Sims 2 Tales

As the days passed, Eleanor was still deeply troubled by her encounter with the gypsy. She couldn’t erase the woman’s expression from her mind, and not even the warmth of the fire could thaw the chill in her heart every time she remembered the gypsy’s words: "Things too dreadful to describe."

Two days after Christmas, Hugh made the announcement that the whole family had been dreading.

"I received word this morning that I’m to journey north and prepare for battle. The Queen has raised another army to stem the Duke of York’s latest claim to the throne, as the King’s mind is so troubled that he has agreed with York’s assertion that he is the rightful heir."

He paused for a moment before continuing, glancing nervously at Eleanor and Walter.

"I leave at dawn to collect more men and supplies, then head for Wakefield. We have every reason to hope that the battle will be a success for the Queen, and that we will all be able to return safely and quickly."

"Do they really need ……" Eleanor began to ask, but Hugh stopped her.

"I’m sorry, but I have to go. It’s one of my duties as a Knight of the Realm that I have to be ready for battle if the monarch requests my services. If I refused it may be seen as an act of treason and I would more than likely be imprisoned, or worse."

After dinner Hugh spent as much time as he could with Walter. For his son’s sake he hoped that he would be home within a couple of weeks at the most, as Walter’s birthday was not far away.

"I want you to do everything that your mother asks of you while I’m away son, and you must take good care of her. One day you will inherit this house and all of my lands, so it’s important that you understand the responsibilities you will have to your family and the tenants." Walter looked up at him with tears in his eyes.

"I promise father," he said, "but you will be home soon?"

Hugh hugged him goodnight, and muttered quietly "God willing."

In the next room, Eleanor broke down as she overheard snippets of Hugh and Walter’s conversation. She couldn’t believe that Hugh was really going to war, and that anything could happen to him that would prove that the gypsy had been right.

"No! It can’t be true," she cried to herself over and over. "He’s going to fight, but he WILL come home to us. He’ll see terrible things and may lose some very dear friends, but he WILL return safely, he MUST!"

"Please don’t cry Eleanor," Hugh said quietly, although he was also close to tears, "I don’t want to leave you, but as I must I want to see you smile before I go."

Trying desperately to compose herself for her husband’s sake, she did her best to do as he asked.

"Just promise that you’ll be careful," Eleanor murmured as Hugh wiped a stray tear from her face before kissing her goodbye.

"I promise," he replied, "but remember that no matter what happens I’ll always be with you, and will always love you."

With a heavy heart, Hugh left his beloved family and home for a mission that could spell success or failure for both England and himself. Beyond the doors of the gatehouse were the things that were most important in his life, and although he had been optimistic when he announced his departure for war, he couldn’t help wondering if the campaign would be a success and that he would return.

For Eleanor, the next few days were a combination of sadness, fear and longing. Each night she would dream of Hugh, and could almost hear him speaking to her just before she woke up. When she opened her eyes and saw that he wasn’t there, an oppressive sadness took hold of her and she felt as if her heart was slowly being crushed. She tried to be cheerful around Walter, who was becoming increasingly worried about how pale she looked, but she didn’t know if she could survive another day without Hugh.

A few days into the New Year Eleanor received a message that the battle had been fought just south of Wakefield on 30th December, and that it had been a victory for the Queen’s army. More importantly for the family Hugh would be home in a day or two, although he had been wounded. Eleanor and Walter were ecstatic at the news, but the sight that greeted them when Hugh eventually returned was something they had not prepared for.

Hugh was tired and drawn from the battle and the long journey home, and his face had a deep, ugly cut and several newly-healed scars. The Queen’s personal physician had advised Hugh to rest for another week before returning to the Manor, but Hugh had stubbornly insisted that he would rest better in more familiar surroundings.

The journey home had been slower and more difficult than anticipated, as heavy rain had turned the roads and paths into sticky, muddy trackways. Nevertheless Hugh persisted, and eventually arrived at Normandy Manor five and a half days later.

Eleanor and Walter kept a constant watch on Hugh, who had always been a bad patient. Aside from the cuts on his face, he had also taken a heavy blow to his ribs - one of which had been fractured - and they had to ensure that his wounds were cleaned regularly to prevent infection from setting in. However, in spite of their care and following the physician’s instructions, Hugh’s condition rapidly took a downward turn. He developed a high temperature and the deep cut on his face refused to heal. Eleanor called for their own physician, and blood poisoning was diagnosed.

As the physician was about to leave Hugh started to cough violently, and everyone in the room was horrified when they noticed blood on his lips. Struggling to breathe and clutching the bedpost, Hugh cried out in pain as the physician attempted to remove his armour and examine his ribs. Each time the armour moved a stabbing pain coursed through Hugh’s ribs, accompanied by more coughing.

"I’m very sorry but your rib is broken, not fractured as initially thought," the physician announced, "and although your armour would have helped to support the ribcage while the rib healed in most cases, it has done more harm than good. Because it’s so tightly fastened the ribcage has not been allowed to move as freely when you breathe, and subsequently the broken rib has caused severe damage to your right lung."

From the look on the physician’s face, Eleanor realised that her husband was clinging on to life by the merest of threads. All she could do was watch agonisingly as Hugh fought to stay alive, although it was a battle that he had no chance of winning. As the hours passed the coughing and searing pain grew worse, each time accompanied by more blood.

At around 2am the pain was so bad that Hugh leapt out of bed and immediately doubled over, pressing his arms across his chest as a low, rumbling gurgle built in his throat.

"It’s best that you leave the room my Lady," said the physician solemnly, and at that point Eleanor knew that her husband was lost forever.

In the weeks following Hugh’s death, Eleanor and Walter couldn’t stand to be apart from one another. For hours they would just sit and talk quietly, or walk the grounds and wish that Hugh was still with them. Now that he was officially the new Lord of the Manor, Walter felt that he needed his mother’s guidance more than ever, as it was a role that he had not expected to fulfil for at least another fifteen years. Eleanor had to be strong for Walter’s sake, and that was the only thing that held her together in her grief.