In Honor Bound by DeAnna Julie Dodson
Authors: DeAnna Julie Dodson
Tags: Fiction, Romance, Historical, Literature & Fiction, Religion & Spirituality, Christian fiction, Christianity, Religious Fiction, Christian Books & Bibles, Religious & Inspirational Fiction
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gaze from his son's face. Philip could only stare back at him, bewildered into dumbness. Perhaps he truly had not yet heard.
"I await your obedience, Philip," Robert said. "I'll not have your stiff-necked insolence today."
Still Philip stared.
"My liege," Livrette objected, "surely he is too ill–"
"You are dismissed. When we need you, we shall send for you."
There was enough warning in his tone that Livrette dared protest no further, and, leaving his work unfinished, he left the room and shut the heavy door behind him.
"Now, boy, shall I await your pleasure?"
"Please listen," Philip said, finally finding his voice. "I have to tell you, John is–"
"Is dead," Robert said flatly. "I have had that news already. What I came for now is to know why my orders were disobeyed and why you are not on your knees before your king."
"But, he is dead. Your son–"
"Immediately, my lord of Caladen!"
He did not care. The realization struck Philip harder than the weapons of the enemy had. John was dead, and his father did not care. He did not care.
His eyes flashing accusation, Philip took a deep breath then pushed the bedclothes from him and got shakily to his feet. Steadying himself on the edge of the bed, he dropped heavily to his knees.
"You have been disobedient to me," Robert said, "against the duty you owe me as your king and as your father. There can be no excuse for it. None. Nothing that has happened here justifies your rebelliousness. This might have ended up a disaster for Afton , because of your willfulness."
Philip fixed his gaze on the floor and set his mouth in a tight line. "You know full well why I disobeyed. The power here was not by half strong enough to meet the attack, and we knew of it before they struck, well before, and yet you sent no help, not so much as a word in answer to John's pleas. I could not choose but to disobey you. It might have been enough to lose this town and many others along with it had I stayed in Maughn as you ordered." He glanced up and again there was reproach in his eyes. "The casualties were heavy enough."
"You had no right to question my command," Robert said. "If Tanglewood had fallen, the next stronghold would have been Maughn. Maughn has been left defenseless for over a week now!"
"If I had not come, Tanglewood would have surely been taken and Maughn would be under siege. You know that as well as I."
"I will not be disobeyed again. There's punishment for treason, boy, even for princes."
Robert turned to go but Philip's next question stopped him.
"Why?" Philip demanded, then he choked back a sob and asked again, "Why?"
The anger had gone out of his tone, the reproach and defiance, too. All that was left was a wounded pleading that must have somehow tugged at Robert's guilty heart, making him turn back around.
"Why did you let this happen to John, Father?"
"I? Any man may die in a battle. I'm for certain not to blame for it."
"You wanted him to die," Philip said, still hardly able to believe it himself. "Even if you had to lose Tanglewood with him, you wanted him to be dead. Why? What did he do that made you stop loving him?"
"If it had not been for him, Richard would never have come here. Richard would be alive yet."
"That was your pride and Richard's. You cannot lay the blame of that on John."
"It is not for you to question me, Philip," Robert said, avoiding his son's eyes, but Philip refused to leave it at that.
"Just tell me why. Please, Father, I have to know. I know why you took Kate's life." Somehow his voice held steady. "Whatever she was to me, she was nothing to you. But John– I have to know what could make a man hate his own son."
"John was not my son!"
Philip stared at his father, stunned by the fierce words, suddenly dizzy. "That's a lie," he said finally, his voice low. "Whoever told you that was lying. He had to be." His voice was desperate now, but there was nothing in his father's expression that left any room for hope.
"I heard your
"I await your obedience, Philip," Robert said. "I'll not have your stiff-necked insolence today."
Still Philip stared.
"My liege," Livrette objected, "surely he is too ill–"
"You are dismissed. When we need you, we shall send for you."
There was enough warning in his tone that Livrette dared protest no further, and, leaving his work unfinished, he left the room and shut the heavy door behind him.
"Now, boy, shall I await your pleasure?"
"Please listen," Philip said, finally finding his voice. "I have to tell you, John is–"
"Is dead," Robert said flatly. "I have had that news already. What I came for now is to know why my orders were disobeyed and why you are not on your knees before your king."
"But, he is dead. Your son–"
"Immediately, my lord of Caladen!"
He did not care. The realization struck Philip harder than the weapons of the enemy had. John was dead, and his father did not care. He did not care.
His eyes flashing accusation, Philip took a deep breath then pushed the bedclothes from him and got shakily to his feet. Steadying himself on the edge of the bed, he dropped heavily to his knees.
"You have been disobedient to me," Robert said, "against the duty you owe me as your king and as your father. There can be no excuse for it. None. Nothing that has happened here justifies your rebelliousness. This might have ended up a disaster for Afton , because of your willfulness."
Philip fixed his gaze on the floor and set his mouth in a tight line. "You know full well why I disobeyed. The power here was not by half strong enough to meet the attack, and we knew of it before they struck, well before, and yet you sent no help, not so much as a word in answer to John's pleas. I could not choose but to disobey you. It might have been enough to lose this town and many others along with it had I stayed in Maughn as you ordered." He glanced up and again there was reproach in his eyes. "The casualties were heavy enough."
"You had no right to question my command," Robert said. "If Tanglewood had fallen, the next stronghold would have been Maughn. Maughn has been left defenseless for over a week now!"
"If I had not come, Tanglewood would have surely been taken and Maughn would be under siege. You know that as well as I."
"I will not be disobeyed again. There's punishment for treason, boy, even for princes."
Robert turned to go but Philip's next question stopped him.
"Why?" Philip demanded, then he choked back a sob and asked again, "Why?"
The anger had gone out of his tone, the reproach and defiance, too. All that was left was a wounded pleading that must have somehow tugged at Robert's guilty heart, making him turn back around.
"Why did you let this happen to John, Father?"
"I? Any man may die in a battle. I'm for certain not to blame for it."
"You wanted him to die," Philip said, still hardly able to believe it himself. "Even if you had to lose Tanglewood with him, you wanted him to be dead. Why? What did he do that made you stop loving him?"
"If it had not been for him, Richard would never have come here. Richard would be alive yet."
"That was your pride and Richard's. You cannot lay the blame of that on John."
"It is not for you to question me, Philip," Robert said, avoiding his son's eyes, but Philip refused to leave it at that.
"Just tell me why. Please, Father, I have to know. I know why you took Kate's life." Somehow his voice held steady. "Whatever she was to me, she was nothing to you. But John– I have to know what could make a man hate his own son."
"John was not my son!"
Philip stared at his father, stunned by the fierce words, suddenly dizzy. "That's a lie," he said finally, his voice low. "Whoever told you that was lying. He had to be." His voice was desperate now, but there was nothing in his father's expression that left any room for hope.
"I heard your
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