Bear Mountain Bride: Shifter Romance

by Sky Winters

  “You’ll be okay in here while I stable the horse,” he told her, pushing her roughly inside. She heard the door latch behind her as she sat in a corner and wept.

  “Why have you forsaken me, Thomas?” she whispered into the darkness, but there was no answer. Curling up into a ball, she lay shivering on the cold stone floor. It seemed like she was there for hours, though it was probably much less.

  “Alright, my beloved, we need to talk. I am going to take you upstairs now, but you need to understand that if you utter a word to anyone about not having arrived here under your own free will, you will not enjoy the consequences. You can also rest assured that they will not only extend to you, but to all your villagers. I will burn them to the ground for your disobedience,” he told her.

  Aileen looked at his shadowy figure standing in the doorway between the near darkness of the room and the little bit of light that shined inside the door from behind him. She had managed to stop sobbing before he had returned and now only felt numb. Cowering still in the corner she could say nothing. Her mouth felt dry from the gag and her hands ached from being tied to the saddle.

  “I am going to untie and ungag you now. You won’t want to be screaming or any such senseless thing. Do you understand?” he asked, pulling the gag from her mouth.

  “Yes,” she croaked with what voice she had left.

  “Very good. Now, let’s get you to a room more suitable for my blushing bride,” he said as he placed his hand on her arm and led her up a steep staircase into ta hallway that led to the sleeping quarters of the castle.

  “Can I have some water, please?” she managed.

  “Of course, my darling. Let’s get you into your room and I will send up a servant to get you anything you want,” he told her.

  Aileen nodded as she tried to keep from crying. She had no idea what he would do if she let anyone see her face wet with tears.

  “This, of course, is my room. It will be our room once we are married,” he told her, showing her the large opulent room filled with very fine linens and draperies of expensive silk. She could imagine sharing a room like this with Thomas would be a joy, but the thought of spending even one night in this horrible man’s bed repulsed her. Tears fell down her face before she could bid them to stay away.

  “Oh, for Heaven’s sake!” he exclaimed, obviously annoyed by her weeping. He grabbed her hand and yanked her down the hall, showing her into a room only a few doors down. “This is your room. Get yourself together before the servant arrives.”

  With that, he turned and left, locking the heavy iron doors behind him. It was dark in the room. Rather than looking for candles, she felt her way around until she found the bed. She lay staring at the ceiling, tears still falling down her face.

  “Please, Thomas. Please save me,” she pleaded into the darkness that surrounded her. Hearing the door lock turning, she quickly brushed away her tears and sat up on the edge of the bed, waiting.

  “Miss?” came a soft voice, closing and locking the door behind her. A young woman, not much older than Aileen entered with a lantern. She lit a pillar candle near the bed and another on the opposite side. Aileen said nothing.

  “My name is Hannah,” the young servant continued. Lord MacAuley sent me to attend to you,” she told her, pouring her a glass of water from a pitcher in her hand before setting the large metal vessel aside. She extended her arm toward her and Aileen accepted the glass.

  “Can you help me get out of here?” Aileen said, once she had consumed the water.

  “Best not to say such things,” Hannah told her, looking incredibly nervous. Her head nodded toward the door as a warning before she leaned closer and whispered, “He would kill both of us, then our kin.”

  “Wretched man,” Aileen said beneath the breath.

  “What do you need that I can do for you?” Hannah asked.

  “I need something else to sleep in. My clothes are dirty from the travel here,” Aileen told her.

  “There are garments for you in the bureau over there,” Hannah replied.

  Aileen looked at her curiously. “Whose clothes?” she asked.

  “Lord MacAuley told us you would be coming soon and had everything you should need put into the room for your arrival,” Hannah said, leading her to the large wooden bureau that held her things. Aileen looked at the contents as the young servant opened it for her. It was full of beautiful gowns, stockings and dresses. There were even shoes in her size. How long had he planned this? Feeling ill, she reached for a nightgown and pulled it free

  “I don’t feel well. I don’t think I need anything else tonight. If you could just leave the water, I will be fine until morning,” Aileen told the girl.

  “Yes, M’lady,” the servant replied.

  “Please, we seem to be almost the same age. Call me Aileen,” she replied.

  “I’d prefer to keep it formal, if you don’t mind. Lord MacAuley requires it,” she added, saying the last part much more quietly as if to let Aileen know it wasn’t her choice to be standoffish.

  “I understand. Goodnight, Hannah,” Aileen told her, watching as the girl left.

  She waited for the lock to turn before changing into the night gown and walking slowly around the room to see what her options for escape might be. She was quite surprised to look out one of the windows that overlooked the dark forest just beyond the castle walls and see a large bear standing at its edge. It seemed to almost be looking at her as she stood there wondering what it was doing out in the open like that. Several more joined the large reddish brown animal, all seeming to look toward her and then they disappeared into the woods again. Stepping away from the window, Aileen dressed for bed and fell asleep quickly, more from mental and physical exhaustion than anything.

  In the following days, Lord MacAuley kept his word. He did not attempt to come into her room without announcing himself or, more to the point, into her bed. She was well tended by servants and given whatever she asked for, within reason, but she remained locked away in the room. Having found no way out of it, she decided the only way was to win MacAuley’s trust. If she could make him believe she was content here and had no intentions of running away, perhaps he would give her more freedom and that might give her an opening for escape.

  “Good Morning, My Love,” he told her as he stepped inside that morning.

  “Good Morning,” she replied with a soft smile. He looked at her suspiciously.

  “You seem in high spirits this morning,” he told her.

  “I am feeling better. I have come to see that it is not so bad here. I do enjoy the finer things that it has to offer,” she replied.

  “It is good that you do,” he told her. “It is only going to get better. We’ve only two weeks left to our blessed nuptials.”

  “I am looking forward to the day,” she told him.

  “It is very good to hear that. I am glad you are finally coming to your good senses and putting this childhood love of yours behind. I have so much more to offer you in life,” he replied.

  Aileen smiled, trying not to do so without it looking as bitter toward him as she felt. He would never be able to give her the love Thomas had. Instead, she focused on her goal. She wanted to ask to leave the room, but knew he was a shrewd man and would see through her farce immediately if she did. Instead, she left it at that.

  “It will be a good day when we marry,” she said, trying not to choke on the words.

  “It certainly shall. You’ve no idea how good it is that you’ve reached that conclusion. I really do need to begin introducing you around to some people. That was a bit hard to do before, given your rebellious nature,” he said with a laugh.

  “I’ve no rebellion in me now,” she replied.

  “So, it would seem,” he told her. “I will see you a little later in the day.”

  Aileen watched as walked away, locking the door from the outside as was usual. She sighed deeply and hoped her plan worked. It wouldn’t be easy to build up his trust, but she would do all
she could before the wedding day. If that failed, she had already decided she would take her own life. He had barred the windows, she assumed to prevent anyone from entering and most certainly to keep her from exiting, but there were other ways. No matter how horrible it might be for her in the end, it was better than being bedded by the likes of him.

  The days passed with Aileen continuing to tell Lord MacAuley what he wanted to hear. Still, he had not taken the lead and offered her any reprieve from the solitude of her room, where her only company was the servants that were allowed to pass and the books she pulled from the shelf on one side. She was pulling one such book when she came across a small dagger hidden beneath it. Where had it come from? Aileen had to wonder if someone before her had occupied this room, planning to escape or die, as well. If so, who were they and what had happened to them?

  “Miss, I am here to draw your bath,” Hannah told her, entering the room a bit later.

  “Bath? A bit early for a bath isn’t it?”’ Aileen asked.

  “Lord MacAuley said you will be accompanying him to dinner in the dining hall this evening. He has gone out on a hunt, but will be back before the evening meal,” Hannah replied.

  “He is letting me leave the room?” she asked.

  “Yes, just down to the dining hall, but I know you will be glad of it,” Hannah replied.

  “I will. It gets so boring being in the room all the time and I really miss the outdoors. Is there nothing more glorious than the smell of the trees and grass or flowers in a meadow?” Aileen told her.

  She hadn’t quite decided if Hannah was friend or foe. She might just be too scared to help her or she could actually be feeding Lord MacAuley anything that was told to her. On the off chance that it was the latter, Aileen wanted to make sure she shared the things that would be beneficial to getting her out of the castle walls or at least close enough to make her way out.

  “No, I don’t believe that there is,” Hannah told her before making her way toward the large bathtub that stood to one side of the room and filling it with hot water from the two buckets she had brought with her. She made several trips, each time locking the door behind her when she left, much to Aileen’s dismay. Getting out while he was gone would have to be the best time to go.

  After a nice bath, Hannah helped her dress and prepare her hair before painting her face. Looking into the large silver handled mirror she was provided, Aileen scowled. She looked like a court jester, in her opinion. Still, she knew this is how women of stature did things and she would not argue. Thanking Hannah for her help, she returned to her reading while the girl tended to cleaning up around her. Just before dusk, she heard a growl from outside the window and went to look out. There, just beyond the castle walls stood the bear that had become a common sight each night. Looking down upon him, it was if he had come to call to her and once she had shown herself, he returned to the woods.

  “Why do you haunt me, bear?” she said quietly. The sound of the lock turning disrupted her thoughts. Turning, she saw Lord MacAuley entering the room.

  “Don’t you look positively ravishing, my love,” he said, his eyes roaming over her in a way that she found completely unnerving.

  “Thank you, My Lord. I understand we are going to dinner tonight,” she replied sweetly.

  “Yes. I am trusting that you will behave yourself, darling,” he told her.

  “You’ll have no problems from me,” she replied, her mind adding “yet” to the end of the statement silently.

  “Very good, then let’s go, shall we?” he replied.

  Aileen took the arm he offered and left the room with him, acting as if she were exactly where she wanted to be. Dinner was pleasant enough with a large roasted pig and all sorts of decadent delights. As meals go, it was like no other she had enjoyed before. It was unfortunate that the price for such finery in life was to be wed to a repugnant barbarian like Lord MacAuley. With less than a week to go before the wedding, she was running out of time. This could very well be one of her last meals.

  “I enjoyed having dinner with you this evening,” he told her as he returned her to her room.

  “It was a beautiful meal,” she replied, perhaps the only honest thing she could say about it.

  “There will be plenty more of them. Very soon, we will be intertwined for all eternity, my love,” he told her before leaving the room. Aileen was disheartened by the sound of his key locking the door before his footsteps trailed away. He was never going to leave the door unlocked for her to just slip out. She had to work on Hannah. Surely she could appeal to the heart of another woman like herself, make her see that she loved another and needed out of this place.

  When morning fell, Hannah entered her room to assist her with her daily routine. She was building the courage up to broach the subject when Hannah surprised her with an unexpected revelation.

  “Lord MacAuley has decided to take you for a walk outside the castle walls this morning,” Hannah told her.

  “You told him I wanted to go out?” Aileen asked.

  “Of course. I thought he might take pity this once and let you get some fresh air if he knew how forlorn you were in this room all day alone,” Hannah replied.

  “Oh, thank you, Hannah! Thank you!” she cried out, hugging the girl tightly.

  “It is not I that is taking you out, M’lady. Here, let me help you get dressed,” Hannah told her. Aileen puzzled at Hannah’s choice of clothing for her walk just a bit. Very somber shoes to be wearing with a dress, but they were practical, for walking in rough terrain . . . or running. Was Hannah helping her without being obvious about it? Even the undergarments she provided her were not the usual things you would wear beneath a dress. They were the type things you would wear if you planned to shed the dress and perhaps relax alone in the fields . . . or hide in the woods.

  “Thank you, Hannah,” Aileen told her once she was fully dressed. She looked into Hannah’s eyes knowingly and almost shed tears, but then Lord MacAuley was at the door. She quickly pulled away.

  “What is this then?” he asked, noting how close the two women were.

  “What do you mean?” Aileen replied.

  “Are the two of you up to something?” he asked.

  “Yes, getting dressed. Hannah was checking the lacings on my corset. You are lucky that you don’t have to wear so many garments, my future husband,” she smiled at him.

  “I suppose I am. Hannah, please have Aileen’s room cleaned when we return,” he said dismissively, holding out his arm toward his future bride.

  Aileen panicked for a moment. This is it and she didn’t even have a chance to procure the dagger she had meant to slip out with her. She might need it to make her escape. Trying to get it now would only raise suspicion. Well, she would just have to manage the best she could. Putting on her best smile, she accepted his arm and they strolled leisurely through the castle and out through the front yard. The people working there all stopped and tipped their hats or greeted them with smiles that she had no doubt were just as fake as her own.

  As they made their way out toward the meadow, Aileen’s hand fell by her side and she noted that pockets had been sewn into the large skirt of her dress. Not only that, but there was something in it. Her hands curled about the object and she had to stop herself from breathing a huge sigh of relief as she felt the metal blade of the dagger there. Hannah was a friend. It was she who had put the dagger on the shelf and she who had moved it into the pocket of the dress in hopes she would find it if it was needed.

  “This is an absolutely stunning day, I have to say, my love. I am glad that you picked this day for a walk with me,” Lord MacAuley commented.

  “I agree. I think it is a most glorious day!” Aileen replied, keeping her hand on the dagger. She was quietly taking inventory of their surroundings, trying to figure out the best route of escape when the bear she had seen from her window repeatedly suddenly stepped out of the woods and made its way toward them.

  “Stand very still, Aileen,” Lord
MacAuley instructed her.

  Aileen did as he asked, keeping her hand on the pocket of her dress and trying to fish out the dagger without being observed. The bear was unexpected and she now wasn’t sure which was the biggest threat, him or MacAuley, nor if the small weapon would be enough to do any damage to such a large animal. The bear made no effort to charge. It merely stood there and looked at the two of them, then it slowly began to inch forward. As it grew closer, Lord MacAuley suddenly grabbed her and stuck her in front of him between himself and the bear. When the bear began to charge, Lord MacAuley turned and ran, shoving her toward the rampaging beast. Aileen screamed and ran toward the woods with the bear in close pursuit.

  Tripping over a branch, she fell, hitting her knee on a rock that ripped right through the dress and undergarments. She looked around and found that she was deep into the woods and the bear was no longer behind her. Carefully, she got up and made her way further into the woods, before Lord MacAuley managed to retrieve the people he employed to hide the fact that he was a coward and returned to look for her or for her remains. She quickly peeled off the heavy dress, retrieving the dagger from the pocket, and set out further into the woods in the plain men’s clothing Hannah had dressed her in underneath. Once she felt she had gone far enough to put some distance between herself and MacAuley, she stopped to rest on a flat rock.

  Tears fell down her face as she sat dabbing at the blood on her knee. She was free, but still in terrible danger. She had no idea which direction to go, how far behind Lord MacAuley would be or if she would encounter more wild animals out here. Perhaps he would look for her for a while thinking the bear had gotten her and at least leave her village alone. She had to get back there. She had to warn them.

  “Why are you crying?” came a voice from above her.

  She looked up to see his red hair shining like copper as the sun beamed down upon it through the opening in the trees that surrounded them. He wasn’t real. He couldn’t be, not out here in the middle of nowhere.