Chapter Four

E lysande held the platter of food as she made her way from the kitchen and then through the great hall. The knight who had found her grieving in Blackmore's cemetery came to a stand and waited for her approach. She took a quick glance at the meager offering on the tray she held. 'Twas not much in the way of a meal but 'twas all she could offer the empress's knight. The rabbit would not feed everyone who remained here anyway and they would be stuck consuming porridge again for their evening meal. Inwardly, she sighed. 'Twould not be the first night she went to bed famished.

"Sit, Sir Reynard. There is no reason to stand on ceremony here these days," she said, placing the platter before him. "I am sorry I cannot offer you more but at least you will not leave here hungry."

"You are too kind, my lady," Reynard replied as he waited for her to take her place at the table. She sat on the bench across from where he had been standing, keeping her distance since he was a stranger. Thus far he had behaved as politely as any who had come to her father's hall, but she did not know if this man could be trusted.

A couple of servants stood near the kitchen entrance, ready to be called if she needed aid, but she was unsure how much help they would be. If there was ever a time that she wished she still had even a handful of garrison knights, 'twas now. And where was her captain? The one man she could always depend upon was nowhere in sight. Elysande could only assume that some chore was keeping Hawke busy. 'Twas not like him to leave her unattended for long, and she would have thought he would have learned that a knight had arrived at Blackmore and come running to ensure her safety.

Sir Reynard finally took his seat and gazed upon the offering before him. "Will you not share this banquet with me?"

Banquet ? A rabbit and a few root vegetables were hardly a banquet. She closed her eyes as memories flooded her mind of better times when the tables were laden with food of every kind, the hall filled with knights and their ladies merrily laughing whilst beautiful music played in the room from her mistrals.

"I am not hungry," she replied softly even though the smell of the meat made her head swim. 'Twas at that moment that her stomach made the unladylike rumble of protest.

Reynard quickly hid the slight smirk that lifted the corners of his lips. "I think you, too, are ravenous, my lady. I cannot, in good faith, eat this entire meal myself whilst a lady goes hungry." He stood and made his way around the table and sat next to her pushing the trencher between them.

Her eyes widened. "What are you doing?"

He pointed to the food between them. "Eat. 'Twill do you no good to starve yourself."

"I am not starving myself," she huffed.

"Mayhap not intentionally but by the sound your stomach just made, you have not supped in some time," he argued. He waited for her to make her choice of the food before them. "I will not start without you and the food grows cold the longer you wait."

"You are being awful bossy to someone who is only trying to feed one of the empress's men," she muttered even as the food began to make her mouth water.

A chuckle left him. "I have been told as much by many of my acquaintance," he declared before pointing to the trencher. "You first, my lady…"

His voice trailed away whilst he continued to wait for her decision. She threw him a glare since he forced her hand. "Very well," she uttered and took a small sample of the meat and began to chew.

The man next to her seemed satisfied since he, too, began to pick at the food they were clearly meant to share. The silence stretched between them since eating was far more important than witty conversation. This gave Elysande time to study the man seated beside her. Dark brown hair that could almost be deemed as black as her own fell in waves down to his shoulders. A chiseled nose similar to a Roman statue she once saw along with a firm square jaw. His eyes were the color of a stormy grey sky and there could be no doubt this man was a warrior knight for his body fit the image she had of a man defending the injustices of the world.

Heat rushed to her face and she bent her head forward so her hair would hide her embarrassment that she was thinking of this stranger's body. Of course, he had the body of a warrior. What a silly goose she was! He was as any other knight of her acquaintance, including those who once stood guard over this very castle. Hawke was just as fit, but the two men were as different as night was to day. One light and known to her and the other dark and possibly gloomy, although she could not say for certain what was currently causing the man next to her to frown when she stole a glimpse at him.

"You watch me most intently, my lady. Why?" he asked not looking away from the food before him. He reached for the chalice of wine she had earlier poured for him and he took a sip before he placed the goblet in front of her so they might share.

Her eyes widened for a second time. Had he knowingly settled the cup in such a way that if she were to lift it thusly, her lips would be where he had just taken a sip? Surely, 'twas a mistake and not meant as a lover's gesture. She cringed inside… a lover… he was far from that!

She reached for the goblet, turning it slightly, and took a sip. If anything, it would wash down the food that seemed to stick in her throat. "You are displeased if the frown upon your brow says anything about you. Is the food not to your liking?" she finally asked. She tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear and turned on the bench to face him fully.

"The food is fine, although I feel as if I am taking this offering from those who need it more than I. Where are your attendants? Your guards?"

"Unfortunately, Stephen's army killed most of the men who used to guard Blackmore. Those who had still lived after the siege were taken as prisoners," she answered not revealing anything about Hawke.

"Surely your parents have not left you alone to your own devices now that your grandfather has passed on," he grumbled whilst those eyes the color of hard steel swept across her hall.

"Did I say I was alone?" she asked, worried now for her safety since she had not summoned Hawke or at least Olive to watch vigil over her and her guest. She'd had more than ample time whilst preparing his trencher to have one of the few remaining servants go and find her captain. Why had she not done so immediately? Her stupidity at such a move might be her downfall.

He reached over for the chalice, bringing him closer, and Elysande flinched, moving slightly away. She had been just short of being touched and for a moment their eyes met and held. She was not certain what she saw in those depths except perchance far too much concern as to her welfare and future. After he took a drink of his wine, his next words confirmed her worst fears.

"Nay. You did not say you were alone, but I fear you are more or less close to such an outcome. I do not see the normal number of servants rushing about a hall this size, no guards standing on what is left of your battlements as I approached. You, yourself, have said your parents are abroad which leaves me wondering what I am to do with you?" His gaze held hers and he tilted his head as if studying her further.

"Do with me?" she gasped. "There is nothing for you to do with or for me, sir. You shall finish your meal and be on your way."

"I can hardly leave a woman alone to fend for herself, my lady," he muttered whilst pushing the trencher in front of her.

She looked at the remainder of the food he had left her. She would not be able to get even a morsel past her lips in fear she might choke upon it. "There is no reason for you to be concerned for me. I assure you I am more than capable of seeing to my own needs."

He placed an elbow on the edge of the table. "And does that include what will happen to you the next time an army crosses your gates? Who will see to your safety then?"

"I do not need you or any other man to see to my safety. I can take care of myself!" she dared to repeat herself but clearly he was not impressed with her words.

His dark brow rose as if he was ready to challenge her words. "I admire your determination, my lady, honestly, I do. But as a knight of the empress, I am bound to offer my protection to any in need along my travels. Even now, those I travel with will arrive shortly since your castle is in the direct path on our way to Bristol."

"And should I fear those in her army as I did Stephen's?" she inquired tartly.

"I can vouch on the honor for several of the knights that are well known to me but who is to say some may not be as ethical," he declared frankly.

"Then if I have nothing to fear, there is no reason why I cannot stay here at my home," she murmured even as the dread of the unknown and how to survive the coming months consumed her.

"Let me be blunt, my lady, so you may come to the same conclusion as I have already done in the short time I have been here," he began before his hand ran over the back of his neck. "Your fields are gone, your outer walls destroyed. You are lucky the keep still stands but how will you feed yourself with the winter's approach? How many others are you responsible for? How will you feed any remaining servants if you stay here? Certainly, if they were not seeing to your welfare, they could return to the households of whatever family they might have close by. Or they could travel with us until we can find them a suitable place to live."

"I have been doing fine without you," she reiterated with a scowl.

"Starving yourself to feed others is to be commended but if you fall ill from fatigue, who, then, will take over their care?"

"Do you think I have not thought of this before? I assure you we were doing fine before your arrival. We shall be just as fine once you are gone." She stood as if this alone was a clue that he should take his leave of Blackmore. But his words did cause her to worry as to the welfare of her remaining people. She had no future plan that would keep them safe and fed. Sir Reynard was correct, as much as she hated to admit it, even to herself. She did not know how she would make it through the winter, but somehow she must try.

"You do not appear fine, Elysande," he said using her given name. "You should resign yourself to the fact you must leave here and ride with me and the empress's army. You will be safe in our company and she will find you a place in her court."

A distressed laugh escaped her. "Safe? You think I shall be safe with you? I do not even know you," she bellowed as the sound echoed in the empty hall.

"You do not have to know me, my lady, to know I shall keep my vow to see that you are well protected until you can one day return to your home." He stood. "I will give you time to think on the matter. In the meantime, I will see to my horse and sleep in the barn."

She stomped her foot. "You have eaten your fill. Now you can be on your way!"

He gave her a courtly bow that rivaled anything she had ever witnessed from those who tried to win her favor in her hall. "I shall leave as long as you plan to accompany me. I have given you a knight's vow that I will see you are protected. What kind of man would I be if I so readily dismissed it once given?"

He left her standing there with her mouth hanging open in surprise. She watched him depart even as Hawke rushed into the hall from the kitchen.

"I heard we had a visitor. Are you unharmed?" he asked seeing that she was alone.

"Aye… for now."

Her captain watched her closely. "Who is he?"

"Sir Reynard Norwood. He is on a mission for the empress and will sleep in the barn tonight."

"You did not offer him his own bedchamber?"

She turned to face her captain. "Nay but then again, he gave me little choice. He is expecting me to leave here with him."

A curse left Hawke. "That is bold of him."

"Aye. I have the feeling I will not be able to dispatch Sir Reynard so easily. He is… determined."

Hawke silently observed her before he apparently came to his own conclusion. "If we are to look at our situation objectively, now that your grandfather has passed on, the knight might have a point. If we were to travel with his company, you and the few who might agree to accompany us at least would be fed and protected."

Elysande raised her brow at his audacity. "You think it wise to leave Blackmore unattended?"

Hawke shrugged and folded his arms across his massive chest. "What more could anyone who came this way do to the place? There is little left of any value until the land heals. That will take a fair amount of time."

"But Blackmore is my home," she said as her voice hitched with the thought of leaving something she was responsible for and been trying so hard to save."

"Blackmore is just a place, Elysande. It does not define you. The keep at least still stands and will remain so until your return. I do not think your grandfather would like to watch you from heaven starving to death in your attempts to remain in a place that will not currently serve you, no matter how determined you might be."

A sob caught in her throat and as Hawke stepped forward to most likely offer her some form of comfort, she held up his hand to halt his progress. Before her captain could comment, she whispered she had chores to do and left him there alone. Instead of making her way outside, she instead went to her bedchamber. Her head was suddenly aching, and she could only wonder if Sir Reynard would continue to plague her every waking thought until she could convince him to leave without her.