Dream of Me/Believe in Me

spoken. It is for Lord Wolf to say—” She dropped her eyes and concentrated again on the tangles.
    Cymbra didn't persist. She had no wish to make the Irish girl uncomfortable. A feeling of apprehension grew in her, making her glad when at last she was dressed and able to leave the lodge.
    Sunlight welcomed her. Bright, glorious, almost forgotten sunlight. The rain had stopped. The gray, leaden clouds were gone and in their place was a sky of pure cerulean blue dotted with just a scattering of fleece. As she stood with her face turned to the sun, savoring its warmth, Ulfrich hurried to greet her.
    “Good morning, my lady! Isn't it wonderful? The crops are saved, the jarl is back, and everything—” He looked at her with a wise smile. “Well, everything is just fine!”
    “Tell me your chest feels well and I will agree with you.”
    “It feels splendid, absolutely splendid. I could run rings around the young men here. However, as I have no wish to make them feel inadequate—” He laughed andCymbra joined him as arm in arm they walked across the hill top.
    Brother Joseph caught sight of them and waved them over to the chapel. “Good morning, my lady … Ulfrich,” he said with a smile. “Lovely day. Some of the children offered to find flowers for the altar and I thought I'd go with them.” He exchanged a look with the older man, then smiled again at Cymbra. “Perhaps you'd like to come with us, my lady.”
    “What a splendid idea!” Ulfrich said. “We could all go. We could even take a meal with us, make a day of it.”
    “Wonderful!” Brother Joseph exclaimed. “Brita, perhaps you'd like to come, too.”
    Cymbra turned, surprised to see the Irish girl. For just a moment, she had the odd thought that Brita had followed her, although she could think of no reason why she would have done so.
    “Oh, I'd love to,” Brita said. “My lady and I could gather more plants for the garden.”
    “Then it's decided!” Brother Joseph said happily. “We'll all go. If we're going to make the most of it, I think we should set off immediately. Don't you agree?”
    “Absolutely,” Ulfrich said.
    “Certainly,” Brita replied. “In fact, why don't the three of you start with the children and I'll just follow right along after I've picked up the food. It won't take but a few minutes.”
    A stillness settled in Cymbra. She looked slowly from one to the other, seeing the eager faces of people who were her friends, yet in whom she sensed a certain strain.
    “Haven't you forgotten something?” she said gently. “I'm not supposed to leave here without permission—and an escort.”
    “That's not a problem.”
    Cymbra whirled to find Dragon standing directly behind her. He had come up so quietly that she hadn't heardhim. He looked very fit, well rested and at ease, with no trace of the pain that had plagued him for so long.
    “I'll be happy to escort you,” he said with a smile. “As for permission, I don't think my noble brother would begrudge you a day picking flowers.”
    “Excellent,” Ulfrich said. “Then there's nothing to prevent us going. Let's be off.”
    “Wait.” Cymbra took a long, level look at her brother-in-law. “
You'll
escort us … for a day of picking flowers?”
    He shrugged shoulders as broad as Wolf's. “Well, I don't guarantee I'll actually pick any. I'll just keep watch, that sort of thing.”
    “And Wolf won't mind if I'm gone all day?”
    “Of course not.”
    “I think I'll just ask him. Where is he?”
    Dragon frowned. “In the hall but he's very busy and I'm sure he doesn't want to be interrupted.”
    “Really? What has him so occupied?”
    The four of them—Dragon, Ulfrich, Brother Joseph, and Brita—exchanged glances. It fell to Dragon to answer her.
    “Look, Cymbra, the thing is … we brought back prisoners, men who attacked the farmstead….” He hesitated as though deciding exactly how much he would— and wouldn't—say. “They have to pay for it, that's all.”
    He fingered the hilt of the sword strapped around his lean waist, took a deep breath, and said, “It was actually Wolf's idea that you go pick flowers today. He wants you away from here.”
    The others had the grace to look just a little shamefaced at this revelation of their mutual deception, but they were still resolved.
    “We'd best be off,” Brother Joseph said firmly.
    Still, Cymbra refused to budge. She looked from one to the other of them in astonishment. Finally, she addressed Dragon.