“I thought I put all this behind me years ago, when the last man who came barging into our lives was paid off and when Ruby was arrested. We’ve not had any mention of that bastar-of that man’s name for years. We washed our hands of him and his disease. If this is the same thing, I don’t know what I’ll do and it’s the last thing Gyth needs, not with his wedding coming up. Or Nessy for that matter, she just had the baby.”
Aillstan got up from his chair and walked over to Rick, trying to calm him by putting a firm hand on his shoulder.
“We don’t know for certain this is anything to do with it. Granted, from what you have told me, it is very familiar, but until this “man” states his reasons, we can’t be sure. I think you fear it’s the worse possibility because of the lack of evidence.”
Rick turned around and dragged his hand through his hair, glancing to the only Father he ever knew, then looked across the Hall of his house.
“I’ve not mentioned this to Ness or the others because I don’t want them worrying or panicking, Gyth most of all. But if it was a simple case of chasing up money, they’d have done it by now. The livestock, Tilty being attacked, his Father being paid off by the lurking stranger, the same man coming into my damn house and attacking Ness. He said something to her which-” He cut off here but continued after a breath. ‘Be silent dear, I need to deal with my two boys.’ That is what he said to her when she fell to the damn floor.”
Aillstan’s face went flat, partly stunned and partly working, for he was trying to decipher the meaning behind the sentence. He was silent on this notion before he dared to speak up the obvious.
“But you told me that he was kill-“
“Killed yes. The same day he tried to kill me himself because I called him out, but when we were mid brawl his men came out of nowhere and helped him escape. Later that day, he attacked me; I wasn't prepared. He was chased down and killed."
“Did you see his body?”
“Yes-No..”
Rick looked at Aillstan quickly and thought over the horrid memory of that day.
“No, I didn’t. I was very sick for several days after that, but I was assured he was taken care of. The man who did finally kill him is Violet’s Grandfather. But no, I did not see what happed to his corpse. Wait, you don’t think? No, you are mistaken, if it was…”him”, we’d have known long before now. You said yourself his Hall back in Dale is derelict.”
Aillstan sat his weary bones down into his chair again and chewed on the pipe he had previously been sucking to fill his lungs with the flavored smoke, thinking logically and wise for his age.
“Give me credit, my boy, for knowing this man as well as you. For I knew him in his prime, as did your beloved Mother. You said that in the end of his life, he was disgraced and on the run with his followers, hence the reason he ended up this far West. Would a man so wanted, hunted and ruined return to the place he would easily be found? Lights in his dismal Halls would rouse suspicion and nosey visitors and any lords he owed money to would go there first. How much can you trust the man who killed him? Was this not the man you said almost hurt Gyth by doubting the paternity of Violet?”
Rick shook his head and walked around in the same area as he tried to think himself, his arms swinging idly at his sides.
“Yes, but shush, I did not tell you that. Yes, it was the same man, but he would not put his family at risk, Violet would be put at risk.”
“But Rick, she was not even alive then. All this happened before you or even Gyth were married. He would have no reason to “care” for you.”
Here Rick stopped, for he was right. Looking back in the timeline of things, Rick did not even know Gyth existed then. Then the words that Nessya had said she heard the man say started to play over and over in his head like a repeating tune. Still Aillstan continued.
“Then you said this "lurking" man that had been asking questions in town which had a strange lacking information to them. He thought you were still married to whats-her-name.” Here Aillstan’s hand holding the pipe wafted as the name stuck to his tongue.
“Cedwyn, aye.”
Aillstan again continued with a nod, silently thanking him for the correction, taking a long drag from his pipe.
“He asked if you were still connected to “your brother.” So, they clearly had no idea you went into business with him, let alone live in the same village. They had no idea of Nessya, for she was “unexpected” as the intruder put it, when he entered the house. This person, whoever it was, had no knowledge of you except of what things were like in the past.”
All of this confused Rick but he did somewhat follow along and guessed what he was trying to say and elude to. Trying to accept the possibility was proving difficult.
“Rick, look at me.”
Rick did look up at him and sighed a deep breath outwardly, forcing himself to keep it together.
“You need to prepare yourself for the possibility this is him, Wolfcaelder. And you need to tell Gyth the same, for he was mentioned too. Everything that has gone on tells me it’s likely him. I don’t want to worry you or scare you but if it was anything else, like you said, about money or the likes, it would have happened by now. They’re playing games. What you need to do, is first find out what you can from Frankburn. Somehow, he is involved; I’m guessing he’s been paid, bribed. Secondly, you need to fortify yourselves. I’d advise not waiting for him to come to you. You did it before, you can do it again.”
“If…”If” it is him again, you want me to actually find him?”
“Son, you spent your life tracking him down, seeking some revenge in the name of your Mother. But now you have others to think about, you have a family of your own, you have loved ones and he is threatening your flock. Even if it isn’t him and it’s some vagabond from goodness knows where, don’t sit idle and allow others to get hurt. Start with Frankburn. Find him, get what you can out of him and for that poor boys’ sake, destroy him. Tilton will never know peace if you don’t.”
Rick sat down in an adjacent chair and perched his elbows on his knees, staring directly at the ground. A layer of sweat began to form on his brow. Could it truly be him, after all these years? Coward.
"Your sheer presence made my skin crawl
But your stale memory drag's on….."
