Read Online Sir Rowan and the Camerian Conquest by Chuck Black - Free Book Online

for a healthy man.”
    He had learned earlier from Mariah that her farm was southwest of Laos, on the edge of the Altica Valley.
    “I appreciate your concern, Mariah, but I have to go home and recover my estate.”
    He expected her to protest further, but she did not. She gazed at him thoughtfully and then nodded. “I understand and agree. But I can’t afford to give you a horse, and you’ll never make it on your own. I’ll make arrangements with my neighbors to the north to care for the farm, then travel with you to Laos.”
    “I would be most grateful … again,” he said with a smile, and she smiled back. He caught himself staring into her delightful blue eyes, then decided to focus on his breakfast.
    “Rowan?” Her voice had become soft and serious.
    “I went to a tournament once, years ago. It seemed rather… Well, I guess what I’m trying to ask is, what kind of a man were you before you were captured?”
    Rowan looked up from his food, wishing she hadn’t asked him such a penetrating question. There was still so much to sort out. He frowned.
    “You don’t have to answer that,” Mariah said. “I’m sorry … It’s none of my business, and you’ve been through much.”
    She lifted her plate and stood up from the table, but Rowan reached out and grabbed her arm. “I want to answer it,” he said.
    She slowly sat back down. He pulled back his arm and took a deep breath.
    “I was a man who loved the applause of the crowds, the wealth and trophies of my winnings, and the attention of the maidens. At first, when I became a Knight of the Prince, my heart was right, but as I realized that my gift with the sword and the strength of my body was something unique, I began to … ‘lose my way,’ as a friend once said.”
    Rowan hesitated as he thought of Sir Aldwyn. He wondered what his mentor would think of him now.
    “I convinced myself that because I had been a street urchin, I deserved the fame and wealth of a tournament champion. And I told myself I could pursue it without compromising as a Knight of the Prince.” He shook his head and shot a crooked a smile at her. “Perhaps there are men out there who can do it, but I could not. I didn’t realize how lost I was until long after I had been chained in that cave.”
    Rowan shrugged sheepishly.
    She didn’t smile. “Are you still that man?” she asked.
    Rowan met her eyes; then his gaze fell to the table. It was a fair question, one he hadn’t dared ask himself. His dream of his time with the Prince still echoed in his mind, but how much could a dream change a man?
    “I don’t know,” he finally answered her. “That cave … those chains … my dreams … I don’t want to be that former man, but I guess I have nothing to prove I’m any different. Not yet anyway.”
    She said nothing, merely nodded and picked up her plate again. Numbly he watched her go. It was the first time in many years that he had felt so … lacking. He had nothing to offer her that she would care to receive. A woman of her caliber would have no interest in wealth. She would rather have a pauper with a pure and humble heart—one fully committed to the Prince.
    If the cost of such a heart were all of my fame and wealth
, he wondered,
would I make the trade?
    The next day, Rowan and Mariah packed two of her horses and set off for Laos. Mariah was still concerned about his ability to travel, and the journey did prove much more difficult for Rowan than he expected, but he pushed himself so they could make Laos by sundown. They arrived on the ridge of a hill overlooking the city just as daylight faded and lights began to appear in houses.
    An entire mix of emotions flooded through Rowan as he prepared to return home, but anticipation dominated them all and renewed his strength a bit. He wondered if Balenteen had made it back to town and, if so, how well he had preserved his estate. What of the tournaments? What would be expected of him? Could or would he return