Earning the Love of a Princess-Chapter 219: To Freedom
"I made my way through Moraigth, stopping off at villages when I needed food and shelter." Malcolm continued his story.
"In your armour?" William asked. "But wouldn’t the villagers have recognised you as a royal knight and shamed you for fleeing the battlefield?" In Islia, deserting soldiers were treated as the very worst of criminals.
Malcolm regarded him coldly. "You’re assuming that every village supported their king and his cause, which wasn’t true. There were a great many who opposed our uncle, especially when it became known he’d be forced to rely on the Islians of all people, to hold onto his throne. Why do you think Father-?" Malcolm stopped himself abruptly. "Never mind. All I’ll say is that at some villages, I was welcomed when I told them I was a soldier deserting the king. At other villages, I’d tell the people I was loyal to the king and had managed to escape from the Moraigthian rebels."
"How long did it take you to cross Moraigth on foot?" Camilla asked.
"Weeks." Malcolm asked wearily. "It was slow progress, moving only small distances at a time, always on the watch for anyone who might recognise me. After a while, illness started to slow me down. I knew if I didn’t do something drastic to find the money for a horse, I would likely die before I could reach the borderlands. So I did something I never thought I’d have to do."
"What?" William expected Malcolm to say that he’d robbed or murdered a noble for gold.
Malcolm’s face was dark with shame, when he looked at his sister and said in a low voice, "I pawned my signet ring."
Camilla shook her head. "It doesn’t matter, Mal. It was just a ring. Your survival was far more important than a possession."
"Yes, I know." Malcolm sighed. "I just wish there had been another way."
"Wait, wait!" William interrupted. "What is this ring you’re both talking about?"
"My brothers each had a gold signet ring they all wore, engraved with the royal crest. Father had them made for his sons and he wore one also." Camilla explained.
"Father gave us the rings to remind us that no matter how many slights and snubs our beloved uncle aimed our way, we were the future of Moraigth." Malcolm smiled sadly as he rubbed his now bare smallest finger. "Ironic, isn’t it?"
The three were quiet for a few moments, then Malcolm asked quite unexpectedly, "Do you still have your ring, sister?"
Camilla smiled back and silently held up her hand, which had a slim, pearl studded ring on her smallest finger. William had never seen her remove it.
Malcolm beamed when he saw it, then told William, "This girl used to always complain that she didn’t have a gold ring to match her brothers and that she felt left out. So I gifted her that ring for one of her birthdays. But I thought a chunky signet ring would look wrong on her little hand, so I had something more delicate made."
"How did you sell your signet ring without raising suspicion, though?" Camilla asked.
"Oh, that was easy." Malcolm shrugged. "I found myself in a town not far from Riordan Castle, which I knew had thrown its loyalty behind King Kenneth. I told the pawnshop owner there that I’d ripped it from the hand of Duke Robert’s youngest son, who I had helped hang from a tree. The owner not only gave me a hefty purse of gold coins, but also offered me shelter that night in his own house."
William’s jaw dropped both at Malcolm’s deviousness and his ability to tell the story as if his actions had been minor.
Even Camilla looked shocked. "That is outrageous. And yet, had Father still been alive, I think he would’ve been rather proud of your initiative."
"I tend to agree. Once I had the coins, I was able to buy a horse and cover distances a lot faster. Eventually, I crossed over into Havietten. I then kept travelling west until I found myself in the city of Prior. The city is only a short distance to the port at which all the trading ships dock as they travel between Havietten and Al Biscay. I managed to find steady work at the port, aiding the merchants. Eventually, I found myself settling down."
The thought of a royal prince disguising himself to work as a portside merchant sounded almost fantastical to William. "But why did you stay in Prior? Why didn’t you just cross over into Al Biscay immediately?"
"Because I needed money. I wasn’t travelling as a prince. The coins I received for my ring allowed me to reach the port but it wasn’t enough to start a life in a new country." Malcolm explained. "The second reason was the language. I didn’t speak a word of Biscayan. But I thought if I worked as a merchant, I’d cross paths with Biscayan traders and sailors regularly and at least learn a little of their language."
"How long did you stay in Prior? When did you cross the sea to Al Biscay?" William was absorbed in the evolving tale.
"I never did." Malcolm admitted. "After a few months, I met Maeve."
"Maeve?"
"The port master’s daughter. We married a year ago and we have a four month old daughter named Valerie, who is a delight." Malcolm smiled.
"What? You’re married? I...I can’t believe it, that you have a wife...and a child!" Camilla stumbled over her words. Her sharp tone ended up waking her small son, who lifted his head from his uncle’s chest and started to fuss.
"Now you know how I felt when I found out about you and your marriage, Camilla!" The elder Malcolm patted the toddler’s back and gently shushed him until he settled back to sleep again.
Camilla watched, eyes narrowed. "I did think you seemed far too much at ease with a baby for someone who’d never really been around children. So you plan to remain in Havietten with your family, then?"
Malcolm shook his head. "No, it was always my intention to eventually board a ship to Al Biscay. I’ve used the time in Prior to gather money and learn the language. I’m fairly fluent in Biscayan now. I also used the time to gather knowledge about our mother’s kin. It’s her elder brother who holds the family earldom now. I wrote to him to explain who I was and how I’d ended up in a Haviettenese port. The earl actually replied and we started exchanging letters."
"With our uncle? And you were honest with him about who you were?" Camilla squeaked in shock.
"Yes, our uncle’s name is Afonso." Malcom smiled. "He has invited me to settle in his earldom, along with my family. We sail for Al Biscay in November. But when I discovered that you had survived the sacking of Arlen and were now living here, I couldn’t depart for the western continent without seeing you. I had to make sure were alright first. Maeve understood my reasons."
Camilla sat on the couch in silence, blinking as she tried to absorb everything her brother had shared.
Malcolm in turn, regarded her quietly. "My lord, sister. You’re just stunning. You look so much like our mother, it’s uncanny. I remember how Father always said that you’d grow up to be the most beautiful woman on the continent, save for Mother."
Camilla smiled shyly, tucking her knees against her chest. She finally spoke. "I can’t...this is all going to take a while for me to process. I just wish I’d known beforehand you were arriving so that I could’ve prepared...I wish we could have more time together." William could see her eyes glazing with tears.
"I know." Malcolm replied in a voice quiet with sorrow. "I must leave tomorrow regardless. But to have seen you and to know that you’re in good health...to know that not everything I loved went up in flames that day at Arlen...you don’t realise what a blessing that is for me, Camilla. Truly."
"You’re leaving tomorrow? Why?" William looked at him, perplexed.
"Because I have no plans to arouse suspicion here. I’ve no idea if your wily king would embrace me or gut me like an animal." Malcolm huffed out a laugh. "And I think you hiding a humble merchant named Malcolm Artur in your rooms for days on end would raise questions, don’t you?"
"Artur?" The strange name rolled off William’s tongue.
"Well I was hardly going to be able to start a peaceful new life with the family name of Stephenson, was I?" Malcolm snorted. "I found out that Artur means ’to freedom’ in Biscay. It seemed an apt choice."
At that moment, little Malcolm raised his head and his face started to crumple. Looking around sleepily at the three adults, he stretched out his arms towards his mother.
Camilla stood up from the couch and gathered her son into her arms. "I’ll take him to his nurse now for his dinner and bath."
William nodded. "Speaking of dinner, I’ll ask Casimir to bring food here. He can send a message to the king excusing us, saying I’m feeling ill."
Camilla swept out of the presence chamber and out into the corridor. William remained back with Malcolm, feeling the man’s gaze boring into him.
After a few more moments of chilly silence, William stood up from his chair. "You must be hungry. I’ll go arrange for some food." he muttered, anxious to put some distance between him and the man watching him.
