Henry watched the men training from a distance, a soft smile on his face as he observed Adelaide. She was yelling at some of the younger recruits for being reckless. Henry couldn't help laughing as she proceeded to smack each one of them on the back of the head. She barked a few more things before the boys were sent to do laps.
"Are you sure you don't want to bring either of them with us?" Theodore asked, his horse sidling up next to Henry's. "We're not expecting trouble, but Sir Arthur and Sir Kayden would still be good additions to your company."
The young Lord shook his head and pulled on the reins of his own mare.
"Let them be," he said as they began to trot away from the fields. "They both could use some exercise and fresh air." Which wasn't a lie. Henry knew very well the two of them were getting increasingly bored sitting near him while he had meetings or writing out correspondences.
Theodore didn't make any additional comments as they began making their way through the winding passages of the village. Their group was conveniently small, containing only Henry, Jasper, Theodore, Harry, Anthony, Marcus, the Livingstons, and lastly, Roland. Their destination wasn't a far journey. In fact, they weren't even leaving Vannes, but they'd still decided to go by horseback in case a speedy get-away was necessary and to save energy.
Before long, Vannes Cathedral towered into view. Its granite glittered under the morning light and loomed over the adjacent infrastructures. The arched entrance was accented by intricate carvings and grey trimmings that roamed over the entire cathedral. Henry took a moment to admire the beauty before they dismounted and made their way inside. They were welcomed by numerous windows that let in floods of natural light and thick, white stone columns that supported the high arching ceiling. A few candles were lit, as well, and Henry stopped for a moment as he took in the flooring, which was covered in tombstones.
Henry didn't dwell on that fact as he and his uncle greeted the Bishop. They had arrived at Vannes Cathedral with the intention of offering alms. The Church seemed grateful for the gesture, taking the money and happily shuffling it out of the room before any onlookers could get a true look at the bag's weight or size.
"We truly appreciate the offering," the Bishop was telling Henry's uncle while gripping Jasper's hand. He continued singing them lavish praises and looked torn between returning to his duties and remaining with their party.
"We are simply doing what he can," Jasper answered, squeezing the man's hand in return before taking a step back. The Bishop smiled brightly, said a few more words of thanks, prayed over them, and returned to the group of people waiting for him off to the side of the altar.
As happy as Henry was to offer alms to the Vanne Cathedral, he had hoped to do more. So much of the town was poor and starving, and Henry couldn't help but think about all the children like Roland who hadn't been so lucky to be picked up and adopted by an impulsive, cross-dressing soldier.
"We could stay and help the kitchen," Anthony suggested, noticing the look on Henry's face. Wordlessly, he nodded and their company departed for the kitchen where the staff there looked more than grateful to accept their help.
For the remainder of the morning and for part of the afternoon, Henry and his party helped the kitchen serve up bowl after bowl of soup. They handed out the servings to anyone who asked, giving them water and a slice of bread as well. Henry conversed with a variety of people, but the discussions were a mere exchange of pleasantries and short compliments with the occasional pray extended. The poor who gathered were far more interested in eating than they were in talking and getting to know the Tudors and the men who followed them.
"Henry," a child's voice said, tugging gently on his shirt sleeve. A bit surprised, Henry looked down at Roland who was beginning to look exhausted and hungry. He smiled at the young boy and knelt down so they were at eye level.
"What is it, Roland?" He asked.
"How much longer are we going to be here?" Roland questioned, doing his best to stifle a yawn.
"We just have a few more bowls to hand out and then we can head back. Okay?" The young boy nodded and did his best to keep his eyes opened as elderly and young passed him. Roland smiled sweetly as he gave them each a piece of bread, nodding at their words and occasionally responding to a question.
As the last dregs of the soup were lapped up, Henry assisted in helping the other church volunteers clean up while the main staff brought their utilities back inside the cathedral. For the second time that day, the Bishop extended his gratitude for their assistance and looked on the verge of tears. The man's intensity startled Henry a bit, but he shook his hand and offered to return for another evening to help.
Not looking forward to rushing back to a mound of letters that he had to answer, Henry trailed back behind the group with Roland on his back, who was still trying to stay awake. Marcus and Anthony had taken their horses and tied them to their own while the young man and boy leisurely strolled. Henry partially wondered if he'd ever return to Vannes once leaving it. Would he ever return to Suscinio? Brittany? Would his travel be over once he returned to England?
He suspected that the answer was yes. Henry would either die fighting for the throne or be perpetually stuck to it once it was claimed. He considered the possibility of journeying between other residences after being crowned, maybe even different courts, but Henry doubted that he would be free as he was now.
The notion didn't entirely unsettle him. In reality, it didn't even truly bother him. After living away from his mother and his home country for so long the idea of having a permanent and safe residence was enticing. But he knew Adelaide would hate it. He loved how excited she got when they ventured to new places. How her eye lights lit up as she took in different sceneries around her. Whether it was cities, beaches, hills, or plains, Adelaide loved painting them all, and Henry had sat by her for hours as she crafted each onto a canvas, memorializing the journey.
Henry sighed as he thought about Adelaide. Every flash of her face, every recount of her laugh or smile, brought with it a mixture of utter bliss and bone-crushing misery. She was the perfect combination of poison and medicine, and Henry wasn't sure if being with her was his curse or his cure. While she relieved his stress and comforted his anxiety, she also kept him awake at night, dreading the future. A future where she would be near him and yet so, so far away.
Would having her by his side once he became King be too much to ask? Would it be too much for either of them? Would he fall into temptation and hold her close while married to another woman? Would such an act expose her? What would the council do if they discovered the truth? The Church? What would happen to Adelaide if her secret was revealed? What if it wasn't? Would she be happy living the life she needed in order to stay with Henry?
Too many questions raced through his mind. Too many scenarios that led to too much pain.
Henry blinked away a wave of choking emotion as he thought of a life without Adelaide. But then he thought of a life with her and the misery he would bring upon her brought a hateful wave of shame that burned his throat.
"Henry?" Roland yawned. The sound of the boy's voice broke Henry from the trap of his mind, and he raised his head, taking in the streets that had momentarily disappeared during his turmoil. The influx of emotions that had overwhelmed Henry had left him raw and drained, and he staggered a bit.
"Yes, Roland?" His voice was rough and dry, and it cracked with withheld anguish. Henry hoped the boy was too tired to hear it.
"Do you love that Lady Elizabeth that's over the water?" The question was so sudden and random that Henry laughed a bit.
"What brought on such an inquiry?" He said with a raised eyebrow.
"Well, Addie said that my mom and Lewis got married because they love each other," said Roland. "So are you marrying Lady Elizabeth because you love her? Is that why people get married?"
Henry's discomfort settled in at the same time as his dread.
"No, Roland. I do not love Lady Elizabeth," he answered honestly. He didn't like lying to people, and he liked lying to children even less. "I have never even met her, though I'm sure she's a lovely woman."
"Then why are you marrying her?" The eight-year-old pressed.
"Well," Henry chose his next words carefully. "There's been a war going on for a very, very long time. A lot of people have gotten hurt. And I have a chance to end it. If I marry Lady Elizabeth a lot of people will be happy and hopefully all the fighting will stop."
"Oh," was Roland's initial response and he was quiet as he absorb the information. "But what about you? Are you going to be happy?"
Relief washed over Henry as their estate came into view. He didn't give Roland an answer before he handed him off to Charity, who had been waiting for their return. And he was glad that the boy was too tired to push the conversation because Henry wouldn't have been able to conjure up a convincing answer.
And again, as the night stretched out and people shuffled off to bed, the questions returned.
Would he be happy? Would it matter if he wasn't?