Page 43 of May Queen: May Day

“I don’t know, my lord. I’ve never seen a pagan or these so-called Druids. How would I know what they even look like?”

“They hide out in the forest and perform rituals and burn bonfires, or so I’m told,” said Ricard. “They probably live in nature. I’ve seen some of them wearing long cloaks.”

“Nay, I haven’t seen them,” he said with a shake of his head.

“Well, keep an eye out if you are on the road or go the village. Be sure to tell me right away about anyone who seems suspicious.”

“Of course, my lord,” said the man with downcast eyes.

Ricard instructed his squire next. “Nash, show him the gong pit and get him set up with a cart, gloves, boots, and a shovel. Also, instruct him where to empty the wagon in the woods when it’s full.”

“Me?” Nash made a face. “My lord, can’t a servant do that? After all, that is not respectable work for a squire to be doing.” Nash made a big show of waving a hand in front of his nose to show his disapproval of being anywhere near the human feces and urine that fell from a hole in the castle overhang leading directly up to the garderobe.

“I know the gong pit smells foul, but you’re not doing the work yourself so stop complaining,” said Ricard, losing his patience. “Just instruct the man, that’s all. Now hurry up and get to it, because if you tarry, I might make you help him after all.”

“Right this way,” Nash said, taking off at a near run for the back of the castle.

“Brother,” called out Lang, waving a hand in the air to flag him down. He and Dayton hurried over to join him. They both held tankards of ale so full that the liquid splashed over the rims as they walked. “Who was that man?”

“He’s a traveler who is looking to earn food and shelter and a few coins. I think he is harmless, but keep your eyes open just in case. I trust no one.”

“Your steward is asking for you,” Dayton told him. “He says you need to finalize the plans for the May Day celebration.”

“I forgot about that,” said Ricard, running a hand through his hair. “I have too much to do already and don’t want to be bothered. The only reason I agreed to it was because it seemed to mean so much to Flora.”

“That’s a shame,” said Lang, taking a drink of ale. “The steward said if things aren’t done right away, the celebration will have to be canceled.”

“Nay, that can’t happen. I promised Flora. She is supposed to be helping plan this. I’ll have to talk with her about it. But first, I have a favor to ask you two.”

“Us?” asked Dayton, looking up in surprise.

“I don’t like the word favor,” mumbled Lang into his tankard.

Dayton raised a brow and took a swig of ale as well. “Ricard, if this is another of your plans to make us haul trunks up spiral staircases, then forget it. That is what you have servants for, or did you forget? It is not the work of knights. We are nobles.”

“Nay, it’s nothing like that,” Ricard assured them. “It’s just a teeny-tiny little task that I would like you two to attend to since I have other matters taking my attention at the moment.”

“I don’t like the sound of this,” Lang told Dayton.

“Neither do I,” said Dayton, exchanging worried glances with his brother. “When Ricard starts using words like teeny-tiny, it means he’s lost his mind again and is about to make us do something that knights shouldn’t be doing.”

“I just want you two to go to the village and escort a few of the men to the forest to cut down a tree for a Maypole,” Ricard told them.

“Cut down a tree?” spat Lang. “Maple?”

“And haul it back to the village?” asked Dayton in shock.

“That’s right,” said Ricard, collecting the tankards from both of his brothers. Lang was hesitant to release it. “You’ll only be supervising, unless they need your help, of course. While you’re in the forest, be sure to keep your eyes open for any signs of Druids. Now go, because it’ll be dark soon.”

“A small favor, he says,” grumbled Dayton as he headed to the stable with Lang at his side.

“Teeny-tiny,” mumbled Lang. “I’d hate to see what he considered a big favor.”

Ricard headed back to the garden, but Flora had already left. He let out a deep breath, thinking about the kiss they’d shared. He was happy they would be married soon. As a respectable knight, he couldn’t do more than kiss her until they were wed. He liked the idea of marriage, and was starting to fall fast for the beautiful Lady Flora. She was smart, pretty, and more than willing to bear his children as far as he could tell. Everything was going well. So why then, he asked himself, did he have a bad feeling in his gut that things were not going to work out between them after all?