The Princess and Her Rogue

by Sheritta Bitikofer

  “Kyra, you were a very rambunctious child. You loved to be outside and play, frolicking around. Am I right?” Lady Jasmine asked with a happy grin. Kiara nodded, but said nothing.

  “Yes, you were a very happy child. And that hasn’t changed much, even to this day. But, there will be a time when you’ll have to grow up and accept more responsibility than you’re used to. But, with your wild spirit, you’ll be able to take it on.”

  The two ladies exchanged smiles, but Nate only sat back in his chair with his fingers laced over his abs, watching them passively. The old woman pulled out the next three cards from the second pile. The first showed a little fat, naked baby with wings and bow and arrow flying about in the clouds. The second was the card that had been pulled during Nate’s turn, the bright red heart. The last was another depiction of a heart, but two swords ran it through. Kiara couldn’t help but realize the accuracy of these cards and she blushed as bright red as the hearts on the cards.

  “At the present time, you’re in love. This has never happened to you before and it’s a scary experience. It came almost as suddenly as your current predicament did, but it cannot be amended as easily. You’re going through a great deal of pain because of this infatuation. This is to be expected, but all will be healed in due time and you will have the romance you have secretly longed for all your life.”

  Kiara thought this was hogwash, now. The woman was right, but at the current rate of how things are progressing, this love that she has will be put out like the flame on a candlewick. There’s no hope for this love she had. Her eyes focused on the heart being pierced by swords and so did Nate.

  Lady Jasmine then turned over the last three cards. The first showed a pair of snow-white doves. The next were brass bells. The last showed a pair of golden rings. Kiara knew where this was going.

  “You may have doubts in your mind about marriage. But, be assured that it will come, my dear. And it will be a good marriage. It will be a lasting one that will please everyone, including you. There will be troubles along the way to make it happen, but it will happen,” Lady Jasmine reached out and placed her old, wrinkled hand on top of Kiara’s. “It will all work out, my dear, even if you don’t think so now. But, be warned that there will be many trails and troubles to make your dreams come true.”

  Chapter 13

  When Kiara and Nate stepped down from the last step of the wagon, he gave her a strange look of curious suspicion.

  “What was that bit about you being in love?” he asked, secretly hoping that this involved him somehow.

  Kiara rolled her eyes and walked off without even answering. Nate determinedly followed after her and grabbed her by the arm before she had escaped too far. He pulled them outside of the wagon circle so that they wouldn’t make a scene and alarm any of the others who may have been watching.

  “Let go of me!” Kiara demanded, trying to tear her arm out of his grasp. Just because they had their fortunes told didn’t mean she was going to act like everything was ok.

  “What is going on with you? Ever since Tasha showed up, you’ve been acting weird like you hate me or something.”

  “And why shouldn’t I?” Kiara barked in his face, making him stagger back. He’d never seen her so feisty.

  “I can’t see why. I told you I don’t have any feelings for her. Isn’t that enough to prove to you that nothing’s going on between us?” Nate pleaded, trying to make her understand.

  “I know you’re lying. She’s too beautiful and seductive for you to not have feelings for her. If you don’t like her, then you might as well be queer!” Kiara was about to barge off back into the circle, but Nate blocked her way, “Move!” she ordered.

  “No, I won’t move and I’m not lying to you. You need an attitude adjustment. You’re acting like this is all directly affecting you and it’s not. You have nothing to do with me and Tasha,” Nate lectured, pointing between the two of them.

  Kiara only folded her arms stubbornly and glared angrily at him.

  Suddenly, Nate stood up straight and it was like the lights were finally lit in his mind. “You’re jealous of Tasha, aren’t you?”

  They stared at each other for a long, hard moment and Nate saw a small tear fall across her fair skin.

  “Get out of my way,” Kiara grumbled, pushing him to the side and walking off towards the hunting party that was just returning. Nate watched her walk away and attempted to follow, but thought better than to do so. He stepped just inside the circle of wagons and watched her walk right past Ian and out the other side of the circle into the woods beyond. He sighed and leaned against a wheel of the wagon, trying to think of what to do next. It was true that she was jealous of Tasha, probably more than Nate was jealous of Ian.

  Before he had much of a chance to think of what to do next, Tasha stepped into his line of sight with a very serious, resolute countenance.

  “I need to talk to you, Nathan. Please?” she said, approaching him calmly. Nate didn’t want to listen to anymore of her ramblings, but she looked too grave to ignore. He nodded and then followed her over to her family’s wagon.

  “Wait here,” she said, and then disappeared inside the wagon. Nate put his hands on his waist and looked around as the men were preparing the meal. He didn’t see any sign of Kiara, but had resolved to go and find her after Tasha was done with him.

  She soon emerged from the wagon, the steps creaking under a new heavy load she had sitting on her hip. Nate turned around and saw a child, practically a toddler with his little pudgy arms wrapped around Tasha’s neck. Nate wondered what was going on and dropped his arms to his side.

  Tasha set the child carefully down on the ground and placed him between Nate and herself. With pale hands holding the little boy’s shoulders, she looked Nate square in the eyes with as much composure as she could.

  “Nathan, this is your son.”

  Those words took a few moments to register in Nate’s mind. He looked from Tasha to the boy with lips parted slightly, wondering what to do. The boy did look a little like him. The boy had short, ebony black hair with piercing blue eyes that matched his and Tasha’s. He looked strong, for a boy his age, his eyes conveying clear understanding that he was looking upon his own father and not just some stranger.

  “Are you sure?” Nate muttered, staring at the boy who stared right back with a blank, almost resentful expression. Did the boy know he had left his mother while she was pregnant?

  “Yes, I’m sure. He was born eight months after you left.”

  “But… It was just that one time… How could it happen after just one time?” Nate was still having a hard time comprehending the situation.

  “It only takes one time, Nathan… He’s your son.” The whole time, Tasha’s voice was as solemn and grim.

  Nate felt a burden crash upon his shoulders that was too much to bear. He had a son? He was a father? And he didn’t even know it? How could he have been so careless to father this boy in the first place? How could he have been so thoughtless to leave Tasha with this child for so long? Nate blinked a few times, swallowed a pool of saliva in his mouth and squatted down in front of the child, getting a good look at him.

  “What’s your name?” he asked the boy with as much sensitivity as he could.

  “Daniel,” the little boy replied timidly, his stare and stance unwavering.

  “We call him Danny, though,” Tasha added with a little smile.

  “Danny…” Nate said softly. The little boy showed a glimmer of a smile, and so did Nate. He had a son. He was ashamed of himself, but at the same time, the proudest man in the world. “How old are you, Danny?”

  “Three and a half,” he responded with childish pride, as if the half actually meant something. Nate smirked and ruffled the boy’s hair playfully. Danny giggled and tried to swat his hand away.

  “Go on and play, now. Dinner will be ready soon,” Tasha said a little more light heartedly, motioning the boy towards the other kids who were playing tag outside of the circle. Dann
y ran off to join his friends, while Tasha and Nate stood by the wagon.

  “Why didn’t you tell me sooner?” Nate asked, standing up to watch Danny vanish behind the other wagons.

  “I wanted to, but I figured telling you with Kyra around would be too much. I wanted to talk to you in private. Would you have believed me anyway if I hadn’t shown him to you?”

  Nate shook his head. “No, I wouldn’t have… But, why didn’t you tell me sooner before I left?”

  “I didn’t know until the following month. I’m sorry, Nathan. I never meant to put any burden on you, but I thought you deserved to know…” Tasha turned to him with a imploring look in her eyes. “Please tell me you won’t leave again. I’ve been pretending that Ian is his father, but Ian isn’t exactly that attached to the boy, so he can’t be a real father to him like you could.”

  Nate sighed and looked at Tasha with such mournful eyes. He knew he had to be responsible now. He had a family to take care of that he never knew about. Nate had to stay, but he didn’t want to. “I still need to take Kyra back to her home,” he said.

  “Leave her! How much more important can she be compared to your own son? We can have one of our own guides take her home and she’ll be safe, I promise… Please, just don’t leave again?” Tasha looked as if she was about to cry.

  Nate knew that sending Kiara off by herself would never work and a guide from Deceiver’s territory wouldn’t be as faithful or kind to her as he could be. Nate couldn’t leave Kiara… But, he couldn’t leave his son. He could care less if he left Tasha again, because he knew he didn’t love her, but to leave his own son would be a worse sort of abandonment. He told Tasha that he would need to think if over, but he can’t make any guarantees.

  Kiara returned after having a long cry in the woods. She couldn’t handle this kind of heartache anymore. She loved Nate, but she knew he could never be hers.

  At dinnertime, she sat with Ian across the fire from where Nate, Tasha and some little kid were sitting and eating. Kiara didn’t know who that child was, but Nate and Tasha were giving him a lot of attention. Nate hadn’t spoken one word to her since they parted after the fortune telling. Lady Jasmine didn’t sit very far away from Kiara and she could sense what was going on between the two, but said nothing.

  Kiara couldn’t help but watch Nate seemingly having so much fun on his side of the fire. Ian tried to get her into conversations, but it was pointless. Nate sometimes stole little glances in Kiara’s direction, but he never stared long enough to see the pain emanating from her eyes.

  They all ate the roasted pork and everyone was drinking heavily except for Nate and Kiara. When dinner was over, the children were all sent to bed and the real festivities began. The kegs of ale were brought out and nearly every adult in the band took up a mug to fill. Musicians brought out fiddles and flutes, playing fast-paced, gay songs that were perfect for dancing to.

  Kiara was in no mood to dance and it appeared that Ian wasn’t either, but across the fire, somebody was getting frisky. Tasha stood up with a noisy tambourine and shook it, along with everything else, putting on a dirty show for Nate. Kiara felt her heart would break again, but instead, she only felt more numb and lifeless.

  So, in an act of pure recklessness, she stood up and grabbed Ian’s hands to pull him up with her. Kiara gave him a seductive glance and began dancing just as dirty, if not dirtier than Tasha towards Ian. And Ian was more than happy to oblige Kiara as being her dance partner. This was all an act to get Nate jealous, nothing more. Kiara didn’t care one lick for Ian, but if this little affair would get Nate’s attention away from Tasha and towards her, then so be it.

  And Nate certainly did notice. It was hard not to since he was watching Kiara the entire time while Tasha was trying to get him to dance. He didn’t understand what was going on, but he knew there was nothing he could do. So, Nate stood up and began to dance with Tasha, keeping his eyes on Kiara while she kept her eyes on him. Only Ian and Tasha were ignorant of the fact their dance partners weren’t really dancing for them, but for the other across the fire.

  This risqué style of dancing continued well on into the night, but neither Kiara or Nate would relinquish their goals to make the other jealous or catch their attention. Nate grew especially mad when Ian continually tried to grab or touch Kiara in a spot that was far from appropriate, but Tasha wouldn’t let Nate leave her side. Kiara was frightened of all this intimate touching, seeing as she’s never had any kind of sexual contact with anyone, not even a first kiss. But, in her mind, the more Ian took those liberties with her; the more it drew Nate’s attention, and so the better it was. Kiara even made a few moves onto Ian, leading him on. Nate did nothing of the sort with Tasha, but she was less inclined to keep her hands to herself.

  Finally, all the adults in a drunken stupor, decided to stop the music for the night. Some couples retreated to their selected carts or wagons, but others stayed to tell stories and socialize. When Nate sat down onto his bench, Tasha balanced herself on his lap, making him wrap his arm around her waist to hold her there securely while she tottered back and forth with her mug full of ale, occasionally spilling drops around her.

  Ian sat down, and knowing full well that Nate’s eyes were fixed on Kiara, she sat down into his lap just as Tasha did with Nate. It took a while for everyone to catch their breath from all the excited dancing, but once they did, conversations arose from the people, along with the telling of funny family stories.

  Kiara didn’t pay any mind to the stories, but only focused herself on what Nate and Tasha were doing. She could see Tasha whisper something into his ear with a giggle, but Nate would only look in the other direction as if he didn’t care. That was a good sign, but Kiara knew nothing dirty enough to whisper in Ian’s ear to match what Tasha must have been a professional in saying.

  An hour of story telling went by and then a man shouted out with slurred speech: “Let’s hear a song!”

  Everyone agreed to the notion, but didn’t know whom to pick for the singing. Everyone joked that Tasha had the most rotten voice in all the land, so she was not picked. Everyone else said they were too shy or too drunk to remember any lines to their favorite songs.

  Then, Ian piped up with his own suggestion. “How about Kyra sing us a song! She hasn’t had a drink all night!”

  The group consented to the idea and quickly they all coaxed her into standing up to sing. Kiara smiled and blushed, but looked directly to Nate instead of those shouting for her voice.

  “I will sing if Nate thinks he can tolerate it,” she said teasingly, knowing that Nate had detested her humming after they escaped Gimel’s Bog.

  He only smirked and bowed his head a bit. “I suppose I could listen to a little bit before my ears start to bleed.”

  Kiara rolled her eyes, and then stood up onto the bench next to Ian to be exalted a foot or two above her audience.

  “This is a song my father taught me when I was very little,” she announced, giving Nate a particularly flirting look before she began to sing.

  She opened her mouth and lyrics of love, hope, homeland and faith poured forth like refreshing spring water, washing over the ears of all who heard her.

  Kiara’s melodic voice sounded like angels singing to all who heard her, but especially to Nate. His hold around Tasha’s waist loosened, his mouth fell open and silent tears slid down his face. When she was done singing her sweet song to the sky, she looked straight to Nate with loving eyes, like the song was especially for him.

  She smiled in spite of herself, then sat down as the group applauded her. Some elders had fallen asleep during her serenade, but awoke to the thunderous clapping that followed. Kiara hoped that Nate was touched by her song as much as she was. It was the exact song she wanted to hum that afternoon after Gimel’s Bog, but it never hit her as emotionally as it did now.

  A hour or so later, once everyone was ready to go to bed, Kiara was about to settle down onto her sleeping mat when she overheard Nate and Tasha’s voice
coming from inside their wagon. She dazedly got up and sneaked around to one side where she could easily listen in on their conversation through the wagon door without fear of being noticed.

  “Hey, Nathan, I was wondering if you’d like to do something other than sleep tonight… You know, like what we used to do. I learned a few things while you were gone that might interest you. What do you say?” Tasha’s seductive, alluring voice was unmistakable. Kiara felt her guts leap under her skin as Nate was actually struggling to answer. She heard rustling coming from inside, then a little moaning that sounded to be coming from Tasha.

  Kiara couldn’t bear to hear this next part. They were about to do the inevitable and unthinkable and Kiara’s heart couldn’t take it anymore. She knew that no matter how much she loved Nate, she couldn’t stay. So, taking one last look around, she bolted out of the circle and into the woods after grabbing Nate’s pack that sat by the wagon door.

  Nate couldn’t stand this any longer. He threw Tasha off of him. She had pinned him down to the bed, trying to strip him of his clothes while kissing him in a drunken craze of intimacy. Nate couldn’t do this anymore. He didn’t care if there was a kid involved or not. He would stick around, but he just couldn’t go through this sinful routine with Tasha anymore. It wasn’t worth it and he didn’t enjoy it as he used to.

  “Tasha, we need to talk,” he said authoritatively, holding her back by her shoulders. She gave him a tired, but confused look as she put her hands on top of his.

  “What’s wrong? Don’t you want to make more kids?” she asked with an unserious giggle. Nate was growing frustrated. He shook her sharply to get to her pay attention.

  “Listen, I don’t want to do this. I don’t want to go through this again with you. I’ll stay nearby, I’ll provide for you and Danny, but I just can’t go through this again with you… I need someone more faithful. You don’t even want to get married, so what’s the point?”