by J. E. Taylor
I glanced towards the mountains and prayed Kyle wouldn’t hurt Anna. I prayed they would return to Bryggen before the sun crested the horizon.
Otherwise, my betrothed would find me dangling from a hangman’s noose.
Chapter 11
My entire form ached from being in this position for the last three hours. I couldn’t put pressure on my neck without squeezing my windpipe and if my legs gave out, I would surely break my neck. Senator Brax had taken a seat and leaned against one of the posts, his eyelids dipping closed every so often.
A rumble began as a pounding in the ground as if dozens of horses were storming the gates. At first, I wrote it off as exhaustion, but when those that remained keeping vigil started exchanging glances, I knew it wasn’t just my imagination. Panic filled their faces as the whispers of an earthquake found my ears.
It had been years since the earth shook in Bryggen, but the memory of that was as strong and horrifying as my freezing the kingdom. At first all eyes fell on me in that accusatory way I was used to, until the gates crashed open and white fur flew towards the center of the courtyard.
It took me a second to focus on what I was seeing. Kyle and Anna rode on the back of the massive polar bear that had been relegated to the corner of the first floor of the ice castle.
The rest of the crowd froze in place at the spectacle. Kyle hopped off the bear and helped Anna down before turning to me. The bear hovered over them in a protective stance, his massive claws ready to strike at anyone who threatened Kyle.
But that was the least of the shock waves permeating the kingdom.
Kyle wore his coat of arms.
The Bryggen coat of arms.
The white polar bear behind the black and gray boat was one we all studied in school. It was the crest that the king of the Hanseatic League wore over two hundred years before. It was said when he donned his family crest, he was out for blood.
The glare in his eyes confirmed that legend.
Senator Brax’s mouth hung open, just like everyone else’s.
He hopped up on the platform and ripped the pillory in two, freeing me. The top that had held me in place flew at least ten feet and then clattered onto the wood. Kyle cut the ropes holding my hands together, freeing me from my painful binds. I took a shaky step towards him and collapsed.
Kyle caught me, sweeping me into his arms. He said nothing as he carried me from the podium.
When he whistled, the bear followed. Both Anna and Kris fell in step as well. Kyle marched us into the castle, and no one dared to stop the bizarre procession.
Kyle set me down. As he secured the gate, Anna threw her cape around me, and the bear curled up in the corner and promptly fell asleep. The transformation from angry guardian to docile house pet was disconcerting.
When Kyle turned back to us, his blue eyes pierced mine. Fiery anger filled them, and he crossed to stand in front of me.
“Did he harm you?” he asked, his voice a growl that carried his possessiveness.
My hand traveled to the bandage on my shoulder, but I shook my head. Squeezing a wound and what he’d been about to do to me were different, and I didn’t want to send Kyle into a murder spree of his own.
“Kris wouldn’t allow him to.” I waved to my brother-in-law by my side.
His hard gaze moved to Kris and he gave him a nod before looking at me. “I don’t know whether your sister is brave or just foolish. Rushing into a bear’s den is usually a death sentence.” His gaze flicked to her. “But I am glad I didn’t immediately snap her neck. She also promised me cookies if I saved you.” His eyebrows rose expectantly at her.
I pulled the cape tighter around my body as Anna scurried off to get him his reward.
Kris stood guard over me, his expression unreadable as he sized up the stranger in our midst.
“Go take care of Anna and the children,” I said.
He glanced at me. “I’m not sure which is more dangerous—the senator, or this man,” he said and crossed his arms.
I inhaled and glanced between the man trying to save my honor and the one who had already taken it. “Kyle is much more dangerous than the senator, so it is a good thing he seems to be on our side.”
“I will not harm my betrothed.” Kyle stood tall, but hostility still radiated from him the way the cold radiated from me. “But I will exact inexplicable harm on those that falsely accused her of murder.” His eyes narrowed in a way that sent a shiver up my back.
Kris’s arms relaxed and fell by his side as Anna came running back into the castle from her quarters carrying one of the large boxes of cookies.
“Thank you for taking the time to listen to me, and for saving my sister from that twisted bastard,” she said breathlessly and rubbed her throat. A bruise in the shape of a handprint stood out against her pale neck.
Kris noticed it too and his hands clenched into fists. He glared, his nostrils flared, and his face reddened.
Both Anna and I stepped in between Kris and Kyle.
I faced Kris with my hands splayed in front of me. “Don’t.”
Anna echoed my words, her hands pressed against her husband’s chest. “I shot him with an arrow the last time I saw him, so he had a right to be... skeptical of my intentions.”
“He hurt you,” Kris snapped.
Anna glanced over her shoulder and shrugged. “He scared me,” she admitted. “But he came through in the end.”
“I don’t like him,” Kris said, and Anna laughed.
“Join the club,” she said. “Let’s go make sure the children are okay.” She yanked on his arm.
Kris followed her but glared over his shoulder several times before they disappeared out of sight.
I turned to Kyle. He already had a cookie from the box and was nibbling on it.
“When they come to their senses, they will storm this castle.” I waved to the bolted gate.
“Don’t you command the armed forces?” he asked around the cookie.
I stripped my gloves, then stretched my fingers and rubbed my wrists. “I share that with the senate. Ever since I froze the land, they wanted some sort of balance. A unanimous vote to oust me from the throne would require the army to be at the senate’s direction.”
I took a moment to appreciate him in full uniform. He was formidable, and the crest did create a certain thrill of fear. His stark blue eyes regarded me, and hunger lay beyond the blue. He smiled.
“I need clothing.” I turned and headed to my quarters. It wasn’t until the door closed behind me that I realized Kyle had followed.
“Your sister mentioned the senator had threatened the pear.”
I glanced back at him and let the cloak fall to the floor. “Was it truly my honor that you came back to save, or just your station as the future king?” I turned towards him, giving him a full view of my naked self.
He put the box of cookies on the table and licked his fingers as he slowly crossed the distance. “I can’t have my queen mutilated and her chances of bearing my children ruined because of some selfish, self-serving senator.” He stopped in front of me. “Had I smelled fresh blood when I approached you, I would have torn his head off on the spot.”
“You or the bear?”
He smiled and reached out, then turned my head to the side. “Your bandages need changing.”
I yanked my head out of his grip. “Is that all you are interested in? Me as a harvester of your offspring?” I crossed my arms, covering my chest.
He raised an eyebrow. “I am fully aware of you, Elsa. And in case you hadn’t noticed, I have formally announced my lineage to this kingdom. That wasn’t something I had intended on doing. At least not until I was in a position of power.”
“Your power was threatened, and that’s why you came out of the shadows.”
“No. You were threatened. That is why I came out.” His lips formed a smile. “Well, that and cookies.” He hooked his thumb over his shoulder towards the box of sweet confections on the table.
I slap
ped his chest, and he caught my hand, holding it in place.
“The bear in me wanted to paint that square with the blood of those celebrating your torture.” His gaze turned serious. “I’m not so sure I like whatever this is. It makes me reckless.” He stared down at my hand splayed on the fabric of his tunic and pulled me closer to him. “But it also makes me feel alive.” He met my gaze and dipped down, taking the opportunity to press the softest of kisses on my lips.
My skin tingled in anticipation. He pulled away, leaving me wanting more.
“Now get dressed in finery suited for court.”
I tilted my head.
“Summon the priest. We are getting married now, and then I am taking the throne back. The senate is compromised, and we will deal with them as a single unified force of nature.”
His sureness in our victory gave me pause. If the senate had taken over the army, innocents would die in the exchange. Besides, if Senator Brax was to meet his fate, I would be tried for treason.
“Did you read that document?”
He smiled and unfurled it from his pocket. “This is the senate’s downfall.” He tucked it away. “Now go get some clothes on before I do something inappropriate again.”
I was not used to being ordered around, and I didn’t necessarily agree on disbanding the senate, but he did have a point. If they unanimously voted to put Senator Brax in as king, they were not doing what was best for this kingdom. And if he snowed them into the vote, well then, he was far more nefarious than I gave him credit for.
Chapter 12
I stepped out of the dressing room in a fine silk dress that was as blue as Kyle’s eyes. The silver flares of snowflakes embroidered into the fabric sparkled as I crossed the room. I opened the cabinet that contained my diamonds and decorated my neck with them before I set my ornate crown on my head.
With all the grace that a queen should encompass, I climbed down the stairs into the entry, where Kyle stood, waiting. The crown perched on his head made my eyes widen. The last man to wear the crown of Bryggen had been my father, so to see anyone else wear it with the same command stalled my heart.
He held his arm out to me.
“You can’t possibly marry him.”
I turned to see Anna at the far side of the room near the castle courtyard. Behind her in the yard, her three children played with sticks, pretending to sword fight.
“Anna...” I started.
“He will spit you out and leave you for dead the moment he is officially king.”
“No. Kyle will not kill me. He had the chance yesterday and he didn’t. Just like he had the chance to kill you, but he didn’t.”
Kyle remained stoic at my side, almost aloof as if this conversation didn’t matter to him.
“Will you harm my sister?” she asked, addressing him directly.
He cocked his head and narrowed his eyes, tapping his lip for longer than was polite. I elbowed him in the side.
“As long as she keeps things interesting, I am inclined to keep her around,” he said, giving me a sideways glare.
I slid my arm out of his, and he snatched it back.
“I trust the priest is in the chapel?” he asked Anna.
Anna crossed her arms and glanced over her shoulder. She sighed without answering him, but I knew just by her stance that the priest was there. This was her way of making sure I was safe. This was her interference to give me an out if I needed it.
“Will you make her happy?” she asked, staring him down as if she could will him to say yes.
He laughed. “I’m not sure happy would be satisfying to either of us.” He glanced at me. “Do you want to be happy?” The way he asked the question, it was as if happy were a dirty word.
I tried to hide a smirk. “I rather like the hostility that exists between us.”
Anna stared at the two of us. Her gaze bounced back and forth as she tried to digest this little conversation. Anna was happy with Kris, and obviously they had a connection. Otherwise they wouldn’t have sired three beautiful children. He doted on her in a way that was endearing and repulsive at the same time. And this was what she defined as happy.
She didn’t get it.
Happy felt complacent to me. Happy wasn’t what I strived for.
I wanted the sparring conversations, the challenging of ideas, and the mad spark that existed between Kyle and me.
Sometime during the night, I came to the realization that I really did want him, even though I did think he was a royal ass at times. What we had done was not out of hostility. It was borne out of a sexual tension that burned the air between us. We had a strange and undeniable connection.
I didn’t want what my sister had. I wanted a whole other level of intensity, and Kyle delivered.
“If he crosses the line, I’ll turn him into a block of ice again.”
“Like that really taught me a lesson,” he said and rolled his eyes. “The priest is waiting,” he added and tugged me along.
I smiled as we passed my flustered sister and crossed the courtyard to the chapel. The priest’s hair was matted on one side and wild on the other, evidence that he had been pulled from bed. He hadn’t been in the town square when Senator Brax had accused me of murder or humiliated me. He hadn’t been in the square when Kyle made his grand entrance either.
“Father Kelly, this is Kyle Bryggen. My betrothed,” I said, and his eyes went wider. “Please proceed with the marriage.”
He blinked and licked his lips, looking around for any sort of diversion that would help him come to terms with my orders. We waited patiently while he wiped his face.
“I apologize. I must not be awake.” He glanced at the two of us. “Did you say Kyle Bryggen, as in the founder of Bryggen?”
Kyle smiled. “Yes, Father, she did. And as impossible as it seems, I am indeed real and standing here waiting for you to bless this union.”
Father Kelly’s mouth opened and closed a couple of times. He smoothed out his hair and positioned himself in front of us. He cleared his throat and looked at Kyle, expectantly.
Kyle turned to me and took a deep breath before his words echoed in the small chamber. “You cannot possess me, for I belong to myself, just as you belong to yourself. But while we both wish it, I give you that which is mine to give. You cannot command me, for I am a free man. But I shall serve you in those ways you require. I pledge to you that yours will be the only name I cry aloud in the night. The first bite of my meat and the first drink from my cup belongs to you. I pledge to you my living and my dying, each equally in your care. I shall be a shield for your back and you for mine. I shall honor you above all others. This is a marriage of equals. This is my wedding vow to you.”
I stared up into his intense eyes, captivated by his voice, and his choice of words. Their meaning left me breathless. When the priest cleared his throat, I sucked my lower lip in between my teeth before I recited my vows, taking his as my guide. “While we both wish it, I give you that which is mine to give. You cannot command nor possess me, for I am a free woman. But I shall serve you in the ways you require. I pledge to you that yours will be the only name I cry aloud in the night. The first bite of my meat and the first drink from my cup belongs to you. I pledge to you my living and my dying, each equally in your care. I shall be a shield for your back and you for mine. I shall honor you above all others. This is indeed a marriage of equals. This is my wedding vow to you.”
“Show me the palms of the hands closest to me,” the priest said.
I offered my right hand to the priest, and Kyle put his left out. Our eyes never left each other even when the sharp pain of the blade sliced into my skin. The priest pressed our bloodied palms together, and Kyle intertwined his fingers through mine.
As our blood mingled, my palm stung, sending varying waves of hot and cold through my veins. His eyes flashed, and his hand squeezed mine tighter. His lips formed a small smile, like he felt the same wild sensations that flowed through my form.
“With the pas
sing of blood, and the pledging of vows, you are now one in the eyes of God.” The priest wrapped a sash around our hands, binding them together. “May God be with you and bless you. May you see your children’s children. May you be poor in misfortune and rich in blessings. May you know nothing but happiness from this day forward.” He made the sign of the cross. “In the name of the father, the son, and the holy spirit.”
“Amen,” both Kyle and I said.
“You may kiss your bride,” the priest said.
Kyle glanced at him. “Ring the wedding bells,” he ordered and then pulled me to his lips.
An animalistic fervor took hold of me, as if his kiss ignited the part of me that had lay dormant for all these years. Even our wild lovemaking earlier did not compare to the fire lighting my soul at this moment.
Clapping from the chapel entrance pulled us out of the trance, and we both glanced towards my niece and nephews who were clapping wildly. Anna leaned against the doorframe with her arms crossed, but there was a smirk on her lips, like perhaps she could tolerate Kyle in the end.
Heat filled my cheeks, and the chapel bells started to chime just as a ruckus breached the courtyard.
We turned with our hands still clasped. Beyond Anna, I could see a bear charging.
“Get inside!” I cried out and pointed to the side of the chapel that was fortified with stone.
Anna corralled the kids into the corner with her. The army flooded into the courtyard, hurling arrows at Kyle’s bear. With our hands still clasped, the burn of his anger mingled in my blood. The beast roared as another arrow pierced his hide. Kyle squeezed my hand and then loosened his grip. Before he could unclasp his palm from mine, I raised my left hand, willing a wall between the bear and those who wanted to harm him.
A shroud of ice formed between the center of the courtyard and the chapel, safeguarding the bear as well as those of us in the sanctuary. The giant polar bear stumbled and fell short of the opening. A dozen arrows peppered his back, and blood seeped from his mouth.
Kyle let go of my hand and charged to the beast. He placed his bloodied hand on the bear’s head in a sign of solidarity. The polar bear’s gaze lifted to him, and then his last breath wheezed out. The massive beast’s chest slowed and then stopped.