Being woken so early was not a common occurrence. Feverish, quick to anger, and a man of considerable strength, William "Iron Arm" threw back the bedclothes and glared at the man standing over him. “This had better be good.”
The soldier, dressed in hauberk and coif but no helmet, snapped to attention. “He was insistent, my lord.”
“Well, whoever he is he"d do well to remember who I am.” He snapped his fingers. “Get me a robe.” He stood shivering in his long nightgown. The fever had raged for two days now, and although still powerful, William sweated, white flesh tinged with blotches, and stooped forward. He hugged himself until the soldier returned with a thick ermine edged robe of deep crimson and swung it around his lord"s shoulders. William snuggled under the material and nodded. “I"d
