by Kat Brewer
She walked quickly along a path, picking up dried branches as she knew she must start a fire if she wished to survive. A pouch at her waist yielded fire-making tools and some dried traveling food. She also found a long, cruel-looking dagger as well as a smaller knife.
As she gathered wood and looked for a suitable sleeping place, she took stock of her apparel. She was clad in knee-high boots, leather trousers, a long-sleeved linen shirt covered by a leather vest, and her long, brown hair was twisted into a braid.
The clothes should keep her from getting too chilled if she could get a good fire going and gather enough wood to keep it going throughout the night. In addition, the fire should also keep away any marauding animals.
When her arms were full, she moved off the path and found shelter under the arms of a huge, sprawling tree. She cleared a space near the trunk and laid a fire, surprising herself with the ease with that she got the fire started.
Once it had taken well and was crackling merrily, she moved out into the trees and brought back several more armfuls of wood. She went out one more time in the twilight to relieve her needs and then gathered pine straw to make her bedding.
She sat before the blaze as the light faded, cradling her aching head in her hands and listening to the night sounds. The pain peaked, and she felt tears slip down her face from the force of it. She quickly piled wood high on the fire and lay with her back to the tree. Facing the fire, she let consciousness slip from her.
The following days passed much the same for her. She would begin gathering wood in the afternoon and make herself a camp under an obliging tree.
The pain in her head ebbed to a tolerable level, but her memory never returned. Every time she tried to remember something, she ran into a wall in her mind, and she would groan in frustration and with renewed pain.
On the second day, her dried food ran out, and she had not found a stream to drink from yet. Still, she pressed on diligently, unsure of her direction. Eventually, the trees all began to look the same, and she knew she was hopelessly lost.
She knew she wasn’t going in circles because the steady drop in temperature told her she was climbing in elevation and she found herself huddling closer to the fire in the evening.
By the fourth day, her tongue felt as if it was made of sandpaper, and her stomach seemed to be trying to digest itself. The headache had returned with force, and the pain was staggering.
Late afternoon found her without the strength to gather wood, and yet she staggered on until she lost consciousness, falling on her face in the middle of the path, the temperature dropping quickly as the day waned.
Hoof beats thundered across the forest floor as a group of men rode hard, eager to get home before the air chilled too much. It seemed to be an early winter this year, and none of them wished to sleep on the cold, hard ground when a hot fire and a soft bed awaited them in the well-appointed outpost on the Serlenn border.
“My Lord, Prince Nall! There is something in the road, Sire! Beware!” a man’s voice cried out to his white-haired liege.
Nall had been abiding at his father’s outpost for the winter, enjoying the hunting that was to be had at this time of the year. He had needed to be away from his father’s court, far from the scrutiny of power hungry mothers wishing to wed him to their daughters and far from the sharp eyes of his father, King Nyles, who always seemed to guess too much. His head and heart were still very much full of a woman with dark hair and sparkling blue-green eyes.
The Commander of Erla’s Army and the Guardian of its Queen had captured his heart so completely that he could not think of any other woman.
Nyles rode up slowly to the figure lying face-down in the dirt and reached down with his sword to prod the figure. There was no movement and so he eased down from his saddle and knelt beside the prone form. “He breathes. What do you think could have happened to cause this boy to be here like this?” he asked his man curiously.
“I do not know, Sire, but be careful,” the man said as he swung down next to Nall.
“These are not the clothes of a slave. Here, help me turn him over, and let’s see what we have found.” Nall reached over, took the youth’s shoulder, and rolled him over.
Both men’s mouths flew open when a long braid snaked over her shoulder and her face was revealed.
“Tis a woman, Sire!” Nall’s man stated the obvious in his shock.
Nall’s face drained of all color, for he knew this face far too well. What in the world was she doing here? Where were her warriors, her horse? How did she come to be so very far from Erla?
Nall lifted her easily into his arms.
“Here, hand her to me when I mount. I will carry her back to the fortress.” Nall handed Cassie to his man, and then he vaulted onto his horse before reaching down to take her still form into his arms. He pulled his large fur-trimmed cape around them both, sharing the warmth of his body with her.
Nall leaned his face down to her head and breathed in her scent, and the acrid smell of blood assailed his nostrils. He slowly rolled her head aside and was able to see dried blood caked to her hair. He looked down into her face. She had sustained a fairly serious head injury, and she had probably been wandering through the woods for days.
Nall now wondered why a contingent of Erlan warriors was not even now breathing down his neck to retrieve their Commander.
As they entered the keep's bailey, he called out for a healer to be sent to his room. His order caused his Second-in-Command to raise his brow in surprise, but the man turned to do his Lord’s bidding. Nall handed her off only long enough to dismount and throw his reigns to the waiting groom.
Taking her back into his arms, he cradled her gently as he ran to his bedchamber with the maids and the healer swarming behind him. They followed him into the room where he gently laid her upon his bed. The healer pushed past him and inspected her head where Nall had indicated.
He quickly cleaned the wound, seeing that it had knitted well, and then ordered the maids to clean her and put a night shift on her.
“Well?” Nall barked.
“She is healing, Sire. It looks as if she took quite a blow to the head. She appears to be dehydrated and probably hasn’t eaten in a few days by the way her breath smells. When she is clean and warm, the maids should give her some water and warmed wine. She should also be fed rich broth by spoon until she is awake and able to feed herself. I will administer a dose of a tincture that will need to be repeated. It will ease the pain she is sure to be feeling and help speed her recovery.” The little man looked up into his Lord’s worried face. “I believe she will be well. Judging by her head wound, the incident had to have occurred several days ago, so she is obviously very strong and should have no lasting effects.” Nall nodded at the man, dismissing him. “I will return tomorrow to check on her progress. Summon me immediately if you have need of me, Sire.”
Nall looked back to the bed where Cassie lay. The maids had already bathed and dressed her in a soft cotton shift. They were presently combing through her wet hair. When they finished, they spooned water into her mouth, and she swallowed on her own, that was a good sign. For several minutes they offered her the water, and then they gave her some Mull that helped restore some of the color to her cheeks.
The maids bowed to their Lord before leaving the room, pulling the door closed behind them.
Nall pulled a chair close to the bed and drank in the sight of her face. She looked young and helpless lying in his huge bed, her wet hair fanned out on his pillow. He thought of all the times that he had imagined her there, but it was never like this.
What had happened?
His hand reached out to caress a damp lock of her hair, and it twisted about his finger softly. She whimpered in her sleep and then shivered. Seeing this, Nall rose and removed his clothes, slipping into bed next to her and pulling her into his warm embrace. His body reacted immediately to her nearness, but he fought back the desire that burned through him.
Turning onto his side,
he pulled her tightly against his chest, burying his face in her hair. Cassie sighed, burrowing closer to the warmth and safety he brought. Nall smiled slightly and drifted to sleep, finally holding the woman he loved in his arms.
Britta gripped Princess Danai tightly to her chest, kicking the horse into a faster pace.
Nearly a day of riding, counting the few hours of rest spent hiding in the brush, had exhausted both herself and her little Lady, but finally, the Queen’s Palace was in sight.
Pulling her horse up short, she leapt from the saddle and swept the Princess up in her arms, moving at a dead run up the steps before bursting into the Queen’s private chambers.
No one had attempted to stop her headlong rush through the Palace, although several guards had followed hot on her heels. The rest of the Erlan Warriors rode into the outskirts at the same moment.
Nera jumped to her feet when her door crashed open, a frown on her face at the rude intrusion, but then she saw her beloved daughter in the guard’s arms.
Danai wriggled free of Britta’s hold and raced to her mother’s open arms as Nera took in Danai’s disheveled appearance and the dirt that streaked her face.
“What a way to greet your mother, my lovely. You have half the dirt in the Queendom on your face!” Nera said as she squeezed her daughter, looking up at the warrior’s face.
“Your Highness, forgive me,” Britta panted out. “There was an ambush, the other warriors were slain, and the Commander led the handful of us who remained against a band of Trevians. The Commander gave me the Lady Danai and bid me ride hard to bring her to safety. Her only thought was of our Princess.”
Britta had dropped to her knees before a shocked and speechless Nera, her head bowed and her breath still coming hard.
“Mother! Oh, mother, it was awful! They were huge, ugly, brutish women, and I know they were intent on harming me! Cassie bade this warrior to protect me and take me home. She is the bravest warrior who ever lived!” Danai’s voice rose in her excitement over the tale.
Nera hugged her tightly again before handing her to a nursemaid to be cleaned and put to bed.
“How is this? We destroyed the Trevians. We did not leave any to escape.” Nera gasped. “Rise, warrior.” Britta stood slowly. Exhaustion was clear on her face and form.
“I do not know, Your Highness. Lady Danai was anxious to see you again, so we left Tayliss earlier than expected. On the way home the Commander found a pool when we stopped to rest. She wanted Lady Danai to rest and relax, so she took some of us for guards and the Ladies swam for a while. When we returned to camp, we found part of our force lying dead on the ground. The Commander immediately had us ride for home. Her first thought was to safeguard the Princess.” Britta’s words were a jumble in her haste to impart everything to the Queen. “We had started home when a force of Trevians began overcoming us.” Nera’s mouth was parted in disbelief of the fantastic account.
“I am thankful you are safely here, Britta. Go and find your rest, send your Commander to me before you do, though.” Britta had just nodded and bowed when the remainder of the force burst into the room, panting and filthy from their fight and journey.
The leader threw herself at Nera’s feet.
“My Queen! We have routed the Trevians, and hopefully, that was the last of that despicable race. My Commander orders me to tell you that she requires a force to return and search for our comrades and retrieve our dead.” the woman blurted out. “My Lady, forgive me, but Quinn is amongst the missing.”
Nera’s mouth fell open again and fear for her beloved favorite coursed through her. She motioned to a slave, telling him to get water for the warriors and to send for Kara.
“Where is your Commander?” Nera asked.
“Lady, she went after the last Trevian. The coward ran from battle and my Lady meant to see that the Trevian was dispatched. She ordered us home to gather a squad,” the woman gasped out.
“You mean to say that you left her behind?” Nera frowned, incredulous.
“She insisted, Your Highness. I dared not go against the direct order of my Commander.” The warrior was horrified as the realization came that she had left her Commander alone in the forest, and her stomach twisted in remorse. “I will go now and find her, Your Highness. Forgive me for my stupidity!”
“No. Calm yourself, warrior. Of course, you would not question her commands. My Commander is a hard-headed woman and did not, I am sure, consider that she might be in any danger.” Nera chewed her lip.
She knew her friend and knew that Cassie would brook no argument when she was determined to do something.
Cassie’s sovereign and her warriors were her main priorities, and she no doubt was thinking only of those who were lost and her desire to not lose anyone else. Suddenly, Kara also burst into the room and ran to Nera, bowing quickly.
“What news? What has happened, Highness? Where is Cassandra?” The beginning of fear crept into Kara’s eyes as Nera related the tale. “Gods, she has done something stupid! I just knew it! Why would she leave herself with no guards?”
“Lady Kara, the Commander cannot be too far behind us. If she is not here within the hour, then we will ride out and recover her,” the still-kneeling warrior said as she looked up at her Commander’s Second.
“No, my friend. You and the others will now go to eat and then rest. If Lady Cassandra does not return, I will lead the unit that will find her, and another squad will leave now to retrieve our dead and to look for survivors. Time is of the essence!” Kara replied.
The exhausted women rose and dispersed. Slaves carried Kara’s orders back to the warriors’ barracks.
Within half an hour, the lead warrior in charge of the retrieval left Nera’s suite and headed up her warriors as they began their task to find the survivors and bring back their dead.
Kara and Nera paced restlessly across the room as they worried for their friend. A knock sounded at the door, and both women jumped. Kara raced to open it, hoping to see Cassie’s grin on the other side but was met with the worried faces of Cassie’s slaves instead. Motioning them in, she stood back and let Nera handle the situation.
“Your Mistress has not yet returned,” Nera said, and their faces fell. She recounted an abbreviated version of the tale and watched fear and panic light their faces. “You will all return to your quarters and wait. I will brook no disobedience, so do not take it into your pretty heads to try and look for her yourselves. I will share information as often as possible.” Nera then dismissed them, and they filed out silently to return home and wait.
“Well done, Highness. I was afraid we would have an open revolt on our hands,” Kara said, smiling humorlessly.
“I will have to post a guard to watch them I think. They almost love her too much,” Nera said, smiling bitterly. “Tell me she will walk through those doors any minute now, Kara, with my Quinn at her side,” Nera nearly demanded as she looked Cassie’s Second-in-Command in the eyes.
“She could not be bested by a savage Trevian. She. Could. Not.” The Queen was close to tears.
“With your permission, I will go and ready my squad, Your Highness. It has been nearly an hour.” Kara purposely avoided her friend and monarch’s question and refused to meet her eyes.
“My Commander is a powerful warrior, and I know in my soul that she still lives,” Kara said bowing, she quickly left the room before her own misgivings led her to an emotional outburst. Within moments, she and her warriors were mounted and off to find their beloved Commander.
The woman stirred softly, eyes fluttering open. The room was softly lit by the fire burning low in the fireplace, so she was able to see that she was in a rustic, yet well-appointed bedchamber.
Snuggling back down into the warmth of the bed, she realized she was in the warm embrace of a man.
Sitting up, she looked down into his sleeping face and gasped softly.
The man was an angel.
Long, white-blond hair spilled across the pillow, the coverlet had fal
len far enough down for his hip bones to be displayed, so she was able to see nearly every inch of his chiseled flesh. Brawny muscles covered his shoulders and chest, and they tapered down into a tight abdomen and narrow hips.
The only visible body hair was the white line that grew down from his belly button. Her breath escaped her as he shifted in his sleep, turning his head away from her. She couldn’t remember how she had gotten here, but it was evident that this man was her rescuer, and she thanked God for sending such a beautiful man to save her.
Her eyes lit on a goblet of water on the table next to the bed, and she reached carefully across him to slake her thirst with the precious liquid. Her movements, though soft, woke him, and he looked up at her as she sat next to him on the bed.
His full lips quirked in a sweet, sleepy smile, and her belly quivered in response. She could not make out the color of his eyes in the dim light, but she could see they were dark and hot.
“How do you feel?” he inquired.
His deep, husky voice sent tremors throughout her body, and when she opened her mouth to reply, no sound came out. Gulping softly, she nodded her head, her eyes dipping down to where the covers slid dangerously low.
Nall followed the line of her sight and laughed huskily as he adjusted the blankets more securely.
“The healer left a tincture that will ease any headache you may be having. What happened to you? How did you come to be horseless and unconscious in my forest?”
“My head is better, though I could use some more water. I am very thirsty. I’m hungry too. You wouldn’t happen to have any food, would you?”
She eyed him hopefully, and he chuckled, reaching over and pouring water from the pitcher into her goblet and handing it to her.
“Sir, I cannot tell you how I got into this predicament. My oldest memory is of waking in the forest days ago with no memory. Then, I walked on and on, looking for someone who may be able to help me.” Handing him back the empty goblet, she folded her hands primly on her lap and lowered her eyes.
