by Marie Hall
Kneeling down, he helped her recline back, but when he tried to place himself between her legs, she closed them against him. "No," she said and rolled to her side.
"Io," he chided. "I would return the pleasures."
"You have, my lord." She pointed to the place beside her and waited until he was fully stretched out before laying an arm over his chest and a knee over his hip. "I would have this pleasure tonight as it has not been mine in forever."
He worked his arm under her then rolled her on top of him. "I think," he said, tucking the fur around her. "It was longer than forever, my love."
She clung to him through most of the night, which was not common for her. And as dawn peeked in through the trees, he again tried to entice her to some form of pleasure. She refused, although, this time she complained she did so because of his beard. He did offer to shave, but she again did an uncommon thing and told him it was his choice.
They carried on with little in the way of conversation the next two days, and like the first, Io clung rather than crowded when they slept. He'd every confidence the matter was settled between them, but he was equally confident something was bothering her greatly.
As much as he wished to compel her to speak on it, he held off, hoping she'd either find her own answer or come to him on her own accord. It was near dark when he crossed paths with one of his men, who led him into the camp they had set up.
He handed down Io, half asleep, to Gerald, with a warning she wasn't dressed, though she still wore his shirt. The glare he got was evident in the fading light, but a snide remark from Jon and everyone was smiling again. She did seem to sleep more easily that night and he did hope the rest would sustain her, because as soon as daylight broke, Balbroke was on him and he didn't let up for the full length of three days.
Chapter 6
"Then go, nothing keeps you with us."
Io turned her head at the sound of Xavier's voice carrying over the camp. He was arguing again with Lord Balbroke. Reaching out, she set her hand on the furs she'd used as a pillow when she wasn't using Xavier's body, taking comfort in the solid object she felt.
The little wooden camel reminded her Xavier always kept her in mind when making decisions, and while she might not always be considered first, she was part of any final decision made.
Right now, she knew she was all he thought about as he held them at The Forks. Although the last few days saw the ugly, painful rash heal, Xavier took what the woman at the apothecary said very seriously. She was stocking free, and until she could dress properly again, they were staying here.
Io didn't mind; the warmer weather made going without shoes pleasant. She liked being barefoot. It was Xavier who took issue with her preference. Today, though, was the third day since they made it here that Lord Balbroke insisted they get underway.
"He can hold his own, Io," Luther leaned in to say. "We are well enough in our travels to take more than a few days of rest."
"I can travel," Io muttered and let Samuel pull her so she leaned on his knee.
"You could, my lady, but I am not ready," Samuel said with a chuckle.
"Here, here," Roth said, rubbing and then stretching his back.
It took two full days and a good portion of each night to make her apologies to these men for her behavior. They graciously accepted them and assured her they thought nothing at all of how she behaved.
Their unwavering commitment felt good. She'd never again complain about how many men surrounded her. She'd placed herself among them each morning after Xavier went off to see to whatever he saw to each day. She sat and watched them sharpen blades and fix their tack and belts or scabbards. She lent a hand sewing an article of clothing or helping with lacings.
Conversation was light. Most had nothing helpful to say about court. They found it, in general, dull and filled with manners and fake smiles. They assured Io she'd, without a doubt, be the best and most enjoyable thing there, and they teased she might ruffle a few feathers. They found both predictions amusing, laughing most when they spoke on how servants might respond when Io said please or thank you to them. Io didn't really think it'd make their eyes pop from their skulls, but it put her at ease hearing them consider it all with humor.
A stirring at the edge of the group made Io sit up. She saw Xavier smile as he approached, stopping to say something to one or another of the men as he passed. It was very different from the last time she sat in these glens with these soldiers and their leader. Before Xavier stomped through camp, usually some hard expression on his face, he talked to very few and only if he had something necessary to say. And these men found nothing wrong with that. They were all together, fought, risked their lives together and barely knew anything about one another, but for what skills in battle each held.
Io hadn't been able to speak to them about such, so she asked them about other things—family, their likes and dislikes—and soon speaking of such things to relieve boredom became normal, and Xavier, after much prodding on her part, joined in. Before he'd left her, Gunther told her he thought the men fought better together now for the familiarity. It was no longer keeping the ranks filled, it was defending a man who supported a grandmother and a young brother or who'd just taken a wife and expected a first child soon.
Xavier often said his men were his family, but Io knew from those men, they were now more brothers than ever before. That wasn't always in Io's interest as she found even the most indulging brother would bear tales to her husband.
"Well, that is hardly a welcome for a man bringing gifts," Xavier said with a chuckle as he knelt down at her feet.
"What?" Io asked, looking around to figure out what he was saying.
"You are frowning," Samuel informed her.
"Oh." She laughed and leaned in to kiss him, which only made her frown again when his beard scratched.
Xavier laughed then as he settled down and took hold of her ankle. "I will shave tonight," he told her and pulled a small pot from the bag he carried. Removing the lid, he dipped in his fingers, causing Io to pull her leg back quickly. "Settle," he warned, grabbing hold and again pulling her leg.
"It burns," Io whined as she tried to pull away. The creams he'd been spreading on the rashes hadn't felt nice at all, and Io began resisting in earnest.
"Settle," Xavier said, and Io held her breath as his fingers smeared the thick unguent along the inside of her leg. She knew by the smug look on his face, Xavier knew this time it was not only rubbed in without pain but with some bit of soothing. "I told the woman the last one burned…" he said with such exaggeration, the men around her laughed.
"It did," Io pouted but smiled a little when he took hold of her other foot and again started applying the cream.
"So you say," Xavier replied as he finished up. He shifted so he could kiss her. Again, she resisted the scratchy whiskers. "Maybe I will shave when I am done here," he grumped then tried to nibble on her neck.
"I should not make such demands on you, my lord," Io cooed as she put a hand on his head and pushed him away.
"No," he said as if completely shocked at her words. "Never, not you, my scold." He pressed his lips against her neck. "But if you would, I would enjoy very much spoiling you," he said then held her so she couldn't escape his rubbing his face against her neck.
Io squealed and squirmed away. "I thought you were all here to protect me?" she said, trying not to laugh, even as Xavier shifted around and pulled her into his lap.
"Did you require protection, my lady?" Luther asked behind a fist to hide the smile.
"Did you not see the assault on my person by this… this vicious squirrel?" She couldn't come up with any other animal at the time. But her selection caused a roar of laughter and men to clutch at their sides and fall over.
"Squirrel?" Xavier growled and tried to shove her out of his lap. They struggled a bit but not much as Io resettled in his lap and put her head on his shoulder. "If but for my indulgence toward you, I would have the fine mane of a great lion."
> Io tried not to roll her eyes. "Ah, well, if you like all this…" She scrubbed at the stubble. "More than you like…" she ground her arse down on his thighs. "You should not shave."
"Vulgar woman," Xavier said in her ear. "Squire, my blade," he yelled, and again the men laughed out loud.
"You did not bring a squire with you," Io reminded him. "You do not even have any now," Io said, trying to keep the guilt from her voice.
"I will find new ones at court. Some man is always willing to send off his son to train under me," Xavier assured her. It didn't really cheer her, but she forced a smile. His arms tightened around her briefly before he set her away from him. "You will need to go into the market tomorrow and—"
"No, I do not want anything," Io protested again, hoping, like before, he'd let it go. She didn't want to go into the crowds. Not even with her escorts. It was too easy to be separated, and having been kidnapped three times, she'd not want to know a fourth.
"Io, you need to, at the very least, find some new bedding for the wagon," Xavier insisted. Io took a deep breath and sighed heavily. He'd found nothing wrong when his command to have her small wagon cleaned was tossed aside and a new wagon was purchased. The carpenters still worked on the vehicle under Jon's guidance. But all the bedding and padding was tossed away. Mark and Gerald purchased a mattress filled more with feathers than tick. It was all an extravagance Io couldn't understand. "…and I could be swayed," Xavier was still speaking so Io tried to focus, "to let you speak with someone about a new pair of britches."
Io twisted around and stared at her husband. "Really?"
"As long as you keep them under your skirts. They will protect your skin from chaffing." He tilted his head a bit. "Maybe make you feel safer in these large crowds?"
She felt the heat rise in her face. That he'd not only remember her want to wear the male attire as a deterrent to those who'd think to do harm to her as a woman, but he'd encourage her now when she felt very exposed.
"You are safe, Io," he said softly, running his knuckles down her cheek. "But if something so simple will put you more at ease, I would accommodate you." She nodded and leaned against him. "Go tomorrow, and see to getting you those things and anything else which might please you. It will be easier and less expensive than if you wait until we reach court. The guilds always raise prices when the king is present. Buy now what you might need and want that we will not need to spend monies on them later."
She nodded again then sat back, smiled at him, and as cheerily as she could, said, "I might even find a very good goat here." For a third time, the men around her laughed loud and hard.
"No goats, Io. We will get one when we get home, but we are not getting any goats now," Xavier said, shaking his head. Several times already, they'd had this exact conversation. Anytime they passed through an area where goats could exist, Io would mention buying one. It was all in jest and they both enjoyed the teasing.
Io tossed her hands up and sighed. "What about how you wish to spoil me?"
"No goats, or I shall spoil you in a very different way," he teased, but Io understood his meaning all the same.
"Ah, then I shall get very heavy britches to protect me from any chafing you might cause," she countered.
Xavier nearly choked, trying to stop the laugh and maintain his mock fierceness. "I assure you, my lady, you could wear nothing to protect you from such… chafing," he said then leaned to speak in her ear, "for I would have you bared to me well before any kind of chafing might take place."
He said it just so Io couldn't quite tell exactly what he might suggest. So she took him to mean a most pleasant event rather than one she'd wished to avoid at all cost. "Hmm, my lord," she whispered back. "I could perhaps help you get to that chafing if you need."
"Have I ever told you how very vulgar I find you?" Xavier asked as his hand slid up the side of her neck and then took hold of her hair.
"Repeatedly," she breathed.
"And have I told you, too, I should not care for you any other way?" he asked against her lips.
"Not nearly enough," she responded and didn't flinch when his whiskers scratched her during the kiss.
"I want you no other way," he said then kissed her again, deeper and longer than the last. He was slow to pull away, but a smile lingered on his lips when he did, much the same, she was sure as it did on hers. They stayed smiling at each other until cheers and applause broke out around them. There wasn't a single man who disapproved of their union or the way they publicly displayed how they felt about each other. "Vulgar, brash, and unseemly, you ruin me, my love," Xavier said then gave her a quick kiss.
Io was about to tell him she didn't think so, but she could put more effort into it. As she opened her mouth, a cleared throat turned them both so they could see Lord Whitby heading toward them. Xavier muttered something under his breath and then climbed to his feet to cut the man off before he got too close. Io didn't like the man, though she'd no reason why. Xavier kept him at a distance without one, now was no different. He met the man and redirected him back toward his own camp.
"Plan to go to market, Io," he shouted back over his shoulder, and Io raised a hand to acknowledge him.
"Who will you want to go with you?" Samuel asked and came back to where he'd sat before Xavier's appearance. Io hadn't even noticed he'd moved.
"Who?" Io echoed. "Why, everyone," she said, and while they laughed at what they must have thought a jest, she wasn't really jesting. The thought of going out into the market didn't sit well. Still, the next morning, she was up and ready as were the fifteen men who'd go with her.
Given the events, though, she thought next time she suggested everyone come, they might take her more seriously.
Xavier climbed up into the back of the new wagon Jon had made for Io. Already seeing the covering was done in panels so one or more could be rolled to allow an airing was a vast improvement. The inside, though, was nothing short of fine luxury. Io could travel in great comfort. Not that she'd ever complain, even if she was forced to sleep on the hard ground.
"I should not want to discourage her from riding or walking," Jon was saying as he tested the thick mattress now set in place on a raised and framed platform then moved to toe open one of the two small trap doors in the floor. They otherwise sat flush, so no one would trip, but the rope lift made it easy to open which allowed Io to get rid of waste without needing to exit.
It wasn't only the chamber pot but rotting food she never ate that caused the stench in her last vehicle. It could turn out she still refused food for some reason, but he'd rather it get dropped to the road where it'd be seen and the matter addressed, than it sit beside her in the heat and dark.
"No, this is very well done," Xavier told his engineer. "Much like the one Her Majesty uses."
"Smaller, but I did model it so," Jon said, testing one of the many hooks affixed to the beams so Io could hang her clothes. "She has no maid with her, so there is no second bed, but enough room on the floor."
"The bed is sufficient size," Xavier said, noting Io would share with anyone she might select to help her. Though he'd some doubts she was going to find anyone she wanted to help her. He could end up having to force someone on her. It wasn't a real matter; those things almost always worked out for her.
"It wasn't exactly a second woman I was thinking of in the design," Jon said with a pointed look. Before Xavier could either color in embarrassment or reprimand his knight for such forwardness... "You need to give her more of your attentions. It cannot be as easy for the two of you to speak openly with them around. Come here with her, make it a habit again."
Xavier nodded. The man was correct. Io was more cautious in her words when Balbroke and his men were near, and they were always near. And usually for them, pillow talk was productive. Maybe more so because Io often said as much with her body as she did with her lips. He could tell when she was under stress or relaxed by how she lay next to him, how she breathed. They needed time for each other, and currently, Io didn
't seem willing to go far from the camps and the men. He'd wanted to ask her if something else happened with the prince, but he knew if he pushed, she'd become stubborn. Until he could again take her on a long walk away from the prying eyes and open ears, he'd take Jon's suggestion and start spending time with her in this shelter.
"My lord," Liam called, coming into sight, out of breath and sweating. "You better come." The man didn't even wait to see if Xavier followed. Both Xavier and Jon were at his heels before he went ten steps.
"What happened?" Jon asked as they followed the man through the market toward where the bathhouses sat.
"Lady Io found more orphans, but there is one whose ownership is in dispute," Liam said.
"Ownership?" Xavier heard himself say, realizing it wasn't long ago when he saw nothing at all wrong in the treatment of children who had no set protector. They were victimized in many horrendous ways, often ending in slow deaths before they reached adulthood. But Io did see the wrong in it, and she took great pains to stop it when she could.
Xavier stopped dead at the sight of Gerald coming at him, the limp body of a boy perhaps ten in his arms. The men behind him showed signs of having engaged in a deadly fight. Even as Gerald passed with the boy, Ian stomped up, blood splattered across his shirt. "We were closer," he said to Xavier. "The matter is no longer in dispute."
"Io?" Xavier asked, a bit of panic rising as she wasn't in sight.
"We sent her back to camp with the babies," Harris, now a permanent part of Xavier's party, said, using his shirt to wipe his face and hands.
"Babies?" Jon asked with surprise.
"If the youngest is three yet, I will be undone. He is very small," Liam told them.
"And you are sure they are without family?" Xavier asked, hoping Io wasn't starting to kidnap children.