The Consequence of Trust

Crumbling Castles, Chapter 16

Photo by Jonathan Kemper on Unsplash

Following Ralph away from his cave held a different kind of anxiety for Tiffany Agnes than following him to it had. He went ahead with Aleric, saying little. Walter and Ansel followed just behind. She had taken up her usual place at the rear and soon found herself slowing her step to keep from overtaking Gilbert. His face was pale and his shoulders tight. Such a change from the confident, relaxed man who had sparred with her this morning and later laughed over their game. He was so different from Walter if you looked at them from a distance, but up close they were similar. Both passionate and sensitive, but determined to mask their perceived flaws and present only their strengths to the world. But was that not human nature? To show a weakness was to tell the enemy where to shoot. To be vulnerable was to open yourself up to betrayal.

That was where Walt and Gil differed. Walt kept his own counsel. He referenced his childhood, made no great effort to conceal his anger about some undisclosed aspect of it, and admitted frankly that it was his temper that forced him out of his home, but there his narrative stopped. He never dropped names, shared no details whatsoever of where he came from or who he was related to except for his own name—and there were enough Forresters to make drawing conclusions from that impossible. Gil seemed burdened by some secret, but what it was she couldn't guess. It might only be the strain of the threat hanging over his head and no secret at all. In most matters he was ready to admit his own struggles and failures, confess his care for his friends and family, and if he was turned onto the subject of his faith did not seem to think it unmanly to show his adoration for his God. It was weakness—but he seemed to see it as strength.

Ralph was similar. More taciturn by nature, only speaking of personal matter when there was need, but he didn’t shrink from sharing his passion for his faith or the love he had for others when he did speak of it. They were strange in that. Ansel seemed to carry no weight, only a carefree joy in everything he saw and heard in life, but he was only a boy. He was not expected to play the part of a man, to realize that love meant pain too. His attitude was refreshing and tempted to be infectious, but also tiresome in light of reality.

Gilbert’s foot slipped on the wet stone, and she reached to steady him.

“Thank you,” he said, glancing back at her.

She shrugged and offered a smile. “Your worry is making you lose your focus.”

Gil released a tense sigh. “You are not wrong. But I cannot help that all the worst possibilities spin together in my mind as we go on.”

She moved to his side, prompting him to keep going before they fell further behind. Ralph and Aleric were far ahead now, and even Walter and Ansel were no longer just ahead.

“Did you not tell me just yesterday that God works all things for the good of those who love Him?” she asked as they fell into step together. “This will likely come to nothing, and we can all troop back to Ralph’s castle and resume our game.”

He looked at her skeptically, then a small smile tipped up one side of his mouth. “Is the unbelieving pessimist giving me lessons in optimism and trusting God?”

“If I am, it just goes to show how bad off you are right now,” she retorted.

“It shows you were listening when you were pretending not to.”

“It does no such thing.”

His smile widened. “What else were you paying attention to?”

She quirked an eyebrow. “You probably don't want to know the answer to that.”

“Sure I do.”

“I notice things people hide,” she said quietly, watching his face closely. “When I have a reason to watch for them.”

Not surprisingly, his smile vanished. “Do not look too closely,” he warned. “Some things are hidden for a reason.”

“I know.” Simple words, not so simple in meaning. To pry his secrets from him might compel him to unearth hers, and she wasn’t ready for that. They were worthless secrets and better left untold. Gil had enough on his mind.

~~~

The silence that fell between them after Tiff’s sorry attempt to cheer him up left Gil time to think . . . and worry . . . and pray. She was not quite wrong—the Lord did work all things for His children’s good, but that did not mean they would never face peril, nor that all would turn out right in the moment. Sometimes, a blessing is better received after tasting a curse. Only the One who knew the future knew whether today would end in rest or ruin, peace or war.

Deep dread nagged at his mind, choking the hope he tried to cling to. There would be no reason for this trek if there were no true cause for alarm. Aleric did not strike him as one unnecessarily flustered, and something in his few words had turned Ralph in an instant back into the grim warrior he was when they met him.

Those ahead had stopped at the treeline by the time he and Tiffany caught up with them. A small village he had never passed through spread before him, with small curls of smoke from the cottages disappearing into the heavy mist that always followed the rain.

The group sheltered behind the trees, watching a few people meandering through the muddy streets from under dripping branches laden with budding spring greenery. Ralph pulled his hood lower, then did Aleric the same courtesy when the man tried with his remaining hand to reach his own that had slipped down his back. A terse nod of thanks was all he gave Ralph in response.

“Gil,” Ralph said quietly. “Aleric filled me in as we walked, and now it is your turn to hear. The news is not pleasant.”

If his eye flicked to Tiffany as he spoke, it was only for a moment, but she tensed at Gil’s side. “I shan’t be excluded, Ralph,” she put in, her voice challenging him to say otherwise, then added meaningfully, “Besides, you need someone along who can shoot.”

Ralph’s lips compressed for just a second, then settled into a flat, cynical smile. “You make a fair point.”

Gil wished again he had never suggested sparring to Walter. Ralph was past the point of disguising the pain he felt as a result, had fumbled and winced adjusting his cloak, and it was clear he had made up his mind to press through it regardless.

It wasn’t fair that he should be involved in this—that any of them should. It was Gilbert’s fight. Not that saying so would make them stay out of it. He had resigned himself to that. Now he stepped closer to Ralph and Aleric, aware that Tiff, Walter, and Ansel closed in around them also.

“Tell me.”

Aleric opened his mouth to say something, but Ralph crossed his arms and shook his head once, silencing him. “To lead with the worst news, there is no doubt now that your uncle will do all he can to bring about your death.”

Sometime between leaving the cave and now, Gilbert had accepted that outcome, but hearing it thus pierced nonetheless. He nodded slowly. “I guessed as much.”

“That is not the worst,” Aleric growled. “I told ye, Shaft, that scoundrel—”

“I heard the first time,” Ralph interrupted, frowning at him. “Let me tell the tale my own way now. Methinks justice will not be overlooked.” He looked back at Gilbert. “Whatever it is you did to incur your uncle’s wrath, he’s determined to stop at nothing to get his hands on you. Which brings us to your letter.”

“What about it?”

“It was a good thing we did not send the lad,” Ralph ground out with sudden vehemence. “Our first messenger was put to torture, then followed to the rendevous with the next. The second was attacked, but Aleric’s men were within call to help. One was killed, three wounded. The messenger was taken, but not before he passed your uncle’s letter along.”

Gilbert shut his eyes, letting that sink in. “It were better that I had given myself up to him than that these men should die in my cause,” he said at last.

“That’s a lie,” Tiffany said fiercely. “It’s always better to fight for what’s right instead of giving in.”

Gilbert looked at Aleric and Ralph, and straining to keep his voice steady, said, “I’ll figure out what to do next. You don’t need to risk your lives for this any longer. I can’t understand myself in letting you before. All those men . . .”

To his surprise, Raloh ducked his head to hide a smile under his hood and Aleric laughed. Tiffany’s tittering and a derisive snort from Walter sounded on either side of him.

“We’re invested now,” Aleric said, still chuckling. “Ye don’t know the ways o’ the forest iffen y’think we would let a man like that ’ave ’is way in this. You’ve got an army behind you now, Gil m’young feller.”

An army. Gil looked around the group to see confirming nods, then back at Ralph. Ralph’s momentary smile was gone. He shoved back his hood despite the water dripping onto his face, revealing those intense blue eyes.

“He’s right, Gil.” He paused, then let three words drop like arrows striking a bullseye one after the other. “This is war.”

A Note from the Author

The twists are getting twister. Sorry it took so long to publish this chapter . . . 🫣 Also, I’m reaching the point that I don’t know what to write in the author’s notes besides apologies for tardiness because anything I could say would be a spoiler for the future.

As always, like, share, and subscribe if you enjoyed this chapter! Comment what you think of it! I love to hear from my readers.

You can also follow me on Instagram @servantsongpublishing for more casual, visual, and frequent updates about the minutia of running my business and my writing progress.

If you want to support my writing, you can drop me a one-time gift of $5 and keep reading Crumbling Castles with a free subscription plan!⤵︎

The next chapter comes out next week, only on Substack! Did you miss the last one? Here it is!⤵︎

Until next time,

Blessings!

~Lexi