Corisande threw herself at him, her arms around his neck, her lips against his. Cole kissed her deeply and gratefully, so very thankful for this moment. It was the best thing he’d ever done, the happiest event he’d ever known, and even as he kissed Corisande, he could hear cheers and whistles.
He knew it was his brothers, the Executioner Knights, cheering him on.
Every last one of them.
For The Dark Spawn, the son of the most feared knight in the realm, and the strong, noble daughter of the hereditary King of Northumbria, that moment at the end of a battle was the beginning of their lives together. The start of a tide of blessings to come.
The genesis of a love that would last until the end of time.
Two souls that were finally one.
And they were the better for it.
EPILOGUE
Berwick
Two years later
The standard for The Black Dragon was flying high over the tournament field.
So was the standard for the God of Vengeance.
It was the greatest tournament that the north had yet seen, sponsored by the House of de Velt, Baron Blackadder, and his son, Lord Lambden, commander of Berwick Castle. Everyone who was anyone showed up for the games, something that had been promoted for an entire year.
Now, the day was here.
On the fields south of the city, where the armies for William Marshal had gathered two years earlier, now stood a newly built tournament arena. Great houses were encamped all over the field and there was an entire area dedicated to trades – smithies and the like – and another area dedicated to food.
That was where Cole and Corisande found themselves now.
They were with Jax and his wife and Cole’s mother, Kellington, who was carrying Cole and Corisande’s year-old son, Atlas. He wasn’t necessarily named for Corisande’s brother, but more that they simply both liked the name, but Uncle Atlas told anyone who would listen that the green-and-brown-eyed baby with the dark hair was indeed named for him.
Atlas the Younger, as he was known in the family, was smart and feisty, and just learning to walk, which made carrying him difficult for Kellington. She’d had six children of her own, but wrestling with a baby took a particular talent.
Atlas wanted to run.
They were walking with the crowds in the section that held the food vendors because Corisande, seven months pregnant with her second child, had smelled all of the wonderful smells from the ramparts of Berwick Castle and had asked her husband if they could procure some food. Being that she was with child, and at this stage eating anything she could get her hands on, Cole agreed and took his entire family down into the masses.
But what fun it had been, so far.
Corisande’s first selection of the day was a hollowed-out bowl of bread that contained beef and gravy. Cole, Jax, and Julian thought that was rather tasty-sounding, so they bought some as well. Addington and Effington, Cole’s younger sisters, weren’t interested in the food, but Addington in particular was interested in all of the handsome young knights who had come to the games, the joust of which was to begin shortly. So was Gaia, who had found a fast and true friend in Addington. The had been as thick as thieves since they were introduced two years ago. Everyone was purchasing their food before taking it into the lists.
“Papa, can we please go into the arena now?” Addington begged, holding Gaia’s hand as they leaned heavily in the direction of the lists. “We are going to miss the joust!”
Jax had a mouthful of beef. “We will not miss anything,” he said. “If you are not going to eat, hold the baby so your mother can eat.”
Addington looked at her nephew, as adorable as he was, and shook her head. “Nay,” she said flatly. “He likes to kick and I do not want to be kicked in the face. He kicked Gaia yesterday.”
Gaia pointed to her face where there was a tiny little red mark on her chin. “Look at what he did!” she said dramatically.
Jax tried not to grin at Gaia’s genuine outrage. “Terrible,” he said, but it sounded insincere. “But I can hardly see it. I think you are safe.”
Gaia was displeased with that answer and so was Addington. She pointed to her sister. “And Effie said he bit her yesterday.”
“He chewed on her,” Kellington clarified as she tried to distract the fussy baby by swinging him gently. “His teeth are sprouting. He did not bite her.”
Incensed, Effington held up a finger. “It is swollen, Mama,” she insisted. “Look how lumpy my finger is!”
Julian, well-entrenched in his food, snorted. “Lumpy,” he said. “You’d better not let your glorious beloved see that finger. He will cast you aside like a piece of moldy bread.”
Effington frowned. “At least I have an intended, which is more than can be said for you.”
The insults were starting to fly. That was usual with the de Velt brood. Three brothers against three lively sisters were normal, the chaos Jax and Kellington had brought into the world but chaos he lived for. Before he could put up a hand to prevent a fight, he heard someone calling his name.
“Papa! Mother!”
They all turned to the sound of the shouting to see Cassian, the youngest de Velt brother, rushing in their direction. Kellington gasped and handed the baby to the nearest person, who happened to be Jax. He grabbed his grandson around the torso as Kellington ran to the son she hadn’t seen in over a year. Tall, dark, and handsome, Cassian swept his mother into an embrace.
“Mama!” he said, kissing her cheek. “I went to the castle to find you, but they said you had come to the games.”
Kellington squeezed her baby boy. “Let me look at you,” she said, pulling back to study him. Unlike his brothers and father with their straight, dark hair, Cassian had been born with dark, curly hair, which he kept cropped. He had his father’s coloring and eye-color trait, but his features were all his mother’s. “You have grown inches since I last saw you. I did not know the House of de Lohr was coming.”
Cassian grinned, looking very much like her. “I did not send word because I wanted to surprise you,” he said. “Everyone came, even Sherry, although after marrying Christopher’s daughter last year, he wanted to remain with her at Lioncross because she is due to give birth soon. He does not want to miss it, but Christin insisted that he come, so he is here.”
Kellington smiled. “I am happy to hear it,” she said. “It has turned out to be a great event, bigger than we expected.”
It was clear that Cassian was excited about it. “Every great house is here, from what I’ve seen – the Earls of Teviot, the House of de Bourne, de Royans, the garrison at Richmond Castle, the Earl of Wolverhampton, and so many more. I could go on and on. What I did not see was William Marshal’s standard.”
“He’ll be here,” Jax said, coming up to his son with the baby in one arm. He hugged his son with the other. “He told me that he would attend. And speaking of attending his first tournament, you’ve not yet your nephew, Atlas.”
Cassian looked at the baby, who looked very much like his brother. But he would never let the man hear that from his lips. “He looks like his mother, thank God,” he said. “A strong little lad. That is a proud thing, Cole.”
Cole had finished his food so he took the baby from his father so Jax could finish his. “He’ll be on a horse next year, jousting with rest of us,” he said. “’Tis good to see you, little brother. It has been a long time.”