by Fiona Faris
I daenae think she has seen me in me full glory before. Surely she would swoon like every other woman when she sees my expertise at the matches.
I remember her name, and she isnae even noble-born.
By the time Osgar finished quoting all of his prideful words, Uielam's face was warm. He realized that he was an arrogant brat. He had never been more humbled.
"Are ye finished?" he asked when Osgar finally quieted down.
"Aye, quite," Osgar chuckled. "I daenae think I missed anythin'."
He sighed, Osgar was brutal in his mockery.
"I ken that it is funny, especially since I have been such a dobber, but now I am troubled," Uielam said. "I think I have really fallen for her. I am fascinated by every breath she draws. I have been tryin' to stay away from her in an attempt to keep these strange feelin's at bay, and then I ended up kissin' her, and now I can never go back."
Osgar finally sobered up, listening to him seriously and no longer laughing.
"We are nae teenagers anymore… I have wasted so much time already. Lilia is already at the age where young women get married. I think about her meeting another man once this plan is over, marrying him and having his children. The thought bothers me to no end… I hate it. I daenae want her with another man,” he admitted.
"The thing is, I am also of marriageable age, and I am The Younger. What if me faither has plans to betroth me for a political marriage? Could I say nay in favor of tryin' to pursue these feelin's I have for Lilia? I daenae want her with someone else, but can I offer her a life with me instead?" he asked, baring the questions he had not even dared to ask himself.
"Uielam…" Osgar began. "I daenae think that yer faither will ever dae somethin' as unromantic as arrangin' a marriage for ye because of politics. First of all our clan is strong and there is nae anythin' we want badly enough that we would be willin' to give our Younger out in marriage. Second, yer faither is too much of a believer in love! This is the Laird we are speakin' of. The Laird, who fell in love once and swore off romance after he lost it, not even caring about the political aspect of his need for another wife."
“Faither indeed believes in love, but still. Me Maither was the daughter of a Laird herself. Will he accept Lilia, who is nae noble-born, and even worked at the castle as a maid before now?” Uielam asked, not convinced. Osgar let out a huff.
“Trust me, Uielam, yer faither will nae have a problem with it, if only because ye chose Lilia. Yer faither hasnae hesitated before now to give ye anythin’ ye wanted if ye only so much as breathed it to his hearin’. I am certain that he will allow ye to have yer love if ye so wished it.” Noting Uielam’s continued doubt, Osgar spoke again.
“That is if ye so wish it… Ye are still nae sure, are ye? If ye wish to spend yer life with Lilia. Or is it that ye are nae sure if yer feelin’s are strong enough,” Osgar said, accurately hitting the nail right on the head of Uielam’s doubt.
“I ken that I want her, and I ken that I daenae want her with anyone else, but I daenae ken if me feelin’s are true or if they are nae just fleetin’ emotions. I daenae want to start somethin’ that I cannae finish. Lilia still has the option of love with someone who would cherish her without any doubt right now. Someone more deservin’ than I am who would give her a beautiful family. If I am selfish now, and I go after her while I am still nae sure, I could ruin that beautiful future,” Uielam admitted, the words depressing as he said them.
He felt Osgar put a comforting hand on his shoulder. “Ye truly have changed me friend. Ye think that ye are selfish, but the fact that ye are unsure and have stopped to consider if ye are deservin’ of her or nae, only proves that ye are truly in love. If ye were selfish, ye would go after her anyway without considering whether or nae it is selfish,” his friend advised.
He could not help but see the truth in Osgar’s words. If it were before, he would never have been considering if he was deserving of Lilia and instead been pompous, declaring that it was Lilia who was not even noble-born who should be worried if she was worthy of him. He truly had changed. Lilia was changing him.
Chapter Fifteen
Lilia walked through the woods absently as she returned home that evening, her mind still occupied by the conversation she had with Flora. While they discussed the troubling news of the assassin after Uielam, Lilia had accidentally let it slip that he had kissed her.
Flora had been shocked out of her panic, creating an awkward silence followed by a complete turn of her friend's mood. One moment she had been worried for Uielam, and the next, she had been shaking her feet and threatening to clobber him after she examined Lilia and saw the mark on Lilia's neck.
"I am here worried about that sleazy dobber, and he is busy breakin' his promise to me and messin' with ye! I hope he slapped his teeth out of his head," Flora had raged.
It had taken several minutes before Lilia was able to calm her down and explain how it had happened and when it had happened. Flora had been quiet when Lilia explained that he had seemed just as surprised as her and had awkwardly gone to bed, remaining awkward with her still.
"He didnae make any stupid remarks? Nay teasin' of any kind?" Flora asked, surprised that he had been avoiding her as much as she had been avoiding him.
Flora's shock gave her hope that the kiss had affected Uielam as much as it had her. It was a lot to dream, considering Uielam's womanizing ways. The chances that a simple kiss had affected him was meager.
She could not help hoping; however, she did not want to be just another whirlwind romance to Uielam. Unlike most of the other women like her who lusted after him, it was not just lust. Her heart was in it and always had been.
The hair on the back of her neck bristled, and Lilia looked back instinctively. She did not find anyone there, but that only made her warier. Someone was watching her, she could not place it, but she was certainly not alone.
She had almost reached her cottage so she could probably make a run for it, but would that not mean that the one stalking after her would follow her home? Her paranoia spiked as she remembered the fact that there was an assassin on the loose. Uielam was in the cottage… she could not take the danger to him if it genuinely was the assassin.
"I ken that ye are there! Show yerself! Why are ye followin' me?" Lilia shouted, her eyes darting around as she tried to find her stalker. A figure stepped out of the bushes, drawing her attention immediately. It was a man with his hands held up as though in surrender.
Upon closer inspection, she realized that she knew him. He was the man she had met in the market. He was dressed a lot better, and the bags under his eyes were gone, but with the way she was instantly uneasy at the sight of him, she realized that she would rather take her chances with the assassin. Something about the man just screamed danger.
Before, she had convinced herself that she had been uneasy around him because of how unkempt he had been while he approached her, but now he was dressed rather nicely, and yet she was even more anxious than before.
"I am sorry, I didnae mean to startle ye," he said the smile on his face seeming sinister as he approached her, finally putting his hands down.
"Why were ye followin' me?" Lilia asked defensively, not letting her guard down.
"Ah, I just happened to see ye walkin' past the market, and I thought I'd say hello,” he said smoothly. "We didnae meet when I was at me best last time, ye see, I draw the carriage for a noble from the capital. We rode all the way just to see the tournament ye ken, and I hadnae slept for most of the journey, so I apologize if I had looked frightenin'."
Lilia was not convinced even as he laughed in a friendly manner. She saw right through his attempt to change the subject.
"I am sorry, but that doesnae explain while ye were hidin' in the bushes and followin' me,” she said hotly.
She caught a dangerous glint in his eyes before he masked it with a smile.
"Oh, but ye see, I wasnae sure if ye were the same maiden I had met. Ye ken, I liked ye when I saw ye and I hoped to see y
e again ye seemed like quite the upstandin' young maiden, homely and quiet too.” He stepped closer as he spoke, making her more scared. "But ye look very different from the lass I met right now. First, ye are wearin' such… distastefully flamboyant clothes, almost as though ye were noble. I ken that ye are nae a noble, however, nobles daenae shop in the commoner's market… I was confused and looked even closer, and that was when I found the second thing."
She was quaking with fear at this point as he gripped her jaw, moving her head to the side.
"This taint against yer perfect skin… it is faint, but I noticed it because I had planned to put a few there meself. Ye are nae as innocent or upstandin' as ye look are ye?" he said.
Lilia's eyes widened in terror. She had been afraid of running into the assassin, but instead, had run into a different kind of predator. The type that liked to take women against their will. It often happened in the streets of England. To girls just like her, who were unfortunate to not have a mother lying protectively over her.
Her mother had been a big woman, so most of the men were too lazy to go after them when there was weaker prey on the streets. It was one of the reasons her mother had desperately accepted the job offer that offered them housing, not caring how she was treated there. She had known that it was only a matter of time that the men stopped being lazy and began to target them.
She had let her guard down. It had been years since she had known this terror, so she had forgotten in the safety of the clan owning her home and having her work at the castle. She was always indoors at nights when it might have gotten dangerous, and in all her security, she had forgotten that all a predator needed was to be alone with her in a quiet enclosed space, just like the woods.
She could tell that he was strong with the way his fingers holding her jaw, but she still fought anyway. She brought her knee up swiftly, jamming it between his legs. He grunted, and his fingers against her face loosened. Taking her chance, she dashed past him, hoping to run back to the market where people would be able to help her.
Unfortunately, she did not get very far, and she came to a crashing halt as he grabbed her hair from behind and flung her to the ground back where she started, blocking her path to escape with his body.
"Oh… I am going to enjoy this…" He said, a cruel smirk on his face and his eyes glinting with malice.
Tears sprung into her eyes, and she was desperately trying to get back to her feet when a cloaked figure jumped out of the bushes and attacked her assailant. It was when she saw Osgar run out as well that she realized that the figure had been Uielam.
The feeling of his fist smashing into the face of Lilia’s assailant was not enough for Uielam, and he wrapped his hands around his neck instead. He was furious, and blood rushed through his head, pounding between his ears.
He had been walking with Osgar after the talk they’d had and was returning to Lilia’s cottage when he had spotted Lilia. He’d just been about to call out to her when Osgar grabbed him and held him down, Lilia was not alone. He had watched in confusion and jealous rage as the man talked to her, only noticing that something was wrong when the man grabbed her face harshly.
The next thing he knew, his body moved, catapulting him towards her assailant and intercepting the man just after he had thrown Lilia to the ground. He choked him now, glaring into the face of the monster who had dared to touch Lilia.
How dare ye put yer filthy hands on me woman?!
The man looked surprised as he stared at Uielam with wide eyes, but he recovered in a flash, bringing his legs up under him swiftly and kicking Uielam off before he could do any serious damage to his windpipe. Uielam was in the air for a second before crashing back to the ground, but he rolled back to his feet quickly and was just about to attack again when Osgar appeared in front of him and tackled him to the ground.
“Stop it, Uielam! Stop it!” Osgar whispered fiercely in his ear while the assailant turned swiftly and took off running.
“What is wrong with ye?! Ye are lettin’ him escape ye dobber, ye’re lettin’ that bastard escape,” Uielam thundered, struggling against the restraint of his friend’s hold.
“Yer hood Uielam, yer hood came off! Ye are supposed to be in hidin’, ye cannae be so careless and allow yerself to be discovered,” Osgar scolded, making him to finally calm down. His friend got off him first and glared down the path the assailant had escaped through.
“He cannae get far. I will make sure that he has naywhere to hide. Me soldiers will find him. Ye, on the other hand, should be less concerned about chasin’ the bastard down and more concerned about Lilia,” Osgar said.
It was then that Uielam glanced over at Lilia and saw that she was sitting on the ground in the same spot she had been when he arrived with a dazed look on her face while tears streamed down her cheeks.
“Lilia!” he gasped, getting to his feet and rushing over to her, wrapping one arm around her shoulders and helping her to her feet.
“It is alright, ye are fine. We wouldnae let anyone hurt ye,” he said in comfort. Osgar gave him a look with his lips pressed together.
“Both of ye should get back to the cottage, I will go now and have the soldiers begin the search for him,” he said. Uielam gave him a grateful nod and turned, ushering Lilia towards the cottage while Osgar turned and headed for his waiting carriage.
“I’m fine. I can walk,” Lilia said softly as they walked, and Uielam jumped away from her, realizing that he had been holding her as one would hold an old lady while helping her up the stairs. He wondered if he should apologize, but she did not sound upset, it was more like she was just telling him.
Feeling awkward and not knowing how to comfort her at that moment, he simply walked behind her, running his hand through his hair in frustration. She hugged herself as she walked, making it clear to him that she still felt unsafe as she took quick steps to the cottage.
Once inside, she disappeared into her room, leaving him by the door and not even taking off her shoes. He blinked, worried. Lilia always took off her shoes by the door. He had subconsciously learned to do it as well when he watched her sweep after him and Osgar every time they stepped into her home with shoes on.
He took off his own shoes and dusted them off outside before putting them by the door and going to take her broom. He had never used a broom before in his life, but he went to sweep the dirt from the door of her room, back out the front door. He was sure he didn’t do it properly, but it was okay since he followed the path of her footsteps and swept up all the sand.
It was rather stupid, but he felt like he was helping in some way since he felt so useless, not knowing how to comfort her. He swept all the way outside and then dusted the broom by hitting it against the wall as he saw her sometimes do. Satisfied, he shut the front door and locked it, returning the broom where he found it.
Not knowing what else to do to himself, he went over to his blankets on the ground and sat. He still couldn’t believe the events that had just occurred. Mere moments ago, he’d been confessing his feelings as well as his insecurities to Osgar, and then the moment he saw her in danger, he claimed her as his woman and called her his own. He slapped his hand to his forehead.
Ye are such a hopeless dobber Uielam…
He was still judging himself when the sound of Lilia’s door opening made him freeze, and he heard the soft sounds of her bare feet approaching. He took his hand from his head and looked up. She had changed into her loose nightdress, and her hair, which was usually in a ponytail, was free and falling down the sides of her face. She had a large jar of ale in her hands, and her cheeks were flushed.
“Will ye drink with me? I… I daenae really want to be alone,” she confessed. Uielam felt his cheeks warm as well, watching her stand there bashful and uncertain. He got to his feet quickly, taking the jar from her and putting it on the floor.
“Aye, I will drink with ye,” he said, cringing as his voice came out more eager than he had intended. He only wanted to make her forget about the assaila
nt. She gave him a weak smile and went to get her mugs for them to drink with. He lit the fire pit in the meantime, before sitting back down and rearranging the blankets to occupy them both.
“Ye swept…” She said as she returned, holding the cups. She looked rather surprised. Uielam found himself flushed again.
“Aye, I did… I noticed that ye wore yer shoes in and ye usually daenae like for dirt to be inside so… I just wanted to help,” he said.
Lilia lowered herself to the blankets with a soft look on her face. She poured the ale for them both and handed him his mug.
“Thank ye…” She said. “I am so grateful. For this, and for fightin’ for me before.”
Not knowing what to say, he only nodded. He hadn’t done it to be thanked. There was no way he could have not fought for her. He gulped down the ale in his cup at one go and poured himself another. She had a faraway look in her eyes as she took a continuous sip from her cup. It was only when she had downed two cups that she began to talk.
