Page 71 of An Unlikely Knight
For the first time he could remember, Padriag saw his friends relaxed, their faces creased with unguarded joy as they swapped stories and playful barbs.
“Padraig!” Tristan waved his friend over. “I was beginning to think you’d decided not to come.”
Padraig grinned, his eyes gleaming with amusement. Erin rose to her toes and kissed his cheek before stepping away. “Go,” she urged him, her smile soft. She drifted toward the shaded cluster of women gathered beneath the branches of an ancient tree, their greetings sounding happy.
Adjusting to seeing his friends in modern clothing was still a struggle for Padriag. They seemed at ease in the new clothes, except for Niall, who looked like he was ready to claw his own skin off.
“Is something wrong?” Padraig asked, unable to hide his smirk when Niall fidgeted and tugged at the waistband of his trousers.
“Too many layers,” Niall grumbled. “Why do people wear clothing beneath these cursed pants?”
Padraig’s laughter rang out, rich and hearty. “You don’t have to. Some men prefer not to.”
“That’s good to hear,” Niall said with a scowl before stalking off toward the castle’s entrance, no doubt to relieve himself of the offending undergarments.
The day passed in a pleasant blur of music and merriment continuing until the early evening. After the musicians took their leave, Edith and Derrick said their goodbyes and followed suit.
Moments later, Gwen, Erin, Sabrina, Tammie and John busied themselves gathering the remnants of the feast to take inside, leaving the five friends alone as the sun began to dip toward the horizon.
“I need to speak with you,” Tristan said, his gaze steady on Padraig.
“Of course.” Padraig’s stomach tightened, sensing something weighty in his friend’s tone.
“Come.” Tristan gestured toward a grassy rise from where they could overlook the surroundings.
The two men walked to the higher ground and stood quiet as the now cooler breeze brushed against their faces. Padraig’s gaze swept over the rolling hills and plush flatter grounds.
“I remember when we rode here as lads,” Padraig said, his voice thick with nostalgia. “Not a care in the world.”
“Aye.” Tristan’s smile was tinged with sadness. “We were so irrationally carefree back then. Thinking life would be like that always.”
Padraig glanced at his friend, noticing the way Tristan’s jaw tightened, his expression as unreadable as the sky. He waited, letting the silence do its work.
“I am grateful my family kept my lands, even expanded the borders. You and the others are my family now. It is only right that I share what I have with you. The lands have been equally divided between the five of us.”
Padraig’s mouth opened, but Tristan’s expression left no room for argument. “It’s legally done, so you cannot refuse it. Oh and my lawyers have taken care of everything, you are a legal resident of Scotland, whose birth was never recorded by your now dead parents.”
A rush of emotions surged making it impossible for Padriag to speak.
“Miraculously, coffers of gold, that I put in a hidden cave below the wine cellars were still exactly where I left them,” Tristan continued, his voice raw with emotion. “It’s been converted to currency and deposited in accounts under each of your names. For as long as you live, you will be comfortably wealthy.”
Padraig’s eyes shimmered with unshed tears, and his throat tightened. “Tristan, this … You didn’t have to—”
“It’s because of me.” Tristan’s voice cracked. “Because I insisted we attend that cursed assembly of knights. Because of me, we lost everything. I have to repay my debt.”
Padraig shook his head. “It was not only your fault. I was the one who demanded we go to defend the village. I led us to confront Meliot’s guards that day bringing the curse upon our heads.”
Tristan huffed a reluctant laugh. “Very well, we’re both to blame. Don’t tell the others, aye?” His lips twitched with the hint of a smile. “Gavin, Niall, and Liam agreed to wait until you were here. As a group, you will choose which lands to claim as your own.”
Emotion thickened Padraig’s voice as he clasped his friend’s shoulder. “Thank you, Tristan. For everything.”
Tristan pulled him into a fierce embrace, their friendship unbreakable in the passage of centuries.
A loud clearing of throats interrupted them, and they both turned to find Gavin, Liam, and Niall standing nearby, their gazes drawn to the sprawling land below.
Side by side, the five men stood in silence
No words were needed.
They’d finally come home.
