But it was rather bittersweet to see him again.
“For your family’s sake, I am glad that you have returned,” she said. “And for Ronan’s sake. We have kept your memory alive for him, and he still remembers you.”
Blayth looked to the boy with the white-blond hair standing next to Rose. He looked very much as James had when he’d been that age, something that brought William and Jordan much comfort over the years. He smiled at the lad.
“Do you remember me?” he asked.
Ronan had his grandfather’s strength, his father’s humor, and his mother’s wild streak. He looked up at his father, fearlessly. “Aye,” he said. “Are… are you really back from the dead?”
Blayth laughed softly. “Some would say so.”
“What was it like to be dead?”
Blayth shrugged. “If your mother will allow it, then I should like to spend time with you and tell you,” he said. “Of course, only if you will allow it, too.”
Ronan looked at his mother, who nodded encouragingly, before lifting his slender shoulders. “I think so,” he said. “I have a pony. Would you like to see him?”
Blayth had never heard such a wonderful question. Although he didn’t remember his son, the moment he saw the boy, he felt a familiar connection. He wasn’t determined to be a father to the boy, because the lad had a father in his mother’s new husband, but perhaps he could have some place in his child’s life. A friend, a mentor…
He realized that he would like that very much.
“Aye,” he said. “I would.”
With a wink to his father and brothers, Blayth followed young Ronan as the lad led him off towards the stables of Castle Questing. William watched him go, feeling a sense of contentment that he couldn’t begin to describe. His son was home, and even though the world was different now, it was no less wonderful. It could only get better.
He could see the old James in the folds of Blayth’s persona, and he knew in his heart that James would make a full return someday.
He could feel it.
“Well,” Patrick said, breaking William from his train of thought. “It seems to me that all is well in the world again. Blayth seems happy, doesn’t he?”
They had all taken to calling him Blayth because it was the only name he remembered. His family had to accept that James, for the moment, was no longer with them. To Patrick’s question, William nodded.
“He does,” he said, turning to Troy and Patrick. “As am I. My son was dead, but I got him back. For every parent who has lost a child, that is the dream. Today, I am living my dream.”
Patrick and Troy understood. And in particular, Troy did. Having lost two children of his own to a terrible accident years before, what his father said was particularly poignant.
He understood, indeed.
As the two brothers headed off to take care of the horses and help disband the army, William continued to stand there, thinking that he was incredibly blessed to have all of his children returned to him, even if it wasn’t exactly as it had been before. In truth, he didn’t care that it wasn’t. He was very happy with this new world he lived in. As he stood there, pondering what the future would bring for Blayth and Asmara, Rose came to stand next to him.
“Uncle William?”
William turned to her, the lovely young woman who had been his son’s first wife. He still loved her like a daughter. Reaching out, he picked up Isabella, kissing the little girl on the cheek.
“You were very brave, Rosie,” he said. “I cannot imagine this was easy for you.”
Rose shrugged. “To tell the truth, I was not sure how I would feel,” she said. “Hearing that James was alive, and then understanding the circumstances of his return, I truly wasn’t sure how I would feel. But when I saw him… it wasn’t James. I do not know if it makes any sense, but that isn’t the man I loved. He is very different.”
William nodded. “He is, indeed,” he said. “But our James is still there. I catch a glimpse of him now and again. But this Blayth… I like him, too.”
Rose simply smiled. She knew how devastated William had been at James’ death, but she was glad to see that he wasn’t disappointed that the James he knew wasn’t the James that returned. There were no unrealistic expectations on William’s part, only gratitude.
“I am glad,” she said, patting his arm. She, too, turned her attention towards the stables, where she could see her son and Blayth disappearing into the structure, but her mind was elsewhere. Her manner sobered. “You have not asked about my father, Uncle William.”
William’s entire manner seemed to tense. He’d been so happy, and now Rose had brought about a subject that instantly brought him down. He was afraid to even continue the conversation, but he forced himself.
“I know,” he said. “I have not asked anyone about him. I am afraid to.”
Rose turned to him. Like everyone else at Questing, she knew how William had been dealing with Kieran’s illness. Or not dealing with it, as it were. He couldn’t bring himself to. Gently, she put a hand on his shoulder.
“He is waiting for you,” she said softly. “He knows you have returned.”
William’s eye filled with tears and his composure took a hit. “In his chamber?” he asked hoarsely. “Or in his new crypt in the chapel?”
Rose could see his tears coming and it choked her up to see how emotional he was. “In his chamber,” she said. “My mother is with him. That is why she is not here to greet James.”
William blinked, tears dripping down his face. “Rosie… how is he?”
“Failing.”
William inhaled deeply, steadying himself, as he handed Isabella over to Rose. “Then I shall not make him wait.”
With that, he crossed the bailey and entered the cool, dark keep of Castle Questing. There were only a few servants around as he took the mural stairs up to the Hage living quarters, and he found that he was almost running as he made his way to Kieran’s chamber at the end of the corridor. The more he moved, the more urgent his desire to see his old friend.
One last time.
He didn’t even knock. Slowly, he pushed the door open, his gaze immediately going to the big bed where he knew his dearest friend was laying. Stepping into the chamber, he saw Jemma sitting beside her husband, but she stood up quickly when she saw who it was. William approached the bed, his focus on his dying friend.
“Thank God,” Jemma said. “Ye’ve returned. And James?”
William came around the bed to where she was standing. “He is here,” he said. “My son has come home.”
Jemma closed her eyes briefly, a gesture of thanks and relief. “Then I shall go and see him,” she said. But she paused, looking William in the face. “He hasna eaten in a week, William, and he hasna spoken in a few days. I believe he was waiting for ye tae return. He was holding out as long as he could.”
William nodded, but he was fighting off a roar of tears. He sat down in the seat vacated by Jemma as she kissed him on the temple and quietly left the chamber. His attention was on Kieran as the man lay there, drawn and pasty and sleeping heavily. His chest lifted slowly, and unsteadily, the only sign that the man was alive. Leaning forward, William took Kieran’s big hand in his.
“I have returned,” he whispered tightly. “I have brought James with me. I do not know how much you have been told, but he does not remember anything, Kieran. The damage to his head, the blow we thought killed him, erased most of his memory. Scott and Troy and Patrick and I have spent the past month trying to help him remember who he was, but the truth is that he has been living as a hero to the Welsh. Can you imagine? A de Wolfe being a hero to the Welsh?”
Kieran twitched, and William was positive the man heard him. He squeezed his friend’s big hand. “He has married, too,” he continued. “A lovely lass, a great-granddaughter of a Welsh king. It seems that two of my children have married Welsh royalty, which means I can no longer fight Edward’s wars in Wales. I would be fighting my own kin. But, then again,
I married a Scots and still do battle in Scotland, so I suppose I am traitor to my family all the way around.”
He meant it as a joke, hoping it would stir Kieran, and he was rewarded when the man moved a bit more, as if he were trying to open his eyes He hadn’t really expected the man to awaken for him. Hell, he hadn’t expected the man to even be alive upon his return, but he was.
And perhaps, it was all William’s fault.
William had expressed such distress over Kieran’s health, repeatedly telling the man that he couldn’t do without him, and as he looked at the dying man on the bed, it occurred to him that Kieran might be hanging on because of William’s complaints. It further occurred to William just how selfish he had been.
Oh, he’d fully admitted his selfishness, but seeing Kieran lying pale and sickly on the bed, he realized just how horrible he’d been about the entire situation. William didn’t want Kieran to die, and by sheer willpower alone, Kieran was still alive. For William, the man had fought off the jaws of death. But as William looked at his gallant friend, he remembered something Kieran had told him –
I am tired, William. I am tired of being ill, of not being able to function as a normal man. I spend my days in this bed, remembering when I was young and strong and healthy. I do not like my family seeing me this way. It is no way for a knight’s life to end. I had always imagined that I would die a glorious death in battle, but it seems as if I am to die an old man in my bed.
But even now, because of William’s selfishness, Kieran wouldn’t let go.
William knew it was time to make him let go.
“Kieran,” he said, the tears beginning to fall again. “I know you waited for me to return, and return I have. James has come home, and he is happy and whole. Rosie is also happy. There is no trouble with her having seen James. She understands that he is not the same man. And I am happy because my son has returned. As much as I love you and as much as I am going to miss you, it is okay for you to go now. It is okay for you to leave me because I will be okay in the end. I will do everything I promised; I shall make sure our grandsons remember you, and I shall make sure your memory is honored. We shall all remember your greatness, for generations to come. You no longer need to remain here. Be young and strong again, my friend. Be free.”
After that, he couldn’t say anything more. He was too overcome by emotion, but he was also overcome by a sense of peace. Peace that this was the right thing for Kieran, and for them all.
It was time.
William remained with Kieran, holding the man’s hand, until his breathing grew weaker, and more erratic. When that time came, he sent a servant for Jemma, but he continued to sit there, holding the man’s hand and whispering of past adventures, of the battles they’d fought together, and of the humorous events of their youth.
When Kieran finally breathed his last, it was with William’s voice in his ear, speaking of a particular battle where the fighting had been so vicious, an enemy blade sliced through the garters holding up the mail on Kieran’s left leg. When the mail trousers slid down, so did part of his breeches, leaving his naked leg and bare arse exposed.
The last thing Kieran ever heard was William’s soft laughter in his ear.
And that was the way he wanted it.
* THE END *
Blayth and Asmara’s children:
Maddock
Bowen
Caius
Garreth
POST SCRIPT
I don’t normally do a post script. But with this book, I thought I should.
It’s quite a tale that old Mr. Nolwynn told, isn’t it? Helped along by Jestin, of course. I hope you enjoyed the novel and I hope the passing of an old de Wolfe knight touched you like it touched me. It was ugly crying for me as I wrote it, so don’t be ashamed if that was your reaction, too. Although I don’t normally write about the deaths of any of my heroes (or even significant secondary characters), I felt that I had to address it because according to the novel Scorpion, which is Kevin Hage’s story, the year Kieran died was, indeed, the year A WOLFE AMONG DRAGONS is set in.
Therefore, I couldn’t ignore it. I decided to make his passing something we could all experience, like the passing of a favorite uncle, and that is why I put it at the very end of the book. Blayth and Asmara have had their happily ever after, but it was time for all of us to move Kieran on. I warned you to get the tissues before this book even started. I wasn’t kidding.
Also, the biggest question readers will ask is did Cader ever get to see his grandsons, and did Fairynne end up marrying Pryce?
The answer, to both, is yes.
But look for that in a future de Wolfe novel.
And the de Wolfe pack lives on…
~ KL
SERPENT
A Medieval Romance
Sequel to THE WOLFE
By Kathryn Le Veque
Anglesey, 1293 A.D.
Family Trees for the de Wolfe, Hage, and de Norville Families
The next generation Wolfe Pack
William and Jordan Scott de Wolfe
Scott (Wife #1 Lady Athena de Norville, issue. Wife #2, Lady Avrielle Huntley du Rennic, issue.)
Troy (Wife #1 Lady Helene de Norville, has issue. Wife #2 Lady Rhoswyn Johnstone, issue.)
Patrick (married to Lady Brighton de Favereux, has issue)
James – Killed in Wales June 1282 (married to Lady Rose Hage, has issue)
Katheryn (James’ twin) Married Sir Alec Hage, has issue
Evelyn (married to Sir Hector de Norville, has issue)
Baby de Wolfe – died same day. Christened Madeleine.
Edward (married to Lady Cassiopeia de Norville, has issue)
Thomas
Penelope (married to Bhrodi de Shera, hereditary King of Anglesey and Earl of Coventry, has issue)
Kieran and Jemma Scott Hage
Mary Alys (adopted) married, with issue
Baby Hage, died same day. Christened Bridget.
Alec (married to Lady Katheryn de Wolfe, has issue)
Christian (died Holy Land 1269 A.D.) no issue
Moira (married to Sir Apollo de Norville, has issue)
Kevin (married to Lady Annavieve de Ferrers, has issue)
Rose (widow of Sir James de Wolfe, has issue)
Nathaniel
Paris and Caladora Scott de Norville
Hector (married to Lady Evelyn de Wolfe, has issue)
Apollo (married to Lady Moira Hage, has issue)
Helene (married to Sir Troy de Wolfe, has issue)
Athena (married to Sir Scott de Wolfe, has issue)
Adonis
Cassiopeia (married to Sir Edward de Wolfe, has issue)
PROLOGUE
Present day, May
Pendraeth Forest, Anglesey, Wales
Archaeological Dig for the University of California at San Marcos in conjunction with the University of Aberystwyth
The forest was thick with foliage, moist in the mid-summer heat. Even this far north, the weather could grow very warm and the humidity could get nasty.
The Pendraeth Forest was one of the dwindling sections of heavily forested land in the United Kingdom. Most of the great forests were gone due to a myriad of reasons; pollution, human encroachment, and other factors had shrunk even the greatest of forests. The most legendary forest of all, Sherwood, was nothing more than a grove of trees these days. Certainly it was no place for great outlaws to hide out in. Times had changed, indeed.
On this bright day in mid-August, a group of students from the University of California at San Marcos was working on a dig deep in the forest near Llyn Llwydiarth, or Lake Llwydiarth. There used to be a great marsh surrounding it but it had been drained around the turn of the last century to produce rich farmlands. However, a section of it closer to the lake had remained undisturbed until last spring when the farmer who owned the land drained it off to expand his grass crop for hay. However, when the water was drained off and the man began to prepare the section, he’d come across s
omething that had put an immediate stop to his agricultural plans. He’d discovered human bones.
The farmer had called the police who had shown up and determined that the bones were very old; in fact, they suspected they were Dark Age burials and called upon the University of Aberystwyth because they had an ancient studies department. The university had sent people to check it out and after some carbon dating samples, determined that it was, in fact, a Medieval burial site. Archaeologists were called in and the farmer lost a good portion of his agricultural site to the scholars.
Dr. Bud Becker, the senior field archaeologist in Medieval Studies at the University of California at San Marcos had been on-site since June, when he had been called in by a colleague at Aberystwyth. Everyone in the field of archaeology knew Dr. Becker’s reputation, as the foremost expert in Medieval field archaeology, so the University of Aberystwyth was very glad to have him.
Dr. Becker had brought in twenty-one archaeology students for a summer session along with him so they had plenty of help as they excavated the farmer’s field. But more and more as of late, Dr. Becker was convinced this wasn’t a burial. Bodies were in pieces, missing heads, missing limbs, and generally scattered all over about a quarter of a mile radius. It didn’t look like any battle he’d ever seen; it looked like a massacre. He had been genuinely baffled until they had come across bones that didn’t match anything he’d ever seen before. Buried deep in the muck of the field, in the low-acidic soil, had been pieces of a skeleton that wasn’t man or animal. He didn’t know what it was, which is why Aberystwyth had brought in a paleontologist, also from the University of California at San Marcos. They had no idea what they had, and the mystery deepened.
The Original de Wolfe Pack Complete Set: Including Sons of de Wolfe Page 279
