A Clash of Honor (10 page)

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Thor strolled with Gwen hand in hand through the meadows in the early morning light, Krohn by their side, on the way back from her mother’s castle. It had been a magical night, beyond his wildest dreams. He had never awakened before feeling so peaceful, so content, so at one with the world. He felt as if he had found his place in the world, beside Gwen, and he never wanted to be anywhere else. He didn’t care where she led him, where they might go, as long as they were together.

Thor also felt immensely relaxed after finally having had a good night sleep. It had been days on his feet, of battle, of riding, and he felt as if it were the first time he had slept in a month. He had strange dreams all night long, of battle, of soldiers, of swords and shields—and even of his having a child. If Krohn hadn’t awakened him, licking his face in the early morning, he felt as if he might have slept all day.

As they strolled, Thor wondered what the future might look like with Gwen. He had his duties to fulfill for the Legion, yet he also wanted to spend time with her. He wondered how they could build their life together. He knew he wanted to be here, in King’s Court, but in the back of his mind he knew that as long as Gareth was king, that was not possible. There was too much danger here for them both.

As they strolled hand in hand, a nice fall breeze picking up, the world alive with every shade of fall flower, Gwen smiling beside him and Krohn nipping at their heels, Thor wanted more than ever to ask Gwen the question. Would she would marry him? But once again, he hesitated. The time did not seem quite right. He was waiting for a magical, perfect moment, and for some reason, he just was not sure if this was it. He also became too nervous, his heart pounding and his throat going dry, every time he thought of asking her. He was too scared of being rejected, and a part of him didn’t know if he could summon the courage to do it. What if she said no? What if his asking her ruined their relationship forever? A part of him didn’t want to take that chance.

As they rounded the final hill, walking in silence, King’s Court came into view in the distance, and they both stopped in their tracks. Something was wrong. Thor could see from here that scores of The Silver, the Legion and the King’s army were pacing about in an agitated way. They were all milling outside the Hall of Arms, and Thor could feel something brewing. He could not understand what was happening: when he had left last night, they had been in the middle of the feast and had been jovial. He expected to return this morning to see them all still sleeping, recovering. But they were all awake, on their feet, alert, most of them armed and anxiously hurrying inside.

“Something’s wrong,” Thor observed.

“Yes, it is,” she said. “Let’s hurry.”

The two of them broke off at a trot, Krohn running beside them, across the plains, through the arched stone gate, and into King’s Court. They strutted across the dusty plaza and entered the crowd of men, merging with them as they poured into the Hall of Arms.

As they entered, Thor was surprised to find the hall packed with soldiers. He spotted all his friends in the Legion, and dozens of the Silver. He spotted Kendrick, Kolk, Brom, Atme, and dozens of famed warriors. The mood inside was agitated. Many warriors sat at the table, heads in their hands, as if nursing a hangover, while others paced the room, arguing with each other. There was a tense energy in the air, a murmur, as if they had all been in the midst of a heated debate.

“But it is not just!” yelled one soldier to the other. “Never in the history of the MacGils has there been anything like this!”

Thor walked with Gwen and cut a path through the center of the room to Reece and Godfrey and Kendrick, who sat huddled together, with several Silver members clustered around them. They turned and looked up at their sister, making room.

“What has happened here?” she asked Kendrick.

Thor had a sinking feeling that whatever it was, it was not good. He could not believe how the mood had changed since he had left this hall just hours ago.

“It is our dear brother, Gareth” Kendrick said, morose. “He has displaced the Silver from the Silver Hall.”

“What!” Thor yelled out, unbelieving.

“It’s true,” Kendrick said. “The Silver have lived in that hall for a thousand years, for every MacGil king. Now they are being relegated to the minor army barracks.”

“It is an insult that will not be tolerated!” a soldier added.

“But why?” Thor asked. “Why would Gareth do this? How could he get away with it?”

“He won’t get away with it,” Brom responded sternly, slamming a fist on the table.

“It seems he has brought in another band of warriors,” Kendrick said. “Lord Kultin, from the Essen province. He has hired them as a private king’s guard, his own personal fighting force. He is showering them with the best of everything, including the Silver’s Hall. It is a slap in the face. To all of us.”

“But can he do such a thing?” Thor asked.

“He is King,” Reece responded. “He can do whatever he wishes.”

Thor shook his head, shocked, as the others fell into a disturbed silence, muttering all around them. He could hardly believe that Gareth would have the audacity to do such a thing. He wondered what it meant for them all. Would there be a civil war? Clearly, a line had been crossed.

“Well, at least the Silver will finally see what we have known for a long time now,” Gwendolyn spoke up. “That our brother is not to be trusted. That he strives to cause division amongst our kingdom. That he caused Kendrick to be jailed unfairly. And that he was responsible for the death of our father.”

The hall grew quiet at Gwendolyn’s final words, as all the warriors turned and looked at her.

“The death of your father?” one of the soldiers asked.

“Those are serious charges, my lady,” Brom said. “Have you any proof?”

“We had proof, Godfrey and I,” she responded. “We had a witness to the crime. The man who wielded the blade, and Gareth’s advisor, Firth. But now he hangs from the gallows. Gareth made sure of that.”

“Then you have no proof,” Kolk said.

“Not anymore. Gareth has managed to do away with whatever proof we could find. But he would not have tried to poison Godfrey, and he would not have tried to kill me, if he didn’t know we were close to revealing him.”

“Still, it remains circumstantial,” Brom said. “The Council is very strict. We cannot oust a King without proof of wrongdoing—we would be considered traitors to the Ring. Unfortunately, our law leaves no room for compromise. Proof is required, however unjustly a King may act.”

“But there is more than the fact that he assassinated our father,” Kendrick chimed in. “He is also endangering us, our men, the Ring, leaving us open to attack. That is why the McClouds’ breached the Highlands: they sensed our vulnerability. One can argue that we have a right, a responsibility, to revolt, and to institute a new rulership, on behalf of the best interests of the Ring.”

“That may be true,” Kolk argued, “but still we cannot take any action while he is lawful King. We need proof of his assassination attempt. Then we can oust him.”

“I think I can find proof,” Godfrey said.

The room turned and looked at him.

“If I can prove who poisoned me, the other night in the tavern,” he continued, “then that may lead back to Gareth. Surely, an assassination attempt on his own brother, a member of the royal family, would be grounds to oust him as king.”

“Yes it is,” Brom replied. “But we would need proof. And a witness.”

“I can find it,” Godfrey said. “I’m sure I can.”

“Then find it, and be quick about it. And in the meantime, we will do what we can to help rebuild and refortify from our fragile state,” Kendrick added. “We are weakened since the McCloud attack. I will lead a group to our eastern defenses and help fortify them, in case of another attack. They have been badly damaged in the raid and we will need a contingent of men to fortify our cities and to prevent another McCloud raid.”

“I will help by dispatching the Legion,” Kolk chimed in. “They can help rebuild the other villages destroyed by the McClouds.”

“In the meantime, we will find proof, and find a legal way to oust Gareth,” Gwen said.

“You better be quick about it,” Brom said. “Because my men will not suffer Kultin and his savages in Silver Hall for long. I fear that if we don’t find a way to legally oust Gareth soon, then we will have a civil war on our hands.”

The room muttered in approval.

“Speaking of traitors,” Kendrick added, “we must first oust the traitors within our own ranks.”

Kendrick turned towards the door and nodded to Atme, who suddenly slammed closed the huge door of the Hall of Arms. It reverberated with a hollow thud and he barred it, not allowing any soldiers to leave. The room grew silent with a thick tension.

“Forg!” Kendrick called out. “Come forward! The time has come for you to account for your actions on the battlefield yesterday.”

A shout rose up, as several members of the Silver grabbed Forg and dragged him forward, cutting a path through the crowd, to the center. He was held in place by four knights, as he struggled to break free.

“What is the meaning of this?” Forg yelled, indignant. “I’m a loyal member of the King’s Army. I did nothing wrong!”

“Didn’t you?” Kendrick asked. “Thor and several of his Legion friends were led into an ambush by the McClouds. You set them up to be killed.”

Kendrick stepped forward, pulled a dagger from his belt and held it to Forg’s throat, as the room grew silent.

“I’m only going to ask you this once. Answer truthfully, and it might just save your life. Was it Gareth who commanded you to do so?”

A thick silence fell over the room, as Forg swallowed hard, sweating.

Finally, he nodded, and lowered his head.

“He did,” he admitted.

An outraged gasp erupted through the hall.

“He admits his treachery!” several knights called out.

“Forgive me my Lord,” Forg pleaded, desperation in his eyes. “It was a command from the King. And I was too weak not to heed it.”

“Yet it was a command to kill one of our own,” Kolk said, stepping forward. “To set up noble Legion members for death at the enemy’s hands. It was a command for treachery and betrayal. And you executed it. You know what the punishment is for betrayal of a Legion member.”

Forg swallowed hard.

“Please, my lords, have mercy!”

“Thor,” Kendrick said, turning to him. “It falls on you to pronounce a death sentence on Forg. It is you whom he betrayed.”

The entire hall grew silent, as everyone turned to Thor.

Thor’s heart pounded as he watched the man before him, waiting to be killed. A great fury washed over him, as he considered how this man had endangered his Legion brothers.

Yet at the same time, to Thor’s surprise, he felt compassion for him, too. After all, it seemed that Forg had once been a good knight; he had simply been unable to stand up to tyranny, to do the right thing when the time came, in the heat of the moment. Thor hated the idea of his being executed—and especially at his own expense.

Thor stepped forward and cleared his throat.

“It is true,” Thor called out, “Forg is deserving of death for what he did. But I would ask you all to have mercy on him.”

A surprised gasp spread through the room.

“Mercy?” Kolk asked. “Why?”

“He may be deserving of death,” Thor said. “But that does not mean we should give it to him. He made a mistake. Gareth is the evil one behind all of this. I would rather not have this knight’s blood shed on my behalf. He made a mistake. And we survived, after all. Most of us, anyway.”