Chapter 13

Maddoc walked into the palace much later than he had planned. He hoped to make it by supper, but the snow became very thick as they rode north. Now as he entered his home, he was sure most had gone to bed. He wondered if Anwen was one of them. He was desperate to see her after being apart the past four nights and days.

“My king, you have returned,” said Evan as he met Maddoc by the stairs.

“I have, though later than I would have liked. Do you know if all have gone to bed?”

“I believe most if not all. Everyone had to stay inside today, so I think most were ready to retire early due to boredom,” replied Evan. “I have some warm water coming up now so you can clean a little. I will have more prepared for a bath tonight if you wish it.”

“Just the water coming up now is enough. I do not wish to bother the servants so late. I will wash in the morning.” He hoped he didn’t smell too bad. He would wash up as well as he could before he went to Anwen.

Maddoc walked up to his room with Evan. When they got to the door, a servant with a large bowl and pitcher of water walked up to them. Maddoc went into his room as Evan accepted the water. A young boy was making a fire in the front room as Maddoc moved through to his bedroom. He was looking down, preparing to take off his shirt, when something on his bed caught his eye.

He looked up, and it felt as if his heart fell into his stomach. There curled up into almost a ball in the middle of his bed was a fully dressed Anwen sound asleep. He slowly walked closer to her as he heard the front door open.

“Your majesty,” said Evan urgently from the other room. “Mrs. Owens says she cannot find Princess Anwen, and she…” Evan stopped as he walked into the room.

Maddoc looked up at him and put a finger to his lips. He walked back towards Evan and took him to the front room. The boy finished with the fire and stood up.

“You can go. I will see to the fire in the bedroom,” said Maddoc.

The boy looked confusedly at Evan who nodded. With a perplexed look still on his face, the boy gathered his things and walked out of the room.

“Tell Mrs. Owens that Princess Anwen is found and well. She will not need to see to the princess tonight. You can leave the water there where you have put it and come to me tomorrow morning. There is nothing else you need to do for me.”

“Are you sure, your majesty? You must be hungry.”

“I am not. I have wine here which is enough. I will see you in the morning, Evan.”

Evan moved towards the door. “If you do need anything, you or the princess, please ring for me.” He bowed and left, closing the door behind him.

Maddoc went to the bedroom and kneeled down by the fireplace. Finding a fire striker, he started a fire as quickly as he could. It took a few tries, and some moving around of kindling and wood, but eventually, the flames burned high. He looked over to find Anwen quiet and still on his bed. Before he went to her, he slipped off his shirt and moved to the pitcher of water. After pouring it into the bowl, he cleaned himself as best he could and dried off with a small towel.

Going back to the bed, he carefully sat down and took off his boots. He lay down slowly before gently pulling Anwen into his arms. She stirred a little as he looked down at her. He could see her cheeks were red and raw as though she had been crying. He bent down and kissed her forehead as her eyes opened.

She looked up at him as though she couldn’t believe what she was seeing. “Maddoc?” she asked in a hoarse whisper. “Are you really here?”

He kissed her forehead again. “I am, my love. I wanted to come earlier, but the weather slowed us down.”

She put her arms around him and held him tight. She kept her face down, but he could tell that she had started to cry. He gently raised her head with his hand. “Anwen, what is it? Has something happened?”

She cried harder and buried her face into his chest. He put his arms completely around her and held her, not knowing what else he could do. He grew more concerned the longer she cried, wondering what could have happened.

When she finally seemed to calm herself, she said shakily. “This will not do for a welcome home, Maddoc. I know this is not what you wanted or expected.”

“All I wanted was to see you, my love. Will you tell me what the matter is?”

She moved up in his embrace, so her face was close to his. Leaning forward, she kissed him, her arms moving around his neck. “I do not wish to talk, my king. I just want you. I want you to love me.” She kissed him again.

He groaned a little as she moved down to kiss his jaw, her hands moving from around his neck down to his chest. As much as he wanted her, he had to know what had caused such emotion in her. He put his hands on hers. “Anwen, something has happened, and I want to know what it is.”

She shook her head. “Not tonight, Maddoc. Please, not tonight. All I want is to focus on us. I just want to be with you. Please let me.”

There was a pleading sound to her voice that he could not resist. He stared at her as her wide honey-colored eyes stared back at him. He finally let go of her hands and moved them up to her face, cupping her cheeks as he kissed her. Her hands went back to moving down his chest as he rolled her over to hover over her.

“Yes, my king,” she gasped. “I need you.”

He put his hands behind her back and found the ties to her dress. He pulled them roughly until they came undone. He started pulling down her dress when she took over. She made quick work of it, arching up her back as she took it off. She wore a thin shift underneath her dress. He moved up a bit to look down on her. He had missed her so much and seeing her like this, her lips swollen with his kisses, her hair in disarray all around her, with her wonderful body almost visible through the thin material she wore, Maddoc was a little overcome.

He wanted to gaze at her a while longer, but she put her arms around him and pulled him on top of her. Her hands went to his pants, undoing them. He pulled them down before using both hands to pull her shift over her head. Her eagerness and moans worked up his desire to have her. Leaning down to kiss her, he entered her fully, not able to hold back.

As he moved in her, she held on to him almost possessively, keeping him close against her. She whispered his name over and over as he loved her. As she reached her peak she gasped, “I am yours. Tell me I am yours.”

“Yes, Anwen,” he moaned. “You are mine, mine alone.”

He felt her come to the edge and fall over, and he was not far behind. After he rolled off her, she moved into his embrace, as though she couldn’t stand any distance between them.

“I love you,” she whispered with her eyes closed as she nestled into him.

He looked down at her, feeling so many emotions that he wondered if he could sleep. He was of course satisfied after loving her, but he had never seen her like this. He was concerned and frustrated that he didn’t know what was wrong or how to fix it. He kissed the top of her head as she sighed. He thought over any possible thing that could have made her act that way. When he finally felt his eyes grow heavy, he told himself he would find out what had happened and anyone that hurt her would face him.

He woke up the next morning with Anwen still in his arms. It must have been later than normal as Evan slowly came into the room and stood near the door. “Will you be going down to breakfast, your majesty, or would you like it brought here?”

Maddoc thought to say he would have breakfast there in his room with Anwen when she spoke. “He will go down as will I. If you will wait in the front room, I will be gone soon.”

Evan looked at Maddoc who nodded. Evan turned and walked out of the room.

“You do not have to go down, Anwen.” He kissed her gently on her cheek. “If you are not feeling well, you should stay in your room. I can excuse myself for a while saying I am tired from my journey.”

She shook her head. “I need to go down. I must not hide away.”

“Can you tell me what happened to you? I know something happened.”

“It will do no good to tell you. All it will do is upset you and cause trouble for others who have no fault in anything. I am well, Maddoc. I just missed you very much, and a few people tried to intimidate me. I am stronger than I look.”

“I know how strong you are, Anwen, but if someone has done something to hurt you, I want to know.”

She kissed him gently before rolling away and getting out of the bed. Picking up her shift, she pulled it over her head. She gathered her dress and shoes and looked at Maddoc. “You should get ready, my king. I believe you might already be late for breakfast.”

“I will see you there, won’t I?”

“Yes. As soon as I ring for Mrs. Owens and she comes to dress me, I will be there.”

She adjusted the clothes in her arm and picked up a candle. After lighting it, she opened the wall and stepped through, shutting it behind her. Maddoc slowly got out of bed, wishing she would tell him what had happened to her. He found his pants and put them on before calling for Evan.

Evan had buckets of hot water brought into the room to prepare a bath for Maddoc. He bathed as quickly as he could, though he wanted to linger. The warm water felt good against his sore body after a day and a half of hard riding. Soon he was dressed and ready to go downstairs. He stalled outside of Anwen’s room for a little, hoping she might come out so they could walk down together. He waited until he felt his stomach rumble. It had been a while since he had eaten. Hoping she was either already at breakfast or would be down soon, he walked downstairs and into the banquet hall.

He entered the large room, looking around for any signs of Anwen. He saw her mother sitting at a table with the Bellican and Parvilian kings along with Lord Aidan. He saw Brennan and Lady Roxanna eating with some other young lords and ladies from her kingdom. He moved on and was met by Elias.

“You are back. I hope things went well,” said Elias.

“I did what I had to do. I believe the situation will improve. If not, I will have to see about perhaps taking some lands from some lower lords who think too much of themselves. How were things here?”

“Quiet, mostly. The normal activities went on until the snow. It caused us to stay inside, and many got bored. I dare say some courtships were moved ahead quicker than first thought.”

“Your own?” asked Maddoc with a small smile.

“No. I am courting a proper lady,” said Elias. “She also developed a cold and is home resting.”

Maddoc nodded and then looked around before asking softly. “Did you notice anything strange with Anwen? Do you think anyone did or said anything to upset her?”

“Not that I noticed, but I admit I left rather early yesterday to see to Lady Alys. She was not alone, though. Brennan was still close by. Why do you ask?”

“I think something might have happened. She was acting strangely last night and this morning.”

“Perhaps she just missed you. She tried to remain in high spirits, but I could tell she was feeling low. She is very attached to you.” Elias looked at him with a crooked grin.

“And I am her. I can’t tell you how much I missed her these past few days, but I am afraid it might be something else. Will you keep an ear and eye out for anything that may help me figure it out?”

“Of course, my king. I would do almost anything you command, and if someone has hurt the princess, I would like to know.”

“I’m hungry. Have you eaten yet?”

“No, let's find a table. It doesn’t look like Princess Anwen has come down yet.” Elias walked with Maddoc to a table towards the front of the room.

“I hope she will soon, though I don’t know how well she is really feeling. She seemed very tired.”

They sat down together at an empty table, both filling up their plates. Maddoc kept looking at the door, hoping Anwen would walk in. Instead, he caught the eye of Princess Meira as she came into the room with Princess Gwendolyn. Her face lit up as Maddoc tried to look away, hoping she wouldn’t be encouraged to come sit by him.

Of course, she did not take his subtle hint, or she did not care. She walked over and sat down next to Maddoc. “I am so glad you have returned, your majesty.” She reached out and squeezed his arm. “I have missed your company.”

Maddoc looked down and shook his arm so she would let go. “Yes, I am glad to be back home. I hated to leave during the Winter Festival with so many guests.”

“I hope you shall not have to leave again,” said Princess Meira.

“I hope not as well, but I will do what is needed in my kingdom and for my people.” Maddoc went back to eating his food.

Gwendolyn looked around. “I do not see Lachlan anywhere. I hope he is not ill. I know there are some who have caught colds.”

Princess Meira made a small noise and look to be trying not to spit out her tea. “I am sure he just had a late night. Perhaps something kept him up. He will be down soon, my dear.” She put down her teacup and looked around the room. “I do not see your cousin either, Gwendolyn. She is usually an early riser.” Princess Meira gave a sly smile to Gwendolyn but said nothing.

“Who knows where that woman is,” said Gwendolyn. “She might have eaten early and gone out walking in the snow. You never know what wild thing she will do.”

“Indeed,” said Meira. “You never know what she will do, or who she will spend her time with.”

Maddoc looked sharply at Princess Meira, wondering what she was alluding to. Before he could speak, Prince Rillian came and sat by Elias. “King Maddoc, I am glad you have come back safely. I hope your journey was satisfactory.”

“It was. I hope the south of my kingdom will be more settled soon. The snow has not been as bad there, and I have taken steps to make sure all my people are well housed for the winter.”

“Have you spoken with Princess Anwen, yet?” asked Prince Rillian.

“She has not come downstairs,” said Elias as he glanced at Maddoc. “You didn’t see her out in the hall, did you?”

“No,” said Prince Rillian. “I might go check on her in a bit. She was a bit out of sorts when I saw her last.” He gave Maddoc a look.

“Well, I’m going to check on Lachlan,” said Gwendolyn standing. “If he is not ill, it will not do for him to be laying around in bed all day.”

She walked off as Princess Meira took a sip of tea and shook her head. “She may not like what she finds. I should probably have stopped her.”

“What do you mean?” asked Elias.

“Oh, I don’t like to talk, my lord, but I may have seen Gwendolyn’s dear Lachlan entertaining a woman that was not his betrothed last night.”

Maddoc felt a sinking feeling in his stomach as Prince Rillian said, “If you do not like to talk, then don’t. If you really did see anything, I doubt you have the full story.”

“It would be hard to misconstrue what I did see, but you are right Prince Rillian, I should not speak of such things. It will all work out as it should, I am sure.”

Maddoc turned to Prince Rillian. “I am done with breakfast, your highness, and I thought to take a quick walk to the stables to check on my horse after such a strenuous journey. I believe you told me you had an impressive line of horses in Bellican. Perhaps you would like to come speak with our stable master about our own line.”

Prince Rillian looked confused for one moment before he nodded. “Yes, that sounds very interesting.”

King Maddoc stood as Prince Rillian did the same. “I should like to go as well,” said Princess Meira. “I am interested in horses.”

“Oh, dear princess, you cannot,” said Elias. “There are already several down with colds, and I would hate to see you become ill. You must stay in the warmth of the palace. I also have no one else to entertain me with dear Lady Alys home sick. Finish your breakfast and amuse me with your company.”

She looked like she would still go when Maddoc said, “Yes, stay in the warmth, princess. We will not be gone long. I am sure by the time I am back, you and the other young ladies will have thought of something amusing for all of us to do.”

She nodded and picked her teacup back up. Maddoc walked with Prince Rillian to the entry hall. As they both waited for their cloaks, they each watched the stairs hoping for Princess Anwen to come down. Their cloaks came, and there was still no sign of the princess. They stepped out into the cold, cloudy day and made their way towards the stables.

A pathway had been cleared for an easy walk. Maddoc inquired after his horse and found that he was doing very well. Maddoc and Prince Rillian spoke with the stable master for several minutes, the man telling the prince about some of their more impressive horses. Once the stable master had to move on to his duties, Maddoc took Prince Rillian down the line of stalls, telling him about a few of the horses.

“I like horses as much as anyone, King Maddoc, but I don’t believe I ever asked to speak to your stable master.” Prince Rillian reached out and patted the nose of a horse whose stall was at the very end of the stables.

“Of course not,” said King Maddoc, “but you seem to know about something that might have happened that would cause distress for Princess Anwen.”

Prince Rillian continued to stroke the horse’s nose. “I’m not sure what I can tell you. I don’t believe whatever happened is my tale to tell.”

“So, something did happen,” said Maddoc. He took a deep breath. “I need you to tell me, Prince Rillian. I know Anwen, and she will do anything to avoid causing others pain. If it has to do with who I think it does, then she will try to protect him just to avoid hurting his family.”

Prince Rillian patted the horse one more time and turned to Maddoc. “She said as much to me last night when I urged her to tell you and her mother. I would rather the man be held accountable for his actions, though I think the princess made a good start of it last night.”

“Tell me what you know.”

“I didn’t see everything. I was heading to bed from the library when I turned down a hallway. I saw a man pressing a woman against the wall. At first, I thought it was just a young couple caught up in the throes of first love, but as I got closer, I could tell the woman was trying to push the man away. The man shifted, and I could see it was Princess Anwen.”

“Who was the man?” asked Maddoc as he wiped his face with his hand.

“It was the man from Lucidala called Lachlan. The one who is supposed to be betrothed to Princess Gwendolyn.”

Maddoc looked up, feeling his fury build. “And they were alone, in the hallway?”

“They were, and he was obviously forcing his attentions on her. I ran to help her, but by the time I got there, she had taken care of the man herself. If he comes down today, I imagine he will be walking tenderly.”

Maddoc barely heard what the prince was saying. All he could think of was Lachlan putting his hands on his Anwen. He could see the man kissing her and touching her in places only meant for him. Without another word he turned and walked swiftly through the stables. He could hear Prince Rillian hurrying to catch him.

Maddoc didn’t slow down or acknowledge the prince. His fury fueled him forward. He thought Rillian may have tried to say something to him, but he didn’t hear it. He wanted to find Lachlan and take his vengeance. At that moment, he believed he might kill him. He would at least throw him out of the palace. As Maddoc entered the palace, he was almost blinded by his fury. It was bad luck that at that moment Anwen was making her way down the stairs with Mrs. Owens behind her.

She looked at Maddoc as he walked through the door and stood in the entry hall. Her face grew concerned as she got close to him. Later Maddoc would relive the next moment over and over. He would berate himself and try to understand why he did what he did next, but the fact was his anger had taken over him. Anwen happened to be the one who caught the brunt of it.

“Your majesty, are you well?” she asked.

Maddoc grabbed her arms, and she gave a small cry. “Were you alone with Lachlan last night?” He asked furiously. She stared up at him in fear and confusion. He shook her slightly. “Were you?”

She nodded. “It was not intentional. I did not seek him out.”

“I told you to go nowhere alone. I asked you to be careful, and instead, you went off by yourself, and look what happened,” he spat.

Tears started to form in her eyes. Her mouth opened once or twice until she finally squeaked out, “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean… I’m sorry.”

“Maddoc, unhand her now,” said Mrs. Owens furiously as she came forward.

Shocked by the tone of his housekeeper and former nanny, Maddoc loosened his grip on Anwen. She looked at him for one moment as tears fell from her eyes. She turned and ran back up the stairs as Maddoc watched her go.

“What were you thinking?” asked Mrs. Owens. “You have no idea what that poor woman has been through and now, you treat her like this? I’m ashamed of you, my king.” Mrs. Owens turned and walked up the stairs quickly after Anwen.

Maddoc felt himself shake and looked over to see Prince Rillian shaking his head at him. Maddoc took deep breaths. “I don’t know why I did that. I can’t believe I just said that to her.”

“Come along, your majesty,” said Prince Rillian as he turned towards the banquet hall where it sounded as if a large crowd was headed their way. “We need to get you somewhere you can calm down. Perhaps your study?”

Maddoc looked up the stairs where Anwen had run. He wanted to go to her and apologize for everything he had done. He wanted to beg for her forgiveness, but he still felt his anger. He was afraid of what he would say so he nodded to the prince and walked with him to his study.