Erec had a few moments until they were assembled. He turned to Gwyndolyn and found her looking at him with such love...and tears shining upon her cheeks. Tears stung the backs of his eyes and he hurried to blink them away.

"Good bye, my love. May God speed you safe and true." She said with a tearful smile.

"Gwyndolyn..." he whispered and leaned down to kiss her lips, not caring if anyone saw them.

He was supposed to be smitten. She was supposed to be his betrothed. He ended the kiss and cupped her cheek in his palm.

"I have been in love but once before, but the way my heart is breaking now, I know that what I feel for you far eclipses that which I thought was love..."

"I thought that I loved once. I did not think it on par to the songs and poems of the bards. But now I know that there love," She whispered. "and there is love... Erec..."

Drew cleared his throat and looked up at them apologetically. "We are assembled and await you, milord."

"Very well." Erec nodded and stood as he turned his full attention back to his lovely bride...

"Come to the gate and see me off?" He said loudly enough that anyone near would hear.

She sniffled and stood, slipping her hand into his and following him from the dais. She followed him from the castle, and out to where a squire held his horse. The Baron and Baroness stood nearby, so he led her to them. She watched as he turned to mount, but paused. Removing his gloves and handing them to the squire, he turned back to her.

It was decided that this was the best way to proclaim their betrothal. Their dramatic farewell would be the stuff of songs and poems to be carried away by the bards and repeated again and again as they travelled the realm. The People's Champion was at last captured by the lovely Lady Gwyndolyn...

Pulling his sword from the sheath, he flipped it in his grip and sank the tip into the dirt before him. Silence settled suddenly when he took a knee before her. Placing a kiss to the cross by blade and hilt, he first cast his eyes heavenward, then met her eyes and spoke in a loud clear voice.

"Before God...before his lordship...before all here present. I pledge thee my troth. My lady, I vow that I shall love none other, that there shall only be you in my heart from this day forward. I pledge my sword and my life to protect you all the days of your life. Only God and King shall come before this vow I swear to you now."

He stood and handed his sword to the squire. He removed his ring and looked at it for a moment. It was the only thing he had left of his father, and it had not left his finger since he first grew old enough to wear it. As he had no time to create a signet since he became a baron, he could think of no more fitting a token. Reaching out, he took her hand.

Holding her gaze, he placed a kiss upon the ring before placing it in her palm and curling her fingers over it.

With a smile that he would remember until his dying day, she opened her palm and placed a kiss upon the ring before she clutched it to her heart. And then in a loud, clear, and happy voice she pledged:

"I pledge you my troth, my lord. I give you my heart, now and for always. The children and I shall wait for you...forever if we must, for we shall have no other in your stead."

He took her other hand and pressed a kiss to her bare knuckles, letting his gaze linger on hers a moment longer before he nodded to the baron and turned to the squire. Replacing his gloves and sword, he mounted and took a last look at his secret bride before turning to go.

The good Lord above knew that Erec was unworthy of such a good and true heart as Gwyndolyn but for some reason, the Lord had bestowed her love upon Erec.

It was a heady drink, the love of a woman—a good woman. It was not something he ever expected, nor sought after it as some had. But he could hear her sweet voice echoing in his heart: "...love does not come easily and you cannot choose whom you shall love. You can only accept that gift when it finally comes, for love is truly God's best gift."

As he rode away, he felt an ache settle in his heart. It was an ached that he knew for a certainty would only grow worse the longer and farther he was away from her side. Surely this was love. Once more her voice echoed in his heart: "...there is love...and there is true love."

---

Gwyndolyn stood with the baron and watched as the men filed out. When the courtyard was empty, the Baron led them up the narrow steps to the gate house and stepped out onto the wall. She swayed and felt the baron place a hand upon the small of her back. She stood that way, watching until she could no longer see the men.

"Come, child." The baron smiled down at her. "Let us get you inside."

"Yes, my lord."

The baron smiled with understanding. "All will be well, child. Have faith." And he leaned forward and placed a chaste fatherly kiss upon her brow.

She sighed and cast one last longing look in the direction the men had gone before turning to let the baron lead her back to the castle.

She barely reached the bottom of the narrow steps when Robin and Sofi came running and threw their arms around her. Had the Baron not been there to catch her, she would have fallen to the ground under their assault.

The baron laughed softly.

"I will leave you to your family, child. Come to me in my rooms later, child."

"I will, and...thank you, milord."

She might have said more, but her attention was immediately captured by the two children clinging to her skirts while jumping up and down. "Steady on." She laughed.

They happily made their way to the healer's rooms together, laughing and skipping round about Gwyndolyn as they went. As they neared the kitchens they were stopped frequently and offered felicitations. At the steps up to the healer's rooms, Robin stopped so quickly that Sofi bumped into him and they tumbled laughing hysterically to the bottom.

Gwyndolyn gasped and lifted her skirts to hurry toward them. Upon observing their laughter, she sighed and shook her head, smiling at the silliness.

"Come you two, let us inside. I wish to talk to you both."

"Is it true what they are saying?" Sofi asked as she followed Gwyndolyn up the steps. "Are we going to be a real family and live in our very own castle?"

"Lord Erec has a castle and he is addle-pated with mama. He has to come back and marry up with her first. Then we can go live in his castle and be a family. But we got to stay here until then, on account of it is not safe otherwise."

"How do know?" Sofi challenged.

"..." Robin answered and added for good measure: "It was when I asked him why Lord Erec was kissing on mama."

Gwyndolyn was grateful they reached the door and she hurried the two of them inside. By habit, she started to close the door behind her but then paused to around. Feeling foolish, she shrugged and closed the door. How was she to know what to look for? At least Erec promised there would be guards.

...Although she had not seen any of those either.

Gwyndolyn pointed to the table and lifted the children to sit upon it.

"Now then..."

---

Later, after patiently answering what felt like hundreds of questions, Gwyndolyn left them with a promise to stay within the healer rooms until she returned. She was watchful as she made her way to the baron.

"Enter." He answered her knock. "Ah, come. Come child." He stood and a smile split his face.

As he did so he knocked over a scroll which resulted in several others falling to the floor. Gwyndolyn hurried forward and began to pick them up.

"Let me, my lord." She said as she grabbed the one nearest his foot and quickly picked up the others. Standing, she set them upon the table and answered his smile with one of her own.

"Thank you. These knees are much too old to be moving about as quickly as all that. It would have taken me much longer to get them picked up, else I may have called a servant."

"Twas no trouble." She waved a hand in the air. "You wished to see me?"

"Aye. My lovely wife has sent away to the King's Village for a dress maker. You can expect to be imposed upon in a fortnight or so. You will be swimming in fabric and no doubt you shall be stuck a good many times with their little pins as well. A tailor, a cobbler and a milliner will be among their number. My wife has decided we three need new wardrobes."

"Oh dear." Gwyndolyn smiled in mock dismay. "However shall I manage?"

"Quite gracefully," he chuckled, "As ever you do. But in the meantime, Alexandi wishes you to join her in her chambers. She has pulled trunks from storage and wishes to gift you with some items to serve until the new can be made."

"That is most generous, my lord."

"Nothing for it, I am afraid. Once my dearest Alexandi gets an idea into her mind, there is no going around it...or her for that matter." He chuckled. "But there is also the matter of your safety, which leads me to the subject of your sleeping arrangements."

"My lord Erec said I was to occupy his room upon his departure?"

"And so you shall, if you wish it. I can give the children another of the rooms in the hall so they can be close. Or if you wish, there is a nursery we can clean out and set up for them. I mention it, because there is a room next to it with a door in the wall between them. You may have both rooms if you wish."

"It is tempting to take the nursery, but...I think..."

"You wish to remain in his rooms." The baron smiled. "I quite understand. I was not always an old man." He winked and her cheeks burned.

"The room next to yours is empty. It is arranged similarly to yours. We can clear it out and set two smaller beds inside. You may have your choice of tapestries and rugs for the room. I can have the carpenter make up a trunk for each of them to set at the foot of their beds for their private things. And perhaps a shelf or two for their shared things."

"That is most generous, my lord." She blushed, feeling silly for saying so again. "Forgive me. This is all just a bit overwhelming."

"Aye. I expect that it is. I am quite certain that Alexandi would like to help you, if you will let her. We never had children of our own, and she is very much looking forward to having yours about us."

"I would like that as well. I wondered... might I still take a few hours a day to work as a healer?"

"As many as you like, but only in the daylight hours. I agree with Lord Erec on this point, and will not be moved. You must stay within the castle after dark. I shall set guards upon the stairs each night, and I would like it if you would take at least one of them with you when you go to the healer's rooms."

"I shall happily do so, milord. I have no wish to be a trouble in any way to you or to Lord Erec."

"Smart girl." He smiled. "Now, about their education..."

---

That afternoon, Gwyndolyn worked with Matilde in the kitchen, preparing herbs for drying as Matilde worked on her vegetables.

"Other than your fancy new dresses, I am glad to see you have not changed. I worried that you might put on airs as some have a tendency to do."

"Never." Gwyndolyn laughed. "I suppose there might be noble blood somewhere in my family. My mother tells me she had noble connections and was sent away to the Abby for want of her home after her parents passed."

"I remember you saying so. Do you know any of your kin?"

"Aside from my father and brothers, no. All of the sisters that knew my mother were killed by Modoc's men before the Abby was burned."

"Did you no say that your mum was one of three young lasses that made an escape with your father?"

"Oh, Aye. But she never told me their names, and I have no idea how to find them."

"Did you not say that your father brought them here to Brecken Moors Hall? I wonder, how long ago was that do you suppose?"

"Gracious! I had forgotten! Let me think. My eldest brother is ten years my senior, and he was born the first year my parents were married so it would be five and thirty years ago, I should guess...or close to that."

"Your eldest brother is of an age with Lord Erec then, Matilde smiled in her motherly sort of way. "And how old was your mother when she came to us?"

"Us?"

"Oh, Aye. I have been her longer than that. Mind you, I was a much younger lass then..."

"Of course!" Gwyndolyn smiled. "She was sent to the Abby when she was ten years, or mayhap a little more? I recall she said she spent eight years learning from the sisters before the trouble with Modoc started."

"And Modoc was at war with us for nigh unto three years when he burned the Abby and was kilt for his troubles. Until then, the lords round-about were content to leave Modoc to Lord Brecken. But what he did to them sisters...well it set a fire under them lords and they drove Modoc into the sea and kilt every last one of his men afore burning his castle."

"I hear it is still in ruins."

"Aye. But more to the point, I recall how old I was when that castle was burnt because there was a celebration here that made this last feast look like a wee little thing. It was the first time I saw such merriment and his lordship will well remember it as well."