Wil remained unconscious throughout the day. While the physician and Elizabeth were able to staunch the bleeding, Wylyam’s pulse remained weak and his breathing shallow. The elderly healer took Elizabeth’s hands in his after gathering his things.

“We have done all we can, love. His life is in God’s hands now,” the doctor explained with a thoughtful glance. “Keep him covered up for warmth, and have someone dab a moist cloth on his lips from time to time. Also – don’t forget to pray.”

The ladies of the household took turns keeping Elizabeth company in the chamber, partly out of concern for Elizabeth and partly to avoid even a hint of impropriety. After all, they were unmarried young people – unconscious or not their culture forbade them from being alone together.

The afternoon brought with it good news. Sir Philip arrived home safely with Peter, escorted by the guards Elizabeth had sent after them. The brigands had been dispersed without any further injury. Philip rushed to Wylyam’s side still wearing his armor, clanking all the way as he came. The older man’s eyes were etched with concern as he saw his unconscious squire.

“I heard he acquitted himself well,” Philip said to Elizabeth without hint of either pride or reluctance. “They found the sell-sword that you described. He was armored and well-armed.” Philip turned to face the young woman and offer his thanks. “I also understand that you kept him alive and brought him back here by yourself. I will be forever grateful, m’lady; come whatever may.”

Philip joined her for a while to see if there were any sign Wil might stir. After an hour, though, it seemed Wil was not about to revive from his repose. The knight sighed and shook his head as he stood up and addressed Elizabeth.

“With your permission, I would take your leave, m’lady. I must discuss these events with your father.”

Once they had said their goodbyes the room returned to silnce once again. Hours passed, the sun set and the moon rose. Sometime after midnight Alice the kitchen maid, who had been keeping Elizabeth company, fell sound asleep in her chair. At one point the older woman began snoring – and quite loudly at that – before sliding forwards in the chair and waking herself up. She looked completely miserable trying to sleep here after a long day of work.

“M’lady, would you mind if I pop out for a minute or two of shuteye?” she asked hopefully. “This boy is no harm to you, and I will return before light… if it be acceptable to you, of course?” In that moment Alice was more interested in sleep that propriety.

It was perhaps an hour later when a weak moan escaped Wil’s lips. It was so faint that it was almost unable to be heard. Then it came again, slightly more strongly that time.

“El…Elizabeth…” he whispered through his dry, cracked lips. His eyes began to flutter.

“Mah loove…” he asked, “water… have ye… water?”

Wil needed her help to sit up enough to drink, but he did so eagerly. After swallowing a few sips he looked up at her with a weak and confused expression.

“Are we in Heav’n?” he asked sincerely.

Once she had straightened him out Wil drink some more. Feeling more well-grounded, Wil gathered his wits enough to ask her something he had wanted to all day.

“Elizabeth, Ah cooldn’t ask thes afair since ye waur under duress. Noo 'at yoo’re haem Ah must know – will ye take thes sorry excuse fur a squire as your husband… one day?”

Wil’s eyes widened as a sense of expectation filled him greater than he had ever known. He hoped desperately against hope that her feelings for him were the same now as they were in the forest.

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Marvin's view on Life

Color returned to Wil’s face together with a beaming smile that stretched from ear to ear. The spirit that had all but slipped from its mortal sheath returned to him in a flash. Not only did Wil feel alive – he felt more alive than he had ever in his entire life. Overwhelmed with emotion he replied honestly and from the bottom of his heart.

“Aye, Ah woods choose ye – and Ah do… an’ ne’er will Ah loove anotha,” he said with his heart in his chest.

Refreshed by the water, Elizabeth’s kindness and her shared feelings for him, Wil felt like he was indeed in heaven after all. His pulse raced as his strength returned, revitalized by the wonderful, intelligent, beautiful woman who had agreed to be his wife. No longer able to hold back his feelings, Wil put the cup of water to the side and gently placed his hands on either of her cheeks. In that moment he felt as though his life depended on him kissing her right then and there. No matter how forbidden it was or how upset her father would be – Wil nonetheless drew her lips to his again with the happiest, yet most desperate expression he had ever worn on his face.

As their lips touched Wylyam was filled with the most wonderfully amazing sensation that he had yet to experience. It was so overwhelming that he had difficulty even understanding what he was feeling at all. All he knew in that moment was that he was the luckiest man alive. His emotion drove him to ignore his pain and wrap his arms around her – pulling her in closer and closer until she lay on top of him on the bed.

In the many letters that were to travel between them in the coming weeks and months Wil struggled to put into words exactly how he felt in that moment. After much thought and effort he was finally able to explain his feelings to some degree. Although he spoke with a very thick accent, his written words were free from that hindrance.

In your arms that night I realized for the first time that life was not some terrible battle to be won, or some endless suffering to be persevered, or a drudgery to be endured. No, life was a blessing and a miracle to be cherished and adored, as long as there was someone in it whom you love with all your heart; and they you. That night made me realize that life could be filled with such hope and joy that I did not even know existed in the world.

The passion he felt quickly escalated beyond Wil’s ability to think rationally. With the warmth of her body so close to his, Wil’s skin felt as though it was catching fire. The kissing grew deeper and more passionate with every passing second. Without even realizing that he was doing so, Wil gently nudged her onto her side and quickly extricated himself from under the bed’s covering – all while not breaking the kiss. It was then he realized that he was only wearing a long, linen nightshirt provided to him by the doctor and not the leggings he had arrived in. The shock of the cold air on his bare legs snapped him back to the reality of the moment. All but undressed, he lay in bed with a woman who was not yet his wife. He broke off the kiss with an expression of shame.

“M’lady,” he said breathlessly. “Please… forgive meh…Ah am… Ah’m so sorry…” he said, stammering an apology, as red in the face as one could possibly be. As he begged forgiveness he struggled to hide himself under the linen shirt with limited success, desperately seeking a sense of modesty after the uncontrolled fire and passion of the past few minutes.

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Marvin's view on Life

Reality returned to the young squire, and with it the realization that his passion for Elizabeth would need to wait. He sighed heavily as a sad expression crossed his eyes even as a smile found a way to his lips. He was pleased that she at least forgave his impropriety and didn’t simply march out of the room. This led him to believe that he hadn’t damaged her respect for him in the process of pulling her onto the bed. Her strength of character in that moment proved that she was, indeed, a noblewoman in the finest sense of the word – a woman who was worth waiting for. He pulled the covers back over himself in order to have some semblance of modesty as they said their good-nights.

He closed his eyes in ecstasy as she ran her fingers through his hair and then squeezed her hand firmly before she finally withdrew it.

“Ay coorse, mah lady. Ah will rest an' graw strang again – if fur naethin' else than tae meit ye at th' altar. Ah know yer father will likely nae approve, sae we main need tae bide until i’m knighted, or after mah inheritance. But Ah will bide fur ye – nonetheless. Nae matter hoo lang it takes, Ah will be haur.” He looked upon her face with the expression of one deeply in love. “My loove, ye should go noo an' gie some rest. I’m sure we’ll spick again in the morn’.”

He was grateful that she got up and prepared to leave, since if she had lingered he might have lost all control of himself and given into his passion. When Elizabeth finally passed through the threshold he called to her one final time.

“Thank ye… my loove. For everythin’. Ah am in yer debt.”

Once they had said their goodbyes Wil settled down into the bed with a resigned yet not unhappy sigh. He leaned over and blew out the candle on the table and settled down to sleep on his good side, as his right arm still nagged him with pain and tingling. It didn’t bother him too much, though, lost as he was in thoughts of her.

As he drifted off he was finally able to understand the situation that led to his conception out of wedlock. For the first time he could sympathize with the depth of feeling his father must have had for his mother. With this new insight came a novel emotion – a sense of compassion for a man that prior to then he had never quite understood. In that moment Wil forgave his father for all the years of pain his tryst had inflected upon his bastard son. The young man resolved to go and visit the elder Ramsay as quickly as he could, especially in light of his father’s current illness. He planned to do so just as soon as he could speak to Elizabeth’s father in the morning.

He finally fell asleep as hints of the pre-dawn glow became visible through the shuttered window. With the new day came a chance to begin again for the young man. With fresh eyes and a hopeful heart, Wil realized that the world was actually a much better place than he had ever realized it could be – as long as she was in it.

The End?

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Marvin's view on Life