Time Travel Romance Collection

by Grace Brannigan

  Rowenna carried William outside, her face mirroring the surprise of the others as they could all see the new verdant green of the fields beyond the keep's gate.

  Erik lifted William into his arms, swinging him gently in the air to the child's delight. He smiled. "Little William," he said, "you are mine."

  Iliana nodded hesitantly, but tears of joy filled her eyes. "I confess I still do not understand." She had always trusted Sorenta, but still she wondered how William could have been fathered by Erik, three years back in time. Then she recalled the deep sleep under which the abbess had placed her so that she might heal. Could that be the answer, had she been held where time did not move?

  ¤¤

  The feasting began that evening. The cook and the serving girls had created a feast worthy of a visit from royalty. Even the men who had been missing with her gem shipment arrived at the keep, telling tales of being imprisoned in the forest while Mandrak cast spells over the trees and animals to keep them there.

  The atmosphere about the keep was festive and light, and even the air felt lighter to breathe. Iliana marveled at the change as the countryside reflected joy in its growth and new blooming.

  She had been gratified to see the villagers and their families arrive, bringing food and whatever they could add to the celebration from their own wares. Before long the tables of food, the games and sports moved out into the courtyard.

  Deciding to turn in early, she had delighted in a hot bath in Erik's chamber and once more warm and clean, she now placed the soft lambskin over William as he slumbered in his little bed.

  Some of Mandrak's men at arms had elected to stay at the keep and would pledge to their new lord, who would be determined by the queen. The remainder of Mandrak's men left for other mercenary jobs in lands beyond the keep. Thinking of the men, women and children who had suffered Mandrak's brutality, she felt no sorrow for the fate he had brought upon himself. She did wonder though if any of what he said about his world beyond this one, had been true. Could this world expect more men like him to arrive? She dearly hoped not.

  Iliana turned as she felt Erik's hands on her shoulders.

  "Iliana --" he hesitated. "Is that even your name? Have you remembered anything of your earlier life?"

  "Iliana has always felt right." She sat on the bed furs and Erik came to lie beside her. He had a cheerful fire burning in the hearth and had shed his linen tunic to recline beside her. His muscled chest with the dark blond arrow of hair disappearing into his braies chausses was a delight to her, but quite the distraction.

  "Dear Erik." She smiled tenderly. "How shall I be able to talk sensibly when you lie thus next to me?"

  He ran a gentle hand over her hair and then caressed the back of her neck. "Then lie down and turn away my love."

  Iliana did so, and he pulled her back to the warmth of his chest and up against his legs.

  "I have remembered my first meeting with the Abbess," Iliana said softly. "As she said, I willingly took up this mission. However, I have no recollection of my life before." She shrugged and because she could not resist she rolled to face him, planting kisses along his chest and collarbone. Large, warm hands lifted her shift and moved up her leg, her hip.

  "And do you recall how you arrived in this time?" he asked.

  Iliana closed her eyes as the heat of his fingers trailed across her stomach, then his fingers splayed across her hip and rested there.

  "I recall a terrible pain in my head and light as bright as the sun hurt my eyes. I have no recall of anything before that moment. Once I became accustomed to the light, my body was free of pain. I looked at myself, the garments I wore, and they looked foreign to me, and yet dearly familiar. The abbess told me the story of Dutton Keep, the spell it was under. The land lay fallow, the birds had flown away to the mountains. The people of the village seemed under a lethargic spell. Infants perished, and many of the live births did not live past the age of three. I never doubted that she told me the truth. She said I could change all of it, but not without risk."

  "And you stumbled upon the gem," he mused.

  "No." She leaned forward and kissed his chest, letting her lips follow the springy blond hair down to his flat stomach. He grabbed her hand and held it. "Please continue, but I cannot take such distraction until you have finished the story."

  "I read the letters from Sir Robert. He told the abbess of his clever hiding of the gem beneath the sleeping dragon's wing. When I arrived in that cavern, there was the dragon and under her wing lay the true emerald. The gem itself fueled the blood of this world and the keepers of the gem are chosen through a blood lineage line, and while I was not of this world, I was related through blood. Now I have one fear. What if your ship is gone?"

  "We shall find out in time. Think on this, Iliana, we have all the time in the world, do we not?" He cupped her face and leaned down to kiss her. "And you and William will come with me. I dare not let us be separated. There must be a way back."

  Iliana frowned. "I came through the sky, I am certain of it. You came by the sea."

  "Iliana, no matter what time we travel to, whether it is here or to my own time, we will be together, otherwise it matters not." He touched her cheek with the back of his hand. "I ride out first light tomorrow to see if the Merry Maiden can be found."

  "William and I ride with you."

  He looked at her then he grinned. "Aye. You ride with me." A wicked grin split his lips, lighting his green eyes. "But now, there is tonight."

  Erik pushed the shift up above her waist, and Iliana sat up, pulled it over her head and dropped it to the bed furs. She untied and pulled Erik's braies and chausses down his long legs, and then they were heated flesh to flesh.

  William stirred with a small whimper, and Iliana went still, listening. Erik placed a kiss upon her lips, then he rolled over toward the edge of the bed, staring down at his son in the small bed. Iliana stared at Erik's backside, gently running her hand down his hard muscled thigh.

  Satisfied the child only made noises in his sleep, Erik rolled back to Iliana and chuckled. "He grunts and fights in his sleep," he said. "He is a true Remington."

  Iliana laughed softly, placing a row of kisses along his chest. She took his large, callused hand and brought it to her face, then kissed his fingers one by one. At the last finger on his right hand, she paused, staring in shock at the skin between the little finger and the next.

  "Erik."

  He looked at her. "Aye, I am sorry if it disgusts you, Iliana, it is merely an anomaly from birth. When I was a boy, I took a fishing knife and cut the thin skin so my fingers were separated."

  Iliana had a strange light in her eyes. "By all the saints, Erik -- by all the saints," she repeated, pulling away from him. She jumped off the bed and moving to stand beside William's bed as he slept, she held her hand out to Erik.

  Erik came to her.

  Iliana knelt beside William and gently turned back the lambskin cover. She lifted his small hand and beckoned Erik closer.

  Erik stared at the webbed skin between William's last two fingers.

  Gently, Iliana covered their son and came to her feet.

  Erik enfolded her and they stood for a moment in silence.

  Once more on the bed, he said, "You doubted Sorenta's words?"

  "Yes. It was three years -- three years when you knew me to be aboard your ship. And yet I bore William nine months ago. How is it you believed Sorenta when I could not?"

  He laughed. "Since I arrived in this time there were so many things strange to me, I stopped questioning many weeks ago." Tenderly, he kissed her lips. "I did not doubt he was mine once Sorenta declared it. But it mattered not. He was yours, so I loved him," he said simply.

  Iliana's strength was certainly no match for his, but Erik let her straddle him and push him back to the bed furs. He rejoiced in the kisses she placed upon him, participating fully as her mouth opened to his.

  Iliana opened her legs further to him, letting his heated warmth come into her
body, putting her head back, frantic to feel all of him, to share with him the joy he gave her. Iliana felt such a lightness of being, as the true energy of love flowed through her in a rush of light. Together their bodies found the perfect rhythm, hearts rushing to meet each other, breaths labored, a moment where time had no place. Souls met and merged, as flesh merged. Bodies shaking in the aftermath, softly whispered words as fingers tenderly stroked.

  "Erik, my love. My love." She lay atop him, resting her cheek upon his chest, enjoying the stroke of his hands up and down her back with him still inside her.

  "No matter where you go, Erik Remington, William and I will go with you. We will work side by side, endure hardship --"

  His chest rumbled beneath her and she lifted her head. "You dare to laugh?"

  "Yes, Iliana, I dare to laugh. I plan to return to my time, with you and William by my side, and I must confess I am a rich man. There will be little hardship. The only hardship will be when you have to deal with my bullheaded ways."

  Iliana threw her head back, her hair cascading over her shoulders as she joined in his laughter. "Then I shall help you spend your riches."

  "You are most welcome to try," he said, and he rolled, taking her with him, and together they lay face to face, and that is how they fell asleep, arms entwined, and with the memory of each other's face the last they saw before their eyes closed.

  Chapter Thirteen

  There was sadness and good wishes as they prepared to leave early the next morning. The sun rose in the sky, filtering through the filmy clouds, bathing the courtyard in pure golden light.

  Iliana felt a certain sadness to be leaving the keep, and yet there was a new excitement building within, and as she looked over at Erik, she did not hide her smile. A new life, a strong loving man. A man who had searched endlessly for her through time. Her gaze fell to William. A child to love.

  Edward stood off to the side, and Iliana noted his frowning face. She directed Erik's attention to the young lad.

  "Edward," Erik said, and he walked over to the boy and spoke to him. Soon, Iliana noted the frown was gone and in its place Edward appeared awed.

  Rowenna hurried over to Iliana and Erik, three tapestries rolled under her arm.

  "You must take your life tapestries," she said. "And little William's also."

  Erik and Iliana exchanged a glance.

  Iliana shook her head. "I will no longer seek the life tapestry to see where I have been and where I will go. There is no need."

  "Aye," said Erik, "I'd rather ride the day out by the seat of my trousers."

  "You must take them on your journey," Sorenta insisted quietly. "They may come in useful. And who knows, maybe young William will need his in the future for his own daring adventures."

  Iliana shrugged, and with a smile Rowenna folded them tightly and tucked them into Iliana's saddle bag.

  "God speed," said Rowenna. She stepped up to Erik with William in front of him in the saddle. "Good bye, little William." William kicked his feet and Rowenna touched his small foot in its leather shoe, then she stepped back. "We all wish for your safe return to your own time," she said. "There are no words to repay what we owe."

  "Journey far until you can pass no further," said Sorenta. "You will find a port rich with history and a sea that will embrace the spirit of your souls, eager to show you the way back."

  "Good bye, Sorenta," Iliana said fondly. "You have guided me well."

  "There is one last thing I would say before you leave," Sorenta said for her ears alone. "When you traveled through time, the seed was sown upon that ship, but the child's spirit chose the time to come."

  Iliana gripped her thin hands, and then Sorenta stepped back.

  And so it was they left Dutton Keep. As they crossed the drawbridge over the moat, they soon came upon people working the fields. Iliana marveled at the renewed activity in the fields and village, the new bloom that hung even over the hills in the distance. There were many waves of goodbye and calls of good wishes.

  Iliana looked at Erik. "Edward was looking quite glum. What did you say to him?"

  "I told him he was in charge of overseeing the security of the keep. He was to report anything troublesome directly to Albert, the new officer in chief."

  She smiled. "A big responsibility and certainly it brought a big smile to his face."

  "He's a good lad and I will miss him," Erik said. He looked over at her. "And you, Iliana, will you miss this place?"

  Iliana smiled, looking at the village behind them. "Some of the people, surely, but anything else? No, I do not think so, though I admit I am anxious to see the place we will call home."

  "As am I," remarked Erik. He smiled and laughed aloud.

  Iliana lifted a brow.

  "I packed your flamberge rapier," he said. "Did you forget?"

  "I did not forget. I was unsure about bringing it to my new life."

  He laughed. "It will make a grand tale. A sword you had fashioned for your hand in the thirteenth century, when that style of sword never made an appearance until the sixteenth century."

  "Perhaps I saw it in my travels?"

  "Most definitely."

  "How can you be so sure?" she asked.

  "When we arrive at my ship, God willing, I will explain."

  "One more mystery, Erik?"

  "This one easily solved," he said.

  As they rode the same rutted paths Erik had no doubt taken upon his journey here, she thought of the differences but she feared, too, what they might find.

  "The quicker the journey to the sea, the better I will like it," she said.

  "Aye," he agreed.

  And from the frown he wore, she knew Erik worried about the fate of his men.

  ¤¤

  Late afternoon was almost upon them when Iliana suddenly saw a rush of images. She stopped her horse, blinking rapidly. The monastery, her journey through a dark tunnel of time. Suddenly, many questions had answers she had sought.

  Erik looked back and turned his mount to trot back to her. "Iliana?"

  "It is you," she whispered hoarsely. "I cannot believe I have been blind to the truth. Erik, it was because of you I was able to unlock the secret of the green gem."

  "Iliana, you found the gem."

  "But I could not have done it on my own. You brought us out of the red soil hills. You are a rare treasure." She laughed. "Erik Remington you have been the salvation of Dutton Keep even though you came cloaked in the disguise of a scoundrel."

  "And you sacrificed your life for this mission, never forget that. I have never encountered a woman so brave or strong." He looked down at William. "Remember this moment, William. Your mother is a hero of uncommon courage."

  Iliana stared beyond Erik. "I see a glisten of the sea," she said with rising excitement.

  "Aye, there it is." Erik looked down at his son. "Come, William, let us see if the Merry Maiden awaits."

  They rode quickly toward the sea, the sand flying beneath their horse's hooves.

  The sea with its jeweled depths appeared as calm as glass, the sun warm upon their heads and...the harbor lay empty.

  "My ship was there," he pointed, "on the sand bar. Could they have freed it? Or did he indeed burn it and it lay on the bottom of the sea?"

  Iliana's excitement dimmed to be replaced by a tight band across her chest. Erik looked up and down the coast, then out to sea. Would they return to Dutton Keep, or would they travel further abroad? "I am sorry, Erik," she said, an ache in her heart.

  "So has Mandrak spoken the truth?" he wondered aloud. He dismounted, then lifted William down from the saddle. Iliana dismounted and held out her arms for her son.

  Iliana took William into her arms and kissed his cheeks. In her saddle bag were packed fruit and vegetables and bits of lamb. "I will change William into dry garments and feed him. No doubt he is hungry."

  Erik looked back toward the way they had come, frowning. "Iliana, do you know if there is a port in a nearby town?"

  S
he nodded. "There is, Erik." Suddenly, she smiled. "But it does not matter."

  "Of course it matters, my love, perhaps my ship sailed to a --"

  Iliana pointed and Erik turned on his heel. The Merry Maiden sailed around a great rock, her sails billowing, his men standing on the deck, waving and cheering. Erik put his arm around Iliana.

  "There she is," he said proudly and with obvious relief. "There she is."

  ¤¤

  Erik was loath to leave behind the destrier. He knew the stallion would be good breeding stock should they make it back through time. However, they needed a harbor dock to load the horses onto the ship.

  "Captain, am I glad to see you. I feared you dead," exclaimed Jock when he rowed to shore. He jumped from the boat and Erik shook his hand, then pulled him close a moment.

  "And you and the men are all safe?"

  "Aye."

  "I feared the worst," Erik said with relief. "Mandrak swore he killed the men and burned the Merry Maiden."

  Jock stared with wide eyes at Iliana, then William, then back to his captain.

  "Yes, Jock," Erik said, clasping his quartermaster's hand, "this is Iliana whom you met three years ago, and this is my son William."

  Slack-jawed for a moment, Jock shook his head. He nodded respectfully at Iliana, then looked at Erik. "The little time I've been here, Captain, I've learned there are strange things in this place."

  "You have no idea. But I am heartily glad to see you are well, Jock."

  "I was wondering how it would turn out myself. That scoundrel left twenty of his men here, but it became apparent he'd left little provisions for them. They guarded us in a half-hearted manner and then one by one they disappeared in the night. Lucky for us. One night the tide floated the Merry Maiden off the bar and we began right away to repair her. And now she is right as rain."

  "I will not question this piece of luck," Erik said. "We are ready to leave this place, Jock, but I would bring the horses with us. Iliana is certain there is a harbor hereabouts."

  "Aye, Captain. We've sailed this sea so many times in these last weeks, I know it like the back of my hand. Just beyond this bit of land there lies a seaport witch sturdy loading docks. It should do us well to load the horses. The men will have to get busy putting up makeshift pens."