Chapter Eleven

November 2, 1141

R eynard kept his gaze focused on the road ahead of him as he rode his horse in the direction of Winchester. They had close to one hundred miles to travel and had begun their journey the day before. He refused to give the woman he had dreamed about last eve the least bit of his attention. She could flirt her way through the entire court for all he cared. After all, she had already started by gaining the attention of his friends. Her laughter rang out in the afternoon air as they reached the outskirts of Winchester, causing Reynard to grind his teeth together in frustration.

He knew his duties to his empress needed to be at the forefront of his mind. The exchange of King Stephen for the empress's half-brother Earl Robert was of the utmost of importance. This was all he needed to concentrate on. This was his main concern. The exchange of the prisoners had been previously organized and the condition for each man's release was simple. Both men did not have to swear to anything and were free to resume their positions and defend the party they had pledged themselves to prior to being taken.

But the actual arrangements for the exchange were far more complex considering neither party trusted one another. 'Twas arranged that when King Stephen left Bristol Castle, his queen, Matilda, one of his sons, and also two magnates of high rank would be left at the castle under close guard. Upon the exchange in Winchester, Earl Robert would then leave behind his eldest son and heir William. Once Robert returned to Bristol, Queen Matilda and the rest would be released. They would then return to Winchester where Robert's son would also gain his freedom. What could possibly go wrong?

Everything could go wrong between the two locations, including losing whatever sanity Reynard had left inside him. Whispering Johanna's name whilst kissing Elysande had been a huge mistake on his part. He should have made the lady listen to his explanation that Johanna had passed away but when Elysande admitted that kissing him meant nothing to her, Reynard felt like the biggest fool in all of Christendom! Aye, he had let a pretty face and those blue eyes take him under her spell and mayhap that had been his first mistake. He swore he was never going to do so again.

An amused chuckle rumbled in the chest of the man who rode next to him. "You have fallen out with the fair lady, it appears," Richard teased, casting a glance at Reynard. "You will not pursue her?"

"There is nothing between Lady Elysande and myself," Reynard grumbled. "I have more important matters to pay attention to than some female who flirts with anyone within her reach."

Richard frowned. "Funny… I do not see her in such a light. She is young, perhaps, but certainly not careless in her affections."

A grunt left Reynard. "What does it matter? She can do as she pleases. Let some other knight deal with her behavior. I could not care less where her affections might lie."

"'Tis good that you put your head back into your duties to our empress. For a few moments, I thought we lost you much as we lost your two brothers who now both enjoy marital bliss."

"Bah! I have no time to be saddled with a woman nor to take responsibility for her. Let Lady Elysande find herself a husband amongst these knights or with the lords at court. As long as I am not within her reach, I will feel lucky."

"Then mayhap you should not look so fierce whenever you decide to look upon the lovely lady, mon ami ," Richard declared with another laugh. "Your visage betrays your true feelings for the woman. You had best learn to hide them or all will know you care for her."

Richard gave Reynard no time to reply as he kicked his heel into his steed's side and trotted up ahead where King Stephen was under heavy guard. Reynard let Richard's words sink into his head. He had no idea that his face betrayed his true feelings for Elysande. He would admit, if only to himself, that he found her attractive but mayhap that was only due to the close resemblance to Johanna. In either case, he in truth did not have time to dally with a woman. That had not changed from the moment he first came upon her weeping in the graveyard.

As they reached what was left of the town of Winchester, Reynard's gaze traveled to the burned-out buildings, the walls in need of repair, and the downtrodden condition of the people they passed. With time all could be repaired, but at the moment, there wasn't much left of the city. It seemed like it was just yesterday that he had fled this place with his empress, and the difference in it from then to now was stark and unsettling. As he continued forward he could see for himself that the town had begun its repairs, but little had been accomplished thus far compared to the sheer scale of the destruction. It might take years before it was restored to its former condition.

"Ho! Reynard," a familiar voice called out.

Reynard searched the crowd of knights who began taking Stephen away until he smiled in recognition at seeing two faces he did not think would appear here. "Wymar! Theobald!" Reynard jumped from his horse and ran the distance to his brothers. He was taken by each man into a fierce embrace before the three men stood in a circle holding onto each other's forearms.

"He's grown another foot, I swear," Theobald teased before reaching out to rumple Reynard's hair as he had done since they were but children.

Wymar did the same. "Obviously all my worries that he was not getting enough to fill his belly was for naught."

Reynard grinned before he smoothed down his hair. "At least I will not grow fat whiling away my time in a castle with naught to do," he said laughing and then watched while his oldest brother scowled at him whilst patting his lean stomach.

Theobald gave his little brother a small shove. "Just as cheeky as ever. Have you been behaving yourself?"

Reynard stood firm upon his feet. "Of course. I am on business of much import for our empress."

Wymar had one brow rise, causing Reynard to inwardly prepare himself for whatever words would follow. "We had a brief conversation with Richard when he arrived just ahead of you. He tells us differently."

Reynard narrowed his eyes. "Mayhap Richard has told you a falsehood."

Wymar chuckled. "I highly doubt it, but we have plenty of time to catch up. See to your horse and meet us in the tavern for food and a drink."

"Which tavern?" Reynard asked looking around trying to find a building that still stood intact.

Theobald ran his hand through his hair. "The only one that is left. Not easy to miss. We shall see you shortly… that is if you can tear yourself away from a certain lady."

Reynard growled a curse causing both brothers to laugh at Reynard's expense. While it was certainly good to see his brothers, their arrival had been a complete surprise. He could only ponder what was in store for him during his brief stay in Winchester.