleep, but most of the servants are still awake."

Henry nodded gratefully. "My guard is outside the bridge. I would be grateful if you put them somewhere."

"Of course. Rudolph!" Wulfric looked around and then rolled his eyes in annoyance. "Lord in heaven... Rudolf!"

A slender boy emerged from the guardhouse. It was hard to tell in the dark how old he was, but he must have been around thirteen. "Sir?"

"Take the lord and his lady into the hall and see that they are taken care of."

Rudolf nodded, greeted us without a word and went ahead. The hall was dark at the moment, but smaller than Raven's. Candlesticks stood in the corners, servants slept curled up in their blankets on the floor, and the stairway leading to the master's quarters was just opposite the entrance.

Roughly Rudolf shook a maid out of her sleep, growled instructions at her and disappeared. Again without a word. Henry scowled after him. "Even you weren't that cheeky..."

Grinning, I punched him and followed him and the maid through the hall. She only greeted us on the stairs. "I didn't mean to wake anyone. Welcome, my lord."

"Thanks. Will you show us the room?"

She did. After that she brought us water and cold meat. But neither Henry nor I managed a bite. We both just fell on the bed and fell asleep...

The next morning I woke up snuggled in Henry's arm. He was already awake and smiling at me. "Morning."

"Good morning..." The birds chirped, the room was flooded with light from the sun's rays. The thin bed curtains swayed in the breeze. Except for a vanity opposite the bed, the room was empty.

Henry kissed my forehead and slowly turned towards me. Actually, I wasn't fully awake yet, so it took me a moment to comprehend, but when I felt him between my legs, I was wide awake.

A few really great moments later, he was stretched out beside me. "Will you wake me up like that tomorrow?"

He laughed harshly. "Why not?" Then he pulled me to him, kissed my forehead and got up unwillingly. I followed him with the sheet wrapped around my chest.

"What you are doing?"

Absently tugged at my sheets. "I'm the lord of the castle. I have a few tasks ahead of me. Not to mention the greeting. And I just mustn't forget to divide our guard and say goodbye to the king's."

While the naked Campbell wandered through the bright room, I took a seat on the windowsill. Henry washed, dressed and began shaving. The warm skin felt on my back, the people in the courtyard started their work and made corresponding noises while the smell of breakfast rose to us. "Are you going to be busy all day today?"

"Probably. The more I accomplish today, the less I have to do tomorrow. And I'm only talking about the initial tasks. Not counting the everyday." Then he growled. "I really need to look at the numbers..."

"Do you have a task for me?" Only his brown pupils looked at me out of the corner of his eye. "Well, I have no real idea what a woman in the nobility does. Especially since I'm not the mistress of the hall."

Henry finished shaving silently and then shrugged his shoulders helplessly. "What would you like?"

"No idea."

He stepped in front of me and played with the sheet in front of my chest again. His black bangs hung slightly over his forehead. "What did you do with your parents back then?"

"Mostly looked after my little sisters. Or fed, washed, sewed, cooked the chickens,..."

The brown eyes that he had lasciviously focused on my chest widened and still stared into my face. "My goodness."

"We're worlds colliding, sir."

"You can say that again." Then he shook his head, buried his hands in my hair and kissed me tightly. "Tell yesterday's maid that you need new clothes. Can you read?"

I looked down, embarrassed. It was not unusual but normal that peasants could not read. But admitting it in front of Henry was awkward.

"You could have someone teach you how to do it. Or spoil the strange creature and carry it around. You could also embroider, a lot of women do that."

"But that's all senseless idleness! And I can't pay for a dress."

Henry shrugged. "Idleness is even desired in the nobility. And I'll pay for the dress for you."

"Then I feel like your whore. It's already reprehensible what we're doing."

"Lightning will strike us... And you're not a whore, you're the... the most important person in my life."

That explanation was enough for me for a moment. If only because of the effort it had cost him to say it out loud. But that didn't last long. "A whore can become just as important to you."

"I don't like it when you call yourself that. Why is it only bad for us? Do you know how many men and women are unmarried together? Rich or poor. And if I buy you a dress, it's because I love you I want to look in one. Because I think you must look like a queen in a dress with your proud demeanor and elegance."

I felt my cheeks get hot. "Henry..."

"And don't worry about the people of the castle. The people won't mind you if they know you. So take the dress, do me the favor."

I didn't care what the others thought. Only he mustn't think I was a whore or just came with him because he could come up with a castle. It wasn't like that. And I would leave no doubt about it. "Only under the condition that I can sew it myself."

Henry blinked in confusion. "Then everyone will label you as a maid. Get a maid or two to help you."

I held out my hand to him. "Deal."

He grabbed my hand and kissed me. "Deal."

HENRY AT WORK

Henry, his steward and some from the village had conquered the hall and got to know the new lord of the castle. They also got rid of some disputes, which of course Henry had to settle. His imperturbable manner and his rather dry sense of humor were immediately well received by people, although some were as old as Theo, they respected him. His charisma was implacable.

While he was taking over his territory, I made the acquaintance of the servants and chose two maids who would take turns helping me with my dress. But I didn't order them to do it because I simply didn't have the right to do it. We took measurements, arranged our next meeting and then they went back to work. After that, I crept to the hall to hear the final decisions.

Henry sat in his chair, his steward next to him. He was so incredibly young. And yet he didn't get lost among the short-tempered men. He elegantly held a wine cup and listened to the bickering. He had raised a narrow black eyebrow. "Are you serious."

"Yes, my lord!" One was an old Tata man with a white beard, glaze and only one tooth in his mouth. The other was Theo's age, a muscular man with curly brown hair. The childish man pointed his finger at the Tata old man.

"But, my lord! He promised!"

The steward, probably Raven's age, laughed to himself and shook his head. But Henry was far too much Campbell to let his cards be looked at so easily.

The old man raised his thin face. "I dont have that."

"Yet!"

"No."

"Yet!"

"Are you calling me a liar!?"

The crowd giggled, as did I. The people stood in a circle in front of Henry, the small board moved aside. Some held a pitcher of mead to share with their comrades, others nibbled on bread. But with the two brawlers, everyone stopped and watched cheerfully.

I poked a peasant woman who smelled terribly strongly of cheese. "Are they like that on purpose?"

"I'm afraid not, kid. You wouldn't believe the little things that turn a man into a baby."

The brown beard turned angrily. "Shut up, bitch! He promised me!"

Henry grinned darkly. "And a promise is a promise, and will not be broken."

The crowd laughed again, the two men in the middle feeling embarrassed. Apparently they noticed how they were acting now. But Henry ignored every further word and ended the matter.

"Now that it has been agreed, it shall be so. As befits men of honour. Waldered gets his cow."

The crowd laughed out loud because the old man actually stuck out his tongue in insult. But he bowed to Henry again as an adult and mingled with the people. After a few skirmishes, the round was canceled.

I stepped in front of his chair and bowed. "My lord."

Henry raised his hands in surrender. "Please, not you too."

"Does it annoy you already?"

He got up and nodded wearily. "I'm not used to it. Everyone around me greets me immediately and addresses me as Mylord. It was nice at first, but now I feel like an impostor."

I laughed and refilled his wine cup. "Would you like to explore your country? We'll take a basket and ride off."

Henry nodded. "I'd love to. But my list goes on. And this meeting right now... my God people don't argue about anything."

"That is not true."

"They're fighting over a piglet!"

Coming from the country myself, I suddenly couldn't stand the fact that Henry didn't understand the problems of ordinary people. "You don't seem to understand that something like a piglet means a lot. It can bring in a lot of money. It can support the family. When you've worked hard all spring, saved and traded, you can finally buy the cattle you wanted , a piglet means a lot, Henry."

He wasn't angry or withdrawn. No, he listened openly. He blinked innocently but didn't even try to interrupt. So I was a little embarrassed because I had no right to correct him.

"If someone then comes and just steals the stupid cattle from you, doesn't hand it over or whatever, then you turn to the person responsible for order in the village. And this deserves a lord of the castle who has more sympathy for their problems. Maybe he does understands."

Henry grinned, wide enough for those wonderful dimples. "I haven't seen it that way before. Did I come across as arrogant?"

"No, on the contrary. But you should keep it that way."

He nodded and kissed my forehead demurely, as was apparently proper. His lips lingered on my forehead as he spoke. "Nobody is as convincing as you..."

Even though he seemed so demure, his hand went to my hip. "Not Henry."

He grinned and let go of me. "I found a chest in one of the closets. There's a bunch of really old dresses and pants in there. Maybe you can scrap some for your dress if you like some. They're some nice patterns."

"Do you mean embroidery?"

"Allegedly." He shrugged his shoulders innocently. "I'm glad I know the difference between a skirt and a petticoat."

I grinned and arched an eyebrow. "From experience, I suppose."

Suddenly, the relaxed glow in his eyes turned to a lustful twinkle. His light brown eyes darkened. Even his voice became raspy as he laughed to himself. With a jerk he pulled me to him. Completely forgot every custom. "Let's skip dinner."

"My lord?" The steward came over to us and ran his hand through his dark blond hair. "Are you coming?"

He didn't take his eyes off me. "I'd love to."

"Go on... Or come and explore."

Henry clicked his tongue. "What a bad company you are."

"My Lord, we have a really tight schedule."

Impatiently threw the steward a dark look. "Go ahead then, man."

As soon as we were alone, he kissed me roughly and tore himself away. "See you later."

When the lord of the castle left, the servants came and prepared the table and set it for lunch. When I first smelled the spicy herbs in the sauce, I felt slightly nauseous. Probably because we didn't have such fine herbs as farmers in the country. There was so much among the nobility that I didn't know or understand.

A MESSENGER

Henry, as a courtesy, had taken a bite of the chicken and one of the fresh bread, then ran to his room. Elizabeth lay like a fallen angel on the white sheets and glared out the window. "Hey."

She unconsciously looked at him with a pout. "Hey."

"Are you not well?"

she huffed. "It's only in a castle that people make such a fuss about it just because you look pale. That's just how I am. My goodness."

He sat down anyway and put a hand on her forehead. She rolled her eyes impatiently. "I don't have a fever."

"I don't remember ever seeing you so stubborn as Nash." he stated with amusement. Elizabeth smiled crookedly and cocked her head.

"I don't like doing anything against my will. I said I didn't want to lie down, you shouldn't be disturbed, and I was hungry and I wanted to fucking eat something! None of it was respected." She had to laugh herself and shook her head. "I'm acting like a kid."

Henry saw it differently. He was stubborn and angry when he was ignored or forced to do something. But at least Elizabetn looked gorgeous doing it. Her blue eyes squinted, the narrow brows were drawn together in anger and her snub nose wrinkled slightly.

"I'll get you something to eat, I promise. But why are you so pale?"

Her mouth twisted sarcastically. "Ladylike pallor isn't out of fashion, is it?"

He gave up, she wouldn't say anything. So he took it and called for a maid. She brought a plate and a jug of wine in no time. They shared the food and wine. After that, Elizabeth was much more relaxed. He wrote that down in his head right away. Eating made it easier for her. Good to know.

"My lord?" The maid came again. "There's a messenger for you below. He says he's from Commander Campbell."

He had turned much paler than I was. But Henry was brave and nodded. When he left I felt sick again. Poor Henry... My father had punished us too, but never in a way that made us dread going home. The story Raven had told me came back to me. That little Henry vomited out of panic fear of Theo.

At that time I had heard from Theo the Commandant. And sometimes I admired him too. Because he wasn't a bad guy as a soldier. But I had seen the way he treated Henry with my own eyes. When he had the arrow wound and Theo grabbed his arm and pulled him to his feet. I just couldn't understand that.

But I didn't want to just run after them either. As his wife I might have been able to do it, but it was just curious. So it was none of my business. Still, I didn't want to just lie there. So I got to my feet, got dressed again, and opened the old creaky chest Henry had had brought. They were really old things, but the lace from one dress, the velvet ribbon from the other, and the embroidery from these I could probably reuse.

And because I was slowly forming a picture of how I would like my dress to be, I began to make a sketch on parchment.

"

He can put that out of his mind. I will come to him as agreed."

The messenger was not unknown to Henry. It was security guard Al, who was still in pretty good shape. This man had grown up with Theo and always showed as little mercy to Henry as Theo did himself. Henry had often been beaten by him so that he could not walk a step. He always dragged the boy to Theo where he had to tell everything and was put through the wringer by the next ones. That's why the sight of Al Henry was just as sickening as standing in front of his father.

"You will do as your father tells you, is that clear brat?"

Henry thought he was hard of hearing. "You're not going to threaten me, Al. This is my castle, with a pretty fancy dungeon. So think about how you talk to me."

For his part, he couldn't believe what a cheek Henry took. "Have you forgotten who taught you manners!?"

"No. But Raven isn't here, it's you. And if you don't show me a little respect right away, you'll be thrown out in a big arc."

"I'm not surprised that Theo is ashamed of you." Henry hated himself for still getting a pang when he heard something like that. "But please, I'm going, Mylord. But you know Theo is coming. With or without your consent." Al made a taunting minion and spat on the ground in the process. Then he grinned provocatively.

It was that grin. He also had the grin when Henry knelt in front of him, crying and begging. When he stood in front of Theo and had to confess everything, then Al stood behind him with exactly that grin. And with the same he had always stood there and watched as Theo beat his son unconscious and then simply threw him into the hallway.

The sword was drawn and set at Al's throat before the guard could react. That shitty grin was gone, the shock took its place. Henry scratched Al's skin with his sword and feasted on the blood. He followed the crimson drops with his eyes as they slowly ran down his scissor blade.

"That would be murder, Henry..."

Henry scratched his skin again. "How was it?"

"My lord!"

"If I see you here again, there's nothing that'll save you, man. So don't you dare come near me again."

As Henry eyed. It seemed he was seeing a grown man now, not the scrawny boy he had been stalking with the utmost devotion. And this man would kill him. Without hesitation. The hatred in the brown eyes spoke volumes. So far Al has enjoyed it, but for the first time he was intimidated by Henry. Because he looked like Theo when he was facing a Frenchman, an enemy.

The guard realized that Henry was dangerous. And he would report that to Theo. They had Henry as an enemy, they couldn't break him.