"Previously on The Bastard Executioner.../¡" "My name is Wilkin Brattle." "I was a knight in Longshanks' army." "Gawain Maddox was an executioner killed in service to your husband." "I took the punisher's identity to save myself and my friends." "I'm sorry I lied to you, Lady Love." "Why is it that you bring these men to my chapel?" " What is it that demands such secrecy?" " Not your concern." "He had us stripped from neck to waist, looking for heretical markings." "Did the archdeacon say what they looked like?" " You have seen such markings." " Yes." "The healer in the Far Caverns." "You think he spins a tale to save himself from servitude?" "We will see what becomes of it on our way out of this godless, damp hole." "My needs here will grow." "I'm depending on you." "A brother could not ask for more generous sisters." "Half-sisters." "The rebel threat is to be crushed by any method." "These people are nomads, not rebels." "Sir Norton." "He is my offering." "Torture him." "Kill him." "You wrath will not touch our reeve or any of his other men." "You are well aware of the consequences, if you turn against that." "Our chamberlain will think this was our brutal blade." " The reeve..." " Leon didn't see it." "Corbett will only see betrayal." "Thank you." "Devotion requires no thanks, my husband." "You have not given to a mood or spirit of joy since we laid together." "Did..." "I give pleasure?" "Yes." "I was most satisfied." "Pater noster... qui est in coelis." "Sanctificter nomen tuum." "Adveniat regnum tuum." "Fiat voluntas tua... sicat in coelo et en terra." "Panem nostrum quotidianum da nobis hodie." "Et dimitte nobis." "Is that not layered too thick?" "I do not want the earl to think" "I swallowed a lamb shank in my sleep." "I must use twice the padding as last week, my lady." "With your ever-shrinking waistline, that stuffing went utterly undetected." "You are supposed to be two, three months?" "Three blessed months." "The Earl of Warwick's urgent visit may yet bring more progeny scrutiny from Windsor." "As I am devoted to you, and all the truths you hold close, my lady," "I must ask... in light of this growing royal scrutiny... is there anything I need to know about our punisher?" "You and Master Gawain spend accountable time in each other's company, Baroness." "I just want to be..." "To be what, maiden?" "Oh, do not give feigned deference when your boldness already fills the room." "Speak!" "There is nothing I can speak you do not already know, Love." "You are of royal, noble blood." "Master Gawain is a common man who holds a brutish trade." " Any suspicion of..." " Suspicion is fear without truth." "That turns to poisonous talk and spreads like fire on hot oil!" "I am sorry, Baroness." "And, yes, I am aware that my deep affection for you continues to push me beyond reasonable behavior." "But I fear if I say nothing, nothing will be said... until it is too late." "Leave me." "♪ Born with a heart ♪" "♪ That could ache more than beat ♪" "♪ The mind of a killer ♪" "♪ The soul of the meek ♪" "♪ Flock with no shepherd ♪" "♪ Is a vulnerable game ♪" "♪ I can live without a hearth ♪" "♪ Without love ♪" "♪ But I do need a name ♪" "♪ Father, do you burn ♪" "♪ If your hand is in fire?" "♪" "♪ Does your head spin with rage ♪" "♪ When fooled by the liars?" "♪" "♪ King of the kings ♪" "♪ Do you feel any pain?" "♪" "♪ Do you feel any pain?" "♪" "Your stubborn king finally put quill to parchment." "Honored his promise to the Ordainers." ""Having led the king astray, and persuaded him to do evil," "Piers Gaveston shall be cast out and exiled."" "And it is my mission for both God and country to make certain that his third banishment be his last." "He is with his brother now." "Guilt of that death never settled well for him." "I'd wager Calo and Aron have already beat the piss out of each other." "Yea." "Fighting over the last bowl of stew." "I'm sorry, brothers." "I never thought my deception here would turn this way, bring this much suffering." "We were all a part of it, Wilk." "You have done nothing in need of contrition, brother." "Give your eyes and mind some rest, good priest." "I read it three times." "Each time brings a need to read it yet again." "You may ask your questions now." "Are there more?" "There are nine scriptures." "All of them are hand-scribed by the Nazarene?" "Yes." "Jesus... son of Joseph." "One testament, one author." "If these are truly his words, the very foundation of all that I believe and all that I preach..." "Is shattered." "That is why Robinus and his army pursue us." "We are the seraphim... the ones chosen to carry and protect the words of the Nazarene." "Protect?" "From the Church?" "They are called Socijs Rosula." ""Knights of the Rosebud."" "Descendants of the very soldiers who whipped, tortured and lay a crown of locust thorns on the head of the one they mocked as King of the Jews." "The Rosula believe" "Jesus rose from the dead, walked out of his tomb, and when faced with these same soldiers, he pardoned their sins, and appointed them keepers of his sacred history, granting them divine impunity, and the power of the Church to destroy" "anything or anyone that might prove a threat to that story." "The danger that is found in these pages..." "What will Robinus and his knights do if they capture you?" "Bring them all to their knees, stripped." "Only the seraphim lives." "I do not understand the purpose I serve in all of this, woman." "I'm but a manor priest, not a scholar or a prophet." "We do not need a scholar or a prophet." "We need a warrior." "Templar traps." "There's a letter." "No!" "Above!" "Devils." "Is there anything else you wish me to tell our punisher?" "No." "Only where we can now be found." "This bond that you have to Maddox..." "Is between the executioner and myself." "The Rosula, they know the priest came to us." "And now they will come for him." "Yes." "His next test of faith." "Yeah." "Edward's utter disregard for sound counsel pushes England to the brink of civil war." "Our loyalties are twisted, our power is diminished, and our finances... apocalyptic." "So in order to prevent doom and insolvency, you and the Ordainers have seized the strings of our king's frivolous purse." "We return stability by giving the rights of disbursement to Parliament." "Influential barons forcing the hand of the king." "Are not you the ones pushing us to the brink of civil war?" "We are aware that this strong stance may lead to greater conflict." "Edward may try to amass forces." "But without his conspirators and bottomless coffers, he will never gather an army that can best our combined efforts." "May we assume you are here to gather more combined efforts?" "That is one of the very reasons we travel here this day." "The Ordainers would like to offer Ventrishire a seat at our concerted table." "You provide us with your formidable military support and access to the sea." "In return, we make certain that Parliament never divides or bestows Ventrishire to another." "That is an offer that provokes heart, mind and purse, my lord." "This might provoke something completely different." "The other reason the honorable Earl of Warwick comes to call." "Part of the accordance with our king was a decree banishing Piers Gaveston." "The king can no longer deny the hatred Gaveston stirred." "They both knew another exile was due." "Edward agreed to let Gaveston" " seek refuge in Wales." " Ah!" "Near the sea, so they can sail into each other's arms." "With this, there will be no sailing." ""Piers Gaveston shall be cast out and exiled not only from England, but from Wales, Scotland, Ireland forever and without return."" "We made certain there was no rock in all of England under which he could crawl." "And yet he escaped you." "Without money and sway," "Gaveston will have no allies nor sanctuary." "Whatever hole he crawls into, you can be certain he will not be welcome." "If you have any knowledge of where that hole might be and who allows him to hide in it, we would be most grateful." "And... most generous." "Our reward... if the information brings us the capture of Piers Gaveston." "Indeed." "Most generous, my lord." "If we could do more than share knowledge, if my men could deliver Gaveston, a tidy French package dropped at your feet, might that beg a favor along with compensation?" "For what favor do you beg, Baroness?" "As you are well aware, Wales suffers its own civil upheaval." "The Byth Encil rebels grow more bold in their attacks as we grow more brutal in our suppression." "This blood-for-blood serves neither God nor country." "There will be no one at your table better versed in the complexities of this issue than myself." "Give me the authority to handle the rebellion as I see fit." "If I cannot restore harmony and reduce the financial drain on England," "I shall relinquish control." "That is your favor?" "To entreat with the barbarians?" "We will most gladly give you the weight of your yellow-painted rebellion, Baroness." "Splendid." "Then we shall begin our hunt for the Frenchman most wanted." "And most loathed." "Our watcher knows what he must do." " Shall I have him begin in the village?" " Yes." "He should look for the priest as well as any male child he tends." "A child?" " Of what age?" " I do not know." "But he would have been cared for by the gray woman or the Templar." "I will send an emissary to Avignon, letting His Holiness know that my need for reflection takes me to Basingwerk Abbey." "When Sir Cormac returns, have him join me there." "Yes, master." "The curve of the "C" points the other way." "Good." "You'll be schooling us soon, Sir Luca." "Never." "You are the smartest men I've ever known." "Clearly you have not known many." "Gentlemen." "Our good priest returns." "Yea." "You were sorely missed, Father." "An unexpected journey to a friend we both know." "Annora." "What turn of fate took you to the healer?" "One I still cannot quite comprehend." "But I come with a message." "She has left her cave." "They now settle in the coves near the Eastern Bay." "Had to leave, why?" "Were they forced out?" "Questions best answered by her." "Perhaps you can finish the boy's lesson." "See that he returns to his mother." "Of course." "Be good, lad." "Thank you, Baroness." "Chamberlain." "Thank you, sir." "Perhaps if Erik allowed you a seat at his negotiating table, he might still be sitting at it." "Uh, do not be impressed, dear chamberlain." "I have an awful habit of voicing dreams as if they were truths." "We must find Gaveston." "The money will ease our strain and offer us the chance to take hold of this rebellion." "We cannot let this opportunity slip away." "Do you really think you can negotiate with these rebels and their Wolf, my lady?" "One has to try compromise before combat." "Only then can I justify the swing of a sword as a way to peace." "I will draft letters to our neighboring shires, learn if Gaveston has passed through their gates." "There may also be a source within our very walls." "Yeah." "I know it." "I know how to spell my name." " Oh, yeah?" " Yeah." "_" "These two... they're from the raid on our camp." "They come looking to spill more blood." "It is time for them to see you as I do." "I understand now the need for hood and cloth." "What caused your man to be so brutally burned?" "A fire... set by the very men he took a sworn oath to protect and honor." " You have spoken to the priest?" " Yea." "Why flee the Far Caverns for this maze of outlaw coves?" "Are you in danger?" "We are safe here." "I appreciate you traveling with Wilkin, kind skeptic." "I sense in you a genuine concern for my welfare." "You sense genuine fear." "That you'll turn me into a humped troll with one of your wicked potions." "Come." "We buried our friend Calo this morning." "Oh, I'm sorry." "He had guilt as deep as his hunger." "Let us hope he finds peace on his new journey." "And what of my journey, woman?" "In brutal service to this court." "My forbidden desire for this noble lady." "Did you know my fate would become tied to that castle?" "Is this part of the story you are to help me play out?" "I sense one's journey by what I feel when I am close to them." "You have this gift, Wilkin." "Unholy seed..." "Mortis hoc bastardus!" "No!" "I've seen pieces of that vision before." "I'm the one in the water." "The nun... and the swordsman." "A desire that was also forbidden." "The greater one fights for the love they deserve, the stronger the bond between them." "Yea." "I'll need a strong bond to keep my head attached to my neck, if I dare take action on these desires." "The baroness... she has shared much truth with you?" "Yea." "And I with her." "Far too much." "This feeling that grows with Lady Love will only come to light once there are no more secrets." "You and your mate... do you give over all your truth?" "When you have lived as long as we have, the only secrets you do not share are the ones you can no longer remember." "Wilk." "To the cave." "Nomads return to kill us with an angry swarm." "Go now." "Get her safe!" "You can't take their vengeance on your own." "Go!" "Hurry!" "Bury them in the soft sand." "I thought he was without tongue." "On the bed." "We hate it when our chamberlain goes away." "We took notice of the English earl here this morning." "Do you travel with him all the way to Warwick?" "Yes." "On the hunt for Gaveston." "That awful Frenchman?" "Yes." "Exiled once more." "We have found his hiding hole." "Now the barons ride there to extract and slaughter." "We will gather the rest of your traveling things." "Are we traveling today, maidens?" "We venture for the chamberlain." "He's in need of new leather for his riding boots." "Are these the boots you speak of?" "You carry days of provisions, yet the tanner is but an hour's ride." "Even on old, broken mares." "Do you think your duplicitous turn brought me to my knees in vain?" "The priest said the punisher returns after sunset." "That is too late." "Use this." "The twins." " Ready one for the cradle." " Me?" "I'm..." "We should wait for Maddox." "What did I just say?" "Locke." "Your apprentice." "Which one, Chamberlain?" "Which sister should it be?" "This one still has some taut." "It should be the other one." "Her treacherous slatch already droops like wet clay." "Leave me." "You are never to go to that room." "You have made that more than clear." "But the steward needed vellum and demanded I retrieve it." "Aiden, you have no reason to fear." "Your devotion is between you and your God." "This secret does not hold us." "Secrets never do." "She finally gave truth." "The Earl of Pembroke hides Gaveston at a monastery in Deddington." "Should I ask why this is stained in blood?" "Your source, Chamberlain?" "The twin maidens." "Edward's condolence gift." "Gaveston's half-sisters and conspirators." "The king's other gifts have been expelled." "Due caution." "How do we capture him, gentlemen?" "The Earl of Pembroke hides Gaveston in secret." "His guard will be limited." "'Tis best to go in quietly with a half legion." "We will take Master Gawain and his soldier." "There is also a trapper in servitude who knows the marshes." "Why take the punisher?" "This is not correction, just capture and delivery." "I agree with the reeve." "This is not a venture for the common freeman." "You have seen Maddox fight, my lady." "There is nothing common about his skill with a blade." "If something unforeseen were to happen, we will need him at our side." "Ready our men." "Chamberlain." "Baroness." "May I speak freely, Baroness?" "Is there any other way you know how to speak, dear chamberlain?" "About our punisher, my lady." "Although it is encouraging to see you so committed to your subjects, one cannot help but notice the individual time you spend with Master Gawain." "Apparently." "In devotion or the garden." "Parts of the court that are open to all those who serve within the castle walls." "In the months since Erik's death, you grow stronger, smarter, certainly more bold." "You have become formidable, Love." "A voice that challenges me and every pompous noble that rides through our gates." "It would be the devil's best work to have scandal take that away." "A word, if I may, Chamberlain." "I understand that Maddox has the skill of a soldier, but his standing here at the court..." "He is not a knight, sire." "Nor am I suited to his brutal tasks." "Fragile pride is a trait best held by cowards, Reeve." "I am not fragile, nor am I a coward, sire." "I have earned my standing." "And when you give this punisher more trust and favor than your reeve, you insult me and all your honored knights." "What horror caused this?" "I don't think she can tell us, brother." "There you are, husband." "Where have you been all day?" "Tasks of the trade." "And what tasks strike back as such?" "A skirmish with bandits." "Of no consequence." "This maiden, what crime puts her in your cage?" "Come, Mother." "Hello, little punisher." "Hello." "From the baroness." "A letter from her to you?" "Why?" "The court is in need of service." "Thank you." "He said thank you, maiden." "Yes." "Yes, he did." "What service is the lady in need of?" "Brutal work." "Start supper." "I'll be there presently." "Come, Mother." "Your lineage." "Two centuries of Aberffraws." "Is it strange that this chamber gives me such comfort?" "You long to be surrounded by family." "How may I be of service, Baroness?" "Love." "When we are alone, may we use our true names?" "Wilkin." "Yes..." "Love." "Our chamberlain needs your battle skill." "We are to track down and capture the exiled Sir Gaveston." "I didn't know." "I will see to the chamberlain's request." "This may be a very dangerous venture, Wilkin." "We are unsure what threat there may be waiting in the marshes." "As you have been so forthright with me," "I feel compelled to return that trust." "I want you to trust me." "It is but layered wool." "You are not with child?" "An expected heir was a desperate ruse to hold my claim to Ventrishire." "Your healer, Annora, she gave me remedy to fool the king's piss prophet." "You are aware that giving birth to a pillow neither serves the shire nor yourself." "I've had two lectures today..." "one from my chamberlain, the other from my maiden." "Both are concerned with the amount of time we spend together." "I see." "And what about you?" "Are you worried?" "I am." "Yet... when I am with you, I feel safe." "Yea." "My mind spins with every conceivable wrong, and then when I see you, all is quiet." "Not all, Wilkin Brattle." "Was this your letter?" "Noble whore!" "He is my husband!" "He is mine!" "I served!" "I did my penance!" "I served... my pain." "For God, for family." "I deserve him." "Please." "I deserve him." "_" "Maddy." "That Irish tonic will keep her in repose till morning." "Thank you, Father." "For the tonic and for your discretion." "Of course, my lady." "I'm at your service." "Where's the boy?" "With the choir." "He'll be in my care till you return." "I appreciate your kindness." "May God travel with you, Wilkin." "As will thoughts of you." "Are you in love with him?" "The priest?" "I would think it is more admiration." "Perhaps." "It will help you see smaller writing." "Thank you." "Well, you're a pretty, wild thing." "Your mother has taken ill, boy." "She's resting in the castle." "Until her strength returns, our good priest will care for you." "All right, Father." "It is time to travel, good soldiers." "Justice waits in the marshes." "Get yourself cleaned up." "No!" "No!"