Page 96 of Raven's Rise
“Alric said you hired men to go after me.”
“I did, but you’re a hard man to find. I think providence has led you back here, so I could share what I should have shared so long ago.”
“I don’t understand. What is so important? What do you know that you didn’t tell me?”
“Listen,” de Vere said. “I must tell you a story. It may seem overlong, but it is necessary.”
Rafe sat back, not at all sure what to expect.
“Once,” Rainald began, “during the reign of King Henry, a rebellion rose up, as happens to all kings in all times. This one took place among some of the Marcher lords and their dubious Welsh allies. Naturally the king could not allow the rebellion to grow, so he sent men to quell the uprising.
“One of those men was a knight by the name of Sir Michael, who commanded a company so loyal that they were once rumored to have all swam across an icy river at night at his order, just to be in place at the battlefield by dawn. Now, during this rebellion, his task was to besiege the castle of one of the rebel lords. Dhustune was a most formidable prize—built high upon a rocky cliff-face, with stout walls and a natural defense of boggy land at the base of the cliff to one side. A siege would be long and difficult, but Sir Michael was a patient soldier.
“He first worked to cut off supply lines and seal up the castle from any outside assistance. Everyone settled in for a long siege. However, the rebel lord was a subtle and tricky man. He took advantage of a dreadful rainy night, when even the most dedicated sentries were less willing and able to keep a sharp eye out. He took his immediate family and a few retainers, and snuck out of the castle in the black of night. They managed to reach the edge of the bog when a sentry finally sighted them. An alarm was sounded and Sir Michael’s men gave chase.
“The lord and nearly all of his people escaped into the woods—they knew the pathways better than the attackers. However, by chance, one person was captured. Lady Clare, the daughter of the lord, was brought to Sir Michael.
“Now this was like discovering a key to a lock. Sir Michael had a fine hostage in the lady Clare. He ordered the soldiers guarding Castle Dhustune to open the gates, lest Lady Clare be killed. What else could they do, given such a choice?
“They opened the gates and surrendered to spare their lady’s life. This shifted everything in Sir Michael’s favor. After only a few weeks of siege-work, the knight captured the castle with scarcely any losses, and now he had a noble hostage of the rebel side, rendering the rebel lord’s escape almost moot. He took over Castle Dhustune in the name of the king, and sent word that he had Lady Clare, to be ransomed once terms could be reached. The king and the rebel lords would negotiate for her worth, and in the meantime, it was Michael’s responsibility to keep the noble hostage safe.
“He took this responsibly very seriously, but Lady Clare was treated with all the courtesy due to her class and station. She was a sort of guest in her own home. Now, ransoms can take a long time to raise, and the negotiations would likely take months. This left plenty of time for Sir Michael and Lady Clare to get to know each other.
“This they did, for they were close in age and station. Over the weeks and months, their feelings grew from wariness to mutual regard to respect, and then of course to that most dangerous feeling…love. Sir Michael knew that Lady Clare was utterly unavailable to him, for so many reasons. Yet he had grown to love her most desperately. He might have been able to hide his feelings, but then Lady Clare herself forced his hand.
“She used a secret means to flee the castle one night. Sir Michael learned of her departure and gave chase. He found her quickly enough, in the woods past the castle. He asked her why she ran. Did she receive some secret signal from her father? Did she fear for her life? Had Michael harmed her or insulted her in any way? He’d done all he could to make her life comfortable and safe. As a hostage, she was in no physical danger.
“The lady confessed that she ran not because she feared Michael, but herself. For weeks, she fought her own heart, for she had grown to love Sir Michael for his strength and great kindness and courtly manners. She fled the castle, knowing that she could no longer hide her feelings and her own desperate desire for a man she was supposed to hate.
“Naturally, once they both understood each other’s hearts, the next step was inevitable. Michael took Clare back to Castle Dhustune, concealed her attempted escape, and promised to love her and serve her in any way he could without breaking his oath to the king. They began a secret affair, too much in love to wait any longer. A few months later, the lady Clare discovered she was with child.”
De Vere fell silent for a long moment, taking a drink after the long speech.
Having listened in perplexed silence so far, Rafe said, “So that’s my past? I’m that child. Bastard of a hostage and the soldier sent to watch her.”
“My boy, you must learn patience,” de Vere told him. “I’m not done with my story. Your parents’ love for each other was great, and so was their honor. Your father would never allow the woman he loved to be shamed, or for his child to be born as a bastard.”
“What are you saying?”
“Your parents married.”
“Married?” Rafe took a long breath.
“Yes. In secret, in the Castle Dhustune, by a priest they knew and trusted, for he’d been priest to Lady Clare for years. He married them, and swore to keep the ceremony secret until Sir Michael could properly explain what had occurred to his own family, and to Lady Clare’s, and to the king. It was a delicate balance, you see. Sir Michael did not want to give an enemy an advantage due to the unsanctioned marriage. Nor did he want to risk King Henry’s wrath with the news that he’d married the daughter of a rebel! He wanted to speak to the king directly first, hoping to soften the blow.”
“Obviously, something went wrong.”
“Yes. I’ll tell you how it happened, but first I must confess that I erred greatly. You see, I knew part of the story for a very long time. You came to Cleobury as a boy, and that was because your mother had long before asked me to watch over you.”
“You knew who my mother was from the first?” Rafe tried to keep his feelings in check, but it was hard. Even he never knew that! He’d been raised by a family of tenant farmers that treated him well enough, but admitted he wasn’t their son.
“I knew that you were Lady Clare’s child,” de Vere said. “Back then, I didn’t know the name of your father, or that you were born legitimate. A trusted servingwoman to Lady Clare brought you to Cleobury, and from her I was given the name of the priest and told to seek him out. But before I could contact him, my own life was upended.”
“I remember.” Rafe would never forget the night they all thought Rainald de Vere had died, though in reality he’d been forced to flee his home and family.
“As you can imagine,” Rainald said, “survival was my first goal in those years, and I had no means to pursue the matter of your birth. But I did not forget. When I was restored as the lord of Cleobury, I set about rectifying the many injustices brought about by my brother Theobald’s actions.
“Though you’d left soon after my restoration, I knew I still owed you the truth. I did find the priest, and heard his story. I had him dictate his testimony, which was witnessed and signed. There will be no dispute as to the legitimacy of the marriage or your birth. I wish that I could also tell you that you are due to inherit lands or some chattel, but alas, I have only your history to give you.”
