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ChapterTwenty-Eight

He had celebrated too heavily.

After their meal, Roland and Amalia washed with a bowl of water and promptly fell asleep. It was not the wedding night he’d dreamed of, but after their hasty retreat to Oxford and days of little sleep, darkness had taken him the moment Roland closed his eyes.

He awoke before the sun rose with Amalia beside him. Pulling her closer, he fell back to sleep once again, awaking for the second time to a pounding on the door. The men, according to Darien, were being summoned by Sir Eamon.

“Amalia,” he said, awaking her with a kiss on the forehead. “I must go to Eamon. I’ll have a bath and meal sent up. Will you remain in this chamber until I return?”

Her hazel eyes fixed on him. “Is it unsafe below?”

“I do not know. The reputation of this particular establishment is not one I’m familiar with and would not take any chances. I will return as soon as I am able.”

She laid her head back down. “I love you,” she said.

It had been the last thing he heard before falling asleep last eve, and Roland wished to hear it every night for the rest of his days. “I love you,” he said, kissing her once again and taking a saddlebag with him. The river Thames was close by, and he intended to wash properly after attending to Sir Eamon’s summons.

The men were called into the courtyard of the manor house where Matilda was staying. Baron St. John, one of her strongest allies, was nowhere to be seen, but the empress was there, standing beside his swordmaster.

“Has he said aught yet?”

“Nay.” Darien and Alden were, as usual, together. While the men broke their fast at the inn, Roland had made arrangements for Amalia’s meal and a hot bath. He also paid the innkeeper handsomely to ensure she remained protected while at the inn.

But it was not Sir Eamon who spoke.

The rightful Queen of England raised a hand, and the men quickly quieted.

“I thank you for bringing me to safety. You swore an oath to me and fulfilled it as we fled from London. I am unharmed. Uncaptured. And not deterred in ensuring the usurper Stephen of Blois does not remain king of England.”

The men cheered, Roland and his friends included.

“We were not successful on this day, but the king remains our captive. By forging new alliances and continuing the efforts you’ve so valiantly begun under the tutelage of the most skillful knights in the land, we will overcome.”

Another round of cheers eventually died down when Sir Eamon spoke.

“The empress will remain at Oxford, safely ensconced in this great fortress, to be joined by Robert of Gloucester and other of her supporters. On the morrow, we will return to Castle Blackwood and continue to train, ready for whatever lies ahead. We are the Guardians of the Sacred Oak. You’ve done your duty well. A small contingency will return to the field of battle to ensure our fallen are given a proper burial, and the rest of us will meet our Sacred Oak again when she calls for our service. We leave at dawn. You are dismissed.”

Sir Eamon summoned he and Alden with Matilda by his side.

“Alden, I would have you lead a party of twenty men of your choosing back to Buckinghamshire to ensure our men are given a proper burial.”

Though Roland could sense Alden was surprised at being asked to lead such a party, he nodded in agreement and bowed to the empress. “As you wish.”

He was proud of his friend. Alden worked hard to be respected, the only one of them not a knight, though he had no doubt someday Alden would achieve knighthood.

“De Vere,” Eamon said, “remain here.”

As it was a dismissal to the others, Alden and Darien bowed to the empress and left.

“Empress Matilda wishes to know the whereabouts of Mistress Amalia,” Eamon said with no small measure of displeasure dripping from his tone.

“She is safely secured at the Griffin Inn. We are now handfasted,” he added, prepared for questions from both parties.

The empress’s look of surprise meant Sir Eamon had not told her.

“Your father will not be pleased,” she said.

“I can assure you, he is already displeased by my support of your cause and will likely be more so when he learns I’ve joined the Guardians order.”