Unending Love (35 page)

The afternoon continued on and, at some point,
she fell asleep with her knees drawn up and her head covered.  She was weary,
and hungry, and dozed periodically, waking herself up in a panic when thoughts
of Brighton would come about.   Then she would pray for that guardian angel
again, pleading with God to send someone to protect her.  As the afternoon
began to wane, she dared to lift her head to look around and see what was going
on around her.

 For the most part, people seemed to be sitting
on the ground, or praying, or milling in small groups.   Adalind could see that
everything was still and relatively quiet, and she began to feel somewhat
brave.  Cautiously, she moved, very slowly, to peer around the pillar into the
main body of the church.

Several seconds of frantic searching did not
reveal Brighton.  In fact, there were hardly any people in the chapel at all,
as if everyone had finally meandered home to hearth and a good meal.  A few
people continued to mill around by the entry, coming in and out, but the crowds
seemed to have vanished. Fortified with confidence, Adalind moved out of her
hiding place and began to move back across the sanctuary in her hunt for the
priest.

All the while, however, her gaze moved over the
cavernous hall, making sure Brighton was nowhere to be found. Making sure he
was gone.  Maybe she wouldn’t need that guardian angel, after all. As she made
the turn into the alcove where she had seen Brighton and the priest speaking,
she ran headlong into an armored body.

It was an unexpected and terrifying encounter,
one that sent Adalind from calm to hysterical in split second. Brighton grasped
Adalind as a reflex to steady her when she bumped into him, realizing before it
was almost too late whom he held in his grasp.  The moment they laid eyes on
each other, Adalind let out a horrific scream and yanked her arm from his
grasp.  The battle was on.

Brighton didn’t even say a word; he didn’t have
to.  He had his hands full trying to grab Adalind as she screamed and fought
and kicked.  The entire sanctuary was in an uproar as the lady did battle
against the big knight, throwing her fists, and everything else, at him in an
attempt to get away.  A bank of candles ended up on the ground as the lady
tried to pick it up and hit him with it, but it was too heavy.   It rolled to
the ground as he managed to get a hold of her wrist.  Adalind grabbed a candle
and smashed it, flame-side, into Brighton’s face.  Hot wax burned his skin.

But Brighton was tough.  He didn’t utter a sound
as the wax burned him.  He had Adalind by one wrist and was going for the
other, but Adalind wasn’t going to go down without a fight. He was going to
have to kill her first.   She twisted and screamed, and ended up throwing
herself down on the ground in an attempt to break his hold.  Then she put her
feet up and tried to kick him in the groin.  Brighton had to move quickly or
risk serious injury.

“Adalind,” he said firmly. “Stop fighting me…
you are going to injure yourself.”

Adalind was incoherent with fright. “Let me go!”
she hollered. “Let me
go
!”

“I am not,” he said, his voice low with
resignation and hazard. “Please stop fighting before we both get hurt.”

That only seemed to feed Adalind’s frenzy.  She
yanked and pulled, swung fists and feet.   Even though Brighton was armored, he
was still on the receiving end of some seriously strong blows.  Panic fed
Adalind’s strength and she recklessly battled.  She was attempting to kick him
in the groin again when Brighton suddenly let go of her.  Adalind tumbled to
the ground, clawing at the dirt in an effort to crawl away, when a shadow
suddenly passed over her and she heard the distinct sounds of broadsword
against broadsword.

It took Adalind little time to figure out there
was a fight going on over her head. Startled and frightened, she scrambled to
get out of the way, trying to cover her head with her arms, as she was accidently
kicked by a massive boot.  It smacked her in the hip as she crawled on all
fours nearly half –way across the sanctuary before she allowed herself to turn
around and see what was going on. 

Someone had intervened on her behalf. She could
hardly believe it but was thankful with all of her heart.  
Perhaps the guardian
angel I prayed for
? Perhaps God had listened to her, after all.

She could see a very big knight going up against
Brighton as the man fought for his life.  The knight was fully and heavily
armored so she couldn’t see his face, but he was a man with power and skill. 
Brighton had been caught off guard and was struggling to defend himself, as
he’d barely had time to unsheathe his broadsword and had an awkward grip on
it. 

In fact, as Adalind watched, the unknown knight
managed to knock Brighton’s sword from his grasp and send it sailing off into
the shadows.  At the same time, he kicked Brighton in the side of his left knee
and caused the man to collapse onto his knees.  As the thunder rolled and the
rain pounded, the unknown knight pointed the tip of his broadsword at
Brighton’s eye.

Brighton knew he was defeated but he would not
give up.  He took a swipe at the broadsword and tried to roll onto the ground
in an attempt to take out the legs of the unknown knight, but he was rewarded
when the knight kicked him in the neck.  It was a hard kick, right in the
throat, and as Brighton lay there and gasped for air, the unknown knight
flipped up his visor.

It was Daniel.

“Uncle Daniel!” Adalind screamed.

Daniel glanced up at his niece, holding out a
hand to her to prevent her from coming closer because she was struggling to her
feet, trying to run to him.  When he held out his hand, she stopped.  His focus
returned to Brighton, laboring to breathe.  All he could feel at the moment was
pure, unadulterated anger and hatred as he gazed down at the man.  Infuriated,
he kicked him again in the neck, and then in the head.  Half-conscious,
Brighton struggled to stay alert.

“Before I kill you, I want you to know who I am
and why I am going to end your miserable life,” Daniel rumbled. “My name is
Daniel de Lohr.  Lady Adalind is my niece and Maddoc du Bois, the man you stole
her from, is my closest friend. You are wholly unworthy to have faced Maddoc in
a challenge and wholly unworthy to have made an attempt on his life, so listen
to me now; your death is in vengeance for Maddoc’s death.  It is a small price
to pay and will not nearly settle the debt, so know this – I will ride to your
family and slay every one of them. I will burn your home, steal your
possessions, and slay everyone who ever knew you.  I will wipe your name from
this earth and take pleasure in it. Perhaps then will I consider justice served
for Maddoc and Adalind.  Perhaps then will your debt be settled with me.  Look
at me now.”

Brighton could barely open his eyes but he
tried.  His hands were around his neck, trying to protect himself should Daniel
try to kick him again.  Daniel bent over, looking Brighton in the eye.

“Do you understand me?” Daniel hissed. “You
worthless son of a whore, do you understand why you are seconds from death?”

Brighton tried to inhale deeply but it was
difficult.  He eventually closed his eyes because it was just too difficult to
keep them open.

“Maddoc… was a good knight,” he whispered. “I
regret his death but as knights, death is our shadow. It is always there. I
fought Maddoc for Adalind because I wanted her.  There is no dishonor in a
challenge.”

Daniel could see that the man was calmly
accepting his fate.  It both infuriated him and inspired some measure of
respect. He couldn’t really decide which reaction was stronger.  With a heavy
sigh, he stood up and dared to glance over his shoulder at Adalind.  She was
standing up, looking disheveled, and watching him with enormous eyes. 

“Are you well, Addie?” he asked softly.

Adalind nodded vigorously. But as she did,
Brighton kicked out his legs and caught Daniel around the ankles, toppling the
man over.  His broadsword went flying as he landed in a heap of mail and armor.
Adalind shrieked and jumped back as Brighton rolled onto his knees and went
after Daniel with a vengeance.  Brighton had his hands wrapped around Daniel’s
neck, choking the life from him, and Adalind’s panicked gaze found Daniel’s
broadsword a few feet from the tussling knights.  

She rushed over and picked up the weapon,
quickly realizing it was very heavy.   Struggling to hold it aloft, she could
see that Brighton was focused on killing Daniel.  He wasn’t looking at her. 
Getting a good grip on the sword, she did what she had to do in order to save
her uncle’s life. Perhaps there was more to it; weeks of horror, of fear, and
of grief over Maddoc’s fate.  The man had caused her so much pain she would
never be rid of it all.  All of that anger and grief built up to the point
where she ran at Brighton and rammed the broadsword squarely into his back.

Brighton groaned and fell forward onto Daniel.  
Shrieking at what she had done, Adalind took hold of Daniel’s arm and yanked,
trying to move him out from underneath Brighton, but Daniel’s substantial
weight prevented her from rendering much aid.  Daniel managed to remove himself
from Brighton under his own power, shoving the man off of him and struggling to
his feet.  He eyed the knight, now collapsed on the dirt floor of the sanctuary
with a broadsword in his back, as he rubbed his neck.  Then, he turned to
Adalind.

She was sobbing with fear, with relief.  Daniel
could see the emotions rippling across her features. He staggered over to her,
wrapping his arms around her and hugging her tightly.

“All is well, Addie,” he assured her hoarsely.
“All is well, I promise.  Let us go home now. I will take you home.”

Adalind forgot all about joining the convent at
that very moment, never to consider
it
[J67]
 
again.  To be back in the arms of her family was
of more comfort to her than God ever could be.  She needed and wanted to go
home, to face whatever she had to face within the bosom of her loving family. She
had been foolish to think she could ever leave them.

“Thank you, Uncle Daniel,” she sobbed. “I… I
prayed to God to send me a guardian angel and then you appeared. “

He gave her a final squeeze before letting her
go. “That is because God told me to come and find you,” he said, half-teasing
her as he wiped tears from her face. “He told me to come right to this place,
at this very minute, and I did.”

Uncle Daniel liked to jest; Adalind knew that.
She smiled weakly. “I never considered you an angel.  Papa always said you had
the devil in you.”

Daniel laughed softly, displaying big white
teeth. “Perhaps you will tell Papa otherwise now. Perhaps he will think better
of his wayward son.”

“Perhaps,” she murmured, looking up at him with
her watery green eyes. “Have you been to Canterbury? Did they tell you of
Maddoc’s death?”

Daniel sobered. “He was not dead when I saw
him,” he said, watching the surprise and astonishment register on her face. “He
was very ill with fever, however. His wound was great. He asked me to come and
find you and tell you that he would come for you when he was feeling better.”

Adalind’s mouth popped open. “He is
alive
?”

Daniel nodded, forcing a smile to be encouraging
to her but he did not feel such things in his heart.  He felt sorrow and grief.
“He was when I saw him,” he said quietly. “That was only a few days ago.  We
should hurry back to Canterbury right away so that he will not worry any
longer.”

Adalind was beyond tears.  She was so astonished
that Maddoc was alive that she could think of nothing else.  It filled her
mind, consumed her body, leaving an imprint of hope and joy like she had never
before experienced.  She ran to collect the stolen satchel she had dropped in
her fight with Brighton and began heading for the entry door.  She had to get
home.

“Uncle Daniel, come
now
,” she commanded.
“I must return to Maddoc.”

Daniel could see how eager she was and he could
only pray that Maddoc had not passed away in the few days he had been gone from
Canterbury.   He didn’t want to kill her joy but he didn’t want to promise her
all would be well, either.

“I know,” he said, taking a few steps in her
direction. “Addie, he told me to tell you something.”

She paused by
the
[J68]
 
entry, the great Norman arch that allowed God’s
faithful to enter his holy domain.  “What did he tell you?” she cocked her
head.

“That he loves you and he is sorry he has not
told you before.”

He saw the pallor of Adalind’s face change; it
went from rather pale to something that could only be described as glowing.  A
smile spread over her lips, one of joy and peace and comfort.  It was an
expression Daniel had never seen before, from anyone, and knew he never would
again. It was an expression of abundant and true love.

“I know he does,” she said after a moment. “He
did not have to tell me. I already know he does.”

Daniel was, in truth, rather surprised to see
how much his niece had changed since the last time he had seen her.  She had
always been beautiful, that is true, but there was something different about
her now, something mature and settled.  Perhaps Maddoc had done this for her;
perhaps not. Perhaps it was something she did on her own.  All he knew was that
he felt an overwhelming desire to return her to Canterbury.  She had such love
for Maddoc and always had.  Now that he returned that love, it was unnatural
for them to be separated.