Serenity Valley (15 page)

We all took a moment to sip our wine
and consider what the lady had said. I asked, “Bells, why is it
that someone would take by force something that is within their own
capability to create?” Everyone was troubled by this question and
adopted looks of concentration.

“Gamel, that is a simple question with
a complex answer. The three of you have had a life here that I
envy. You have not had to experience the evil in the world. I tell
you, there are evil and cruel people out there. These people have
one thing in common. They only think of their own dark desires.
They are motivated by jealousy, greed, power, and often cruelty. I
believe this to be a form of insanity. They can come at you from
any direction, with any face. They are never happy because their
desires are insatiable. When they come at you, you can outthink
them, outmaneuver them, or employ my preferred method of dealing
them. I like to end them, so they do not come back. Their blight on
the world is discontinued.”

After some serious contemplation, Fulk
asked, “Bells, have you needed to end people before?”

“Yes, Fulk, I have. I take no joy in
it. It is a weight on the soul, but I have killed twenty people in
my defense and defending my family.”

I thought about that for a moment,
then asked, “Bells, have you had to kill since coming to Serenity
Valley?” Everyone looked with trained interest to the
lady.

“Yes, I have,” she answered. “I have
killed five men since my marriage to Goodwin. Three right here on
the property, and two while traveling.”

“Well, that’s certainly sobering.
Killers right here on hold lands. I guess we do live a sheltered
life.”

“Gamel, Basilea, Fulk, it is the life
you deserve. I fear that, before long, others will come to claim
the paradise we have. Of course, there is always the threat of my
father’s enemies too; they seek to strike at him through me. The
best advice I can give you when you are facing someone who wants
your life is: do not hesitate, do not pause to judge them, just
act, and leave judgment to God.” Everyone was a little stunned. We
continued to drink wine and watch the dancing flames until Fulk
spoke.

“Look, everyone,” he said, “look at
the bright side of it all. At least we will be proficient at
arranging their overdue meeting with God.”

Everyone, serious in thought and
slowed by the wine, took a few moments to realize what Fulk had
said. When we turned our focus to him, Fulk was grinning like an
opossum caught with an egg. I don’t know what was funnier, what he
said or his stupid expression, but everyone lost control. The
lady’s personal guard must have thought we lost our
minds.

The Lady looked at Fulk, trying not to
laugh, and said, “You say the most profound things,” and we all
started laughing again. Fulk made another round with the wine skin,
even though we were all very drunk already. Basilea stood and
stumbled into the kitchen, soon returning with a loaf of bread. We
laughed and passed the bread around as each tore a desired chunk
from the loaf. We washed the bread down with more wine, of course.
We soon became quiet again, but content with our state of
mind.

Then, Bells asked, “Basilea, would you
care to join me on a trip to the crapper?”

Such a blunt question roused laughter,
although anything would be funny right now. Basilea said, “Yes, my,
my Bells. It would be a privilege.”

The two women headed out the front
door. Bells called, “Oh, Devin, have you seen a facility around
here?”

“Yes, my lady, right over here at the
treeline. Please take my arm so I may assist you.”

While the ladies were outside, Fulk
and I stepped out the rear door and relieved ourselves in the open
turnout. We checked on the horses and found them both down and
asleep in the covered turnout. Moonlight lit the stall area through
the light box. It was very impressive indeed. We resumed our
positions in our favorite places in front of the fire, and Fulk
added a bit of wood and stirred it in with a poker.

Soon the ladies were at the front
door. “Oh, thank you so much, Devin. You men stay warm. Build a
fire pit,” we could hear Bells say.

Devin replied, “Yes, my lady. Welcome,
my lady. Sleep well.”

In a slurred voice, Bells said, “Thank
you soooo much.”

When they rejoined us, Basilea took a
chair, and the lady promptly stretched out on the wide chair and
laid her head in my lap. She said, “I think I’ll just rest here a
bit, if you don’t mind too very much.” It was some time later that
I awoke to find everyone had fallen asleep. I looked at Lady
Bella’s face. She was so childlike in her sleep. I couldn’t help
but feel affection for her; Bells was a good person born into a
situation she could not control. If I could, I would make her life
more enjoyable.

I gently picked up her head and
slipped out from under her. I pulled down the bedcovers on the
extra bed in my quarters and added a few chunks of wood to the clay
stove. I was very impressed with the efficiency of the small stove.
I approached the lady and tried to wake her, but she would not be
revived. This was probably the best sleep she'd had in a long time.
Well, I didn’t consider myself handsome, but I was strong. I picked
the lady up and moved her into the bed quarters. I removed her
tunic and suddenly realized the lady was armed. In a pouch in her
tunic were two of the death stars. In the back of her belt, I found
three throwing knives. When I removed her belt, I saw two daggers
of a kind I had never seen before. I placed all the weapons on the
bed table and removed her clothing down to undergarments. Then I
tucked the blankets in around her neck. I couldn’t help but bend
down and lightly kiss her forehead. “Goodnight, Bells. Sleep well,”
I murmured.

I straightened up and turned to
retrieve another charge and noticed Basilea leaning against the
doorway. Basilea walked over to me and said softly, “I sent Fulk to
bed. You know that’s how you put me to bed when you nursed me back
to health from the pox. You love the lady.”

“Yes, I do. She is a fine person with
an honest soul.”

“I know; I love her also. Is that your
bed?”

“Yes, go ahead. I’ll bunk with
Fulk.”

“Don’t be silly,” she argued, “get
in.”

I was puzzled, but I had no intention
of arguing about it. Soon I was in my underbritches and in bed.
Basilea stripped down to her undergarments and said, “Well, scoot
over, sir.” I quickly complied, and she joined me, pressing her
body against mine. She grabbed my arm and placed it over her
chest.

“Good night, Gamel.”

“Good night, my heart.” I withdrew my
hand and moved her golden hair from her neck and kissed her
lightly.

“That’s very good, dear sir. Get some
sleep now.”

I placed my arm back around her, which
she quickly grabbed and placed back on her chest, covering it with
her hand. She gave my hand a soft squeeze. I could feel Basilea’s
body rise and fall with her breath. I could smell the sweet bread
scent in her hair. Without notice, I slipped into a restful
sleep.

Morning came too soon. I had a
terrible headache, and my eyes remained blurry for some time after
I awoke. At first, I could not recognize where I was, but I could
recognize Basilea’s golden hair nestled against my chest. Then I
remembered we were in the new house. We had gotten drunk last
night, so Basilea and Lady Bella spent the night.

The clay stove in the corner still
produced heat. I thought about what an impressive device it was. I
carefully extricated myself from Basilea and got out of bed. As I
got dressed, Basilea stirred and said, “Good morning, good
sir.”

“Morning, dear one. Go back to sleep;
I just need to see to the horses.”

Basilea sat up on the edge of the bed,
rubbing the sides of her head. With a yawn, she said, “I need to
get up also. I’ll fix food to break fast.”

I finished dressing and stopped to
check on the lady. She was curled up on her side, her jet black
hair partially covering her face. She looked totally peaceful,
childlike. Seeing her like this, it was hard to imagine the strong,
independent Lady Bella. I could feel the affection for this woman
well up inside of me. I went to the great room and started a fire
in the hearth, then washed up at the basin. I exited out the rear
door to the turnout. The horses were not in the covered area, so I
went through the maze walls and out in the open area, with still no
sign of the horses. I walked around to the feed area and found
them. Mildred was dining on cut grass and feed grain at the trough.
Demon was busy getting his meal from Mildred. I said, “Well, good
morning, lady and gent.” Mildred just took a cursory look and
continued eating. All Demon could manage was a small grunt. I
checked the water and found it had been recently filled from the
well. I picked out a good-sized tree and moved to it and began to
relieve myself. Something caught my attention, and I looked to the
right, where I spied Fulk. He had obviously had the same idea and
was acting on it. I said, “Oye, Fulk, how goes things with
you?”

“Very well, if it weren't for this
blasted headache.”

“I know; me too. Guess it’s the price
for drinking so much.”

We finished our business and went back
in through the back. I walked through the house to the front door
and stepped outside. The guards had gathered some large stones to
form a fire pit. A good blaze was burning away the morning chill. I
noticed the guard had been changed.

“Good morning, Thereon,” I said as
greeting. “How goes it?”

“All is well, Gamel. Does the lady yet
sleep?”

“Yes, she still rests. Guess she
needed it.”

“We are all very happy the lady had a
good time last night. She deserves a rest from her
burdens.”

Nodding in agreement, I asked,
“Thereon, does the lady often carry weapons?”

“The lady is always armed, and she
knows how to use every one of them.”

“So you have seen her
fight?”

“I have observed her end two people,
if that be what you mean. It really wasn’t much of a
fight.”

“Over quick, was it?”

“They drew swords, and she cut them
down in the blink of an eye. She was walking away before they hit
the ground. Most impressive thing I ever seen. We all adore her.
Not a man on her guard would hesitate to give his life for
her!”

“Good to know. Let me see if the tea
is hot yet.”

I picked up the mugs that had been
left on the porch and entered the house. Fulk was setting the
table, and Basilea already had something cooking in her oven. The
smell of cooking pork strips at the hearth filled the great room. A
huge pot of tea was hanging in the hearth. I tended the pork
strips, removing the cooked ones and starting new ones. It wasn’t
long before I had a platter of cooked meat. By this time, Lady
Bella had dressed and entered the room. “Good morning, everyone,”
she said. We all said our good mornings, and she asked, “What is
that wonderful smell?”

“It's pork strips my, my Bells,” I
told her.

“It smells yummy!” she
said.

Basilea informed us, “We are having
fresh biscuits, pork strips, eggs, and hot tea to break our
fast.”

“Oh, Basilea, that sounds wonderful,”
Bells said. “Do we have enough hot tea for the guard?”

“We have plenty of everything. I will
make break fast biscuits for them,” she answered.

We all looked at one another, and I
asked, “What is a break fast biscuit?”

“I take a large biscuit, prepare the
halves with honey and butter, and put an egg and pork strips
inside. It is a meal all in one, easy to eat on your
feet.”

Lady Bella looked at Basilea. “That
sounds fantastic. I must try one myself.”

Fulk and I seconded the idea. When I
had enough pork strips finished, I poured out the extra grease and
started cooking eggs in the same pan. I broke the yolks so no one
would mess their clothes. With Basilea’s huge biscuits finished, we
began preparing the food. We prepared five of the huge
honey-buttered biscuits with two eggs each and pork strips. With
the biscuits prepared, a huge tray was loaded with the biscuits and
mugs of hot tea. Lady Bella took the tray out the front door. “Good
morning, Thereon, please call your men in to break their fast,” she
said cheerily.

“Yes, my lady; thank you, my lady, and
good morning to you also.”

The Lady returned inside, and we sat
together to break our fast. Bells said, “Oh, Basilea, this is good,
really good!”

“Thank you, Bells. It’s something we
make for people who have no time to sit and eat. It’s quick,
effective, and somewhat tasty.”

“Oh, Basilea,” I said, “the only thing
better is the reflection of water in your emerald eyes.”

Lady Bella choked a bit. Basilea
smiled and giggled. Fulk thought for a moment and stated, “Well,
yea, the eye thing and the black bread, of course.” We all
laughed.

Bells said, “My, Assistant Fulk, you
do command a keen wit.”

With our stomachs full, we discussed
our schedules for the day, and Lady Bella left for the main house.
Fulk and I decided to take the horses out for a training session.
Basilea was going to clean up the house, then report to the kitchen
to work with Ada’s daughter, Roesia, who would be taking over the
bakery.