Little by little, the countryside all around us began to change.
Barbarians had set everything on fire, although clear signs of reconstructions were visible. As the sun rose and made its journey in the sky, I could see some partially cottages, freshly tended fields and above all this, nature was winning its battle against the man.
Green young plants were starting to cover the landscape again. My soul felt exactly the same. After all the losses I had to suffer, the scar inside me was beginning to slowly heal.
I was feeling excited, and curious. I wanted to know something more about the man who was travelling by my side on his black horse.
All that I knew was that he was the bastard son of the former King, who could not prevent his legitimate son to be cruel and immoral. That he began a hard battle against his half brother...that he was helping the poor, betrayed people. I also knew that his wife had been killed by his brother's allies, who where somehow responsible of the disappearance of her mother, charged for witchcraft. Needless to say, I also experienced what a passionate lover he was.
I was thinking about all this when he abruptly called my name.
"Caroline. Look." He gently made my horse stop. I looked in the distance and realized that we were no longer alone.
Many peasants were ploughing the fields; I could see some poor cottages and hear voices of children and women in the distance. An ordinary scene of life surrounded by the result of war. I raised my eyebrows, and turned my head toward Guillaume. "Who are they?" I asked him.
"These are the people I'm fighting for. Come, we will pass undisturbed. My castle is over this small town." He said, a joyful smile on his face.
We moved forward, but we didn't go fast. After some instants, Guillaume greeted one peasant after another. "Greetings, You Grace. We heard that you won the last battle. We believe in you and are here to help in any way we can." One peasant said, shaking Guillaume's hand.
"I know, you're all strong and faithful. I need you to be even stronger and prepared for the future, this battle won't be the last one. If you all need something, just ask for me." He answered, smiling back and looking at every single person who had gathered around in the meantime.
The peasants smiled at me, too, and they kept watching us even when we were far. I felt embarrassed, but didn't mind.
"They are nice and hard workers," he said. I could hear pride in his words.
"And really curious about me", I added. He smiled.
"Yes, they obviously are." He only answered.
We passed by a small stream, whose silvery waters were rippling and whispering, and then we crossed a small stretch of forest. I smelled the fresh scent of green leaves and moss and I enjoyed the shadow. The sun was still powerful, but evening was taking advantage of the hot day.
We eventually found ourselves in front of a big lake. The scenery was breathtaking: the sun was dipping into the violet water, the sky was almost red, as if on fire...I couldn't talk for a while, lost in this contemplation.
At our right hand side, there was a castle. It was a dark, elegant building. Two towers were built at both sides. Flags were placed on each tower: a star with a spark was Guillaume's symbol. I recalled his star shaped mole on his groin and smiled
I looked at the castle again. It was more like a fortress. Thick brick walls encircled the western part of the building. The other part was facing the high mountains.
"Welcome to my home, my lady," he ironically said. I turned to him.
"It's...very..." I began to speak, but I couldn't find the words. It was so different from my destroyed castle. A particular atmosphere surrounded the place, so strong and powerful.
"...Original, I know. My Father gave me the most secluded one. But I don't mind, I like living here and the mountains protect us from possible attacks." He told me. I nodded.
"We have to follow that path in order to reach the entrance to the main portal." He instructed me.
"What will your men ask about me?" I wondered. He softly giggled.
"They will just be astonished. I'll introduce them to you, don't worry." I nodded again, and I nervously grabbed the reins.
We trotted quickly and reached the castle when the sun was setting.
We crossed the bridge and two pairs of shocked guards stared at me, speechless. I smiled, nervous.
Guillaume maintained his cool expression. "This is Caroline of Peverell, a young noblewoman I helped when I was patrolling the Wild Woods. Thank God I found her alive. She is here to be prepared for her further journey in search of her family's allies."
"Perfect, Your Grace. We will open the gate in a moment. Good day, mylady." The First Guard said. I replied to his greeting as politely as I could.
They were all looking at me interested. I was quite irritated at this point.
"Have they ever seen a woman before?" I mumbled as we reached the yard.
"Not here with me. I bet you're nervous." He playfully said.
"I'm anything but nervous, Your Grace," I said, ironic.
We gave the horses to a servant and we entered the salon from an enormous, wooden door. Everything was neat; a warm atmosphere surrounded the place. I felt something more, as if even the objects in the castle were expecting someone, something. Freedom? Peace?
Stone walls were covered by rich tapestries. A big mahogany table with benches and chairs was positioned in the middle, and servants were already lighting torches all around the room. I stood there, taking my time to observe everything.
Guillaume was calm, controlled. It was clear that he had regained his territory and with it his power and his role. Yet, every time he looked me in the eye, I sensed he was somehow vulnerable. I understood that he was showing me something very intimate. I tried not to be too curious, but I wanted to know about his life in the castle, about his relationship with his allies and much more...
We climbed a large staircase that leaded to the first floor.
"You will meet my only female maid. She is here since I inherited the castle, I'm sure you'll like her." I smiled. Finally I could talk to another woman again.
"You must be tired. Myra will show you your room. We will meet for dinner. We will be alone tonight; my men are patrolling the countryside." He said, and then called the maid. A middle aged woman obviously astonished to see "His Grace" with a woman in the castle, opened a door and reached us in the corridor.
She bowed, I smiled at her. She was short, plump, with blue intelligent eyes and grey hair which was tightly tied. She comforted me with his smile only.
Guillaume briefly introduced me to her. "Lady Caroline fled from Peverell, her family had been killed by Barbarians and her castle destroyed. She is here to be trained and equipped for her journey. She has to find her father's former allies. I want you to stay by her side during her stay." He told her. The woman nodded.
"It will be done, Your Grace." She smiled; her blue eyes expressed loyalty as she turned to me and said:
"These are hard times, My Lady. Come with me, please."
Guillaume told me: "I have things to arrange. See you later." He said, then walked to the ground floor.
Myra noticed my confused look and sighed.
"Come with me, I will draw you a bath and give you new clothes." "Thank you, Myra." I smiled to her.
My new room was large and comfortable. A queen sized bed was in the middle, it was similar to the one in the cottage. I blushed...and I blamed myself for having done so. She immediately noticed, but didn't say anything. Then she began to speak.
"I know His Grace since he was 19. He is now 34 and I still cannot understand some of his decisions...but your coming here in the Castle is something that came totally unexpected. I'm glad you're here." She said, smiling warmly at me while helping me removing my dirty dress.
I blushed and shook my head. "It's not what you think. As soon as I am ready I will leave. He offered me his help and I gladly accepted. That's all." She looked at me, pouring warm water inside the tub.
"I don't dare judging you, mylady. I am but a poor servant, rescued by His Grace when I lost my husband in a terrible battle. After two years I became his wife's personal maid.
"He was a young man at that time, but already strong and determinate. And very, very sure of his choices. I don't know if he'll let you go so easily now that he found you. I noticed the way he looks at you." She was fixing the things for the bath a she spoke to me in a sweet voice. I sat in the warm water and sighed, helped by her. I blushed violently.
"Did he suffer a lot when his wife died?" I asked.
"You're the first woman I see after poor Lady Eylin's death. He surely did. Not to mention his mother's disappearance." She began scrubbing my back. I could feel that she was fighting her feelings, but she must have suffered, too.
"Tell me something about his wife." I couldn't help but ask. She sadly smiled.
"Lady Eylin was a fine, sweet, gentle and noble creature. She was all this man needed to find peace. But she was...somehow too fragile to face the tremendous fight and rivalry between the King and him. I was her personal maid and sometimes she was really overwhelmed by all this anger, all the cruelty the Prince kept inside his heart towards Guillaume. It has always been like this, the Queen wanted Clovis to be Guillaume's greatest danger. And so it is. She died, but she still lives in his son's twisted soul."
I nodded, even if I didn't completely understand her words. We became silent for a while, and she kept on scrubbing my tired back.
