"I do not remember much, for I was young at the time. I do know that the crown prince was killed. Hugh was devastated when he heard the news. He mourned for days in his rooms. He saw no one and neither slept nor ate. And then he appeared suddenly and ordered my father to ready the army. They left that day and were gone for a very long time."

"I remember." Drew added. "We were at the palace with Baron Brecken. He was called for King's Council and decided we needed more education and brought us along. He went off with the king and we were left at the palace with the royal children. Hugh II did not like you much, even then."

"And what became of the Bishop?" Gwyn asked.

"He left and I do not think he ever returned to the palace. As for whether I believe that he might be up to something, or that he dislikes the king, well...I cannot yet say for the first, but as to the latter, there are many who do not like our current king very much."

"What on earth was Robin doing spying on the Bishop in the first place?"

"He was hiding in the Baron's room from the tutor when the Baron came in with the Bishop. He did not pay much attention to them at first, since he was trying really hard not to be discovered. But then he heard the Baron ask the Bishop what his family had to do with anything. My guess is, that to a boy with no family, any family is interesting."

"And that is when he heard the Bishop tell the story of King Marek."

"I know that one. King Marek was an ancient King. He died without a son to take the crown so the crown passed to his cousin, King Xavier."

"King Xavier, he was what, four or five kings before Hugh the Great?"

"I confess, I paid very little attention to that part as it was a lecture given in Latin and I was never very good at Latin." Drew chuckled.

"It matters not." Erec said. "Except that King Xavier was the FIRST King in the current royal blood line. Before that it was part of another even more ancient line of kings going back for centuries."

"You do not think..."

"The rumors of the bastard son?" Gwyn asked then at their looks of surprise added. "My mother liked her history lessons. But the way she told the stories to me, I always thought they were fairy tales."

"Aye. I have heard such tales." Drew nodded. "Marek did not have any sons when he died, but some believe that his father had a secret mistress and that there was a child...a son by the name of Norek."

"Does not the fact that this Norek did not come forward upon his brother's death to claim the throne signify that this is just the mumblings of old men spinning tales?"

"It might, except that the rumor is that when Marek's father died, his mistress took Norek and fled the kingdom for fear that Marek's family might seek retribution." Drew answered.

"And...the stories say that by the time word reached Norek, he was living quite well in another kingdom. By most accounts, he was wealthy, prosperous, and happily married with a very large family. He had no desire to leave his home and family to seek out his brother's crown. Especially since it had already passed over to Xavier by that time."

"I see. So...What does this have to do with the Baron and the Bishop?" Gwyn puzzled.

"I think the Bishop was intimating that if a man could provide proof that he was descended from the original ancient royal bloodline, that such a man would have a legitimate claim to the crown."

"Surely you are not suggesting that the Bishop was...that is high treason!"

"Aye. And Brecken would rightly have been upset. But this scroll is an old one. It is a letter from a merchant to a man named Brecken, second son of Norek of Brindlehaven."

"Coincidence." Gwyn shook her head in disbelief.

"Maybe. But I remember Lord Brecken was always very proud of his name. He said it was a family name and that the man he was named after was a great merchant from a far-off kingdom."

"More coincidence?" Gwyn was less certain this time.

"Mayhap. If it came from a lesser man...but the Bishop is an old man. He is powerful in his own right, but his connections are older and very far reaching. He would have the resources to find evidence if such a connection to the ancient royal line were indeed possible."

"But why now? Why not years ago when the Bishop and the Baron were younger men?"

"Mayhap the Bishop did not know of the connection then? Mayhap the Bishop was keeping secrets in the way that men of the cloth do..." Drew's voice trailed off thoughtfully before he drew a slow deep breath and went on. "If I had to say anything at all, I would say that it might have something to do with his age."

"Very old age makes men think about committing treason against the crown?" Gwyn frowned.

"Aye." Erec nodded toward Drew. "Mayhap you are right. If I were the man responsible for putting Hugh II on the throne, and if I were as old as the Bishop, I might see a need to right the wrong before I died lest I end up in...erm..."

"In warmer climes." Drew chuckled.

"Exactly." Erec nodded.

"This is very...well, unbelievable is a word that comes to mind...among others." Gwyn shook her head.

If this were true, she would drop to her knees and thank God above that she was a woman because apparently men lost their minds completely when they became advanced in years.

Then again, she might anyway, if her brothers were an example of manhood. It seems that men might never be in full possession of their faculties. Boys and young men were utter fools. Then they married and their wife's wisdom seemed to rub off on them because by the time they were father's age they were wise...but it must wear off by the time they reach the Bishop's age...

"So, what do you think the Baron will do?" Drew asked.

"I know not." Erec frowned in thought. "The man that I know would never entertain such ideas. This is, as Gwyn pointed out, tantamount to treason. But..."

"Lady Alexandi was also worried about him. I asked her outright if she suspected him of anything untoward regarding the King and she answered that she could not be sure."

"That is a serious accusation to make against one's own husband. She must have grounds, for the Lady is not one given to flights of fancy." Erec's frown deepened.

"Nay. Nothing tangible. Only a feeling that something is not right with the Baron. He is secretive and there are many messengers coming and going. She told me that he does not sleep anymore, but for fitful few hours near dawn. And he has lost his appetite. I thought surely he must be plotting, but after hearing this..." her brow creased with concern.

"You suppose that he is a traitor to the crown?" Erec asked softly, an ache growing in his heart that had nothing to do with is recent injury.

"Nay. I suppose it may be that he wishes to keep his household out of harm's way. By having no knowledge of the plot..." Gwyn turned suddenly, eyes wide, "You do not think that he may be... that someone might be...persuading him? That this situation is not of his making at all and he is trying to find a way to put them off..."

"I hope that it is as you say. That his Lordship is innocent of any wrongdoing implied by this. But it all makes little sense to me." Drew shook his head. "Lord Brecken is loyal to the Crown. This sort of distant connection to an ancient bloodline would only appeal to a more ambitious man, one who was willing to risk his life to commit high treason."

"Lord Brecken holds the key to our northern border. The mountains create a natural barrier, but they have passes, and Brecken Moors Hall guards the central one with the shortest and most direct route to Far North Castle. If the king thought that his loyalty was in question..."

"He would be branded a traitor. He would be stripped of his title, his lands, everything...and his entire household would be put to the sword, save him. His death would be...more difficult."

"We cannot run the risk that this will fall into the wrong hands. We are hardly secure..." Drew waved his hand in an all-encompassing gesture indicating their underground abode.

"Aye." Erec agreed. "We should destroy it at once."

"Wait!" Gwyn turned on them, "You cannot!"

"We must."

"Nay. Think upon it. Do not the noble born knights present proof that their ancestral lines go back many generations? Why should Baron Brecken be any different? He is noble born and he was a knight in service to the crown for many years. If we put this scroll in with the other proofs he has of his ancestry, it shall be forgotten for many years."

"The Baron has no children, so there will be no one to see..." Drew began.

"Nay. She is right." Erec nodded. "He has no children, but his brother does."

"Aye. And his nephew is heir to Brecken Moors Hall upon his death, along with the title." Drew smiled. "Clever girl." Drew winked.

"Gil could leave it in the tree and tell Robin to give it to Lady Alexandi with instruction to put it with the other proof of lineage. It will...go away. Mayhap by the time that his Lordship's heirs find this new evidence, the situation with the Far North will be less vital..."

"Let it be so." Erec nodded.

---

Gwyn sighed as she stood in the arch of their backdoor, staring out at the rain that streamed between the boughs of their horse shelter. She had not felt this trapped since she was a small girl, and she attributed it to her preference to be walking about in the wood with Erec. He was growing his strength. They could not yet go far, but it was nice to be with him again...

But for the last three days it rained without stopping and Erec was wise enough not to argue with her about the need to stay inside of doors. He did not wish to risk a relapse either. In his anxiety to be moving, he paced about their humble dwelling like a caged..."

"What has you so thoughtful, milady?"

"You." She smiled, enjoying the feel of him at her back as his hand slid around her waist and his palm came to rest upon her stomach.

"Am I so much trouble then?"

"Why do you assume..."

"You frown."

"Sooth, I was feeling sorrow that we could not walk about in the wood. I rather enjoy the company and I do need to look for more willow bark and ..."

His kiss upon her neck stilled her tongue and she sighed back against him. They only had a few nights before he left Brecken and his health kept him from her for so long...

They both stood frozen as the sound of the horn broke the symphony of rain upon the forest.

Drew appeared at once charging through the door behind them and waking Thomas.

"It is John. Something is a miss at the hermit's cottage." He announced as Gil came running from his post at their front door.

"Gil, stay at your post. Erec commanded as he accepted his sword from Drew. Feeling Gwyn tense, he looked at her as he gave his next order. "I shall stay here and guard the back entrance. If the attack upon the hermit should be a ruse, I shall be here with Gil to keep Gwyn safe. Drew, take Thomas and hurry to John at once."

Gwyn should be relieved. Erec was staying hidden with her...but three of two of her brothers were heading into danger and she prayed that John was still alive when help arrived.

As if reading her thoughts, Erec slipped an arm around her waist and pulled her to his side. "John will be fine. It is my belief that he has subdued an enemy and cannot leave the cottage to bring them to us."

Gwyn crossed her arms over her stomach and patted the hand that rested on her hip.

"I pray it is so."

---

Gwyn sat on the sarcophagus in side the mausoleum. In a moment of desperation, she first visited the Lady after a sennight here. Erec passed many difficult hours and her worry over her children was so great she thought her heart might be crushed under the weight of it all.

Gil would not close the door behind her, insisting it be left open a crack to let the fresh air in, but he stepped far enough away to allow her privacy with her thoughts.

Drew, John, and Gil had taken it upon themselves to make certain that she did not sorely miss her brothers. After the second week, they had begun to include her in their antics and even pulled a prank or two upon her.

Gwyn smiled and swiped at her cheek as she recalled dropping to her cushion only to leap back up as Gil tossed a pinecone beneath her. She recalled the frog that was slipped in to her apron pocket and how surprised Drew was when, instead of shrieking in terror, she had smiled wickedly and slipped the frog down the back of his shirt.

John and Gil joined her in laughing until her sides ached as they watched Drew wiggling around and fumbling with his buckles to release the frog without dropping his stockings, or worse, having the frog fall from his shirt into the top of his stockings.

"Thank you, milady." Gwyn spoke softly out of respect for the dead, but she spoke as if to a friend. "I did need to smile and stop being so melancholy. I know that what they do is necessary, but it does not make my mind easy. One man had died and the other is very weak."

"I know." Gwyn sighed as if she heard a rebuke. "Twas not my fault that he died. Sooth, he was dead before he came to me. He died of his wounds whilst attacking John. And since John was but a humble hermit at the time, I should hardly feel sorry for the dead man...but as a healer, it is difficult for me to remember that at times. Friend or Foe, I see only the need and ..."