It was a crisp sunny day, with a slight chill in the air. It was the first blush of spring. Enid watched her six-year-old son run around the courtyard of the keep from the shadows of the stable. She dared not step into the sunlight. The boundless energy of youth never ceased to amaze her. He had his father’s dark hair, her green eyes. He waved a wooden sword in his hand. And was chasing his father with it. His twin sister sat on the stairs up to the keep’s main entrance. She was doing a cross stitch under Mary’s watchful eye. Eyre looked like her mother but even now Enid knew she’d be taller than her, more statuesque a testament to her father’s contribution.

“I will slay you rebel!”

Edward charged at his father who scooped him up and spun him around.

“Oh? will you?”

“Yes, like mommy did last year!”

“And your father? Did he not take part?”

“Yes, but everyone talks about how mommy faced down twenty of them herself!”

“Yes, she did, it was a glorious battle.”

“Why doesn’t mommy play outside with us during the day?”

Enid frowned sinking further into the shadows of the stables out of the sun.

I wish I could child.

Henry kneeled down so he was eye level with Edward.

“Your mommy gets very bad sun burns, so she has to stay inside during the day. She wishes she could play with you every moment of every day, but she also says you need to get fresh air. And she’s right.”

“Is she really the greatest swordsman in all of England?”

“I’d wager all of the world.”

“When I grow up, I want to be like her!”

“If your mommy were here, she’d say she wants you to grow up to be like you. She’s really smart that way.”

Enid pushed her bangs out of her eyes, smiling at her family. She had grown to appreciate Henry over the last seven years. She watched him, he had flecks of grey in his hair and beard now and it didn’t detract from his handsomeness. His armor had also gotten slightly tighter. Though he swore up and down that the smithy had managed to cause the problem when he repaired it. Enid pet Noctus who nuzzled her. She kissed the side of his face.

“This can’t last Noctus. People like me don’t get to live happily ever after.”

She looked out at her family again with a small frown. Her children would take it the hardest when she had to leave.

“Maybe the council has forgotten about me being here. I can hope. Or maybe they’ll forget until Edward and Eyre are old enough to understand.”

Noctus neighed pressing against her with his flank.

“I don’t know, I have a feeling. Seeing my own future and those closest to me is always much harder. Something on the wind maybe. Hmm they’re going inside. Be good and be ready old man.”

She patted Noctus again who neighed derisively. Enid laughed.

Enid slipped inside the keep through one of the numerous secret passages that Odocar had installed in his tenure as lord. Managing to beat her children to her study where she sat and pretended to have been working. She found herself soon engulfed by two bear hugs, then Henry added a third.

“Hey, I’m trying to get some work done here. Someone has too.”

Enid kissed both her children on the forehead. Henry scooped her up into his arms and kissed her on the lips.

“All these years and you’re still as beautiful as when I first laid eyes upon you.”

“Flatterer.”

“Is it working?”

Enid wrapped her arms around his shoulders and kissed him. Henry spun her the twins giggled at their antics.

“Always, my love, now put me down. Edward, Eyre, run along go find Mary.”

She made a shooing motion and closed the door behind them.

“Henry, we had a visit from an emissary of Lancaster. He intoned we should help him fight the Despensers and take back the land they stole, or we’d be considered part of the problem. I told him to leave, he refused to listen, so I beheaded him and his head is currently on it’s way back to Lancaster.”

“You what?”

“It was only his cousin, and I wanted to make our position clear.”

“Lancaster is a powerful man.”

“And we have a sizable army here, and we’re best to stay on the good side of the King and taking land his favorites have by force seems like a poor politics.”

“I’ll trust your judgment; Not like you gave me a choice.”

“While everyone around us starved the people of our domain flourished. Our army is well trained and well fed. I see no reason to stick our noses in what seems to be a bunch of lords who were too weak to hold their lands stomping their feet and having a tantrum.”

“What if Lancaster attacks us?”

“We’ll crush him like a cockroach, rout his armies, and take his lands.”

“As if it were so easy. Couldn’t you have just talked to him?”

“I tried, he said, shut your mouth cunt, I think he was about to say to find you, but I didn’t let him get that far. I cut his head off after he called me cunt in my court chambers. It is not like he didn’t know better.”

Henry sighed and threw his hands up in the air.

“You’re the reason I’m going gray.”

“I’m the reason you are richer than your father and have an army that makes him envious. Trust me Henry, I know what I’m doing. The letter I sent Lancaster was very polite. The one I sent to the king was illuminating.”

“I thought you said we shouldn’t get involved.”

“I didn’t, I just passed on my greetings to his majesty and suggested that I heard a rumor some of the other local nobility were trying to scratch together forces.”

“He may demand we fight on his side!”

“I also mentioned we weren’t going to take sides in this conflict and that should he try to force our hand those grain shipments we’ve been sending him to help keep the citizenry in line would cease. We’re in the midst of a famine after all.”

“You are playing a dangerous game.”

“I don’t play games, I make decisions that in our, and our people’s best interest. We’ll protect our lands and our people. Let the rest fight it out.”

“You act so rashly! Why must you take every insult to your manhood personally?”

“What are you talking about?”

“You, every time someone says you’re lesser then them because you’re a woman you lose all reason.”

Enid frowned and poked Henry in the chest hard.

“I knew exactly what I was doing. You act as if I’m trying to make excuses, justify my actions, I already knew my answer was no as soon as he showed up on our doorstep, any other choice would be disastrous for our people. I always have a plan. Everything I do has a reason. The fact I cut his head off when he called me cunt just means I ended his blathering fifteen minutes before I tired of the pleasantries and did it anyway. It was a necessary action to tell Lancaster in no uncertain terms we are not going to be his pawns. He would have taken a no delivered by his cousin to be a maybe and try to bully us with his army. By sending his head back I have given a very firm message of no, and if you want to come and bully us, we are prepared to fight and that we have the strength to back up our actions.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“I know Lancaster, he’s not a stupid man, he came to us because we have the largest standing army in the marches and he’s afraid of us siding against him. I clearly stated in my letter that we’re taking no part on either side, taking any further action in our direction will result in us joining the other side.”

Henry shook his head.

“You should have spoken to me first. At least pretend I have a say in matters pertaining to our lands.”

“Henry, I love you, but you are terrible at politics.”

“But you’ve taught me so much.”

“Let me teach you more before you go sticking your nose into things that could spell disaster for us.”

“How do you know what’s best?”

“My father spent a long time teaching me how to navigate this sort of thing. He’s studied the politics of Rome, and Greece.”

“My father taught me how to govern!”

“Your father taught you how to gulp ale and pretend to listen to your vassals.”

Henry punched both fists down on Enid’s desk glaring at her.

“You are the most disrespectful woman I have ever met.”

“You wouldn’t have me any other way, I tell the truth and I don’t dance around it.”

“I wish you’d at least try to soften the blow.”

Enid wrapped her arms around Henry’s waist and leaned against his back.

“We both have our strengths that is what makes us so formidable. You need to pay attention to why I do things, I won’t always be here for you.”

Henry turned and looked down at Enid.

“What do you mean?”

“I’m just saying, I could die tomorrow and then you would need to do this on your own. Or perhaps with Katherine hmm?”

“What?”

“I see how you look at her.”

“What are you talking about?”

Enid put her hands on his cheeks and stood on her toes to kiss him.

“Promise me on your honor as a Knight that you will remarry and try to be happy if something happens to me, I don’t want to think of you alone in the world.”

“Why are you talking like this?”

“Promise me.”

“I promise, now what is wrong?”

“It’s a feeling I have. Nothing more. Do not worry about it.”

“Okay.”

“You should take some of the men out on patrol. A show of force while Lancaster’s cousin’s retinue are heading back to him wouldn’t hurt us. Or perhaps catch up with them, Escort them to the border?”

“You’re right, are you going to be okay here alone?”

“Who can protect our children better than me?”

“Not even me, but I’m leaving Christoff behind with a few men.”

“If that will settle your concerns husband, who am I to say no?”

Henry leaned down and embraced Enid sharing a lasting passionate kiss.