Chapter Twenty-Two

"A ll of you may enter," the guard grumbled at them.

Galiena was relieved. She felt better with Ox and Bard accompanying them, and at least inside the inner bailey, they could stand under the wooden wall walk, and get some refuge from the rain. Wolf and Dane had remained at the house as a precaution, although against what, she was not exactly sure. Red had instructed them to be on the lookout for anything unusual or anyone lurking around the house.

To her surprise, they were admitted to the great hall immediately, however, from the number of people milling about waiting to speak with the king, it would be some time before they were granted an audience.

"Give us your cloaks," Ox said. "We will watch from over there." He tipped his head toward the side wall where they could see everyone entering and exiting the room from the main entrance and the inner doors.

King Edward and Queen Eleanor were again seated on the dais at the far end of the hall. Red took her by the hand and led her toward the line of people waiting for an opportunity to speak with the king and queen. They didn't have to wait long as a clerk soon pulled them out of the line to bring them to the front.

"Chairs," the king ordered with a wave of his hand, and two wooden stools were placed on the dais to face the king and queen. "And remove everyone else to the castle yard so we may have some privacy.

Galiena darted a glance at Red as he muttered, "I'd say the king has much to discuss with us."

After they'd given the proper greetings, they each sat on a stool at the king's request. "I want to hear this story, again," he said and leaned forward as though ready to listen intently.

Galiena started telling the story, careful not to leave out any details. After her description of the men she'd seen behind the inn and what transpired between them, the king held up a hand to stop her from saying anymore.

"Does the description of the man from the alley who turned up dead match anyone you know, Red?" King Edward asked.

"I saw the man after Hunter found his body. I did not know him."

"Continue, Galiena," the king commanded in a gentle tone.

She was beginning to feel less intimidated by the king as she continued the retelling of events while he and his wife listened intently. When she got to the part about running into Red, she blushed as she admitted that she had called him Husband, hoping the ruse would provide her refuge from the man chasing her.

"How many days ago was this?" the king asked, one eyebrow arched.

Sensing she said something wrong, Galiena stiffened her spine as her stomach flipped nervously. Before she could answer, Red responded. "Five days, Sire."

The king turned a cold sidelong glare toward Red. "When I asked if you had known the woman for long, you told me you could vouch for her."

"Aye, sir. I do vouch for her. As does a close friend of Hunter's who has known her since she was a child." What Red said wasn't exactly a lie. Frode had known her since she was a child, but he had thought she was a boy then, and they had only been reacquainted for nigh on a year. She looked from the king to Red, fear pricking her nerves at the way the two men were staring at each other.

"None of Hawk's men are conventional," the king conceded. "I've given him and his elite force—including you—much leeway because he has never failed me." The king paused. "Except the once when he put his lady-wife before my command, but he succeeded in the end. Do not fail me, Red, as I may not be so lenient with you." Turning back to Galiena, he said in a tight tone, "Proceed, dear lady."

Galiena swallowed, her fear a palpable lump in her throat. She finished the story, answering the king's questions as she went, finally ending with how they took refuge with Anora and Frode.

The king asked Red if he saw the man's face when he spoke to him in the lane.

"No, Sire. He wore a hood pulled low over his face. He did not want to be seen or recognized by anyone." When the king said nothing more, Red said tentatively. "May I ask, Sire, if your scribe has been able to decipher the message?" When the king shot him a sidelong glance, Red quickly added, "I am not asking the content of the message. I am only hopeful that you will be able to determine who is conspiring against you. I know I speak for Hawk when I say we are at your disposal in any way you deem necessary."

The king appeared appeased by Red's explanation, but before he said anything more on the matter, he gave his wife a quick nod and the queen immediately pushed to her feet, as did Red and Galiena. Galiena couldn't hide her shock when the queen took her hand and smiled sweetly at her.

"Please accompany me to the nursery, Galiena, while the men continue their discussion. You can see for yourself the child who will one day be King of England after his father."

Galiena curtseyed to the queen. "I would be delighted."

But she wasn't delighted. She didn't like being separated from Red and she was suspicious as to why the king did not want to divulge whether the message was being deciphered by his scribe. Not daring to defy the queen, she obediently followed after darting a glance over her shoulder at Red. She could tell by the hard set of his jaw he was not pleased to see her leaving, but like her, he dared not say anything to the contrary.

The queen led her to a door at the side of the dais, which a guard immediately opened for her, revealing a stone tower with winding stairs. Another guard inside the door led the way up the stairs as two more guards followed behind them. Galiena conceded she was probably safer with the queen than anywhere else in the entire kingdom.

"Tell me, Galiena," the queen said pleasantly over her shoulder as they climbed the stairs, "do you have children?"

For three years, when anyone asked her this same question, she had replied that she did not, but after the king chastised Red for not telling the complete truth, she felt compelled to be completely honest. "I had a daughter, but she died."

"What did you call her?" the queen asked, her voice gentle and caring.

"Nahara," Galiena said. It felt good to say her daughter's name out loud, to have someone else hear it and know of her existence.

"And did she favor you, or her father?" They had emerged into a landing with a heavy wooden door flanked by two more guards, and the queen stopped to look at her as she asked the question.

"She had black hair like mine, but her father's green eyes." Galiena felt warmth blooming in her chest as she spoke of her beloved daughter. "But my husband said she was every bit as stubborn and bold as me."

"She sounds beautiful," Queen Eleanor said with a genuine smile.

"Yes, the most beautiful thing I've ever seen," Galiena said, feeling a measure of pride that she was able to speak of her daughter without breaking down into a flood of tears. She hadn't spoken to anyone about Nahara in this way since the day she died. No one had asked her.

Or perhaps they had, and she had been too numb to hear the questions.

"I knew from the way you teared up telling me about the threat to my son that you were a mother also. I've lost ten of my children, and it never gets easier. I cried for days at the passing of my precious Alfonso just four months past." The queen had a wistful gaze and a sad smile on her lips. She was silent for a moment, then sighed deeply. "God has blessed me with five daughters who are hale and healthy, and now another son. But I can say with certainty that Nahara will never be forgotten because she will have a place in your heart until you draw your last breath."

"Thank you for your kind words," Galiena said, putting her hand to her heart. "I can only aspire to be as brave as you, Your Highness."

"You have already proven to be brave, dear girl," the queen said, cupping Galiena's cheek. "You risked your life to bring us the missive and tell us of the threat."

Before Galiena could reply, the queen nodded to one of the guards, and the door was opened for her. She saw a room with bright tapestries hanging on the walls, probably for added warmth. It was furnished with an intricately carved wooden cradle, and another, simpler bed along with a cushioned bench that Galiena assumed was for the wetnurse. She looked around, expecting to see the little girls who had traveled with their mother through Oswestry more than a year prior in what was obviously a nursery, but the only other people she saw in the room was another guard standing by the narrow windows along the outer wall and a woman—the wetnurse—sitting on the bench holding a bundle in her arms.

The wet nurse immediately pushed to her feet.

The queen reached for the babe, cooing to him as she pulled the blanket back to reveal his face, which she turned toward Galiena. The child was looking at his mother as she continued to coo and whisper to him, a broad smile on her face. Galiena could not help but smile as well when the baby mimicked his mother's expression with a wide grin, his little tongue barely sticking out past his gums.

"He is proving to be hale, like his father," the queen said, beaming proudly at her son. Then her tone turned melancholy. "Soon he will join his sisters in Windsor, and I will follow my husband on his next campaign." Forcing a smile, she looked up at Galiena, saying, "I miss my children terribly, but it is what must be done for them to thrive."

Galiena couldn't imagine being away from her baby for so long or letting someone else raise her child for her, but she knew it was the way of royalty and nobility. She watched Eleanor looking into the face of her son, her gaze so full of adoration and love, and thought about the strength and courage it took to be the queen—and the sacrifices. It was a life she would never wish for, and a reminder to her that a simple life was something to be cherished.

A pang of guilt stabbed at her chest. She hadn't had nearly the heartache and limitations on her life that the queen had had to endure. She'd loved her simple life with Adam and Nahara. They'd worked hard on the farm, and they'd been tired at the end of the day, but they'd had each other and a home that was full of laughter and love.

She wanted that again.

The queen handed her son back to the wet nurse. "Let us return to the hall. I have no doubt Red is keen to have you returned to him." She gave Galiena a sly, womanly look that made her flush from the top of her head to the tips of her toes.

Galiena followed the queen back down the stairs, thinking about her new revelation. Given some more time, she thought, she would be ready once again to start a family. But was Red the right man for the life she wanted? She wanted simple, and he was anything but simple. He was an overbearing warrior who led a dangerous life. She would worry every day about his safety, wondering if he was coming home again or if something had happened to him in some far-off place.

"Cousin," the queen said in a jovial voice.

Galiena looked up to see a tall man dressed in the garb of a friar standing at the entry to the winding stairs from another level of the tower. The nursery had been on the uppermost floor of the tower, and the next floor down appeared to be that of a solar. The door was still ajar behind the friar, revealing a large table in the center of the room stacked with parchments, books, inkwells, and quills. There were several chairs scattered around the room, along with smaller tables and chests along the wall.

"Cousin," the friar said, lifting Eleanor's hand to his lips. "You are looking as majestic as ever."

Queen Eleanor laughed, looking affectionately at her cousin. "You always know how to cheer my spirits." Turning to Galiena she said, "Galiena, I would like to introduce you to my dear cousin and trusted advisor, Friar Ferrando. We grew up together, and I was so pleased when he joined the Order of the Dominican Friars and pursued studies here in England at Oxford."

"As a patron of the order, they were honored to lend you my services as your advisor," Friar Ferrando crooned, his voice mellow and smooth.

"I am pleased to meet you, Friar," Galiena said, bowing her head. Something in his manner gave her the impression he was not a very sincere man, and she didn't like the way his smile never reached his eyes.

"Ferrando," the queen continued, "this is the remarkable young woman who risked her life to bring us the missive."

"Is that right?" the friar asked, his steely, black gaze sharp as he looked down his long nose at her. He drew back his lips, exposing his teeth in what she supposed was meant to be a smile, but it appeared more sinister than convivial.

Galiena nodded uncomfortably and she suddenly wanted to be away from the man as quickly as possible.

The queen didn't appear to feel the same trepidation. "My cousin is a renowned scholar," she boasted, her pride in him obvious. "He is in great demand and is often away, lecturing students, and debating the great philosophers of the land. In fact, he has just recently returned from the friary in Caermarthen, where he shared his vast knowledge. We are fortunate, indeed, that he was able to join us, and at such an opportune time when we require his expertise."

Galiena didn't like the way the friar kept staring at her. Not knowing what else to do, she forced a tight-lipped smile on her face, nodding in acknowledgment of his accomplishments.

"Have you made any more progress on the missive?" Queen Eleanor asked the friar.

"It is a difficult code to break," he said in a condescending tone, "and will take more than a day."

"I have complete faith in your abilities, Ferrando," the queen said. "It is imperative that we discover as quickly as possible who is threatening the future king of England."

"You can trust in me, dear cousin," Ferrando said with the slightest bow of his head.

"In this, I am your queen," Eleanor said with a regal lift of her chin. "The future of the realm is at stake."

"My queen," Ferrando agreed, but Galiena could have sworn she saw the muscles in his jaw ticking as though holding back irritation. "Please, let me escort you to the hall."

Ferrando preceded the queen down the stairwell, turning his body slightly toward her and offering his hand for assistance as they descended. Galiena followed, uneasiness turning her stomach inside out.

When they reached the bottom of the stairs and emerged into the hall, Ferrando held out his bent arm to the queen, who hooked her arm in his, a genuine smile on her face and her expression once again full of affection. He turned to Galiena next and extended his bent arm in invitation. She felt herself recoil, but then remembered he was the cousin of the queen, and it would be an insult to be rude to the man. Reluctantly, she lightly hooked her hand in the crook of his elbow.

As they approached the king, Galiena watched Red turn to look in her direction. The look on his face was one of displeasure at seeing her on the arm of another man, but then his eyes narrowed as his expression changed to wary bewilderment, and finally pure, thunderous fury and hatred.

The friar had stopped walking as he returned Red's stare, and Galiena thought she saw recognition register in the man's eyes.

"Galiena," Red said in an angry voice as he pushed to his feet, "come to me now."