returning the boys but you are wrong; I have no influence with my people. My position as Lord Brantyen’s wife is no more. I am apparently not allowed to be Regent, against my husband’s dying wish. And without Jeren, I am only the mother of the missing heir. I fear I cannot help you.”
“I think you understate your position by some way, Falaise,” he insisted. “My man says that you are well respected in the village and have many friends there. Many of the people love you, not for who your husband was, but for yourself, and I can certainly understand why. Yes, the council is male dominated, but all those men go home to their wives at the end of the day. And those wives cook for them, they sleep with them and provide marital comforts and, above all else, they talk to them. And you talk to the wives. That is where your influence lies. You and Marta here, are not so different. You both have influence way beyond any official post you may hold.”
The two women looked at each other. Falaise put her arms around Marta and to David’s great surprise, both women burst into floods of tears.
“God’s teeth,” he muttered as Mo and Leyla came rushing up with tears in their eyes also and a fresh supply of linen handkerchiefs in their hands.
When the floods subsided, all four women looked at him without speaking but with expressions on their faces that ranged from pride to gratitude.
“What?” he exclaimed. “What did I say now?”
It was Marta who spoke for them. “Everything,” she replied softly. “You said everything that needed to be said, milord. And we thank you for it.”
David shook his head as Falaise spoke up next. “Lord David Held, you are a strange one but I think you will do very well. When you return with my son, you will have my strongest support within the village and I will bring all the influence I can, to bear on the council.”
“Thank you, Falaise. I will bring him back to you. But you remember I said earlier, there would be costs and there would be consequences?”
“I remember you saying it but I’m not sure what you meant by it.”
“If I go in there and rough up a not insignificant number of his soldiers, together with his tax collector and then deprive him of some eighty odd boys that he is expecting to see in Paelis, I fear that Duke Henry is going to be more than a little put out. He is going to send more troops, probably a lot more troops and with orders not to be so nice next time. The village cannot still be here when they arrive.”
“My people are used to moving on at short notice, David. They have had to do it many times before.”
“Then you had better prepare them to do so again because all hell is going to break loose when I come back with those boys.”
“Tomorrow, I will tell all the people who need to be told. Or at least, their wives,” she smiled.
“Thank you. And there is something I need you to do for me now.”
“Anything.”
“Jeren almost certainly does not know his father is dead. And he only knows me, or at least my men, as the bandits who kidnapped his mother. If I approach him without proof, he will likely accuse me of lying and jump to all sorts of unfortunate conclusions. I need some sort of token to show him. I also will need a letter from you explaining what has happened and stating explicitly that I am now working for you and that I’m not one of the bad guys anymore.”
“I have his father’s ring here which Jeren will recognise and if you would be kind enough to provide me with writing materials, I will draft the letter immediately.”
David nodded to Leyla who scurried away into the back of the tent.
“Thank you, Falaise. And now, if you’ll excuse me, I must go and talk to the men about tomorrow. Marta, we will be breaking camp at dawn. I want to move the camp to the other side of the village and then the men and I will be riding on.”
Marta nodded her agreement to this.
“Falaise, when you ride back to the village, Kemon
“I think you understate your position by some way, Falaise,” he insisted. “My man says that you are well respected in the village and have many friends there. Many of the people love you, not for who your husband was, but for yourself, and I can certainly understand why. Yes, the council is male dominated, but all those men go home to their wives at the end of the day. And those wives cook for them, they sleep with them and provide marital comforts and, above all else, they talk to them. And you talk to the wives. That is where your influence lies. You and Marta here, are not so different. You both have influence way beyond any official post you may hold.”
The two women looked at each other. Falaise put her arms around Marta and to David’s great surprise, both women burst into floods of tears.
“God’s teeth,” he muttered as Mo and Leyla came rushing up with tears in their eyes also and a fresh supply of linen handkerchiefs in their hands.
When the floods subsided, all four women looked at him without speaking but with expressions on their faces that ranged from pride to gratitude.
“What?” he exclaimed. “What did I say now?”
It was Marta who spoke for them. “Everything,” she replied softly. “You said everything that needed to be said, milord. And we thank you for it.”
David shook his head as Falaise spoke up next. “Lord David Held, you are a strange one but I think you will do very well. When you return with my son, you will have my strongest support within the village and I will bring all the influence I can, to bear on the council.”
“Thank you, Falaise. I will bring him back to you. But you remember I said earlier, there would be costs and there would be consequences?”
“I remember you saying it but I’m not sure what you meant by it.”
“If I go in there and rough up a not insignificant number of his soldiers, together with his tax collector and then deprive him of some eighty odd boys that he is expecting to see in Paelis, I fear that Duke Henry is going to be more than a little put out. He is going to send more troops, probably a lot more troops and with orders not to be so nice next time. The village cannot still be here when they arrive.”
“My people are used to moving on at short notice, David. They have had to do it many times before.”
“Then you had better prepare them to do so again because all hell is going to break loose when I come back with those boys.”
“Tomorrow, I will tell all the people who need to be told. Or at least, their wives,” she smiled.
“Thank you. And there is something I need you to do for me now.”
“Anything.”
“Jeren almost certainly does not know his father is dead. And he only knows me, or at least my men, as the bandits who kidnapped his mother. If I approach him without proof, he will likely accuse me of lying and jump to all sorts of unfortunate conclusions. I need some sort of token to show him. I also will need a letter from you explaining what has happened and stating explicitly that I am now working for you and that I’m not one of the bad guys anymore.”
“I have his father’s ring here which Jeren will recognise and if you would be kind enough to provide me with writing materials, I will draft the letter immediately.”
David nodded to Leyla who scurried away into the back of the tent.
“Thank you, Falaise. And now, if you’ll excuse me, I must go and talk to the men about tomorrow. Marta, we will be breaking camp at dawn. I want to move the camp to the other side of the village and then the men and I will be riding on.”
Marta nodded her agreement to this.
“Falaise, when you ride back to the village, Kemon
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