Chapter 14: Chapter 14

ADVANTAGES AND WEAKNESSES

Elain sank into Arin's chest after she had ridden him for the second time. Now he was exceedingly tired. Finally he was allowed to relax after all the long time he had to be careful in abstinence.

Even if he couldn't let off steam properly because of his pain, his heart felt a lot lighter.

It all started because he was so relieved to have her here. Thanks to Elain, he didn't have to go to the castle alone to see Avan. Even though it was getting to him that Elain had seen everything, she still looked at him like a man.

In that moment he had known that he loved her, not just liked her. She put her head on his shoulder. Her cheeks were slightly red and a few strands stuck to her sweaty forehead. Sighing, she closed her eyes and let her arms hang straight down at her sides, seeming to know he would hold her. Always.

Charmed by the sight, he stroked her forehead. She looked beautiful. She purred like a kitten and snuggled closer to him.

"You're a typical man, Arin." she giggled.

Had he heard her giggle before?

"Warum?"

"You look awful and you're in pain, but this works great."

"Great, so."

Elain felt ashamed and suddenly his eyes widened. That made Arin happy.

"You were right, Elain. You're not a lady. I never thought you'd be able to move like that."

Elaine's face turned pink with embarrassment. She sat up straight and straightened her dress. As she was about to leave, Arin held her back.

She smiled shamefacedly. Some block between them was broken. He felt much closer to Elain. He had always known. After all, sex was the best medicine.

Elain shook out her waist length hair and looked around.

"Wo ist Syman."

"He will have warped."

After I got up, my legs surprisingly gave way, Arin took off his shirt and used my handkerchief to dab at a wound on his ribs. My gaze stayed on his back again, like the first time I'd seen him shirtless.

I went to the river, looked around for Syman, and lifted my skirts high enough over my hips to wash in the river. The river was so cold my head hurt.

The sun had already set before I left Arin. Now there was only the moon and the countless stars in the sky.

"You look like a fairytale creature." Arin stood far from the shore and watched her.

"Are you calling me a witch, Arin?" I joked.

Arin was stunned at first, then he laughed out loud and shook his head. "I was thinking of the little mermaid."

"The thing about the maiden is far-fetched now, my lord."

Arin laughed again. His broad chest in the moonlight was so alluring to me that new desire boiled up in me.

"Are you coming in the water, Arin?"

Arin shook his head. Disappointed, I caught myself pouting. I was far too old for that. Still, I had a certain desire. So if the bone didn't want to go to the dog...

Arin waited until I got to shore. He stood there like a Greek god. Legs apart, arms crossed and a casual smile.

Then he came up to me with a cloth, knelt in front of me and rubbed up my thighs. Across my backside and a little forward.

As his fingers touched through the cloth to my new favorite spot, I closed my eyes. He grabbed my knee and sucked on my thighs. I was afraid to have my fun alone when he pulled me to the ground and knelt over me.

Syman hadn't seen anything, only Arin kissing Elain. So he decided to fish a few meters down. They were newlyweds. Syman wanted to show them respect and leave them alone for a while.

With some fish caught, Syman slowly walked back to camp. He heard Arin's deep laughter from afar. He and Elain sat next to each other by the fire and shared the wineskin. Arin was drunk. Elaine's cheeks were slightly red from the wine, but her eyes seemed even clearer than Arin's.

"There you are at last! I thought I had to look for you!" Arin spread his arms, smiling.

"You haven't had to look for me in four years."

"You're absolutely right! You have my trust, Syman."

Arin rarely became confiding after drinking. But when he was, you learned things you probably never would have known.

Syman began scaling and gutting the fish. Arin and Elain laughed louder and louder and talked about incoherent things.

"You know, Elain, my father wasn't a bad person... but I still didn't like him."

Syman stopped moving. Arin never spoke about his father. Never. Elain listened attentively, although little did she know the honor she was receiving.

"Neither did Taran and Kora. Probably only our big brothers liked him. Or Syman?"

"I don't know your father, Arin. I don't know how it was back then."

"Arin? Was Avan so... mean back then?"

So Elain didn't like Avan. It wasn't a miracle. So far he hadn't delivered any glamor moments.

Arin smiled fondly at Elain and ruffled her hair. "He's not today either."

The two suddenly shared an intimacy that hadn't been there before. He was relieved. Finally his cousin would be happy.

All night Arin ate all the fish and emptied the second wineskin too. After Syman had eaten, he fell asleep on his robes, as he often did. Syman knew Arin wouldn't be laughing like that for a long time once they got to the castle...

20

OLD ENVIRONMENT

Taran rode behind Avan. For years. Arin behind Eric. Kora behind Ben. The seat behind Eric had been empty for two years. This gap ran through Taran's life. He was happy to finally have Arin home again. Now that everything had changed.

Avan turned to Taran on his horse.

"I can't stand it when you push me around like that."

"Sorry."

Taran immediately slowed his horse down a little. Avan smiled knowingly.

"So you finally believe that he's coming?"

"I'm not going to lose another bet!"

Though he probably wouldn't mind, at least this time. Now Eric turned to them a bit too.

"You still bet? I thought you gave that up years ago?"

Kora laughed mockingly. "Taran will never learn. The idiot will lose again."

Ben shook his head. "I don't know. Arin is as stubborn as a bull. And if his pride gets the better of him, Taran will surely win."

"You'll see." Avan smiled defiantly at Taran.

"Want to up the ante, brothers?"

Now Avan stopped. He turned to Taran. "What do you have to offer me?"

Arin gasped as they got closer to the river. His hangover was so slight it would hardly be worth mentioning. On the shore, however, he got all sorts of states. Elain didn't notice.

Syman stayed behind Arin as they waded through the water. Pocket took over Arin's mood and gave him a hard time.

But somehow they had made it to the next shore. Arin was relieved because he couldn't swim. As embarrassing as it was, he had never learned it. And he didn't even think about getting it sometime. Never. Nobody knew about it except Taran, and that was a good thing.

They rode for a while before he saw the white watchtowers rising between the trees. Behind the forest lay the castle where Arin grew up. On the right of the two towers, he learned fencing at that time.

"See the towers?" Arin leaned forward so his face was level with Elain's. So she smiled and nodded. "Behind that is the castle."

"Did you grow up here?"

"Indeed. Syman too, by the way. Apart from Kora, Taran and I, the others were born somewhere else."

"Warum?"

When she turned her head, the tip of her nose was not far from his cheek. He couldn't help it, it elicited a devious grin from him. He liked being so close to her. Now that she was truly his.

"Father and mother were moving just when mother was pregnant with Kora. The mountains where the castle was built offered much more protection. And mother cared that we grew up without a bunch of guards. So the environment had to be safer than anything other."

"Have you enemies, Arin?" She was purring again like she always did when she got aroused.

"When you have money, you also have enemies. And my father had a lot of money."

She smiled and looked at him through her lashes.

"You know, Black Knight, I would have been surprised if you had said no now."

He liked that look. He grabbed one of her breasts from behind and pressed her to himself. She pressed her hips into his crotch.

For a brief moment he forgot where he was and what he wanted. Although... that was the only thing he knew right now.

"Arin..." Elain breathed and closed her eyes.

He would love to stop and pounce on Elain in one of the towers. But the men would recognize Arin and give him no rest. So he kissed her apologetically and straightened up again.

A little disappointed, I accepted that Arin's hand rested on my thigh again and that he had straightened up again. When it was just so beautiful...

We were just arriving at the greenest forest I had ever seen as the sun had set and sentinels took up positions atop the towers' battlements.

"That's Albert!" marveled Arin. "He learned fencing with me. I haven't seen him in four years!"

To me, the men all looked the same.

"We'll stop here when we ride back."

"If..." Syman muttered absently.

Syman has hardly spoken a word since we left. He gave me more and more the impression that he didn't particularly like any of his cousins. Also, I was concerned that Syman was uncomfortable, while Arin apparently wasn't. Even though Syman had said Arin wouldn't want to go to the castle. I would like to be there for Arin. But Arin was not a man who liked to show what was going on inside him. I had already learned so much about him.

It was the first time that we didn't set up camp but rode on when it got dark.

At most, deer were out and about in the forest. Perhaps Arin finally wanted to arrive. I didn't dare ask though. Who knows if he wanted to talk about it.

It wasn't until the sun rose again and I fell asleep on Arin's breast that we left the forest and the watchtowers as well. Two large, steep, pointed mountains rose into the sky in front of us. They were as pale as the watchtowers themselves.

At the point where the mountains met on the ground stood the castle. Wedged between two cliffs with a wide green slope in the back and a big peaceful grove in front of the door. The lush green meadow that led to the almost white castle was only divided by a small, dry dirt track. And behind the gate with guards, horses frolicked.

"May I introduce the castle of the white knights."

THE CASTLE OF THE WHITE KNIGHTS

Arin dismounted first, helped Elain, and then greeted the approaching guard with a curt nod. The guard stared at Arin as if he had seen a ghost. Before he could say anything, Ben stepped through the wide gate towards them.

"Arin." He greeted his brother curtly and looked at him reprovingly.

He was one of the three eldest, tall, and had the character of a cougar. Even if you didn't see or hear him, he heard everything and got involved everywhere. All in all, he was like Avan, only he was much calmer. Which made him a lot more dangerous. He was always noticed too late.

Ben waved the guard back to his post. That was his job. He was in charge of the assignment and the affairs of the guards.

When Ben stood in front of Arin, he only looked at his horse and twisted a straw between his thumb and forefinger.

"I'm glad you're healthy." Said Arin to break the silence. And he meant it.

Ben didn't change his face. Still grumpy, he avoided Arin's gaze. But he raised his arm and nudged Arin. That was more than he had expected.

Elain stared at the walls of the castle, stared at Ben, and stared at Arin. She was easily lost and Arin felt sorry for her. He rested the backs of his fingers on her cheek and tried to smile. It was difficult for him to put on a good face at the bad game.

"Damn, why are you here!?" someone suddenly yelled behind him. Taran!

"I beg your pardon!?"

"Do you have any idea what I've lost now!? After two years you just decide to obey and destroy my life!?"

Ben burst out laughing. "Don't blame him! You started the bet!"

Taran frowned in front of Arin and pouted like a toddler. Arin knew immediately. Nothing had changed.

"Did you bet stupid dog with Avan again? Then it's your own fault."

Taran matched Arin's smile and shook his head.

"I'm so glad you're here."

He couldn't reply, but seeing Taran again was really good. After Kora joined in with a goblet of strong-smelling wine to greet Arin, Arin almost felt at ease.

"Hi." he said to Elain. "I'm Kora. You come with me now."

Elain seemed almost a little pale. Arin didn't know exactly what to say either, but he already knew what was to come.

"What do you think?"

"Avan saw you arrive. He wants you to come to him immediately. Alone." Kora smiled crookedly.

Arin felt nauseous. Not only that he didn't want to see Avan, his wounds weren't even healed yet. Neither does his wounded pride. He couldn't leave Elain alone here either. She didn't even know her way around here. Or someone, she didn't know anyone. He wouldn't leave his wife like that.

Taran put a hand on his shoulder. "Take it easy, Arin. Syman and I are with her. Kora is just our minder."

"And Avan is really happy that you're here. He hasn't yelled at anyone today." Ben laughed maliciously, nudged Arin and waited for him by the gate.

Elain smiled bravely and squeezed his arm. If she was brave, he must be too. If she couldn't see a problem, wanted whatever - then he wouldn't underestimate her.

To his surprise, Kora hugged Arin as he passed. "He is dead Arin. Your demons are no more..."

Taran and Kora both turned to me and Syman, expressions blank. Take the child, not me... But I only thought that very far back in my brain. I would never be so cowardly. Arin would kill her.

"Do you want to see Arin's room?" Kora eyed our few bags and began to detach them from Pocket with Taran.

"Syman, take care of the horses." Taran commanded.

Syman made a defiant face. "Tell someone from the stable! I'm too tired, Taran!"

Taran turned and grabbed Syman's chin and pulled him towards him. His eyes sparkled with irritation.

"Do as I tell you, boy! You'll catch one!"

"Taran..." Kora mumbled, rolling her eyes. He looked at me as if he was a little embarrassed about this circus.

"No! I'm much older than him! He does what I say."

Though he still had Syman by the chin, he was waving both arms wildly.

"Lord in heaven..." I marveled. And there are nine editions of it?

Syman passed it and bit Taran's hand. He cried out and slapped Syman on the forehead with the palm of his hand.

"Are you still normal!?" Taran hissed while Kora laughed and latched onto Pocket.

Syman planted his feet more firmly and gritted his teeth. I didn't know exactly, but he looked like he was trying to make himself taller.

Taran and Kora stared at him blankly, waiting for what was to come. But Syman did nothing. Apparently he just wanted to impress.

Both brothers burst out laughing and punched each other as they staggered back and forth....

nine of them? In a castle? I want my Black Knight back immediately...

"Hey!" Syman shrieked, realizing his performance hadn't accomplished anything.

Juice...

Arin silently walked beside Ben in front of Avan's study. He took a deep breath before stepping into the room behind Ben.

The large bright room was as good as empty. Some shelves were on the right wall, the left wall was a large window through which the morning sun was just shining.

A long rug led Arin to Avan's desk. Eric was leaning against the wall behind it and smiling. Ben stepped to the side of the desk and picked up a list which he looked at more closely. As if nothing.

Avan stood at the window. He wore no cloak and no sword. With a straight face he turned to Arin. Briefly he studied Arin's black eye.

"Avan." growled Arin.

AVAN’S RESOLUTION

Avan nodded silently to Arin. He didn't seem to have recovered yet. His eyes were still very bitter. But he was here, just as Avan had predicted.

"I want an explanation, Arin." His voice was little more than a hiss.

Arin looked at the wall behind Eric. "What do you all mean?"

He really didn't have a bit of patience for that! He finally wanted to get down to business, chop the thing off and wring Arin's neck! What does this stubborn dog have to make everything so complicated again?

"What's with the name and the rumours, Black Knight?"

Arin gave a bitter laugh and looked at the three brothers in turn. "Is that all? That's why you summoned me?"

Oh heavens! Avan wasn't in the mood for games. He had to clench his teeth to keep from going to Arin and pinching one of his ribs, which must have hurt.

"Answer." Threatened Avan, trying not to show Arin how insane his obtuseness was driving him.

Arin shrugged. "It's black humor, brother. A knight of the Campbell family, owners of the white knight's castle, flees and becomes the black sheep of the family. The black knight among the whites."

"What did you do that they could give you a name like that!?"

"The same as always."

"Apparently you left damage in fights they accused me of. Cheating and stealing. Insulting highly respected officials and beating up one of the Burkharts' sons. Besides all the usual shit. Is that what you mean by the same as always?"

"Give me the bill and I'll take care of it."

Right here was the hack.

"I won't let you through with that."

Completely unnerved, Arin shifted from one foot to the other and looked at Avan impatiently. "What do you want, Avan? I'm a grown man. I'll pay off the debt and leave with my wife. Do you really want to teach me a lesson now?"

Calmly, Avan walked up to Arin and stared him straight in the eyes.

"I hereby decree that Arin Campbell, Black Knight, be imprisoned in the dungeons on charges of theft and insulting officials. Duration to be determined."

Arin's eyes widened almost imperceptibly, he held his breath and apparently tried to comprehend it all.

Eric handed Avan a paper which he signed without taking his eyes off Arin.

"Avan... What is that!?" Arin yelled angrily and snatched the decision from Eric's hand.

"You know as well as I do that I'm not a man to leave debts! Those bastards knew where I came from and just want to make easy money off me. Take money out of what's not theirs!"

"Do you think I am stupid?" Avan shrugged, just as nonchalantly as Arin had earlier. "Nevertheless, you have to show people that even a knight has limits. And since you're quite well known, you have to stand up now."

"That's... No!" roared Arin. Eric packed away the decision, he also knew what was to follow. "I... Elain-"

"She's taken care of."

Arin seemed about to smash everything in the room. Suddenly he seemed incredibly tired. "Is that the only reason you called me, Avan? That's the only reason you were looking?"

Avan shook his head and tried to look at Arin blankly. Which honestly wasn't easy for him.

"You know that we still have a lot to discuss. Only the duel with our uncle has to be clarified. You were right, it was self-defense. But there are things to be done."

Arin looked hurt. "Did you only want me here because your property is the only place you can legally lock me up?"

But before he could say anything, two guards came into the room and waited for an order. You couldn't tell, but Ben felt terrible. It took everything in Ben to arrest her little brother.

Arin shook his head tiredly and walked towards the men. They stared at him as if he were a shy deer. Then they looked at Ben.

"Come on." he growled indignantly.

But Arin obediently passed them. He knew the way. Avan wasn't worried Arin wouldn't escape. Not before Avan. It seemed like Arin was leading the guards to the dungeons, not the other way around. Ben followed them at a great distance.

Eric stepped up to Avan as all went quiet again. "I really hope you have a plan."

"Just be quiet!" Syman snorted, waving his turkey leg at Taran.

"You're playing with fire..." Taran growled, drumming his fingers on the table.

Kora yawned loudly and stretched in his chair. I couldn't eat anything. I couldn't touch the bowl in front of my nose with fresh bread and fruit with beer. I couldn't eat without him...

"Please eat, Elain. Arin will kill us if he thinks we have starved you." Kora leaned forward and cocked her head.

"I'm sorry, but I really don't have an appetite."

Taran grunted. "You can't say that about the fat sod here."

Syman paused even though he had just opened his mouth to bite his club. He glared at Taran angrily and mumbled something. I had decided not to listen anymore.

Three hours had passed since Arin was with Avan. Nobody knew what it was about... And that Avan really was a mean ass, I noticed from our first meeting.

Syman's howl snapped me back to the here and now. Defiantly, he threw his full bowl of fruit in the face of the laughing taran. Either Taran and Syman were that hard on each other, or Syman would lose all decency if Arin was away for a few hours.

Anyway, I was embarrassed. "Syman!"

"He started it!"

"I didn't! Kora, tell me! He already started before."

"For heaven's sake!"