“You are men of honor,” he said, “and I welcome your challenge.” He turned his eyes to Madog, standing taut beside him. “Only give me arms to defend myself, and I shall meet all who come against me. Or one,” he said more softly, his words for Madog alone. “One can stand as champion for all.”

The air was heavy with suspense, all men looking toward Madog, clearly hoping he would accept the challenge. But after a long moment, he shook his head sharply and dismissed it, letting out another stream of Welsh that meant nothing to Ranulf but set the men to their tasks. They dispersed slowly, some going back to their food and others tending to their weapons. All kept their cautious sight on Ranulf, watching him intently.

He was thwarted, but he contented himself to wait. Already the air had changed among them, from a quiet watchfulness to tense expectation. He had planted the seed in their minds, and he could see that Madog ached to cross swords too. Soon, if he played this right, he would be granted a weapon and invited to fight for the sake of the madness men called honor, which was, after all, only another name for foolish dreams. Leave the praise of honor to the bards and troubadours. But give him a sword, and he would sing well as any of them. And maybe, just maybe, make his escape.

He set his mind to goading them and some days later, after his repeated taunting had yielded a growing enmity from his escort, Ranulf stayed silent for the long trek through the rain, assessing. Their discipline had held through it, never rising to the bait he offered. He could not rile them, but he knew his words were not forgotten. They seemed to trust him not to bolt, but they clearly disliked him, and held their tongues around him. Which made it a perfect time to become more agreeable. How ironic that he would avoid Edward for the sake of escaping a military campaign, only to find himself using the self-same tactics here on this strange party. He had learned them at Aymer’s knee: harass the enemy, nipping at his heels before pulling back in silence just long enough to lull them to sleep, then strike when defenses were down.