Time passed and with the setting of the sun, Colman and Ruby were now within one of the houses, the one which had been assigned to the latter and the caravan she had come to Dublin in. Standing in the room that Ruby would be sharing with some others, Colman stared at a knife, one Ruby had told him had been given to her by her adoptive great-uncle. Both the hilt and blade were so beautiful, it must have been for decoration rather than use for even the blade had upon it symbols of the royal houses of Ireland. The harp of the Laigin, the shield of Clann Chaolmain with its three hands, a lion and a fish, the raven of the Ui Imair, the stag of the MacCarthy Clan, the tree of the O'Conor Clan, the crossed shield of the Burghs, the shield of the FitzGeralds with its X upon it, the shield of the O'Donnell with its hand holding a cross and the shield of the O'Neill with a hand between two lions and a fish below them. The only ones not included was the emblem of the Dalcassian Huns and their murderous sept the O'Briens.
"My great-uncle said it should be used to defend myself." Said Ruby. "But he made it to beautiful to be used."
"That he did." Agreed Colman. How anyone could use such a knife as this was beyond him. Even someone threatening the wielder would be able to see that no one would use such a beautifully made dagger! "I don't see the emblems of the Dalcassians or the O'Briens upon the blade."
"My great-uncle would not dare put them on." Stated Ruby as she sat upon her bed petting a cat. "He said that unlike the great heroes who are the Eoganchta, the Dalcassians are villains, scoundrels and madmen who are more of a danger to Ireland than the Tudors ever could have been."
This was true. All of Ireland knew this to be so and that a Dalcassian, Brian Boru, had ever held the title of High King of Ireland was a shame to all true Irish hearts. Those that called Brian Boru a national hero were not Irishmen.
"What can you tell me about your great-uncle?" asked Colman, wishing to know about this artist who had made so beautiful a knife.
"He is a kind old man." Began Ruby, a smile on her face as she thought of her adoptive relation. "A bit set in his ways and he says that his days of travelling the isle are behind him. He was late to marry so his son is my age."
Marriage… Colman could not help but think of Ruby mentioning having children of her own someday. Who was her husband to be? Not him. Definitely not him. His nose, his eyes, a mouth that seemed more fit for breathing than kissing… At least it would not be Apollo either. He who was married or to be married would not be Ruby's husband… Not the man who had slain his parents.
Then came a question to Colman's mind. Why had his mentor Gardiner never married? Henry Ussher, the Archdeacon of Dublin himself, was a married man, so why then was not William Gardiner? As a man who had spent his hedonistic days courting loose women, one would have thought he would have found himself a wife, or at the very least a mistress.
The only married man whom Colman knew, and even that was using the term "knew" loosely, was King James, the unfaithful Stuart king. That Apollo either was unfaithful to his wife or would be unfaithful to her once they had married there would be no question, but would Gardiner be unfaithful? During his hedonistic days, doubtless he would have, but with those days behind him would he have been unfaithful? Then a terrible thought came to Colman's mind.
Would he be unfaithful?
No… No! He would not be! He would be a better man than his king, a better man than the soldier who had murdered his parents and a better man that his mentor had ever been during his hedonistic days.
"Ruby, earlier you made mention of you having children someday." Uttered Colman. "Who do you see your husband being?"
A look of uncertainty fell across Ruby's countenance. Her heart was telling her one thing and her mind was telling her another. Her grandmother had told her that when the mind speaks, the heart is forgotten, but when the heart speaks everything is forgotten. Why then was that not the case? Her mind spoke, but her heart was not forgotten, and her heart spoke, but her mind was not forgotten. Was she under some sort of spell that either her heart or her mind was trying to break her out of? Alas, she knew not and if she was, which was under the spell? Her mind or her heart?
Ultimately, all Ruby could answer was: "I'm not sure."
She wasn't sure. Colman could only nod understandingly. She no more knew who her husband could be than he knew who his wife could be. He had seen Ruby and fallen in love, but he knew that it was unlikely that one such as him could ever be her husband, especially not after seeing someone such as Apollo. According to Gardiner, all were beautiful in the eyes of God, but if Man had been made in God's image, then why was it that all were not beautiful in the eyes of Man?
These questions could make a man as mad as Ajax. Love could make a man as old as Ajax! It killed sheep!
"It kills me." Muttered Colman.
"What was that, Colman?" Ruby asked.
"Excuse me?" asked Colman in turn, not realizing he had said anything.
"You said 'It kills me.'" Replied Ruby. "What do you mean?"
"It is nothing." Colman answered, not exactly sure how to explain it.
"You wouldn't have said anything if it was nothing." Once more, Colman nodded. Even if he hadn't realized he had said anything, if it had been nothing then would not have said it. Thus, did he explain everything to Ruby, only omitting how he had fallen in love with her the moment he had seen her, but even then, he did not need to. When all was said and done, Ruby merely took Colman by the hand and asked: "Apollo killed your parents?"
"My father at least." Colman replied. "I am not so certain if he did kill my mother though. He may have, he may not have. All I remember is my father and I finding him standing over my mother's body, then my father attacking him only to be slain. I do not know if he truly killed my mother or if someone else had."
"And he is a womanizer?"
"I have been a citizen of Dublin for a decade, Ruby. I am very much familiar with what Apollo does and Master Gardiner has spoken of his activities often."
"And how does he know what Apollo gets up to?" Ruby was not angry, but rather curious. Had Apollo and Gardiner been frequent companions during the latter's hedonistic days?
"He tells me that when he was a hedonist, Apollo was his frequent companion." Colman answered.
"And he is married?"
"Either married or engaged to be married." Stated Colman. "Ruby, I saw your face when you beheld Apollo, I do not think it would be good for you and him to meet again." How the Young Poet wished he could tell the Walking Girl that he loved her, but that was not something that a man told a woman he had only met that very day.
"Don't you know which it is?" Ruby asked.
"I don't." Colman answered.
"Do you know who she is?"
"A kinswoman I think." Colman answered. "Yes, yes, definitely a kinswoman, one that I am told he is old enough to be…" Realizing what he had almost said, Colman came to a realization. Apollo's intended was old enough to be his daughter, just as Ruby was. Was that always the case with Apollo? He knew not. It was possible that Gardiner could tell him more, but would he? The clergyman was under no obligation to tell his student everything, so it was unknown whether a question would get an answer.
Ruby did not need Colman to finish the sentence. She merely said: "He is like my great-uncle, late to marrying, though if he is a womanizer, I wonder why it has taken him so long to get married."
"Well, Ruby, he is a soldier." Commented Colman. "And he was serving in the Tudor host. By the time the Conquest was over he would have been thirty-eight. He probably did not have the time to get married."
"But, Colman, the Conquest ended with the death of Bloody Bess." Uttered Ruby. "What was stopping him from getting married all this time?"
That was a wonderful question and one that Colman could not answer. Giving a shrug, Colman answered: "I know not. All that I know is that he is either married or will be soon."
Quietly, Ruby muttered: "And so the spell of a handsome uniform is broken the same day it is cast."
"What was that?" Colman asked.
"My mind had been cast under the spell of Apollo's uniform, but my heart is telling me I love someone else." Ruby answered.
While Colman was happy to hear that Apollo would not become one of Ruby's conquests, her statement that her heart was telling her that she loved someone else caused him to grow melancholy. It could not have been him. Could Cupid's arrow have truly struck both him and her? He doubted it. He was in love with her, but was he the one that she loved? During her travels, Ruby must have met many young men, any that could have been the one her heart was telling her that she adored, what reason had he to believe it was him? A poet, a playwright, an orator, no, not him. Hugh O'Donnell had a better chance than he and had the spell of Apollo's uniform not been broken, he too would still have a better chance of being the man that Ruby loved.
Putting the knife down upon a table, Colman rose from his chair and proceeded to exit the room. He needed to think, he needed to return to Saint Patrick's Cathedral, he needed to…
Feeling Ruby take his hand once more, Colman turned and saw her large, reddish-brown eyes staring into his small, mismatched-eyes. There was a pleading look in her eyes, asking for him to stay a little bit longer.
Dare he? He could not keep his mentor Gardiner waiting. He had told Hugh he would return to the cathedral when he was ready… But was he? Why was he leaving? Because he was melancholy and felt doubt that the one Ruby loved was him? Was that reason enough to leave? He wished he knew. So full of scorpions was his mind, he who had that very day spoken with his monarch who enjoyed his play and thus, should have been happy, but in his heart, there was much doubt as well as many other feelings.
All Colman could do was shake his head and pull his hand from Ruby's, even though it was like pulling a blade from his own heart.