Yesterday's Son: Part Two

Toland came to with the warmth of blood upon his lips; he licked his lips greedily, and then began to drink from the cup held for him, a hand supported his head as he swallowed down the gamey tasting blood that had a hint of wine behind it.

"Not so fast Toland," Chadwick ordered, tipping the cup up a bit to slow him down, "My apologies, it's only the blood of some hares I snared mixed with a little elderberry wine to keep it from congealing. It was the best I could do for you."

After taking a few more sips of the concoction, Toland gently pushed the cup away, "It is all right, Chadwick. It will serve to help me regain strength and to heal better."

Taking one of the blankets off Toland, the older man folded it and used it to prop the younger man up. When Toland was comfortable, Chadwick sat on the edge of the bed, facing him. His face still had a pale quality to it, much as he had before Toland passed out, but his eyes were stern, a face set with purpose.

"Toland, I have a story I must share with you. I only ask that you listen and not interrupt until it is finished. Can you agree to that?"

Toland nodded silently, conserving all his strength. Clearing his throat, Chadwick began.

"When I was a young lad, I was in the service of a Master Knight as his squire. Now the Lord of the land that this Master Knight supported was a tyrant. He was quite elderly, but had managed to have a beautiful young wife. She presented him with a male child, an heir to his lands. We were all surprised that he could sire a child, thinking him beyond his fruitful time."

"One afternoon, after I had done all my assignments, I had just had a bout of slap and tickle with one of the scullery maids in the loft of the stables," he stopped at the amused look on Toland's face. "Well, being a Master Knight's squire does have its share of prestige and benefits," he explained, his face reddening slightly, making him look a bit boyish. He pushed on, avoiding eye contact with the kindred.

"The maid had left me and I was basking in the after-glow, when the Master Knight, followed by a beautiful lady, came into the stable. The woman was very upset about something, her eyes was red from crying. It broke my poor young heart to see her in such distress. I kept quiet, not wanting to have to explain my business in the loft and continued to eavesdrop. The woman was begging my master to leave the lands. Saying that when her husband learned of her infidelity and that the child was not his, he would put them both to death, as was the penalty for adultery then. She kept at him, telling him how much she loved him and that if he loved her as much as he professed, he would do as she asked. My master asked her of what would become of their child. She assured him that the child would be safe. She had taken him to a church, putting his welfare in the hands of the monks there and that she would tell her husband that the child had died shortly after he had been christened to consumption," Chadwick again stopped briefly to see if Toland was getting all this before going on.

"My master finally agreed. She threw herself into his arms, new tears pouring down her lovely face with relief. He left within the hour without a word to anyone, not wanting to jeopardize the safety of any who might know his whereabouts. To this day, I never spoke of that moment in the stable. You are the first to hear it, Toland," he held up a hand to keep Toland from speaking, "Yes, I know, what has this got to do with you? Well, let us start with names, the Lord of the land was Reginald Parkehurst, the Lady was Rowena, and the Master Knight is Edmund, the latter two being your parents."

Toland sat bolt up right. "What? You knew my parents? Where are they? Tell me!” he demanded, grabbing Chadwick's arms painfully, unaware of the amount of strength he was exerting.

Chadwick placed a firm hand on Toland's chest, pushing him back onto the bed, "Take it easy, Toland! I will tell you what I can, but you must calm down!"

Reluctantly, he lies back, slapping his hands down at his side with frustration. He trembled with the mixture of emotions bubbling inside him, like a kettle of stew boiling unchecked.

"Toland, it pains me to tell you, your mother is dead. Lord Parkehurst had her put to death a fortnight after she told him of her infidelity and deception," he watched Toland's anguished face, placing a reassuring hand on the kindred before continuing, "We were forced to watch her beheading; Reginald wanted to make an example of her to us. She cursed him up until the executioner removed her lovely head. I was the closest to her when she utters her curse. She had screamed out in a hoarse voice that he would die an heirless tyrant, five months later, it happened. Reginald passed away.”

“The king had all of Reginald's estate confiscated for himself, although any residing on it was given the opportunity to either stay on under the king's command or go elsewhere. I chose elsewhere, much to the regrets of my parents. I took myself to Canterbury. I asked around the city if anyone knew of Edmund's where whereabouts. No one knew anything about him. I stayed on in the city, continuously asking travelers coming in if they had heard of him. In the mean time, I took the odd jobs that I could get, mostly working in the hostelries, eateries and stables. Any place that had travelers coming in with news of the going ons in other places. A Spaniard came in during the Summer Solstice Faire to sell a string of ponies. He had a free flowing tongue and spoke of an English man whom had won the heart of a daughter of a Don in a city called Bilboa. He said the man had the heart of a lion and the fierceness of a badger when he had been challenged for the hand of Rosita. When I coaxed him to describe this man to me, he described your father."

Toland turned to face Chadwick, hope stirring in his deep brown eyes, "Do you think Edmund might still be there?"

Chadwick looked down at his hands settled in his lap. He nodded, raised his head back up, "It is possible. Apparently, Edmund married the woman and sired a boy with her. They had a great feast given by the Don in honor of his grandson's birth. Just remember though, this was about thirty years ago." he looked at Toland hard and spoke the question he knew was expected to be asked. "You plan on seeking him out, do you not?"

"Yes, Chadwick, You know I must. I have to know more of my father. My real father, even though I am only his bastard child. The monks had always led me to believe that I was an orphan. I don't know if they did that to protect me from Reginald or what their reasoning was." Toland's voice went somber. "I will regain my strength, return to Eternal Rose and Renee. It will not be easy to leave her, but I am sure she will allow me to leave. She is a very understanding woman."

For two more nights, Toland stayed with Chadwick, drinking more of the concoction made for him, getting stronger. The two men spoke of what had happened to each of them over the years, filling the hours that Toland was awake. On the evening of the third night, Toland saddled Tatiana up. Chadwick had taken good care of her, cared for her small injuries, fed and brushed her out to a high gloss. Pulling himself into the saddle with renewed agility, Toland said farewell with the promise of returning to let Chadwick know the results of his search for his father.

Within three hours, Toland rode into Eternal Rose's courtyard. The place was silent, no one seemed about. He took his mare into the stable, unsaddled her, gave her some of the good mash and fresh waters she so rightfully deserved, and forked fresh hay into her stall.

With his horse taken care of, he headed into the manor, brushing hay dust off his hands and clothing as he went. He climbed the stairs making his way to the room he and Renee shared, knowing that there would be a letter there for him. And, indeed, there was. It rested on his pillow, sealed with red wax and Renee's insignia, a freshly cut red rose next to it.

He lit candles about the room, using a wisp of straw the he had lit from the low burning fire in the fireplace. That, in it self, let him know that Clarissa had been doing her job before leaving with her mistress for whatever task they were performing that night.

Lying down on the bed, he carefully broke the waxen seal and began to read the letter from his beloved mate. His lips stretched into a smile as he read that she was now the Prince of Venice. He was proud of her. He knew that she would do well as their new leader, fair and just.

When he finished reading the letter that ended with Renee's professing her deep love for him, he placed it on the bed stand, turned on his side to where she would have lain. He ran his hand over her pillow, hoping that it would not be soiled by her tears when he left for Caine knows how long. He would leave a letter for her on her pillow the next evening, along with a white rose from her garden.

Toland rose and stripped, turned down the blankets, crawled under them and slept. His dreams of being reunited with his father and his unrequited love for Renee.