Dearest Father,

I have read your last letter with delight. I am beyond happy to hear that my brother is to marry Teagu Badrosottir. She is a very nice woman and a most excellent match.

Is that not what is most important, father? That a man and woman be well suited to each other requardless of all else? Is not marital felicity the purest blessing that a couple can have??securing their happiness and the happiness of all connected with them? I know well how much you loved my mother ; you have after told us so thought she passed on while I was so young. I know that my bother and Teagu will have such happiness as you and mother did and I pray that I too find such.

Father, I don?t know exactly how to say this and so, I will be direct. I believe I have met a man well suited to me who will make me happy. He is a fine, stalwart man and well favored by the Baron and Baroness. I have even witnessed the favor he has from Prince Maelgwn and Princess Rian. His has been nothing but kindness and attention to me andthough he is very busy, I cherish every moment I can spend with him.

His name, father, is Master Ewan Corinsson. He will be writing to you and I look forward to your blessings.

Dutifully your daughter,

Rhian

It was all Rhian could do to maintain a calm and appropriate demeanor when Bronwyn brought her a packet of letters from her family; as badly as she wanted, she didn?t tear into them.

?Master Corrinson got a letter too?..? Bronwyn teased in a sing-song voice.

?Oh?? Rhian feigned disinterest.

?From your father.? the girl practically bounces on her toes, ?He seemed real excited to get it.? she teased.

?Well,? Rhian hoped she didn?t blush, ?I am sure he is thankful you were prompt in bringing it to him. Speaking of prompt, are you not supposed to be in the kitchen.?

She was rewarded by Bronwyn?s gasp, ?I need to be about the potatoes!? and the sight of the girl scurrying back to the kitchen to avoid a scolding from the cook, Mistress Ilena.

Finally free from observation, Rhian tears through the packet of letters till she found the one penned by her father?s hand. The other letters carelessly tossed aside on a table within her chamber, Rhian?s eyes skim through her father?s scrawl. Her brother?s marriage arrangements, the lake has frozen over, the unfortunate incident with the root cellar, and so on until finally she finds the passage she sought.

As for that other matter, I have received the letter you mentioned from Master Corrinson. I have, of course, refused him.

Rhian froze. She blinked and reread that line not once, not twice but three times.

Refused.

How is that possible? Refused? She didn?t quite understand. Ewan is such a good man! Strong, well respected by all, noble in spirit if not in bloodline, how can her father refuse such a man?

While Master Corrinson is a man of notoriety and is a well considered servant of a great family, he is not of a suitable lineage as you must well know, Rhian. I am disappointed in you, daughter, for leading on a honorable gentleman. Perhaps I am too harsh for it is no doubt your beauty and kind heart that attracted the man and your sweet nature that gave him boldness. Such boldness should not be encouraged, even accidentally, as you are not accessible to him or his like. Girls such as you are meant for greater men.

I should tell you that Master Corrinson is not the only letter to come to me. Lord Cathal Ragnarson has written to send me his regards and to report to me his favorable impression of you and how you have improved these last months since we all last met. He related to me the favor you bestowed upon him at the royal ball and how it gave him hope the breach between our families could be healed. At his request, I did give him permission to renew his attentions to you but I did warn him that any new discussion of marriage is premature. Based on what I have heard from many quarters, dear daughter, I expect to receive even more notes from other young worthies after you are seen at court a few more times.

Congratulations my girl, you have done very well for yourself.

It was with a ragged gasp that Rhian remembered to breathe after reading this section of her father?s letter. It was beyond belief! Her father could not mean it! To choose Cathal Ragnarson over Ewan Corrinson? It defies all reason!

Shock quickly turned to anger and hot tears fell from her eyes. Harsh words formed in her mind as she imagined how she would like to respond to her father. She will tell him that she will not have Cathal Ragnarson and will not receive him. She will defy her father.

~Ewan!~ Rhian?s mind turns to her erstwhile suitor and dropping her father?s letter to the floor, she sweeps out racing through the halls to find him hoping he has not yet read the letter from her father.

Rhian stopped short at Ewan?s formal bow, ?Ewan? You?ve read the letter?? Her eyes betrayed her distress.

With a slight bow of his head, ?I have, my lady.?

Her hand reached for his, ?Ewan, please, do not read too deeply of it.? Her voice barely held together as emotion rippled beneath and caused cracks in the sound. ?My father does not know you. He has made his decision from ignorance. Please, he will come to his senses and change his mind.?

His hand lifted slightly, but the dropped to his side again, ?Rhian ? Lady Rhian, your father has your best interests at heart. He is a good man and concerned for your well being.?

?And that is why he will change his mind!? She tried to convince herself as much as he. ?Please, Ewan, let us continue as we have. I will reason with him.?

?I have to abide by his wishes, my lad. I have neither rank nor status. That will not change.?

?No!? She grabbed his wrist since he did not take her hand, ?I know of no man more noble or worthy. Rank and status did not stand in the way of the Baron and Baroness. Why should it hinder us??

?Please,? he almost whimpered, her touch forbidden to him, and yet, he did not remove her hand. He could not bring himself to do that. ?Rhi- Lady Rhian, the Baron made many bargains with King Rhodri for permission to marry Sylvia, who, yes bastard born was still the daughter of a nobleman. I have nothing to offer.?

Tears that had long threatened to fall trickled defiantly down her cheek, ?I do not care for title and status, Ewan. You are a good man, the best I have ever known. This is just a minor objection from my father. I am?confident,? but the confidence was not truly there as he eyes dropped at the white lie, ?that once he learns more of you and learns how well you are to me, and how truly fond I am of you, he will relent.? The tearful eyes turned back up to his, searching for some sign of agreement.

With great care he removed her hand from his wrist, then cupped her cheek gently, ?Rhian,? he tried to be positive, ?perhaps someday.? His hand floated away from her face, ?But until that time, I have to do as he asks.?

Her smile appeared at his touch and disappeared just as quickly when his hand drew away, ?Wha- what do you mean??

Ewan hid the pain he felt in saying it. It would be easier on her heart if she did not see that. If he could be colder, she might find it easier to move past him. His gaze did not move from her eyes, and he was stoic in his reply, ?Your father has refused me, my lady. I am but a servant of this court, and as such must treat you as the noble woman of your standing. We must return to what we were before.?

Ewan made a conscious effort to get up early enough for at least lunch. Rhian?s accusation that Ilena wondered about his absence or that her cooking offended him could only be taken as reproof from Rhian. Ilena knew very well that the Master of Arms?s attendance to meals was random at best. He did not know that Ilena had, in fact, been surprised to see him at meal so often before the recent events.

Having put the thought to rise early in mind, Ewan found himself brought to wakefulness by the internal clock after only three hours of sleep. A hard sigh, he rubbed at his eyes. He could hear the men out in the yard practicing. ?Did not wish to get up this early,? he groused. Still, better early than late, and he slipped from the warm bed and prepared for the day.

He strode to the practice yard to observe the men and saw among them Rhian sparring with Darien in her knife practice. He tried not to watch her at length, sharing his attention with every person on the field. It was not to be helped as he kept watching until he realized why.

One hand on the barrier gave him leverage to hop over, and he quick stepped to Rhian and Darien. Swift in his motion, hand to wrist and twisting free the practice blade from Rhian?s hand, then a kick to Darien?s wrist, he disarmed them both. It was Darien who felt the brunt of Ewan?s displeasure, ?What game are you playing, Darien??

The young man gulped and paled under the harsh gaze of his superior. ?I felt it best for her to work on more broad steps to??

?To what? To draw her close? To put her in danger? I thought you knew better,? then less caustically, he sighed and picked up Darien?s dropped blade, ?I know you know better.? He offered Darien both practice blades. ?We will not mention this in the future. We all make errors in judgment.?

Ewan turned at last to Rhian, the exchange having been no more than a few moments of heated words, he bowed, ?My apologies, Rhian, but Darien and I disagree on an element of your training. I hope I did not alarm you.? He could almost imagine the angry words she might say to him. In an instant his mind whirled through a thousand possibilities, but he could only wait for the truth of her thoughts.

A low, brief laugh and a brief light to his eyes, "Be assured, Rhian, I have forgotten nothing about you, nor am I liable to." He stepped from between them, and then he turned. "As to limiting your movement, that is precisely the intention. The less effort you can spend with the maximum effect is the goal of knifework."

He held out his hand to Darien who still held the blades, "Darien and I will spar so I might show you what I mean."

The blood drained from Darien's face, but he held out the practice knife to Ewan who took it in a confident, but not firm, grip. The men of the practice field had secret smiles, but not a soul was going to wager on this match. One guard escorted Rhian aside as the men began to circle about the pair. Ewan's stance parted his feet slightly and loosened his knees in a slight bend. Darien matched him and began to move around Ewan seeking an opening for his first attack.

The move was swift, not poorly executed, but broad in its stroke. Probably Rhian recognized it from their practice earlier. Ewan turned and shifted his weight, then brought the knife around, flat against his arm, what would have been the sharp side outward, and pressed it against Darien's throat whose step had brought him so dangerously in range of the counterattack. "Dead!" One of the guards yelled. The others chuckled, but a long, narrow look from Ewan silenced them.

He nodded to Darien, "I'm glad you showed that move first. It is often hard to fight the impulse to make the bold move and defy convention." Was he giving a lesson in knifework or in life? He motioned for Darien to start again.

Darien was more patient this time, but he drew close to his opponent this time before moving his blade to attack. Ewan had seen Rhian doing just this when he disrupted them. Darien had been playing a gambit, and instead of doing as he should, dropping to his knee and placing the blade to the back of her legs, he would close with her face to face. Ewan had a point to make, though, so he did drop to his knee, placing the blade to the back of Darien's knees and making a slicing motion. "Incapacitated." The guard yelled.

"And," Ewan said as he stood once more, "affording you time to either make a killing blow or a way to escape." Ewan spoke calmly...he was calm. He felt it through and through, and could face Rhian with an assured smile at ease once more in her presence. "However, Darien is a fine instructor, and perhaps you are right in that he wished to show you how to fight when the best plans go wrong." He flipped over the practice blade and offered it to her hilt first bowing slightly.

Ewan bowed and departed the field to find Sylvia and report before lunch began. The men all watched him go, some shaking their heads, grumbling to each other at what a sad sight that was. Darien smiled to Rhian, "That is up to you, my lady. I will, of course, continue if you like." He waited for her reply and ignored what he could hear as the men all passed by as they, too, left the field.

"Damn shame, is all, having a fine man like that so turned on his head by a female."

"You'd never see him act like that with the Baroness. There'd have been a yellin' match like to burn ya ears." One of the guards said in turn.

"Aye, but she's different isn't she? She'd not let him hide behind court manners," another added as he too filed past. The men did not seem to care who heard. No, they were puzzled and saddened to see their commander so strict and formal as he never was inside the practice field.

For Ewan, though, it was a very telling moment. Something he had wondered about deep inside had been clearly answered: hearts were growing farther apart, and doomed to continue that way if something was not done. The question was should he do something and does he want to? Even more importantly, does she want to? He would never know.

A thought to the report he should make to Sylvia, he had stepped from the field with such a quick, light stride the words of his men were but whispers he easily ignored. The men were prone to grumbles from time to time. He noted the tone, not the content, as he walked on. But the call from Rhian was quiet clearly meant to draw him to a stop.

Ewan turned and smiled, "A word with me? Of course, what may I do for you, Rhian?" His mind was a blank at what she could need, but surely Sylvia would not miss his report if it were yet delayed a bit longer.

Hands set to hips, green eyes examine the ground, and he nods, then looks up to her with a secret smile, "I think our friendship can. Perhaps I was being too cautious because of our difficulties. Too afraid I might lose the friendship if I was my self." Then more gently spoken, "Afraid you'd think I hated you if we disagreed. That could not be further from the truth, Rhian. I will always care for you, even if it is only through friendship that caring can be shown."

Then he smiles, "I have some things to see to, first, but perhaps this afternoon you would like to share some training time with Spirit." Then adding with a low, brief laugh, "I will not promise to treat you as I might any of my other friends, but I will do my best not to hold you at a distance as if you might break."

A brief bow of his head, "I must report to Sylvia. If you would like to share in Spirit's training, I should be in the paddock in about five hours." With that, he turned for the main manor building, but he glanced over his shoulder to look at her before he walked inside.