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“I have a heavy cloak if you need it,” he offered.
She looked over at him where he rode beside her, so large and terrifying all in black, his face mostly concealed by the helmet. Yet he was concerned for her well-being.
He cared for her and she cared for him. She could not be foolish and allow her doubts to cloud her emotions. She needed to seek her answers and understand. So her question was asked not out of curiosity but from a loving heart.
“Tell me about your teacher and his family.”
He stared at her for a silent moment, an indication he was deep in thought. Part of him wished he could remain there, in his mind.
Few knew the true story behind the tale that had earned him the title of the Legend. It was not something he wished to discuss or remember, and it certainly was not a tale he wished were true. By the time the story had traveled to his homeland it had grown into a legend—a legend that was far from the truth.
Could he trust Reena with the truth?
She had spoken not a word to anyone of his mother being the woman kept prisoner in the secret room. If she had he would have known, for the news would have run rampant through the keep, gossip being a way of life. But not a word was made mention; she had kept her word, keeping his secret.
Reena waited patiently, knowing he would speak when he was ready. And though he looked as if he warred with his own decision, she felt confident he would choose to share the past with her and free his tormented heart and soul.
He spoke low, his words for their ears alone. “William was a good man and was a master in understanding instinct. He explained that it was an important part of who we are and what we amount to. Instinct allows us to live with less fear and more hope. It allows for understanding and less ignorance. Instinct is an essential part of us all that is rarely acknowledged and barely used.
“He taught me that all creatures except man use their instincts to survive, for man’s arrogance causes him to ignore his instincts. At first his lessons seemed trivial and of no real importance to me until I began to realize the depth of his teachings. I spent a year with him, and it was a year I will never forget or regret.
“His thoughts and ideas were foreign to many, and he had moved his family several times to keep them from being persecuted, since there were many who believed he practiced dark magic. I asked him once why he did not keep his tongue silent so that he did not have to run and hide in fear. He laughed at me and told me that I should think about what I asked of him and when I had my answer I would need him to teach me no more.”
“Did you discover the answer?”
“Not until the very end.”
Reena felt her breath catch, and tears gathered in her eyes. This was difficult for him, she could see the way he warred with his memories and the hurt that surfaced and grabbed hold of him.
“Friends of William warned him that officials were on their way to accuse and persecute him and his family. His wife, Bella, believed as he did, as did their daughter Mary, a young lass of barely ten years with a voice sweeter than the heavens. When she raised it in song, all quieted and listened, for it was a sound so lovely it mesmerized.
“The warning came too late. Officials arrived and began to question William and his family. He understood immediately his situation and the danger he and his family were in. There was no longer anyplace for them to hide. He was quickly accused of heresy and imprisoned in a nearby keep’s dungeon, his wife was imprisoned shortly after him, and William feared that his daughter would suffer a horrible fate, left on her own.
“He knew it was only a matter of time before he and his wife would be put to death by fire. He asked that I spare them the suffering. . . .”
Magnus stopped and took a breath.
Reena fought a losing battle with her tears.
“He also asked that I made certain Mary did not suffer. He believed that together, they would all be happy in the afterlife. He asked as a good friend that I do this for him. I had to tend to the matter immediately and then leave and return to my own land. He told me to take the night to think on the matter for there was little time, and he told me to tell Mary how much she was loved and that they would unite with her soon, that she would understand.”
Magnus shook his head. “I could not do what he asked of me, not until I returned to the dungeon the next night, having bribed the same guard with a bag of coins to let me in. William and Bella had been tortured and lay in horrendous pain from their horrible ordeal. William begged me to end their suffering and see to Mary. I did not think twice.”
He paused, shutting his eyes for a moment. “I will spare you the details and tell you their deaths were swift and painless. Bella felt nothing, she simply smiled and whispered her thanks just before the end. Before William died he asked me if I had the answer to why he did not keep his tongue silent so that he did not have to run and hide in fear. I gave him the answer, and he smiled and told me that I needed him no more. I laid them side by side, went and took care of Mary, then left.”
Tears ran down Reena’s cheeks. “When did you discover the answer?”
“That moment before he was to die. I realized that he was not the one who ran and hid in fear. It was those who hunted him that were running and hiding in fear.”
“You tell me the true tale; what is the gossip that preceded you home?”
“It was said I confronted evil and without fear destroyed it and that only a man of strong conviction and honor, a legend, could do what I did. The tale traveled far and wide and I was hired by many monarchs to deal with their battles and wars, and I was substantially rewarded.”
“And all feared you because they thought you capable of turning on a friend and killing him without thought or remorse.”
“Aye. I was the Legend, a warrior without a heart or soul, a formidable commodity to those looking for protection from their enemies.”
“You told no one the truth?”
