Page 16 of Henry & the Dragon
Henry smiled. “He is. I do not know if I love him, but I do know that I am very fond of his face.”
“Henry, I—”
“Merry, you must take care of mother for me. Give me your oath.”
“I will always take care of her, but I would take care of you as well.”
He stroked a hand over her cheek, so different from when he was a young boy. There were now fine lines around her eyes, and a sadness there that made her look much older. Father’sdeath rattled her, because she’d always been his little one. She’d sat on his lap after they’d eaten the evening meal, and he would talk to her about the farm, telling her about the animals that inhabited it, the vegetables the family grew, and other bits and pieces of their lives.
Henry? He got taught by mother who imparted her knowledge. It was she who started him on the path to learning about medicinal uses for plants. By the time Henry was four, he could tell most of them by the shape of their leaves or the smell they gave off. He knew what they did, and how to mix them for even more potency.
Henry loved their father, but he understood they weren’t as close as he and his mother. Da always loved Merry, because she was stronger, faster, and more able than any boy in the area. They thought she was one with whom they could court, but she set them straight by telling them that in order for her to even consider them, they’d have to get father’s approval. And that never happened. Father would scowl, and that would send them running. She laughed, because all a boy would have had to do was show he had spine, and she would have wed him.
Then he went to war, and when he came back, broken beyond repair, he scarcely recognized his family. So haunted were his dreams, he thought the spirits of people he’d once known in war had returned to claim him, the one who’d survived. At times there would be brief instances of lucidity, but those never lasted long enough. The first time, Merry was so excited to have her father back, she wept. Then, when his mind went away again, she cried for a different reason.
Merry ought never cry.
“Speak to me of your husband,” Henry said.
“Euric is a fine father,” she informed Henry, her voice filled with obvious love. “He is also a wonderful husband. He and his family adores us all.”
Henry knew it was like father had adored Merry. She missed that look in his eye when he saw her, but now it was fully evident. Merry was truly in love.
“And your children?”
“Our twins, Walter and Henry, are four. If my child is a girl, she will be Agnes after our mother. If we were blessed to have another boy, he will be called William, which is Euric’s brother.”
Henry swallowed a lump in his throat. “You named them after Father and me?”
“Of course. When I told Euric I wanted to name them for my kin, he said he could not think of better names.” She reached for Henry’s hand. “I’ve missed you, Henry.”
“And I you,” Henry choked out. “How are you feeling?”
She frowned. “What? I’m well. Why do you ask?”
Henry frowned. “I am surprised you could bear the stress of having children. You were so sick, and—“
She cocked her head, giving him the strangest look. “I have not been ill for many winters and—Henry, I beg of you. Please tell me that Neron spoke with you. It has been so long since I’d needed medicine. He knew this. Every time we came to see you, he told us you were far too busy, and that you still grieved our father’s death.”
He had not. “No,” Henry choked out. “He told me he sent Mother the medicine on schedule, and—why would he do that?”
It wasn’t a question that Henry needed an answer to. He knew to his soul what the truth was. He’d said as much before. Neron didn’t want an assistant, he wanted a servant. It was why he’d not taught Henry anything, despite promises he would.
“I’ve been such a fool.”
“No!” Mother snapped. “You were a boy who loved his family so, he would have done anything for them. This is on Neron, not you.” She clutched his arm. “Would this Kai protect you?”
Henry sighed. “I am uncertain. I would like to think so.”
“Then you must go with him, far from Innernook. If Neron discovers you know the truth, he might do something far crueler to you.”
“But you and Merry!”
“Euric will protect us,” Merry insisted. “He would ensure your safety as well.”
Of this, Henry was certain, but one man could not stop the king’s guards.
“No, I must go. ’Tis not safe for you if I am here.”
