The first thing Erec noticed, aside from Gwyn's absence, was an immediate and slightly disturbing change in Robin's behavior. Like a humming bird, the boy flitted about but did not light anywhere for more than a moment or two. If Robin were not suffering so, Erec would be tempted to laugh. Instead, he decided it was past time to do a little bonding with the boy.

"Robin, know you how to play chess?" He asked the boy when next he passed by in his aimless wanderings.

"Nay, milo—Sir." Robin shrugged. Erec frowned. Robin blushed as he tensed, ready to flee.

Erec cleared his throat.

"I am not displeased." He began as Robin regarded him carefully. "In point of fact, I am greatly pleased. I should like to be the one to teach my new son how to best everyone but me at the game."

"Why not you?" Robin asked with a cheeky grin.

Erec laughed.

"We shall see." Erec managed with a last chuckle. Still smiling he went on to instruct the boy to bring the little table and chair along with the chess game.

Several hours later Dermot came in and laughed at the sight of Robin bent in concentration over the game board.

"Has he got you into his snare then, Master Robin?"

"What?"

"He has bested all others here and nary a one of us will give him a game except in case of extreme boredom, which ne'er happens so often to please him."

"I was to learn, that is to say that my brother was to teach me but he..."

"Ah. In that case, I leave you to learn the game. And learn it well, Master Robin, for the man needs a good thrashing."

"So, you might wish it," One side of Erec's mouth tugged up in a cocky grin, "Check-mate."

"No!" Robin threw up his hands in defeat. "How did you do that so fast?"

Dermot laughed as he left Erec to his chess tutelage.

---

"Slowly!" Robin scolded. "If you fall you shall have to stay upon the ground as I cannot lift you."

"I shall not fall." Erec snapped, more to himself than to Robin. His bones might well have turned to paper for all the help they were to keep him upright. "I apologize, son. I should not snap at you thusly. It is only that I am unused to being so helpless. It chafes me to no end."

"Do not worry," Robin said determinedly as they moved one slow shuffling step at a time. "I promised you that I should help you walk again. And I promised you that I shall be silent about it. I know as well as you do that Mama would take both of us to task, were she here to see us."

Erec chuckled as sweat popped on his brow. His many weeks abed had allowed him to heal, and thus to live, but they robbed him of his strength.

...a thing he meant to remedy at once.

There was evil afoot, this he knew to be fact. But in his heart of hearts, he knew also that Gwyn and Gil would return with ill tidings.

As he knew that things would not go well at Brecken...

"Another thing," Erec said to take his mind off from his irritation as he pushed himself one step further wondering all the while that his tremulously shaking legs did not give out on him, "Do you know how to fight? How to wield a sword or knife?"

"I know how to wrestle, but not so well. My brothers always bested me."

"That is to be expected. They were grown men and you were but a boy. Tell me," Erec pondered, "Did they never praise you?"

"Oh, aye." Robin said proudly. "Garth said wrestling with me was like trying to wrestle a greased pig."

Erec forgot his woes and laughed, but the loss of his concentration caused him to falter and were it not for Robin, he would surely have met the floor with a resounding blow, a blow felt entirely upon his part.

"I think," Erec conceded, "That is enough for this day..."

"We shall return to the bed to rest then. But it is not enough for the day." Robin frowned up at the man. "You have scarce taken ten steps. We shall make it to twenty before the day is done."

"Will in not be twenty if I take ten steps from the bed and then ten steps back?" Erec tested the boy.

"Do not trifle." Robin frowned. "You cannot protect my mother and Sofi if you are weak as a kitten. And I cannot protect them without you. It is simple. I must needs see you strong again as quickly as e'er I might."

"I once noted your keen power of observation and now I can see persistence and reasoning." Erec announced. "Your mother and brothers have done well in your training. For me, it is left only to whitewash the sturdy edifice of man they have created. You are indeed a fine young man: strong, brave, wise, and compassionate. Truly, I am proud to call you my son."

---

A fortnight hence, Erec's strength was sufficiently restored to allow him to move about under his own power. His chess matches with Robin lasted longer. The boy was truly gifted at strategy and while Erec still managed to best him, it was taking much more effort than he cared to admit.

"Robin, I think it time you begin training with a sword." Erec declared when he finally managed to check-mate, thus ending a game that lasted the whole of the morn.

"Truly?"

"Truly. Fetch Drew to me."

Erec was moving about under his own power but had yet to venture out of doors. He was a dead man and he could not be seen. During his convalescence, it was enough to be able to move about the rooms freely, of his own accord. Now, his fingers itched to hold a blade. Robin was right. Erec could not protect his family when he was so week.

But neither could he be seen...

Turning his energies elsewhere, he determined to make a bed for his bride.

A real bed.

The only bed in the Abbey was the small cot that he slept upon. It was sufficient when he was nearly dead and they were transporting him. It was sufficient for his bachelor convalescence. But it was not suitable for a husband with a wife and two children.

It did him well to keep his hands busy. As a soldier and Captain of the King's Army, there was little chance to develop skills at building furniture, working land, or repairing home. This would serve him well toward the day when he could finally take up residence in Greenwood.

...if only he were not so inept.

Erec growled as he struck his thumb with the hammer and chucked into the corner. Robin, old soul that he was, understood Erec's need for direction, and the pride that kept the man from asking for it. The boy slipped away quietly and appeared a few moments later with John.

Though not as gifted as Gil, John's skill with hammer and nail far exceeded Erec's. Together they finished two beds in four days, one for he and Gwyn and another smaller one for Robin and Sofi.

It was nice to finally sleep in a real bed, such as it was. But come morning, after a fitful night's sleep Erec rose and found himself at a loss. The muscles in his shoulders and arms protested greatly from his lengthy disuse of them. But like his first attempts at walking, Erec pushed himself and soon regained much of his strength.

There was little else for him to do inside of doors. Over the next sennight, with less and less assistance from John, Erec built a table, four chairs, two shelves, and started on small beds for the other room.

"Are you not going to wear yourself out?" John laughed as he brought another offering of wood suitable for building.

"What I really need is to go out of doors and spar. I must regain my agility and speed." Erec paused in his use of the awl, taken from Gwyn's farm. "But as I cannot be seen, keeping thus occupied will at least offer chance to regain some of my lost strength. Aside, Gwyn and the children are here for the duration. Should I not do what I can to provide some comfort?"

"It is good." John agreed. "We have already discovered the two spies and our hermit has chased off several stray hunters. I agree, also that it would be unwise to go out of doors lest you should be seen. However, I will think upon the thing. Surely there is some solution. There will be a death-match before this business is finished. You shall need to be ready."

"I thank you, though I hardly know what I shall do with myself after I have finished this. The place has more than enough furniture, and the other chores require me going out of doors."

"Aye. Mayhap we can clear the other room and use it for wrestling, or knife fights. It will at least give you some practice." John nodded thoughtfully, "And it will have to serve until I have found the solution to the problem of your being out of doors without being seen."

"Or if I am seen, I must not be recognized."

"Nay. You are larger than most men and among us, Only Drew is close in size. Anyone seeing you will have little trouble recognizing you, even in disguise, and especially if you have a sword in your hand. The People's Champion is much loved and much missed."

Erec sighed, wiped the sweat from his brow, and returned to the problem of leveling the plank with the awl. As he did so, he turned his thoughts to what he might do next in order to keep active. He was regaining his muscle strength, but his stamina was still much lacking. This long inactivity would be the death of him if he could not find a way to work around it.

---

"Dermot is back." Drew announced as he entered the room, interrupting the chess match with Robin.

And it was indeed a true match. Robin had not yet managed a victory, but twice the boy had defended to a draw.

"Good." Erec looked up and moved a piece.

"Are you sure you want to do that?" Robin asked, wiggling anxiously in his seat.

Erec imagined the boy was anxious to be out of doors instead of sitting still for so long a time as they had today. Glancing at the board, Erec only had time for a quick perusal before Dermot entered.

"Yes, I am sure." Erec said off-handed as he turned his attention to Dermot. "What did you see? Is Brecken in readiness?"

"Checkmate." Robin announced gleefully.

"What?" Erec turned with a furrowed brow.

Drew stepped forward and looked the board over with a grin of triumph. "He said: Checkmate. The boy has bested you."

"I—he—?" Erec looked at the board and mentally reviewed the last few moves. "Very cleverly done, my boy! I am impressed."

Erec reached a hand out and ruffled the lad's hair. "Now be off with you."

Robin needed no further prodding. Leaping to his feet, he bounded out the door in half a heartbeat. Erec followed his exodus with some small amount of envy, not only of the boy's youth and energy, but also of the freedom to be out of doors.

"Brecken is in ready, but it looks to me as if his lordship is preparing to march. Since they are not enough in number to march on Far North, I assume he means to march to Kingstown."

"That will leave the garrison at Brecken..." Erec began thoughtfully.

"Weakened and without leadership. What can his lordship be thinking?" Dermot asked.

"He is thinking that it has taken the King far to long to respond to the plea for help. He is thinking his plea must never have arrived. He is thinking that he must go in person and return with reinforcements before it is too late. Unfortunately, he is mistaken. He must not leave Brecken thus."

"Shall I ride to Brecken, milord?" Drew said, falling easily back into his lifelong role as soldier and second.

"Nay. Let me prepare a message and have Dermot...Nay, John will deliver it. He is known to be friendly and if they are indeed at readiness, there is a chance they would not admit an unknown. It is a risk, but one we must take. I shall bring Brecken into my confidence and hope that he is not a traitor as even her ladyship suspects may be the case."

"I have a better idea." Dermot said, speaking up once more.

"We would be grateful for any reflection. What say you?"

"John must approach first Matilde. He must claim an ailment of sorts and beg the healer. Once in her presence, he must make arrangements to meet her ladyship in secret. Gwyn said that it was her ladyship's idea to hide us here. She was the one who sent the children to protect them. She will know how best we may help Brecken."

"Aye. It shall be done. Bring John to me. He is at the hermit shack, so you must take his place during his absence."

"It shall be done at once." Dermot turned and ran from the abbey.

John appeared and after being advised of his mission, departed at once. Before sun set that eve, Erec was pacing anxiously. If Brecken fell, there would be no stopping Far North from advancing on Kingstown. And he expected Gwyn and Gil at any moment to return with ill tidings from Kingstown. His stomach rolled. He could see no way to win this fight.

"Drew!"

"Yes, milord?" Drew appeared from the other room, drowsy from the sleep of a man long under the heavy weight of anxiety.

"Scout about the wood. If there is no one, make half-a-dozen quarterstaffs. Go to the hermit shack and tell Dermot to be extra watchful. At the mausoleum, advise Thomas of the same. You and I are of a similar height. From a distance, we shall appear simply two peasants sparring with quarterstaff. Without others near, there will be nothing to signify our height, and hopefully, nothing to kindle recognition."

"We are to spar then." Drew nodded. "I will make use of some of Gwyn's bandaging strips to wrap our knuckles."

"Nay." Erec frowned. "There will be no such mercy from our enemy. The stinging strikes and bruised knuckles shall be incentive enough to move more quickly. I ask only that you take your lead from me and give only as much as you get. I shall push myself, but I am not so much a fool to think that I am ready for you at your full strength and skill."

Drew chuckled. "As you wish, milord."

Erec looked about. There was naught to be done to make ready. Without armor, or even mail, the strikes would sting and the bruises would be deep. It was to be expected of skin so long soft from lack of training. He only hoped he would heal and harden enough before Gwyn's return. He had no desire to incur the wrath of his fiery little wife.

With a smile he began to pace, pulling his knees to his chest as he marched and swinging his arms wide back and forth in effort to loosen the joints as he awaited Drew's return.