by Leilani Love
Katrina walked up behind him. When she touched his arm, he smiled down at her. “You’re worried about them?”
Bryan thought about lying but instead nodded. “They don’t usually leave for this long. I’m just hoping that they’re playing in the snow.”
She stood close to him. With Arthur down for his afternoon nap, she had decided to take a bath and had left her hair down. He fought the urge to reach out and run his fingers through it. The light from the window shone off the blond highlights. The more time they spent together, the harder it was for him to keep himself at a distance. Even though she never spoke about her life, he knew she was a highborn lady and not meant for someone like him.
She stood with him at the window, when they heard a carriage coming up the road. “Looks like the merchant was finally able to make it.”
Katrina smiled, her face lighting up. He chuckled as he watched her. “Hopefully he has some cloth or a dress for you and some things for Arthur.”
The smile on Katrina’s face showed her happiness and excitement over the idea of a new dress. Together, they watched the carriage roll up to the house. When the merchant stopped in front of the home, Bryan opened the door to greet him.
The old man’s face lit up when he saw Katrina step out. “Have you finally taken a wife Bryan?”
Bryan shook his head, rubbing the back of his neck, trying to think of what to say in order to keep Katrina’s reputation intact. Before he could reply, Katrina spoke up, “Bryan here was kind enough to give me shelter during the storm.”
The merchant nodded. “It was a bad storm, lass. It was good of him to keep you safe. Plus, there have been lots of attacks on the roads.”
“Do you have any material or dresses that she could use while she’s stuck here? There’s also an infant who needs some clothes as well,” Bryan said as Katrina walked closer to the carriage.
“I believe I have just what she’s looking for.” The merchant opened the back of his carriage and revealed a chest. Bryan watched as he pulled out several different pieces of material and a couple of dresses he had and laid them out before Katrina. “These dresses might be a little big, but with a little adjustment they should fit beautifully.”
As Katrina looked them over, the merchant talked with Bryan, “Have you heard about the attacks on the kingdom? They say Morgana might have killed the King and is now searching for the prince.”
Bryan noticed how Katrina froze when the merchant mentioned Morgana. “Are they sure that the King is dead? What about the Queen?”
The merchant nodded. “They said he was attacked on the way back to the castle after visiting Merlin. The castle has been raided, the Queen is missing, and Morgana is furious that the prince is nowhere to be found. She is searching for all newborn boy babies.”
Katrina had gone still her head tilted toward them. Bryan watched her out of the corner of his eye. “Have you seen anything on the roads?”
“There have been men roaming, looking for something. So far, I’ve been lucky. I’ve seen people with tattoos on their faces; they left me alone.” The merchant frowned as he glanced at Katrina. “You better be careful with that baby. Those men are close.”
Before Katrina could reply, Bryan spoke up, “Katrina has a little girl. We will keep her safe from those men. Who is acting as king now?” Brian asked hoping to distract him.
“The King’s brother has taken over. He says he will find the prince first and raise him to be king,” said the merchant.
Bryan asked a few more questions while Katrina picked out two dresses, material, and some cloth for the baby. While Bryan paid the merchant, Katrina went into the house. After the merchant left, Bryan debated about asking Katrina about Arthur. Is he the prince Morgana was looking for? Had Katrina saved him, or had she kidnapped him? What was he going to do?
When he opened the door, he saw Katrina standing in the middle of the front room. Her hands were clenched in front of herself, as she chewed her bottom lip. Bryan still had not decided what to do. Instead, he picked up the blue material saying, “This will make a nice shirt for Arthur.”
Katrina nodded, “Thank you. As soon as I get home, I’ll pay you back.”
Bryan noticed the small catch in her voice when she said home. He gave her a nod, not overly concerned with her paying him back. He was more concerned with the idea that Arthur might be the prince. And if he was indeed the prince, how did he end up with Katrina? Was she his savior or kidnapper?
He knew the men with tattoos on their faces were the men that had been attacking Katrina. If Morgana’s men were attacking her, had she double-crossed them?
“The men that he said were on the roads, the one’s with the tattoos, do you think they were the one’s attacking you and Arthur?” Bryan asked watching her intently.
Katrina dropped the cloth she was holding. He noticed how she refused to pick up her head and bit her lip as she bent down to retrieve it. Katrina stood back up and put the cloth on the table before finally answering him. “I, umm, didn’t know who those men were, or why they attacked us. One minute everything was fine, and suddenly those men were surrounding us.”
She was a horrible liar. She still refused to meet his eyes. Instead she ran her fingers along the material. Bryan needed to know. “Katrina, did you kidnap the prince? Were you working with Morgana and changed your mind when you were supposed to turn him over?”
Katrina’s head snapped up, her hand going to her chest when he noticed the hurt look on her face. “You think I would work with that woman to kidnap that baby?”
Bryan watched her. “I know he’s not your son, Katrina. You’ve been keeping secrets. I will protect you if you need it, but I need to know from what.”
He watched as she fidgeted. Her fingers were playing with the material as she nervously chewed on her lower lip. Bryan watched as several emotions crossed her face, until finally, she let out a deep breath, her shoulders sagging in defeat.
“I’m one of the Queen’s companions. I came with her when she was brought over to marry the King. We grew up together. When Arthur was born, they put him in my arms and told me to take him to Merlin’s. The King was there with him, waiting. Merlin said he had to help prepare him for what was to come. The King and Merlin told me it was my job to protect Arthur. The King left before we did, and we were attacked on our way back to the castle,” Katrina told him, finally meeting his gaze.
Bryan, was silent, feeling his world getting smaller. He didn’t regret saving her and the baby, but what danger did that put him in? Morgana was ruthless. If she found out that he was hiding the prince, she would attack him without mercy. Is that why his wolves hadn’t come home yet? As he debated about what to do, he watched Katrina study him.
Before he could wrap his mind around what he had just learned, Arthur started crying. Katrina excused herself and left Bryan alone with his thoughts. His head swam, and he took deep breaths, determined to tell her that she should go back home. When he got to the doorway, he stopped in his tracks. The light from the window was shining on them, she held the baby close to her chest, her eyes closed as she whispered, “It’s okay my little prince, I’ll keep you safe. There’s no need to cry.”
The realization that this small woman would be willing to sacrifice herself for this helpless baby meant he couldn’t tell her to leave. “Here, let me try and soothe him,” he said, moving closer.
Katrina met him in the middle of the room, and he could tell by her shaky hands, that she was nervous about what he would do with this new information. Bryan took Arthur into his arms and gently rocked the little guy. As he looked down, he saw Arthur’s green eyes full of tears and his bottom lip quivering.
Bryan held Arthur to his chest making little shh noises as he bounced him gently in his arms; something he had learned to do while Katrina was still unconscious. It didn’t take long for Arthur to calm down. Once he was settled, Bryan motioned for Katrina to follow him out of the room. While settling Arthur on the fur bed on the floor
, he could see Katrina pacing the front room.
“With the castle under attack and the King dead you can’t take Arthur back there,” Bryan pointed out wondering what she was thinking.
“I don’t know what to do. I should take him back to his mother… she must be worried. What if she’s hiding and waiting for me to bring back her son.”
Bryan walked toward her, put his hands on her arms and held her still. He waited for her to look at him. She was scared. He could see it in her eyes, so he reached up and brushed the hair back from her face. “Katrina, we have to keep you both safe. Even if she is safe and hiding, your job is to protect yourself and Arthur.”
Chapter 9
Katrina slowly nodded, understanding the truth in his words. When she nodded in agreement, she expected Bryan to pull away. Instead, she felt his hands caressing her arms in a way she was sure was meant to be reassuring, but instead caused her to shudder with a need to be closer to him.
“I don’t want to put you in danger,” Katrina whispered, realizing that in the short time they’d been together, she had already started to care for him.
Bryan smiled at her and dipped his head to brush his lips against hers, causing her to gasp in surprise. His eyes twinkled, and he did it again. This time, she felt his lips curve in a smile. “Let Morgana try to take you and the lad from me.”
Despite being scared, she couldn’t help but smile at him. Tempted to give in to the urge to kiss him, she leaned forward, only to stop when Arthur started making noises on the blanket. Before she could walk away, Bryan kissed her one time, quick and hard, before releasing her.
Without a word, he walked out the front door, leaving her alone with Arthur and her thoughts. Katrina felt her cheeks heat up and knew she was blushing as she walked over to Arthur and sat with him on the floor. When he smiled, laughing up at her, she giggled, feeling younger than she had in years.
“I think we’ll be okay,” she said, as she picked Arthur up to put him on her lap.
He had grown so much. He was already trying to hold his head up, and she bet that, soon, he would be rolling over. “You know your mother loves you so much. She was so excited when she told me she was expecting you. She knew you were going to be a boy.”
Arthur gurgled up at her, and she smiled. She felt a wave of sadness thinking about her friend. Yes, she was her Queen, but before that, they were friends. Just two little girls who played tag outside and would often sneak out and hide from their tutor together. They often talked about their dreams, about one day being married and having children.
Becoming a Queen’s companion had put her dreams of being a wife and mother on hold. She didn’t regret her choice, but now she had nowhere to go. Could she stay here with Bryan? Did he want her to? If not, could he help her get home to her family with the baby?
There were so many unanswered questions. After a few minutes of playing with Arthur on the floor, she heard the door open and looked up to see Bryan. “I’m starting to worry about the wolves. I am going to go out for a bit and see if I can find them in one of their usual hunting spots. There are a few that are close to the house.”
Katrina nodded, biting her lip, and watched as he walked over to her. He bent down and patted Arthur on the head, then surprised her by brushing his finger across her cheek. “Stay inside while I am gone. I won’t be long, I promise.”
She nodded. This wasn’t the first time he had left her alone. Normally, one of the wolves stayed with her. Since she had been awake, this was the longest they had been gone. Arthur loved the wolves, and despite her misgivings, they seemed to be gentle with him. She had often found the female lying on the floor with him. Snow, the alpha of the pack from what she could tell, never got near Arthur but instead was often watching from afar.
As the day dragged on Katrina did her best to clean up the house. She wasn’t used to cleaning, and her hands hurt from the scrubbing. She never thought of herself as spoiled or even thought about what the housemaids must go through. Her back ached after scrubbing the floor. She didn’t even get done with more than half of it before she stopped to sit on the chair. As Katrina stretched her back, she looked out the window and realized how far the sun had gone down.
Katrina did know how to cook a few things, so she put together what she needed for the stew. As she hummed to herself, she tried to think about anything other than the fact that Bryan had been gone for so long. Once that was done, she heard Arthur begin to fuss and knew it was about time for him to be changed and fed.
After taking care of Arthur, she checked the food. It had been a long time since she had cooked, and she felt proud of herself that it smelled edible. After lighting a few more candles, she spread the new fabric out on the floor next to Arthur. “You’re growing too big. We need to make you something new to wear.”
Arthur smiled and grabbed at his feet. Katrina couldn’t help but grin as she watched him. Bryan had bought her everything she would need, including thread and needles. She used the pins to mark the fabric and went to work.
Katrina lost herself in creating an outfit and chatting with him and occasionally making sure to get up to stir the stew. When her stomach started to rumble, she found herself debating if she should just go ahead and eat.
Before she could make up her mind, the door flew open, and in walked Bryan. She smiled, jumping up from the floor to go to him. Katrina threw her arms around his neck holding him tight, blushing when she heard his soft grunt.
She started to pull away after she realized what she had done and felt him wrap his arms around her. She gave in to the urge to hold him a few minutes longer before stepping back. Her cheeks felt hot, and she knew she was blushing.
“Did you find them?” she asked, knowing when he left he was really worried about his wolves.
Bryan shook his head. “I saw hints of them but didn’t actually find them,” Bryan said, pausing. She watched as his hand came up and pushed a piece of stray hair back behind her ear.
“Sorry I worried you lass. I didn’t mean to be gone so long.”
Katrina nodded grasping her hands in front of herself before rocking on her heels. “I’ve made stew for when you returned.”
“You made supper?” Bryan asked.
Katrina smiled at the note of surprise in his voice. She nodded, “It’s one of the few things I know how to make. My mother decided that I should know something for those times when we were traveling.”
Bryan, she noticed, looked with interest toward the pot that was hanging over the fire. “I need to clean up and will tell you what I saw as we enjoy your delicious meal.”
His simple words of praise made her smile. She watched Bryan go over and greet Arthur who smiled and cooed at the big man pouting a bit when he left. Katrina took the time to make two bowls of stew. Bryan had baked bread two days ago and she placed it on the wooden table along with two cups of cider.
Once Arthur was settled closer to the table, she saw Bryan come out of the room. Both sat at the table. She watched him as he tentatively took his first bite. She hid a smile as she noticed how he hesitated first. His eyes widened, and she watched as he nodded. “This is good.”
Katrina beamed, feeling a sense of pride at something so silly. Women cooked for men all the time. She hadn’t, but others did. Katrina took a bite of her own food and was happy to taste that it had turned out well and wasn’t only edible but rather good if she did say so herself.
“You said you saw hints of them?” Katrina asked after they both took a few more bites of their food.
“There’s a trail several miles from here. It looks like they are tracking a group of men.”
She frowned. “Do they normally track men?”
Bryan shook his head. “No. But I’ve never seen a group this big before. The only other time they have ever tracked men was when they were…”
Bryan’s voice trailed off and she nodded realizing that he was talking about the time they had saved her. “Do you think they’re tracking Morgana’s men
?”
After a long pause, he nodded. He watched her as he took another bite. Katrina thought about what he’d just said. Not only was her home under attack, but her Queen was missing. Her family was so far away, she realized she was now completely on her own. When Arthur made a noise demanding her attention she bent down to pick him up thinking she also had a baby to keep safe while Morgana’s men hunted him.
Lost in thought she jumped when she felt Bryan take her hand and squeeze it gently. “Lass, I see your mind spinning. I promise to keep you both safe.”
She nodded and realized, somehow, he would. Bryan was strong enough for her to lean on. She gave him a smile and heard Arthur gurgle his happy noise. The two of them finished eating and Katrina couldn’t help but give him the occasional glance out of the corner of her eye.
When they’d both finished eating Katrina got up to lay Arthur down so she could clean up the pot she’d used when Bryan stopped her. “I’ll take care of that while you put him to bed.”
There was something in the way he looked at her that made her shudder. She nodded, her body responding to the hungry way he watched her. Taking care of Arthur, she sat on the bed and rocked him gently, humming softly. When Arthur finally fell asleep in her arms, she got up and gently put him in his bed covering him with the fur.
Katrina quietly walked to the front room and saw Bryan staring out the window as he sat on the chair. She smiled, his concern for the wolves made him even more endearing. She stepped up behind him and put her hand on his shoulder. “I’m sure they are fine.”
He nuzzled her hand with his cheek before Skissing it gently. When his eyes met hers, she whispered, “I was scared something might have happened to you while you were out.”
Bryan didn’t say anything, instead he grabbed her hand and moved to pull her onto his lap. When he looked deep into her eyes, she felt vulnerable. “There was no way I wasn’t coming home to you and Arthur.”
