by Jane Price
“Maura, my love. Your hand maiden sent word that you would be becoming a woman and I couldn’t bear to miss it. Not after all these long years of waiting.” His voice sounded as if someone was holding his throat, as he almost had to hiss the words out. Even through that though, she still struggled to understand what he meant. He held out a hand for her and helped her to her feet and continued.
“You see, when you were but a baby, my court mystic had a vision.” He placed his arm around her shoulder and walked with her. “That mystic told me that you would be the most beautiful girl the world had ever known, but that you would cause a rift in my kingdom.” He looked over at the woman Maura called mother and continued once again. “So, I took you under my own wing and had you raised by my scribe so that you could not marry a man who would split my kingdom.”
Maura tried to take this information in but couldn’t process any of it. Still unsure of even if she had a say in any of this, she was confused with what he had in store for her. “If you have any questions, I would gladly answer them.” Maura stared at him and looked into the faces of the other people in the crowd, all whom were still bowed.
“I don’t understand what it is that you want from me, your Highness.” The King then laughed and turned so that he was facing her. With both hands on her shoulders he leaned in and kissed her. She tried to pull away, repulsed by his very nature, but she was shocked at how strong his grip was. She felt his tongue trying to creep into her mouth, but she held firm. He pulled away and the towns’ people gasped quietly to themselves.
“I’m going to marry you myself of course,” he exclaimed.
******
Maura was horrified and didn’t speak for the rest of the day, unable to seemingly get the taste of his chapped lips off of her mouth. She ate and drank her fill, hoping that either the food or wine would make her appear less beautiful to the king. However, even when she tried to disgust him, she only appeared to become more gorgeous.
It was something she had noticed since she was a young girl. The way that men, and even a few women, looked at her was very confusing. She was taller than other girls, but in a way unlike the others. She had long legs that appeared to go on forever and she had a shapely figure. Thick thighs and wide hips, as well as a large butt which tended to be the area that most men liked to stare at.
She was traditionally beautiful, with delicate features, but had piercing olive eyes that could cut through iron if she had desired. She had thick, luscious lips that always appeared to have a red coat of lipstick on them and full eyebrows that fully gave away how she felt. Pale skin as well, but in a way that only made her seem to glow in the sunlight.
So, even though Maura tried to repulse him, he only seemed to smile wider. She noticed too that the other soldiers who were in the room protecting the King also seemed to have the same reaction to her. Whenever she would turn and look at them they would quickly avert their eyes, or look at the King to make sure he had not seen them staring.
The dinner and the party progressed and Maura couldn’t help but dread her future as the evening went on, but near around the time the King was planning to return to his kingdom, they heard more horses arriving down the road. The soldiers snapped to attention as three black horses rode into the town square. Maura and the rest of the party once again stepped outside to welcome the new arrival and Maura was caught speechless as she walked out to greet them.
On the lead horse rode a blonde haired man. She noticed that the hair was long as it peaked out from the back of his helmet which he was wearing. The other soldiers all placed a tentative hand on their swords as they investigated the symbols on their armor. They were not the Red Branch that the soldiers in the kingdom wore, but rather a Black Hawk, which few of them had ever seen before. Maura listened intently as one man whispered to another.
“That must be what is left of the Black Hawks. They’re one of the most brutal mercenary clans that gold can buy.” He glanced over his soldier at the King, whose jaw was clenched shut. “King George sent forces to help take them out and they were never heard from again, save one, it was said he overtook five soldiers.” He looked back towards them, “Imagine how many these men killed.”
Maura looked back as the man removed his helmet and hopped down off the horse. He was the most handsome, and mysterious man, that she had ever seen. And she was immediately smitten.
******
The man walked forward towards the crowd as he placed the helmet under his arm. He looked out at the stunned audience and laughed. He hung his head slightly and began to speak, immediately, the air left Maura’s lungs hearing his voice.
“My good people, don’t tell me that this is the kind of hospitality that I can except from everyone in this region.” At once, nearly all of the women in the town, married or not, ran forward to help him and the other men. Maura stood cemented in her place, which the man noted. “Well, if you aren’t the most splendid angel my eyes have ever seen.” He began to walk towards her. The other women’s hearts breaking was almost audible.
As he took the few steps closer to Maura two guards stepped in front of her and drew their swords slightly. Not as an immediate threat, but as a warning. He held up his hands in surrender and laughed. Maura looked at him with a panicked look and wanted nothing more than to step forward and greet him, but it was King George who stepped forward.
“Watch where you step, Alistair. Maura has already been claimed.” Alistair looked away from the King and stared at Maura, whose eyes were still drawn open in terror. He took a step back and responded to the King without looking at him.
“That’s Knight Alistair to you, Sir. As you know, I was knighted by the great King Henry.” King George spat as he said this and cursed his name loudly. “I know you see me as nothing more than a mercenary, but I’m practically royalty now.” Alistair laughed as King George spat again.
“King Henry holds no authority here and neither does the weight of your name.” He motioned and the two guards who were protecting Maura lunged forward and attempted to grab Alistair who easily avoided their sluggish attempts to grab him. “Guards, seize this man,” the King exclaimed. Just then, multiple guards rushed forward and attempted to grab Alistair. Alistair bobbed and weaved his way around the men until he was face to face with Maura.
With one hand he leaned in and grabbed her by the lower back, the other gracefully and gently cupped her chin and raised her up onto her toes where he planted a kiss on her lips. Once again, she felt the air leave her lungs, but instead of fighting against the embrace, she felt herself reaching towards him. However, the tender moment was torn short.
Alistair was torn away from her and was dragged to the ground. But, now that he was so close, she was able to get a much better look at him and she could feel herself falling for this man. He had long blonde hair that seemed to glow with a reddish hue in the evening sun. He had soft, blue eyes that were certainly not the ones that would be found on a killer, she thought to herself. And, even under the weight of four men, he seemed to have complete control of his body, her mind raced to all of the magnificent things he could do with those muscles that didn’t involve fighting.
She shouted and screamed at the men to let him go, which was greeted by a smile on Alistair’s face and a horrified look on the King’s. The soldiers glanced up towards Maura and then back at the King who stared back at them with a look of confusion and frustration. She turned towards him and pleaded her case.
“King, please, let him go and I will collect my things and return with you tonight.” She turned and looked at the procession of horses and cart they brought with them. “You had clearly intended me to return tonight which is why you brought the covered cart. Allow me to ride in that and sleep, so that I may be well rested for our wedding.” The King gazed into her eyes searching for a lie, but found none. With a sweeping motion of his arm the knights raised up off Knight Alistair and pushed him down further as they stood.
“I decree that at this point tomorrow,
Maura will be my Queen.” He looked out over the townspeople. “As you all as the witness, she has agreed to it.” He shouted this and looked out at the townspeople who all bowed their heads and nodded. “Good,” the King turned his attention to Maura, “now go and prepare for the journey.”
She nodded and looked back at Alistair who still had a smile on his face, even after everything the King had said. She turned and walked to the house, saddened by the fact that he was not even slightly heartbroken by the news.
******
Within the hour she had packed up her worldly possessions and allowed the soldiers to pack her away into the small riding carriage that had been prepared for her. Once she stepped inside she was surprised to see that the carriage was actually furnished rather well. Large cushions and blankets covered the hard wooden interior and the few windows were well insulated so that Maura felt that she had complete security and privacy.
She yelled once just to see if anyone noticed and after she waited for a moment no one said anything. Maura popped her head outside of the door and looked around at the soldiers who stood near it in attention. She turned her attention to the crowd that stood around and noticed a familiar face in the crowd.
Alistair’s blonde locks popped and she noticed that the same smile was plastered on his face, but this time it seemed slightly sinister. She also noted how his armor was off and he was wearing a tight fitting leather shirt and pants, both had been stained black. He held up his hand to his mouth and held a finger over his mouth to shush her. He then pointed at the two soldiers who were nearest the caravan.
Just then the soldiers turned and nodded to her delicately. She had not paid much attention to them before, but noticed how both of them had similar facial structure to Alistair. She realized then that they were both the other Black Hawks. She looked back up to find Alistair in the crowd, but he had disappeared.
King George exited from her home and motioned for the troops to ready up. Maura watched as the two Black Hawks took the horses to the rear of her carriage. Within five minutes the whole caravan of people, led by King George, was headed back towards the capital city and her new home.
******
She had asked the King how long the journey would take and he had told her that it would take a few hours, but she honestly had no real understanding of time, especially when she was locked away in the booth that the King had crafted for her. So, she sat and tried to allow herself to drift into sleep.
As her eyelids began to grow heavy she noticed that there was a strange sound coming from the floor of the carriage. It sounded like something was grinding or ripping and she shifted from her spot and began to pull away the number of pillows and blankets that were in the way. As she flipped away the last pillow she saw the tip of a blade, poking out from the base of the carriage.
She sprang back and began to scream, but knew that no one could hear her. However, the sawing stopped and there was a small knock that came from the same spot where the knife was. She stopped and the sawing continued. She slid back further into the carriage and didn’t know what to do, so she grabbed a pillow to defend herself.
After another moment of the sawing, a piece of wood broke loose and Maura slammed down as hard as she could muster with the pillow. As the pillow began its descent she saw the smiling face of Alistair, but couldn’t stop it. The pillow made contact and she pulled away quickly. However, the face was gone.
She quickly jumped down to the hole and looked for him, but he was nowhere to be found. She slowly peered out and only saw the ground flying past the opening. She sat back into the carriage and couldn’t believe what she had done, but she didn’t have much time to grieve because a hand appeared where the face had once been and she heard a masculine voice call out to her.
“Please don’t hit me this time. As much as I enjoy a good pillow fight, I would much rather watch others compete.” Maura laughed to herself and reached out to help Alistair up into the cabin. “Oh, thank goodness. I wasn’t going to be surprised if I was greeted by another pillow.” Maura didn’t know what took over her, but she leaned forward and kissed him. Their lips locks and their tongues intertwined and they both could feel as their muscles relaxed and tension seemed to leave their bodies. Maura pulled away and saw that Alistair looked a bit flush in the face.
“Well, that’s certainly nicer than a pillow, isn’t it,” Maura asked him as his eyes took a second to readjust. He wiped off his lip and laughed to himself.
“I’ll say.” He looked at her and his face seemed to lighten up. “So, do you know why I’m here?” Maura looked at him confused, but that smile never left his face. “I’m here to rescue you.” Maura shook her head and reached out, taking his hand.
“You can’t do that. King George has waited eighteen years to marry me. He’ll stop at nothing to kill you if you do this.” Alistair laughed and took her hand inside his own. Maura found the laugh to be comforting, not insulting.
“Darling, King George has been trying to kill me since I could lift a sword. His problem is, I have yet to die.” Alistair scooted himself forward a little bit closer to Maura and she felt herself leaning in a bit towards him. “There is nothing to fear. We’ll make our way to King Henry’s kingdom where we’ll be welcomed like royalty and you’ll be treated like you deserve. His free hand reached up and grabbed her behind the neck, pulling her in slightly. She leaned down and they began to kiss again.
******
Their kissing was quite passionate and considering it was one of the first times Maura had ever done such a thing she found that she was quite natural at it. Their lips locked and their tongues toyed with each other. Their hands couldn’t find a single place to rest, but instead swarmed over the others’ body trying to feel and map every peak and valley.
Maura sat back into the pillows and watched as Alistair rose up until it seemed as if he was towering over her. He removed his shirt slowly, his fingers and hands at one moment were both so strong and nimble. They worked the knots of the shirt and he pulled it over his head. His chest was exposed to her and she saw a thin layer of sweat that had formed over his body. In the low light of the moon he almost seemed to shine in front of her.
She was completely surrounded in the blankets and pillows as he lowered himself on top of her. His hands draw cursive lines all over her neck and arms. She closed her eyes and listened to the sound of the horses’ hooves clopping through the mud behind them. Maura tried to focus on them, but was snapped out of her near trance like state when his lips connected with her own. A spark shot through her body and she felt like she came to life.
His hands were no longer nimble as they worked at removing her clothes. His arms became tense and lifted her and shifted her so that she didn’t have to work at all as he disrobed her. She felt as his calloused hands touched her bare skin for the first time. She was startled, but found the touch comforting after a few moments because like his fingers they stood for strength and hard work. However, after those first few moments it was as if they became soft. The hands started at her neck after they pulled her dress over her head.
They massaged her neck and moved to her shoulders where his thumbs deftly began to knead away knots and points of tension that had built up since the King had made his way into her life. She quickly pushed the thought of the King out of her head as Alistair’s hands continued to move south to where they gently cupped her breasts. She had dreamed of this moment.
His fingers were slow and delicate as they played over her nipples. They lightly pinched and teased them as his lips moved from her own lips to her neck. He kissed her stress and worries away as his fingers created goose bumps. It was a unique experience for her, the goose bumps once represented that she was scared and now as they cascaded over her body, his lips casually working around them, they represented so much more. They represented a future.
His hands began to drift further at that point and his fingers danced across her stomach as they went. Maura’s body spasmed under his touch and she
wanted to pull away, but couldn’t help but feel like this was exactly what he knew she would do, so she stayed and endured the spasms. His hands ended near her thighs.
That was when her breath became shorter and she began to worry. She had never done anything like this and she didn’t know anything about this man. She thought for a moment about the consequences of her actions and the things that would happen because of it. Alistair clearly noticed her hesitation and stopped kissing her. He pulled away and went to remove his hands, but Maura reached out and returned them to where they were.
She had lived a false life, it was time for her to start living her own life. She leaned forward out of her pillow bed and kissed him, drawing him back into the comfort of the pillows with her. They kissed and his hands continued to work their magic. His hands guided her legs to open and he allowed his body to slide in between them naturally. She felt as if their bodies were magnets and they were being pulled together by some kind of force.
That was then Alistair pulled away from kissing and began to kiss her neck, but he didn’t stop there. He continued to slide down and kissed her all the way down her body until he reached her tits. There, he took one into his mouth and began to suckle and lick at her nipple. She moaned and was glad she had tested whether or not the other guards could hear them. She would have been more than happy for Alistair to stay there all night, but he had other things in mind.
