Through the Looking Glass

by Rebecca Lorino Pond

  Heat emanating from his body was causing hers to flush. She could feel her core becoming slick as his eyes continued to bore into her. She swallowed nervously as she tried to make herself disappear into the cold stone she was pressed against. When he reached up with his hand she flinched. For a split second she had thought he was going to strike her for provoking him in the bedroom earlier, but as his hand gently caressed her cheek, she sighed.

  His face took on a new look as he softly touched her cheek with his fingers, travelling down to skim across her lips. “Did you think I would strike you?”

  Isobel could automatically tell he was deeply troubled by her thought. After what Daniel had done to her family she wasn’t so sure of any man’s actions anymore. Unable to voice her answer, she simply nodded at his question.

  He drew his hand away as if she had stung him with her nod. His eyes darkened quickly then slowly faded back to their normal color.

  “Why would you think such a thing? Do you think I am capable of such a thing?” He studied her face and he wasn’t about to let her pass until she gave him an answer he would be satisfied with.

  “I don’t know what you might be capable of. You haven’t shown me any kindness or compassion since the moment you found me, so what else am I to think?” Did she just dig herself deeper into trouble with him, she asked herself.

  He stepped back from her before he answered. “I may be a lot of things, but an abuser of a woman I am not!”

  The look on his face told her she had hurt his feelings. It shouldn’t have bothered her in the least but it did. She stood there staring at him, wondering what he was going to do next. The chill of the bathroom was starting to cause goose-bumps to pop up on her naked flesh, so she prayed he would leave her in peace to get dressed.

  “Can I get dressed now? Or do you prefer to watch?”

  Jakar simply nodded and turned to leave the room, shutting the door behind him. She let out a shaky breath as the door shut and she was alone again. Without a moment of hesitation, she pulled her dress over her head. She didn’t want to give Jakar time to reconsider his decision to leave her alone and come back in.

  The long sleeved dress reminded her of a style of dress she wore at home. It was a simple, plain blue dress that fell to her ankles. The top portion of the dress was more of a baby doll style dress with its empire waist and A-line skirt. The exception was that it fell well past her knees. The long sleeves would keep her arms warm but still allowed her hands to remain free from excess fabric. She felt more comfortable in the dress than she did in her wedding dress because her cleavage was completely covered up.

  Nana must have come in sometime earlier because there was a pair of small boots sitting next to the door which looked as if they would fit her. She pulled on the pair of cream colored stockings then shoved her feet into the brown boots. Surprised that the boots fit her, she quickly laced the strings up the fronts then tested the boots with a few steps. Satisfied her wardrobe was to her liking, she opened the door to go find something to eat in the kitchen.

  At first she didn’t noticed Jakar standing near the window. The sound of his voice speaking to her had her whirling around to find him. He continued to gaze out the window as he addressed her which she thought was a bit strange.

  “I would like for you to accompany me into the village. There are some things I need to attend to and I would like for you to join me.”

  She didn’t know what to say at first. Her heart reeled with excitement. He was asking her to go with him! This was the first time he was willing to spend some time with her. She would have to keep her guard up in case he was trying to trick her or something but at least she would be able to get out of the castle for a while.

  “O…ok,” she squeezed out in a short breath.

  He turned to look at her then. His face no longer held the scowl she thought would become permanent on his face. Rather, he was smiling at her! The difference the smile made was astonishing. It reached his eyes and revealed his straight white teeth.

  “When will we leave?” she asked.

  He strode towards her and took her by the hand, pulling her behind him as they left the room. “Right now.”

  She had to trot behind him to keep up. He headed to the staircase and started to take them two at a time which caused her to stumble and call out to him. “Jakar! I can’t go as fast as you!” She slammed into his back when he stopped suddenly.

  “I wasn’t thinking.” He was still smiling at her. “I’m sorry. I’ll slow down.”

  He didn’t let go of her hand as he started back down the stairs. A couple of the servants stood to the side as they walked by holding hands. Isobel looked back at them and caught a glimpse of the smiles spread across their faces. They continued on through the castle halls until they were outside in the open air. Even though the sky was gray with heavy clouds, it still felt good to be outside.

  The crunch of gravel beneath her feet sounded so loud to her. She was used to concrete, so she was glad she had on the boots to keep her ankles from twisting. Jakar finally slowed down enough for her to be able to walk next to him as they made their way towards the village.

  She managed to avoid the mud puddles as she took in everything as she entered the village. It looked so much like the Renaissance Festivals she would always go to every year when it came to town. Booth were set up with all kinds of items for sale. Several of the vendors stood outside their booths holding vegetables or fruits being offered for sale. At the sight of the apples, her stomach let out a loud growl. She had intended to pass by the kitchen after getting dressed but Jakar had altered her plans. They continued on through the village until they came upon a man working underneath a shelter, banging on an extremely hot piece of metal. The blacksmith had a steady rhythm as he hit the glowing object with a hammer. Jakar tugged her behind him as he approached the blacksmith.

  “Lokie!” he called out to the heavy set man.

  The hammer stopped in mid swing when Lokie heard his name. Seeing who was calling him, the blacksmith tossed the piece of metal he was working on back into the flames.

  “My Lord!” Lokie said. “It is good to see you. I have what you requested.”

  Isobel watched Lokie wipe his dirty hands on the apron he wore around his thick waist. After, he reached into his pants’ pocket and pulled something out that she couldn’t see. Whatever it was, it was small enough to fit in the man’s hand easily.

  “I finished it a short while ago.” Lokie smiled at her as he handed the object to her husband.

  “Thank you, Lokie.” Jakar turned to her and opened his hand to reveal what was in it. Sitting in the middle of his large callused hand was a small, round, gold band.

  Confused, she asked him, “A ring?” She looked up at him.

  “Yes, it’s a ring.” He eyes darted to Lokie. “I had it made last night for you.” The hand that held hers drew her nearer to him until she was inches away. He lifted her hand at the same time he brought the gold band up to slip onto the third finger of her left hand.

  She was totally confused by this man. A few days ago he thought of her as a spy and was going to do God knows what to her and this morning he had bit her head off when she was concerned for his wound. Now he was giving her a wedding ring!

  “I…I don’t understand,” she stumbled on her words.

  “You are my wife,” he stated matter of fact.

  “I know that! But why would you want to give me a ring? You don’t even like me!” She used her thumb to feel the cool metal on her hand. Her feelings inside were in turmoil. One minute her husband acted as if he hated her then the next he is giving her a ring he had made especially for her.

  “I was not able to give you a ring the other day when we were married. I had Lokie make it last night when I returned.”

  “But…I…I still don’t understand.” She bit her lip.

  “You are my wife now, so it is only appropriate for you to wear my ring.” Jakar stood tall as he stated his case and wai
ted for her to answer.

  “Thank you,” she whispered as she fought back the tears.

  He nodded at her then turned his attention back to Lokie. “Thanks again Lokie. When do you think my other order will be ready?”

  “I would say by the end of the week.”

  “Perfect. I’ll be back then.”

  Lokie bowed slightly to them then returned to his work.

  She and Jakar continued through the village stopping here and there for Jakar to speak with some of his people. He introduced her to each and every one they spoke to even though they all know who she was. She was tempted to ask him what brought about his change in attitude towards her but she didn’t want to chance ruining their outing.

  As he stood talking to another villager, a small child ran up to her and handed her a red rose.

  “My lady,” the little girl said in a high pitched voice.

  Isobel took the offered rose then put it to her nose. “It smells wonderful! Thank you so much!” She squatted down to get eye level with the girl. “What’s your name?”

  When the little girl smiled at her, Isobel couldn’t help but smile back at the toothless grin. “Haley.”

  “Well, Haley. I love the flower. Thank you.” She hugged the girl to her chest then released her. Before she stood up she noticed that Jakar had been watching her. The man standing next to him was smiling as he too watched her actions with the child. She stood up, patted Haley on top of her head, and then walked over to Jakar.

  “Make a new friend,” Jakar asked.

  “She is very sweet. Who are her parents?” Isobel steadily watched Haley as she ran back to a small house farther up the dirt road.

  “Her father is one of my men, Graco and her mother is Sohia. Haley is the last of ten children.”

  “Ten children! My god! That’s a lot of kids!” Her eyes grew round at the thought of having ten children. She wanted kids but definitely not ten.

  A loud crack of thunder filled the sky above their heads. Everyone in the vicinity turned their faces upward and saw the black clouds rolling in. She remembered seeing the foreboding clouds earlier when she and Jakar were still in bed. She had forgotten about the incoming weather in her excitement to get out of the castle for a while.

  “I suggest that we start back. That storm is moving in quickly.” Jakar said hid goodbyes to the man he was speaking with then placed his hand on her elbow to guide her back.

  As she walked back with Jakar, she saw several people rushing to get home or find some kind of shelter. They didn’t speak a word to each other as they hurried back. A dark feeling swept through her as they entered the castle through the kitchen door just as the first drops of rain fell.

  A bright flash of lightning lit up the kitchen and was followed the loudest crack of thunder she had ever heard. When she jumped at the sound she accidently ran into Jakar’s back and bounced off.

  She giggled and put her hand of her heart as she righted herself again. “Sorry. That scared the crap out of me!” Around the room, several of the women were also laughing and covering their chests. She was glad she hadn’t been the only one to react to the sound.

  When she looked up to Jakar, she found him observing her with those dark eyes again. The entire time they were walking, his eyes had remained their ice blue color, but now, for some reason, they were dark again while they watched her. What was he mad at? They had just walked into the kitchen, so she hadn’t had enough time to do anything to piss him off.

  “What…what’s wrong?” she asked him.

  He stared at her with unblinking eyes. It was as if he didn’t see her standing right in front of him. She waved her hand in front of his eyes to see if he would snap out of the trance he appeared to be in.

  “Hello? Jakar?”

  Jakar blinked several times then looked away from her. He was acting strange and it was beginning to frighten her.

  “What’s the matter? Are you ok?” She reached out to touch his arm but he pulled away instantly. The women in the kitchen stopped what they were doing to watch the scene unfold before them. She could see out the corner of her eye that the women had moved closer to where she stood with Jakar. Maybe they knew something she didn’t.

  Jakar back away from her. “I have to go take care of something.” His face had returned back to its most favorite look, the scowl was back and she didn’t know why. “I expect you to be in our room when I am finished taking care of my business.”

  Was he ordering her to their room? “What,” she asked. “Are you demanding that I go to the room?” She put her hands on her hips and stood looking at him in disbelief. What the hell had gotten into him all of a sudden?

  “Isobel, you will listen to me on this. Go back to the room and stay there. Do I make myself clear?” He stepped forward until he has towering over her, trying to intimidate her with his size.

  Being who she was, she stood her ground and puffed out her chest the same way he had. Anger slowly crept in as she challenged her husband. “I will not be sent to my room as if I were a child! I didn’t even do anything for crying out loud!”

  She knew she was pushing him but she wanted to see how far she could push the stranger she was married to. It was a dangerous and stupid thing to do considering she had no clue to what set him off.

  “If you do not listen to what I say, I will carry you there myself and lock you in.” If it was possible, his eyes turned almost black.

  She had two choices. She could willingly obey her husband and display how weak she was in front of the kitchen staff or she could stand her ground and see if Jakar was a man of his word. With the way he had just jerked away from her, she was betting he would leave her in the kitchen. At least that’s what she hoped!

  Through clenched teeth, she hissed out, “No!”

  Jakar moved so fast she hadn’t realized she was upside down on his shoulder until he was marching out of the kitchen.

  “Put me down!” She kicked her feet while her fists pounded on Jakar’s wide back. “Put me down I said!” She fought him as much as she could but the arm that was holding her legs down felt like an iron grip.

  “Keep still or I will smack your rear.”

  His words hit her like a lightning bolt. He wouldn’t dare to strike her after he told her this morning that he would never do such a thing. “You wouldn’t dare!” she screeched as she tried to brace her upper body by using her hands to push herself up off his back. “This is ridiculous! Put me down!” She kicked her feet again but this time she must have managed to reach his face when she heard him let out a yelp.

  “Damn it woman! That hurt it!”

  Without warning she felt the sting of a slap on her rear. “Ow!” she cried out. She ceased fighting him at that point. She hadn’t meant to kick him in the face and she definitely didn’t except him to actually smack her on the butt. She should have known better. She still kept herself braced on his back and could feel every movement his muscles made. This was the second time she had been so close to him. The first time was on his horse as they travelled back to his castle on the day he found her. That time his arms had been wrapped around her while she had fallen asleep, but this time she was wide awake and clinging to his broad, well-defined back. An image passed through her mind of her running her hands over his bare back, tracing the outline of the muscles that disappeared into a pair of black pants. Oh, no way! Now is not the time for that, she told herself and gave her head a shake.

  As they walked to their room, she saw several servants stop and watch as they walked by. It was when they came across his brother Brock, that she felt really humiliated.

  “What are you doing brother?” Brock asked.

  “Taking care of a little problem.” Jakar kept on walking as Brock continued his questioning.

  “I see that but what did she do?” Brock was struggling to hide the laughter she could hear when he spoke.

  “This is another reason why I did not want a wife. This one doesn’t listen!” He gave her rump ano
ther smack but softer this time.

  “Don’t do that!” she shouted at him.

  Brock started to laugh and was nearly doubled over laughing by the time the trio reached the circular stone stairs that lead up to their room.

  “I need to speak with you as soon as I am finished. Meet me out by the stable,” Jakar threw back to his brother as he began to climb the stairs.

  Isobel’s stomach was aching now with Jakar’s shoulder poking into it. She tried to shift her position somewhat by wigging her rear some as she tried to lift her torso higher. As soon as she looked up fear swept over her. With each step Jakar took upwards, she saw how far up in the air she was and how far down the floor was at the foot of the stairs.

  “Shit!” she mumbled and squeezed her eyes shut. “Would you please put me down? This is not a very comfortable position.” She attempted to keep her voice calm as she pleaded with him.