"Excuse me, my hearing is playing tricks on me. Did you say Samberg?" Silver blinked at the king.
"I am guessing you are as shocked as I was. Imagine hearing it for the first time in front of a court full of people. I am sure many people were confused by my outburst and possibly got the wrong impression." Rhodri looked down at his hands.
Even after more than twenty-five years, there were still people in court from when his brother disappeared. If any of them remembered his mother's family, they would certainly be as concerned by the development as he had been.
The Guardian scratched at his hood. "Surely you don't mean to suggest…I am sure Her Majesty came from a large family. Isn't it possible that he descended from one of your mother's brothers or cousins?"
"It is possible... However, most of the Sambergs made a quiet exodus out of the country towards the end of my father's reign. It wasn't safe for them to remain. By the time I came to power, I could not find any of them within the borders of Birle."
"I don't understand. Ethyn's father was still alive when you became king. If he was your brother, why did he not return after your father died?" Silver felt the question was a little impertinent, but Rhodri did not seem to mind.
Instead, the king's face became sad. "Oh...but he did return, eventually. However, by that time, it was too late..."
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Rhodri had gotten caught in the storm and turned around. While the young king knew he should have gone on his ride with an escort, the temptation of a sunset ride alone had been too tempting. The clouds had come out of nowhere as had the lightning. It was as if the world itself was crashing down on him.
The horse raced onward, faltering on a slick patch of stone. Rhodri gripped the saddle, trying to find purchase on the wet leather.
A crack of lightning lit the sky like day for a moment. But it was long enough. The silhouette of the castle at the top of the hill could be seen above the trees.
Redirecting the mare, he raced off toward the far off structure.
Everyone was likely out looking for him now. He had been very irresponsible! For once, he was glad that he was not married, for a wife would have scolded him to no end for his foolishness.
As it was, the horse beneath him was already showing her displeasure by not reacting to his urgings like he wanted. Rhodri pulled against the reins.
'What is wrong with you!'
It was like something was barring the horse's path, causing her to rear up and turn aside. Another flash of lightning brought clarity to the situation.
On the path there was an obstruction, one that the horse was unwilling to cross.
Frustrated, Rhodri dismounted to clear the way for his skittish mount. It wasn't an overly large barrier, and he was sure he could move it. But as the king gripped at the offending object and hoisted it off the ground, he heard the last thing he expected.
"Help!" the cry was nearly carried away by the wind and rain before Rhodri could hear it.
Taken aback, the king released the weary traveler and let him fall back to the ground. Rhodri was immediately filled with guilt. That was no way to treat one of his subjects. The man was in bad shape, and Rhodri might have hurt him worse.
Lifting him from the ground, Rhodri turned over the human. He was unconscious and his nose was bloody.
'I'll have to take the man with me...' At least, Rhodri thought it was a man. It was dark, and the person had been deceptively light, closer to the weight of a child. '...I cannot leave him like this.'
After draping the injured person across the saddle, Rhodri mounted his horse and headed straight for the castle. The rain pelted him like dozens of stinging needles, forcing him to pull his waterproof cloak closer to his head.
The horse surged forward, ready to be rid of the biting cold and to head into his stable. Once looming in the distance like a dream, the castle was suddenly coming quickly toward the king.
"It is I!" he called over the wind.
Fortunately the soldiers did not question, lifting the gate as soon as they recognized the lone figure seeking entrance.
When he came into the outer court, servants rushed from all sides to usher him forward. Rhodri barely had time to grab the man before being swept up into a sea of concerned people.
Some took the horse while others offered a canopy to hold over the king's head as he made his way toward the castle's entrance.
When he reached the door, a stretcher appeared to take the injured man to the infirmary. Rhodri was so distracted by all the hubbub that he hadn't even registered that no one had taken the person from his arms.
"He needs the doctor!" the king laid down the poor soul and walked beside him to the physician.
Wet, matted hair clung to the unconscious man's face as a tattered hood obstructed his eyes, but Rhodri was reluctant to mess with anything because of the blood. He didn't want to further injure his victim's nose.
The castle's doctor, old and decrepit, ushered the party into a private room.
"Let me look at you, Your Majesty!" he physician began to check for fever or signs of delirium.
"I am fine. Help that man instead. I hurt him trying to return to the castle, and I need to make sure he will be alright." Rhodri let out all his emotion on the doctor, causing the old man to take a step back.
"If I may," the old man ran his fingers through his scraggly hair. "That is, if it pleases Your Majesty, I will look at the patient while you change into dry clothes. I do not want to have a second invalid by the time the night has ended."
Conceding, the king went and donned fresh clothes before returning. When he entered the clinic, a healer rapt at the door of the private room.
The doctor came out. His face was unreadable.
"What is it? Bad news?" Rhodri could not stand the suspense.
"News, though I do not know if you will find it good or bad. The man you brought is awake now, but he his dying. I don't know how he has stayed alive until this point except for sheer force of will. His body is failing. I have done all I can to make him comfortable." The old man made a strange symbol with his hand that the king saw the older generation do in the more dire situations.
"I see. So, I nearly killed a dying man out in the forest. Why would I possibly think this is good news?" Rhodri looked beyond the cracked door where he could see feet under a blanket shifting restlessly.
"I have no delicate way to put this, especially since I do not know how you will react. The man you rescued is someone you know. Come and see."
Pushing past the doctor, Rhodri burst into the room and then burst into tears.
His voice came out choked, "Brother?"