Theodoric watched her face grow white. He laughed, making him sound deranged. Ariel cringed at the sound, which caused Theodoric to laugh all the louder. She could still hear him laughing even after he returned to the fire.
* * * *
Torches held high, Broc, Swein, and Ranulf slowly made their way through the thick forest. It was decidedly getting harder to see. Broc, who led the small group, lost the trail on a number of occasions. Once that happened they would have to backtrack until they picked it up again, which caused unwanted delays. It also did nothing to calm Broc’s already strained nerves.
The deeper they penetrated the forest, the more of a struggle it became to walk. Branches seemed to claw at their clothes and hair. Fallen tree limbs, or whole trees, had to be stepped or climbed over. In the dark Broc would sometimes miss seeing them, causing him trip or come up short in surprise.
Losing the trail for what seemed like the hundredth time, Broc took his frustration out on the trees surrounding him. Taking out his sword he savagely swung the blade, causing leaves and bark to fly into the air. Stepping forward, Swein moved around him, catching the younger man’s arm in a grip he could not easily ignore.
“Enough Broc. I think it’s time to call it quits for the night. It’s just too dark to see clearly. We can return on the morrow.”
Pulling his arm out of Swein’s grasp, Broc shook his head. “Nay, Ariel will be out of reach by then. I’ll continue on. If you and Ranulf wish to return to the hall, you both may go, but I’m staying.”
Looking at Ranulf, Swein saw him give a quick nod of his head. “We will stay with you. It would not sit well with me to leave Ariel unfound throughout the night.”
Sheathing his sword, Broc lifted his torch above his head and went in search of Ariel’s trail once again. The faint markings were their only link to where she could possibly be. As luck would have it they had not strayed too far off the trail. Picking it up once more the three men continued on with their quest.
A short time later Ranulf stopped in mid-stride and sniffed the air. The others hadn’t noticed Ranulf had lagged behind, so giving a shout to draw their attention he called them back. “Wait, I think I hear something. And I think I smell smoke.”
Swein and Broc rushed back to the spot where Ranulf stood motionless, listening intently. Standing perfectly still, they both strained to hear what Ranulf had heard.
Smiling, Swein whispered. “Voices, coming from over there.” He pointed to a spot in front of them.
Broc agreed. “Aye. How far in that direction, we will have to see. I suggest we split up. Try to form a circle around whoever they are. I think we’re only dealing with one man.”
Swein looked at Broc, searching the younger man’s face. “I have a feeling you know who it is.”
“Aye. Who else has been a bane of my existence for the last little while? Theodoric. This is something that slimy bug would do, it reeks of his scheming.”
“You’re probably right, he tried this once before. The man likes to hide in the shadows.”
“Not this day. His petty grudges end here and now. He isn’t going to get away with this, not this time.”
Swein nodded his head in agreement. “Theodoric has to pay the price for his underhanded ways. Once we have him surrounded he should be easy to subdue. If he fights us, I’ll take great pleasure in forcing him to comply with our wishes.”
On silent feet, the three men stealthily made their way across the forest floor. Their footsteps were muffled by the cover of fallen leaves. Just before they reached the small clearing, Broc spied the flames of a fire flickering between the trees. He motioned to the others to circle the camp as he inched forward to take a closer look at what awaited them.
Broc smiled, he had been correct in his thinking. Theodoric sat on a log before a small fire, acting as if he had nothing to fear. The man was overconfident. Quickly scanning the area with his keen eyes, he found no other men lurking about. The only other person in the clearing was Ariel, bound to a tree off to his right. That sight alone gave Broc enough reason to exact some form of retribution from Theodoric’s hide. She appeared to be unharmed, but the sight of her tied like an animal made Broc see red. He would have to make sure to pay Theodoric back in kind.
Praying the other two men had had enough time to move into position Broc stood and rushed the camp. Letting loose an ear splitting war cry, he went after Theodoric. Swein and Ranulf could be heard crashing through the woods a few seconds later from opposite sides of the camp. There was nowhere Theodoric could run. He was theirs.
* * * *
The cold and lack of food made her sleepy. She closed her eyes, no longer fighting the drowsiness. Ariel figured no harm would be done if she let her body rest for a little while. There was not much else she could do to better her situation, being bound to a tree as she was.
In a blink of an eye all hell broke loose. One moment all was peaceful and the next, the night became filled with battle cries and men crashing through the trees. Before Ariel could rouse herself completely, her ropes had been cut away from her chest. With a dagger held at her throat, Theodoric held her before him as a shield.
Seeing the face of her beloved, Ariel felt confident enough to smile at Broc. Theodoric’s plans would be foiled now, she would be saved. Her husband had come to free her.
Snarling, Broc stalked Theodoric into the middle of the small camp. Swein and Ranulf took up positions around the other man and closed in on him. There was no other route he could use to escape, he was boxed in and well he knew it.
Broc took a menacing step toward him. That action only caused Theodoric to press the blade closer against Ariel’s neck. Broc froze as a trickle of blood welled up to run beneath the blade of the dagger.
“Release Ariel, you’re outnumbered. Neither one of us will allow you to take her. It’s over. Give me the dagger and no harm will befall you.”
“I think not Norman,” Theodoric snarled at Broc. “Who is to say I will not slit your wife’s pretty throat.”
“If you do, I will personally make sure you take your last breath shortly thereafter. Enough of this. Let Ariel go. Don’t make this any harder than it has to be.”
Theodoric was obviously well beyond being able to see the situation in a sane way, for instead of surrendering, he tried to bolt. Dragging Ariel with him, Theodoric started to move between Ranulf and Swein. Fear for Ariel made them hold back from moving against the other man. The dagger shook in his hand and was liable to hit the vulnerable vein in Ariel’s neck. A desperate man was known to do just about anything to escape what fate had dealt him.
Ariel saw the frustration on Broc’s face as Theodoric pulled her away. She knew he wouldn’t take the chance of any harm befalling her. If she wanted to get out of this mess, she would have to help herself. Now was not the time though, Theodoric was too agitated and he would be unpredictable.
Once more Ariel found herself dragged through the dark forest. This time he blundered his way past the trees with no set destination in mind. His only thought was to escape Ariel’s rescue party. When the small clearing disappeared from sight and Ariel could no longer see Broc, she heard him cry out her name in anguish. Tears pricked the back of her eyes. Would the fates not let them ever be together? Was it their destiny to always find each other and then be cruelly torn apart again?
The dagger bit sharply into her neck when Theodoric stumbled over an exposed tree root. Ariel hissed in pain. The dagger never wavered from her skin. Theodoric had centered all his attention on the sounds coming from a short distance behind them, not caring what damage his dagger inflicted upon Ariel.
Knowing Broc, her father and Ranulf were responsible for the sounds echoing through the trees, Ariel tried another tactic. If she could manage to make Theodoric talk to her, maybe he would become distracted enough for Broc to make a move. Clearing her throat, Ariel made her first attempt to draw Theodoric out.
“You know Broc will never let you get away. You’re only dela
ying the inevitable.”
Theodoric remained stoically silent. Ariel wasn’t even sure he had heard her speak. She would have to think of something to say that he couldn’t ignore. Something that would incite him to anger. She knew she would be taking a big chance. Instead of voicing his anger, Theodoric could very well lash out at her, but that was the chance she would have to take. Ariel wasn’t going to allow him to have control over her life again. He could very well make her life a living hell.
“Give up, Theodoric. Broc is the much better man. Do you actually think you can get away from him so easily?”
That seemed to do the trick. Theodoric’s face flushed red. His grip on her arm tightened causing Ariel to wince in pain. The dagger pressed closer still, but Theodoric didn’t stop their ever forward movement.
“You think that bastard of a Norman is better than me? If it wasn’t for his kind coming to our shores, I would still hold sway over you. They took everything away that once belonged to me.”
Theodoric pulled her close to his face and laughed. “Don’t you understand? Your sojourn as a serf was revenge for my daughter. This time, I do this for me as well. These greedy, grasping Normans think we Saxons will just blindly allow them to run our lives without a fight. Well, I intend to make one particular Norman feel my sting. Broc St. Ceneri will rue the day he had the presumption to take one of my holdings as his.”
Ariel, in a small way, could sympathize with Theodoric. His loss of status was much greater than what her father and she had taken from them, but that did not give him the right to disrupt her life. Broc may be a Norman, the enemy, but Ariel still loved him despite that fact.
“Your plan has failed, you have been found out. Broc will find you.”
Theodoric increased his pace. “I’m afraid you are wrong. This situation has definitely turned for the better—for me.”
Looking in the direction Theodoric headed, Ariel felt her hopes of rescue sink. Somehow he had managed to bring them to the other side of the forest. The trees were already thinning out.
Bursting through the tree line, Theodoric whistled a signal. In response, Godwin and Hugh stepped out into the open. Ariel groaned to herself. Her two nemeses would have to be here.
“Go get the horses. We have to leave, now.”
Never one to question his lord’s commands, Hugh went to do as he had been bidden. The few minutes it took to collect the mounts had Theodoric constantly looking at the edge of the forest. He moved restlessly from one foot to the other. He knew Broc and the others could not be too far behind.
Hugh led three horses over to where Theodoric stood waiting. Godwin mounted one and Hugh mounted another. Theodoric grabbed the reins of his own mount. Releasing Ariel’s arm, he dropped the dagger from her neck. With a shove he tried to force her to mount the horse, Ariel fought him. She could not allow him to leave with her in tow.
An instant later Broc, Ranulf, and her father crashed out of the forest. Theodoric once more pulled Ariel in front of him and placed the dagger at her throat.
Signaling to his two henchmen, Theodoric sent Hugh and Godwin to rid him of his assailants. When both Broc and Ranulf pulled their swords out of their scabbards, Hugh and Godwin turned their mounts and beat a hasty retreat. Theodoric hurled insults at their backs.
Now that his guards had deserted him, Theodoric faced the three enraged men alone. He was cornered and well he knew it. His desperation showed plainly on his face, but he was not ready to admit defeat. As Broc took a step closer, Theodoric moved the dagger threateningly against Ariel’s throat. Having taken all she could of being used as a pawn in someone else’s attempt to regain control, Ariel decided this would end here and now.
She used a trick Osbern had taught her long ago. She let herself relax, which forced Theodoric to hold her full weight. The unexpected move caused him to stumble and shift the dagger away from her neck as he reached to catch her in both arms. With the dagger removed from her neck, Ariel twisted in Theodoric’s hold and kicked out, hitting him between the legs. Cupping his manhood, he groaned in pain and slowly slid to the ground.
Ranulf pounced on him. Motioning to Swein, he had the older man remove Ariel’s bindings and give them to him. With more force than was necessary, Ranulf wrenched Theodoric’s hands behind his back. The cord that had bound Ariel’s hands together now bound Theodoric’s.
Rubbing the numbness from her hands, Ariel crossed the short distance that separated them and threw herself into Broc’s welcoming embrace. The tension she had felt while being Theodoric’s captive slowly drained out of her body.
Broc crushed Ariel to him. That had been too close of a call for both of them. Squeezing his wife again, he heard her grunt in pain.Holding her away from his chest, Broc searched for any sign that Ariel was injured. “What’s wrong? Where did he hurt you?”
“I’m fine.” Broc paid her no heed and began to move his hands over her body trying to locate the source of pain. “I’m fine, really. Theodoric didn’t harm me, it’s just I have been gone too long from our daughter. I’ll find relief once she has had a good nursing.”
Broc looked down at Ariel’s breasts, seeing the two wet spots that darkened the material of her tunic. “Then we had best get you back to the hall with all due haste. One of the women from the village who has a child of her own agreed to feed Brianna, but I’m sure our daughter will be happy to relieve you of some of your milk.”
Looking over the top of Ariel’s head, Broc asked, “Ranulf, Swein, can you manage to bring our prisoner back on your own?”
Swein nodded. “Aye, go ahead. Theodoric will give us no more problems. Go tend to my granddaughter, Ariel. We will be along shortly.”
Needing no more encouragement, Broc clasped Ariel’s hand in his and started the arduous journey back to the hall.
* * * *
Once more in the comfortable surroundings of the main hall, Ariel woke Brianna and put her daughter to her breast. As Brianna took her fill, Ariel felt the pressure in her breasts dissipate. She couldn’t hold back her sigh of relief.
With the pain alleviated, Ariel set about satisfying her baser needs. Lily, overjoyed to see Ariel not the worse for wear from her ordeal, took it upon herself to take care of her. Once she decided Ariel had had enough to eat and drink, Lily prepared a bath in Broc’s chamber for her.
Sinking into the warm water, Ariel felt the remaining stiffness leave her body. Luxuriating in the bath’s warmth after being out in the cold for so long, she sank even further down into the water and rested her head on the rim of the tub. A moment later Broc stepped into the chamber.
Removing his sword, he rolled up his sleeves and moved to the tub. Fishing the wash cloth out of the water, he proceeded to soap Ariel’s body. When the cloth moved to more intimate spots, Ariel laughingly swatted Broc’s hand away.
“Control yourself, my lord. There will be time enough later to indulge in that particular pleasure. Now tell me, what has become of our guest?”
Letting the cloth slip from his fingers, Broc went to stand at Ariel’s back and began to massage the tense muscles on the top of her shoulders and neck. “Theodoric will have to be taken to London. William will take great pleasure in meting out his justice on that man. William has developed an extreme dislike for him.”
“So, where did you put him?”
“He’s in one of the empty huts in the village. The men of the village demanded Theodoric be placed under their care until he goes to the king. If I recall correctly, your friend the blacksmith took the first watch.”
Ariel giggled. “By the time Theodoric leaves he will only be too happy to face William. The villagers will not go easy on him. Their dislike for Theodoric is a match for William’s own.”
“I quite agree. Now if my Lady Knight would permit, I’m going to take you out of that bath and show you how much I love you.”
Bending down, Broc scooped Ariel out of the tub and still dripping wet, placed her on the bed. Ariel gloried in the feel of Broc’s weight
on top of her as her husband joined her on the mattress. Allowing the pleasure only Broc could give her wash over her senses, Ariel held him close to her. Nothing would separate them again. Tonight would mark the beginning of a new life together.
The last coherent thought she had before succumbing to their lovemaking, was how much her life had changed since first meeting this Norman knight. Some of the changes were for the better and some were definitely for the worse. If by some fate Ariel had the ability to go back to that spring day, she wouldn’t change what happened. Now with the future so bright before them, Ariel only hoped life would provide more adventures for a knight and his Lady Knight. What else could she ask for?
LADY KNIGHT
THE END
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Marisa Chenery was always a lover of books, but after reading her first historical romance novel, she found herself hooked. Having inherited a love for the written word, she soon started writing her own novels.
After trying her hand at writing historicals, she now also writes paranormals. Marisa lives in Ontario, Canada with her husband and four children. She would love to hear from you, so stop by her website and send her an email while you're there.
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