My wounds healed quickly, and for the next two days we camped near Rosslyn with Sir Charles and his knights. Meals were cooked and stories were told and songs were sung by the fire. We relayed to Sir Charles our exploits along the way, and he became quite fond of Robard and Maryam.
With Sir Charles’ blessing, Father William disappeared with the Grail, and I was glad it was now someone else’s responsibility. The handful of knights who had assisted Sir Hugh were nowhere in sight, and I thought it best not to wonder what punishment Sir Charles had seen fit to offer them.
One of Sir Charles’ sergeantos had tended to my wounds, and after three days’ worth of food and rest, I felt ready to leave. The only question was, where would I go? St. Alban’s was gone. Sherwood was Robard’s home, and I had no idea what Maryam planned to do. She was far from Outremer, but I was certain, given her service in our cause, that Sir Charles would find her passage back if she desired. Whether she wished to return there was the question.
The three of us strolled through the village streets of Rosslyn, Angel at our side. We paused outside the church, and I wondered if Father William was somewhere inside, finding a secret hiding place for the Holy Grail until his mighty cathedral could be built. For a moment I thought about how, long after my bones had turned to dust, the Grail would still be here, hidden safely away from those who might attempt to use its wonders for ill purposes.
“What are you going to do, your highness?” Robard asked me.
“Stop calling me that! I’m not a highness!” I replied, only slightly annoyed. Ever since we had learned my true identity, Robard had delighted in teasing me about it.
“Seriously, Tristan, what are your plans?” Maryam asked. “You English and your laws are confusing, but what will you do? Sir Charles says you have claims to land-”
“I don’t want it,” I interrupted her. “You’ve met Eleanor and Sir Hugh? And I’ve met Richard, and I could do without the lot of them. I don’t care about land or title, and I certainly will make no claim to the throne. Not even with the backing of the Order. It’s all too much. Far too much. From Outremer, I carried the weight of the Grail. I have no desire to carry anything so heavy again. I have a different plan in mind,” I said.
“Really?” Robard asked, snickering again.
“Yes, Robard, a real genuine plan. Thanks for asking. What are you two going to do?”
When Robard and Maryam’s eyes met, they danced with joy. She was not going back to Outremer, at least not now, and maybe not ever.
“We’re going to return to Sherwood for a while,” Robard said. “Maryam has never seen the forest in the spring and summer. I want to show her the meadows and the fields. I want her to see the chestnuts and the sycamores come to bud. There are many things I want her to know.” Maryam smiled at him and gently slipped her hand into his.
“And what of the Shire Reeve?” I asked.
“What of him? I think he’s learned his lesson. I doubt he’ll soon bother the good folk of Sherwood again,” Robard said assuredly. I smiled and nodded, though I did not share Robard’s confidence. I would not ruin Robard’s high spirits, but the Shire Reeve of Nottingham did not strike me as someone who would give up so easily.
“But enough about us, Tristan. What is this plan you have?” Maryam asked eagerly.
When I told them, they smiled and clapped me on the back.
“Come,” I said. “Let’s find Sir Charles and I’ll tell him what I’ve decided. He’s at his tent outside the gate.”
We were a few strides down the street when I realized Angel was not at her usual place, loping along beside us. Looking back, I saw that she sat on her haunches in front of the church.
“Come, Angel!” I called to her. But she didn’t move.
“Is she sick?” Maryam asked, concerned. “She always comes when you call her.”
“I don’t know. Angel, come!” I called again. Yet she remained where she was. The three of us strode down to the church steps and studied her. She stared up at us, her brown intelligent eyes shining in the morning light.
“Come on, girl,” I said. “It’s time to go.”
Angel whined, then stood and pushed her head against my hand. I rubbed her head and ears, and she moved to Robard and he did the same. When she reached Maryam, she flopped onto her back and Maryam rubbed her belly vigorously.
“Angel,” I said. “Stop this. It’s time to go.”
She barked once, then darted away around the corner of the church, heading down the alley between it and the adjacent building.
“What in the world. .,” I said, and we all trotted after her. But when we reached the corner and peered down the alley, she was gone.
“Where is she?” Maryam spoke, her voice shaking as if she might cry.
I thought back to how I had found her, lounging in the sun in the alley in Tyre, near the place where I had hidden the Grail. How she had kept it safe and delivered it to me when I returned for it. On our entire journey she had guided us, barking out warnings, sniffing the air, sounding the alarm whenever danger was near. But always, she safeguarded the Grail. Maybe her journey was over as well. Maybe God wanted her here in Rosslyn, keeping the Grail safe.
“I think. .,” I said.
“What?” Maryam said, tears forming in her eyes.
“Perhaps her duty is here,” I said.
“No. .,” Maryam said.
But I felt it was true. Where the Grail was, Angel would stay. She was its guardian, not ours. We stared at the empty alleyway for a few more moments, then turned and left for the Templar camp.
It was time for new beginnings.