An Unexpected Stroke

Cadfael stood his eyes cast skyward as he watched the snow fall, taking one last longing look at the gate,now locked and blocking out the very last glimpses of the children and his own.A son any father would be proud of. To his thoughts he was the last one awake,but he was wrong. He didn't notice the soft crunch of snow underfoot coming from behind him. Turning to see an unexpected face. And it was smiling in a kindly and concerned manner.

"Brother,you have stayed out here long enough...what preys upon your mind that it should make you linger out here in this cold?"

The Abbot Adolfus had always been a fair man and had often treated Cadfael with a great respect and looser rein than most would. He was good to his brothers and could often read their person distresses and nor did he chastise then for being haunted by ghosts of their pasts, and this ghost was very much alive.

"I thought you would have been heading to the warmth of your bunk after last prayer, especially that we shall be in prayer so early..."

" Oh...I've been outside for so long...Forgive me..."

" Brother...I know you better than any of all brothers here...You are a man to take the burdens of others as if it were nothing, but not when it were your own."

" Father,come let us speak in the herberium..."

"It seems to be of grave matter..."

"More that one I should prefer the wagging tongues of the prior and brother Jerome not hear..."

"I see...Of the past..."

" Yes..."

The door creaked shrilly as it was opened,with great manners he held it open for the Father Adolfus,he nodded as he walked to the hearth and billowed the dying flames into a better state of life before sitting at the work table, it was beginning to warm up again. He sat quietly with folded hands as he watched the ashen faced Cadfael poor sweet spiced wine into a beaker for each. He swept his fingers over his salt and pepper hair as he thought what to say to his quiet brother. He cast his eyes over the table,folded with great take was the tattered head scarf of the young crusader.

"Brother...I feel your mood has something to with this..."

Cadfael looked up,his eyes seemed searching and wet as he nodded,sighing deeply as he too sat, opposite the abbot. He sipped from the beaker and sighed again.

"It has been something I did not expect, I never thought it possible either..."

"Thought what?"

"That I may have been a father to a magnificant creater,someone that could bring so much pride to the heart of a stranger..."

"The woodsman? I mean the half blooded crusader?"

"Him exactly..."

" This is indeed a very grave...If such information got out..."

" Father...please understand I was a very young man, not much older than a boy when I went to march in the holy army...only 18 years of age...I was with his mother some while,we were in such love...but we were two peoples caught between religions and peoples..."

" I see...you seemed to have a very colourful life...and there was no husband, from what I have heard of the east the women marry so very young, only girls..."

" She was widowed...It wasn't that she was lonely...Mariam had taken such a shine to me the moment she laid eyes...and I such love for her..." A smile of great radiance spread across his face "Anyway, I was 30 when I returned to England..."

" I can understand why you wished to speak away from the Abbey...I know that brother Prior would take a very bad view on this...you speak of lust and women..."

" Not lust, love...and only just found that she had died..."

"Oh Cadfael I'm so sorry..."

"But to lay eyes upon him...to see he had follwed in the footsteps I never knew I left for him..."

" I can see why this would both lighten your heart so as well as heavy it. She would have discovered her condition after you left..."

"Indeed...But I should feel so glad to have met him,held him,to have kissed my magnificant son...I thank you for listening Father...for...acting as a friend."

" It is the least I could do, you really are interesting Cadfael, I'll give you that..." He walked towards the door once he has finished the small cup of wine,smile on lips,it tasted just right, Cadfael had many talents. He turned and looked at Cadfael "You have my leave to attend prayer late in the morning...may God help your mind ease."