Angie Arms - Flames series 04

by The Strongest Flames

  “Sir Halvor,” one of the archers greeted him quickly.

  “Do you not have duties this time of day?” Halvor asked, looking down at them.

  “We were on the practice field when Lady Jillian asked us to come here with her. She said you approved of the change in duties.”

  “That is okay,” Halvor said, swinging from the saddle. “Return to your day now, but take Monster by the stable on your way,” Halvor told the two, holding his reins out to them. “Which way did my wife go?” he asked, looking about himself.

  One of the men pointed up the stream and Halvor nodded his thanks, striking off in that direction, following the stream. He understood why his wife liked the forest. The stream was small in places, babbling, while it seemed to widen considerably in others. It was at one of these wider pools he found Jillian. She sat on the edge of the bank. A small waterfall at the head of the pool, it created a mesmerizing sound as it cascaded over the rocks.

  He startled her. “I have just come to see where I might be able to find you. If the need arises,” he quickly added. “I will assign men to you. I should have already seen to that. The men you chose are archers. It is very important they do not miss time at their practice.”

  She settled back down, but he noticed the stack of little rocks she quickly covered with her hand. “I will not regularly intrude on your solitude,” he assured her, feeling her nervousness. “But just this time I wonder if I might join you? I have already sent the men away.”

  When he saw Jillian nod warily, he quickly took a seat beside her, sitting cross legged to keep his boots out of the water, while her feet dangled in the coolness of it. He sat silently, waiting for her to speak, reluctant to ruin her solitude more than he already had.

  After an overly long, awkward silence, he reached beside him and began picking through the rocks. Finding the one he was looking for, he balanced it in his hand, held it out, and with the flick of his wrist, sent it sailing out across the water. It skipped once, then plopped down into the water. He searched again, and did the same with the next one he found, with no more success.

  “I never was very good at this, but my sister Ella can make them skate across the top. Do you know how to skip a rock?”

  Jillian did not look at him, but he saw the mischievous smile light up her face. She moved her hand from over top the little pile of rocks. Picking one from the top, she took it in her hand, and with a practiced motion, sent it skidding across the top of the water, all the way to the other side.

  “Wow, I don’t know who is better at it,” Halvor said, attempting to skip another. He got better results this time, skipping it three times, before it sunk down into the pool of water.

  Again Jillian let loose of her rock, and it skated all the way to the other side.

  “You’re hording all the good rocks,” Halvor accused.

  Jillian turned to him, with her mischievous smile lighting up her brown eyes, making them glow like warm sherry. Without a word, she searched through her pile, and finding the best rock, held it out to him.

  “I knew it,” he said with a laugh, as he took the rock. He let it fly, but his confidence was not enough to make it skip all the way across, sinking on its third strike.

  He looked at her. She refused to look at him, but the wide grin on her face showed him she was enjoying the game she was superior at. She skipped another, all the way to the other side.

  “Let me have another. I can get it there.”

  She picked one up and handed it to him, avoiding his gaze. Perhaps in fear he would be angry because she was superior at the child’s game. He felt the need to remind her of his seven sisters. If they couldn’t be superior at something, they became a squad against him, so he was used to relinquishing the win to the fairer sex. This time his rock skipped all the way to the other side prettily, though, still lacking the artistry of Jillian’s. Halvor whooped and grabbed for another rock.

  His wife’s grin slipped a little, as she hurriedly picked up another to cast across. To his surprise, and hers, it only got two skips before sinking. He watched her frown as she eagerly grabbed for another. This time Halvor’s failed, but still getting three.

  “That’s three to two. I’m winning,” he declared.

  “You are not,” she replied indignantly, turning her scowl on him. “I have made it across every time.”

  “But I did not know we were playing then.”

  Jillian frowned, but shrugged. “Very well.” She cast her stone across and it skipped to the other side again. She turned her triumphant grin on him, as he aimed his rock.

  To his surprise, it skipped all the way across, and he let out another whoop. Jillian straightened, and took a moment to select the right rock. Halvor could not help his smile. His wife had a competitive nature. How did it ever survive a man like Bruce?

  Halvor lost track of time as he sat on the bank, playing the child’s game with Jillian. In the end she was victorious. So victorious Halvor lost count, but Jillian was able to declare the final score. Her eyes were bright, as Halvor stood and reached down for her. She hesitated a long time before nervously extending her arms, so he could take her hands and slowly help her to her feet. What he saw in her eyes when she stood beside him, looking up at him was hope, and he offered her a smile. Knowing the difficulty she would have bending down to put her shoes on, he stooped before her, and picked up one of her delicate slippers.

  “You can put your hand on my shoulder to balance,” he said. He watched her study him, then she lifted a hand, and lightly touched her fingers to his shoulder. As she lifted her foot, her weight shifted and then she was touching him, her palm pressing down on his shoulder as he supported her.

  “How deep is that pool?” Halvor asked, after Jillian’s shoes were on and they started walking home. It was quite a content feeling, as he leisurely strolled with his wife.

  “It’s over my head,” she replied. “My great grandfather and uncles dug it to swim in.” She fell silent for a moment before adding, “It would be up to your ankles.”

  “Oooh!” Halvor exclaimed, at her teasing.

  They walked in silence for a few minutes before Jillian spoke hesitantly, “Halvor.”

  “Yes?” he asked, continuing to walk. He feared whatever she was going to say to him, she would lose the nerve if he looked at her.

  “Thank you.”

  “For what?” he asked.

  “Trying to protect me that night.”

  Her voice was so quiet he had to strain to hear, and that was the only way he heard her next comment, “And for not being Bruce.”

  “I am glad indeed not to be Bruce, myself,” he said with a chuckle, making light of the compliment, and to enforce his desire that she not be nervous around him.

  ~ ~ ~

  When Halvor helped Jillian up onto the dais for the afternoon meal their time by the river delayed, her eyes lit up, Halvor knew in that instant his wife’s command would be forever his desire to grant. When she sat down in his chair earlier behind his desk, he saw how comfortable she found it, and he ordered it traded for her chair at the dining table. She spent the meal in between eating, rubbing the cushioned arm of the chair, and casting glances his way, her eyes still filled with her surprise.

  She further wiggled her way into his heart when her eyes fell on one of his soldiers, kissing one of the women of her keep. She first looked concerned, then confused at the girl’s reaction.

  “That’s Joe,” Halvor said, with a nod toward the two. “He’s a good man. My second in command.”

  Jillian only continued to stare at the two.

  “I think they are quite taken with each other.”

  Jillian remained quiet for another minute, before she turned to Halvor. “Have you ever kissed a woman like that?”

  “Like what?” he asked, looking back at the two.

  “Like she is fragile, and all important to you.”

  “Have you ever kissed a man like her? Like he is everything to you?” He did not
know why he asked the question. He knew, as soon as it was out of his mouth, he did not want an answer.

  “I have never had a desire to kiss a man. Bruce would kiss, but it was nothing like that,” she said, casting her eyes back to the couple.

  “Perhaps, if you were kissed by the right man, you would have a desire.”

  Jillian snorted. “Not likely.”

  “Even if he held you like you were fragile, and looked at you as if you were all important to him?”

  He watched Jillian swallow, then quickly redirect her attention to her food. Intimacy was a conversation his wife was apparently uncomfortable in discussing, but was curious about all the same.

  A repair problem at the mill kept him from his evening in the solar with Jillian, but he intercepted her in the corridor before she entered her room.

  “I hoped I would see you before you retired.”

  She stopped and turned toward him. He could not mistake the smile that lit up her face. “I admit I was feeling disappointed.”

  Halvor stepped closer. “The last thing I want to do is disappoint you.” He looked down at her for a couple breaths of time before he slowly lowered his head, not breaking eye contact, as he gently touched his lips to hers. Ever so gently, he brushed his lips across hers, slowly extending the tip of his tongue, to caress where she nervously pressed her lips together. He applied the slightest of pressure to make them pucker, so he could slowly suck her top lip gently. A small sigh escaped her, so he did it again, before releasing her and straightening.

  “Now you can say you have been kissed by a man who thinks you as fragile as a flower, and finds you have become far more important to his life then he could have ever imagined.” He turned and left her then. He wanted to stay, but she was 12 months pregnant with her child, but still he felt his desire was on the brink of uncontrolled. He looked back at her, before turning the corner, still standing rooted to the floor in front of her door, two fingers resting on her lips, as she stared after him. He offered her a smile, before he walked from sight.

  ~ ~ ~

  Two weeks passed since their kiss, and Jillian had to admit she was enjoying having a husband. He took care of overseeing the running of the property, and she was content in her increasing fatigue, to see the house ran smoothly, a task mainly seen to by Hildred. She vowed when she had the baby and recovered, she would see that Hildred had some respite from the constant household demands, on top of Jillian’s. The older woman earned a rest.

  Halvor did not try to kiss her again. He did not change in his demeanor toward her, remaining kind and thoughtful. She wondered if things would change once she gave birth. He was a good man not to risk injuring her with his husbandly demands, but she feared that would change later, when his actions would be his rightfully, and there was nothing to frown upon, even if she was unwilling. At least she knew it would not be the same as with Bruce. How could it? If Halvor was like Bruce, he would not be concerned about her condition.

  Having a husband was an enjoyment, until he rode from Hawknest three days before. Jillian was surprised at her anger when he made the decision to leave. Sir Cyrille sent a message to Halvor, explaining they were at Kinsey with Lord Garrick’s wife. Garrick went to fight with Richard, while Sir Damien refused, and was fortified within his own walls, sending Cyrille and his wife Keri away. Halvor tried to explain the urgency, but she had to admit she had little interest in it beyond the fact her husband decided he would go to Kinsey as well. That he was leaving made her angry, because she was due to give birth at any moment. At least she prayed several times a day her time was upon her. If Halvor did not act as if he cared, she doubted she would, but she felt she was developing a relationship with her husband. It seemed to be a partnership, developing into a comfortable friendship. That was until he left, and she was filled with building apprehension.

  She couldn’t help but wonder at her change in attitude. There was a time she wished her husband would leave, and never return. She remembered her joy at the news Bruce was dead. But Halvor was a different story. Jillian wondered what she would do if he never returned. The thought filled her with fear, because she found someone who would be nice to her, she knew the alternative all too well.

  The morning meal was just finished and Hildred ordered her to bed, but Jillian was feeling too restless. She gave a half hearted effort to find the two men who were to follow her each time she left the safety of Hawknest’s walls. The truth was she did not have the patience for them today. She wanted to go to the pool and wished not to be disturbed by the two hulking idiots. She slipped out the gate unnoticed, and made her way to the stream, following it until she came to her private oasis. Awkwardly, she sat on the ground, pulling her slippers off, and sliding them into the cool water.

  The day was a beautifully peaceful one, the birds in the trees sang their lilting songs and the babbling of the water flowing by lulled her into a relaxed mind she could not remember having for a long time. She remembered the last visit here all too well, and the feel of Halvor next to her. His smile. She loved his smile, it lit up his face and made her know with him nearby, everything would be all right. After all, who would dare challenge her larger than life husband?

  She closed her eyes and remembered how gently he kissed her. Jillian could recall every detail of that night, and did so often. Her first real kiss. She could not believe at her age she just experienced such a thing. It was everything she could possibly hope for, and so much more. How could a man as big as Halvor, have such a gentle nature?

  She cried out as the pain ripped through her. A pain so intense she doubled over. Was it time, her mind questioned as she pulled her feet from the water, and tried to pull on her slippers. The pain was too much. She could not manipulate the shoes onto her feet for the pain would not subside, it just rolled on and on, making her hands and legs shake with the effort to remain calm. She would just leave the shoes, she decided.

  She began to climb to her feet, but only got as far as her knees before the pain intensified and she found herself on her side, on the ground, dirt in her mouth, as she cried. It did not end as all the other spasms throughout the pregnancy did. This pain was not the same, and she told herself it was because the baby was coming.

  Jillian witnessed a number of births. Mothers screamed against the pain, they tried to explain the pain to her, but none of it seemed like this. Mother’s giving birth had waves of pain, not the constant debilitating pain that left her lying on the ground. Her tears and saliva made the dirt turn to mud, sticking to the side of her face, going up her nose, into her eye and mouth, but she could do nothing to stop it, not even able to raise her head.

  She had to do something. She couldn’t just lay there. The baby wouldn’t be able to come in that position. She moved, trying to sit, but the pain blinded her and she landed back on her side. She forced herself to roll onto her back. She panted, a rock jabbed into her shoulder, and another in the small of her back, but they did nothing to detract from the pain in her abdomen. She spit the dirt from her mouth, tried blinking it from her eye. She was aware she gripped leaves, twigs and dirt in her hands, and she could feel the dirt imbedded beneath her fingernails.

  She groaned, why wouldn’t the pain stop? Dear God, make it stop! echoed within her mind. How she wanted Halvor. He would insist all was well. She knew he could not make things okay, but she knew he would be there holding her, reassuring her, and that was better than stretched out on the forest floor, covered in dirt and leaves.

  How long does this take? Days, her mind replied, and she screamed hoping to release the pain through her frustration and panic. I can’t bare this for days. I can’t. I can’t. You have to. You have to. “Please God,” she begged, through gritted teeth.

  Get in a better position. That will help. Yes, that will do it, she told herself. She looked about and saw a tree not far behind her. There she could prop her back against it and draw her knees up. It would make sense that would help relieve pressure. She raised herself, put her arms be
hind her and tried to pull herself in that direction. As her lower body began to move, blackness swooped in like the evil wings of a demon, and she fell unconscious onto her back.

  Rain woke her. How long have I been here? She could not see the sun for the canopy of the trees, and the blanketing effect of the gray clouds beyond. She was already soaked, and the pain persisted. She raised herself again, only to her elbows, gritting her teeth, as she tried to pull herself backward. Again the pain intensified and she dropped her head back, moaning and fighting the blackness. One elbow closer, then another, and the blackness took her again.

  She awoke with a scream, and the intense pain confused her for a moment, fearing for a moment Bruce still lived. But the wet ground and the sound of the stream brought her back to the horror of her present circumstance. Get to the tree. Get to the tree.

  She raised herself and began dragging herself backward again. One elbow. Two elbows. Three.

  Get to the tree. Awaking again the rain had stopped but the evening light was low in the forest. “Dear Lord,” she pleaded, feeling exhaustion and hopelessness. Hildred did not know where she went, no one but Halvor knew of her coming to the pool. Get to the tree. One elbow. Two.

  Chapter 8

  Scotts Manor

  Garrick left the girl eating her breakfast in the dining room and went in search of Damien. It was amazing how quickly he became everything in the girl’s world. He was likely the only one to show her kindness in her young life. He cursed himself for leaving her to complete the task that brought him to Damien’s gates. Garrick was not a man prone to self sacrifice, but on this day, he was ready to plunge his dagger into his own heart. But Ryann would not be safe and the King would still have her killed.