A Knight To Remember

Chapter 41

Chapter 41

We walked back to the encampment with the same level of alertness as we left with.   If this was a trap they might have waited to see if my father was successful with his words.  As the smoke from the cooking fires came into view Thomas seemed to start breathing again. He smiled at me in relief. 

Little did he know that the real danger came from inside the walls of the camp.

“Keep your hood up Maeb,” Thomas whispered knowing we were visible to the guard posts, “We need to look like a returning scouting party.”

With the men grouped around me we marched into the compound undetected, or so I thought.  We were barely within the walls when a fist connected with Thomas’ jaw.  He stumbled sideward’s almost falling into me.  My bodyguard spun, moving me behind them as they meet this threat.  Their hands grasped their swords but no blade was fully drawn. 

The next blow brought a gush of blood from Thomas’ nose.

“Stop this Jonathan!”  I growled as I stepped around the men to try to hold him back.

“He took you outside the walls.” He thrust his fist into Thomas gut causing him to double over.

“He was doing what I told him to do.  Now stop hitting him.”

“May I suggest that we take this to in a less public place?” Percy growled as he ordered the men who had gathered to watch, back to their tasks.

“Maeb, did I hear correctly that you asked Thomas to take you outside the camp?”  He asked as soon as we were in the relative privacy of his strategy tent.

“I had to speak with my father.” I turned as Jonathan grunted softly through his clenched teeth.  But as I looked at him he looked away with fury oozing from him.

Percy shut his eyes tightly and rubbed his face in clear frustration, “And...”

“He didn’t kill Charles…”

“I can’t believe this!” Percy snapped.  “We are on the verge of all out war and you are still obsessing about something that happened twenty five years ago.  Enough Maeb!  I don’t want to hear it anymore.  You need to understand what is happening here and now.  You need to care about these men here not ones who died before you were born.”

“But Percy, I think it is all linked…”

“No Maeb.  This war is here and now and it isn’t going to wait for you.”

“But Percy…”

“No, I thought of all women you would understand.  Jonathan put her under guard.  And this time make sure that your men don’t listen to her.”

I saw Jonathan nod once to Percy then he took my arm and almost dragged me from the tent.  I struggled but his hold was firm.  He pulled me into an empty tent before he released me.  I stood in the middle of the tent watching him pacing out his rage.

I stayed silent.  I knew I needed to wait until he was ready to talk or I risked making this worse.

He turned to me and almost said something then ground his teeth and clenched his fists before returning to pacing.  Twice more he did this. 

“Maeb, do you understand what you have done?” he finally managed.

I looked at him stunned.  He had never been this angry with me.

“Not only did you risk yourself and our unborn child but you risked the lives of six of my men and my brother.  If that had been a trap they would have died to save you.  Do you understand that?”