Chapter 23: Chapter 23

ARINS SON

When I opened my eyes, Arin's head was leaning against the ornate headboard and his eyes were closed. I couldn't be mad, he looked just as exhausted as I did earlier. But that wasn't important now. The boy woke me up. He bleated softly and had almost kicked off the sheets.

I tried not to wake Arin and took care of my child. My child. Oh god. How important that sounded.

Fed and wrapped, he became calm again.

"I watched until he fell asleep." grumbled Arin sleepily. He blinked to wake up.

"All right." How could I blame him? I stroked his cheek. He had grown a small beard. "Do you want to take him now?"

He proudly took it from me and rocked it. "What have you driven me insane?" he whispered.

"You're not that clumsy." He'd been pacing nervously for days. And now he looked so calm and balanced, as if the last few hours had been forgotten. How natural.

"I have many brothers with many children, dearest." He smiled shyly. "I often watched the little brats."

Actually, I could have imagined that. I was feeling really great right now. At least internally, my body was in a different state.

"I have to get used to calling him by his name." I yawned. Hungry, I was starving.

Arin put the little one in the cradle and put my blanket over him. His chest swelled. He stood in front of the cradle and smiled. "Armin." Arin was blessed. "It's already morning, we must have slept a long time."

I got up carefully. "Should we go down for breakfast?"

"Are you sure?"

"Definitely. I can't wait to get back among people."

When Armin woke up again, Elain took care of him, got dressed and followed Arin into the knight's hall. She walked slowly and considered every step. Arin, on the other hand, was aware of how incredibly proud he must seem. After all, everyone was waiting for the two of them. And everyone would wait for the name and gender.

And so it happened. Throughout breakfast, Elain was questioned about Armin, wished them luck, and slapped Arin on the back so many times that he felt like a horse. But a proud horse. An incredibly proud horse.

The day in the smithy grew longer and longer as it neared the end of the day. He was working on the iron ring for a carriage wheel.

"May I look after him?" Syman handed the hammer to Arin.

"You better ask Elain. I think she won't let him out of her sight for the first few weeks."

But the squire was again elsewhere with his thoughts. "May I teach him to ride!? And teach him to the smithy? Like you me?"

Arin was flattered and simply nodded. "We'll see, let him arrive in the world."

Syman smiled happily and continued to watch Arin. "You must make sure you work carefully when it comes to something like the iron ring. If it falls off, someone may have an accident."

The little boy tried his best to listen. But his mind was elsewhere. Arin allowed himself a joke and banged the hammer against a sheet of metal. The loud bang startled Syman.

"Where are you with your thoughts, apprentice?"

"Sorry Arin." He smiled apologetically. "It's like having a little brother."

He couldn't blame him for that. Precisely because he's really been alone in the smithy twice - and it's still standing.

"Then just run to Elain."

"Secure!?" He loved it when his cousin looked so happy.

"You have two days off. But after that you have to get back to business."

"Promised!" Syman hung up his heavy apron and ran.

"And Arin gave you leave?" I sat by the fireplace in our chamber with the cradle beside me, working on a thicker shirt for Arin. The winter would definitely get colder. The wind picked up.

"yep, so I can see Armin." Syman leaned over the cradle and stroked his black soft down. "Does he look like me?"

I leaned over a little too. Actually, Armin looked like Taran and Arin. But he certainly had something of Syman, after all, it was a family. "Certainly. Only time will tell." When the wood cracked, Syman immediately jumped up and added a few more parts. "You're really a help, Syman."

"Thank you very much!" He sat down next to me on the armrest. "I'm glad we found you. Arin finally has a family and is comfortable."

I ran my fingers through his thick hair as usual. "You know you belong."

Flattered, he turned away and stared at the cradle again. "May I pick him up?"

"Why not? Have you ever held a baby?"

"However." He carefully lifted Armin out of the cradle and laid him on his stomach on his chest.

"You're really good at that." Syman proudly rocked my son.

"Arin once told me that he always carried me around like that."

"Did you often visit your cousins?" Without hesitation, Syman handed me the bundle as he started to whine.

"Most with Arin and Taran. Avan already had Bea then, Eric was busy and the others had their own lives."

He told me some stories about the three cheeky little boys who did a lot of nonsense and Arin who always stood up for Syman. You could clearly hear how much the boy adored his cousin.

Did Syman realize how badly I looked at him?

A knock on the door drew our attention.

Syman was about to open it when someone burst through the door and Syman jumped back in surprise.

I felt an uncomfortable tingling in my neck when I recognized Benita in the door.

THREATS

Benita just pushed Syman aside to get him out of the way. He fell to the ground and hit his head on the edge of the bed. "Hey!" I put Armin carefully in the cradle and jumped up. "Get out!"

Benita fixed me, her gaze restless as if she had gone mad. I instinctively placed myself in front of the cradle. If I had to, I would break her neck.

"A son!?" she suddenly screamed sharply. Came stomping towards me, pointing finger. "You bastard raised a son!? You don't deserve a boy!"

"Out..." I growled. "Now."

"Arin should be mine! He was always mine!" She angrily grabbed my brush from the vanity and threw it across the room.

Armin started shouting. "You should go away, Benita. I'll say it for the last time."

"You're going to look around. Nothing's going to be good anymore. You're going to look around!"

She looked around to catch another object. But before she had a chance, I grabbed her hair and dragged her to the door. She clawed at my face, traced a stinging trail across my cheek with her nails.

I didn't care. If she had discovered Arin's sword that was always by the bed...

With a powerful push, I threw her into the hallway. She fell to the ground. "Never come near me again! Neither Arin nor our child! I'm serious, Benita! Never again!"

With a worried look, she stood up and smoothed her dress down. "It won't be the last time we see each other."

As she descended the steps, Armin's crying filtered through to me. I closed the door and immediately turned to Syman. "Are you okay? Does your head hurt?"

"No, but you're bleeding, Elain!" He gently wiped my cheek. "Shall I get Arin?"

I didn't know yet. Absently I hugged Armin to my chest and thought. She wouldn't come back just yet. What should Arin do now anyway? Then again, he had to know. Especially after those threats.

"Okay, but tell him we're fine."

Arin had come to me immediately, I poured his glass of wine and then he had scolded me for ages because I had told him so late about Benita's first warning.

And that today's incident could not have happened if I had let Arin know right away.

He then spoke to Ben and Avan to let them know that Benita was no longer wanted.

Now we sat together at the table to eat. Word got around about Benita. Everyone wondered about this otherwise shy creature. Except for Avan and me.

Arin had Armin in his arms and was eating with his free hand. Again and again he spoke to him and gently rocked the child.

"I still can't understand how you could hide that from me."

"It was one of your best childhood memories. I didn't want to ruin it. I thought she wasn't serious."

Arin leaned in with a scowl and planted a hard kiss on my lips. "That must never happen again."

"I know it won't either."

I spent the rest of the day among people. Always in the kitchen or with the sisters-in-law in the ladies' room. After that, I ate with Arin again, went for walks, and went to sleep with Arin. His sword, as usual, was propped up next to the bed where he could draw it immediately if the need arose.

Still, I slept restlessly...

A small creaking of the floor startled me from sleep. My limbs became stiff and my heart stopped. It was pitch dark. A shadowy figure stood in our room, bent over Arin.

"Arin!" I screamed, Arin immediately flinched. But the figure pulled out a heavy-looking board and used it to knock him down again.

I got hot and cold. Hope Arin was okay. Hopefully the person didn't realize they were standing next to a sword. I hope I was able to protect my child. My guilty conscience kicked in.

If only I had let Arin know sooner...

I got up quickly, hoping to cover the cradle as a shield. Even though it was dark, I had a suspicion who was standing in front of me.

"I know it's you Benita!"

I screamed as loud as I could, hoping someone would hear me and help me. The figure rushed around our bed toward me. I had nothing to defend myself with. Only the now exposed door.

Before the figure had walked all the way around the bed, I grabbed Armin and climbed onto the bed, had to step over Arin and jumped just past the person onto the floor. I yanked open the door, grabbed the sword, and ran.

"Taran!" His room had to be the next one down the hall. I ran down the dark hallway as fast as I could. "Kora!"

I turned into the only corner there was on our floor. The stone floor was freezing under my feet, my hair flew loose around my shoulders, and my arms clutched my bundle and sword. I would only come to the library, but I had the sword and the hope that the person had already fled and someone would have heard me. After my screams, everyone would flee, wouldn't they?

I heard voices. Kora, Taran! You heard me. Just as I was about to turn and run to them, the library door yanked open and I was dragged in backwards.

A strong hand tried to grab my child, so I drew my sword and lashed out screaming. Didn't they hear me!?

A human hissed next to me, I must have caught someone. Suddenly hands came from behind, grabbed my arm, another pulled my sword away, another grabbed my hair and pulled on Armin's blanket. He yelled and screamed.

There were far more people than I had thought. A hand clamped over my mouth as I kept screaming. You were too strong. I was trapped. And felt Armin slipping away from me.

Punched me in the temple. I heard the door bang open. But then everything went black...

My head was pounding. I still had my eyes closed, but I was still awake. What else happened next? A stranger stood over Arin... I had escaped... Armin!

My son! My eyes widened, I jumped out of bed and stared at the abandoned cradle next to my bed. I just stood there for a moment, thunderstruck.

"Elaine!" Bea grabs my arm and gently pulls me away from the cradle. "Are you okay? Do you remember anything?"

Only now did I notice Tessa and Claudia. They were standing by the fireplace, possibly holding their breath. My headache receded as my heart grew heavy. Armin. Arin.

"Where's my husband? Where's my baby!?" I felt the hysteria take hold of me inside.

Nobody said anything. none.

I pushed past Bea to the door, ran down the stairs into the great hall. "Arin!"

I heard my sisters-in-law following me.

Bea tried to take my arm again. "Elaine, wait!"

The Knights' Hall was deserted. No...

I stopped abruptly at the beginning of the stairs. Then it wasn't a dream, Armin was gone. And Arin too? And every goddamn man in the otherwise overcrowded castle!?

"Elain" began Bea gently again. However, I interrupted her.

"Where has everyone gone?"

"Can you remember anything?" There was so much pity on her face that I had to lower my gaze to avoid hers. You felt sorry for someone who had lost someone. When someone died. But here no onehad died.

"Benita kidnapped my child with a horde of appendages. My husband and yours are gone. Where have they gone?"

"They've been following the trail since this morning. Last night Kora and Taran immediately rode after the culprits. They found Arin first, then you and rode off immediately. The rest turned out this morning."

An idea sprouted up in me that wasn't quite settled when I climbed the stairs again.

Do not think. Do not think...

The longer my eyes were open, the harder it was to breathe.

"Very good, lie back down. They will find Armin and bring you back." Armin... his frightened roar was ringing in my ears again. "No one messes with the white knights."

"Nobody" I stamped one foot to get my child's crying out of my ears and turned to Bea quicker than I had planned. "Taking on the black knight."

"Let's finally rest!"

Arin spat, ignoring his brothers' whining. It was getting late, it was almost dark. He could understand that they were tired when they wanted to rest. But that wasn't the case for him. He wanted revenge.

"Arin." Avan came to his side. "What do you say?"

"Fine with me."

Avan patted him on the shoulder and announced to the others that they should set up camp. Syman showed up worried about it. "We set up camp?"

Arin looked over his shoulder to make sure no one heard. "No. We not."

So the two waited until nobody was paying attention. He then climbed onto Pocket and snuck away with Syman.

He wanted revenge. He wanted blood. And he didn't care if it was Benitas or whoever. They had hurt Elain, they had kidnapped his son!

The sword that rested on his thigh while riding almost burned a hole in his pants. He couldn't wait to use it.

Arin and Syman didn't say a word. As Syman's eyes closed, Arin was leading his horse. He himself didn't close an eye. He wasn't going to allow those bloody bastards any further head start.

They rode the same route they had taken when they first came back to the castle in two years. Which meant they would get back to the river. It would be another test for him to cross. Even then he wasn't comfortable with it, he wasn't a good swimmer...not really a swimmer...more of a boulder. But he never wanted to admit that to anyone.

As the morning dawned, he treated himself to something to eat for the first time. Hope Elain wasn't too upset. He would settle it, no matter what the cost.

They had cried. Try locking me in the castle. However, in Arin's trousers I managed to climb out of the kitchen window and steal a horse and a sword.

I couldn't read tracks, but the Campbell Monsters left tons of hoofprints that even a blind person could read. However, I didn't ride directly on the main street, if you were looking for me you would find me immediately on the street.

The bay mare was probably still very young. Or maybe I just had no control over them. However, she was incredibly fast. I rode bent over so as not to get caught in any branches in the adjacent forest. Even after that I kept this position.

Now and then I crammed bread into my mouth, but pausing was out of the question. I would have to stop at the river anyway to protect the mare. So passed the day, the night and half the morning. Then I finally found myself at the river.

The brief moment of stopping was a mistake. Riding so soon after giving birth was painful. Especially at this pace. Panting, I dropped onto my stomach and slid off the mare, who was staggering nervously. Everything turned.

The internal burning of my bruised body parts and the cold of winter made me weary.

"Elaine!" I jumped in horror. A little boy ran towards me. Syman. Arin! When he tramped towards me while sitting on Pocket, all the dams broke. I would have run towards him, but my limbs were far too stiff for that.

Syman got to me first, fell on my stomach and began to sob bitterly.

Arin jumped off Pocket and strode toward me. "How are you? What are you doing here?" He noticed his pants, boots and shirt on me while he was still walking. My blue coat was the only thing that was mine. "And what are you wearing?"

"I had to do something, Arin." His eyes still looked worried. That look gave me a lump in my throat. It reminded me how uselessly I had allowed everything important in our lives to be taken away from me and Arin...

When he finally stood in front of me, he pulled me to him. "When I found you, I thought you would sleep in longer..."

"Benita..." my voice was shaking."Benita..."

"I know... we had tracks, but the ends here at the river."

An important aspect struck me then. "Why aren't you with your brothers?"

"We have decided to split up."

The frozen sheet of ice on the river was covered with snow.

How could a trace disappear here? How should we find them in this great country?