by Lily Thomas
“Keep walking.” He murmured, as he forced each foot to keep taking steps away from the tent.
He thought back to the battle that had ended up with him getting majorly injured. A human warrior had taken advantage of the opportunity, when Kaeldar had turned to help a fellow rock giant. The human had risen from a pile of bodies that Kaeldar thought were dead and done with.
It had been the mistake that had led him into Claira's life. Now that he knew her, he felt a little upset she hadn't left her cottage to seek some sort of safe distance from the battlefield.
Any of his men could’ve wandered up there and killed her.
But if she hadn't been there, he might never have received her expert healing care. Then they would never have encountered each other, and he wouldn’t be in such a situation.
Two days later Claira couldn't help but feel apprehensive of what the day would hold for her. Kaeldar was acting distant, and they were about to go to a rock giant castle. She didn’t want his protection to suddenly stop.
“Are you doing alright?” His deep voice washed over her.
Looking up at Kaeldar she gave a curt nod. “Yes.”
“I was concerned you might be worrying about what is to come.”
Tight lipped she gave a shake of her head. Right now she was feeling a mix of emotions, and she hadn't completely sorted them out quite yet. So there was no way she was going to be able to discuss them with him.
She was having an internal fight, to hate him or not. He could have at least tried to prevent the other rock giants from going to human villages, and he could cuddle with her after they had sex.
They were just finishing up breakfast, and she could feel the excitement in the air, it was so tangible. She knew these rock giants were ready to get back to their castle, but she had the jitters.
Right now she was the only female among a group of rock giant warriors, so Kaeldar had no choice to sleep with her, but when they arrived at the rock giant castle he would have more than just one choice, when it came to a bed companion.
Her heart gave her a major pinch, as she thought of his attention changing to another woman. Then she shook her head. She shouldn’t worry about such things. She was in a situation she couldn’t back out of, so she’d just have to see it through.
“Claira?” Kaeldar's voice penetrated her thoughts.
Looking up she saw his brows drawn together.
“We are leaving soon so be sure you are ready.” He left her, so he could ready their horses.
She stared after him, until he left her sight. He definitely seemed to be excited about returning back to his people.
There was a small part of her that was also thrilled about getting on the road. After all, she would be the first human to lay eyes on the rock giant castle. What could possibly be more thrilling, even if it was just as terrifying?
Claira had no idea how they might receive her, but she decided to be on the optimistic side. She’d either live or be killed at the front gates.
Before she knew it, everything was readied, and she was tucked against Kaeldar's front on his impressive black stallion. He had all of his armor on, and his helmet covered his face, except for his dark eyes. She was able to see a steely glint there, like he was mentally preparing himself for a confrontation.
She knew what the confrontation would be about. Her. She’d probably be a sore spot with the other rock giants in the castle.
Which didn't make her feel any better. She didn't want to be a burden for Kaeldar, but at the same time she wanted to be with him. Either way, it didn’t matter. The chance to turn around was already long gone.
"Kaeldar?" Claira asked, as she twisted her bottom around to get a look at his helmeted face.
His black eyes glanced down at her, as his head held completely still. "Yes, Claira?"
She swallowed down a few twinges of uneasiness. "Are we getting close?"
"With every step we grow closer, but it will still be some time, before we reach the castle." He informed her, before turning his attention back to the area around them.
It seemed as though he was growing distant from her. It could all just be in her mind, but she really felt like he might be trying to put space between the both of them. Or maybe this was his warrior side coming through, and he had been showing her a glimpse of his lover's side.
She decided she liked that explanation best and was going to let it rest at that for now. No need to make a scene in public.
Turning back around she tried to keep her mind off arriving at the rock giant castle.
By the time the sun was hanging halfway in the sky, her nerves were shot. She wasn't able to stop chewing on her thumbnail, and there were butterflies zooming around in her stomach, as she thought about being surrounded by rock giants who were all taller and stronger than her.
What would the women be like? Would they accept her into their fold?
Human women thrived off of gossip and rumors, at least, from what Claira had experienced from being the brunt of most of them. She wondered if the giant women would at all be like that or if she might have a chance at befriending some.
"Claira?"
"Yes?"
"We are stopping for a break. Would you like to stretch your legs, before we head off again?" Kaeldar asked her.
He seemed so detached, like he could care less what she ended up deciding.
"Sure. I could use a walk around, my legs are sore from all this riding." Claira wished the helmet wasn’t blocking her view of his face, because she wasn’t able to read the emotions of metal plating.
Her lips turned down into a frown, when he offered his hand to her. She wasn’t enjoying this new side to him.
Once her feet met the ground Kaeldar asked, "Is there something amiss?"
Claira didn't even bother looking up to read the emotions in his dark eyes. "Nothing at all is amiss. I am just nervous about our upcoming arrival."
Before he had a chance to answer, she walked away briskly and made her way into the forest. She needed some time by herself, without all the snorting of the horses and the clanking of the armor. Claira wanted some silence to harness her feelings.
Finding a sturdy log Claira took a seat and admired the scene before her. Taking in a few deep breathes she settled her raging nerves. Soon she was able to hear the sound of leaves crunching under an armored foot. She let Kaeldar come around the log, instead of turning to acknowledge his presence.
"Claira, will you not tell me what is wrong?" Kaeldar asked, as he lifted his helmet off of his head.
She loved the way his hair flowed out from the confines of the helmet. It was one of his charms she adored about him. Shoulder length black hair that would disappear between her legs and bring her immense pleasure.
"There is nothing wrong." She just needed to figure herself out. Her mind and body weren’t aligned, and it was tearing at her.
Bending down on one knee, helmet between his body and arm, Kaeldar looked into her eyes. Then he lifted a hand to cup one side of her face, rubbing a thumb over her cheek bone.
“If something is wrong, I want you to tell me.” His gaze seemed to penetrate her very essence, like he was searching for something. What, she had no idea, but he was searching for it all the same.
Kaeldar glanced over the top of her golden head at the warriors who were still able to spot them through the trees. He gave each of them a stern glance, until they turned away, but they were right to be puzzled.
Even Kaeldar was bewildered by how enamored he was with Claira. She was a human female, he was a rock giant male. No two were more unsuited for each other than they were.
There should be nothing, no feelings between the two of them, yet there was something lingering. Something he wasn't sure he wanted to name, because it fell in the category of affection.
He just thought it might be in both of their best interests, if no one else saw that. If he showed her too much attention, she might attract some unwanted scrutiny.
As the
prince of the rock giants, he was the apple of most available females’ eyes in the giant castle. He didn't need her being hounded by any of the giant females. He knew he’d been fairly distant from her, but he had to be, for her sake.
Kaeldar had been foolish to encourage her like this. He wasn't even sure he was going to be able to protect her, as he hoped. His father was bound to try to get rid of her. She should’ve remained his healer and nothing more.
“I want you to know my people won't embrace you, but I will do my best to make sure you are safe. I just wanted you to know so you didn't expect any welcoming arms from them.”
Claira nodded. "I fully realize they won’t embrace me. I just hope they will tolerate me."
Kaeldar cupped her face again. This female was going to be his downfall, yet he was bound to love every second of it. "I will leave you now. Join us, when you are ready to continue."
"I won't be long." Claira promised him.
He gave her a small smile, right before he left her.
He felt bad for Claira. He was taking her from humans who didn't like her to giants who wouldn’t enjoy her presence. She had more of a chance of winning over her own people, because his were going to be more than a problem at trying to win over, unless he could think of something.
As the sun slipped from the sky, they finally made their way out of the forest. It was like a breath of fresh air, until she glanced over and caught sight of the rock giant castle.
It stole the breath from her lungs. She wasn't even able to blink. She would’ve thought a castle would be large, but it was enormous. She could barely believe the size of the town surrounding the castle. She could imagine the town was extensive enough to host most of the rock giants.
"Impressive, is it not?"
"Most impressive." Claira was finally able to say, as she let out the breath she’d been holding. "I never expected, well, this." She waved her hand to encompass everything before her.
"It is quite shocking to see for the first time. I remember when I went for my first ride with my father, and I got a view of the castle from a hill. As a child, it was intimidating, and even as a full grown warrior, I still find it to be overwhelming."
She was more than able to see why.
"Amazingly enough this isn't even all of the rock giants. There are still some other villages and farms spread out around our territory.”
"Hard to imagine rock giants as farmers or anything other than a warrior."
"We can't all be warriors or there wouldn’t be enough food. Nothing on our land would get done with just warriors milling about, except maybe fighting."
She heard the smile in his voice, because he thought her silly? "I suppose that’s true. I just never thought about it, before now. The only time I’ve seen a rock giant was in a battlefield hacking down their enemies."
She truly was foolish. Why hadn't she ever thought about rock giants being something other than a warrior? Because she herself still held some prejudices?
Her eyes were finally opening. There were so many things in common between humans and giants, and neither side realized it. Now that she did, she wished everyone else could. Then this horrible war might finally be over and done with.
Her attention went back to the castle. Fortress better described the structure. A little thrill of excitement shot through her. This was her first time seeing any sort of castle, and she was going inside. Claira knew her imagination was running off with her, but she was having a hard time containing it.
So many emotions flowed through her, and she was doing her best to hang onto the positive ones.
She knew they would have to go through the village, and a crowd was bound to form. Not only because they had returning warriors, but because they were sure to think she was a prisoner of war. They would want to know what Kaeldar was planning to do with her.
She shuddered.
As they neared the village, she straightened her back and scooted away from Kaeldar. She wanted to appear strong in front of all the rock giants. She didn't want to be that cowering human woman who they all thought was a captive. There was no way she was going to tremble or shake in front of the rock giants.
She wasn't the cowering kind of woman or so she told herself. It was easy to talk, when she wasn’t standing in front of a rock giant crowd.
When they entered the village, she could tell someone had spotted their group coming from a distance. There seemed to be a substantial crowd gathering through out the streets. They were calling out to the men they knew in the group and were basically chanting Kaeldar's name.
As they travelled deeper into town, it seemed as though the news about her had spread as well. They started to swarm around the horses, and one of the rock giants tried to get close enough to grab at one of her legs.
Kaeldar let out a growl and slapped the reaching hand away.
Claira shrunk down against his chest, trying to make herself small. She didn't want to be seen by any of the rock giants. This was no time to be courageous. Erase all her feelings of confidence.
Had she expected a warm welcome from these people?
No, she guessed she hadn't expected that, but still, trying to drag her from Kaeldar's horse? It seemed a little ridiculous to her.
The gathering group of rock giants just kept growing. Claira wondered how many rock giants there were within this town. They never seemed to stop flowing out of street allies and homes.
Claira saw the hatred and scorn within their dark black eyes. She scrunched back against Kaeldar's chest, as the rock giants pressed closer and closer. The rock giants were starting to intimidate her, when they yelled out at her. She knew they had to be saying horrible things. No translation was needed.
Kaeldar wrapped an armored arm around her waist and drew her closer to him, if that was even possible.
She wished dearly he would whisper some sort of encouragement into her ear, but he never did. It appeared as though he wasn't going to be making any public shows of affection towards her.
It seemed like they would never get to the castle, since every single moment dragged on endlessly. Until, finally, they broke away from the large crowds of the town and into the castle court yard where guards held back the crowd.
It was just as large, but almost vacant of people. She let out a breath she’d been holding the whole time they’d been going through the village. She’d seen her life flash before her eyes out there.
It seemed as though the few rock giants that were in the castle courtyard had been awaiting the arrival of the men.
Claira took a look behind them, as the castle curtain wall doors closed, and the villagers were cut from her sight.
She finally felt like she was safe again with Kaeldar. Now all she could pray for was that the people within the castle would treat her better. She hoped she wasn't asking for too much, because she didn't believe she was, but who knew.
She turned her eyes back to the formidable castle in front of them. It was terrifying for her to see such an impressive building standing before her very eyes for the first time.
Was he ever going to leave her alone, while they were here? Would he be gone for days on end? These were questions she should’ve asked, before arriving at the castle. Now was a little too late to be asking him to turn his horse around and take her back to her people.
At least, she knew how to conduct herself with her own people. Here she had no idea about any of the customs. Claira could only hope Kaeldar would be kind enough to explain anything, before she made a major blunder.
A few rock giants rushed forward, and she couldn't help but cringe. After that one rock giant made a grab for her, she was more aware of her surroundings, but the rock giants only grabbed the reins of each of the riders’ horses.
She let out a sigh. Maybe she was just being unneccassarily jumpy.
Without any delay, Kaeldar dismounted from his fine stallion.
She automatically felt the loss of his presence from behind her back. It was intense and made
her yearn to be by his side once again. How the tables had turned from him being dependent on her to her relying on him. Now she knew how her patients felt, because she wasn’t keen on being reliant upon another.
She was in survival mode and survive she would.
The other men around them dismounted from their horses, and Kaeldar made what appeared to be a small speech to them. After they dispersed into the castle or went to take care of their horses, Kaeldar finally turned his attention back to her.
Claira accepted his helpful assistance on dismounting the ginormous stallion. He gently slid her down his tall frame. His eyes lighted up with lust, and she had to admit she also got a thrill from it.
When her feet, eventually, touched the ground, her mouth popped open on a gasp. He was being attentive to her once again. Would she ever be able to understand this rock giant she had fallen head over heels for?
That one specific thought gave her a moment of pause and reflection.
If she was being truthful to herself, then yes she had indeed fallen in love with the man standing before her. Would she be asking too much, if she wanted him to feel the same way about her?
Her jade eyes looked up to meet his ebony ones. Claira was unable to read any of his current emotions. It was like he put up a shield, so she wouldn't see what he was thinking. He took a step back from her.
She felt a frown form on her face, but he ignored her, as he looked over her head. Turning around she found there were still some rock giants waiting and watching them with intense gazes.
Putting a strong hand to the small of her back he led her away from the stallion and steered her in the direction of the two older rock giants. As they pulled up in front of them, the rock giants greeted Kaeldar with what appeared to be fondness.
Mother and father? Either way she knew these would be a pair of people she should try her best to charm. Assuming, of course, her charms would work on them. Her charms had never got her anywhere with her own kinsfolk.
