"We are naming our firstborn after you, even if it's a girl," Charles shot back, hoping to ease his friend's tension with some good-natured teasing, though the statement was not far from the truth in Charles' heart. For all his worrying, he felt far better now that Will had arrived to help them. Charles would not soon forget his friend's loyalty, and he only loved him all the more for it.

"Poor child," was Will's parting shot as he waved his friend off, snorting with laughter once again as he ducked out of the cave. They heard him from outside. "Good Goddess, what did I do to deserve that?"

Alys giggled, her lap full of clothing for both of them, hands busily sorting his from hers as she looked up at Charles. She was as relieved as he that it had been her brother to find them; the Cardinal would have made great political capital out of what Will had just walked in on. "You heard the man," she teased Charles fondly, throwing him his fresh clothes, "put it away before I decide to really embarrass my brother."

He chuckled at both Will's remark and at Alys' not so subtle reference to a certain part of his own anatomy. "You were not so much in a hurry for me to put it away last night," he teased back, catching his clothes and shaking them out to make sure he found them suitable. He found his mood lightened, happy it was Will who had found them, reminded of childhood and all the adventures the three of them had had together.

"Oh, I think I was," she countered laughingly, arms flailing as she pulled a fresh chemise on over her head, glad that Bess had sent Will out with clothes relatively easy for her to dress herself in. "I just wanted you to put it somewhere very specific -" From outside the cave mouth came another groan, and the sound of Will's footsteps advancing further away from them. Alys grinned up at Charles. "How much of an eyeful did he get, do you think?"

Charles chuckled at both Alys' teasing remark and the sound of her brother's groan. If he insisted on eavesdropping, then Charles thought it served him right to overhear something he really didn't wish to hear at all. "Oh, I'd say he saw enough to know what we've been up to, but don't worry. He loves us both too much to speak a word of it to anyone." Charles pulled the filthy shirt off his back, and replaced it with a clean one, one that was more practical and less frilly than the one it was replacing. "I am only worried what he will think of our plan."

It was awkward to dress herself without being able to stand up while she did so, but Alys' ankle was throbbing with dull pain this morning, and she didn't want to risk damaging herself further. Nor did she want to draw attention to her injury, so she bit down her comments on the difficulties of dressing and got on with it. "I never know with Will if he will approve or disapprove," she admitted with a slight shrug. "You would know better than I, but ....well, he did ask if we were already wed. Doesn't that suggest that he would rather we were?"

"I'm sure he would," Charles replied with a small frown as stepped into a pair of pants and pulled them up over his hips to tie them at the waist. "Were you my sister, I would insist on it." He glanced down at her a moment, wondering if she needed help. Not only did Will not yet know about their plan to be married, he knew nothing of her injured ankle either. Dressed enough for modesty, Charles knelt down and drew the blanket away to take a look at her ankle.

The offending limb had swollen further overnight, enough that there was barely any give in her movement of it, despite the bandage she had put on herself the day before. Alys paused in the process of lacing her over-dress to watch as he examined her ankle, drawing in a hiss of pained breath when she tried to roll her foot. "You should take the bandage off," she told him. "It's doing more harm than good now."

"You should soak it in the sea. It would help with the swelling and the pain." He was no physic, but knew from experience that the cold would help ease the pain, if only for a little while. "Once you are dressed, I'll take you outside, so you can soak your foot," he promised as he very carefully unwound the wrapping from around her ankle, frowning when he saw that the swelling had increased and wondering if they should put off the wedding after all. He was still confident it was not broken, but a clean break sometimes healed faster and less painfully than a hurt such as this. "If you stay off it, it should feel better in a few days." He hoped.

A tender gasp escaped her lips as he unwrapped her ankle, despite how gentle he was with her, unaccustomed to having any kind of injury at all. "I feel like an idiot for falling in the first place," she admitted in a slightly grumpy tone, tugging her laces tight as he worked on her ankle. "I can't wear a shoe on that, not today, at least."

"It was an accident, Alys. Nothing more. There is no scandal in twisting your ankle. And you needn't wear any shoes. Will and I will carry you wherever you need to go." He tucked the blanket back over her foot, not wanting Will to see it without some explanation first, and moved to his feet to finish dressing, pulling on hose and boots. The gray of dawn was quickly giving way to morning, and they would have to be gone soon if they wanted to get back before Bereth's men went looking for them. Charles knew Bereth held no love for any of them and would like nothing better than to find any reason to blacken their reputations at court and cause them to fall out of favor with the king.

"It will be hard going for both of you, getting me back up to the clifftop," she said, guilt coloring her voice as she settled her clothing as best she could, tying her hair back with a ribbon she had found amid the clothes that had been sent for them. "But at least it offers a good excuse to the naysayers at court for our being out all night." She wasn't looking forward to the gossip there, nor to the very public dressing down the king was going to have to give them to protect both their reputations and his ability to continue showing them favor.

Will glanced between them, lowering her foot carefully to the sand, and skillfully interrupting before an argument could start. "Can you stand, 'lys?" he asked his sister, surprised when for a moment her mouth hung open dumbly.

"Um ....well, I haven't actually tried," she admitted, accepting his roll of eyes with good grace.

"Charles, help her up," Will told his friend. "I don't know if it's broken, but if she can take her weight, no matter how painful it is, I think we can rule out snapped bones."

"Are you both mad?" he asked, looking from one to the other. He had the pack in one hand and his soiled shirt in the other, fully intending to soak it in cold water and apply it to her swollen ankle. "She cannot stand on that! It will be too painful!" Clearly, the thought of Alys in any small amount of pain was completely out of the question as far as Charles was concerned.

Alys looked at him, her eyes warning him against suggesting insanity ran in her family, but the more intimidating look came from Will. Possessed of his mother's dark eyes but with the full force of his father's sense and temper behind them, Will's gaze met Charles' incredulity head on, stubborn and pointed. "Either you help her up, or I will, but either way, we're testing that ankle," he told his friend firmly. "And if you help her, you won't be the one kneeling on the sand holding her skirts up so you can watch as her ankle takes the weight."

Charles glowered back at them both, but knew when he was overruled, as he so often was when the two of them were around. "Very well," he agreed reluctantly, turning to Alys, his gaze softening. "Hold onto me," he instructed. "If it gives out, I won't let you fall." He wrapped an arm around her waist and very slowly helped her to her feet.

Alys was genuinely surprised to see Charles back down so quickly, making a mental note to get her brother in her corner as often as she could to smooth over marital bumps in the future. As Will knelt, she raised her arms to Charles, held close against him as he drew her up onto her feet.

After a moment, Will sighed. "Alys, I love you dearly, but put the damned foot down, would you?"

Charles knew Will was right and knew it was for the best, doing what he'd been unable to do. Perhaps he cared for her too much, but the thought of causing her any pain, purposely or otherwise, was simply abhorrent to him. He nodded his head to Alys to silently reassure her and tell her he had hold of her if it was too painful or her ankle wouldn't hold her weight.

For all her agreement that her injured limb had to be tested with her weight, Alys was frightened of setting her foot down, much less standing properly upon it. Pain was not something she had any experience in enduring. But Charles had her, and she knew that even if Will forced this on her, he wouldn't make her do it again if it was too painful. Biting her lower lip, she forced herself to relax her foot, the sole finding the sand as her fingers tightened in Charles' sleeves, oddly reassured by the gentle grasp Will took on her calf.

"That's it, 'lys, keep going," he encouraged her, wincing himself as she let her weight settle evenly on both feet. Alys' face abruptly paled, but she could hold her weight, even whimpering with the pain.

As soon as they were sure she could hold put her weight on the foot, Charles was anxious for her to take her weight back off it, tightening his hold on her waist and easing her back down onto the rock. "That's enough," he said, seeing her face go pale. "It's as I said. Not broken, just badly sprained."

She was shaking as Charles set her down once again, but rather proud of herself for not crying. Will nodded, leaning back to rest his arm on one raised knee. "You're right," he agreed with Charles, "but I wasn't going to walk back into Bannoc Rise and offer up her ankle as the reason you stayed out without being absolutely sure of what I'm telling the king. Bereth's been making his life a nightmare since Gideon came galloping back yesterday afternoon." He twisted, scooping one of the cooked fish from the stone and into a handkerchief, handing it to his sister. "Eat that, 'lys, you'll feel better in a bit," he assured her, squeezing her knee gently. "Help yourself, Your Grace."

"For Goddess' sake, stop calling me that!" Charles exploded, annoyed that his dearest friend insisted on deferring to his title when there was no one there who cared. "What in bloody hell is Bereth doing poking his nose into matters that are none of his concern" I swear if he makes any trouble for us, I will make it my personal ambition to see him disgraced."

His outburst got him nothing but a snort of laughter and a pair of identically incredulous smiles. Will glanced at his sister. "The good mood didn't last long, did it?" he commented, letting out a sharp guffaw at her answer.

"Well, he didn't get much sleep last night," Alys smiled sweetly, and quickly returned her attention to her breakfast before Charles could object to the unnecessary tease.

"Yes, he's always grumpy when he doesn't get a few hours on his own," Will agreed, turning his grin back onto Charles. But to his credit, he didn't hold the levity long. "Bereth's trying to discredit you," he told his friend. "He seems to be working on the theory that if enough neutral parties can be persuaded to give evidence to the king that you and Alys deliberately spent the night out here alone so you could canoodle in privacy, Christian will have to withdraw favor from you. Not to mention the fact that fornication for a woman can be interpreted as heretical misapplication of the Goddess' laws. I wouldn't put it past him to try that one, too."

Will didn't let him go far, leaving Alys where she sat, ignoring her advice not to even attempt approaching Charles in order to do just that. "What, you decided you wanted to marry her when she was five years old, did you?" he demanded of his friend. "Or did you think I would not have a problem with the fact that not only are you risking her reputation by courting her in the first place, but that you would risk her freedom and your head by allowing yourselves to be found naked and wrapped around each other?" He glared at his friend, anger very obvious in his gaze. "Did you really think that I would not be angry with you about this" Did you think I would laugh it off, that everything would be fine just because it is me" Bereth had me followed, Charles. If I hadn't noticed him, if I hadn't shaken him off, I would not have been the only witness to your wake up this morning. Swallow your damned pride and learn a bit of humility for once, or not even Christian will be able to give you what you want so badly!"

"Humility?" Charles echoed, rounding on his friend. "You want humility' That is easy for you to say. You who were born to this, both of you. I've had to fight for everything. I've had to make sure I don't make any mistakes. And don't tell me all of this is because of my father or my grandmother because we both know my grandmother hates me and that I will never be good enough in her eyes. And no, I didn't decide I wanted to marry her when she was five. I decided I wanted to be a good man, a king's man, a better man than so many of those around us. I wanted to make something of my life, to make a difference, and to prove that even someone with a commoner's blood - with my mother's blood - could be as worthy and as noble as one born of royal blood. That is what I wanted."

Charles wasn't sure if he was done or not, but for the moment he was all out of breath, realizing once again that he'd said far more than he'd planned on saying. He would have explained to Will what had really happened, but it wouldn't have mattered. In the end, he was right, and Charles knew it. "Easy for me to say?" For all his explosion of anger, Will took a step back, half-turning away before he thought better and threw a punch at his oldest and dearest friend. "The sooner we get to war, the better," he muttered in irritation. "You're itching for the fight, obviously. You want to resent us for being born to a position, you go right ahead. Get on with proving yourself however you think you need to. But that is not what I am talking about. I don't care about your blood, or your mother's blood, or any of that. You are my friend, and I love you dearly. But Alys is my sister. As much as I love you, I love her more dearly, and I will not allow either of you to put her in any more danger than you have already. She needs this wedding for her protection, whether you tell others or not." He let out a huff of breath, shaking his head. "I ....I'm disappointed, Charles. I'm disappointed in both of you. I thought you both had more sense than to take this risk so openly."

Charles took the punch, only a little surprised by it, stumbling backwards as his dearest friend's fist connected with his jaw. The blow hurt, but it was Will's words that hurt more. I'm disappointed....in both of you... Charles' heart sank heavily at those words from his friend. If Will wanted to blame someone, then he could blame him, so long as he didn't blame Alys. He rubbed his jaw where the fist had connected, glancing momentarily at Alys and feeling only love for her and shame for the danger he'd put her in. "I don't resent you. I've never resented you," Charles replied, his voice quiet. You are the only family I've ever known... "If you want to blame someone, then blame me," he said, turning his back again and walking off, not trusting himself to say anything more, needing a few minutes to gather his composure, his heart heavy with guilt and anger.

"For the love of ..." Will clenched his fists and growled at the sea as Charles stalked away, wishing his friend could see himself the way the people who loved him saw him. They saw a man made noble by his deeds; a man who had, yes, been a little less than circumspect in his affairs, but also a man who loved more deeply than most people could imagine. A man who had waited for five years to be allowed to love one woman, never knowing that she loved him in return, in silence, for all that time.

Frustrated, Will returned to his sister, and for a long time, it seemed, they spoke quietly. He had things that needed to be said, things she had to hear, and though he hated himself for the distress his disappointment caused her, Will needed her to know just how far-reaching the consequences of her actions could be. But as censuring as he was, he was also there to hold her as she wept her guilty tears, stroking her hair, whispering his forgiveness, and wishing Charles would return to them soon.

Charles put a little distance between himself and his friends - friends who he considered more family than those who were his family. He loved Will like a brother, and he had loved Alys for as long as he could remember. Maybe he had fallen in love with her when she was five. What difference did that make" Was that so very hard to believe" He stood there as still and quiet as a statue against the sunrise, unmoving but for the breeze that stirred his hair. He had taken Will's words hard and to the heart and knew his friend was right. It was his fault.

He should have resisted her charms and courted her the way she deserved, the way that was proper for a woman of her station. Little did he know that a little way away, Alys was weeping guilty tears in her brother's arms, while Charles refused to weep. Crying, he'd learned long ago, never solved anything. Men don't cry. Isn't that what his father had told him when his mother had died" But Charles had cried. He had cried then, and he'd cried when Alys had been sent away, alone where no one could see or hear, where no one would know. He wouldn't cry now. He would take the blame for his mistakes and make it right. After all, they all wanted the same thing, didn't they'

Yes, they did all want the same things. Will had been harsh because he had spent a sleepless night in concern for his friend and sister, and when he had found them, it had been in a position so compromising not even Alys could have charmed her way out had it been anyone but her brother who found them. On top of it all, she was hurt - though he accepted that it was no one's fault - and Will was frightened for them. They risked Alys' freedom with their foolishness, but worse, they risked Charles' life. He wanted them to take the danger seriously. He wanted them safe. And if, to do that, he had to make his own sister cry, then so be it.

Charles watched the sun as it rose in the sky, admiring the beauty of a new day. If all went well, by this time tomorrow, he'd be a married man. He couldn't help but smile a little at the thought of that, no matter how much Will's words hurt. He wondered if they had any idea how very much he loved them, how much he'd always wanted to be family. What did it matter that he and Will were not blood" He was his brother, in all ways that were important - the brother of his heart, if not his blood. Alys had always been the glue that had held them together, but he had never loved her like a sister. It had always been something more. Charles dragged his gaze away from the sky and bent over to pick up a rock, rubbing a thumb against the flat side of it before rising and tossing it into the sea, to skim across the waves, the way he and Will used to, almost hearing their laughter echoing in his ears, like ghosts of the past that haunted this place.

"She is not my sister, Will. I do not love her the way you love her, but that does not mean I love her any less." Charles turned toward his beloved again, frowning when he saw her rub at her cheeks, presuming she'd been crying, but why' It wasn't a disaster. Not yet. They had Will to thank for that. They'd be married tonight and then no one could cause them any trouble, not even Bereth. "She was not happy in Edessa, Will. I will make sure she is happy with me." He did not want to tell William all that Alys had told him about her life with Henri, but he did want to ensure him that he'd do everything in his power to make sure the rest of Alys' life - the part of her life that would be spent with him - was filled with as much happiness as he could give her.

"Good." Will's smirk returned as he glanced at his friend. "Because you know what I'll do to you if she is unhappy." He grinned at Charles, one hand clapping him hard on the arm as he turned fully toward his sister. "Come on. Let's get you both back in good time. Christian will be pleased to see you hale."

Charles was still frowning, both at the mention of Christian and at the sight of Alys crying. He had not meant to upset her by bringing her here; quite the opposite, in fact. It seemed for the time being they were forgiven, as Will's anger had passed. Charles only hoped the king would be as forgiving. "Thank you, Will," he told the other man. "You are a good friend."

"I'm a bloody awful nephew," Will countered with a chuckle. He nodded toward his sister. "You bring her up. I'll take the packs and have the horses ready - and she'll be riding in with me, Charles. Let's not give your enemies more ammunition than they have already." His eyes lingered on his friend's face, knowing that addition would bother Charles and hoping he would see the wisdom in it before he opened his mouth to object. The success of the night ahead of them depended upon their being utterly above reproach today. He nodded once more, and picked up his stride, stooping to sweep up the packs as he passed the fire and heading for the cave.

Perhaps Charles surprised him, perhaps not - perhaps he took a bit of of Will's advice to heart for once, swallowing his pride and agreeing with his friend, rather than objecting, no matter how much it bothered him. While he would have preferred Alys share his horse, he knew Will's plan was the wiser one. "There is no one I trust her with more than you," he replied, which sort of went without saying since Will was her brother, but it was Charles' way of telling him how much he respected the other man and trusted him.

That statement sent Will away smiling to himself, glad his friend had managed to make his passion lie down and play dead long enough to accept a little wisdom. He loved Charles dearly, but he himself had grown up far faster than his friend and even the king had had to. Duke Edward had begun teaching his son the ways of a duchy when he was only nine years old, instilling in Will a deeper sense of the world than perhaps his uncle or friend had yet to achieve.

Alys looked up as her brother walked past without a word, the tear-tracks on her face red against her pale skin but promising to fade long before they reached Martel and Bannoc Rise. Her eyes turned to Charles, curious and solemn. "Is everything all right?"

Charles and Will parted, one man heading back toward the cave to gather their things, while the other stopped in front of Alys and and crouched down in front of her. Charles reached for her hands, taking them in his own with a warm, loving smile, even as he noted the tear tracks that had reddened her lovely face. "Everything is fine. Will is going to ready the horses. You're riding back with him. It will be better that way." He reached up and brushed a finger across her cheek, in part to wipe away any remaining tears. "All will be well, dearest. I promise."

Her smile rose in answer to his, and faltered as his finger stroked her cheek, her hands twisting in his grip. "I'm so sorry," she apologized fervently, fond eyes bright with tears unshed. "I shouldn't have been so careless, I should have ridden myself. This is all my fault. I'll never forgive myself if ....if ..." She couldn't even articulate the fear that punishment might fall on him for her foolishness.

"Shh..." He pressed a finger against her lips to hush her, unworried about the consequences, even if he should be, confident all would be well in the end. They were too close to fulfilling their dreams to allow disaster to strike now. "We will be married tonight in secret, and not even Bereth will be able to contest the wedding. We were caught in a rainstorm, Alys. No one could have predicted what happened." He glanced toward the cave where Will had gone to fetch the remainder of their things. "We have Will to thank for finding us first."

She sniffed softly, forcing herself not to cry, not to upset him with her own distress. "I'm still sorry," she told him, half-laughing at her stubbornness. Drawing in a deep breath, she straightened her shoulders, swallowing hard. "We should be on our way," she said quietly. "The longer we're out of sight of the court, the worse things will be. And they will be bad enough." She leaned toward him, catching his lips with hers in a brief, fierce kiss. "I love you. And by midnight, no one will be able to contest that, ever again."

"Dearest love," Charles started, cupping her face in his hands, his thumbs brushing the remnants of tears from her face. "It is I who should be apologizing. I put you at risk with my foolishness, and for that I am sorry, but I will never apologize for loving you. I love you more than life, more than all the stars in the heavens. There are no words to tell you how much I love you. I would face a thousand Bereths to spend my life with you."

He grew quiet as she kissed him, his heart soaring with happiness to know she'd soon be his. It was going to take all his self-control not to grin like a madman when Christian handed down his punishment.

"One Bereth is enough," was her far more sober reply, the grim reality of how close she had brought him to disgrace or even death too close to her heart for the imminent prospect of their marriage to give her more than a moment of joy at this time. She would be easier in herself when they had faced the king, but for now, Alys was sick at heart with worry for her love. "Let's go, Beau. Before I disgrace you any further."

"You have not disgraced me, Alys. You have made me the happiest man in all of Francia." He leaned close to kiss her again, though he knew she was right, at least in her desire to return to court. The longer they were away, the harder Christian would have to be on them. It was only luck that had saved them so far, but Charles chose to believe it was a gift of the Goddess. For some reason, She had chosen to smile down on them this day and he would make certain to offer Her due thanks when they returned.

She gave him a sob to taste on her lips as he kissed her, torn between happiness and lingering fear for him as her fingers strayed over his cheeks. And there she could have stayed, but for the amusement throat clearing that started up behind her. "Put each other down, children," Will's voice interrupted the tender moment. "Plenty of time for that later. You know, when it's actually legal."

Charles smirked into her kiss when he heard the warning from Will, pulling away from her and glancing over at his friend with an equally amused sparkle in his eyes, despite the bruise that had formed on his jaw, care of his dearest friend. "It's only a kiss, Will. Nothing so scandalous," he replied with a smirk before turning back to Alys. "You should eat something. It will take a few hours to get back."

As her brother chuckled behind her, Alys conjured a smile from somewhere to reassure Charles fondly. "I'll live," she promised him. "I don't have any appetite this morning." True, that could have been for any number of reasons, but the most prominent was the worry over him. Will might have driven that worry home, but it had been there since the storm had begun the day before. "I promise, I will eat later. Lady Darnal will stand over me with a cane if I don't, you can guarantee it."

He hadn't really eaten either, but he wasn't anymore hungry than she was, his stomach too tied up in knots to think much about food. He smiled at her promise and brushed another caress against her cheek. "I'm sure she will, and if she does not, then I will make certain of it later." He kissed her one last time before moving to his feet and scooping her up into his arms. It was a long walk back up the cliff and a long way back to court, but despite everything, his heart felt as light as a feather knowing she was about to become his bride.

((Oddly emotional scene for us, but hey, it turned out good! Everyone should have a brother like Will! :grin: Many muchly thankles to Charles' player!))