Here Be Dragons - 1

he at once took the offensive, saying sharply,
20"Be that as it may, Richard had no right to ally himself with the KingFrancenot against his own sire!""You know damned well why he felt that need, Hugh! With the' brother Geoffrey dead in France last summer, that does leave but Richard and John in line for the succession, and Richard knows all ton well that his father loves him not.He knows, too, that Henry has eve favored John. What else can Richard think, except that his father means to raise John up to the place that is rightfully his?""And a right fine fear that be," Hugh scoffed, "one to cover a multitude of sins. You know fully as well as I that Henry could anoint John as the veryKing of Heaven for all it'd avail him. The lords of this realm would never countenance so flagrant a breach of the laws of inheritance Nor can you doubt the outcome. Whatever John might be given, he'd not long holdnot againstRichard. No, Rob, if that be the balm Richard uses to soothe his conscience, he is a man much in need of absolution."Robert's face was mottled, splotched with resentful red. "Richard is to be our next King, should God so will it, and I'll not have you speak ill of him in my hearing."Hugh sighed. By now he could recite the dialogue verbatim for these acrimonious exchanges. Rob was as blind as a barn owl in a noonbright sun, dazzled by Richard's celebrated skill with a sword. Mayhap it was true that he was the finest soldier in Christendom, but if he had in him the makings of a good King, Hugh had yet to see any signs of it. Like as not, he'd pawn London itself to raise the gold he needed for his foreign wars. And John . . . wouldJohn be any better? Hugh thought not.He came abruptly to his feet. Why offend Rob and unsettle himself? To what end? Let it lie.They were sequestered in the uppermost chamber of the castle keep, alone but for a bored page and a dozing mastiff, Robert's faithful shadow. The window was unshuttered; in winter it would be screened with oiled and thinly scraped hide, but this was summer and it was open to sun and sound from the tiltyard below. Hugh went to it and watched for a while."What do you watch?" The question was polite in tone, conciliatory in intent;Robert thrived on family discord no more than Hugh."Llewelyn and some of his friends." As Robert joined him, Hugh gestured toward a small group of youngsters gathered below. Llewelyn was mounted on a burnished chestnut gelding; as the boys watched, he lowered his lance, took aim, and sent the gelding cantering across the tiltyard. He hit the target off-center and the quintain swung about in a wide arc, the sandbag slicing through the air like an opponent's counter blow. It should have sent him tumbling from the saddle to the straw
21soften youthful falls. But Llewelyn twisted sideways in th^ e&Mleaning so far to his left that it seemed inevitable he'd be uru cl and the sandbag swept by harmlessly overhead. k^Hugh grinned. It was a showy stunt, an undeniably impressive feat emanship, one that Hugh had seen before. Robert had not, how^ ° er° and he swore in startled wonder. CV "How in Christ did he do that without breaking his neck?"Hugh laughed. "You'd not credit what I've seen that lad do or\ u rse I truly believe the Welsh do learn to ride even ere they're weaned."Below them, Stephen de Hodnet was taking his turn upon Lie-elvn's gelding. He, too, hit the quintain awry and, seconds later, went sprawling into the straw, with a bruising impact that earned him no sympathy from the two watching men; they had suffered too many such spills themselves during their own years as knightly apprentices.Reclaiming Sul, Llewelyn led it over to the fence, held out the reins to his brother. Adda shook his head, but Llewelyn persisted, maneuvering the gelding up to the fence so the younger boy could mount. Once securely in the saddle, Adda shed much of his awkwardness, and while he did not attempt the quintain, he put the gelding through several intricate maneuvers, showing himself to be a better rider than most of Llewelyn's friends.Robert frowned. No matter how often he told himself that it was unchristian to feel such abhorrence of deformity, he could not control his distaste, could not keep his eyes from Adda's twisted leg. Thank the Lord Jesus that his torn was sound of limb, that the younger boys, too, were whole."He lacks for spirit, that one. If not for Llewelyn's coaxing, I daresay he'd never stir from the hearth.""Well, it's hard on the lad, Rob, being lame. What future has he, after all?Under Welsh law, that crooked leg bars him from any claim to his father's lands."Robert shrugged. "He's not like to starve. Their law also holds that he must be provided for.""True, but would you want to be taken care oflike a woman? At thirteen, Adda's old enough to feel the shame of it."I suppose," Robert agreed, without interest. It was not that he wished Adda ill, merely that he regretted his engrafting onto the Corbet.ay tree- It was fortunate indeed that Llewelyn was of more promis-8 stock. "Tell me, Hugh, what plans have you made for Llewelyn'sWell, it is the custom in Wales for boys to be placed with a local when they reach fourteen or so. Whilst in his service, they learn the
22use of arms, the tactics of warfare, much like our youths do whilst serving as squires. Margaret thought to send Llewelyn back to her brothers for such training, but I think I've persuaded her that we should place him as a squire in a Norman household. I daresay the boy will balk at first, but I feel such a move would be in his best interest.""That is just