The Forgotten

17

Miles away.....

Sitting in the back part of the common room in a local Inn three men talked quietly amongst themselves as they planned.

"Son, I'm telling you to wait. If you wait and let them get married an wait until MIra is pregnant, that boy will do whatever we want to get his heir back. He will even surrender his wife to you." Said the older of the three.

"That's the point, Father! I want her before he has her. I want to ruin her in a way that that bastard will not want her anymore. I want her to experience absolute terror knowing that I will impregnate her and there is nothing she will be able to do anything about it. I will then take my child from her and impregnate her again. I want to make her my own personal baby breeder. Tine will never want her once she is spoiled. He will reject her and then she will have no choice but to accept me!" The young man who spoke, his eyes shone bright with madness and anger. He hated what had been stolen from him! She should have been his! His father promised her to him. In his mind, it didn't matter that it was her choice and she had not chosen him. He wanted her and that should have been the end of the argument.

The third man sitting with them listened to the youngest with some unease. He was beginning to wonder who or what he had tied himself to. The family was mad. The lot of them. Even the sire had madness shining from his eyes. But the boy, his face was twisted with an unforgiving rage and a demented expression would light his face whenever that girl's name was mentioned. He genuinely feared for the girl's safety, as well as that of her family.

"Robard, go and tell the Lording, my cousin that we will be to the palace tomorrow to discuss the terms of the taking of the town of my wife. The older man spat the words "my wife" as though they contained venom. Considering the circumstances of the two men's arrival in the local town, he wasn't surprised by his attitude.

Robard gladly and hastily got up to leave when the boy spoke. "Robard, tell my cousin that I shall know of any wrong done against me, I have spies everywhere." Robard felt a chill run down his spine at the words.

Leaving the Inn, he arrived at his Lord's castle after having run his horse hard to reach there. Being calling to his presence, his Lord faced him and laid a finger on his own lips. Indicating that Robard remain silent. Robard simply nodded his head in understanding.

"You know, Robard, it is a fabulous time of year to go stag hunting. What say you that we go on a hunt on the morrow? Just the two of us?" The Lord stated and a clear voice.

Understanding what  his lordship was doing, Robard responded, My Lord, I think it is a fine idea. We haven't been hunting together in years. I will clean my shotguns tonight then get to bed early as I know you will wish to leave early."

Smiling at each other, Robard bowed and left his lordship's presence and going to his room to pack for the trip to the mountains. The words used by the Lord were a code that the two of them used a lot when growing up. Stag hunting was going to the mountains for seclusion. Going camping was going sailing and going fishing was traveling the backroads, incognito to view how his people were doing.

Robard was up before the sun. Grabbing his bags and his two prized hunting shotguns, he headed down to the kitchen to gather food and supplies for the likely three or four day journey. There in the kitchen was Meena. A lusty little wench who sometimes warmed his bed. This morning however, instead of sidling up to him, she stayed across the room and would not look at him. When Robard realized something was amiss, he crossed the room and grabbed her chin in his hand. He gasped when he saw her face. It was a mass of bruises and a large handprint .

"Who!" He growled.

Meena tried to shake her head, but e was insistent. Large tears welled up in her eyes and overflowed. "The new blacksmith. He said that if I didn't warm his bad then he would make sure no man would want me, then he...then he...." Meena did not have to finish for Robard to understand. Just as he pulled her to him and a tight hug, Lord Richard came into the kitchen. 

When he saw them, he noticed immediately that Robard's face was a mask of rage and that Meena's whole body was shaking. Interrupting the two, Richard became angry when he too saw the slight girl's face. Calling the Kitchen maid, he ordered her taken to his mother and cared for, and to not be allowed out of the Lady's sight until they returned. Then Richard and Robard gathered his steward and several guards and went to the forge. After all, it was on the way to the stables.

When they reached the stables, the new blacksmith had another young girl cornered. This one, no more than twelve or thirteen. In a loud voice, Richard yelled the blacksmith's name. "Mr. Evers!!!!"

The startled blacksmith turned, allowing the young girl to escape and run to Robard. Looking her over quickly he realized that she had narrowly avoided the same fate as Meena. Her clothing was torn and she had finger marks on her upper arms and a handprint on the side of her face.

"Do you make a habit of forcing girls to have sex with you, or any of the other staff?" Richard was angry and it showed in his tone and facial features. But the blacksmith must have thought he could bluff his way out.

"You know how it is, your Lordship. A man has needs, after all. That kitchen girl last night would only let me go so far then she tried to tell me that I couldn't have what she was offering freely to anyone else." He said with a smirk on his face.

"Oh aye, I understand, " Said Richard, "And the girl just now. She is but a babe. What pleasure could she possible give you." Richard asked harshly.

Realizing that he had made a terrible mistake, he saw the guards surrounding him in the forge. "Now wait a minute, you Lordship. That one was always coming in her, teasing and flirting. I was tired of it and was going to give her what she had been asking for!" 

Richard made a gesture and the black smith was tackled to the ground and put in chains. When the captain of the guard brought Evers to stand in front of the Lord, he asked, "What do you want done with him?"

"Put him in the cells until I come back. Then I will decide what to do with him." Richard stated coldly before turning his back on the struggling man. Looking to the girl, he called his sister over. "Greta, what were you doing in here? You know mother doesn't want you to learn any of this!"

Greta hung her head and cried silent tears until her brother gathered her up in his arms and shushed her. "My steward will take care of you until you have healed, then I will send you to visit Mira for a time. How's that?" Greta nodded and went with the steward as the two men left to go on their journey.

After traveling a good portion of the day, the two reached a secluded cabin hidden of the side of a mountain. This was their quiet place. No they were not lovers. Just very close friends and cousins. This was a fact that was hidden form the world. It had it easier for Robard to gain entrance to places otherwise not accessible to members of the royal family.

After unloading the pack animals and settling their horses and mule in the stables with grain and fresh hay, they sat down to enjoy the sandwiches that the kitchen always supplied them with. The men ate in silence and did not speak until they were finished eating and drinking their ale.

When Robard told Richard of the conversation the three men had the previous night, Richard grew incredibly angry. Do they not realize that Lady Amethyst is my cousin by marriage? That her husband Isaac is my cousin. His mother and mine are sister's. I realize that Anton is my Father's uncle, but I will have no part in this, this...debacle that he and his mad son are planning. When we send Greta, you will be her escort and I will send a letter to Lord Isaac and to Tomias the village Elder. We cannot allow history to repeat itself!"

Unaware inside the cabin, a small unusual bird-like creature sat on a branch listening. When it had heard enough, it flew off silently to warn it's master of the coming state of affairs.