The Bed Wife: A Novella (The Bed Wife Chronicles Book 1)

by Suzanna Lynn

The rest of the day, Luana had been slightly distant from Baylin. He made efforts to charm her and cause her to smile, but with little success.

  As he sat across the table from her eating their evening meal in silence, Baylin couldn’t help but think she was pulling away from him.

  “How do you find your meal?” he inquired.

  Luana nodded slightly. “Good, thank you.”

  Baylin reached across the table and laid his hand upon hers. “What is it? What is wrong?”

  “Nothing at all, Your Grace,” she said, pulling her hand away.

  Your Grace, he thought. I’ve lost her again. Baylin stared at his plate of food in silence, unable to eat. He knew it was due to his father’s harsh words about finding a wife. I don’t want anyone else. Why can’t father see that Luana is who I wish to marry?

  When Luana finished her meal, she retreated to the settee and began reading a book.

  Baylin walked over to the hearth, sitting down on the rug, and began stirring the fire slowly. The nights were getting much colder. It had been only two months since the harvest moon and already winter seemed to be baring its teeth at them. This would not be good for the people of Grasmere.

  He turned to look at Luana in the fading light. She was still as beautiful to him as he had been that first day in the fields. If only she could love me.

  Luana looked up from her book to him. “Your Grace?”

  “Luana.” Baylin’s mouth went suddenly dry. Though he felt the feelings in his heart, declaring them out loud to her was another thing entirely. “I want you to be happy here.”

  Luana looked down to the book in her lap. “My Prince, you have made many efforts on my behalf to do so. I can assure you that I am as happy as can be allowed.”

  Baylin moved so that he was knelt on the floor at her feet and took her hands in his. His nerves were on edge. “Please, do not let what my father has said come between us. It’s just…we’ve…we’ve come so far.” He could hear the desperation in his voice, but he needed to say the words.

  Luana stared at him with her sad emerald green eyes. “I will try, Your Grace.”

  Baylin shook his head and gently cupped her cheek. “And don’t call me ‘Your Grace’ or ‘My Prince’ or any other titles. Please. I just want… I want to be Baylin to you.” Luana’s expression softened as she reached up and laid her hand against his that was still against her cheek.

  I love you. I have to tell her. Baylin mustered his courage and opened his mouth to speak when a bang came on the chamber door. He sighed in frustration. The knock came again and he stood, walking over and opening it.

  “Baylin,” said his friend Ferric. He was dressed in armor, which was highly unusual.

  “What is it, my friend?” Baylin asked in a worried tone.

  “The King requests your presence immediately at war council,” Ferric said in an urgent tone.

  Baylin looked back into the room at Luana, who was now standing, staring at the two.

  He turned back to his friend. “Give me a moment.” Ferric nodded his head in a slight bow.

  Baylin slowly closed the door. He knew something was wrong. For all he knew, they very well could be at war.

  He turned to Luana. “I must go.”

  There was worry and fear in her eyes. “You’re not going to battle, are you?”

  He crossed the room and took her in his arms. “Dearest, it will be fine. I’m sure it’s just more planning. My father is ever vigilant in protecting the borders of the Kingdom.”

  Baylin embraced her, all the while knowing he was lying to her. He was certain that trouble was brewing.

  Luana laid her head against Baylin’s chest and sighed deeply. He was certain she would be able to hear his heart racing. Her very touch caused a heat to rise within him. The Prince leaned his head against hers, breathing in the sweet smell of her hair. She always smelled of spring rains and lilac. If I could stay with you tonight, just like this, it would be enough.

  He tilted Luana’s chin, looking into her eyes. “I will return to you shortly. Do not worry for me.”

  Baylin had to admit to himself that her worry gave him hope. Perhaps she could grow to love me.

  Baylin kissed Luana’s forehead. I love you. If only I could tell you.

  He turned and quickly left the room. Ferric was waiting on the stairs for him as he made his way up to King Ashmur’s war room.

  The halls to the room were covered in great paintings that depicted the history of their people, especially the Battle of Embers.

  Nearly a thousand years ago, the great Keld Kingdom of Grasmere had been established when the castle was first forged in the belly of the mountain.

  Over the centuries, the prosperity of Grasmere had come from Mount Shadowcast itself, which was a constant supply of diamonds and sapphires. The vast wealth of the Keld brought traders and merchants from all corners of the land, allowing the villages of Grasmere to thrive in peace and prosperity.

  However, this did not last. Darkness slowly crept over the lands of Grasmere. In the night, it had been rumored that large numbers of mountain, forest and even river trolls were seen crossing the fields and streams.

  King Aron sent out an army of his best warriors to sweep the trolls out of the Kingdom, but it was too late. The lands were teaming with trolls from all corners of the earth.

  The Battle of Embers raged on for nearly twenty years. Keld men and women alike met the enemy in battle, defending the Kingdom, their lands and their people.

  In the end, the Keld defeated the troll armies by setting the fields and forests ablaze. Any of the beasts that survived slunk back into the mountains, forests and streams they came from. The Keld may have won the battle, but they had nothing to celebrate. The Kingdom had been laid to waste and the royal line was all but gone but for a handful of Lords and Ladies meant to carry on the bloodline.

  Over the years the royal family grew due to the practice of taking bed wives. However, the troll problem was a threat that was present in the minds of all those within the Kingdom.

  “My Lord Father, what is the matter?” Baylin asked with a bow.

  “Baylin, Rivermouth is under attack. A small band of water trolls has sieged the village and set several buildings near the water’s edge on fire,” the old King explained.

  “Then I shall take my men and disperse the riffraff this very night,” Baylin said, followed by cheers from his guard.

  “Shouldn’t the Prince be busy giving us an heir to the throne instead of playing at war?” Lord Cadman’s sinister voice came from the corner of the room.

  Baylin clenched his teeth as he faced his uncle. The entire room went static at the tension between the two. It was no secret that there was no love between the two. However, after Cadman’s treatment of Luana, Baylin would like nothing more than to physically remove him from the Kingdom.

  King Ashmur made little work of calling out the two. “Enough. There will be none of that. Cadman, if you cannot keep your words to the battle, feel free to leave.”

  “Your Grace,” Cadman said with a bow to King Ashmur and then turned and winked at Baylin.

  The heat of Baylin’s anger was boiling.

  King Ashmur turned to his son. “Baylin, you will take a party of your best men to destroy these trolls tonight. We do not have the luxury of time to wait for dawn. Cadman reports that there were roughly two dozen seen within the village, so you should be able to eradicate them quickly.”

  “Your Grace,” Baylin said with a bow. He nodded to Ferric who, along with fifteen other men, followed him out the door.

  *****

  Baylin and his men galloped down the road to Rivermouth under the light of a full moon. They were fortunate in that fact, for traveling under a new moon was treacherous.

  As they came upon the village, they could see the fire blazing and hear the people’s screams. They made their way through the village as Baylin called out to the people. “Go back to your homes. Lock your doors, stay inside.”


  He cared about the people and wanted to keep them safe. We must protect the villagers. One life lost is one too many.

  On the other side of the village they finally arrived at the dock. The heat from the blaze from the surrounding buildings made Baylin’s armor feel especially heavy.

  “Stay together, men,” Baylin ordered, unsheathing his sword. The curved silver blade gleamed in the light of the dancing flames.

  The smell of the trolls was thick in the air. Their slime-matted fur gave them a stench of a wet dog mixed with rotting fish. It was not uncommon to smell them coming before you actually saw them.

  Baylin urged his horse slowly down the water’s edge, tailed by his men.

  It was then that he saw them popping up from out of the water and crawling onto the dock. The water trolls’ pale blue fur and iridescent, frog-like eyes gleamed silver in the moonlight. Water trolls were nocturnal creatures and lacked any formidable abilities except that of sheer numbers. This lot carried crude, handmade weapons of rock and roughly forged metals.

  The Prince gave the signal for attack as he and his men rode their great steeds into the thick of the troll pack.

  Baylin began cutting down trolls left and right with great ease, but as his foes fell, more began to emerge from the water and take part in the attack. Baylin and his men had been led into a trap.

  Chapter Eleven

  It had been nearly a week since Prince Baylin had been summoned from the chamber to attend King Ashmur’s war council. Luana had not seen, nor been given word of the Prince’s whereabouts. She was certain if something had happened someone would have gotten word to her. Don’t be a fool, of course nothing has happened to him. Don’t think like that. Luana paced the room, her nerves getting more and more unraveled. Her heart ached for Baylin. Where was he?

  Panicked, heartbreaking thoughts ran through Luana’s mind as she paced the cool, smooth stone floors. Perhaps the King has found Baylin a Queen. Maybe Baylin has decided he is tired of waiting.

  Both of her handmaids came into the room to clean up the remains of Luana’s breakfast. She had again left her meal untouched.

  “Milady, you must eat,” one of the maids pleaded. “You must keep up your health so when you are with child…”

  “How can I become with child when the Prince will not even see me?” Luana snapped. She felt instantly guilty for taking her frustrations out on the girl and gave her an apologetic look.

  The maid gave a soft bow. “Apologies, Miss.” The maid carried the dishes from the room quietly.

  Her other maid, Meg, guided Luana to a chair situated in front of a mirror and began the daily task of brushing her long silver-blonde hair. Luana looked up into Meg’s face in the reflection, searching for some kind of sign but found none.

  She turned her gaze toward the window, watching the clouds roll by.

  Her thoughts took her back to the days after Cadman’s rebuke of Baylin and her friendship when they were young.

  The days that followed had been lonely to say the least. Luana found herself wandering lonely in the field and the forest to make time pass.

  The day had been particularly hot, so Luana lay in the grass beneath the shade of a tree on the bed of the forest. She had nearly fallen asleep when she heard the sound of something or someone running toward her. For the first time, she was truly scared.

  She stood up, turned, preparing to run for her home, when an arm reached out from behind a tree and grabbed her, pulling her toward them.

  “Baylin!” Luana could not contain her happiness. She threw her arms around his neck and squeezed him tightly.

  Baylin returned the hug. “I’m sorry I scared you. I don’t have much time.”

  “However did you get away?” Luana asked, breaking the embrace.

  “They think I’m sick in my chamber,” Baylin said with a sly smile. “I’m supposed to be in bed asleep.”

  Luana giggled taking Baylin’s hands in her own. “Are you running away?” She had secretly hoped he was.

  Baylin shook his head. “No, I can’t run away. I have to be King someday, remember?”

  “Well, then, why have you come?” Luana asked, still clinging to his hands. She did not want to let them go. She didn’t want to let him slip from her life again.

  Baylin looked sad. Luana didn’t like it. She preferred him smiling and laughing with her.

  “I can’t be your friend anymore,” Baylin said, looking down at his feet.

  “Why not?” Luana asked confused, dropping his hands.

  “You heard Uncle Cadman. He’s forbidden it,” Baylin said, frustrated, plopping down on the ground next to a tree.

  Luana sat down next to him. “He can stop us from spending time together, but that doesn’t mean we aren’t still friends.”

  Baylin looked up at Luana, hopeful. “How can we stay friends if we can’t be together?”

  “We make a promise,” Luana said with a smile on her face. “We promise that we will never forget each other. And when you are King, we can spend time together again.”

  Baylin smiled weakly at Luana. “I will never forget you. I promise.”

  Luana wrapped her arms around Baylin’s neck. “I promise you will always be my best friend Baylin. I love you.”

  “I love you, Luana,” Baylin replied, squeezing her tighter.

  I love you. The words resonated in Luana’s mind as she thought of her young friend.

  All these years she had loved him from afar. Never forgetting, secretly hoping he still cared for her. Had she really been so blind? For months she had discouraged Baylin, was so cold and unkind to him.

  Hot tears began to gather in Luana’s eyes so quickly she could not stop them from streaming down her pale cheeks.

  Meg knelt to her knees beside Luana and wiped the tears away with a soft cloth. “Oh, Milady, please don’t cry.”

  “I… I can’t help it,” Luana sobbed. “Why does he not come to me?”

  “Milady, I’m not supposed to say, but I feel I must,” the young girl whispered. “I have news of Prince Baylin.”

  “Please!” Luana exclaimed, grabbing the handmaid’s hand. “Meg, you must tell me!”

  “You know a week ago, when His Grace was summoned to King Ashmur’s war council?” the maid asked nervously.

  “Yes, what of it?” Luana inquired, desperate for the girl to get to the point.

  “Well,” Meg continued, “the King sent His Grace to Rivermouth that very night to clear the village of some water trolls that had started burning buildings down by the docks.” Luana’s heart sank, Baylin had gone into battle.

  “And… and His Grace?” Luana asked.

  “His Grace was injured,” she murmured. “He and his guard were ambushed. There were many more trolls than first believed.”

  Luana slid from the chair and sank to her knees as the young girl attempted to hold her up. “How…. how is he?”

  “I’m not sure, Milady. They say he saved many of the men that day. They say no one would have made it back if not for his bravery,” the maid stammered while wrapping a shawl around Luana’s shoulders.

  “But how is he? Where is he? Is he even alive?” Luana was beside herself with grief. She had failed him. Baylin had saved her, protected her and maybe even loved her. She had left him with no heir, and he could be very well dying.

  “He stays in Master Keon’s medical chamber.” The young girl looked over her shoulder and then moved to Luana’s ear with a whisper. “He asks for you, Milady. I heard Master Keon’s handmaid say he calls out your name day and night.”

  Luana’s heart swelled and broke at the same time. He did care for her, truly he did. But now, when she wanted to be with him most, she was not allowed.

  Luana sat silently for a few moments and then turned to her handmaid. “Could you take me to him?”

  Meg jumped back startled. “But Milady is not allowed to leave the chamber. It is forbidden.”

  “Yes, I know they say it is, but Prince Baylin is the
heir of the Kingdom and he is calling for me. He needs me,” she pleaded. “Please, Meg, can you take me to him?”

  The maid stood up and backed away from Luana. “I simply can’t, Milady.”

  Luana cried into the palms of her hands. He may die; I may never see him again.

  Her sobs were loud and heart wrenching. She could not hold in the pain of all that had happened. In her thoughts, she could see his sad face – all the times her stubbornness caused him grief.

  Oh my love. She cried into her hands. I am sorry. I love you, if I could just tell you that I love you.

  The maid knelt down beside Luana. “Milady.”

  Luana looked up with tear-streaked eyes, she felt completely lost without Baylin.

  The maid sat quietly studying Luana. “There… there is a way. But if I were to get caught...”

  “I would tell them I escaped of my own accord,” Luana said with desperation in her voice. “Meg, I would die before I laid blame to you. Just please, take me to him.”

  The girl got up and walked over to the door, peeking outside before locking it. She returned to Luana’s side and whispered. “Tonight, when I come to retrieve your supper tray, you must be ready.”

  Chapter Twelve

  Baylin lay in agonizing pain while his fever burned him from the inside out.

  The problem with the trolls had been grossly underestimated. He and his men were lucky to have gotten out alive.

  When Baylin had realized he and his men were in the middle of a trap, he called for his men to fall back. He stayed behind to allow his men time to regroup. He knew it had been a reckless move, but he felt a duty to his men.

  Baylin’s sharp sword glistened purple with blood as he slashed through troll flesh like a hot knife through butter, yet still more came. The shrill cries of his foes rang out as they were struck down.

  Baylin’s horse whinnied nervously and reared up at the throng of trolls that approached. Heavy hooves slammed down on the wooden dock as a clamor of countless feet came running up on them.

  A large troll grabbed Baylin’s arm that held his sword with a slimy clawed hand. As he struggled with the beast, he heard the sound of oncoming hooves and the great bellow of a war horn. His men were sounding an attack.