Paine wondered what he was doing lurking in the shadows and was about to turn and leave when another person stepped out of the shadows. Paine was surprised to see that it was Atas. What was the unlikely pair up to? He was sure the King would want to know as well. He would tell him on the morrow.
Paine smiled at his hasty steps. After late meetings with the King, he never rushed to his dwelling, but then he never had reason to. Now he had Anin. The thought had him quickening his pace.
Bog lay in front of the door, though he sprang to his feet when he saw Paine approach. Before he reached the door, Bog turned and headed to his shelter.
“Bog,” Paine said and went to the wolf as he turned. “You did well, my friend. You protected what is ours.” He gave the wolf a quick rub behind the ear and before Bog turned away he rubbed his face against Paine’s leg.
Bog went to his shelter and Paine to his dwelling.
He was disappointed to see that Anin was asleep, though not surprised. The day had not been easy for her and she could use the rest. He stared at his sleeping wife as he shed his garments. He never planned to wed, never thought a woman would want him, and never did he think any woman would care deeply for him, and certainly not one as beautiful and kind as Anin.
He slipped beneath the covers and curled himself around her, and she turned in his arms to snuggle against him, her head resting on his chest.
“I will never let you go,” he whispered and kissed the top of her head.
Anin raised her head, her eyes drifting open. “I will have your word on that.”
Paine smiled. “You have my word and my heart. You have all of me.”
Anin smiled and stretched her head up to kiss him.
Paine lifted her so their lips would meet and he savored her sweet kiss, fighting his need for more. She was tired from her ordeal. She needed to rest. She needed to sleep.
“I need you,” she whispered.
He moved her gently onto her back and eased his body over hers. She was warm and soft and he was hard and aching. He nuzzled her neck, her skin sweet tasting. His head snapped up when he felt her capture him in her hand and tug gently. He groaned as she continued to tug. “I will spill in your hand if you continue to do that.”
She stopped. “I want you inside me. I cannot wait. I need you now or I will burst whether you are inside me or not.”
He did not wait. He spread her legs further apart with his knee and slipped into her with ease, his pleasure that she was so ready to receive him exciting him even more. He set a quick pace and she joined him, her passionate sighs pleasing to his ears.
Anin felt herself drowning in a pool of pleasure. Never had she felt with such intensity and it continued to build with each thrust of her hips against her husband. She wanted him as deep inside her as he could go, so they could share the power and the pleasure that joining as one could only bring.
Paine groaned and Anin felt him ready to release. She threw her hips against him, forcing her own release along with his, crying out as she felt them burst together and his seed spill into her. She hugged him tight never wanting this moment to end, never wanting to let him go.
When the last shudder left their bodies, Paine rolled off her and before he could slip his arm beneath her to ease her close, Anin snuggled against him.
She rested her head on his chest and smiled listening as the mighty thumping of his heart slowed. She draped her arm across his middle and sighed contentedly. “You do so please me, husband. I believe I will keep you.”
She felt his rumble of laughter before she heard it.
“You have no choice, for I will never let you go.”
She laughed. “It pleases me to hear that.”
“You always please me, Anin.”
She looked up at him with a smile, though a yawn quickly stole it away.
“You are tired, sleep.”
“I am too curious to sleep. Tell me of your meeting with the King. Do we go to war?” she shivered at the thought.
“No, the King is too wise to be drawn into a trap, but he also will be prepared if a battle is necessary. He will wait and see what the dal Gabran has to say and they will be followed and watched. He also took your advice and spoke with the two Drust. He offered them food and drinks and discovered much as did the Drust warriors. They were surprised to learn that the other Drust warrior’s mission was to see you dead and uncertain of the King’s word on it. If anything, the King has placed doubt in their minds. They will talk more, but at least it is a start.”
“What will he do with them?”
“Their fate will have to wait until the King deals with the dal Gabran, but they presently have no worry that the King will do them harm.”
“What of the one who betrays the King? Is he not a threat to the traitor?”
“The King has seen to that.”
“But what of—”
Paine kissed her silent. “Sleep. We will talk more on the morrow.
Anin went to protest, but a yawn stole her words and while curiosity had questions tumbling around in her head and ready to slip from her lips, her need for sleep proved stronger.
It was not long before Paine followed her into sleep, though it was concern for his wife that was on his thoughts. He wondered what her mum would say, but then if Blyth of the Girthrig Tribe was not Anin’s true mum... who was?
~~~
Anin pressed her hand to her middle as she had done many times since she woke, wishing she could reach in and calm the flutters there. She was concerned with seeing her mum, though if it was true and she was of the Wyse Tribe then her mum was not truly her mum. Anin was curious and eager to learn the truth and she hoped the truth would not diminish the love she had for her mum.
She had combed and plaited her long dark hair shortly after she woke and had scrubbed her face with the rainwater in the barrel outside. She did her best to freshen her garment and she so wished that she had a decent cloak to wear, the one that had been given to her was almost threadbare. If anything, she would like to look presentable upon seeing her mum and da.
The door opened and Anin smiled upon seeing her husband. Her heart soared every time she laid eyes on him and it brought her such joy to touch him and feel how he cared for her and how content he was. The emptiness she had felt in him when they had first met was gone, not a dark spot left. He had changed and soon it would be too difficult for him to remain the executioner.
“What have you there?” she asked, seeing a cloth draped over his arm.
“A gift from the King for you,” Paine said and walked over to her.
“I got the best gift I could have ever gotten from the King when he joined us, but there is another gift, though not from the King, that would please me.”
Paine stopped close in front of her. “And what is that, wife?”
“Your baby inside me.”
Paine leaned down and gave her a quick kiss. “I will work on that most diligently.” He took a step back and slipped the cloth off his arm and around her shoulders.
“It is a hooded cloak and a most beautiful one,” Anin said thrilled with the softness of the dark blue cloth.
“It is a small show of the King’s appreciation.”
“I am most grateful, especially with the cold not far off.”
Paine slipped his arms beneath the cloak, circling her waist. “I will always keep you warm.” He bent his head to kiss her when the horn blared through the village, halting their kiss.
“Who arrives first?” Anin asked, taking strong hold of her husband’s arm.
“It matters not. The King wants you to be present in the feasting hall for both arrivals. Do not worry, I will not leave your side.”
Anin nodded. The dal Gabran mattered not to her. It was her mum and da’s arrival that held concern for her.
“We must go,” Paine said and Anin nodded again and took hold of her husband’s hand as they left the dwelling.
“What of Bog?” Anin asked, turning her head in searc
h of the wolf.
“He has not had time in the woods of late. He will return later.”
Anin wished she could have gone with the wolf. She missed the solace of the woods and the way the trees would whisper to her. The woods had always helped her clear her head of too much thought. She would need to visit soon, for her head was much too full.
Paine kept his wife close, a crowd having gathered to see the dal Gabran enter. The stronghold was heavily guarded inside the walls as well as outside and the size of the dal Gabran troop that entered was no match for the King’s horde of warriors.
He eased Anin to the side away from the crowd, having seen something he had not expected to see.
“What is it?” Anin asked, feeling her husband’s sudden distress.
“Do you know who that is that rides behind the two large warriors on horses?”
Anin stared at the man. He sat his stallion with authority, his wide shoulders drawn back and his head held high. Even though he was draped in furs, one could see he was a man of good size. While his features were not fine, they were pleasing and the many lines on his face spoke of an aged man as did his long dark hair that held much gray.
Anin shook her head.
“He is Comgall King of the dal Gabran.”
“Why would the King come here to Pictland?”
“A good question. We will find out soon enough.” Paine hurried Anin along and into the feasting house before the dal Gabran reached it.
King Talon stood in front of the long table and his personal guard and warriors lined the side walls. The King waved Paine and Anin to him when they entered.
“You will stay to the side with Anin if I should need her,” the King ordered.
“I will not see her placed in harm’s way,” Paine said.
“Either will I,” the King snapped, “which is why you will remain by her side at all times.”
“Aye, my King,” Paine said and kept tight hold of Anin’s hand.
Anin stepped closer to her husband when the King of the dal Gabran entered the feasting hall. He was a large man, not only in size but in presence as well. It seemed as if he took up the whole room, though when King Talon stepped forward, Comgall appeared small in his presence.
“Why are you here in Pictland and why did you not send a message of your arrival?” King Talon demanded.
Anin was surprised when King Talon spoke in his own language and even more surprised when Comgall answered him in the same.
“For fear your stubborn nature would refuse to welcome me,” Comgall said in a voice so deep it filled the room.
“So you admit you fear me?” King Talon challenged.
Comgall’s face grew red. “I fear nothing and I am not here to argue with you or war with you.”
“Then why are you here?”
“To claim my daughter!”
Chapter Thirty-two
Comgall, King of the dal Gabran walked over to Anin. “You are my daughter and you will come with me.”
Paine pushed his wife behind him. “Anin is my wife and she stays with me.”
Comgall turned an angry scowl on the King. “You will give me my daughter or I will go to war with you.”
King Talon walked over to Comgall. “You do not come into my home and demand anything. Anin is the daughter of Cathbad and Blyth of the Girthrig Tribe. Can you prove differently?”
Comgall pointed a finger at Anin. “Her mum knows the truth. Let your executioner get it from her.”
That had Anin hurrying around her husband. “No, no one will hurt my mum.”
“Blyth of the Girthrig Tribe is not your mum.”
“Then who is?” Anin demanded.
“I will speak to my daughter before I speak to anyone else.”
All eyes turned to see Anin’s mum walk forward, her husband Cathbad at her side. Both came to a halt in front of King Talon.
“You will speak here and now,” King Talon ordered.
“I will not,” Blyth said. “I will speak to my daughter alone or I will not speak.”
Cathbad shook his head. “Blyth, obey the King.”
Blyth shook her head and tears filled her eyes. “Forgive me, my King, but I must speak to my daughter alone first.”
Anin rushed forward before Paine could stop her. “A word, my King?”
King Talon nodded and walked to a corner of the hall, raising his hand as he did to stop Paine from following.
If it had been anyone else, Paine would have followed, but he would not disrespect his King. And he was still close enough to protect his wife if necessary.
“My King, for the short time I have been here I have served you as you wished and will continue to serve you along with my husband. But I beg of you to allow me this private time with my mum. I wish to hear what she has to say to me before it is said in front of others.”
“I will grant you this favor, Anin, if you give me your word you will be truthful with me in what your mum tells you and that you will touch her to make certain she speaks the truth.”
“You have my word, my King.”
“Then it is done. Go to your husband.”
Paine stepped forward when his wife rushed to him and took hold of her, tucking her tight against him.
“You can speak with your daughter first,” King Talon announced when he stood in front of everyone again.
“You let a woman dictate to you?” Comgall said with brewing anger.
“You let the mother of your child escape you along with your child?” King Talon retaliated.
“That does not concern you. You will give me my daughter,” Comgall shouted.
King Talon stepped forward abruptly. “Make one more demand in my home and I will see you and your men slaughtered, then I will ride to dal Gabran land and claim it my own. Now hold your tongue until I say otherwise.”
“The truth will be heard after I speak with my daughter,” Blyth said, stepping forward and holding her hand out to Anin.
Comgall looked ready to shout and another quick step forward from King Talon silenced him.
The King looked to Paine. “Take the two women to the High Chambers room and guard the door.”
Pain nodded, though he needed no order to do so. He would not stray far from his wife. He took a stance outside the closed door once Anin and her mum entered and Wrath came and took a silent stance beside him. Both their presence assuring no one would venture past them.
Mother and daughter sat next to each other at the long table and Blyth reached out and took Anin’s hand. “Forgive me, my daughter, and please understand what I did, I did with your true mother’s blessings.”
Anin squeezed her mum’s hand and waited, wishing she would wake and find this nothing more than a dream.
“I was on my way home alone from visiting my sisters, though your da had not wanted me to go being so close to the time you were to birth. But I had no worries. I had already birthed four sons without a problem, one more would not prove difficult.
“I was not far from home when my pains came on suddenly. I thought I could make it the rest of the way, but fate thought differently. A terrible thunderstorm struck. The slashing rain would not let me take another step and so I sought shelter in a dwelling I came upon. To my surprise, I found a woman getting ready to give birth. We helped each other as best we could and I delivered before her,” —Blyth paused, a tear in her eye— “my daughter did not breathe one breath. I had no time to mourn. The woman was about to give birth and she was having difficulty. She birthed a daughter and had only enough breath to tell me to keep her as my own and when the time came her tribe would claim her.
Blyth squeezed Anin’s hand tight. “Fate had given me the daughter I had lost and the moment I took you in my arms I knew you belonged to me. I worried every day that someone would arrive and claim you. When your strange abilities surfaced, I grew even more fearful so I warned you against them. And when the King chose you to be his Queen, I feared the truth of your origin would finally come to lig
ht and it could do you more harm than good.
“You have my heart, Anin, you had it the moment your mum asked with her dying breath that I take you and keep you safe and I gave her my word I would. You were my daughter from that day on and you always will be.”
Blyth spread her arms out and Anin fell into them, throwing her arms around her, and not because the King ordered her to touch her, but because her mum wanted to embrace her, hold her tight, and give her of her heart completely.
Tears welled up in Anin’s eyes. Not only did she feel how deeply her mum cared for her, but she also felt her mum’s worry and suffering through the years that someone would take the daughter she loved away from her. She also felt the deep sorrow she felt for the woman who had given birth to Anin and how strong her conviction was to keep Anin safe for her true mum.
Blyth sat back and continued. “I placed my daughter’s lifeless body in your mum’s arms, wrapped them in a blanket and left them for her husband to find, since she had told me he would come for her. She told me nothing of your father and I was glad of that. Your da knew nothing of my secret. He believed you his daughter and he still claims you are his daughter though he now knows the truth. I confessed all to him on our way here. Now I fear what my secret will do to you and possibly others.”
“I trust my true mum knew what she was doing when she had you take me. Now the rest is for fate to decide.”
Blyth shook her head. “No, it is for King Talon to decide what your fate will be.” She looked away a moment, then turned back to Anin. “There is something else your mum told me, though she made me give my word I would say nothing and only tell you when the time proved right... you are of the Wyse Tribe. Your mum was a Wyse woman.”
Anin shut her eyes a moment relieved to finally know the truth of who she was and oddly enough she heard the Giantess in her head.
Be who you are.
She had never been able to be who she was, since she had never truly known who she was, but now she did and she did not have to think herself different or strange anymore or fear what she was capable of doing. She could finally be... a Wyse woman.
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