Spectre of the Sword (46 page)

Rod waved him off. “It’s
not like that, I assure you. I had David’s permission to tell Rhett. And
someone else.”

Rhys cocked an eyebrow.
“Someone else? Who else?”

“Me.”

The third member of the
party made himself known.  Rhys turned to see the man remove his helm and he
was struck by the dark hair and brilliant blue eyes facing him. It was a young
man, no more than seventeen, very handsome, and Rhys suddenly felt his knees go
weak.  The lump in his throat returned full force.  He stared at the young man,
knowing him on sight. Twelve years could not erase the memory of that little
face he had left behind, now grown and strong before him.

“Greetings, Father,” the
young man said quietly. “Do you remember me?”

Rhys couldn’t help it;
he put his hand over his heart, hearing his son’s voice for the first time in
twelve years. Tears sprang to his eyes as he moved to the young man, gazing up
into his handsome face.

“Of course I remember
you,” he said hoarsely. “I have seen you every night in my dreams for twelve
years.”

Maddoc du Bois smiled
timidly at the man he barely remembered, but there was no mistaking the emotion
that flowed between them. His father had been something of an icon to him his
entire life. Setting his helm on the pommel of the saddle, he dismounted the
horse and realized, when he came to stand, that he was slightly taller than his
father.  His smile grew; so did Rhys’. After a few moments’ hesitation, they
threw their arms around each other.

Rhys had tears streaming
down his face as he held his
son. He never wanted to let him go. But he released him after
several long moments, stepping back and holding the young man’s face between
his hands, inspecting him closely.He had grown to look a good deal like him and
Rhys smiled as the tears continued to fall.

“I have dreamt of this
moment more than you can know,” he murmured. “I am sorry, Maddoc. Sorry that I
had to leave you. But given the circumstances, it was better that you stayed
with your grandmother. I could not take the chance that you would come into
danger, too.”

Maddoc nodded his head,
tears of his own muddying his vision. “I know,” he tried to sound braver than he
felt. “Uncle Rod told me everything. I must admit, I was shocked. I had grown
up thinking you were dead. I feel… I feel like I have been reborn somehow and
given a second chance to know you. How many sons can say that?”

He was so well spoken;
Rhys felt his heart swell with pride. He couldn’t help himself; he kissed the
boy on both cheeks as he released him.

“Not many,” he wiped at
the tears on his face, still staring at him, unable to take his eyes from him.
But his gaze eventually moved to the armor the young man wore and it looked
vaguely familiar. He touched it. “This armor… I believe I know it.”

“You do,” Rod stepped
forward and clapped Maddoc on the shoulder. “This is the armor you left behind when
you fled with Elizabeau those years ago. We gave it to Maddoc. We did not think
you would mind.”

Rhys shook his head,
sniffling away the last of his tears. “I do not, of course,” he said. “Are you
a knight, then?”

Maddoc nodded proudly. “I
was sworn in after the new year. I serve Christopher de Lohr.”

Rhys stared at him. “De
Lohr?”

“Because of you, he
accepted my fealty as a legacy.”

Rod stuck his nose into
the conversation again. “Do not let him fool you,” he said. “The lad is a
marvelous knight, just as his father was. Just look at him; he’s big and
strong, and he has your quiet wisdom. He’s quite remarkable; de Lohr couldn’t
wait to get his hands on him.”

Rhys’ smile was back,
proudly gazing upon his son. He swore that if he felt any more happiness, he
would burst. “I cannot tell you how much it pleases me to know this,” he
touched the young man on the face, hardly able to find the words to describe what
he was feeling. “But there is so much more to speak of. Please come inside and
let us become better acquainted. You can meet your brothers and sisters.”

Maddoc nodded, taking
his horse by the reins and standing by his father in preparation for the trek
to the castle. They just stared at each other for a moment, still in disbelief.
Rod took his own animal and they began to walk back towards Bellay.

“What has happened to
you in all this time?” Rod asked, his gaze falling on the enormously tall bastion
in the distance. “We find you a garrison commander for your father?”

Rhys lifted an eyebrow. “The
past twelve years have seen many adventures and many changes. For one, myfather
died years ago and my eldest brother shortly thereafter. My second oldest
brother now assumes the title of Duke and has given me this appointment.
Moreover, I do not use the name du Bois. I use my rightful birth name of de
Foix.”

Rod nodded. “David told
me. Armand de Foix, is it?”

Rhys nodded. “Both
Elizabeau and I have been living under assumed names. My children are de Foix
as well.”

Rod nodded in
understanding, his gaze repeated moving to his brother as if he still could not
believe he found the man.  He finally put a hand on his shoulder, touching him,
so very glad to be with him again. There was so much to say, so much to ask,
but at the moment he could only think of one thing.

“Tell me something,
brother,” he said softly. “Was it worth it?”

Rhys’ lips twitched with
a smile.  As he opened his mouth to reply, he suddenly heard distant cries and
he looked up to see Elizabeau walking underneath the raised portcullis with
several children in tow.  His heart swelled at the sight of her and he could
feel tears in his eyes once more.  Without a word, he walked over to Maddoc,
took the reins of his horse, and handed them to Rod.  Then he took Maddoc by
the elbow, eyeing his brother as he did so.

“Every tear, every fear,
every joy and every heartache has been well worth the price,” he said quietly,
waving at his wife when she lifted her hand in greeting. “I would do it again a
thousand times over for that woman, make no mistake.  She is my dream come
true.”

Rod smiled as he watched
his brother lead Maddoc down the road to introduce him to the rest of the
family.  Rod started to follow, but a word from Rhett stopped him.

“Wait, boy,” he said
softly. “Let Maddoc meet his family before we intrude.  Let the lad live his
dream.”

Rod almost asked him who
he meant; Rhys or Maddoc.  But the more he thought on it, the statement applied
to either man.  But mostly, Rod thought it applied to Rhys.  As Rod and Rhett
watched, Elizabeau suddenly threw her arms around Maddoc and hugged him
tightly. Rhys, not to be left out, put his arms around them both and was joined
by a host of du Bois children hugging and laughing. They could see the little
ones dancing around.

Together, the family
swarmed Maddoc.  Life, for them, had come full circle. 

‘He hath awakened from
the dream of life—''

~ Percy Bysshe Shelley