~*A/N*~ I have changed a few things when I realized that they did not
follow along with the movie. Some of you might want to go back and re-read
chapters 1-3. Thanks again to reviewers!
"I would like to marry your daughter."
"My daughter?"
"Yes, sir."
"Well. that's news to me!"
"Yes, well. I love her very much, sir. I have made a fine sum from jousting. I am a Knight. I would do anything for Jocelyn, and I think it is safe to say she would do anything for me." He glanced at Jocelyn and flashed her a smile. She nodded and he turned back to her father.
"My Jocelyn?"
"Um, yes? Is there another I should know of?"
The father turned to his daughter. "And you would take this man, this Knight?"
She crouched down and held her fathers hand. "I already have, father. With all my heart."
"And what about Adhemar? He was such a nice man. Very good for a girl like you."
Jocelyn dropped her fathers hand, and stoop up sighing. "William is good for me, father. He is a fine man to take your place once you are gone. He is fair, and courageous, and." Jocelyn realized she was rambling and blushed slightly. William took hold of her hand and squeezed it.
Her father looked at their hands and sighed. "If it will make my Jocelyn happy, then by all means, marry her boy."
William's eyes widened as he looked at Jocelyn. He could feel the excitement in her just by holding her hand, and it was affirmed by the look in her eyes. Her father held out his hand to shake William's, but Will rushed up and hugged him tightly, then picked up Jocelyn in a hug and swung her around. She was laughing when he set her down.
"We're going to get married." He said, holding her hands to his lips.
She nodded and laughed again. "We're getting married."
When William woke up it was still dark out. Rain was pounding on the stone walls outside and dripping through his open window. He pushed his blankets off of himself and groaned, walking blindly to the window to push it closed.
"Cronaím thú mo chroí mo grá mo chroí go síoraí."
William stopped pulling on the window and leaned on the sill, listening. The voice could not be heard anymore, but he saw a light on in the stable where Kate worked. It was funny, he thought, ever since he had known her he hadn't known she could sing well. Perhaps there were a lot of things he didn't know about her. He watched the light for a minute longer then closed the window and went back to bed.
It seemed he had just closed his eyes when he was opening them, awakened by the brightness of the sun. Or perhaps it was Wat's ginger hair he was seeing. Either way, he squinted his eyes tightly.
"Get up! Roland's made breakfast, and he actually didn't burn it this time!" Wat punched Will on the shoulder and laughed.
Will covered his face with his pillow. "I didn't plan on waking up to an ugly git like you."
"That's what I love about you, Will." Wat started, removing the pillow. William held on to it tightly, but Wat tugged it away. "You're such a morning person." He set the pillow on the ground and folded his arms.
"Unless you don't want eggs and break and milk. Oh, and nice crispy bacon. You like bacon, right?"
William looked at Wat. "Bacon?"
"You'll have to go look for yourself."
William swung his legs onto the ground and then stood up. His back ached from lack of proper sleep. Wat walked out of Will's bedroom, and Will followed close behind.
When he made it into the dining room he was welcomed by all of his friends. A moment later a large plate of food was set in front of him, and he started to eat it quickly.
"My daughter?"
"Yes sir. She is becoming quite ill."
"I want to see her."
"I'm sorry, but we cannot take the chance of you getting sick too."
"I want to see my daughter! Let me see my daughter!"
The guard tried to hold him back. "Someone get over here! It's Dimitri, he's too strong for me to ward off!"
A few seconds two other men were pulling later Dimitri away. He kicked his legs and tried to bite one of the men on the arm.
"I WANT TO SEE MY JOCELYN!"
The guards never said anything more. They led him to his bedroom and shut the door, locking it.
No one got any sleep that night. He had let out the most unrelenting wails. William had been frightened that he would start his ruling the very next day. And he had right to be.
The first thing Dimitri's wife had noticed was the fabric from his bed hanging over the windows ledge. Following it, she saw her husband, hanging six feet below the window. She was found five minutes later, bleeding on the ground twenty feet below him.
No one had even told Jocelyn. William chewed on a piece of his toast thoughtfully. They knew that if she found out then she would have wanted to leave her bedroom to see them. No one could take that risk.
So Jocelyn had died thinking she was letting so many people down. Her mother, her father. Will let his fork drop with a clatter. He had to govern the people of her father's land. He had to make important decisions that he didn't even understand. It was up to him to prosper. Him alone.
"Do you want to see his will? He left you some things." John Granger, a casket maker, handed the papers to Will. "Some things you might find interesting."
The land was his. The people were his. He could set wages, he could fire servants. He could get re-married, if something happened to Jocelyn. He let the pages drop to the floor. He was allowed to be re-married, it said, if, and only if, he re-married to a woman of noble birth.
"Are you going to finish that?"
William looked up from his plate. Kate was pointing to a piece of bacon.
"No, I'm done." His voice was quiet and she glanced at him before picking up the slice.
"I have to leave." He said suddenly, pushing out his chair. "Seems there was a gambling problem last night and one man wound up dead. They want me to go and see what to do." Will walked away quickly and jogged through the castle hallways, until he was out the large front doors.
There was no gambling problem. As William looked up at his full castle, it was the first time he felt really alone.
"I would like to marry your daughter."
"My daughter?"
"Yes, sir."
"Well. that's news to me!"
"Yes, well. I love her very much, sir. I have made a fine sum from jousting. I am a Knight. I would do anything for Jocelyn, and I think it is safe to say she would do anything for me." He glanced at Jocelyn and flashed her a smile. She nodded and he turned back to her father.
"My Jocelyn?"
"Um, yes? Is there another I should know of?"
The father turned to his daughter. "And you would take this man, this Knight?"
She crouched down and held her fathers hand. "I already have, father. With all my heart."
"And what about Adhemar? He was such a nice man. Very good for a girl like you."
Jocelyn dropped her fathers hand, and stoop up sighing. "William is good for me, father. He is a fine man to take your place once you are gone. He is fair, and courageous, and." Jocelyn realized she was rambling and blushed slightly. William took hold of her hand and squeezed it.
Her father looked at their hands and sighed. "If it will make my Jocelyn happy, then by all means, marry her boy."
William's eyes widened as he looked at Jocelyn. He could feel the excitement in her just by holding her hand, and it was affirmed by the look in her eyes. Her father held out his hand to shake William's, but Will rushed up and hugged him tightly, then picked up Jocelyn in a hug and swung her around. She was laughing when he set her down.
"We're going to get married." He said, holding her hands to his lips.
She nodded and laughed again. "We're getting married."
When William woke up it was still dark out. Rain was pounding on the stone walls outside and dripping through his open window. He pushed his blankets off of himself and groaned, walking blindly to the window to push it closed.
"Cronaím thú mo chroí mo grá mo chroí go síoraí."
William stopped pulling on the window and leaned on the sill, listening. The voice could not be heard anymore, but he saw a light on in the stable where Kate worked. It was funny, he thought, ever since he had known her he hadn't known she could sing well. Perhaps there were a lot of things he didn't know about her. He watched the light for a minute longer then closed the window and went back to bed.
It seemed he had just closed his eyes when he was opening them, awakened by the brightness of the sun. Or perhaps it was Wat's ginger hair he was seeing. Either way, he squinted his eyes tightly.
"Get up! Roland's made breakfast, and he actually didn't burn it this time!" Wat punched Will on the shoulder and laughed.
Will covered his face with his pillow. "I didn't plan on waking up to an ugly git like you."
"That's what I love about you, Will." Wat started, removing the pillow. William held on to it tightly, but Wat tugged it away. "You're such a morning person." He set the pillow on the ground and folded his arms.
"Unless you don't want eggs and break and milk. Oh, and nice crispy bacon. You like bacon, right?"
William looked at Wat. "Bacon?"
"You'll have to go look for yourself."
William swung his legs onto the ground and then stood up. His back ached from lack of proper sleep. Wat walked out of Will's bedroom, and Will followed close behind.
When he made it into the dining room he was welcomed by all of his friends. A moment later a large plate of food was set in front of him, and he started to eat it quickly.
"My daughter?"
"Yes sir. She is becoming quite ill."
"I want to see her."
"I'm sorry, but we cannot take the chance of you getting sick too."
"I want to see my daughter! Let me see my daughter!"
The guard tried to hold him back. "Someone get over here! It's Dimitri, he's too strong for me to ward off!"
A few seconds two other men were pulling later Dimitri away. He kicked his legs and tried to bite one of the men on the arm.
"I WANT TO SEE MY JOCELYN!"
The guards never said anything more. They led him to his bedroom and shut the door, locking it.
No one got any sleep that night. He had let out the most unrelenting wails. William had been frightened that he would start his ruling the very next day. And he had right to be.
The first thing Dimitri's wife had noticed was the fabric from his bed hanging over the windows ledge. Following it, she saw her husband, hanging six feet below the window. She was found five minutes later, bleeding on the ground twenty feet below him.
No one had even told Jocelyn. William chewed on a piece of his toast thoughtfully. They knew that if she found out then she would have wanted to leave her bedroom to see them. No one could take that risk.
So Jocelyn had died thinking she was letting so many people down. Her mother, her father. Will let his fork drop with a clatter. He had to govern the people of her father's land. He had to make important decisions that he didn't even understand. It was up to him to prosper. Him alone.
"Do you want to see his will? He left you some things." John Granger, a casket maker, handed the papers to Will. "Some things you might find interesting."
The land was his. The people were his. He could set wages, he could fire servants. He could get re-married, if something happened to Jocelyn. He let the pages drop to the floor. He was allowed to be re-married, it said, if, and only if, he re-married to a woman of noble birth.
"Are you going to finish that?"
William looked up from his plate. Kate was pointing to a piece of bacon.
"No, I'm done." His voice was quiet and she glanced at him before picking up the slice.
"I have to leave." He said suddenly, pushing out his chair. "Seems there was a gambling problem last night and one man wound up dead. They want me to go and see what to do." Will walked away quickly and jogged through the castle hallways, until he was out the large front doors.
There was no gambling problem. As William looked up at his full castle, it was the first time he felt really alone.
