The King's Artist

Ch 61: Alms

Henry watched the men training from a distance, a soft smile on his face as he observed Adelaide. She was yelling at some of the younger recruits for being reckless. Henry couldn't help laughing as she proceeded to smack each one of them on the back of the head. She barked a few more things before the boys were sent to do laps.

"Are you sure you don't want to bring either of them with us?" Theodore asked, his horse sidling up next to Henry's. "We're not expecting trouble, but Sir Arthur and Sir Kayden would still be good additions to your company."

The young Lord shook his head and pulled on the reins of his own mare.

"Let them be," he said as they began to trot away from the fields. "They both could use some exercise and fresh air." Which wasn't a lie. Henry knew very well the two of them were getting increasingly bored sitting near him while he had meetings or writing out correspondences.

Theodore didn't make any additional comments as they began making their way through the winding passages of the village. Their group was conveniently small, containing only Henry, Jasper, Theodore, Harry, Anthony, Marcus, the Livingstons, and lastly, Roland. Their destination wasn't a far journey. In fact, they weren't even leaving Vannes, but they'd still decided to go by horseback in case a speedy get-away was necessary and to save energy.

Before long, Vannes Cathedral towered into view. Its granite glittered under the morning light and loomed over the adjacent infrastructures. The arched entrance was accented by intricate carvings and grey trimmings that roamed over the entire cathedral. Henry took a moment to admire the beauty before they dismounted and made their way inside. They were welcomed by numerous windows that let in floods of natural light and thick, white stone columns that supported the high arching ceiling. A few candles were lit, as well, and Henry stopped for a moment as he took in the flooring, which was covered in tombstones.

Henry didn't dwell on that fact as he and his uncle greeted the Bishop. They had arrived at Vannes Cathedral with the intention of offering alms. The Church seemed grateful for the gesture, taking the money and happily shuffling it out of the room before any onlookers could get a true look at the bag's weight or size.

"We truly appreciate the offering," the Bishop was telling Henry's uncle while gripping Jasper's hand. He continued singing them lavish praises and looked torn between returning to his duties and remaining with their party.

"We are simply doing what he can," Jasper answered, squeezing the man's hand in return before taking a step back. The Bishop smiled brightly, said a few more words of thanks, prayed over them, and returned to the group of people waiting for him off to the side of the altar.

As happy as Henry was to offer alms to the Vanne Cathedral, he had hoped to do more. So much of the town was poor and starving, and Henry couldn't help but think about all the children like Roland who hadn't been so lucky to be picked up and adopted by an impulsive, cross-dressing soldier.

"We could stay and help the kitchen," Anthony suggested, noticing the look on Henry's face. Wordlessly, he nodded and their company departed for the kitchen where the staff there looked more than grateful to accept their help.

For the remainder of the morning and for part of the afternoon, Henry and his party helped the kitchen serve up bowl after bowl of soup. They handed out the servings to anyone who asked, giving them water and a slice of bread as well. Henry conversed with a variety of people, but the discussions were a mere exchange of pleasantries and short compliments with the occasional pray extended. The poor who gathered were far more interested in eating than they were in talking and getting to know the Tudors and the men who followed them.

"Henry," a child's voice said, tugging gently on his shirt sleeve. A bit surprised, Henry looked down at Roland who was beginning to look exhausted and hungry. He smiled at the young boy and knelt down so they were at eye level.