My Lord Raven (Knights of the Royal Household)

Chapter One

CHAPTER ONE

The King’s Tournament, near Shrewsbury

October 1283

“Let me pass!”

Lady Catrin Fitzalan, chest heaving from her haste, glared at the tall, imposing knight who barred her way. How dare he block the path? Her brother Gilbert waited for her at his tent where he made ready for the king’s forthcoming mêlée.

Yet, the knight said nothing, just stood in her way, his mail-clad legs spread in a determined stance.

The back of her neck prickled with unease. Before her stood a fearsome creature in full battle armor, broad of shoulder and chest. He wore no crest upon his great helm or coat of arms upon his black surcoat. Why did he glower at her through the sights of his visor?

Drawing an angry breath, she made a fist. “If I were a man, I’d force you out of my way!”

The brute raised his leather gauntlet and pointed at the red silk scarf she gripped in her other hand. “If you were a man,” he mocked her in a carefree voice, “I would not find myself seeking your favor.”

Her chin came up. She clutched the scarf. Did he think she’d part with her precious favor on the day of her brother’s first tournament? She and her cousin Olwen had spent hours on its creation, each embroidering a Rothmore golden lion rampant on opposite ends of the silk stole for Gilbert to tie on his sleeve this special day.

“Stand aside,” she ordered. “You will gain no favor from me.”

“Then you will not pass this way.” His words hissed through the breathing holes in his face guard. “I will have your favor.”

Catrin swayed, frustration simmering into fury. “You presume too much, knave!”

“My lady, you dishonor me.” He bowed slightly. “I am the king’s servant, but I’m no unscrupulous boy.”

He leisurely removed the helm from his head, revealing harsh and rugged features. Black eyebrows drew into a frown above the bridge of his straight, hawkish nose. As custom, his upper lip was clean-shaven. She could see no more of him, for he wore a mail coif with a ventail wrapped under his chin.

Yet, she could not tear her gaze from his glittering and wickedly beautiful eyes. He had a wild-blooded look about him that stole her breath away. For an instant, she thought him threatening. What else must account for the strange flutter in her chest?

“As God is my witness, I mean you no harm.” His eyes sparkled and a smile now tilted one corner of his mouth. “I only ask for part of your favor, a simple silken token to carry with me into the lists, for I have no maiden fair. Will you honor me, my lady?”

Dare she believe the sincerity of his request? His flattery? Catrin bit her lip, looking for a way to escape. She’d no more time for banter. The tournament would soon start, and she must deliver the scarf to Gilbert.

She glanced at the knight again. The amused light in his eyes darkened.

“Oh, very well,” she said, abruptly making up her mind to cover the surprising tingle of attraction. “My brother waits. I have no time for your foolish game.”

“I insist, my lady.”

“You may not have it all.” Catrin held the scarf between her outstretched hands.

Her tormentor smiled slightly, lifted his sword, and deftly sliced the scarf in two.

Catching her breath, she thrust her right hand forward. “Take this if you must.”

Bowing as any chivalrous warrior might, he accepted the jagged piece of silk without a thank you and stepped aside with a courteous bow. “You may pass, my lady.”

Catrin picked up her skirts and bolted from him, sprinting as fast as she’d run during childhood days in the fields near Clun Castle.

“Gilbert, stand still!” Catrin clapped her hands impatient with her brother’s shifting from foot to foot.

Dressed and ready for the tournament, Gilbert wore a red surcoat emblazoned with the Rothmore coat of arms—a golden lion standing on one hind foot with a foreleg raised above the other and the head in profile. He cradled his great helm under an arm.

Gilbert’s squire stood beside him, holding the reins of his spirited destrier in one hand and the tourney lance in another.

“You will be proud of me this day, sweet sister.”

“I always am proud of you, my lord,” she said, her heart filled with love.

He winked. “Get on with it then, sister, for I have important men’s work to do.”

“Hush, you ungrateful boy,” Catrin said in a playful tone.

As long as she could remember, she’d cared for Gilbert. Their mother had died in childbirth with him. Being two years older, she’d taken on the role of mother. Gilbert had always been such a capricious child. Yet, now he was a man full grown, recently knighted, and since the murder of their father, a powerful earl in his own right.

She tied the torn scarf around his mail-clad arm. Lifting up on tiptoes, she kissed his cheek. Dear God, I love him .

In her eyes, Gilbert was yet a boy, playing at being a man. One day he’d compete with the best knights in the land. God willing, he’d return from the lists in one piece today.

“Be safe, my lord brother.”

He laughed, impatient with her. “Aye, Catrin, you need not fear.”

She gave him a quick hug for luck before he turned from her.

A short time later, Catrin elbowed her way through the crush of bodies assembled on the edge of the lists, a level and cleared field the king’s men had fenced to make ready for the mock combat to come. Trumpets blared and a hush of anticipation settled over the crowd.

’Twas a sunny, autumn day with a chill in the air. Everyone was in high spirits, because of King Edward’s triumph over the rebellious Welsh. Tomorrow the king would execute Daffyd, the traitorous Prince of Wales, but today Edward licensed this tournament “for pleasure” so his barons might celebrate.

For the first time since the death of her father on Lammas Day, a twinge of hope filled Catrin. How could it not? Gilbert was so anxious to prove himself.

A yeoman guard at the foot of the steps let her pass, and Catrin climbed to the temporary scaffold facing the list. Inching forward through the highborn throng of finely clad and perfumed ladies, she claimed a spot at the railing.

Warriors mounted on specially trained destriers dotted the field below. King Edward’s household knights formed a line on the right, and on the left stood the ranks of competing barons. Vivid pennants of vermilion, blue, and white fluttered in the wind. Lances painted every color caught the afternoon sunlight, flashing bold and bright.

Catrin’s pulse raced. She leaned against the rough railing, attempting to catch a view of her brother, but even with identifying crests and personal coats of arms, she found it impossible to locate him.

Knights held their straining horses and couched their lances. Suddenly, the herald sounded a trumpet and a man cut the long cord separating the opposing forces. The free-for-all started with a thunderous charge and shrill cries of “Huzzah!”

“Where is your cousin Olwen?” the Countess of Rothmore asked over the din of cracking lances and shouts of men.

Catrin tensed at the sound of her stepmother’s voice and gripped the railing. Long held resentment settled hard against her heart. Before she spoke, she prayed for Christian charity, hoping to temper the unholy dislike for Isadora, the woman who’d come to live at Clun Castle as a sixteen-year-old bride eleven years earlier.

“She chose to remain at the pavilion,” Catrin answered as evenly as possible, not looking at the older woman who stood behind her.

“More than likely closeted with her prayer beads,” Isadora snorted.

Catrin turned to glare at her stepmother and bit her lower lip to hold back harsh words. The former Isadora Mortimer, young second wife of her father Earl Rothmore, John Fitzalan, was of high birth and carried herself erect and with grace as if she were Queen Eleanor herself.

“You know she fears for Gilbert’s safety,” Catrin said. “Olwen cannot bear to see him hurt and so is saying prayers for his well-being.”

Isadora shook her head. “’Twould be better if she were more concerned about her own welfare. She needs a husband, else Edward will choose one for her.”

“He will do that no matter, my lady. We are royal wards,” Catrin reminded her and rudely turned back to the battle.

Left and right, riders tumbled from lathered horses. Knights who remained astride drew swords, calling for those downed to accept surrender. Others rushed to their comrades’ defense. Yet she didn’t spy Gilbert. Concern weighed upon her. Then the herald sounded retreat, thus ending the rough-and-tumble mêlée. King Edward’s men had won the day.

The spectacle was not over. But not for long.

From the end of the list, a lone knight, garbed all in black galloped to the middle of the field and reined his big, black destrier in circles, challenging one and all. An unknown knight riding alone into the lists ’twas not uncommon.

However, a buzz of curiosity erupted from the crowd, for the black knight bore neither crest nor distinction upon his person. Tipping his lance to the stands where King Edward and Queen Eleanor watched, he acknowledged them. The crowd cheered.

Catrin stiffened her back. Her heart skipped once, twice. When no one accepted his challenge, the knight spurred his horse around the edge of the stockade, the great animal’s head bobbing with each prancing step. Billowing with every jarring motion was her silky scarf, now tied to the anonymous knight’s right arm.

Catrin touched her lips with cold fingers. ’Tis the black knight who blocked my path . She sucked in a sharp breath. Why did her pulse suddenly beat with such fierce passion? Was she secretly flattered by the man’s rude attention?

Lady Rothmore spat the name like a curse. “The King’s Raven.”

Catrin glanced at her stepmother. “He wears no badge. How do you know it’s the King’s Raven?”

“’Twas disclosed the black knight would compete today as king’s champion.”

Her stepmother’s words sank in, and a slow dread crawled through Catrin’s stomach. The King’s Raven was reputed to murder in cold blood, ravish women, and then plunder his victims’ possessions for his own gain. To think she’d given her favor to this black-hearted beast, the very man many people accused of murdering her father.

“How can you be certain ’tis he?” Catrin asked.

“Lord Leighton told me the black knight would ride.”

Guy de Hastings, Lord Leighton. Catrin disliked the family’s pompous neighbor who coveted their land. The baron had brought her father’s body home to Clun Castle that dreadful day several months earlier. Claiming to have witnessed the murder, Lord Leighton was oddly too far away to have prevented it. His failure hadn’t stopped him from blaming the king’s champion of doing the deed, yet he presented no proof, nothing but his word, which was oft maligned. From that accusation, word had spread, indicting the knight of the royal household.

Many wondered aloud if Leighton had committed the crime instead. Others said a murderer would not have so boldly brought the earl’s body home.

With no further witnesses and no proof, King Edward believed his favorite, not the feckless baron. Thus, the king had dismissed Leighton’s indictment and the matter was dropped.

Except by Catrin.

She clamped her teeth together, fighting frustration and a simmering anger. Justice had not been served. Her father’s murderer went unpunished.

At that moment, a stir among the spectators grew into a cheer. Catrin’s attention shifted to the far end of the lists. Another lone knight entered the field, signaling acceptance of the challenge.

Catrin held her breath.

The Rothmore coat of arms.

“What does Gilbert do?” Isadora demanded .

Always Catrin had defended her brother and now would be no exception. She stiffened, setting her jaw. ’Twould not do for Isadora to see her sudden fear. “Gilbert vowed to make me proud today,” she said softly. “Mayhap he believes Leighton’s accusation and seeks revenge.”

Trumpets blared again. The challenge was now met. Almost directly in front of her, the black knight settled his destrier, controlling the horse with one hand and holding him back as he readied the steed to run the course. Then he lowered his lance over the left side of the horse’s neck and tucked the butt end of the weapon under his arm. At the far end of the field, Gilbert did the same.

“He’s no match for a seasoned knight.” A cruel smirk curled Isadora’s lip. “The foolish lad will be unseated.”

Catrin held her tongue. She feared the same and even worse but refused to acknowledge her concern. Her pulse quickened. Would that she held Gilbert in her hands right now, for she wanted to box his ears.

The spectators murmured in expectation. Then silence fell. Catrin only had eyes for her younger brother. Gilbert leaned forward in the saddle, tucked his chin and raised his shield. He pushed his feet forward in his stirrups and charged. The crowd screamed their encouragement.

Catrin’s gaze darted to the black knight who had urged his horse forward. She swallowed fast and hard, sickened by the power of the rushing steed. Gilbert stood no chance. His opponent rode with more experience and confidence. Even at a distance, the disparity was evident.

“Wait…Wait…” she muttered, straining forward as if to will her brother patience.

At the last second, the seasoned knight moved first, thrust forward, rising in his stirrups, and struck Gilbert’s shield, the full weight of man and horse behind his single blow. The force jerked her brother’s lance upward and knocked the boy backward off the horse. He landed in the dirt. The crowd cheered for the king’s champion.

Catrin’s fingers bit into the wood of the railing. She couldn’t go to Gilbert, although every fiber in her being urged her to run across the field to his defense. She would not dishonor her brother. Nay, he had accepted the challenge. Now let him suffer the consequences.

Nonetheless, she held her breath until Gilbert struggled to his feet.

A hue and cry arose. “Look! The Earl of Rothmore uses no coronel!” someone shouted. “His lance is not blunted!”

“The young earl fights unfairly!” another exclaimed.

“Heavenly Father,” Isadora murmured, “the crowd speaks truth.”

The implications of Gilbert’s actions chilled Catrin. She lifted her hand once more to her lips, knowing full well her brother’s actions dishonored the whole family. By fighting with an improperly fitted tourney lance, Gilbert intention had not been sport. He had tried to kill the royal champion.

Thus, he had struck a symbolic blow against King Edward himself.

The black knight rode forward calling for her brother’s surrender, but Gilbert stood his ground, not backing away from the challenge. The crowd cried out when Gilbert drew his sword, the mighty, razor-sharp sword of the Rothmore earldom.

God save him! What was her foolish brother thinking? Revenge was not worth his death.

The black knight slid from his horse. In a slow and deliberate move, he turned his back, a sign of great disrespect, and drew his tourney sword from the sheath on his saddle. When he faced Gilbert, her brother charged. Squires and tournament judges rushed forward to stop the fight. Spectators gasped.

’Twas no contest. With one swift motion, the champion disarmed Gilbert, sending the Rothmore war sword sailing high into the air.

The family’s disgrace was complete. Yet Gilbert lived. The King’s Raven had spared the life of the brother she held most dear.

Catrin shut her eyes for a moment and gave thanks for the black knight’s forbearance. She had lost too many of her family. How could she bear to lose another?