by Alice Wade
In order to remain calm, he convinced himself he surveyed her body because he was fixated on her well being. He let his gaze trail over her body in his own visual scan and cursed when he lost count of how many bruises she had around her hips and torso. He could also see the deep scratches from her callous discarding into the bushes that marred her otherwise flawless skin. The only part of her body he couldn’t survey, was her back. He couldn’t see that because it was hidden behind a veil of long black hair.
His thoughts were interrupted when Wallace nudged him with his foot from off to the side. “Ryan, is that really polite?”
Ryan knew what he was doing wasn’t, but he’d been enthralled by her beauty since the moment he laid eyes on her crumpled in the bushes. His voyeurism was directly related to his irrational need to protect. It also helped to still the simmering magic that wanted to burst forth. It was like her soul pulled at him and her fearful eyes haunted his entire being.
Hanging his head in shame, Ryan then looked at Wallace in defeat. “No, but I can’t walk away either. Look at her! Who could do this to her?” His anger ignited by those words, Ryan spat in agitation.
Wallace decided not to push him much farther at the moment. If his friend wanted to stare, let him stare. Nothing he could say would ease the concern glowing in Ryan’s eyes. Taking a deep breath, Wallace decided he’d not fight this anymore. For the first time, he agreed with his wife’s silly view on life, and knew he witnessed love at first sight first hand. Ryan was falling for this woman, which was clear.
“Rough men, but let the healers take care of her now,” Wallace replied cautiously. He had not seen Ryan this affected by a woman in, well, ever. Usually, he controlled his emotions, but his composure fell apart with each passing moment he was around her.
“She’s the missing Princess.” Ryan turned and looked at his friend. “Did you catch that part?”
Wallace stared back in a state of shock, unable to speak until he shook his head in dismay. “Is that so?” He paused while the meaning of that statement sank in. “Ah hell, that changes everything.” Now the frantic behavior of his friend made absolute sense. Ryan suddenly made himself responsible for this dark haired beauty and nothing was going to stand in his way.
“Yes, it does.” Distracted, Ryan leaned against the outer wall and tried his best to not gawk through the window like a pervert, but he was fixated. Tillian caught his gaze the second time he looked, once more returning his smile. He read her relief clearly.
Warmth spread through his entire body from that tiny little smile. It was amazing how something that small could bring so much joy. Once she looked away, Ryan sighed and turned to find Wallace watching him with a curious expression.
Ryan challenged him with a look until his friend finally added, “What are you going to do?” Wallace moved to sit on the railing and watched Ryan. Lucky for them all, the wind died down and it wasn’t altogether unpleasant outside at the moment.
Still unsure how to proceed but knowing he needed to do so carefully, Wallace thought through his next words. It was clear that his friend and liege couldn’t easily walk away. What added further complication was who this woman was. He understood more of the driving force behind Ryan’s behavior, and it wasn’t something he could counter. Wallace knew Ryan wouldn’t just hand her over to whoever came to claim her safe return. He was too honorable. Seeing the look of devotion in Ryan’s eyes also cemented something else. Ryan was in love.
“You’re clearly infatuated and I’m curious as to what your thoughts are?” Wallace saw a dangerous flash in Ryan’s eyes, but still decided to force this conversation. Seeing him gawk like an overprotective lover over a woman he found the day before was a little abnormal and warranted some answers. Ryan needed to admit to what was driving him, and Wallace needed him to say it. Then and only then could they plan.
“I’m honestly not sure.” Wallace was his friend long before he became his Captain, so Ryan easily let his inner guard down around him. He stood there not as a king, but a man, vulnerable and exposed, needing conversation and answers to the powerful emotions he felt. “I’m...compelled to protect her and I’m not sure why. All my senses are screaming for me to hold her, care for her, keep her safe. I can’t rationalize this and so I stand here, guarding over her.” Ryan shrugged then after a quick check inside before looking back to Wallace. “Before you say it, it’s not because she’s a Princess. I felt this pull before I knew. I just don’t understand—” His voice trailed off when once more his gaze drifted back through the windows.
Wallace tilted his head while he worked through what to say next. He gave up on trying to be logical and said something his wife June would say instead. “Maybe you don’t need to rationalize this at all. Just maybe it’s something you aren’t meant to understand, Ryan.”
“Hmph. That sounds an awful lot like your wife’s ‘love at first sight’ hogwash,” Ryan sneered skeptically. “Tillian’s just scared and that compels me to help. It also doesn’t help she’s incredibly beautiful.”
Wallace hid his amusement behind his hand, scrubbing his chin before looking at Ryan. “Well, I’ve never seen you this awestruck with a woman before. Always you know your boundaries and I don’t see you honoring any of them. One day ago you find her, wounded and unconscious, and now you shadow her as if she was your long lost love. Tread carefully, Ryan. She’s not some courtesan.”
His head dipped at hearing what Wallace said and replied, “I know that. I’m not toying with her or after some prize. There’s something about her that has captured my soul and frankly, I’m surprised. If I hadn’t already checked, I’d swear she was using magic to bewitch me with some spell.”
“Now there’s a thought. Is she a mage or something?” Wallace sat up, worried at what he heard.
Ryan shook his head. “Of course not. I would know. It’s automatic for me to check for innate magic and I did that when I first found her in the bushes. Tillian is nothing but a scared woman who has been through a horrible ordeal. My point was only to show she has stolen my soul.”
Wallace pushed off the rail and came to stand next to Ryan. He followed Ryan’s gaze and boldly looked inside the cabin at the woman who stole his friend’s heart. The way she meekly sat with her head forward and her face covered by her thick black hair, it was no wonder Ryan was lost to her. He even felt the need to comfort her because she was screaming for someone to make it all better. Her very body language clearly announced her abuse and pain, forcing a chivalrous reaction from both men. Wallace’s mind changed in that moment. He accepted she wasn’t a threat to his liege’s life, only his heart.
At the sound of Wallace’s grunt of acceptance, Ryan released his own tortured sound. “See what I mean?” he whispered turning his blond head so it rested against the wall. It was almost too much seeing Tillian’s body slumped forward on the bed. “She’s in trouble and even you feel the need to help her, Wallace. I see it in your eyes.”
“Aye, but that still doesn’t explain how she got here.” Taking a deep breath, Wallace said what needed to be said even though he knew the reaction it would generate. “We don’t know her circumstance and we don’t know why she ended up on our lands. This could be a trap from King Irfan and part of me doesn’t trust her sudden appearance, even if I accept she’s not a risk to you personally. She could be a pawn.”
The warning was very sobering and Ryan nodded once in agreement. Wallace spoke as his Captain, not his friend and he knew he was right. This was the very same argument they’d had yesterday when he decided to bring her back with them. Only now, his fears were doubled with the revelation of her heritage. With a quick glance at Tillian, Ryan couldn’t accept the potential truth of it. Something had gone terribly wrong with her circumstance, but it didn’t feel directed at him. Because of that, he was driven to make it right. Somehow, he’d avenge her honor and make sure her face smiled with joy. He wanted to see one similar to what she just bestowed on him every day.
Tillian again sat with her head hun
g forward with her long black hair covering her face and back. He never felt this powerless, and that drove him to do something. He was frankly overwhelmed and exhaled loudly. “I won’t let anymore harm to come to her, Wallace. Do your job and keep watch for signs of treachery, and I will watch over her heart.”
* * * *
Back inside the cabin, Edda continued to chatter in an attempt to calm Tillian’s nerves. “You are in good hands, dear. Our King is kind and he’ll find who did this to you. I’m sure afterward, you can go home.” Edda’s words were met with a curious reaction. Tillian flinched. Edda frowned at what she could have said to get that reaction, but didn’t push the topic. She could plainly see the Princess was about to break apart.
After a moment, Tillian replied half-heartedly, “We’ll see, Edda.”
“Well, have a heart. My girl here is ready to wash that grim off.”
Tillian nodded and lifted her face. The younger healer slowly began to wash Tillian’s skin, starting with her face, wiping away the dirt that crusted her skin, careful of her cuts and swollen lips.
When the cloth touched her breasts, Tillian cringed back from the memory of lips suckling on her sensitive nipples and she trembled violently as the phantom images rolled through her body. When her body responded, she pulled away from Girdie quickly. The drug they had her drink daily was still in her system, obviously, and her aroused reaction was embarrassing.
Girdie watched her with concern and halted her washing, but with quick nod from Tillian, she resumed her careful ministrations. “It’s the drugs,” Girdie whispered. “You have nothing to be ashamed of.”
“Aye,” Tillian shyly looked up with a flushed face. “It is still embarrassing none the less.”
“Not to me,” Girdie whispered back.
* * * *
Ryan watched from outside, catching Tillian’s reaction. Her flinch caused him to purse his lips in anger. He assumed she’d been drugged, but the flinch showed the effects of her abuse. A rumbling sound erupted from his deep in his throat from the burning hatred for the men who caused her such pain. He quickly turned away from the view and paced down the porch and then back shaking off the irrational anger building in his soul.
His pacing brought him right back to the window where he stopped, rooted to the spot by what he saw. At his side his hands clenched into tight fists for his anger suddenly changed into a simmering desire. From this position, he got a good view of her naked profile and it showed him how utterly perfect she was. She had a narrow waist and flat stomach, distinct and muscular rib cage...and perfectly proportioned breasts that defied gravity. She was perfect. The evaluation of her beauty stemmed the anger he felt moments before, that was until Girdie moved.
His attention piqued when the younger of the two healers swept Tillian’s long black hair to the side to wash her neck and back. This action exposed her shoulders to his hungry view for the first time. What he saw caused him to explode into action and burst into the cabin violently. His sudden appearance scared the wits out of the three women.
Ryan stormed directly to Tillian trembling with anger. “Are those lashes I see on your back?” he demanded in an eerily deep voice that forced Tillian to look away in shame. When she didn’t respond, he demanded more forcefully of Edda, “Are those lashes on her back?”
Edda didn’t balk under his intensity. She looked down at the marks, touching them gently before replying, “Aye, Sir. They are old, almost healed, but yes, they are lashes.”
Ryan couldn’t believe what he saw with his own eyes and could barely contain the flash of rage that her perfect skin had been marred by a whip. When he heard the healer reply, he growling out, “How old are they?” His eyes roamed over the scars, each one burned into his mind while he made a silent vow to punish whomever dared do this to her.
“Older than two months, Sir,” Edda replied, still watching him with confusion and narrowly squinted eyes. “It’s hard to say, because they are newly healed, but I would wager that long.”
His anger faded to pity when he finally looked at Tillian. She collapsed inwardly and huddled with her arms wrapped around her naked body. “Ah, Tillian,” he said, squatting before her. “I’m so sorry.” He grabbed the discarded cloak lying at her side and wrapped her in it, seeing she was uncomfortable with him there.
Tillian kept her head lowered but she pulled the cloak around her body. She couldn’t meet his eyes. She burned with humiliation that he’d seen those lashes, something she wanted to avoid. His violent reaction frankly caught her off-guard though. She sat mutely and worked through the conflicting emotions battling within her. On one hand she was comforted he was here. Yet, she couldn’t rationalize the anger with which he suddenly exploded into the room, leaving her feeling terrified. He practically shook with rage, and she could see his trembling hands from her view point. The longer he stood there, though, the more he calmed and the more compassionate Ryan emerged. This change in demeanor was equally as confusing.
His gentle fingers forced her chin up to meet his eye. “Princess, please look at me. Who gave you those lashes if you’ve only been missing two weeks?” His head tilted to the side and added, “I’m not angry at you, Tillian. Please answer my question, though.” He then cursed under his breath with a shake of his head. “Sweet Tillian, who dared to whip you?”
His protective reaction and the deep concern in his voice rattled her to her core. She felt that invisible pull towards Ryan but it was that passionate look that made her decide to trust him. What was the worst that could happen? “I’ve been gone a lot longer than two weeks. My Father probably just sent word,” she whispered. She was burned under his smoldering eyes that watched her with a new fury.
Ryan cursed again but didn’t leave her side. “How long have you been gone?” he asked. That would be so in character for Ifran to lie about this. Irfan was a shady ruler and Ryan could see him telling some fabricated tale to hide something. Wallace’s warning suddenly flared to life and Ryan cast a questioning glance in his Captain’s direction. Was this a ruse to trap Ryan or is Irfan just a cruel idiot? At her next words, Ryan looked at her face with wide eyes.
“Two months, Sir.” With that Tillian suddenly released a sob that shattered the stillness in the cabin. Immediately, she felt herself engulfed in his caring embrace while he pinned her tightly to his chest, rocking her. She finally felt the emotional dam break. Her body crumpled in his arms, surrounded by his warmth and he let her.
Ryan never felt so helpless in all his years and he vowed that he’d do whatever it took to avenge the pain he heard in her voice and the trembling agony he felt from her body.
Two months? He asked himself. The news rocked Ryan to the deepest levels of his comprehension. His wrath ratcheted to a new level with this realization. What she had to endure became apparent and his respect for her grew. She should be maddened from the experience, but she wasn’t. Wounded yes, but she wasn’t shattered. It was a testament of her own inner strength that she remained sane after two months of being used cruelly from the evidence of the lash scars.
Ryan took a few deep breathes to control the magic that pulsated to the surface and threatened to be released the higher his anger soared. He had to be careful not to lose control or he would burn this cabin down. He was on the cusp of doing just that now, but he focused on calming his racing heart. To lose control would only terrify Tillian, which was the last thing he wanted to do. It was common knowledge that the inhabitants of Folkyn were ignorantly terrified of magic or anything mystical. He needed to remain in control until she was in a better position to accept who and what he was.
“Oh, Tillian,” he whispered. His heart nearly broke hearing her sadness and he wanted nothing more than to heal her wounded soul. “I’m so sorry you’ve had to experience such pain.” Ryan rocked her gently back and forth in an attempt to sooth her, and the motion pulled her closer.
Tillian wrapped her arms around his waist, feeling the heat from his body as if it were a blanket of comfo
rt being wrapped around her. When his arms tightened further, a strange sense of security settled over her soul and all the fears and shame seemed to melt away. She knew in that moment it was Ryan’s presence that gave her that.
“Shh, please don’t cry,” he whispered against her ear. “I ask again, who did this to you?”
Tillian debated while her emotions waged an internal battle. She felt uncharacteristically out of control and could do nothing about it at the moment. This compassion should have been coming from her brother and not some foreign king, but she latched onto it regardless. She needed someone to accept her plight and care for her, because she just couldn’t do it herself under the circumstances. Tillian desperately needed someone to protect her and Ryan was doing just that with more to spare. After a moment, she sniffed and snuggled her face against his strong chest while she settled down and then sighed.
“I’m not sure what to say, Sir.” Her voice was quiet and soft. She wasn’t crying only for her pain, but also for the predicament she was in. The shame that a part of her enjoyed what they did raced through her mind. Logically, she knew she couldn’t resist the arousal that the drugs in her system generated, but she still hated she found any enjoyment at all. Because of that she felt tainted, ruined and destroyed. She didn’t deserve Ryan’s compassion and she didn’t deserve the passion burning in his eyes.
“It would do me a huge honor if you called me Ryan,” he teased leaning back in order to tilt her face to his. “I think ‘Sir’ makes me feel old.”
Tillian smiled sweetly and added, “All right, Ryan.” A faint light appeared in her green eyes when she stared into his brown depths. At that moment, she felt something trigger in her heart. It wasn’t more than a flutter, a pulse, but it was there. “Thank you.”
“For what?” he inquired, his thumb still held her chin poised towards his face. He couldn’t bring himself to release that contact and marveled at the velvety softness of her skin. He could easily see the internal battle within her eyes, and decided he’d tackle that another day. Right now, he knew all she needed was exactly what he was doing.