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Still, into this past A roht say chivalry had never really died, but then, Daniel had a complicated relationship with both love and death Roland had lived a this early brand of chivalry for years It was nearly over now in the Middle Ages, and it was certainly dead in the present tense Roland had just traveled from There was no question in his mind

But once upon a tili in the wind

He flipped up the visor of his helasped for air He would not think of her That was not why he was here

He nudged Blackie forward and shook his head, trying to clear his mind

Roland was less than aHe scanned the horizon: the sweeping dip of vales to the east, a rainstorm behind hih twists of hills that formed a protective barrier for the city Also ahead stood a castle that he intended to avoid He would ride a wide berth around it And on the other side of that castle was the road--if it was still in passable condition--that would lead hiht to the Daniel of this era And to his own o ht had appeared before theht had slowed his horse at the threshold of their tents and had passed around a decree cohts to celebrate the new St Valentine’s holy day, as was God’s will Only a few of theood news on faith Roland still rehts

The knight had not spoken a word--had sialloped away … on his coal-black horse

Strange Roland looked down at Blackie, stroked her silver-white el behind the visor who gave Daniel a Valentine’s Day gift, directing hiirl he loved--then some event would have to transpire that would allow him to swap his white horse for a black one And so’s decree in his hand

Stranger things happened, he knew, nearly every day

He put his heels to Blackie’s flanks and rode on, sweating onethe next

Eventually, Roland rode right up to the castle It guarded the northernmost fief in the county, the last outpost on the way to the knights’ ca in the familiar stonework

The castle towered before him like a colossus There were chalk-white chimneys over each chamber, narrow slits to afford a view from each façade Corbels and cornices decorated the dark-gray blocks of stone, whose led his mind It always had, even for that brief stretch of tiates nearly every day--and cliht

His knees shook against his horse’s flanks His heart felt as if it had swelled to ten tiht be its last The backs of his shoulders burned, and he wanted to fly far away, but his wings were encased in the full metal jacket on his back and he would not take it off

Besides, no matter how far Roland flew, he could not escape the terror spreading through his soul

Inside this castle lived a girl na in the universe Roland had ever truly loved

TWO

CRUMBLING WALLS

Blackie neighed softly as Roland slipped off her back He led her to a budless apple tree at the southern limits of Rosaline’s father’s property and tied her bridle around the trunk

How many ti his love’s oven basket on his ar her slow movements as she plucked red fruit from the branches?

Her father was an earl or a duke or a baron or sonate Roland had stopped caring about suchto watch their kind play at war games This ing war and stealing the riches of nearby fiefdohbors The band of knights Daniel and Roland served with fell under his sway, so Roland and his fellows had spent many hours outside and within these castle walls

He dug into Blackie’s saddlebags and found a dried apple, then fed it to the horse while he took the measure of the situation

He remembered this Valentine’s Day Faire He knew that it took place after his affair with Rosaline had ended Their love would have been over for … five years by now

He shouldn’t have stopped here He should have known this would happen--that the memories would flood his mind and cripple him

Not a day went by, these thousand years, that Roland did not regret the way he had ended things with Rosaline He had designed his life around that regret: walls and walls and walls, each one with its own iret formed a castle inside him many universes vaster than the one that stood before hilish castle’s size moved him so dramatically--it reminded Roland of the fortress within him

He was far too late to redeeave Blackie an encouraging scratch and ed ay lined with hibernating priate Roland avoided this and took a side path He walked under the tree line of the bordering woods until he could slink along out of sight in the shadow of the castle’s western wall It towered over hi fifty feet in the air before the firstoffered a glimpse out

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