Once Upon a Romance 03 - With True Love's Kiss

by Jessica Woodard

  “With the king’s best hunters and trackers looking for the man that had betrayed him?” Bianca was skeptical, but Robin just smirked at her.

  “There is no man alive that can hunt me in the woods. I would never be found, were I not burdened with two hinds.” He stood abruptly and strode off into the blackness that ringed their fireside. His voice came floating back. “Finish your stew. Then get some sleep. I will wake you when the moon rises.”

  Bianca stared into the shadows where he’d disappeared. She heard his words echoing in her head. I am only in danger so long as I stand between you and the king. What was to stop him from vanishing in the night and leaving them to be found by the king’s trackers? After all, he had never planned on helping Isabelle escape. What if he decided it wasn’t worth the risk? What bond kept him at their side, when he so clearly resented his task?

  When she turned back to the fire, Bianca saw that Isabelle’s eyes were open. “He’ll be back, Bianca. Don’t worry.”

  “How can you be so sure?”

  For answer, she got nothing but silence. Isabelle had drifted off again. Bianca went to check her friend, and for a time, forgot her worry over her mysterious protector.

  In the cool air of the spring night, Isabelle’s face had started to burn.

  Chapter 7

  Robin looked down at the women sleeping huddled next to the fire, and the doubts and worry he did not allow himself to speak raced around in his mind. They were moving at a snail’s pace through the old forest. True, they had a lead on the trackers, and true, anyone hunting them would also be moving cautiously, but their pursuers would still gain. Robin had kept the pace as fast as he dared, but they needed to go faster. And Isabelle simply couldn’t; she was too weak. He could smell the illness invading her body through the evil wounds on her back.

  He knelt down next to the ailing woman. Earlier he had told Bianca that they were both hinds, but it wasn’t true. He knew the valor of this queen, knew what she had done and what she had risked. He respected her heart, and wished that he could bring her safely home to her husband and daughter. The depth of his feelings actually surprised him. He had spent the moonless hours pacing in the dark around their camp, considering their options, trying to find a way to save them all. He hadn’t thought of a way, but the hunters were still a day behind them. He wasn’t giving up yet.

  Bianca stirred across the fire. She lifted her head and gazed up at Robin in silence, before lowering her eyes to contemplate Isabelle. A crease of worry appeared on her forehead. She, too, knew that the queen was sickening.

  “Is it time to go?”

  Robin nodded, and Bianca rose from her blanket, rolling it up and tying it neatly. While he saddled the three horses, she repacked what supplies they had used in the night and fastened them securely behind the saddles. Then she went to Isabelle’s side.

  “She’s so tired. I wish we didn’t have to wake her.”

  “As do I.”

  She looked up at him in surprise. Robin gave a rueful shrug. “I do not say she can sleep longer. Merely that I wish this were not necessary.”

  A hint of a smile graced her mouth, but quickly fled. “I don’t know how she’ll keep in her saddle. Could I ride with her?”

  Robin considered the suggestion. “Very well. When we stop to rest you can change mounts. We might even move faster, with you to steady her.” Bianca’s face glowed in gratitude, like a small moon shining up at him, and Robin had to smile. “You need not look so thankful. It will be hard on you, carrying her in the saddle.”

  “I’m grateful anyway.” She smiled back at him, and he felt a surge of real camaraderie for the girl. Then she bent her head and called to Isabelle, and Robin turned away to lead over their first mount.

  Isabelle stumbled to her feet, hugging her arms tightly around herself. The night wasn’t that cold, but she shook with chills. Bianca spoke reassuringly, as she gathered up the blanket the queen had slept on.

  “You and I are riding together from now on, Isabelle.”

  “We won’t be able to move fast,” the queen objected between chattering teeth.

  “We could not move quickly anyway.” Robin said. “The moonlight is not bright enough, and we cannot risk the horses. Climb up, and let Bianca help you.”

  Isabelle took a deep, quivering breath, and then let it out and nodded slowly. Robin cupped his hands to let her step up into the saddle, and stayed at their side to help arrange the blankets. Isabelle’s eyes drooped already, she would be dozing before they’d left the campsite behind. Robin looked up at Bianca, wondering how the girl would do on the night ride. She gazed down at him, a calm serenity on her face.

  “Whenever you’re ready, Master Goodfellow.”

  They picked their way carefully through the moon-dappled spring undergrowth. Even under the circumstances, Robin couldn’t help but notice the beauty of the night. It called out to him with the sweet voice of new life, bursting free of every hollow in the forest. From beneath the horses’ hooves rose the scent of crushed moss, while from above drifted the smell of budding leaves still furled tightly in upon themselves. It was a perfect night, one he might normally spend running on foot through the hidden paths of the forest. If only—and here he glanced over his shoulder, reminded of his charges—he were not saddled with these two women.

  Isabelle was asleep. Her head lolled against Bianca’s shoulder, and Robin could see the fever’s flush climbing her cheeks, even in the semi-darkness. Robin turned his attention to Bianca. The girl had dropped the reins, trusting her horse to follow his own, and was using both arms to cradle Isabelle gently. It couldn’t have been easy, maintaining her own balance with the added burden of the blanket-wrapped queen, but she seemed unconcerned. Her eyes took in the forest around her, lingering on the silver-lined branches that hung in the night like wrought metal sculptures. He didn’t realize she’d noticed his regard, until she spoke.

  “It’s beautiful.”

  “I agree.”

  “I could enjoy this, if it weren’t for Isabelle being so sick.” She caught his wry smile, and cocked her head. “Why is that funny?”

  “I was merely thinking something similar, only moments ago. Of how I would enjoy this night, were I not tasked with taking you to safety.”

  “I’m sorry.” She said it with true remorse, and Robin rolled his eyes.

  “Why do you do that?”

  “Do what?”

  “Offer your apologies. You did not give me this task, nor did I accept it for your sake. You are in no way responsible; why should you be sorry?”

  “I suppose I feel guilty that I’m such an unwanted burden.”

  He ground his teeth in frustration at her answer. “Again, why do you say such things? Perhaps you are an unwanted burden, but do you not value yourself?” He thought a minute. “What would your cousin, Vivienne, say, if I said such a thing to her?”

  Bianca smiled. “I imagine she would say that you were lucky to have the chance to bask in her presence, however it came about, and that you should stop sniveling.”

  “Precisely. Your cousin is sure of her own worth.” He hesitated, and clarified. “Perhaps a bit too sure. Nevertheless, you could take lessons from her.”

  “Maybe I’ll ask her to teach me, when we get to Albion.”

  Robin tossed a glance over his shoulder. He couldn’t tell if she was teasing.

  She blinked at him innocently.

  He still couldn’t tell.

  Perhaps it was time to change the subject.

  “The sun will be rising soon. Once it is up we will need to pick up the pace.”

  “I’ll be ready.”

  He turned around, facing forward in his saddle. Behind him, Bianca returned to her contemplation of the silent, pre-dawn forest.

  And Robin wondered just when the trackers would be on their heels.

  Chapter 8

  The air was still chilly by mid-morning, but Bianca could hardly feel it. Isabelle was a warm, limp bundle in her
arms, and in the morning light a sheen of sweat coated her pale face. She had barely stirred since first falling asleep, despite the jostling that came with their increased pace, and Bianca was seriously concerned. The queen must be sicker than she thought, to sleep through the ride like this, but for the moment all Bianca could do was worry and hang on.

  Her arms were locked tightly around Isabelle, and they ached from the strain of holding onto her friend. Her thighs, too, were fatigued and cramping from the effort of keeping them both in the saddle. She tried to ignore the burn in her limbs, and for a while she succeeded. The forest was beautiful, with the spring growth peeking out from beneath last autumn’s fallen leaf blanket, and the sounds of the birds, newly returned from their winter homes, twittering among the branches. She forgot the complaints from her muscles as she took in the world around her. Eventually, though, even such distractions ceased to help her. Her arms were trembling with exhaustion, and pain ran down her legs with every slight shift in her palfrey’s gait.

  She knew she couldn’t ask Robin to stop. He had made it plain that they had to keep moving. And Isabelle could hardly ride alone, not in the state she was in. There was nothing for Bianca to do but bite her tongue and hope that they would stop soon. She began to play a waiting game with herself. If they made it to the next copse of trees, then Robin would call for a halt. If they made it beyond the copse, past the little stream, then Robin would call for a halt. If they made it up the mossy slope, the one that rose above the rivulet, then Robin would call for a—

  “We should stop for a moment.”

  Bianca was so shocked when he spoke she actually rode a few paces beyond him before she fumbled one hand free of Isabelle’s blankets and yanked on the reins. Robin slid from his saddle and lifted Isabelle down, laying her down on the root bed of a giant oak tree. Then he turned back to Bianca and raised an eyebrow.

  “Are you not going to get down?”

  Bianca was holding back tears. The sudden removal of her burden had sent blood rushing into her arms and legs, and they were screaming in protest at the punishment she had put them through. She clutched her quivering arms against her chest, trying to soothe some of the shooting pains that ran from her shoulders to her wrists, and answered him.

  “I think I may need your help.”

  Robin frowned and came to stand at her stirrup. His eyes rested on her arms, still shaking despite her efforts to calm them.

  “Why did you not say something, earlier?”

  “What could you have done? We needed to ride, and Isabelle couldn’t manage on her own.”

  He let out a great gust of air as he pulled the last blanket, left behind from Isabelle’s bundle, off of her lap and tossed it to one side. “If you cripple yourself you will no longer be able to help Isabelle.”

  “I am not crippled.” Bianca felt a surge of irritation, a rare thing for her. “I have a balm that will set me right in no time. All I need is to put it on and walk around a bit. So if you wouldn’t mind,” she said with careful courtesy, “could you please help me off this horse?” Bianca was surprised at herself. Normally nothing roused her temper. She was even more surprised at Robin. Instead of getting annoyed in return, he looked up at her, almost grinning.

  “I would be delighted.”

  He moved fast, his hands closing over her waist and pulling her down from the saddle. She was caught off guard and let out a startled squawk as she practically fell into his arms, her legs hopelessly tangled in her skirts. The unfamiliar vexation blossomed into full blown anger, and she glared up at the hunstman, planting her feet firmly on the ground.

  “Are you trying to kill me?”

  “I am trying to save your life, Bianca, as you well know.” The infuriating smile stayed on his face. “But I would not mind provoking you more. You are far more interesting this way.” She gaped at him, as he cocked his head and raised one eyebrow. “Where did that fire come from? I did not know you had any spirit at all.”

  His eyes searched hers, perhaps looking for the hidden source of her fire, and Bianca suddenly became horribly aware of how intimately they stood. She felt a blush rising on her cheeks, and tried to calm herself. She did not like this man. He was rude, and uncaring, and he was only helping her under duress.

  He did have incredibly blue eyes, though.

  Her horse snorted, and shook all over in a vain attempt to remove her saddle. Bianca wrenched her divided skirt into some semblance of order, and pulled herself free of Robin’s arms.

  “Let me get my pack, and then I’ll see to her.” She grabbed her satchel, intending to drop it by Isabelle before caring for her horse, but, again, Robin surprised her.

  “See to Isabelle.” He closed his fingers over hers, preventing her from dropping the bag of medicines. “I can tend the horses well enough on my own.”

  She stood motionless, trying once more to fight the color in her cheeks. What was the matter with her? Robin smiled and took his hand away, leading her horse over to the other two, to begin the process of stripping all three of their saddles. Bianca shook her head once sharply, and then made her way over to Isabelle.

  The queen’s eyes were open, and though they glittered with an unhealthy light, Bianca was relieved to see that Isabelle was at least awake. She dropped to her knees and began loosening the blankets around her friend, determined to change Isabelle’s bandages while she had the chance.

  “Your cheeks are flushed.” The queen spoke in barely a whisper, but Bianca heard her. “I thought I was the fevered one.”

  “You are.” Bianca felt Isabelle’s forehead and neck, trying to gauge how warm she really was. “I am merely irritated by our escort.”

  “You were irritated?” Isabelle’s voice was getting stronger as she teased Bianca. “Funny, you didn’t look irritated.” Bianca was glad of the teasing, for it meant her friend wasn’t as weak as she’d feared, but she desperately hoped Robin wasn’t listening to them. She shot a wary glance towards the horses, and saw them all contentedly eating from their feed bags, and Robin nowhere in sight.

  “Well, I was. I still am. He’s extremely exasperating.” Bianca pulled on the sleeves of Isabelle’s riding jacket, working the garment off her shoulders.

  “I’ve always found him to be quite a charming young man.” Isabelle winced at the jostling, but managed a weak grin anyway as the jacket came free. “Perhaps you bring out the worst in him.”

  “Then perhaps you should deal with him from now on, and I can focus on my troublesome patient.” Bianca gave her friend a mock glare, and then a sincere smile, before furrowing her brow. “Sit as still as you can, Isabelle. I have to take the bandages off, and I’m afraid it’s going to hurt.” She began unwinding the strips of fabric, trying to be careful, trying not to hurt her friend, and, most of all, trying not to wonder where Robin had gone.

  ***

  Robin slipped silently through the trees, his mind on the events of the morning, not on his destination. He’d been surprised at Bianca’s silent stoicism through the long hours that she’d ridden with Isabelle. Though he hadn’t known the extent to which it had been straining her, he’d known it would be hard, and had expected— He didn’t rightly know. More complaining, perhaps. More pleas to stop, certainly. Instead she had ridden at the pace he set while the sun rose higher in the sky, never mentioning her discomfort.

  More surprising, though, had been that spark of anger he’d seen. She was always so compliant, so calm in the face of the demands placed on her, he’d never before seen her take the slightest umbrage. For a moment, he grinned at the trees around him. He must truly bother her in order to bring out such a reaction.

  He had to admit, it was appealing. Not the anger, exactly, but the fire. The warmth it brought to her cheeks, the sparkle in her eye. It brought her to life, in a way he’d never seen before. He hadn’t known that side of her existed.

  With his mind thus occupied, his feet carried him further away from the two women, to the pool he could feel out in the forest.
It wasn’t large, but it was calm, natural water, and that was good enough for his purposes. Crouching at the muddy edge he leaned over the smooth surface and called to his grandmother.

  “Merriweather…”

  His face, reflected back at him, wavered for a moment, and then the ripples cleared and another face looked up at him. Dame Fae Merriweather looked more worn than she usually did. Oh, her hair was swept up in its elaborate coiffure, and her face was perfectly powdered, but her eyes looked tired and worried.

  “I’ve been waiting for you, Robin. What took so long?”

  Well, at least her voice was as acerbic as ever.

  “Oddly enough, Grandmother, it is not as easy as you might think to make an escape and keep in constant contact with you.”

  “Don’t be fresh, boy. It isn’t the time.”

  “But if I failed to be fresh, you might worry that something was wrong.”

  “Something is wrong, Robin.” Her voice was almost gentle, and that, in and of itself was troublesome. “Brannon sent his guard after you last night.”

  “So soon? Why?”

  “I don’t know. He still doesn’t know Isabelle is gone, but maybe he suspected something else. I think it more likely that he thought to betray you, as well, and have the guard kill you once you had killed Bianca. It doesn’t matter, though. What matters is that you only had half a day’s lead on them. And I say had, because—”

  “Because they’re traveling faster than we are. Stars above!” Robin swore, “how long do I have before they catch us?”

  “Hours, maybe. Maybe not that long. You need to ride faster.”

  “I cannot.” He ground his teeth in frustration. “Isabelle is injured, and fevered. We’ve only been traveling this fast because Bianca has been carrying her in the saddle.” He thought furiously. “There is an entrance to the mists near here, what if I take them both—”

  “You can’t.” The Dame spoke flatly. “They’re human, Robin. Without even a drop of Fae blood. They’d go mad, or worse. You can’t take them through the mists. You’re just going to have to think of another way.”