Chapter 25
The day of the funeral was a day of great sorrow. It was as if the worst fears of every single inhabitant of the kingdom had been realized and the people showed up en masse to mourn the death of their beloved ruler. The citizens of London made a pilgrimage to the castle to weep and pray outside of its walls in the hopes of catching a glimpse of their ruler as his casket rode by in the royal hearse. The people had revered their king as a near god and now felt that they had to see his body to believe that he could possibly have died. To them, he had once seemed immortal.
Keelin rose wearily from her pallet after a night that had seemed never ending. She washed with the other servant women and then dressed in her usual garb. She took great care to pull her hair carefully back and arrange it in a tight knot before tucking it into her cap. There were dark circles under her eyes, causing them to look bruised. Alinda surveyed her with concern.
"Keelin, are you certain you are well?" Alinda asked for what must have been the thousandth time.
"I am as well as anyone can be in these times," Keelin replied yet again, her voice very, very weary. "I only wish now to see His Majesty buried and to pray that His Majesty will rest in eternal peace."
Alinda took her friend's hand and squeezed it gently. "Do not fret, Keelin, all will be well in the end. You shall see."
"I certainly hope so," Keelin said, with a faint smile at her friend. "Come now or we shall be late."
The women would be packed into a balcony in the great cathedral, far from sight of their king, but it was enough that they would be there to hear the mass spoken and to see their king's casket. It was more than most people in the kingdom would have. Unless they were members of the nobility or servants of the castle, their chances of finding space inside the cathedral were slim.
The women quitted the castle and walked to the cathedral, following after the funeral procession. They were much, much too far back for Keelin to see the prince and the queen and her heart ached. She wished that there was something she could do to help ease their grief. Once inside the cathedral, they quickly settled themselves and the service began. The king's casket was like a tiny dot from Keelin's perspective and she could see nothing of the queen or the prince. She spent the entire length of the service in earnest prayer for the safety and eternal rest of the king's soul.
When the service ended, the nobility began their train past the king's casket to view his body. Keelin knew that it would be hours before she would have her turn and she waited patiently with the other servants, too caught up in her own emotions to share their grief or their conversation. An eternity seemed to have passed before Keelin was finally able to rise from her seat and make slow progress up the aisle to see the king's body.
She was not allowed to linger at the casket for more than a few seconds, but those few seconds made a very strong impression on her. The tears flowed freely down her face as she looked at the king's body, bloated and distorted almost beyond recognition, yet definitely his. She thought of how kind he had been to her and what a blessing it had been that he had sheltered her within his castle, protecting her from the cruelty of her former master. It was agonizing to think that she was the cause of his death, yet she could not shake the belief that she was.
As she moved past the casket, Keelin was surprised to see that the prince and Sir Edwyn were standing off to the side of it, accepting the condolences of the people as they flowed past. The queen was nowhere to be seen and Keelin could only assume that she was much too overwhelmed to remain with her son. When it was her turn, Keelin bowed before the prince, her heart full as she lifted the hem of his robes to her lips and kissed it. She wanted so badly to say something to him, but found that she had no words. She glanced up at him cautiously, afraid to see anger, bitterness, or revulsion at her presence, for how could she see any less when it was she who had been the cause of the king's death?
Keelin was surprised when she looked up at the prince. His eyes were expressive, but held none of the emotions that she had dreaded seeing within them. Instead, they were fixed steadily upon her with a look that she did not quite understand. He seemed as unable to speak as she and they both stood dumbly, as if under some sort of spell. She was suddenly jolted forward by the crowd and one of the other servant women stood before the prince, offering her condolences. Keelin turned her eyes to Sir Edwyn and saw a look of evaluation in his eyes as he studied her. They did not speak a word to one another, but Keelin felt as if the knight could read her mind, as if he knew exactly what was in her heart.
Just before she was forced to move on, Sir Edwyn whispered to her, "Meet me on the battlements tonight after your fellow servants are asleep."
She was completely astonished, and could do nothing better than nod stupidly at him before she was forced to move on. She could not, for the life of her, even begin to imagine what the knight wanted from her.
As soon as she returned to the castle, Keelin fled to the forest, determined to stay there until just before her meeting with the knight was to take place. Her mind was greatly troubled and she needed to be alone with her thoughts, in a place where no one could find her to bother her. She alternately sat, walked, cried, and fretted her way through the next several hours. At nightfall, she made her way back to the castle, exhausted from the weight of many different and conflicting emotions. She stole her way up to the battlements, concealing herself and waiting for Sir Edwyn's arrival.
She was dozing in a niche, her back propped against the cold stone, when she finally heard his footsteps. She scrambled to her feet and gathered her cloak around her, shivering at the cold wind that suddenly blew across the battlements, whistling around the corners and into the nooks and crannies of the stone. Sir Edwyn caught sight of her, looked around him, and then indicated to her that she should follow him. They walked for a brief distance before he beckoned her into a small hollow that served as excellent cover. He had her stand in the corner so that he could block her from view with his large body if anyone happened to pass by them.
"You do not wish to be seen with me?" Keelin whispered to him, perplexed by his highly secretive manner.
"I do not wish it to get back to the prince that I met with you. I do not wish His Highness to have even the slightest suspicion of my concerns about him," the knight replied.
Keelin's eyes widened in alarm. "Have you reason to fear for His Highness? Have you some information that Mordrid is near?"
"Nay, 'tis not that," the knight reassured her. "'Tis more that I am troubled because of His Highness's state of mind. As you undoubtedly know, war with France is imminent. I came to you to gain as much intelligence of your former master as you are able to provide me. 'Tis of the utmost importance."
"I do not understand," Keelin said, feeling confused. "I have already told His Highness all that I believe to be of use."
"Aye, I know, but I now fear that in his quest for vengeance, His Highness conceals information from me. I fear that he is so possessed by thoughts of that vengeance that he may act in a foolish manner. He is determined that he and he alone will bring about the death of Mordrid."
Keelin felt the icy fingers of fear race up her spine. "You believe this to be true?"
"Aye. I sought your information so that I may do all I can to ensure His Highness's safety."
"I shall offer you whatever I may," Keelin vowed.
"I heartily thank you, maiden. England has already lost one king and I do not wish to see her suffer the loss of another."
"What do you mean?" Keelin asked, confused once more.
The knight studied her with a strange look on his face. "Have you not heard that His Highness is to be crowned king on the morrow? The news was announced in the great hall this evening. All servants were gathered in the balcony to hear it."
Keelin suddenly felt as if all her hopes and dreams were slipping away from her, like sand trickling through her fingers. She had, of course, known that the prince would eventually become the king but had never really allowed herself to think of the event as taking place anytime soon. She had feared doing so for she knew that once he was crowned, he would be lost to her forever.
"Nay," she replied faintly. "I fled to the forest as soon as I returned to the castle and only reentered the castle to meet with you."
The knight looked at her with something that seemed to be akin to sympathy, confusing Keelin even more. "'Tis sudden, but His Highness feels it necessary to the security of his kingdom."
Keelin wondered why the knight felt obliged to explain such a thing to her. It was not as if her thoughts on the occasion mattered. The prince must always do as he saw fit and it was none of her affair to judge him. She realized that she had been silent too long and that she had better make him a reply.
"That is most wise," she said, lamely.
An awkward moment passed as the knight studied her with compassion before beginning his inquiry. "I need to know, do you believe that Mordrid will come after His Highness through trickery or will he meet His Highness on the battlefield as a man of honor would?"
"He will use any form of trickery in his power," Keelin answered instantly. "He is a man completely without honor. He shall use whatever means he thinks most expedient to reach His Highness."
A worried look crossed over the knight's face. "Have you any idea how he will strike?"
"I cannot tell you exactly how he shall do so. I can only tell you that he will try to strike at His Highness by attacking whatever he believes His Highness to hold most dear."
The knight's eyes widened at this information and he appeared to be increasingly worried. "You do not believe that he will attack His Highness directly, then?"
"Oh, aye, but only once he has succeeded in attacking His Highness in every indirect fashion possible. He will devise some way of luring His Highness into his clutches. I believe that he will use something as bait, something he knows that His Highness cannot bear to do without, and then he will have His Highness within his grasp."
The knight ran his hand through his hair in an agitated fashion. "How will Mordrid go about this?"
"I do not know. Perhaps he will attempt an attack on the queen, on the castle, even on you. He knows how important His Highness's mother, kingdom, and best friend are to him. I cannot say exactly what pawn he will choose, but I can say that he will stop at nothing, that whatever he does will be done in such a manner that it will astonish. He is extremely cunning and resourceful and always strikes when least expected."
"That is not a very consoling thought," the knight murmured, almost to himself. Suddenly, he changed the topic. "Do you fear that Mordrid will come after you?"
"Not only do I fear it, I know it," Keelin said, resignation evident in her voice. "I was the start of this and he shall end it with me. I know he will not rest until he has done with me. His thirst for revenge will not be slaked until he has hunted me down and killed me."
A horrified look spread over the knight's face and he shuddered as he looked at her. "What is to be done?"
"You must act swiftly; you must disarm Mordrid before he reaches England. If he finds his way into England, all will certainly be lost. Waste no time and take as many friends into battle with you as you can. You will need them."
"I cannot tell you how valuable this information has been to me," the knight said. "I will help His Highness to move as quickly as possible and I shall not allow His Highness to leave my sight even for a moment."
"You are a good friend to His Highness," Keelin replied, her heart full of gratitude toward this man, this man who would give his life to protect the life of her beloved. "I believe that, with your help, His Highness can defeat Mordrid. I pray you, keep your eyes and ears open at all times."
"You have my word that I will," the knight vowed. "You also have my word that I shall see you guarded safely within the castle so that Mordrid will not be able to get to you. I honor you as a most loyal, brave, and faithful maiden and offer you my friendship and esteem, if you see fit to accept it."
"You assign me more merit than I deserve," Keelin said, overcome with gratitude for the knight once again. "And I do not care what becomes of me. My only wish is for you to do all that you can to ensure the safety of His Highness. The future of this kingdom lies within His Highness's hands and I am but a small sacrifice."
"His Highness and I shall see to it that we sacrifice nothing," the knight said in a fierce voice. "I must leave you now, maiden, but if ever you need my services, you have only to ask." Sir Edwyn took her hand and lowered his head to it, kissing it gently.
"I cannot express the depth of my gratitude to you," Keelin told him, feeling tears forming in her eyes. "You have done me a most high honor and I shall not impose upon you any longer. May God bless you in your journey."
"May God bless you as well," the knight said, releasing her hand from his grasp. He turned and began to walk away from her, but stopped for a few brief seconds to study her before continuing on his way.
Keelin was left to wonder at the honor that the knight had bestowed upon her. The offer of his friendship was second only to the offer of the prince's friendship. Keelin was filled with a great sense of wonder and thankfulness at the many blessings that had been heaped upon her. To be offered the friendship of the man who was such a faithful, loyal friend to the man she loved was wondrous indeed. Keelin could only hope that the information she had offered him would be of some use to him, for she felt that she could never possibly hope to repay him for the honor he had done her.
